[Akira listens quietly, tears beginning to form in his eyes.]

My friend Ryo... you remind me of him. He's done some terrible things, and he's the one who made me into a Devilman... but he's still my best friend. When I found him, he was all alone, with no memories. Adults were scared of him and never wanted to help him, so... I wanted to be there for him.

[maybe this would be where the penny drops that Ryo is madly in love with him in the same way Mikan became devoted to Junko, given the similarities, but no, that would be giving Akira too much credit. He goes on--]

You don't need forgiveness for existing. And even if you think or do bad things sometimes, that doesn't make you a bad person. You deserve people who care about you, just like anyone else.

[tenatively, he moves to pull her into a hug]