[Listening to a teenager who doesn't know who to trust. How many adults can manage that? Not as many as there ought to be in the world. Hatoko feels a weight lift off her shoulders, but not completely. Guilt roils in her guts. It's selfish, what she hopes will happen. But she can't see anyone but herself making it out.]

My friends share a club a school. [That's not the important part but she's starting there because the image of them together at the table like usual is comforting, and relevant.]

One of my friends, she can, uhm. Fix things. With magic.

[She glances up at him to see if the one-armed sword-bearing ninja will call her out as a liar.]