‘If you have a hope that’s too strong, then it’ll just get crushed and hurt all the more.’ (x)

Well, this is a… fair bit different. But more to that, doesn’t the latter part…

…look horribly familiar to the painful retaliation speech?

The sheer irony here is the fact that Shuichi was on to that game from the very start but brushed the thought aside for fear of being too negative, while later shocked at Ouma for saying the exact same thing!