Oh, he's gonna read so much into it.

Just like that aforementioned well-loved book, pouring over the pages and reading deeper than the text on the page, there's so much more in everything Akihiko isn't saying. Or what he's barely saying. The stiffness of his posture, the 'not really', rather than an outright denial, the way he doesn't turn it into some sort of stupid banter between them.

"That ain't a no."

And this is not the conversation he expected to have today, but this is where they are. An off-hand comment earned a quiet confession, and like a dog who managed to get a hold of that well-loved book, he's going to sink his teeth in and worry it until all the hidden pages fall out and can be put back together.

But he lets that pause sit for a moment, allows it to stretch out and let the tension bleed the slightest bit, before he brings up a hand to rest at Akihiko's shoulder, just giving a line of unspoken contact and comfort there. It's another unspoken bit between them-- that line of support, always present, never truly pointed out.

"C'mon Aki, cut the strongman act. This whole thing sucks. You can vent if you want."