Hayes fell into deep thought. Somehow, he reflected on himself. Why was he contemptuous of Rise? It was because of those rumors. Rise was really that famous, his deeds were equally so.
Of course, there had to be certain truths with it. However... Was it fine to judge Rise based on those rumors, especially when from now on they would be a team, a comrade he would spend most of his time with?
"What are you thinking?" Rise suddenly awakened him from his thoughts; he looked at Hayes in the eye. "Are you suddenly sympathizing with me?"
Hayes shook his head immediately. "No, not at all."
Somehow, it sounded more like he was more afraid of his thoughts to be found than a denial.
Rise stared at him deeply. It was a look that made his heart jump out of his chest.
"I... uh really..."
"No, it's fine." Rise finally averted his gaze and returned to his food, allowing Hayes to breathe a sigh of relief. "But you don't need to be."
"Huh?"