[It really is easier, and everyone is hypocritical to a degree, saying others should do this or that while not following that advice themselves.]

Hey, maybe we still can! All I gotta do is find your pantheon's underworld, right? [Ever the optimist, that's him.] Hehe... I could say the same for you, you know.

[No worries about being a third wheel, though - they wouldn't let her. The pair of them would take her places like the theme park near Tokyo, out on picnics, to lunch... She wouldn't have time to feel like she was intruding on anything.]

Hey now... [Giving her hands another squeeze, he tries to smile reassuringly for her. Excuses are just reasons that other people don't like, after all.] Maybe not now, but someday... I'm sure you'll make it. You can do it, Eresh. I believe in you. So believe in me, yeah?

[It's a bit cliche, but he means what he says. If she can't find faith in herself to be strong enough to overcome this hurdle, then maybe she can place her trust in someone who does believe in her. Sometimes it's easier to not let others down than yourself.]