Hinamori tensed her shoulders as the second voice broke into her musing. Convinced the skeleton was deaf and dumb, she had simply let herself speak to soothe her own worries. Having an audience changed her position considerably. But the words themselves were strangely familiar—like an echo of her own thoughts. "Yeah. Me neither," she promised.

She stood looking at Hitsugaya-kun for a moment, keeping her thoughts to herself this time. It occurred to her that if the skeleton could respond to her statements, that meant he had understood her earlier question—without the miming. She looked up. "You could understand me the whole time, couldn't you?' she said, lips curving into the start of an embarrassed smile.