No, not at all! That's nice of you, really— [ he waves his hand around. not the one holding the spoon, thankfully. ] —And I'm glad I don't come off that way.

[ as an uncool guy that looks pitiful or something... awful. so, to him it sounds like she might have been the lonely one, once upon a time, if she hadn't had the chance to speak to so many people— and. oh.

a question that he fails to connect the dots with, so his brain kicks into overdrive. what should he say?? should he lie??? what's the age of adulthood in cerealia? in vietnam? eighteen?? it's twenty in japan. is that a better answer? could he even pass off as a twenty-year-old?? ]

I'm— sixteen. [ oh, he went with the truth anyway. ] Why's that relevant??