[ He is far too familiar with that laugh of hers to know that it's anything but genuine. Instead it's stuck somewhere between heartfelt and pitiful, the perfect shield against anyone that doesn’t know her well enough—but he does, perhaps more than the rest. Yet even that only allows him to see so much, and is the reason why he gets so confused whenever he can’t figure out why Ami begins to act so ambiguous and detached around him, sometimes abruptly. One minute, she is teasing him, giving him advice the next, and then all of a sudden her lip will twitch to form a frown as she claims frustration over anything pertaining to him.

He doesn't understand, probably never will, but there is one thing Ryuuji can see plain as day: she is forcing a smile. And he wants to make it better, feeling a responsibility to all those dear to him. ]

What are you talking about? I'm fine. It's a good thing you didn't have to be by yourself for very long, though. Maybe no one wanted to talk to me.

[ Okay, it's lame, but he hopes the little quip against himself will help the mood. ]