If it were anyone else, Renju would have had the irritating sensation of being humored, and even now that flared up briefly before calming; surely Kozue at least would be sincere, she hoped. At any rate, the fact that she hadn't been entirely shot down for that little bit of embarrassment was somewhat reassuring. She resolved once again, nevertheless, to prepare better next time.
As she considered Kozue's question, for a few moments, pride warred with practicality; eventually, when she responded, practicality won out. "I've never-- I'm not completely certain what people do during outings of this sort. Do you have any suggestions?" And just then, for a brief, unsettling, despair-inducing moment, she felt like Tom.