“Raffles…” I looked at him with concern. Would he be angry at me?

“I’m okay,” he said softly. “I must first quit my habit of speaking to you through this booklet…” he muttered to himself, sounding like he was trying to motivate himself. 

I sat next to him and patted his shoulder. “That’s right! The two of us are so close but you still don’t dare to talk to me directly and instead use your booklet. That’s really a little…”

“It’s a habit…” he explained sadly. “When a person is used to being treated as a girl, it becomes a habit to act like one too… It’s okay. I’ll change bit by bit.” He smiled at me, a spark of confidence in his grayish-blue eyes.

I quickly encouraged him. “No matter what kind of Raffles you are, you...