[ Natsuno starts at the touch, letting his hand fall back to his side. There's no thanks just a breathy exhale, but he's clearly more rooted in the present than he was before. ]

Yeah. He was my-my best friend. The Shiki got him pretty early—he was always inviting everyone over to his house and he had no shortage of friends. But he put up with me even if his other friends hated me. [ There's a clear understanding here that Natsuno knows he's not easy to be around, as he's stated before. He's blunt, opinionated, and doesn't interact with others unless he has a reason. So he comprehends Anon's words all too well in a different way. Feelings are dangerous. ]

Dying to him...I was okay with. Even if I was angry, I accepted all his excuses anyway. Somehow I knew I would never escape that village and it was easier to just sleep. I guess it was kind of selfish of me too, but I had written my parents off for a while by then.

But then I didn't die. I didn't die, and I was still really, really angry.