"Yeah, but my friends need my help," he insisted, fidgeting with the ends of his sleeves again. That was what it came down to in the end, really. These were his friends and he needed to support and help them. And most of them were just as clueless about what was going on as he was.

"I can't just abandon them. And I have to protect Kyoko to the extreme, and if this is how I learn how to do it, then it's good, right? Just not the killing part."