The sight of the stranger's hands gripping the paper bag like that sent alarms ringing through Ritsuka's mind. Something that he said had set the stranger off. Maybe Soubi was right and he shouldn't have come to talk to him. It didn't matter now though because Soubi wasn't on this bus to save him if things went wrong.

No, no - there was no reason to think that this guy was going to go nutso on him. Especially not here, in the middle of a crowded bus with nurses everywhere. He was probably just thinking or had an unconscious nervous tic or something.

Raising his eyes, Ritsuka looked at the nameless boy next to him and tried to sound as calm as possible. He was probably failing, but the last time someone had tensed up at something he said, he ended up with a cut over his eye and a fork in his hand. "Yeah, Japan. The manga ran until 2006, I think. I saw a few volumes here and there, but never bought any. Um, can't remember his real name, but it was written in kanji and read in English or something. Kind of nondescript looking, but the manga-ka was really good at drawing expressions." Ritsuka paused and shuffled his bag in his lap nervously. Was he saying the wrong things again? "Um...the other characters didn't really have names. They went by letters all the time. Can't remember what letters though."