[Rise could tell at first that he had wanted nothing to do with her, and somehow they became friends. He promised to protect her after she had told him about her past. Even now he was trying to protect her, pushing her away even if Micchy wasn't consciously aware that he was. And if he was doing it conciously, he was doing a good job of hiding that.

This hurt. Much worse than she thought it would. She had never been terrified of a friend before. A little intimidated, like with Kanji, but never to the point where she wanted to run and hide. She moves her hands down to her lap and digs her fingers into the fabric of her skirt. She's got to keep some kind of grip on reality.

The only relief she feels is in not having brought Nanako with her. That would have made everything much, much worse.

She takes a deep breath before forcing herself to look at him.]

I don't... I don't want to stop being friends, but...

[For now she had to rip the band aid off, and heal. Her voice gets smaller when she finished her words.]

I think we should stop talking for a while. So I can... think about all of this. Okay? I don't want to rush a decision... when I'm ready-[if ever]- I'll contact you.

[Rise is on the verge of crying. It takes all of her resolve not to run before he answers her.]