[The ominous pause is duly noted but its meaning flies right over Kaoru's poor dumb head. What is being put on standby... These are difficulties that only the truly brave must face, clearly.]

Ah... I'm not entirely certain that I understand, sir? Being outshone isn't a concern of mine. Rather, I'd like to make as many friends as possible, but some people are a little too scary to approach so easily. Don't you think so? The type of people with a lot of friends are always so kind, but it still takes some courage to say hello.