Conversation · Kim Kitsuragi

"That really sucks, man."

"Yes, it does." The lieutenant begins tapping his foot...

"I don't suppose anyone ever questions whether you belong here. Whatever your faults, you're a decent-enough detective. No one will ever doubt that you're a real Revacholian..."

"I don't suppose anyone ever questions whether you belong here. No matter how badly you fuck up, no matter what a mess you make, you never stop being Revacholian..."

"... no offence."

"None taken."

"I mean, you're not wrong."

Say nothing.

"A binoclard."

"Be serious a moment, please..."

"People call me all sorts of things. But you know the one thing they never call me?"

"Just a... guy."

"Yeah, that's what most people say. But do you know what they don't say?"

"A true Vacholiere."

The lieutenant appears caught off-guard by your response. He takes a moment to collect himself...

"Nobody's ever said that to me before..."

"My half-brother."

"That's what you're supposed to say, of course... But do you know what you didn't say?"

"A pinball wizard."

What are you, a petulant child? He expects you to apologize.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Apologizing would be a good start."

"I don't see why you're getting all bent out of shape over a word."

"Hey, Kim."

"Detective," he says, his voice level as a tabletop.

There won't be any preamble chit-chat this time. Get to the point.

"I think I fucked up back there..."

"You think?"

"Okay, scratch that. I definitely fucked up."

"Hey, I made a mistake, but it's not all my fault, you know."

"Really? It's not your fault that you're down with racism or whatever you told that lorryman?"

You definitely could have handled that better.

"It's not your fault that you subscribed to Measurehead's inane racial theories?"

Those theories didn't really hold up in retrospect, did they?

"It's not your fault that you buy into whatever conspiracies bug-chasing cryptofascists feed you?"

He's right. No one forced you to believe that nonsense.

"You know, detective, one of your problems is that nothing ever seems to be your fault. Have you noticed that?"