For a moment Wataru looked like a child again, boyish enthusiasm filling his eyes. [b]'Voltron was cool, but the original Gundam with the xerox dri-'[/b] He pulled up short, clearing his throat in embarrassment before moving swiftly along. Otonashi was easily impressed by his ability, even though it really [i]wasn't[/i] that useful in practice; sure, he had a good track record with combat assists, but without any real striking power, Wataru would never excel enough to be promoted up JUDGEMENT's ranks. In truth he used it more to avoid or troll people than anything else... [b]'You're generous, but right. Overconfidence is one of the only things I can take advantage of.'[/b] And it was true at that. Most espers has such unshakable faith in their abilities that they trusted their senses without doubt; being able to manipulate what they could see and hear was a powerful tool, at least until they figured out his trick.

There was a brief lull in the conversation, just enough for Wataru to press on with his reason for approaching the poor girl. But just as he opened his mouth to speak, she cut him off with a stuttering confession. A mix of surprise, guilt and approval made Wataru look away for a moment, before returning his gaze level with Otonashi's eyes. [b]'That's a very brave thing you just did. Not many people would come forward like this. And so, I uh... have my own confession to make.'[/b] Bowing his head slightly in apologetic shame, he tried to give her a guilty smile. [b]'I knew you had it, someone reported you. But don't worry; before you panic, I'm pretty sure you're not to blame. After all, you were talking to me the other day when the alarm went off and there aren't any other reports of a missing fire hammer.'[/b] He took it gingerly from her bag, turning it over to find the serial number in the haft; it corresponded to the code from the alarm. It would need to be confiscated, Otonashi would need to write an official statement, he would have to file a report... Somehow it didn't seem worth all the hassle. [b]'Tell you what...',[/b] he said slowly. [b]'I'll just keep ahold of this for the time being. Just between you and be, eh?'[/b] Sealing the deal with a cheeky wink, Wataru slipped the hammer away into one pocket, privately determining to pretend he had found it randomly. Quite aside from keeping the presumably innocent Otonashi out of trouble, it meant that his report only had to be a few sentences long, thank God. [b]'So, now that that's taken care of, mind if I ask what you were making? I'll need to resume my patrol soon, but I'm due a break anyway.'[/b]