[The scent of the tea has a calming effect on Shirotsuki; it reminds him of some of the happy moments that he can actually still remember. He considers asking Hibiki to make some once they return to the house, provided that she isn't too sleepy by then.

Once he has her attention Shirotsuki continues with his question.]

Okay, now listen carefully.

Let's say there is a man. This man lives with his family whom he loves very much. He also has a very important job that only he can do.

[He pauses momentarily to check if Hibiki is following so far.]

But this job is very dangerous and it begins to make him ill. The man realizes that one day he may die because of it, but he can't stop doing his job because his work will give everyone in the whole world the chance to be as happy as he is with his own family.

The man's family doesn't know that he's sick and he doesn't want to tell them because he knows it will make them very sad if he does. He doesn't want to ruin their happiness while he can still be with them....

[He pauses again to let all of that sink in.]

Do you think the man is doing the right thing by keeping silent or would it be better if he told them the truth?

[The answer isn't an easy one for Shirotsuki for obvious reasons— well obvious to him anyway. He feels a pang of guilt for using such a roundabout method but this seems like the best way for him to gauge Hibiki's feelings on the subject without telling her about his condition outright.

In his own way, he wants to let her decide if she wants to know...]