[Yup, there it is. Confirmation of his suspicions. That wasn't just self-depreciation, Kokichi was genuinely concerned that the two of them could never be close friends. It's weird...he's never really been 100% sure how Kokichi regarded him. Even before shit hit the fan, when Shuichi considered him to be a friend, he couldn't be sure if the leader felt the same way.]

[Maybe he's reading too much into it, but it almost seems like...Kokichi valued their friendship more than he did.]

[It's weird though... Even though Shuichi accepted his apology and has been doing what he can to try and repair their friendship, it's like something's been holding the other boy back the whole time. Like, for once, Kokichi doesn't fully believe Shuichi. And he's not really sure why that is.]

[He smiles softly in confirmation, hoping that this time Kokichi actually believes it. Because he really can't put it much more plainly than this.]

A-ah... [He can't even offer a rebuttal to that comment, honestly. It's a fair assessment, even Shuichi has to admit it.] Well, as long as you understand...you just made it sound like I can't see anything negative about him or see anything positive about you. And that's not the case at all.