Souji tilted his head to the side, watching Hijikata intently as if trying to figure him out. It wasn't that he lacked insight as such, but people in general still tended to confuse Souji; Hijikata, however, was different. There was something about him which just came naturally for Souji to understand, and he tried not to think too hard about the reason for that.

"You almost wish that those people really were real, just so you could get back at them for treating me like that, don't you? It bothers you because it's just in my head, and that means you can't protect me, is that it?"