Kanaye sighed again. What is it with her wanting to be hated? He couldn't tell her that he felt guilty, but he couldn't keep quiet... "I won't hate you, Maeko-san." He tried to keep his voice even. He mostly succeeded.
Now, to come up with an excuse. Flattery is always good but he doubted that's what was needed. Maybe he could try appealing to what she's doing? "I won't hate you because I'm trying to find myself, too, and I can't exactly do that if I get angry at you, right? I mean, I need all the help I could get, and you're smart and good at work, so..."