"Heh. You've far lighter expectations than everyone else who confessed their feelings to me." His... ugh, fangirls immediately come to mind. Parasocial, shallow... To say nothing of his lack of interest in girls.

Not that he could ever make that too apparent, given his celebrity status. He had to at least give people the fantasy of the charming, charismatic detective prince to latch onto.

It helps, though. He relaxes, both physically and mentally, though waves of confusion and fear still linger.

"I'll... consider it, but if this is the path we take in the end, I can't promise you a simple outcome. I am who I am, and all the ugliness inside me cannot be so simply scrubbed away."

Not that he expects Ren to want that, after he rejected Maruki's deal. Still, it bears repeating.