"—Not at all," he said quickly. It had been so sudden, after all; he'd sprung it on her out of nowhere.

He'd never given any thought to Tomoko's ribbon, though, and the way she'd worded her concern... Well, she'd just finished telling him about how some ingredients were more potent than others if they were fresh. (Toes.) So, why the concern over being seen...? It was just Ryusei.

...Maybe he'd ask Yuuki sometime. "This way, right?" He turned in the direction Tomoko had pointed out earlier.