[Masaoka winces when Kagari throws that part of the quote back at him. That had been ill-considered. Cruel.]
I'm sorry.
[He could talk about the genuine innocents in Japan, how they deserve protection and a chance, the way Tsunemori did when she first joined the Division. He could point out that Japan is not the world, is in fact a remarkably small piece of it. He could talk about those obligations, and what he'd say would be true. When he considers the right thing to do, he has to think about them first.
But Masaoka doesn't always do the right thing. He sighs again, tilting his head down and closing his eyes. Buries his right hand, the flesh one, in his hair.]
To figure out what Gino would want. [Nobuchika, he almost says, but that still feels a little like a liberty, especially in front of someone else.] What would help Kou and the young lady the most.
no subject
I'm sorry.
[He could talk about the genuine innocents in Japan, how they deserve protection and a chance, the way Tsunemori did when she first joined the Division. He could point out that Japan is not the world, is in fact a remarkably small piece of it. He could talk about those obligations, and what he'd say would be true. When he considers the right thing to do, he has to think about them first.
But Masaoka doesn't always do the right thing. He sighs again, tilting his head down and closing his eyes. Buries his right hand, the flesh one, in his hair.]
To figure out what Gino would want. [Nobuchika, he almost says, but that still feels a little like a liberty, especially in front of someone else.] What would help Kou and the young lady the most.