A Needed Talk

Hamuko didn't know what Goro thought of her. But she sure thought a lot about whatever was going on with him.

From the very beginning, she could tell he wasn't as happy as he acted on TV or at school. Even when he came by to visit the dorm and seemed a little looser, she could still tell he seemed to be faking his smile. She was good at figuring that sort of stuff out.

And when they had actually figured out his identity, what he had been doing all along, it all made much more sense. But now she knew just what was underneath it all. He was angry, filled with hatred.

But most of all, she could see sadness in him.

They had managed to convince him to join them, and he even moved into their dorm. But it was clear that he had distanced himself even more. Despite how people like Maya and Yu would try and get closer to him. The person he'd let get close to him the most was Ren, and even he didn't seem to be making that much progress with the detective.

And she could see how that hurt Ren, even if he pretended he was okay. He was one of her closest friends, so seeing him like that hurt her as well.

She wanted to at least try talking to Goro. If there was even the slightest chance that she could change something by doing that, she didn't want to throw the opportunity away.

She had asked Goro to meet her in the kitchen once everyone else was asleep. He surprisingly agreed to it without much arguing. Good. It'd make her job a lot easier.

"What do you even want?" He asked her as soon as he entered.

"I'll be straightforward with you." She sighed. "Are you actually happy?"

"I don't understand. What is this about?"

"Are you proud of yourself? Is this really who you want to be? What are you gonna do once Shido is gone?"

"You're kinda hard to keep up with, you know? Where are you even trying to go with this?" He groaned.

She had kind of expected that reaction. She knew she could be hard to follow sometimes. But she still wanted to try making him understand what she was thinking. "Do you see the way you affect others? Ren isn't happy with any of this. I don't want to see him like that."

He looked away from her, mumbling as he spoke. "That is none of my business. It's his fault for getting attached."

"Why are you so quiet, huh? He's the only person who you even let get mildly close to you. He did most of the work to convince you to come to our side. Don't act like you don't care." She paused for a moment, trying not to get too emotional. As much as it was natural for her, she knew she'd never reach him if she did. "Shido hurt him as well, you know? You weren't his only victim. And he isn't the only shitty adult out there."

"I already know that…" His shoulders squeezed closer to his body as he took half a step back. "I was giving him what he deserved."

“This isn’t just about you…” She spoke a little more firmly. "I guess what I'm trying to say is: You're not alone anymore. What you did wasn't right, but we're willing to look behind that because we know how much crap you went through. It's not just me and Ren. Naoya, Tatsuya, Maya, my brother, Yu, maybe even Aigis and Ryoji. We would all have your back if you stopped pushing us away."

Goro finally looked back at her, but didn't speak. She couldn't tell if he was angry or in pain. He looked at her as if she were poking a fresh wound of his.

"I always felt like you weren't really who you pretended to be. And knowing what I know now, I really don't think killing Shido is going to satisfy you or even be the right thing for you." She sighed. "If saying 'I'm sorry' is too hard for now, I'll understand. But at least think about what I said. If you even understood it."

She waited for him to say something, but he just frowned and looked away. She decided to just leave the kitchen.

But, before actually stepping out the door she smiled at him. "See you tomorrow morning." And then she left off to her bedroom.

It had been a genuine smile. A smile that had come from her wish to actually be friends with him. She knew it wouldn't be immediate, but she was satisfied enough with his current reaction. She did seem to have affected him somehow.