[She's not trying to wrench away from him yet, even though he felt her tense. Naoki tightens his arms, in a silent plea for her not to move away. He's so afraid she will. If she does, of course he'll let her go, but--

He doesn't want to. This once, he's acting on the thought.]

I couldn't save anybody in that world.

I had to... I saw them die. No matter how hard I fought, I couldn't do anything, I was never in time. [His head moves against her shoulder a little, shaking back and forth.] Each person who had a Reason needed magatsuhi so that they could summon a god, a demonic sponsor to support them. And the best source of that was the other people left.

My teacher, Hijiri, Futomimi-- Hikawa, Isamu and Chiaki sacrificed each of them to get the magatsuhi they needed. I was too late every time. I couldn't do anything for anybody, and then I was the one who killed my friends. [It hurts to draw the breath to speak this, as much as it hurts saying it, and he speaks it in a voice that shakes violently. In a rush like it's been waiting to come out for so long, like these are thoughts he's stewed and stewed and stewed over.] I couldn't even talk them out of anything.

[All of this power, and he still couldn't even manage that much.]