Exam soon, but who would be able to focus on that. SEES tried to live their lives as normally as possible, and from the outside, nothing was any different.

But SEES all knew nothing could be the same.

Now that most of SEES didn't expect to see him anymore, Ryoji avoided them as much as possible. They might catch a glimpse of a yellow scarf, but no more.

The Naganaki Shrine was quiet today. He didn't expect Akinari to be here, and he decided that it would be okay to be seen by him. As Ryoji, he had been dragged around by Junpei to an Iwatodai tour. It wouldn't hurt to talk to someone right now. Ryoji walked to the strip mall to buy some takoyaki and came back.

"Oh, for me?" Akinari seemed to recognise him and accepted the food. "Thank you."

Ryoji felt an unexplainable feeling as he watched the sick person eating takoyaki before the end of the world. He smiled. "That's great! I'm glad you're eating, because... the world's full of delicious food, so it'd be a waste if you didn't eat your fill."

Akinari, who couldn't read his mind but somehow seemed to understand his thoughts, started to chuckle. "It's the first time anyone's ever told me that."

"Huh?"

"People always tell me not to eat too much. It's due to my weak body, they say, so I have to be careful..."

"Oh I see! But," Ryoji said. "It's not just your body right? Wouldn't you regret not doing what you want to do in life?"

"... You're a rather mysterious one, aren't you?" Akinari smiled. "Like Minato, you don't look at me with pity in your eyes. You and he seem to have a very similar atmosphere, but... It feels as if you're closer, somehow."

Ryoji blinked. "You mean?"

"Oh, it's more as if…" Akinari paused. "As if you're always right by my side, somehow."

"Oh." Ryoji felt like he had heard something similar before.

Ryoji said goodbye and took a stroll, thinking of the time he spent with Junpei when he was new to this world as himself. They talked about surprisingly deep topics with each other that people would be surprised. Junpei was a great friend.

"Aren't people the same as well?" Ryoji asked after they talked about traveling around the world to taste all food. "There are so many different people in this world, so if we don't meet as many as possible, it'd be a waste. Something like that, I guess?"

Ryoji let out a long sigh. That felt like so long ago. Being a friend felt like so long ago. Having friends felt so long ago.

And his friendship with anyone in this world doesn't even matter anymore.