[ Minato listens to it all quietly. For the most part he manages to keep his reactions to himself, especially as somewhere along the way, he realizes this is just as cathartic for her as it is informative for him, but he can't always swallow everything behind his impassive mask. Especially not when Miki touches on certain subjects. The accident, deaths, Ryoji (however briefly glossed over! he doesn't really think about Miki's particular reactions to Ryoji at this time, however), the end...
Especially the end. But also -- just hearing how his other self became a part of Strega. It's sobering to think about. He wonders how many people his other self had killed... He didn't think he had it in him to murder someone whether they deserved it or not - especially not now with the added perspective the Universe and the seal have brought. But if in another world he was a part of an organization that used the Dark Hour to kill people... he supposes he must reassess what he is capable of.
And besides that, to think of how easy it would have been for the Kirijo group to 'take in' either himself or Minako and put them through the experiments that Strega went through... Aside from their grandparents, there hadn't been too many relatives of theirs who cared much. Maybe they would have found it awfully convenient if he or in another world his sister had just ... disappeared with the wreckage.
Dark thoughts aside, however, he finds it interesting to hear about Minami and to hear about his other self. It's so -- strange, and he struggles to try and put himself in his Strega self's mindset. To understand. -- and to understand Minami, too. Some of how Miki talks about her reminds him of what he's gotten to know again about Minako. But some of it is altogether different, and it really helps him separate her in his brain from being another world's version of Minako. Similarities make sense - they come from the same parents, after all - but the differences are important.
And yet, they're not important at all, when it comes to the end. Neither the differences between his sisters (it's nearly impossible for him to not on some level think of Minami as a sister) nor between himself and his Strega self really matter, because how it ends makes complete sense to him, and of all things, he smiles just a little when Miki talks about the other Minato sacrificing himself and Minami living on.
Whatever else is wrong in that other world, he's glad that there's at least one place where he was able to protect one of his family members. He very much wishes that somehow his sacrifice could have protected Minako, too. But they're from different worlds, and it seems as if each world needs its own seal. Even so, that Minami lives on makes him happy. And that despite everything his Strega self had been through, he was still able to bond with others and realize his answer and make that choice... That, too, is cause for a smile. ]
[Locked video - My lips are *sealed* ;) 1 of 2 ]
Especially the end. But also -- just hearing how his other self became a part of Strega. It's sobering to think about. He wonders how many people his other self had killed... He didn't think he had it in him to murder someone whether they deserved it or not - especially not now with the added perspective the Universe and the seal have brought. But if in another world he was a part of an organization that used the Dark Hour to kill people... he supposes he must reassess what he is capable of.
And besides that, to think of how easy it would have been for the Kirijo group to 'take in' either himself or Minako and put them through the experiments that Strega went through... Aside from their grandparents, there hadn't been too many relatives of theirs who cared much. Maybe they would have found it awfully convenient if he or in another world his sister had just ... disappeared with the wreckage.
Dark thoughts aside, however, he finds it interesting to hear about Minami and to hear about his other self. It's so -- strange, and he struggles to try and put himself in his Strega self's mindset. To understand. -- and to understand Minami, too. Some of how Miki talks about her reminds him of what he's gotten to know again about Minako. But some of it is altogether different, and it really helps him separate her in his brain from being another world's version of Minako. Similarities make sense - they come from the same parents, after all - but the differences are important.
And yet, they're not important at all, when it comes to the end. Neither the differences between his sisters (it's nearly impossible for him to not on some level think of Minami as a sister) nor between himself and his Strega self really matter, because how it ends makes complete sense to him, and of all things, he smiles just a little when Miki talks about the other Minato sacrificing himself and Minami living on.
Whatever else is wrong in that other world, he's glad that there's at least one place where he was able to protect one of his family members. He very much wishes that somehow his sacrifice could have protected Minako, too. But they're from different worlds, and it seems as if each world needs its own seal. Even so, that Minami lives on makes him happy. And that despite everything his Strega self had been through, he was still able to bond with others and realize his answer and make that choice... That, too, is cause for a smile. ]