Thanks to Hana’s persuasive abilities, her aunt lent us her ear for the next few minutes without interrupting us. Although I wouldn’t claim that we told her every detail about ourselves, we provided her with a version of our story that highlighted the positive aspects of our relationship. It’s like we pruned the tree that I grew and only left behind one branch which was my time with her.
For example, instead of claiming that I was driven by my desire to steal her when I first approached her, I omitted it and only told her aunt how I first approached Hana by slipping letters in her bag. Hana then made it sound romantic as if I’d written a love letter professing my admiration for her. She might be great at expressing herself properly in front of her relatives – considering she also often wore a mask in front of them – but at this juncture, she profusely blushed while leaning closer to me like a girl deeply in love.