Riley sighed softly, brushing some dust from his sleeve.
"There's no need to beat yourself up about it," he said. "You're strong, but sometimes… some are just better, more talented."
Yano's head shot up, eyes widening as the words rang in his ears.
He clenched his fists even tighter, his heart pounding in his chest as anger coursed through his veins.
'Is he mocking me…?' he thought, his brows twitching uncontrollably.
As someone used to growing up being praised as the 'talented' one, and the best among his generation, those words sounded like the cruelst jab imaginable.
But what he didn't know… was that Riley wasn't mocking him at all.
In his past life, Yano had always compared himself to Terry.
However, despite all his early accomplishments and the noble air he always walked around with, Yano could never outshine Terry.
That comparison… it had eaten Yano alive.
