Evaline:
I was reaching out to pick up the mask when I found him smiling, and it wasn't the usual warm one he gave people.
This one… was different.
It was teasing. Amused. Like he was trying hard not to laugh.
Amused because of… me?
I blinked, unsure how to react, when he finally spoke.
"I never knew you were that talented in cosplay," he said, lifting the mask off the table with two fingers and dangling it gently. "But thanks to your 'precautions,' there are fewer chances any of those students chasing after you would have recognized you."
My face heated instantly, but I wasn't sure whether to be proud or embarrassed.
"I was just… being careful," I muttered, curling my fingers around the warm glass of water in my hands.
He chuckled softly and leaned back against the couch, his expression shifting into something gentler.
"Did any of them see your face?"
