[It must be hard, losing so many gods. Especially for a kid who seems to get attached pretty easily. Hijikata sighs, fishing out his smokes and lighter while he thinks on how to answer.]

Stinging someone isn't going to make them disappear. I know gods whose shinki have blighted them nearly badly enough to kill them, and they're still around.

Souji stings me now and then. There's something he wants sometimes, but he feels like it's not something he should be allowed to have, so when he catches himself thinking about it, he feels guilty. My other shinki worries a lot, and has a strong conscience and a bit of a difficult situation that they have to work with, so they sting me sometimes, too.

It hurts, but that's not always bad. You like training and sparring, right? When you get roughed up in sparring, it's good because you know you're pushing your limits and learning new things.

When our shinki sting us, we have something to learn from it. Even those of us who used to be human, too -- we can learn about how you struggle, and what you need help with. It can help bring us closer to you, if we learn how to listen.