[Despite being at an age where talking about his softer feelings made him feel embarrassed, Amane certainly wasn't against shows of affection himself, and Ai's motherly gesture is, in fact, a welcome one. The tips of his ears and cheeks flush a dusty pink, and yet he doesn't try to squirm away, quietly accepting the head pat and soaking in her words like a sponge. Everything she said was the truth-- he really did put in the work, the extra effort to prove to himself and everyone around that this wasn't some sort of cosmic fluke, and it had paid off in spades. But to hear it from Ai herself... it felt extra gratifying somehow, like a warm ray of sunshine after a rainy, cold day.

Of course, Amane was still a teenage boy, and he can't help but give her a teasing grin, intent on wiggling out of emotional sincerity to the very end.]

Haha... are you saying you're going to be lonely without me around? That's not like you, Senpai.

[Though even with that, he knows he's stuck in a moment that he can't fully get out of, and so he'll give her this much, at least. His eyes dip to the glitter-dusted ground, voice low and a bit soft as he finally speaks up again.]

... I know, though. But... I don't think there's ever going to be a time where I won't need you, so you don't really have to worry about that.

[After all, he may have somehow speedrun his way from Novice to Experienced Dreamer in about a year, but Ai still could run miles around him in terms of knowledge and expertise. Confident as he might pretend to be over on this side of the Dream Sphere, there was still so much that was new to him here, and Amane had the feeling he was probably going to be occasionally clinging onto Ai's metaphorical apron strings for at little while yet.]