Magicman's words continue to resonate. Ken thinks about it, about the people here who accepted him, people who knew about his past and his relationship with Shinjiro and yet acted toward him with kindness, calling him a friend and offering their support. They could never replace what he had lost -- there was nobody like his mother, and he wouldn't even try to find something else for her -- but they were definitely, without a doubt, more than he had left after her death. He was aware of what he had here; it was a matter of whether he deserved it or not.

Even now, he still has his doubts. He picks at pieces of lint stuck on his socks.

"... I like it here," he admits, finally, after a stretch of silence. "I like the people I met here, in this house and in Nonah. But what if -- what if I'm not supposed to?"