[ The rhythm of his steps slowed as Renji listened and kept the same deliberate tempo while he absorbed that information. It wasn't all that surprising to learn that it wasn't just Keigo that left and came back without memories, but at the same time he could understand that confirmation just made it different. There wasn't even a sliver of room to think that even someone as meticulous as Ishida could be mistaken.

Renji felt painfully dull, trying to piece these revelations together. And he couldn't shake the defeated feeling that he wasn't the right person to tell this to. Even if he thought and paced for a hundred years, there was no way that he could figure out why people came and disappeared and returned brand new to the station or why Keigo seemed to be such a magnet for getting his head fucked around in, other than extremely bad luck. There was no guarantee that knowing the answer would even make Keigo feel better.

Stopping halfway into another circuit across the room, Renji fixed Keigo with a long stare. ]

You ain't losin' it.

[ He crossed the room in long strides to stand in front of Keigo again. His hands uncrossed from over his chest, and one settled on his shoulder. ]

You can't be going crazy if it ain't just you that this shit happened to.

[ It sounded like a weak consolation, even to his ears, but he tried to put conviction in his voice. If he wasn't any good as a detective, he could at least try to be a better confidant. ]

They're tryna fuck with you, just like they always do. I dunno why... But I know Tsukishima did, and now he's gone and you're still here.

[ Renji squeezed his shoulder, his eyes still steady on him. If there was something he learned to appreciate about human beings after getting to know a few of them, it was their resiliency. They bloomed and withered in a heartbeat, but even after being torn or trampled or uprooted, they stretched towards sunlight. ]

And I know you're gonna be okay.