He would understand if she fled. It was what people did. He would understand if she were afraid of him. His guardian was. He said it all the time, even though he'd never raised a hand to threaten him.

"It was my job." Yoite murmured. "It's what I exist to do, until I don't exist anymore. It was..." He trailed off. He'd done it without remorse at the time. Lately he'd felt so much remorse it threatened to bury him in anguish.

"It's what I'm supposed to do, but I ran off with Miharu. When they come for me, I will have to kill them or die. Those are my choices, at this point. I'm not...ready to die." He didn't want to die, he did want to have never existed, but he didn't want to die. It was complicated and messy.