[Admittedly, Akira had just made a really, really good freaking point. It was easier to tell him these things when he was just there, in person, sitting next to him like they had just wandered up to his room to read some manga, or whatever the soup de jour was for their antics at the moment. Ryuji lets out a breathy laugh when he's ribbed, and just doesn't really know what to say.

For him, that time away had been hard because he didn't have a real friend before Akira, and to have that snatched up away from him hurt a little more than a lot. He remembers being asked how school was going back in one of their trips to Mementos, and he had turned his head ever so slightly towards Akira, and replied that it was getting better. Those sort of sentiments can't be replaced, but, yeah. He's here now, and they are back together. Ryuji doesn't have a single complaint about that.]

Eesh, I swear, your elbow's gotten pointier than I remember, dude.

[What does he want to say right now? Taking it slow, he tries to decompress the zip drive of his bundled up thoughts in a way that isn't pure verbal diarrhea.]

No, I guess not. I just. I really missed you. I'd have these really, really goddamn stupid ideas the first few weeks of... you're gonna say this sounds really dumb, but I imagined myself just skipping out on school and windin' up at your doorstep one day. I dunno, like... maybe coming to kidnap you back to Tokyo. Or maybe just staying there for a while. Didn't... really think it through that well.

[His shoulders slump as he admits it, and he's being hard on himself again, wondering if telling him all this is too much maybe?]

But, as it kinda turns out, that sorta happened here anyway. And it did kinda suck, before. Sucked major ass. But, y'know. It's getting better.