... Hah.

[ Her mouth struggles to make the shape of a smile. It's a visible effort and it comes out worn and lopsided but somehow, it's not remotely a lie.

The movement makes the mark on her lip pull tight and she wonders - had it been there while she'd cried in that dream, too?

But she supposes it doesn't matter. ]

If you say so. ... You're just as bad as me, you know.

[ Somehow, it comes out sounding like a compliment. Not that she'd ever wish being like her on anybody else.

She rubs her face with her sleeves again - her eyes are sore and puffy, her cheeks still wet - and finally, she manages to look up at him.

No wonder she'd always felt like she was being flayed alive in his gaze. She's never hated anything more than meeting her eyes in a mirror. ]

Aah... This probably isn't what Nagiko-chan wanted when she told us to talk.