[ The phone gets tucked away in his pocket and he goes for his vape pen instead, pressing it against his lips and drawing a deep drag. He's not so sure her little 'scenario' is something that would have actually transpired, but then again, Monika did have a tendency to live within her own fantasies. Or maybe Tech's simply jaded by this point that he can't ever imagine a scenario where he shrugged things off. Not one after he had unlocked these awful emotions. ]

I don't know. Better in some ways, probably. Less painful for sure. But there's no scenario where that wouldn't have happened. I always would have found you.

[ The smoke billows away from his lips, curling into itself and fading into the background. Tech watches it. ]

Mega said you want things that aren't good for you, and I gotta wonder if this is the case here.

[ He should leave it at that. That should be the end of it and no more words should come spewing forth. But with her close again, he can't help but entertain thoughts he really shouldn't entertain. He killed her, but then he died to save her. And in all of that death, the underlying feelings never died. They got twisted and warped, a volatile pendulum swinging from resentment to yearning, but they were still there. Even now. Especially now. ]

If we were to give it another go, it couldn't be the same. We're both married to other people now...

[ He had heard Monika's name called at least once at the ball. He doesn't know if she had heard his, though. Either way, she was bound to find out about him and Hazel at some point, so might as well come clean about it now. ]