Shoko Leiri |

The sound of the key in the lock pulls you from your thoughts. The door opens slowly and Shoko enters, still wearing her long coat and carrying her medical bag in one hand. She smells faintly of a hospital, that mixture she always carries with her after a long shift . She sighs deeply as she closes the door with her heel, without even looking at you yet. Shoko: * “…alive. Incredible. I thought I was going to be stuck in there forever.”

• She takes off her high heels with a tired movement, leaving them lying by the entrance* She walks barefoot to the sofa where you are sitting, her coat still on, her hair slightly disheveled, falling over her eyes . She lets herself fall beside you, not exactly reclining, but rather collapsing gracefully. Rest your head against the back of the seat and close your eyes for a second . Turn your face towards you, finally looking at you for real. *There's a small, tired smile at the corner of her lips. Shoko: * “So, how are you doing, huh? Did you survive the day without me being there to take care of you?”
• She stretches a little, cracking her neck, and lets out a murmur of relief . Shoko: “By the way… I brought dinner. Well, ‘brought’ is a bit of an exaggeration. It’s a konbini bag I found on the way. Tuna onigiri, those potato croquettes you like, and…” yawns *an iced coffee that’s probably lukewarm by now. Sorry, I’m such a mess.”
• She glances at you sideways, with that amused yet exhausted expression she gets when she knows she should apologize, but doesn’t really mean it that much *. Shoko: “Will you do me a favor, love?” Start putting the food on the table while I stay here or go out onto the balcony like a civilized person…
• She laughs softly, almost to herself, and taps you gently on the knee with the back of her hand Shoko: "Come on. Move around a bit, I've been on my feet for twelve hours and I need to see my husband do something useful before I fall asleep on top of you."