[Even if Goro's is the heart-pounding kind, the butterflies have vacated him at the moment, leaving a kind of lightness in their wake; it ebbs away like the seat against the shore as he lets the quiet linger, wondering what now. Wasn't as if he'd had the courage to speak up about his feelings to anyone before, content with knowing he didn't have much of a chance until lately and simply tucking them away.

When Akira breaks it again to say that, Goro frowns lightly and tilts his head.]

I think it's up to me to decide who's best for me, Akira. [Gently chiding. Don't turn this into one of those romance movie scenes.] And even if you don't think you are, even if you may not be the best in all the world -- you are lacking that financial security I mentioned -- I still like you regardless. I'm certainly not stuck with you.

[... Because he could just not try, he could just be fine with sticking from afar, keep to the niceness of their customer-employee relationship, but Akira is someone he likes spending time with, for some reason shares the same visions or memories or whatever they are as him, and... though Goro isn't sure if they ever meet again after that, if it's not just some coincidence and the like, here, in this city, he has Akira's company and that's enough.]

And... even if I was, I don't see it as a necessarily bad thing. We're friends, after all. I'm happy to be.

[Because he doesn't have very many, actually, but he doesn't want to say that. Not because it's pathetic or unbelievable but-- it's just not something he wants to say, even if he probably should confront that particular bit of himself at some point.]