Seeing the good in people as stubbornly as you do is both a blessing and a curse. It’s good when people find comfort in knowing that there’s someone out there who truly sees them like you do. However, it’s more of a curse with people like Togami. He’s the same with everyone: aloof, sarcastic, and closed off. He’s an heir to the greatest family conglomerate in the country; of course, he’s developed a mouth so sharp and cruel that it’s almost all he can offer socially.

But you did notice the good. He shows affection to a few people he would never call “friends” by getting them random things he assumes they’d like. He’s logical and helpful in group work (albeit begrudgingly), and you notice that. Although everyone always said that he would ruin you, that he would only break your ‘pretty things’ and run you dry of everything, you know it’s best to abandon the dreams of who he could’ve been. You have to accept that this won’t last. It’s almost like a habit of his—‘liking’ anyone, like the ashes in a cigarette box.

“I know that you mean ‘so well,’”

and he knows it too. You both know that, especially now, while you’re standing face-to-face in one of the many study rooms of the academy. If you could just convince him that you see the good in him, and that he doesn’t have to be in defense mode constantly, that would be great. But he’s so stubborn. He has the same scowl as usual while you’re—almost desperately—trying to convince him that he isn’t all cold. However, he simply glares and crosses his arms, entirely unwilling to consider the possibility of living softer.

“But I am not a vessel for your ‘good intent.’”