As much as that hand running through his hair, there's something incredibly, profoundly, comforting about hearing that, yeah, that was pretty messed up, but also, perhaps, he was not left with very many options. Even if other routes had been chased down, would the outcome have changed much? Would it have just been the same result by some other set of hands?

Probably, he thinks. He doesn't know how much comfort that thought brings him.

But, even after hearing that, Kai can still say that much, huh? Shinji's not sure he really deserves it, but try as he might, he just can't summon up the will to dismiss it, verbally or privately. Maybe if he had met people like him earlier... Hadn't he, though? Even just the once, and while that had ended. poorly. that little snag in his line of thinking feels noteworthy, somehow.

"Kaito..." How can you go and just say something that kind to him?? "I'm... I'm really glad we could meet here."