“I don’t usually insult the other Yosukes. What I… said to you?” He frowns. What did he say to upset Souji? Souji’s a really quiet person, so it’s hard to tell if he’s upset. “Everyone’s always giving me shit… so, if I fight back- then it’s wrong? If I tell people the way I really feel… then they’ll beg me to lie to them because it hurts? I guess- I guess it’s right not to express myself or open up to people. As a shadow, you should be against that- It’s funny…” All these jokes and no laughter.
“You… mean that?” Why would a shadow lie? “No. Unless you were making up all that stuff about it being hard to confess. Unless you were faking the love in your eyes. Un- less…” He pauses, considering. “…that’s just the way you feel about everyone. If I’m really so unimportant, you don’t have to drag me on. I was sure you were going to reject me and call me disgusting and never want to see me again, anyway, so…” Those actions would’ve been completely uncharacteristic of Souji, but his fears were so real at the time.
“But I never expected you to be. And I’m okay without you. No one expects you to do anything, but- you do things anyway. All of your responsibilities are things that you chose. If you neglected them, then people would be upset, and maybe some people feel entitled to your help- but if they really cared, they’d want you to rest. They’d want you to take care of yourself. They’d… hypothetically, might even resent themselves because they can’t repay you for what you’ve done for them, so taking care of you in any small measure would be the least they could do if you’d only let them…”
“ don’t you get it? sure, shadows revel in exposing the truth but that’s not how people work. human emotions are muddy, fragile, complicated. go ahead & ‘ fight back ’. defend yourself from these so-called offenses. just don’t forget that there are consequences & act surprised when somebody thinks you’re an unpleasant person to be around.
but maybe you have a point. & maybe i’m just jealous
because you’re allowed to be an open book. ”
‘ i guess it’s right not to express myself... ’ ‘ i was so sure you were going to reject me... ’ yosuke’s ability to manipulate to garner pity is impressive. souji would’ve submitted to it; he’s weak. but as his shadow, so full of disdain, it’s much easier to brush that kind of selfish behavior off.
( ‘ if only you’d let them. ’ )
“ it’s nobody’s fault but my own. ”
that’s the takeaway from this, & it’s fair. with one last
look at yosuke, the shadow dematerializes into thin air.