[ Goro tames that need to impugn what was innocuously conveyed. Instead: a softened sigh, gaze set sidelong — seemingly dismissive as the cat is placed on the ground, finally relinquished from Goro's cautious grasp. He swats at the front of his shirt riddled with incessant cat hair that demands to stay, all the while humoring the thought of how gratitude is an earned thing, and he hadn't done anything at all to deserve those words to begin with. ]

... In the end, it would have been nice to be able to talk with you some more.

[ Goro follows that mini beeline towards the display of snacks behind clear glass without awaiting another cue. His words sounds less like a smile regardless of how it resumes to shelter the unspoken, still; the lack of animosity and blatant rejection on Akira's part promotes a certain wariness that he couldn't shake off even after all those clockwork cycles of his self-imposed failures. Perhaps he ought to fight against it less regardless of how disconcerting the potential comfort it may bring. Old habits may remain so, ~lifelong rivalries~ and all, but. ]

I imagine the presentation is of a more traditional approach and less decorative like the ones found in the city. [ The aforementioned dango. ] Or perhaps your hometown has a unique approach to making them stand out on their own?