Kurumi couldn't help but laugh a little, cheeks flushing just a little more, before she responded. "I think, Max, we are going to both just have to reach an agreement that we both think the other was more brilliant than ourselves...or else we are going to be going around in circles all day." But then he had to go and call her a genius and make her feel a little more flustered than she had been. "I'mnotagenius," she mumbled, tugging on her hair a little. "It is just really similar to a game I used to play with my brothers growing up, marbles."

Kurumi paused and bit her lip for a moment. She didn't know if Max was familiar with nonmagical things...and she wasn't always the best at explaining things. Example? Every time she tried to explain something to Selina.

And then she really bit own on her lower lip. Like...REALLY bit down on it when he mentioned...her. Yeah, Kurumi knew who she was and her memories with the former Ravenclaw captain were not good. Not a single encounter with her had been. She was judgmental and always glaring at Kurumi. Always. "Oh..." Was all Kurumi could say in reply at first. "She hates me." Kurumi had said that last bit without thinking and hadn't even realized she had said it until her lips had finished forming the 'me' and then her eyes widened and sort of just staaaaaaaaaaaared at Max for a few moments. "I'm sorry..."

She wasn't really sure what all she was apologizing for...but it just felt like the right thing to say.

What Max said next brought a much wider smile to the Gryffindor's face. He was right, she knew he was right. Selina often told her the same thing and that she did plenty already. Gobstones, yearbook editor and photographer and occasional writer, Quidditch announcer, prefect since fourth year, resident cookie girl, top of her class, top of the school...Selina had no problem rambling off everything to the point where Kurumi wanted to just hide under the covers in the dorms. She usually DID, by the way. "Thanks, Max," she said after a few more thoughtful moments. "I guess, for me at least, after everything that Hogwarts has given me that nothing I do really really returns the favor. I never felt like I belonged until I came here."

Talking with Max was surprisingly easy, probably because their personalities seemed to be so similar - which was suddenly really confusing to her since he had just said Ellie was his best friend. HOW did that work?

"In case you didn't notice...I'm a bit of a perfectionist," she laughed, playfully sticking her tongue out in the process. And he really needed to stop complimenting her because her hair was going to turn colors soon and make her feel even more awkward.