[There's another strange silence as he processes the words. The contact causes him to look up in surprise, but he freezes again when he looks directly at Rise. He can see the streaks on her cheeks from fallen tears, and in that moment, his breath hitches very slightly.]

[He's never seen Rise cry -- not like this. He's seen her dramatic cries, the ones that had a different feel than this entirely. But even Yosuke could sense that this isn't just something genuine; it's something that goes beyond what's happening right now. He knows it. He lives this way - he has for so long.]

[For a group of people who were forced to face the feelings they suppressed, they were all pretty damn good at hiding their feelings from each other, weren't they?]

I know. [He says the words quietly, closing his eyes. If he did that, he could keep the tears back. He couldn't be this weak, not in front of Rise. He's broken down before, but he's not going to let himself fall apart. Not now.] Some things... they wouldn't be the same though, you know? I mean, even... us.

[He opens his eyes, expression pensive. This is the closest thing to a confession that's ever going to happen, if for nothing more than that he won't tell her he feels that way about her.] We were never this close in Inaba... Haha, maybe I'm just trying to fool myself. I mean, we're gonna have to leave one day, right? It's all gonna end... none of this will matter then, right?

[That's a lie. It's a lie and he knows it, but the last thing he wants to forget -- or be forced to remember if she doesn't, is how close they've become over the last few months.]