Jasmine stayed with the others. This became a good chance for them to talk things out.
Umeko started: "Jasmine? Are you and Wells like...?"
Jasmine made a bit of a neutral face at first, then replied: "You can say that."
"Nice to hear he's getting along well with people." Doggy remarked.
"So what's he like outside of S.P.D.?" Umeko started hearing her out.
"There's no way to describe him in one word." Jasmine couldn't hide her happiness, "He's funny, knows what to say... he actually accepts me as a person, and doesn't see my being ESPer as a disease or anything."
"Wow! Never thought you actually ever meet someone who accepts you like that." Umeko couldn't hide her enthusiasm.
Jasmine suddenly noticed Umeko & Sen's sleaziness, so she tried to change the subject: "Have you two been fooling around or...?"
Sen tried to stay on the subject: "So, why did you call him Bill?"
"Because that's his name." Jasmine replied, "Well... It's a petname for "William."
"Why didn't he tell us to call him that when he introduced himself?" Tetsu wondered.
"I don't know. He told me he couldn't explain it to me in Japanese."
"Huh? Why didn't you read his mind?"
Ban couldn't stand hearing any more of this: "Who cares about that? What do you see in him, Jasmine? I mean, he's..."
"The real question is what do you have against him?" Jasmine asked him.
"Isn't that obvious?" Hoji answered instead, "He never follows regulations! Already from day one! He always has some excuse for not being around when he should be! When everyone's here, he arrives hours later..."
Umeko was of course the first to defend him: "Did it ever occur to you that he sleeps during the day because he takes graveyard shifts? And when did he break any rule?"
"You have to admit he does work a little chaotic at times!" Hoji stated.
"Even if he does, is it really any different from what Ban did?" Jasmine remarked, "Or rather still does!"
Hoji did not know what to say this time. Then Jasmine turned to Ban: "What about you?"
Ban thought he stated the obvious: "He's a westerner!"
Everyone else fainted at that remark.