[ Her tears haven't quite dried up, but she's not violently sobbing any longer. Something about Kidou's calm is definitely helping. She rubs at her eyes, trying to smile but it's weak and barely there. It's...there's something different about the way it makes her feel, not having that outpouring of sympathy that her problems usually get. With someone closer to her age, she prefers it, she realizes. She isn't being handled with child gloves for fear of upsetting her more, or being soothed. She's being treated as an equal, or as much of one as Kidou can manage.

It's not that she feels coddled by, say Kaneki but...it's so hard sometimes to stay positive about everything, to keep from worrying the people she loves. And she tries, because Kaneki has so much to handle already, he doesn't need a crying Hinami on his plate too. ]

Kikkun...thank you. [ It still hurts, she stills wants to lay down and cry for hours. But it's not so overwhelming with something else to focus on. With the thought of this only being an illusion to cling to. ] I'm sorry, I didn't... I-I was panicking and...what happened with Mama...

[ She hadn't exactly planned on spilling disturbing details to him. Only two people in this world knew that true extent of what Hinami had been put through by the Mado. ]

I try to remember her the way she was...and seeing her like that...