Ha, maybe. [ Is he, really? Sometimes he gets lost in that too, but that's a philosophical crisis for another night. One he may even look forward to innately—he's kind of gotten used to talks like these. ]

Yeah, it's the only way to be sure. [ A shrug and a thin smile, this time devoid of bitterness. ] With flowers, I mean. I still have all the white ones from the bunches Tateyama gave me.