Also, tbh I'm kinda curious if this is actually "someone trying to use Kenji" like Naoto thinks, and not just how Kenji turned out without him. Naoto taking care of the "dirty work" side of things was what let Kenji stay pure-hearted up to the end, notably with the Freida situation. If Naoto wasn't around, Kenji would have to eventually realize that Freida was using him on his own (if he ever wanted to rank/level up), which would lead him down a less-pure/more-untrusting path, which could be how he ended up as the edgy avenger knight he is now.