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“Komaru-chan.”
Syo is frowning. Her scissors gleam in her hand, and Komaru tilts her head down as if to hide.
“How did this happen? What was Miss Morose doing, that she let this happen?”
“It wasn't her fault,” Komaru mutters. “It was my fault. My fault.”
Syo clicks her scissors. Snipping at the air.
“How did this happen?” She repeats.
“I don't know,” Komaru whispers, “I don't know.”
Syo sighs. “Komaru… Do you need me to protect you? I can. I will.”
Komaru's head jerks up. “ No ,” she says, horror-tinted, “You promised Togami-kun, didn't you? You promised yourself.”
“You're more important.”
“ No, I'm not!” Komaru yells, high and breaking, before she falters, her breath stuttering, and she repeats in a whisper, “No, I'm not. You… You should leave, Syo. I'm only going to hurt you if you stay.”
“I don't want to leave. You're my first friend.”
“I'll hurt you.”
“I'm used to being hurt.”
“Syo!” Komaru begs, tears forming in her eyes and splattering onto the ground like rain, “Use your weapons for something good! Don't use them on someone like me!”
“I won't leave,” Syo surges forward, grasping Komaru's hands that try to stem the flow of her tears. “Who do you take me and Miss Morose to be, huh? So you killed some kids, so what? I've killed too. And you didn't turn your back on me. You didn't abandon me. We can make it through this, Komaru—together. Like we have this whole time.”
Komaru ripped her hands from hers. “You don't understand! It won't work. I'm not worth it. Just- just leave, Syo-tan! Leave !”
Syo drops her scissors. They clatter on the ground as she pulls Komaru into a hug. And she says, “Never.”