Ryoji keeps gently stroking the bird, listening attentively all the while. He hasn't been through quite the same number of hardships as Tobias has, even if he doesn't know the specifics of the boys' life. His mother might have struggled after his father died, but she didn't turn him away or belittle him for being himself. Even if his friends have never really been close enough to know everything about him, he's gotten by with a handful of people who he can at least spend time with and will back him up in normal situations. But still... there's a part of him that does understand, deep in his core in a place that he's not even sure where it comes from. One day, everything will end. People will die. Things will be meaningless. He's not sure why more people don't understand that.

"...I'm sorry you have to be the one to do it," he says, since Tobias said himself it's not really a thing he wants to do, "But... I think I understand. It's important for people to know, so they don't get blindsided when it happens."