[ He's silent for a few long moments. Those words strike him painfully in the chest, they make something constrict there that he hasn't felt since that time Giles returned and he thought the other man had forgotten him. It's that same pain and same stomach dropping feeling, only it doesn't go away with reassurance because there is none here. This Naoki is different and it's a painful thing to experience. So far he's been lucky in regards to people going home and then coming back. Well, sometimes things have to change right? He sounds...sad but manages to curb it just enough that it's an underlying sadness. ]

O-Oh. I-I see. I was...rather close with the previous Naoki. We were...very good friends. How are settling in? I-I'm sure it's a bit of a shock when you-you run across people like...myself.