[ It's a lot to take in, so he was expecting this sort of reaction. Not the fixation on protecting his identity so much, though. He can't say he's ever really had someone stand up for him like that. Naturally, he dismisses most of it - being a monster or not doesn't matter to him in particular - but her kindness does touch his heart, and he laughs gently. ]

You really are a nice girl, Mai-san! Well, if it bothers you that much, I won't call myself that. [ tapping his suckers against his mug. ] Anyway, those are the circumstances in my classroom. It's my job to raise those children into excellent students and high-quality assassins. And they're quite good at it, too!