Conversation · Kim Kitsuragi

Uhm... uh...

"You're right, yes. Let's go." [Leave]

"Yeah, but..."

"... but am I? I'll spare you another 20 hour mind-project -- yes, I am. Now let's get back to work."

That's the truth.

"... but am I? I'll spare you another twenty hours thinking about it -- yes, I am. Now let's get back to work."

"Nothing, let's go." [Leave.]

Get back to it. [Leave]

Nod.

He turns his attention elsewhere.

"So..." (Point to your face.) "I shaved."

"Yes, uhm..." The lieutenant stares at your shaven face, his eyes narrowed. "Uhhhh..." he mumbles. "I don't know what to say." He coughs. "Perhaps..."

"I know, I know -- stunning, right?"

"Uhhh..." He scratches his cheek. "I'm really not sure about this turn of events. I may have preferred the mutton chops. They sort of seemed to... cover up the..." He stops.

Damage.

Yeah -- damage. He means damage.

"Either way, good on you." The lieutenant gathers himself. "You were saying...?"

"I knew I shouldn't shave! I knew it and still did it. What an idiot..."

"No-no, it's... okay, I guess." He keeps staring at you, dumbfounded. "I may have preferred the mutton chops, they sort of seemed to... cover the..." He stops.

"What is it? You can tell me, Kim."

"I'm not really sure about this turn of events. I... think the mutton chops might have been a better idea. They sort of seemed to cover up some of the..." He stops.

"Lieutenant, I have a confession to make. I am the murderer."

The lieutenant appears unfazed. "And what has led you to this conclusion?"

"I just feel this sense of doom, like an awful thing has happened."

"That is a common side effect of overindulgence. It will pass."

"Besides, I doubt you could have taken down a hardened mercenary single-handedly..."

See? You're clearly not a man in your prime anymore.

He studies your face for signs of offence. "Don't take it personally -- it's just that security guards kept on by large corporations tend to be better trained and better armed than officers of the RCM."

"So you're saying I didn't kill him? But, Kim, it turned out to be that I was the one racing around town in my motor carriage..."

He purses his lips. "The victim wasn't run over by a drunk driver, so, while I can't condone your driving habits, the cases remain unrelated..."

"Look, it's not unusual for detectives to feel complicit in the crime until the perpetrator is identified and apprehended. Especially when the investigation is dragging. So let's get back to it, shall we?"

"So you're saying I didn't kill him?"

"I find that highly unlikely. It's not unusual for detectives to feel complicit in the crime until the perpetrator is apprehended. Especially when the investigation is dragging. So let's get back to it, shall we?"

"But it all makes so much sense! It would have been so convenient for me to forget all about the murder, and everything else..."

"Thus far your memory loss does not seem to be convenient for you or anyone else. Except insofar as you've managed to avoid doing any work."

"I'm a bad person. I believe I could have done anything."

He sighs. "Well, we've yet to find any real evidence pointing to you in this case, or even a possible motive, so let's not add you to the list of suspects just yet."

"I did it for the Union. For the rights of the workers."

"You wouldn't have been sent to investigate this case if you had close connections with the Union -- at least that's the hope. Also," he looks you over, "you don't strike me as a Union man."

"Murder in cold blood seems like a thing I'm capable of -- if I just dare. What if I already dared?"

"Teenage nonsense," he dead pans. "You would have had to be ready to use lethal force long ago, when you joined the RCM."

"Kim! We need to talk about... responsibility."

"Ah, I'm glad to hear it, detective. I was wondering when we'd get to this very subject."

"What do you mean?"

"If you ask me, it's high time for you to put the bottle away. Sober up, get back to basics. That would be my advice."

"And I hope we don't even need to discuss the street drugs you've been abusing..."

"At least let me have my cigarettes, Kim. I only smoke them for the bonuses."

The lieutenant's quizzical expression gradually deepens into a frown.

"So what are we talking about, then?"

"I'm talking about la responsabilité. You know, the kind that gets assigned."

"Why are you pronouncing it like you're a Coalition bureaucrat?"

"You know what? Forget it. What specifically are you trying to assign responsibility for?"

(Point to the ground.) "For the murder."

"But isn't that our job?"

"No, it's way more nuanced than that. There's like this whole historical or socio-economic dimension to it."

"Ah, now I understand..." The lieutenant nods his head gravely.

"Next I suppose you're going to tell me you need to form a committee to assign this responsabilité?"

"How did you know?"

"Simple, because Moralintern types love to form committees."

"In any event, I am just a humble law official. I may work under the Moralintern's umbrella, but I'm certainly not qualified to serve on any 'committee'."