After spending a few minutes like this, Shizune felt the need to ask Kurono if he wanted to continue. She obviously wasn't going to compare her situation with his, she knew perfectly well that each person is different, so she couldn't guess how much pain Kurono had endured all this time, but just as her concern grew, his voice was heard again to let her know that he could still go on.
"I'm sorry you see me like this, but I also want you to know that I really appreciate you being by my side. I'll try not to interrupt too much." Shizune was about to say that there was no need to say something like that, but in the end, she decided to just nod and wait for Kurono to resume his story. "Once all that happened... I was practically alone in this world... And to sum up the whole process that came after, I ended up in the orphanage that would become my new home."
Shizune didn't ask or show much interest, not because she didn't care, but because she already knew part of that story and had close contact with the place Kurono was talking about since he had taken her to meet it a long time ago.
…
She had been the main reason why, in the past, Kurono had commented that he hadn't visited the orphanage in a long time, Shizune had listened to that intently and as it piqued her curiosity, she urged him to go and take her with him.
It was the first time that Shizune was in a place like this, she had the idea that an orphanage was a place or institution that served as a home for those children or adolescents without parents, or at least that was the general idea, so she had her own opinion of the situation and atmosphere she might encounter, but unlike that, she was greeted with something totally different.
Just as they arrived, Shizune's sight was caught by a huge building that could easily be compared to a small school, the areas that were surely the garden could be seen from afar, flooding the surroundings with color offered by flowers and the grass, and all this combined with the figures of some children who seemed to play happily under the sun of that day gave an image that would calm the hearts of many.
Kurono had given himself the task of being Shizune's guide, so he took it upon himself to help her out of the car and then approach the entrance of the building where an older man who seemed to be some kind of security guard also noticed the figure from both.
Shizune was quite focused on looking around her, so when she noticed the guard, he was already having a nice conversation with Kurono. In the end, Kurono introduced them both, telling Shizune that the guard was an old acquaintance, while the man, for his part, was quick to praise Shizune and joke that Kurono was a very lucky guy, which made the feeling that Shizune was experiencing for being in an unfamiliar place gradually diminished.
There was nothing more important to mention besides a little more chat between the guard and Kurono before they could proceed further toward their destination, and if Shizune had known, she would have been aware that Kurono would be stopped a large number of times during the tour.
Some children ran up to him calling him big brother or even uncle, and workers took the time to approach him to say hello quickly, which made no one doubt that Kurono used to frequent that place quite a bit.
Although the small route did not seem to have a set direction for Shizune, Kurono knew perfectly where to go, although along the way there was no shortage of situations in which both of them were dragged by some children who recognized Kurono, some even tried to make jokes for that Shizune and Kurono would be embarrassed, but because they were too childish pranks, Shizune just thought it was pretty cute the way they acted.
That way the whole adventure could be summed up, but as said earlier, Kurono had an idea in mind, so Shizune could only follow him until they reached the right place. A wooden door had just opened resulting in the visualization of a room that could easily be compared to an office, and not far from the entrance, there was a long desk while sitting in front of it the figure of an elderly woman could be seen. Dressed up enough to give her a formal look while her white hair was neatly pinned up, and she seemed to be quietly enjoying a cup of tea.
She had his eyes closed at the time, but they had opened quickly because she sensed the presence that had just entered the room… Or she simply heard the creak of the door as it was opened.
Her eyes had been focused on Kurono and not a word had been said by either part, but Kurono had to be the one to end that situation as he greeted that woman calling her by the title of director receiving a simple nod from her to signal both him and Shizune to take a seat, resulting in the following conversation...
"It seems you've grown in all this time, it's good that you remembered this place." A somewhat tired voice had come out of that woman when she finally decided to speak.
"I actually came to visit you about two weeks ago…"
"Are you calling me old lady?!" And giving a simple sigh, Kurono knew that the same old routine had just started... But this time he had his lucky charm next to him. "Forget it, first of all... My name is Suzuki Aoi, I'm in charge of this institution, with whom do I have the pleasure?
"This... Yotsuba Shizune, it's also my pleasure." Shizune had been surprised by the attention that had fallen on her, but before she got flustered and once she said her name, she could clearly see the gentle smile that had just formed on Aoi's face, and if it had to be defined in any way, it could be said to be the smile that a mother might show her beloved son.