[ Look. Listen. Between you and me, between the privacy of brackets, Maruki already knows he's different. Special. Granted access to a power entirely unrelated to combat, and then propelled into an ascent to something akin to godhood until it got ripped from his hands. That is not the norm. He could guess that without Akechi ever telling him a single scrap of information more.

But simple aspects like length of time before awakening to this power? If multiple people have done it, and if it follows any laws of cognitive psience at all, then something as basic as that shouldn't fall outside standard conventions.

His dumbfounded look is completely, entirely genuine. ]

Really?

[ FOR REAL? ]

That's...

[ A nervous little laugh. Huh. Okay. ]

That's incredibly bizarre.

[ Like maybe this was less a manifestation of his own will, and more an entity making deliberate contact. ]

What do you make of that?

[ And then he sets his cup down quickly and presses his palm to his forehead, frenetically apologetic. ]

Ah, I'm sorry to ask you so many esoteric questions! If you don't have any thoughts on the matter, I understand. Seriously. What a weird thing...