Ah, and that's part of the problem, isn't it? Devero looks away and rocks back on his heels, opening some space between them without quite committing to pulling away.

"The only reason I even have a life is because of her," he says, shaking his head more vigorously than Koumyou had his own. "I owe it to her. That's why I have to-- that's why I can't--"

He falls silent, unable to finish the thought.