"And as for the tails," he continues, "they're a pain in several ways, as I'm sure you know from experience." He's drawn his knees up on the bench to sit sideways, with his own broad fan of fox tails behind him, spread out like a peacock's tail; already the posture has the air of being highly practiced.

He doesn't touch his coffee either, has it only for appearances. "It would be difficult, I think, to be alone here. Even if things were difficult between us, at least he knows how things are."