He could totally feel those eyes on his ass, Hajime.

But exasperating was right. If Ishida stayed here that meant he'd have to put up with this nerd. He wasn't going to back down or anything - he was no coward, damn it. That didn't mean he had the patience to deal with being lied to about a past that was already shrouded in darkness. No, there was only looking toward the future, now.

There was something to be said for Hajime's dedication to this, even if it was crazy. Maybe it was because it was crazy that Ishida felt the least bit intrigued. Just how far would he go for him? Even if it was a stranger, a small part of his heart yearned for someone who would follow him no matter what, since the one he would follow went where he could not.

There was also a tremendous thrill in a challenge. So he did pause in his retreat long enough just to taunt him and spur him on. To test his will as a man.

"Good luck! I'll run you so fucking ragged you'll be begging me to wait up and let you catch your breath!"

A lingering sense of dejavu rippled through the universes where they overlapped in FDC, but Ishida didn't feel it on a conscious level.