Akiha, ridiculously, nudges back - it's a bit like she's rejecting the motion, but since she's brushing up against Nico anyway, it comes off as a weird moment of friendship.

"I know," Akiha sighs. "I think you and I were approaching that conversation very differently," she admits, slowing down to make it easier for Nico to keep pace.

"... There are things that I have been - unsure - about. Along the lines of your inclinations." There was that word again. Inclinations. Using coded language made it easier to admit her own feelings, she supposed.

"When you said what you did about waiting to be attracted to men, I found it understandable. Something I could relate to. Please don't take that as anything concrete, but..." But it meant she wanted to know more about how Nico felt.

And of course, the fact that it was Nico also helped.