[Yamato's nod is a bit more subdued, and he watches Ayumu carefully for a minute, making sure she doesn't falter. But it's easy for Souji to grab his attention, and he smiles as he joins his new friend on the floor.]

I'm glad you like her. I knew she'd like you. [Then again, who wouldn't? Souji's so new, but already Yamato's decided that he's wonderful, and he can't imagine anyone thinking otherwise. What must his god be like, Yamato wonders, to have been given such a good shinki? Undoubtedly, someone gentle and kind.

His smile fades at that, though, and he looks down, adjusting his hakama with his free hand. Souji's right, of course. Shepard wouldn't want him to act the way he's been acting. He's done a poor job representing her in her absence, and an even poorer one of supporting Ayumu until Shepard comes back. Can he even call himself a shinki, at this rate?]

She's been very kind to me since we met. I wish we could've just stayed friends. [The threat of abandonment looms over him every day, just as heavy and real as Shepard's absence in his heart. But how could he possibly thank Ayumu for taking him in, for keeping him, without feeling like a traitor?]