Akihiko puts his head in his hands. "The power of choice is a cruel gift," he says, words slightly muffled.

After a few moments, he turns his head to face her. It takes another moment to find his voice, and even then it's nearly a whisper: "I don't... I don't know if I can bear to say a name other than yours, Shizuku-san."

When he looks toward her, her expression is schooled into an understanding one, but it's hard to miss the slight twitch of her lips and the glassiness in her eyes. "I can't... say that I don't want to hear my own name. I really, really want you to say it," she admittedly, chewing her lip a moment before continuing. "But... You're such an honorable and upstanding person. I like that about you. So I can understand why you might not be able to. If things... aren't shaping up in our favor, I wouldn't hold it against you."

She looked away to conceal the strong emotions trying to break through, wiping her eyes.

Akihiko sees the tears threatening, and without thinking his hands come up and reach out. He stops them, in the middle of that small space between Crane and Lion, and his fists clench and his eyes close in frustration. But he can withdraw a handkerchief from inside his jacket, leaving it slightly open, and gently place it on Shizuku's knee.

He takes a rough breath as his hands return to his lap. "The decision is not made yet," he says, voice low but not broken. "This," he forces his voice to sound strong, "is not over."

She looked up as he was reaching over, and the world froze for a moment. Then he stopped, and she went still for a moment before giving a small, drawn smile and nodding.

"I know... I'm sorry," she said, accepting the handkerchief and using it to clear her eyes. "You're right. I shouldn't be getting so emotional. Regardless of the outcome, I'm happy we met."

Akihiko chuckles, quiet and sad. He says earnestly: "I will never accept an apology for you being emotional with me." His voice falters, and he has to pause. "You are... so true, and special, and..." He stops and blinks and there may be a sparkle in the corners of his eyes. He closes his eyes, breathing deeply to try to keep some control.

"We are fortunate," he begins, slow and hoping for steady, "for this time together." A pause to steady himself. "And our time... is not over," he finishes with conviction.

She smiled at that, a soft chuckle of her own interrupted by a sniffle. "You're so earnest." She squared her shoulders, taking a deep breath to steady herself, and nodded firmly. "You're right, too. We are, and our time isn't over."

"I want to support you, no matter what."

"This is..." He looks overwhelmed for a moment, but then he finds the words he needs: "I've never had something to be so earnest about before." He manages a sweet smile, although his voice and breathing are still a little uneven. He glances at the ground, but then back to the Crane. "Shizuku-san, if I..." But words fail him again, and he pauses to consider them further.

She nodded, encouraging. "Whatever you say won't be wrong to me. What are you thinking?"