“Well I was enjoying a quiet afternoon at my favorite restaurant. I guess I’ll have to pick somewhere else from now on,” she replied hotly, allowing some of her anger show. She watched him take a sip of his coffee again, noticing the barely there wince just as she had the first time it happened. “In any case, I don’t really care to sit here and watch a classmate of mine torture himself with scalding hot coffee.“
A part of her really hoped it burned him to the core but another part of her was also truly concerned about his new self-destructive tendencies. She had never known Saguru to feel the need to harm himself but beatings weren’t the only things that could leave scars and she could see them in his head as clearly as she could see the color of his eyes.
Butterscotch.
Frowning to herself, she ignored the thought. His eyes were the least of her concern.
"You’re curing me of my boredom though, so thank you for that. I don’t know how much longer I could just sit here and stare out the window.” In her head it had sounded more like appreciation for his company but her tongue had a way of poisoning her words. “You’re much nicer to look at than the cityscape.“
Hakuba set the coffee down at its place on the table and swallowed against the lingering burn. While it was true that he had many self-destructive tendencies, especially as of late, the coffee was only part of it in that it allowed him to skip sleep. He continued to burn himself because he was too impatient.
Still, concerning. The two attempts he’d made on his own life had been years ago and abandoned early. He’d promised Baaya that he’d never do it again. Yet, all the rest of his behaviors…?
He was embarrassed about the coffee, and about her seeing so clearly through his attempt to be neutral. He’d known that it would fail, so why had he even bothered? Being around her bothered him almost as much as being around Hattori did. Almost.
"Oh, well, I would hate to ruin your favorite restaurant, but I’m pleased to know that I can be an entertaining circus monkey for you, Koizumi-san.” Honorific san and surname only. Different than before, when she’d been Akako-san to him, or some equally formal-but-respectful pet name in French.
But then the rest of what she said caught up to him and he blushed despite himself, frowning with severity. “Ah- what?” No. No. She’s only manipulating you. He pursed his lips. “…Please. Spare me the empty compliments. You motioned that I should sit here, but I can’t imagine what you would have to say to me. Is there anything other than scathing commentary in store, Koizumi-san?"