[Ryuji doesn't think too hard on it- magic bullshit was just that; magic bullshit. And for a moment, he completely misses that Akira was asking about the two months time span that he hasn't lived through, the maximum suckage that Ryuji had just referenced.]

Maybe she's kinda a newb at it. Like we were when we first started goin' through palaces. What would Mona say? Total rookie.

[Honestly, he has no idea how powerful she is or what extent of her powers are able to be honed in. Or maybe she was all knowing and omniscient? Maybe she pulled people from various points in their timeline that would be most advantageous to both the Circle and the people involved. Mysteries.

It clicks, then, that it wasn't what Akira was (probably?) talking about.]

Uh... oh, that ain't what you meant.

[He sheepishly smiles back, scratching the back of his head. It's an awkward topic to breech, but he doesn't hold his account back from Akira.]

Like... why did it suck? I guess, man... like. Y'know. Without a reason for us all to stick together, somethin' to work towards, we all kinda started drifting a bit? Haru and Makoto were already a year ahead of us. Yusuke was in a totally different school.

[Is he supposed to be telling Akira this? Wouldn't knowledge of the future intrinsically change the shape of it? Ryuji has no freaking clue.]

And uh... y'know. The only reason I even felt like showin' up to school half the time was... 'cause you were there. I know I said I'd figure out a way to make Shujin work, but, shit. Just started feelin' like a huge part of my life... eh... you know where I'm goin' with this. And I guess I was too chicken shit to tell you how I felt about it.