Shin looked over at Chitoge when she spoke, dragging him out of his thoughts, [i][color=lightblue]Is...something wrong? If only it were simple enough to answer that question.[/color][/i] he thought. He must have been staring at her for a little too long again, because this time she was shouting at him. He held up his hands and looked away from her, [color=lightblue]"Alright, alright. I can't help it sometimes, I have a tendency to stare at something I find beautiful."[/color] he said. It took a few moments to realize what he said, and that he had said it out loud. He decided to change the topic quickly, not wishing to have her yell at him again, [color=lightblue]S-So, that eyepatch of yours, do you wear it because you were in an accident or something?"[/color] he asked. He turned his head back to look at her again, though his eyes now drifted to the eyepatch she wore, noting every little detail about it. [color=lightblue]"You don't have to answer that, I just wanted to know. I think it looks cool, to be perfectly honest."[/color] he added. [i]"She's done it again, ladies and gentlemen! Ms. Umezawa ha-"[/i] the television was shut off. Shin stared at it, [i][color=lightblue][b]She[/b] had to be mentioned, didn't she? Is this God's way of having fun? Tormenting me like this? I'm starting to really hate today.[/color][/i] he thought.

He realized Chitoge was still there with him, [color=lightblue]"Sorry."[/color] he apologized, [color=lightblue]"I'm not being a very good host, am I? Would you like something to drink?"[/color] he gave her a small smile. Despite the smile, it was obvious that something was bothering him, though he wasn't going to speak about it. He never really did. He kept everything inside, his true feelings about people, about situations; he never spoke his own mind. [color=lightblue]"I'll go hang up your wet clothes for you, please excuse me."[/color] he said. He walked to the bathroom and got the wet clothes, bringing them to the laundry room and hanging them up. He remained there for a moment, [color=lightblue][i]Running. It's what I do now. Life gets difficult, I run and hide. I didn't want Himeno to know what's bothering me, not because we don't even know each other, but because I don't want to face it. When everything fell apart, I ran...I stopped using Brain Burst, I stopped talking to certain people...I hid from everyone. I'm...a coward. And even now, I'm supposed to be hosting Himeno, and I'm here...why?[/i][/color] he thought. He sighed and shook his head, [color=lightblue]"I'll never make new friends if I keep doing this...Perhaps I should try being friends with Himeno, I mean, what could it hurt?"[/color] he said to himself. He returned back to the living room with some juice, sitting down, [color=lightblue]"You know you can sit, Himeno, I'm not that scary am I?"[/color] he asked, joking a bit.
[@GrafRoy Zeppeli]