Hayate blinked.

Then he blushed. I...he...what porn video? Never mind!

He had the sudden feeling that if he ever spent much time around Ryouma, he would be spending most of it scrambling for mental balance. Like now.

"I'm sixteen," he managed, and winced when his voice cracked.

He wasn't sure if he was insulted or bewildered. Wonder if the medical leave was for a head injury. ....or else he's just one of those people. Hayate had a friend or two with that particular brand of mental insanity that was closely related to a caffeine overload. Ryouma's great grin and that over-exaggerated leer definitely pointed towards the outrageous show-off personality. Or a serious blow to the head in the near past.

Ryouma laughed, and Hayate decided the man probably was one of those cheerfully insane sorts of people. Which meant that the friendliness was genuine, much like Kotetsu's, and there was no call for any of the socially careful wordplay.

"And if I was a girl, I wouldn't bother with a henge. You seem to get along fine with Reiko-san and Sayuri-san."

His voice gave out at last, quitting sharply on the last syllable. He ducked his head and cupped both hands over his mouth, muffling the sharp barking coughs.