I hadn't been able to get anything more out of him that day, and hadn't figured out how to approach the subject from a new angle afterward. It was roughly a week later, when I was nursing a nosebleed he'd inflicted, that he decided to pursue conversation.

"I don't think you're suited to become a ninja, Kirumaru." I looked at him as best I could manage with my head turned upward. I didn't bother trying to hide my surprise. If I couldn't be a shinobi, I was helpless. "It's like you aren't even trying to dodge."

I blinked. "…I'm allowed?"