He disliked the majority of wild animals, but swans were one of few exceptions. Their bodies were all white, for one, but most importantly, they only appeared in winter. The way they always soaked in chilly water had a clean feeling to it. It was strictly his imagination, however, as this was actually because of pathogens in their bodies. He took another look around the park. The lamps illuminating the snow-covered park made it seem like the whole place had a faint pale glow. Listening closely, he heard not only swans, but snow falling from branches to the ground. He closed his eyes and focused on such sounds. He heard a sigh. Sanagi took her headphones off again and looked his way. Kousaka’s eyes wandered from the piercingly sharp gaze. For a moment, he saw a blue earring glinting on Sanagi’s ear. “Hey, what do you want with me?” This was no time to carefully consider words. I have to say something and make her less wary, Kousaka thought, and so he opened his mouth. “I want to be friends with you.” It struck him as shady once he’d said it. Just the kind of line someone approaching with impure motives would say. Wasn’t there some better way of expressing it? He could hardly make a case if she went running to the police to say “a