[Rough laughter and nodding is the only response she gets to her outburst-- that's the absolute limit, she's made it clear, and it's likely that if they weren't in the middle of this talk, he'd be executed on the spot. Understood. He lifts a hand in surrender, more than happy to leave that one alone in favour of their talk of friends.]

Nah, nothing embarrassing about it. It's not like I've had many friends before either.

[And then she asks: 'Have you ever held Akihiko's hand? and instantly his thoughts are to those nights in an unfamiliar home, immediately after the fire, his best friend inconsolable no matter how tightly Shinjiro held onto him--]

As kids, sure. Probably haven't in years, though.

[He shrugs, reaching out for another one of those cookies. He'll have to remember that bakery.]

Aki was pretty emotional as a kid, so it came with the territory. I guess after a while it just sort of stopped.

[He's not sure who pulled away. Himself probably. Once Akihiko had his new family and his goals and could stand up comfortably on his own and fight with his own purpose.]

I bet Kotone's the kind to hold hands with everyone, though. Probably doesn't even ask.