[ He knows. That it's not just about Koromaru here, this whole issue. It's not just why Ken is yelling, although he knows the kid is fond of the dog too, just like he was - hell, just like most of them are. Koromaru's that special.

Still, all of this is taking a lot out of Shinji (it's what happens when your last memory is of bleeding out on the cold hard floor pavement) and after letting out a sigh he lets himself just plop down on the floor to sit there for a bit, weapon right next to him so he can pick it up right away if anything shows up.

Right now though? The biggest enemy is himself. The fact that he's supposed to be dead, but he can still fuck things up. He can still accidentally steer Ken off the right path just by saying something wrong. ]

Well, I'd explain it to you, but this doesn't exactly seem like a place to share dog food recipes. [ A little dryly. Almost as if he's trying his hardest to cancel out Ken's anger with his own hollow calm.

-- a breath, and.. ]

Listen. All this shit? It would've happened if you'd have killed me too instead of that asshole. You also would've had to figure out on your own what to give him now. It's the same deal. [ He quirks an eyebrow, his expression a little wry. He's mostly trying to make Ken figure it out already for himself. ] Didn't you think about that?