[The sheepishness of his smile is a little reassuring, at least... It seems he's not going to tease him for that, at least, so Naegi already feels a little better.]
I remember Da- ah. [He shakes his head.] Cherryblod-san said the same thing when I ended up in it that one time. [It's strange, that he'd been so caught up in not calling him by name when he'd been here before, but it seems to be the other way around now.] It's just not for me, I don't think...
As for this, though... [He glances down at his sleeves and winces.] If anybody could do it, I know it would be you, but... I hate to ask. It's really such a mess. Wouldn't it be a lot of trouble?
[But soon enough, any stray thoughts are flying out of his mind. He can't help the wind of shock that sweeps through his hair, or the quick burst of rain that accompanies the sudden grief before he can force himself to settle.]
Komaeda-ku- Ah, no... Komaeda-senpai is... [Any of them missing would have hurt, but it's a blow Naegi wasn't ready for. But if it hurts for him, Hinata must be-]
Hinata-kun... I'm so sorry...
[He knows sorry isn't enough. It can't bring Komaeda back, even if he's alive and well back home. But the genuineness is still there, as well as the pain, and Hinata can probably hear both - because Naegi remembers how it felt, when Kirigiri went away. He remembers those painful nights of curling towards the empty space on the bed.]
This world is kinder than ours in so many ways. But it doesn't make it hurt any less when the one you love goes back.
[He'd been afraid to use that word once, and it's the closest he's come to really saying it. But it matters little in the face of everything else right now.]
no subject
I remember Da- ah. [He shakes his head.] Cherryblod-san said the same thing when I ended up in it that one time. [It's strange, that he'd been so caught up in not calling him by name when he'd been here before, but it seems to be the other way around now.] It's just not for me, I don't think...
As for this, though... [He glances down at his sleeves and winces.] If anybody could do it, I know it would be you, but... I hate to ask. It's really such a mess. Wouldn't it be a lot of trouble?
[But soon enough, any stray thoughts are flying out of his mind. He can't help the wind of shock that sweeps through his hair, or the quick burst of rain that accompanies the sudden grief before he can force himself to settle.]
Komaeda-ku- Ah, no... Komaeda-senpai is... [Any of them missing would have hurt, but it's a blow Naegi wasn't ready for. But if it hurts for him, Hinata must be-]
Hinata-kun... I'm so sorry...
[He knows sorry isn't enough. It can't bring Komaeda back, even if he's alive and well back home. But the genuineness is still there, as well as the pain, and Hinata can probably hear both - because Naegi remembers how it felt, when Kirigiri went away. He remembers those painful nights of curling towards the empty space on the bed.]
This world is kinder than ours in so many ways. But it doesn't make it hurt any less when the one you love goes back.
[He'd been afraid to use that word once, and it's the closest he's come to really saying it. But it matters little in the face of everything else right now.]