[ the answer isn't a surprise, but it still lands like a punch. he curls up a little tighter where he's sitting. after a moment, ]

...Just wanting something isn't selfish. What you want makes up who you are. It's not wrong. I don't care if you're a spirit or a human, that's true of anything with feelings. Some of you are really stupid about this.

[ what's selfish is that he hears this, and he wants matsui to stay. he can feel the misery, the entire breadth of his longing, this massive, agonizing grief in wanting to reunite, one that he can empathize with, and even so—it scares him to think that matsui was so near to leaving.

and then rang would've died. and then he'd still just be here, with these memories he promised to keep that he'd likely grow to resent.

...even so, it's obviously miserable for matsui to hang on like this, and that makes him sympathize, too, guilty for putting him in this predicament. once again, feelings are just a conflicting terrible nightmare. he looks at matsui, his brows drawing in faintly. ]

If you're alive, you can bring him back. [ even if he has child murder trauma, there are not-children here. ] But, I—...hope you can see him. One way or another.

[ he's not so unkind that he'd say the rest: but please, don't die. ]