I've been wondering about something for a while now. Would you hear me out, Araragi-kun?

As long as it's not unreasonably difficult, I don't mind.

If I'm remembering things right, I think we're already in a "steady" relationship...

But don't you think the fact that we're always calling each other by our surnames makes it hard to close the distance between our hearts?

Y-yeah...

I want our relationship to be one where we address each other in a way that feels more friendly, like we're at home.

... is "Gahara-san" not good enough?

Even if I wanted to be called by that name, something about it makes me feel nervous. It's like you've taken your inner guilt and turned it into a halfheartedly given nickname, thereby completely exposing your lack of conviction. You're basically a useless man, or UM for short. That's the idea.