Kengo had long since tried to convince himself that everyone back home was dead and the entire situation was out of his control. He had failed his father, with the mission he'd been entrusted to keep. He had failed Gentarou, somehow, blaming himself for thinking that maybe if he'd tried harder, if he hadn't allowed himself to trust Ryusei, that somehow he could have prevented what happened. He had failed Yuuki and the rest of the club, anyone he had ever felt a connection to, because they were most likely dead by now with the events that had taken place. Even if Ryusei was here, that didn't mean that the other was telling the truth, or that it was even a sign of his timeline working out properly, somehow. No. Ryusei had been worried about him.

Kengo closed his eyes when he heard Ryusei's voice, allowing himself to take a deep breath. It really was best for Ryusei to start to believe everything sooner, that he would have someone to break the news to him all at once, rather than stumbling around blindly like Kengo had for weeks, trying to piece together any information he could find. He still felt horribly lost.

How was he supposed to respond to that? How could he let Ryusei see him so vulnerable again, as he'd been the night before in the hallway? After a minute or so had passed, Kengo was still unsure about how he should be reacting, but he took his glass of water and set it on the counter, turning back around.

"I don't..." Kengo trailed off, knowing he couldn't lie in a situation like this. His conscience wouldn't let him. I don't need that. I don't need you. had been the first things he'd wanted to say, but it was the complete opposite of how he felt. He wanted to move closer and grab at Ryusei, to somehow convince him that everything would be okay. Why was it so hard to hate someone?

Lowering his head, Kengo shoved his hands into his pockets. It seemed like forever before he could get himself to speak. "I'm not sure if I could handle that. ... I'll hold you to it."