"Hey, Ryouga." Kaito walks around the corner to face the other.
It's as if the world wasn't ending around them, as if they were just meeting up like they did so many times during the past year, as if Nasch wasn't intent on killing Yuuma— as if Nasch was still Kamishiro Ryouga.
The illusion breaks quickly.
"It's 'Nasch'." Nasch crosses his arms, and Kaito mimics the gesture.
"Hey, 'Ryouga with a cape who now wants to be called Nasch'."
"Why are you here? To convince me that there's another way? That we can be friends?" Nasch laughs, but Kaito can tell how fake it is.
"We both know that we can't be friends. But since you brought it up, I take it you'd want it to be different?" Kaito smirks.
"Kamishiro Ryouga would."
"That's good enough, because that's who I'm friends with. Just like Kamishiro Ryouga is friends with Tenjou Kaito, but not with the Numbers Hunter."
Nasch's eyes widen. "Wait, you—"
"Yeah, I understand why you have to do this."
"Then why did you come here?!"
"Why did you choose to fight me back then, despite knowing you had no chance to win?"
"You were just lucky, so—" Nasch stops mid-sentence and Kaito is sure that if he had a mouth, he'd scowl. "You should go. You have somewhere to go, don't you?"
There's no need for them to fight. At least not now.
"I do, and so do you."
Nasch nods. "When this is over, I'll—"
"Atone by dying? As long as Rio and the Barians are around, you can't. That's your responsibility."
"...What are you trying to say?"
"You'll have to live with your actions. I might not."
Nasch freezes for a moment, then he sighs. "I didn't expect to get a lecture. Especially not from you."
"Someone had to give you one, you know."
In a flash, Nasch reverts to his human form. "Good luck then. The moon, right? You told me about that."
"Yeah. And you're gonna fight Yuuma and Astral? It's still gonna be 3:2 for them if you win, you know."
"Guess I'll have to live with that." Ryouga smirks. "You better come back so we can fight for the key to the Numeron Code."
"Sure thing." Kaito turns around. "Well then, goodbye, Ryouga."
Kaito doesn't come back.