Part of Nico understood that North Americans did this sometimes—hedging before they said yes in case Nico had only asked out of politeness, and therefore giving him a chance to back out. A larger part of him thought they could learn a thing or two about being straightforward.
lol I do this all the time. It’s such a weird culture thing that we do, and I’m not sure why. Politeness maybe? Wanting to give the person an out if they need it? Dunno. But it’s funny to see it written down in a book.
