He lay back down. "... Don't worry about it," he said. What else could he say to that? He'd run out of things to say to reassure her. He'd run out of things he said to himself to reassure himself, too. He was only grateful that she hadn't pulled away.

But if he stayed any longer, he'd do something he'd really regret. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then sat up again. "Tomoko-chan, I have to...."

He had to cut short their time together. They had about an hour left, but he couldn't keep going like this, pretend they still had— He just kept making it harder for himself. He couldn't imagine what it was like for her. He had to be considerate of her feelings. Look, he'd just made her cry again. "I have to go."