[ That still didn't make sense to Mizuki — unless he's missing something, people weren't just popping up here for a really, really long time, right? He fidgets in place, a little anxious to keep talking because he knows this isn't a topic he can broach with a lot of compassion. Not because Mizuki isn't compassionate, but because he's at least tangentially aware that he sounds rather callous when talking about… well, literally anything. ]

…I don't mean for this to sound insensitive or anything, Mister Heimr… but you know your kids better than I do. Do you think it's possible they were just… tired, and they wanted to… stop? Maybe we're being used as bargaining chips…?