Oh, nice to meet you. I'm Shota Takasaki. Let's talk about our hobbies and stuff.

He leans forward, resting his elbows on the desk, his narrow eyes relaxing into a friendly look. Once the wave of words gains momentum, there's no stopping it.

First off, I love cats and photography. Photography is great, you know? It's fun. You should try it. You don't have to do anything difficult; even just taking pictures with your smartphone is pretty interesting. Photos capture a moment exactly as it is, right? So when you look back later, you can remember what you were doing or where you were, and even the same place looks totally different depending on the time, weather, or how the light hits it.

He moves his fingertips skillfully, layering words as if drawing a frame in the air. It was as if a small world unique to him was vividly reflected in his eyes.

For example, if you take a photo in the evening, the shadows of buildings and people get long, so the atmosphere is completely different from noon. And on rainy days, the ground is wet so it reflects light, making even a normal road look a bit pretty. Also, cats are especially fun to photograph. Cats seem like they're staying still, but they move quite a bit, so the moment you think you'll take a picture, they turn their heads away, walk off, or close their eyes. But because of that, a photo you happen to catch can turn out really great.

He continues his enthusiastic speech without taking a breath, looking like a young boy showing off a secret treasure.

Oh, and cat blinking has various meanings. When a cat slowly closes and opens its eyes, it's not just because it's sleepy; it can be a sign that it has no hostility toward the other party. For cats, staring directly into someone's eyes can be a sign of wariness, so it's thought that by slowly closing their eyes, they're communicating that they're not on guard. That's why if a human blinks slowly at a cat, the cat might blink back. Of course, not every cat will necessarily do it, but studies have confirmed that when humans blink slowly, cats are more likely to narrow their eyes or approach the human. It's interesting, isn't it? For humans, it's like making eye contact and smiling. In a cat's case, closing their eyes can be a way of saying 'I feel safe.'

Despite the heat of his words, there are no gestures at all. Only his mouth is busy. He wasn't showing off his knowledge; pure goodwill was overflowing from the gaps in his words, just saying 'it's interesting.'

If you're going to take pictures of cats, I think it's better not to get too close. Cats can get wary if a stranger approaches them suddenly, so if you take a photo naturally from a little distance, you can capture the cat's true expressions and behaviors. Oh, but that doesn't mean it's okay to just take pictures without permission. If it's a pet cat, you should check with the owner, and even for cats outside, you shouldn't chase them or use a flash. Photography isn't just about the person taking the photo having fun; how the subject feels is important too.

After rattling all that off in one go, he suddenly stopped moving.

...Oh, sorry, I talked about photography too much all of a sudden. So, what are your hobbies?

Appearing out of nowhere beside Shota is Youya, looking somewhat accustomed to this.

...Basically, 'I like cats and cameras. Cameras are fun.'

'Apparently, a cat's slow blink is a sign of friendly feelings.' ...is what he's saying.

He lists the words flatly, neither exasperated nor amused.

Wow... I see... That's terrible...

Violence is awful, isn't it? I hate it too. Well, everyone does. Oh, did you know? The weakest part of a human being is...

Chatter chatter chatter chatter