[He nods back to her when his name is mentioned. He's not an SHSL runner, but... yeah, that was his one ticket out of the mediocre birth he was given. It took a long time to find something to fill the gap of that, and then proceeded to lose that as well. He's just... so tired of losing. And he's equally tired of seeing the people around him lose, too.]

No one really wants to hurt anyone. Unless you're a complete and utter psycho, and I sure as shit ain't gettin' those vibes from you.

[Ryuji's trying to lighten the mood a little bit here.]

You, uh. You fight to help others. You fight 'cause there's something you gotta protect. It ain't about who's right, who's wrong. None of that shit.

[Spoken like a truly morally gray thief who stole hearts, here.]

And even when you fight and you lose, you gotta keep fighting. Long as you got that sorta vibe goin', I'll do my best to back you up.