Some people, they adore it. The concept, the execution, everything about it. Giving and receiving, it’s all the same to them. Doing things for free, getting things for free, it’s not strange at all to them. It’s a beautiful thing.
Others, she thinks, are the types who keep giving without taking anything for themselves. Charity as a concept makes them uncomfortable, makes them unsure of where people stand.
The guy sitting across from her in the lobby, she has to wonder, does he fall in with the former or the latter?
Maybe he’s somewhere in a category all of his own. She fidgets with the hem of her sleeve as she considers this, looks around at the low-staffed concessions stands and tilts her head as the crowd goes wild over the distant screech of tires on pavement.
It’s a charity event, with some sort of snappy catchphrase like ‘RACE FOR THE CURE’, only longer and less overused. All of the proceeds from amateurs strapping themselves into 100% donated racecars and all of the bets placed go towards charity, and free tickets had been raffled out over the past several weeks to spread awareness. ... It’s a loud, cheerful event.
Somehow, it doesn’t suit him.
“... You aren’t a fan of crowds, either?”
It’s the sort of assumption made solely on surface cues, and one accentuated by the way Maizono’s expression is quick to twist into a wry smile. She leans back, fingers curling around the metal rim of the bench she’s sitting on, laughs softly without waiting for confirmation one way or another. “That makes two of us, I guess.”