Maruki was being completely honest—and that seemed to be the running theme between them, wasn’t it? He would root for everyone here if he could, every struggling soul in this strange cognitive world... but right now, his attention was wholly on Ichinose and the laughter she let out in response to his.
It caught him off guard—in a good way. Making her laugh wasn’t what he was aiming for, but it certainly wasn’t the worst thing he could’ve done.
His expression softened immediately, the faint blaze in his eyes from moments before dimming into something gentler. Earnest. Affectionate, even. He raised his hands sheepishly, waving them in a lighthearted flutter.
“Aha—! I didn’t mean to sound odd there, really! I was just being honest—though I guess I am a little odd.” He laughs under his breath while scratching his chin a little, as if still getting used to the label and kind of proud of it.
"But hey, I’ll take that as a compliment—especially coming from you."
He leans back a little, resting his elbows loosely on the arms of the chair again, the teasing smile still tugging at his mouth.
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It caught him off guard—in a good way. Making her laugh wasn’t what he was aiming for, but it certainly wasn’t the worst thing he could’ve done.
His expression softened immediately, the faint blaze in his eyes from moments before dimming into something gentler. Earnest. Affectionate, even. He raised his hands sheepishly, waving them in a lighthearted flutter.
“Aha—! I didn’t mean to sound odd there, really! I was just being honest—though I guess I am a little odd.” He laughs under his breath while scratching his chin a little, as if still getting used to the label and kind of proud of it.
"But hey, I’ll take that as a compliment—especially coming from you."
He leans back a little, resting his elbows loosely on the arms of the chair again, the teasing smile still tugging at his mouth.