[I mean, that's one way to startle him out of his fog of insecurity and general sense of worthlessness. He snaps his gaze back up to Akechi's face, his eyes wide.]

Of course I'm not.

[He doesn't mean to actually admit it, but it comes out before he can stop himself, and then he has to bite back a sigh, annoyed at his own carelessness.]

It's just that it's what I am. It's in my tapestry. I'm not just Ion's replica--I'm Ion's seventh replica. There's nothing special about me, and nothing lasting or necessary in my life, so I keep hoping that at least, if I can't prevent myself from being thrown away, I can at least make it count for as much as I can.

[It's all that he has. All that he thinks that he has.]