I don't care," Aoba hisses. They can't pretend that they care about what happens to him now, not after what they put him through. "Let me go home."
"... if that's what you want, Aoba," Trip says, and he sounds hesitant despite being Scrapped.
Aoba sighs and realises he feels sick with relief. He stays silent as they lead him to the exit of the base, and as Trip opens the heavy exit door, Virus reaches out to place his hand on Aoba's shoulder.
Aoba shudders and tries to shake him off, but Virus's grip is strong.
"Goodbye, Aoba-san."
Trip stands aside to let Aoba through the door. "Bye-bye, Aoba."
"Come visit us again sometime," Virus says with a grin, eyes still unfocused. "We're your fans, after all."
Aoba thinks he's going to be sick, so he steps through the door and slams it shut behind him before they can speak to him or touch him again.
Even if the world had changed, even if he died... anywhere is better than being with them forever.