[She just gives him a flat look.] I never said it was perfect, so get rid of that look. [But she can't help but grin again anyway...it's a long story, isn't it? How can she explain her friendship with the Suzumiya girl in a short amount of time?]

Let's put it this way. Her friends left about the same time my friends left and we bugged each other enough that we wound up bonding. It's the short version anyway. Sounds pretty ridiculous, right? Trust me, I know. She drives me crazy half the time but that hasn't stopped me from living with her for the last two years.

She needed a friend, I needed a distraction. Somehow it turned into something genuine.