[ The words had been blurted out so honestly that Natsuno wasn't really sure what to expect. In truth that was kind of the point, a lesson he had learned here: to live without any regrets, to leave all the anchors weighing him down behind. But if he had let himself think beyond his current thoughts and feelings, it wouldn't have been anything like this.

He listens, and at some point the red mirror spreads beyond their eyes as he takes in the words one by one. It's a curious thing to see a jinrou blush; in those moments he really does look like how he did in his first life. Except for the carmine irises of course. But those are here to stay, they're as natural now as his violet ones once were.

It's all a lot to take in, even if it's in a good way. Accepting that someone liked him was strange enough, but for someone to care about him like this? Natsuno really can't comprehend it. But he wants to try, and he wants so many more things than he did before. They'll learn together little by little, and they'll likely be stumbles along the way but it is a very much a "we", a solid defined one born from their talk weeks ago.

And to start well; Natsuno's been crouching this whole time and by the end he just lets himself fall forward into the most awkward, spontaneous, half-hug half-embrace there is. His words are muffled, blanketed by hair, fabric, and skin but they're close enough that it doesn't matter. ]

I...you're important to me too. I won't leave, I never wanted to in the first place. Not when I finally knew what to do with my life.