(Y/n)'s stomach coiled, her eyes going round for a split second before they narrowed into slits.

"That's it!" she snarled as her shaking fingers squeezed into tight fists. Fury and adrenaline thrumming through her veins, she lunged at Satori without a second thought.

Satori chuckled and uncrossed her arms from her chest to brace herself to counter (Y/n)'s attack. She raised a hand as (Y/n) prepared to land a punch and her lips curved up in a shit-eating grin.

Gosh, she was so laughably gullible. To fall hook, line, and sinker for an obvious bait...

She scoffed. How deplorable.

"(Y/n)! No!"

Satori's smirk faltered when she spotted a familiar figure slide behind (Y/n) and she took a few cautious steps back.

(Y/n) muttered a confused 'huh' when she felt her whole body become weightless and starting to rise. She looked down and gasped at the sight of her feet floating above the ground. Two arms enveloped themselves around her and she was effortlessly pulled back to someone's soft chest. She didn't need to look to know who it was and her initial rage was ignited as she began thrashing uncontrollably against her hold.

"Let me go, Uraraka!!" she directed her smoldering gaze to Satori, who had gone deathly still while she stared back with a stony expression. "Let me go so I can introduce that fucking bitch to my fist!!"

Another person appeared in front of her, blocking her view of Satori, and grabbed both her wrists. (Y/n) loudly cursed and kicked out her legs while simultaneously trying to yank her wrists out of Mina's iron grip.

"What is wrong with you two?!!" she growled venomously. "Let me go!!"

"(Y/n), you need to calm down!" Mina tried to reason with her. When she realized that (Y/n) wasn't listening, she delivered a harsh tug to her wrists and (Y/n) stopped moving around to glare at her. "Listen to me! You're not thinking straight! She's only trying to provoke you like she did with Bakugou!"

(Y/n)'s eyes squinted meanly. "Does it look like I care?!!"

"Maybe you don't now," Mina countered with a pointed look, her voice hard with edge. "And maybe you won't when you land a couple of hits in but trust me, you'll start caring once you get into trouble. You'll start caring when you lose all the points you and Bakugou worked hard for. You'll start caring once you get suspended and it goes on your record..." she shook her head. "It's not worth the consequences."

"Wha-?" (Y/n) scrunched up her face before releasing as she tried to make sense of what she was saying. Erratic breaths came out uneven from her parted mouth and she gritted her teeth. Her chest was tight and violent thoughts still ran rampant in her muddled mind.

She shook her head with a low growl and pulled her wrists once more. "Just- Just let me go!"

"(Y/n), listen to her," Uraraka's silvery voice piped up from behind her. "Remember our internship with Gunhead. Remember what he taught us? Knowing martial arts comes with responsibility. Fighting her will only give her the satisfaction of knowing she has power over you. It's what she wants. You're better than this..."

"I-I-" (Y/n) stuttered, tone strangulated. The more she listened to them, the more their words made sense. Still, she just couldn't help but want to cave in to that ache in her chest and let it all out on Satori.

Bowing her head, tears pricked at the corner of her eyes and she screwed them shut. She wanted to scream, she wanted to cry, she wanted to run away, she wanted to hit something, most specifically someone.

"She's right you know," Satori's fruity voice came up from behind Mina.

(Y/n)'s eyes shot open and she ground down on her jaw. She had to stay calm. She had to stay calm...

Satori giggled and she could practically feel the ridicule in it. "Do you really want to get into trouble because you went so far as to fight me so that you can protect your little secret?"

"Shut up..." (Y/n) muttered, her nails digging into the skin of her palms, leaving residue crescent shapes on it. "Shut up..."

"Why? Because you know it's true?"

"SHUT UP!!" (Y/n) snapped, voice shaking and rage-filled as she tried to block out Satori's words from her mind. "Shut up!! Shut up!! Shut up!! Shut up!!"

"Don't listen to her," Mina pleaded and gently squeezed her wrists. "Be the bigger person here and just walk away. She's not worth it," her voice then dropped to a whisper. "Don't get your hands dirty. Let karma do its job, 'kay?"

A beat of silence passed and all that could be heard was (Y/n)'s heavy breathing.

She slowly raised her chin and her conflicted gaze held Mina's beseeching one. She let out a shaky exhale as her mind gradually cleared up and sense drifted back to her. Her eyes trailed down to Mina's fingers, which were around her wrists. They then went to Uraraka's arms that were around her before meeting Mina's eyes.

Unclenching her fists, her expression relaxed and her eyes went dead as the full force of the situation hit her.

She dropped her gaze to the floor with a sigh. Now that she was rational, she could feel the penetrating, judgmental stares of the other girls on her. Her reaction to Satori's false words must've proven them right in their eyes. That she was some just sleazy, defensive barbarian.

Dammit! She bit her lip, her face twisting in a bitter grimace as tears welled up in her eyes. I let her get into my head again. Even after telling myself that I wouldn't...Why can't I do anything right for once?

Mina shared unsure looks with Uraraka over (Y/n)'s shoulder and Uraraka shrugged. Mina thinned her lips and directed a studious glance at (Y/n).

"Are you calm?" she asked warily.

(Y/n) didn't answer. She opened her mouth to ask again but she clamped it shut when she heard a quiet snuffle from her.

The girl sighed and let go of her wrists before nodding to Uraraka. The brunette gingerly unwrapped her arms from around (Y/n). She then touched the tips of her fingers together and muttered 'release' under her breath.

(Y/n)'s feet touched the ground but she didn't raise her head. She swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand before picking up her bag from the ground and her briefcase. She wore the bag and without a word, she turned to walk away.

"Eh?" Satori's contemptuous voice pierced the thick silence. "Are you seriously leaving? I thought you said that you won't run from your problems anymore? What's next? Are you gonna cry yourself to sleep tonight?"

(Y/n) neither stopped nor looked back this time. She had pulled in the reins on her heart's irrational actions and had handed over full control to her mind. The void in her chest hollowed out more as the distance between them grew larger. A space that Satori used to comfortably fill, a space so huge she didn't know if it was ever possible to be filled again.

All in all, she felt empty...numb.

Reaching the door, her fingers curled around the cool, metallic handle and she opened the door a crack. She was about to step outside when Satori spoke again, freezing her on the spot.

"You're not getting rid of me that easy, (Y/n)...You'll come back. You always do."

Pressing her lips together, she turned her head slightly to the side. Unsaid words laid heavy on her tongue but she neither had the energy nor the willpower to say them.

Sighing, she shook her head before exiting and shutting the door behind her.

No sooner had she left than the tense silence was bombarded with hushed whispers and murmurs from the other girls as normal activity returned while they pitched in their various commentaries on what had just occurred.

Satori scowled at the door and folded her arms over her chest. Her grey eyes darted to the two girls who had held back (Y/n). Ashiho was opening her locker, which was coincidentally beside (Y/n)'s, while Uraraka threw occasional glances to the door.

Her narrowed eyes zeroed in on the pink-haired female and her nose crinkled. Just like Bakushit, even his friend happened to be a fucking nuisance. So much for wasting her energy and time aggravating (Y/n).

Clicking her tongue, she pivoted on her heel and headed to her locker.

Uraraka cast one last glance at the door before tapping on Mina's shoulder. "Hey...Shouldn't we go check on her at least? See if she needs someone to talk to?"

"No," Mina looked over her shoulder at the brunette. "Give her some space. She needs to cool off for now."

Uraraka nodded and Mina turned back to grab her bag when something caught her eye from across the room. Her mouth set in a hard line while she watched Satori get surrounded by her concerned classmates. She had her face buried in her hands and Mina could definitely bet that she was fake crying. Her classmates, were of course fooled by her act and were taking rounds rubbing her back, hugging her, and offering words of comfort and advice.

Mina shook her head with a scornful expression. Wow, when Bakugou said she was manipulative, I didn't think it was to this extent. Good thing I stopped (Y/n) before things escalated. With that kind of clueless audience, they would've easily sided with Hanabe and labeled (Y/n) as the bad guy.

The girl tore her gaze away from the disappointing sight and grabbed her bag from her locker. Closing it, she wore the bag over her shoulders and turned around to tell Uraraka something. However, she set it aside when her classmates also gathered around them with curiosity and disquiet written all over their faces.

"Hey guys," Tohru inquisitively asked. "What was all that? Why was that girl shouting at (Y/n) and saying all those things?"

"Yeah," Jirou agreed with a nod. "And how (Y/n) reacted. I've never seen her so...violent before," she curled her earlobe around her finger as dread crossed her features. "It's scary..."

Mina frowned and rubbed her brow. "It's a long story, okay?"

"We have time," Asui contested.

"I-" Mina cut herself off with a frustrated sigh as she sent Asui a withered look. "No."

Crossing her arms over her chest, she leaned back against the locker doors. "What I meant was, I can't tell you guys the full story. All you need to know is that (Y/n)'s the real victim-" she jerked her head towards Satori's direction. "-not her. She was trying to provoke (Y/n) so that she can get angry and fight her."

"Obviously," Yaoyorozu said. Five pairs of eyes turned to her and she held up her palms. "I mean, we all know (Y/n). She, and I don't mean this in any way offensive, is not a fighter. She always walks away when she's overwhelmed by her emotions," she pressed her fingers to her cheek and she cast a worried gaze to the side. "So seeing her act so unusually..."

"Momo's right," Asui held up a finger to her chin. "We should go see if she's okay."

The other girls, excluding Mina and Uraraka, murmured in agreement.

"Hey, slow down guys," Uraraka, who had been quiet for a while, stepped forward between them with her arms spread out. "She just got betrayed by her best friend so she must be feeling terrible right now. I don't think she'd appreciate it if we crowd her. She needs time to herself, okay?"

The other girls' eyes met with hesitant yet shared understanding before nodding.

"Well," Yaoyorozu put her hands together, "if that's the case..."

Mina didn't hear the rest of her classmates' conversation as her eyes had strayed away from them and wandered back to where Satori was. A friend of Satori's had her hand on the girl's forehead while she examined her bruise.

It was a good thing that not many people witnessed (Y/n)'s first move since it was so precise and unexpected. If she had to take a wild guess, she'd say that at least a quarter of the population saw it, which was good.

It was also a good thing they came between them when they did because if they hadn't, everyone would've been a witness to whatever would've happened. And considering how fast gossip spread, it would've eventually reached the teachers with one fact clear; that (Y/n) had thrown the first punch.

Satori wasn't dumb, she'd give her that. She knew what she was doing by baiting (Y/n) because she had perceived those exact results. But who knows what else she would've pulled? Maybe she would've just laid there and let (Y/n) hit her. If so, then the outcome would've been that (Y/n) had attacked a person who wasn't fighting back. She could've definitely been expelled for that.

The thought of that happening left a sour taste in Mina's mouth.

In all honesty, Katsuki really came through for (Y/n) when he tipped her off about Satori. Though he didn't exactly give her specific orders on what to do when Satori approached (Y/n), she now fully understood the principal meaning behind his vague words. Which was; look out for (Y/n).

He knew Satori's personality well so he must've known beforehand that she would use deceitful methods to get what she wanted. If it hadn't been for Katsuki, (Y/n) would've been walking away with broken nails, a tarnished rep, and a scheduled appointment with principal Nedzu the next morning.

Mina smirked and delved into her pocket for her phone.

Katsuki's intelligence really snatched her bald sometimes.

She tapped on her phone's screen and it lit up, displaying the video she had taken earlier. Turning down the volume, she played it up until the part where Satori began wildin'. She edited out that part and the other "boring" before parts, leaving in only the part where Satori's forehead made out with the locker door. She then went to the messaging app where Katsuki's contact was.

Thumbs hovering over the virtual keyboard, she cast a smug sideways look at Satori and she scoffed at the frown on the girl's face. Sucks for her that her plan didn't work but she wasn't just going to let her ruin (Y/n)'s life while she watched from the sidelines.

When she made an oath to herself to do everything in her power to help Katsuki win over his crush, she made sure to keep it. Even if it meant coming between two best friends. When she was expected to rise to the occasion, she delivered as promised. Because, that's simply what having your friend's back means.

Smiling to herself, the girl typed out her message and hit send.

Mina:

If this doesn't convince you that (Y/n) is badass, then I don't know what will ┐( ˘_˘)┌

Mina:

Attachment: 1 video

***

(Y/n) blew air on her palms before rubbing them together to warm them up. She then pulled up her red scarf, which she had converted her tie into, over the lower half of her face. She could've turned it into a blanket, she wished she could've, but with the remaining energy she had, she would've tapped out the second she did.

After leaving the changing room, her legs had mechanically directed her to the parking lot, where she had found herself a nice, lonely, secluded bench to wallow in her sorrows. It was at a perfect spot too; in between two trees, with no street lights next to it, and far but not too far from the gate.

She had been there for quite a while, five minutes to be exact. They still had twenty minutes till they boarded the bus, which gave her enough time to cool down and think about world domination while she was at it.

The only problem though, was that she was freezing her ass off.

Crossing her ankles and pressing her thighs together, she tugged her short skirt down to try and cover up her quivering thighs. She frowned when the hem only reached halfway and nowhere near her knees. She should start looking into purchasing ankle-length skirts for the upcoming season, and buy some tights while she was at it.

Heaving out a resigned sigh, she took out her phone from her jacket's pocket. The phone's screen lit up after tapping on it, bathing her face in bright light. She tapped on the internet icon and quickly typed some words into the search engine.

A shrill laugh made her look up from her phone to the gate. Students who were done changing killed time by tying up loose ends with each other and saying their goodbyes. Seeing their happy faces, (Y/n) couldn't help but feel jealous. And nauseated.

She looked back down at the warm device in her hands and vacantly stared at the open internet tab. She pursed her lips as a familiar sinking feeling overtook her gut.

She was happy too when she arrived. Who would've thought she'd be leaving while feeling like absolute shit.

Approaching footsteps on the cobbled ground caught her attention and her head snapped up to glare at the unwelcome guest. Her face went flat when she saw who it was.

Why does this guy always show up at the most inconvenient of times? "Hey," she greeted blandly, her voice muffled by the scarf.

"Hey," Shouto took out his hand from his pocket as he came to a stop in front of her. "May I join you?"

(Y/n) glimpsed at the space beside her, which was temporarily occupied by her bag and briefcase. Honestly, she wasn't in the mood for company but she didn't know how to tell him that without coming off as rude. So, she settled on shrugging instead.

"Sure. Knock yourself out."

Moving her stuff aside, Shouto placed his briefcase next to hers and took a seat next to her. Meanwhile, (Y/n) had returned her attention to the search results. Paying no mind to her guest, she selected an article and started reading through it.

Silence lingered in the air between the two, with the only sounds around them being those of crickets chirping, leaves rustling in the wind and the distant voices and laughter of students.

Shouto leaned back on the bench and looked heavenward. The black branches of the trees next to the bench traced the blue-black star-filled sky overhead. His warm breaths rose in puffs of white vapor as the crisp wind caressed his face and fluttered through his hair.

A small sneeze coming from (Y/n) alerted him and he lowered his head to look at her. He could hear her sniffling behind her scarf and though she tried to appear unaffected by the cold, he could see how she was fidgeting about while tightly squeezing her thighs together.

Sitting up straight, he turned away from her without a word.

(Y/n) shivered and further shrunk into herself to try and retain her remaining body heat. The cold licked at her exposed skin and chilled her fingers into numbness. She was really starting to regret sitting there in the first place.

Right when she was about to give up and leave, she felt heat start to radiate from Shouto and her eyes perked up from her phone. She snuck a furrowed side glance at him to see steam slowly rising from his left side.

Is he-?

She pinched her lips together and tapped her finger against the edge of her phone. She pondered for a few seconds over asking if he could share the heat but instead decided to just silently take advantage. Besides, what was he going to do? Push her away?

Placing her phone on her lap, she scooted closer to him and flinched when her hip accidentally bumped against his. He cast her a questioning look and she responded by awkwardly clearing her throat while avoiding his eyes.

When he turned his gaze away from her, she allowed herself to relax as she sunk into the warm heat. She leaned back in the bench with a satisfied exhale and uncrossed her ankles to stretch out her legs in front of her.

Leaning back too, Shouto's eyes subtly flicked to the top of her head, and his lips curved up in a small smile.

(Y/n) leaned in a centimeter closer to him but maintained a comfortable distance between them. Though she felt like she was swathed in a fuzzy blanket, she didn't want to further impose on him or push their boundaries. She still wasn't sure where they stood as friends and she didn't want to strain whatever they had.

Sighing once more behind her scarf, she picked up her phone from her lap and continued reading through the article.

A few more silent minutes in, Shouto finally spoke.

"Something on your mind?"

(Y/n) paused halfway through reading and her eyes flickered away from her phone's screen. She wasn't expecting him to make conversation, but the least she could do was entertain him as a token of appreciation for his generosity.

"Not much," she said with a shake of her head as she resumed reading.

She scrolled down a couple more paragraphs before she ceased once more. She hooked a finger under her scarf and lowered it to her neck. She then stole a look at his lap over the edge of her phone. She made a casual note of how his thigh was almost brushing up against hers before shrugging it off.

"Hey," she lowered her phone and turned to the boy. She made another casual note of how their shoulders were barely touching and that she had to strain her neck to look up at him. "Did you know that you only need sixteen pigs to eat a whole human in one sitting? And that it will only take them roughly eight minutes?"

"That's a morbid fact," he said. "Are you planning on committing a murder?"

"Mhm," locking her phone, she tucked it back into her pocket. "I was looking up ways that you can get away with murder and that fact stuck out to me."

Shouto stared down at her as he took her words into careful consideration. His mismatched eyes briefly lingered on the band-aid on her temple, which poked out from under her hair.

"I heard you got into a fight with your buddy in the locker room," he said cautiously to gauge her reaction. "Is it true?"

"Wait," sitting up straight, (Y/n)'s heart rate spiked, "are people already talking about that?"

"No," he shook his head as he too straightened up. "Uraraka told us."

(Y/n)'s shoulders drooped in relief before full realization dawned on her and her forehead creased.

"Wait a minute," she said, tone laced with apprehension. "You said...'us'?"

"Midoriya and Iida were with me."

(Y/)'s mouth opened to say something but nothing came out. Closing it, she looked down at her lap and blew out her cheeks.

"Perfect. More audience," she rolled her eyes and muttered. "Just what I needed."

Shouto leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.

"Don't get upset with her," entwining his fingers, he sent her an assuring look. "Midoriya noticed that she was looking a bit shaken after getting out of the changing room. So when he asked her about it, she told us what happened."

(Y/n) flicked a skeptical eye at him and pulled at a piece of thread poking out from the hem of her skirt. When she got bored, she shifted her thighs up slightly to sit on her hands and took a gander at Shouto.

"Did she..." she began, voice suddenly quiet and sullen. "...also tell you the reason why?"

"No, she didn't," his eyebrows furrowed. "Why? Was there something she said?"

Thank fuck. She shook her head and shot him a tight smile. "Nothing of importance."

Shouto cast his heterochromatic gaze to the ground before looking back at her.

"Was the same person you got into a fight with the same as the one who made you cry?"

She winced and tilted her head to the side.

"Maybe?" she said, her pitch rising at the end as a question. Her eyes darted back to him and she shrugged. "Maybe not?"

"I heard you slammed her face against a locker door," he aimed a disapproving look at her. "That wasn't very plus ultra of you."

A shudder bristled up her skin and (Y/n) recoiled from him. She pouted and looked away from him. He was giving her 'the look' again. And as much as she hated it, she can never seem to escape it.

"I know, okay?" she retorted, tone rising defensively. "And I shouldn't have because somehow I feel like I've made things worse instead of better and-" she groaned and glared down at her lap. "-but I was just so...angry. She was saying these-these things about me to Bakugou and I just-" she made a strangle gesture with her freed hands, "-grabbed her stupid, big head and went to town. And it felt so good for a moment until..."

She heavily sighed and sent him a defeated look. "Look, if you're gonna scold me...just get it over with. It's not like I have anything to lose anyway."

Shouto simply smiled in response and (Y/n)'s brows drew together in confusion.

"I'm not going to scold you nor was I going to," he said. "Even though there were better ways to go about it, you still confronted her and stood up for yourself," his hand reached out to pat her head. "I'm proud of you."

(Y/n) awkwardly stared at him while he continued patting her head. When he started petting her, that's where she drew the line.

"A ha ha..." forcing a smile on her face, she grabbed his wrist and leaned away from his hand. "That's...that's quite enough. Thank you."

She let go of his hand and she sent him a look as he withdrew. Though she wasn't used to the unusual physical contact between them, she couldn't prevent the tiny glow that radiated deep down in her chest.

Yet again he had tried to cheer her up, making it the third time. She had already unblocked him so she had no idea what his motive was this time. Maybe earlier it was, but what if this time it was just from the goodness of his heart? Either way, though it didn't help much, she appreciated the thought.

It was nice of him.

"So," he started. She hummed for him to continue. "Do you two perhaps have some history like you and Bakugou do?"

Shrugging, (Y/n) sat back on her hands and her gaze trailed to the students at the distance. Her eyes followed some students playing tag and she pressed her lips together at the sounds of their shrieks and laughter.

It didn't hurt to have a little fun sometimes, she guessed. Even though she had a trash day, that shouldn't define how it should end. She could still take control and find a little happiness for herself within the remaining hours. Besides, people have had worse days than her, right? And hers wasn't such a bad day.

It's not like she woke up sleep deprived at crack ass dawn, embarrassed herself in front of her crush twice, argued with her best friend twice, cried once, nearly cried twice, argued with Katsuki a million times, nearly got drowned, got slapped by a panther, slammed her best friend's face on a locker, got called a slut in front of people, went feral then broke it off with her best friend...

No. It's not like that at all.

(Y/n) scoffed.

Maybe changing schools and careers wasn't such a bad idea.

Enlightened as fuck, she looked back at Shouto and faked a smile. "Sorry but, you have to be at least a level five friend to unlock my tragic backstory."

Shouto blinked. "You have a tragic backstory? And what level am I on?"

The girl snorted and leaned forward.

"It's a joke," she began rocking back and forth. "And you reached level two after the ice cream."

"Oh?" he rubbed his chin in thought. "Should I have brought pizza instead?"

(Y/n) stopped rocking and made a face. He's serious about this, isn't he?

"You're not going to bribe me with food, okay?" she then broke off as she considered further. It wasn't such a bad idea though...plus it was free. Holding up a finger, she added. "But yes, next time, bring pizza. (Type of pizza) specifically with lots of (pizza toppings). Large size."

"Alright," he nodded, a faint smile on his lips. "I'll make a point not to forget that."

Huffing out an amused exhale through her nose, (Y/n) shook her head as her eyes derailed back to other students.

"Todoroki."

The two teenagers snapped their heads towards the new voice in tandem. Shouto's buddy briskly strode up to them, with a gait that reminded (Y/n) of Iida. He even wore glasses like him, the only difference between the two being that Shouto's buddy was taller and leaner.

"Apologies for taking so long to say goodbye," the boy pushed his glasses up his nose before bowing to Shouto. "I was delivering some work to the teacher and I got held back for a while."

"It's alright, Nakagawa," Shouto said as he stood up and (Y/n) frowned when his warmth left her side. "I understand."

She stared down at her shoes, gloom marring her features as her previous cloud of misery returned to hover above her. She had already gotten used to Shouto's company. Having someone else add to that made her feel uncomfortable and suffocated.

"I have to commend you on your wonderful performance in your room. And for getting fifth place," Nakagawa said. "It was simply exemplary."

"Thank you," Shouto said.

Sighing, (Y/n) pulled up her scarf over her lower face before rising from the bench and grabbing her stuff to head for the bus. She didn't want to intrude on their conversation or feel like a third wheel so she chose to leave them be so that they can talk privately.

Shouto's eyes derailed distractedly from Nakagawa to (Y/n)'s retreating form. His buddy's words stuck like cotton in his ears while he stared at her back, so much so that he didn't hear the question he was asked.

A line appeared between Nakagawa's brows when he realized Shouto wasn't paying attention and he followed his line of sight to see what he was looking at.

"Ah, did I perhaps interrupt you two?" he nodded when he recognized her. He turned to the dual-haired male. "She is the girl from earlier...during lunch period."

"(L/n) (F/n)."

"Sorry?" the boy blinked.

"Her name," Shouto shoved his hands into his pocket and turned back to the boy with an intense look in his eyes. "And to answer your question, yes, you did."

Sweat beaded Nakagawa's brow.

"O-oh, uh...well then," the boy cleared his throat before bowing again. "I apologize for my intrusion."

"It's...alright," Shouto cast a look to the side, slightly embarrassed by his blatant behavior. "You were saying?"

Nakagawa straightened up and adjusted his tie. He had been caught quite off-guard by Shouto's direct answer...and the aura that surrounded him when he said those words.

Was she perhaps..?

Dismissing those thoughts as quickly as they came, Nakagawa composed himself to resume their conversation.

"My question was..."

***