"He has?" If anything, Shinji sounds kind of baffled by the idea that someone would be talking about him in a good way.

"Well, I guess there's no one else around here who really gets Liminal Space's bullshit. But... he's a good guy."

Shinji doesn't make friends easily. He never has, and the same factors that make it hard to believe people like him haven't helped any. But Shiro's worked his way into that little circle.