He's fooling himself. Ichigo's never going to figure it out. Ichigo would never understand if her did. He shoots himself in the foot no matter what he decides to do, and even all that misses the raw and simple fact that he doesn't know what name he's earned right now, if any at all. He's lost Ichigo and he's lost Zangetsu and despite himself and all his efforts before, he's not sure if he's ready to take back either name right now. She's only calling him Zangetsu because it's the only thing she knows-- calling a name but not her son's.

He barely resists screaming into his hands, instead hiding his face behind bangs and a bowed head, gripping that table edge tighter.

"I'm not made to be anybody's friend," He says. "I'm a weapon, I'm not going to soften my edges. And either way you'd be wasting your time. When we go home you're never going to hear from me again and these people will never see me. What I do or don't say to them literally doesn't matter. It's not as if they're thinking less of you because of me. If Ichigo could get away with me living in his soul you're not going to get any pitchforks sharpened on my behalf."