He told me about that. But why create a cipher when they knew how to crack it in the first place? So we had to do this, first... [ There's a satisfied look on his face. He's very proud of both his kohais right now. ] Let me know if you need any help. I'm happy to pitch in with whatever it is you need.

Anyway... [ He breathes out, then leans back against the work station carefully, so as not to disturb anything, taking a drink of his tea before he starts. ]

I was talking to Rei-san at the carnival, and she helped me realize something. Think back to all the strange experiences we've been through thanks to CERES. Especially what those chips in the library books did to us. Rei-san also told me about an experience she had when Yosuke was here before where they saw twisted illusions of their best friends... [ A beat. Yosuke... he saw me. ] And that it was a source of despair. Can you think what all these things have in common?

[ He wonders if Hiro will pick up on it; he's being a little vague, and he doesn't mind explaining further. Still, Hiro's been here longer than he has, and they've both read Athena's timeline; there's enough here to tease out the thread. ]