"I hope so too." She manages a smile for him; it's a bit on the thin side, but no less genuine for it. If circumstances can't be truly good, at least she's not alone in dealing with the difficulty.

"I'll remember it." Someone to turn to -- and of all people to share this knowledge with, Chouji -- someone who, from what she knows of him, isn't afraid to show his emotions, to admit to them. A step above more than a few guys she knows.