Kratos watched the two others sprint off, leaving him and Tsurugi alone in the hall. It seemed he had been wrong; it would be just the two of them up against whatever Sora became. His first instinct trended toward pessimism, but Tsurugi had sounded sufficiently mature on the board, and he was willing to trust Sora and the help he'd found. This sort of dilemma wasn't one best left to people that couldn't be totally depended on, after all.

"I am," he said, nodding in return. "What did Sora tell you about his intentions for tonight?" Before they did anything else, he wanted to be sure that they were on the same page, not only about the surgery, but also about what might happen if that failed.