9 Friends, Shortcakes and Coffee

Shizuru, feeling frustrated and having an epiphany about Hino's role in the conspiracy, finds herself in front of Hino again in a coffee shop. She notices how Hino looks messy and not as good as back then, and her curiosity is piqued. She wants to confront Hino with the information she has and ask them hard questions about their involvement in all this, but she is also hesitant to have this confrontation. But she knows that she must see this through and see what Hino has to say.

Shizuru, feeling frustrated with Hino's actions and involvement in the conspiracy, sits down across from Hino with a stern look on her face. She spreads her arms indicating she's here already and says, "You want my attention, don't you? Here you go! I'm right here!"

Hino seems to see straight through Shizuru's emotions and smirks back, seemingly trying to get a reaction out of her or annoy her. Shizuru tries to ignore the look and focuses on the issue at hand, to get Hino to speak about the conspiracy and their involvement.

"Weather I have your attention or not, you still hate me doing this, that's why we divorced right?" Hino said with a smirk, as he continued to annoy and pester Shizuru. Shizuru couldn't help but feel that Hino was purposely playing with her emotions, trying to get a reaction out of her. She was conflicted, but she knew that she had to stay calm and focused if she wanted to get the answers she was looking for.

Shizuru took a deep breath and tried to remain calm and focused on the task at hand. Hino's annoying comments and his role in the conspiracy were getting to her, but she knew she had to keep herself together and stay focused.

She took a deep breath and calmed her mind. It was hard not to react, but she needed Hino to talk and provide some answers to the questions that she had. She didn't want to lose her cool, despite the annoying comments from Hino. She needed to keep herself in check and move the conversation forward.

She took a deep breath and spoke confidently, looking Hino straight in the eye, "Listen Hino, you started all of this! I need you to stop with this nonsense theory of yours right now. I can no longer let this madness happen." She stared at Hino, her eyes narrowing with rage. She wanted to snap, but she couldn't afford to let her temper get the best of her. She had to keep calm and stay focused on her goal, which was to get through to Hino.

"And what is normal? Is it normal to let this world crumble with fake information? Is that what you call 'normal'?" She couldn't quite believe the audacity of Hino's response. She felt her rage boiling up inside of her, but she had to maintain her composure and avoid letting her emotions get the best of her.

Her voice was low but her words were direct. "I left you because of your obsession. Don't you see? It's not nnormal!!"

She spoke up, her tone harsh and direct, "I don't even know what 'normal' is anymore, Hino. All I know is that we can't keep living like this. Fake news and conspiracy theories are destroying the world as we know it, and it's not normal. We have to stop this madness before it's too late."

Shizuru grits her teeth and glares at Hino, holding back her anger. "Listen, you're the one who started all this nonsense. Hino, please, stop this crazy theory of yours!"

Hino's face contorts into a mischievous grin and he says in a playful tone, "Oh, so now you want to hear me out? After all this time, when the whole world is drowning in madness, you want answers now?"

She stands up and leaves the coffee shop in dismay and says, "Because you started it!"

Hino whispered to himself, sighing, "Why is she so dumb?"

Shizuru heard the muttering and turned around angrily. "What did you just call me?"

Hino smiled mischievously, "I called you an idiot!"

Shizuru's eyes widened in anger before she slapped him in the face. "Don't you call me that way," she said, pointing a shaking finger at him. As she exited, she grabs the bag and left the coffee money at the coffee shop.

Hino said to himself holding his face. "What was that for?"

Shizuru heads home, still angry after the incident at the coffee shop. She tries to calm down, but her thoughts keep racing through her mind. She couldn't believe that Hino could say such a thing to her and she couldn't understand why he was so obsessed with these fake news and conspiracy theories. All she wanted was to go back to the life they once had.

Shizuru senses a presence following her as she walks home. She looks around and spots a mysterious figure staring at her. She is startled by the sight and decides to walk faster. She notices the figure following her and becomes increasingly anxious as she heads toward her house. Just as she reaches her front door, the mysterious figure catches up with her. And to her surprise, it is her friend, Marie, holding a shortcake for her. Marie smiles and enters the house, relieved that Shizuru is safe and sound.

She smiles and unlocks the front door for Marie and lets her in. Marie comes in and brings the shortcake with her. The two friends have a chat and catch up with each other over the shortcake. They share stories and talk about their pasts and how they are doing in their lives. They catch up with news and gossip around town and have a nice and fun chat.

Shizuru smiles as she thinks about enjoying a delicious iced coffee on a lazy Sunday morning. As she enters the kitchen, she grabs two pretty glasses and fills each glass with ice cubes. She adds a few shots of espresso and starts to whir it all together in her blender. As the coffee mix transforms into a creamy, frothy delight, she smiles and enjoys a sip of the refreshing iced coffee. She looks up and sees Marie standing in the kitchen doorway, smiling and waiting for her own cup of coffee.

Shizuru is surprised but quickly smiles and grabs another pretty glass, filling it with ice cubes and adding a few shots of espresso to the mixture. As she whirs it around, producing a creamy, frothy delight, she glances at Marie and sees her beaming with happiness.

She takes the second iced coffee and hands it to Marie as the two of them smile at each other and enjoy the moment together. With a cup of tasty iced coffee in each hand, Shizuru and Marie sit down to enjoy catching up and gossiping about the latest news in their town.