Report 24

Plot
During lunch break Arata notices Ryō having lunch by himself at a nearby table, and in the evening he asks Ryō about it over the phone and offers to have lunch together. However Ryō refuses, telling Arata he eats alone in order to be able to observe his subject and asks him to keep his distance from him due to the demands of the experiment. Arata wonders if it wouldn't be all right since Kazuomi and An would be joining them, but in reply Ryō sidetracks the discussion by asking if he already befriended An, as he heard Arata use her given name.

Arata remains insistent, reminding Ryō of having previously been accused of providing insufficient support, but also warned against getting too involved with his subject so as to not affect the results of the experiment. Downcast, he explains that he must refuse because of his superiors at the company.

Understanding how things can be when you work for a company Arata apologizes for being too insistent, and Ryō berates himself for getting too emotional. He reminds himself that he knows everything about Arata's past, including how he was mentally scarred, and asks Arata to forget that the conversation ever happened.

Trivia

 * The events in this chapter took place on.