[Haku is definitely one of the more unusual people out there. Very little of it is faked, sure. He has a mindset that is quite different from many of the people that Souma had met before and since. Back during training, it had been easy to see that many thought of Haku as a weird force of nature. He just... was. To many people it was as though he'd been pulled from the ether, fully formed.
Souma has spent enough time with Haku to know that his demeanor took quite a lot of effort, though. He had to work to seem so aloof, above the fray, untouched by common social mores. Haku had strong, conflicting emotions beneath all that, but his facial expressions were often as carefully constructed as his masks. At least, in Souma's experience.
So, yeah, Souma notices when Haku's face falls. He pays attention to all the words that surrounded that action. And he tries to respond accordingly.]
Yeah, graduation was... It was hell for me. And for Shuusuke. [Somehow saying Shuusuke's name aloud is tough, even though it's not like Shuusuke died. Souma thinks he would probably feel it if Shuusuke had died.]
[It was probably hell for Haku and Eiri though. The initially chilly atmosphere has been thawing consistently, but Souma doesn't think he can ask outright. But there are some things he think must be universal.]
The worst thing about graduation was how Shuusuke and I went through that insane thing together where we proved our... [There isn't a strong enough word. "Loyalty" isn't quite right, since they had had their suspicions and had nearly died because of them. "Devotion" doesn't seem right either.] We proved how much we bonded, and then we were immediately sent away from each other. I feel like Graduation wouldn't haunt me as much if i had had a year together with Shuusuke after it, or something.
[This has often been his way during conversations with Haku. He offers something, either tangible or intangible, and hopes it gets them on the same footing. He suspects Haku keeps a list of checks and balances in his head, when it comes to social interactions. He probably thinks asking for something or needing help means he's asked for way too much. Souma doesn't necessarily need Haku to help him right now- though naming his sadness does help it dissipate a little- but he hopes this balances the scale a little.]
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Souma has spent enough time with Haku to know that his demeanor took quite a lot of effort, though. He had to work to seem so aloof, above the fray, untouched by common social mores. Haku had strong, conflicting emotions beneath all that, but his facial expressions were often as carefully constructed as his masks. At least, in Souma's experience.
So, yeah, Souma notices when Haku's face falls. He pays attention to all the words that surrounded that action. And he tries to respond accordingly.]
Yeah, graduation was... It was hell for me. And for Shuusuke. [Somehow saying Shuusuke's name aloud is tough, even though it's not like Shuusuke died. Souma thinks he would probably feel it if Shuusuke had died.]
[It was probably hell for Haku and Eiri though. The initially chilly atmosphere has been thawing consistently, but Souma doesn't think he can ask outright. But there are some things he think must be universal.]
The worst thing about graduation was how Shuusuke and I went through that insane thing together where we proved our... [There isn't a strong enough word. "Loyalty" isn't quite right, since they had had their suspicions and had nearly died because of them. "Devotion" doesn't seem right either.] We proved how much we bonded, and then we were immediately sent away from each other. I feel like Graduation wouldn't haunt me as much if i had had a year together with Shuusuke after it, or something.
[This has often been his way during conversations with Haku. He offers something, either tangible or intangible, and hopes it gets them on the same footing. He suspects Haku keeps a list of checks and balances in his head, when it comes to social interactions. He probably thinks asking for something or needing help means he's asked for way too much. Souma doesn't necessarily need Haku to help him right now- though naming his sadness does help it dissipate a little- but he hopes this balances the scale a little.]