No...

[He's not joking.

Kaede grips her shirt harder, trying to stay calm. There's no way Minato would act like this around her unless it were true.]

We've been friends for... for almost a year now. [Not quite that long, Kaede-] Um... my name's Kaede Akamatsu. You called me senpai when we first met. You know, because we're both bards.

[She can't quite muster a laugh, but she tries for a smile, hoping that it might jog his memory.]