"Well, that makes two of us liars, then." Although Hizumi smiles, it's a rather twisted one. "...Sometimes, it's more of a survival instinct. A way to keep yourself from going insane. It can't always be helped."

It wasn't like he hid things from others entirely for their own benefit. While that was definitely part of it, it was also simply that he couldn't stand to think about it on such a constant basis. It made it so easy, wrapping everything he said in lies, acting as though everything was fine.

Constantly confronting the truth is just too much for him to bear.

But he'd been able to find strength in others despite that. Even though he tried his damnedest to keep them out of it, they still managed to worm their way in. And he's still terribly uncomfortable with the idea, to be honest, but... Even if it's just a little...

"Ayumu and I, at least-- you know you don't need to hide it from us. I tried that too, but obviously it didn't work out too well, did it?"

Sputtering and stammering out the truth of his life, back then. Taro should remember that as well.

"And he'd try to save you even if you turned out to be the worst murderer in the history of the world, I'm sure." He nods at Ayumu beside him. "If you regret it so much... That means you, at least, can change. Right?"

Despite the well-meant words, Hizumi's pity for the Shadow are considerably less than what he feels for Taro. His Shadow seems to take no issue with casting a spell aimed at Shadow Taro even in the midst of Hizumi's talking.