Xavier turned to find a slender young man with thick square-frame glasses staring at him. The glasses were so heavy they kept sliding down his nose, requiring constant adjustment. Behind them, brown eyes darted nervously, never quite meeting Xavier's gaze.
"Hey, what's up? I don't think we've officially met. You're Traore, right?" Xavier extended his hand.
The shorter student pushed his glasses up with one finger and tentatively reached for Xavier's hand. "N-N-Nolan Traore. It's a p-pleasure to m-meet you, Valentine-san." His voice came out barely above a whisper, each syllable requiring visible effort.
Xavier shook his hand, noting the surprising firmness of Nolan's grip despite his nervous demeanor. "Just Xavier is fine. No need for the honorifics."
"I ap-apologize for the p-presumption," Nolan said, bowing slightly. "In my research on s-social customs, I found Japanese honorifics to be most r-respectful in the w-world when addressing new acquaintances."
