"Yeah, he studies English lit. He got all excited when he saw me with Shakespeare. Oh, and he said your petit fours were better than his grandma's. And the curry blew his mind."

He doesn't quite realize it, but his delivery of Sam's compliments carries a strange undercurrent of desperation. Though he's not thinking about it consciously, the logic goes like this: If he keeps bringing home nice words and news about cool happenings, Goro will stick around forever, and then Ren will never be left behind as a walking ruin. The plan is perfect, if he can say so.