"You don't have to eternally reject; you can try accepting"

Jonathan was truly surprised. All along, he had consciously maintained distance from everything and everyone in the second world. No matter how others approached them, he would reject and keep away. 

In Jonathan's mind, this was an unfamiliar land. Everyone here was a stranger or enemy, and he would eventually leave. This conviction took root when he first entered Red Soil's world, forming the basis on which he maintained absolute rationality.

While Squad Seven genuinely cared for Jonathan, he couldn't reciprocate. Living under a false identity, everything he projected was also fake.

Team Mechanical Dawn had even thinner bonds. They all had superficial relationships, sharing at most a tacit understanding from fighting side by side. But when real danger hit, they'd scatter. Under Mechanical Dawn's pressure, they wouldn't hesitate to turn on him.

Squad Seven might have genuine feelings, but Team Mechanical Dawn was all about business.