[His mind races at the proposal, and the fog of despair that descended on him when Ryunosuke admitted he knew nothing is already starting to feel a little lighter. There's very little question now that they previously knew each other--even if Ryunosuke doesn't have the particular answer Kazuma wants, he has others, and he is willing to help. More, he wants to help. That's already more resources than Kazuma had at his disposal just a few days ago.
This could be the resolution he's been searching for after all. Reluctantly, unbidden, he feels hope begin to bloom in his chest again, which is a very dangerous feeling.]
Perhaps there's a way we could piece something together. How well did you actually know me?
[Naturally, he has no idea how loaded a question that is.]
[The tense of that question doesn't slip by him. And he's not about to argue it, it makes sense to use it in this context, but. It does sure have Ryunosuke feeling some kind of way...
Is asking anyone how well they knew a person whom they're clearly still mourning ever not a loaded question? Ryunosuke just isn't fully aware of how deep that pitfall is yet. He hasn't had much need to look at his relationship with Kazuma more critically, until now... And despite the lingering mystery of the details surrounding his 'secret mission', the man's apparent 'death' had only served to vault Ryunosuke's perception of him on to an even higher pedestal than before.
So, still being under the illusion of the wholesomeness of their friendship... For the first time tonight, Ryunosuke puts on a warm, easy smile.]
Hah... Well, you're in luck in that regard. The two of us, we... We were the best of friends. Partners.
[He doesn't say it outright, but he can't disguise the hope in his words... That they might reach that point again one day. Somehow...]
[He realizes it isn't all that surprising, actually, to learn that they had been that close. His memory casts back to what Ryunosuke had said just moments ago--I tried to carry on in your place. I wanted to honor your memory. He'd mentioned another person, too--it's surreal for him to think that he truly did have a life this whole time. People who loved him and missed him for being gone. He's never known--never remembered, rather--what it's like to have those attachments.
And for Ryunosuke to have gone to the other side of the world to do it...]
You've... been doing quite a lot for me, haven't you.
[He doesn't quite know what to say in the face of that. Who was he to have inspired such a thing?]
[It's a good thing it's dark right now, because Ryunosuke can feel a slight blush creeping up his neck and over his cheeks. He's not sure why... Something about having the spotlight shined directly on his efforts is just strangely disarming to him.]
W-well I mean... Hah. I suppose so. [He fidgets bashfully.] I've just been doing what felt right...
[His demeanor sobers. He's still smiling, but the tone has shifted in some subtle way.]
Before you... 'Died...' You told me that I had the makings of a great lawyer. I brushed you off at the time, because frankly I had no intention of ever setting foot in a courtroom again if I could help it. But you... You had this dream, you see. Of reforming Japan's legal system...
[Ryunosuke trails off, feeling like he's starting to overshare a bit much. He figures Kazuma can draw whatever conclusions he likes from that information.]
[Kazuma is quiet for a moment as he digests this new information. He wanted to reform Japan's legal system, did he? That information... doesn't quite resonate with him, but he can't tell if that's because it's false or if it's just a result of his amnesia. It would certainly explain why he has retained so much knowledge of law.
Regardless of whether it's true, it's obvious how much the idea has impacted Ryunosuke.]
So you decided to see it through for me, when I wasn't able to?
[It means nothing to him, and yet... he finds himself touched nonetheless.]
That's very admirable of you to do for a friend. Even a close one. Thank you, even if... I can't appreciate it the way...
[He wants to say "he would have," but it feels strange to talk about himself as if he was a different person. Even if that's how it feels. So he just trails off.]
[There's a tension that hangs in the air at that moment-- not a tension of anger but one of uncertainty-- with Ryunosuke filling in the gaps of what Kazuma was about to say, plus the bashfulness he feels... About being thanked for something he never even felt like he had much of a choice in, at the time... Not that he resents the path in life that he's followed, it just. It doesn't feel like anything worthy of praise.]
Th-there's no need to thank me, honestly...
[And indeed, he waves the notion off.]
Anyway! Um. The point I was getting at is: whatever you want to know, you can ask me.
[Ryunosuke says it like it's so simple. Where does he even start? Truth be told, Kazuma isn't even sure he wants to know. What will he do if the information Ryunosuke gives him doesn't match the kind of person he is now? He can't be the person he was, and he has no interest in even promising to try.
All he truly wants to know about is his mission, and Ryunosuke has no idea what that is either. Even if Ryunosuke does have the information needed to figure it out, how do they find it? It's like looking for a needle in a haystack, except the haystack is his own memories.]
You said I wanted to reform Japan's legal system. Did I ever say why? [Maybe something happened to him to give him that desire. Maybe his mission can be found there.]
[How awkward is it, that he doesn't have an easy answer at the ready for the very first question he gets asked. Ryunosuke fidgets, twiddling his thumbs thoughtfully.]
If... If there was ever a specific catalyst for your decision in pursuing that, you never mentioned it to me. But... You were always so... I guess aware would be the word for it? You'd always chide me for not being more keyed into things; the ways in which the country was... is changing...
[While he speaks, a soft smile spreads across his face, as he thinks about all the fondly remembered debates held over lunch time hotpot.]
...You believed in the power of the people. That the government and courts should serve everyone, not just the interests of the elite. I don't think I fully understood that, why it was such a concern to you, until I wound up in the dock myself...
[He isn't sure what to make of Ryunosuke's description of him; it's like hearing about a stranger. It's bizarre to hear himself be described as someone who cared about the people when his life has been motivated by pure self-interest ever since he woke up. Would Ryunosuke judge him, be disappointed in him, if he knew the way Kazuma has been living? Social events are certainly not anything he cares about now.
All his worries are temporarily set aside, however, at Ryunosuke's last admission.]
You were in the dock? [He can't imagine someone as nonthreatening-seeming as Ryunosuke being accused of anything untoward, let alone him actually doing it.] What for?
[If it's true he used to be a law student, it's a natural thing to assume. People usually don't represent themselves in court, after all, and why else would he be involved in someone else's murder charge? It's somewhat ironic, then, that Stronghart has him training to be a prosecutor now.
He assumes he's right, so he doesn't wait for Ryunosuke to answer the question before asking another one:]
I take it I was successful, considering you're not in prison. Is that when we became friends?
[Ryunosuke opens his mouth to interject at first, but Kazuma's already steamrolling right past the point, which is... Well. IT'S TYPICAL? Some things even amnesia can't change... :/
He should probably double back and correct that. Perhaps in a minute... He's eager to answer this question too.]
No no, actually, we... We met in our first year at Yumei University. At a speech competition.
[How's he supposed to explain THAT story? Kazuma honestly told it much better. When he could still remember it, that is...]
[Kazuma may be wearing a mask, but the dubious look on his face is probably pretty obvious regardless.]
You won the speech competition but I'm the lawyer? That doesn't seem right.
[He's not exactly accusing Ryunosuke of lying, but, well... the doubt is there. Are you sure you actually beat him at a speech competition, because that sounds fake.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[His mind races at the proposal, and the fog of despair that descended on him when Ryunosuke admitted he knew nothing is already starting to feel a little lighter. There's very little question now that they previously knew each other--even if Ryunosuke doesn't have the particular answer Kazuma wants, he has others, and he is willing to help. More, he wants to help. That's already more resources than Kazuma had at his disposal just a few days ago.
This could be the resolution he's been searching for after all. Reluctantly, unbidden, he feels hope begin to bloom in his chest again, which is a very dangerous feeling.]
Perhaps there's a way we could piece something together. How well did you actually know me?
[Naturally, he has no idea how loaded a question that is.]
no subject
Is asking anyone how well they knew a person whom they're clearly still mourning ever not a loaded question? Ryunosuke just isn't fully aware of how deep that pitfall is yet. He hasn't had much need to look at his relationship with Kazuma more critically, until now... And despite the lingering mystery of the details surrounding his 'secret mission', the man's apparent 'death' had only served to vault Ryunosuke's perception of him on to an even higher pedestal than before.
So, still being under the illusion of the wholesomeness of their friendship... For the first time tonight, Ryunosuke puts on a warm, easy smile.]
Hah... Well, you're in luck in that regard. The two of us, we... We were the best of friends. Partners.
[He doesn't say it outright, but he can't disguise the hope in his words... That they might reach that point again one day. Somehow...]
no subject
[He realizes it isn't all that surprising, actually, to learn that they had been that close. His memory casts back to what Ryunosuke had said just moments ago--I tried to carry on in your place. I wanted to honor your memory. He'd mentioned another person, too--it's surreal for him to think that he truly did have a life this whole time. People who loved him and missed him for being gone. He's never known--never remembered, rather--what it's like to have those attachments.
And for Ryunosuke to have gone to the other side of the world to do it...]
You've... been doing quite a lot for me, haven't you.
[He doesn't quite know what to say in the face of that. Who was he to have inspired such a thing?]
no subject
W-well I mean... Hah. I suppose so. [He fidgets bashfully.] I've just been doing what felt right...
[His demeanor sobers. He's still smiling, but the tone has shifted in some subtle way.]
Before you... 'Died...' You told me that I had the makings of a great lawyer. I brushed you off at the time, because frankly I had no intention of ever setting foot in a courtroom again if I could help it. But you... You had this dream, you see. Of reforming Japan's legal system...
[Ryunosuke trails off, feeling like he's starting to overshare a bit much. He figures Kazuma can draw whatever conclusions he likes from that information.]
no subject
Regardless of whether it's true, it's obvious how much the idea has impacted Ryunosuke.]
So you decided to see it through for me, when I wasn't able to?
[It means nothing to him, and yet... he finds himself touched nonetheless.]
That's very admirable of you to do for a friend. Even a close one. Thank you, even if... I can't appreciate it the way...
[He wants to say "he would have," but it feels strange to talk about himself as if he was a different person. Even if that's how it feels. So he just trails off.]
no subject
Th-there's no need to thank me, honestly...
[And indeed, he waves the notion off.]
Anyway! Um. The point I was getting at is: whatever you want to know, you can ask me.
no subject
All he truly wants to know about is his mission, and Ryunosuke has no idea what that is either. Even if Ryunosuke does have the information needed to figure it out, how do they find it? It's like looking for a needle in a haystack, except the haystack is his own memories.]
You said I wanted to reform Japan's legal system. Did I ever say why? [Maybe something happened to him to give him that desire. Maybe his mission can be found there.]
no subject
[How awkward is it, that he doesn't have an easy answer at the ready for the very first question he gets asked. Ryunosuke fidgets, twiddling his thumbs thoughtfully.]
If... If there was ever a specific catalyst for your decision in pursuing that, you never mentioned it to me. But... You were always so... I guess aware would be the word for it? You'd always chide me for not being more keyed into things; the ways in which the country was... is changing...
[While he speaks, a soft smile spreads across his face, as he thinks about all the fondly remembered debates held over lunch time hotpot.]
...You believed in the power of the people. That the government and courts should serve everyone, not just the interests of the elite. I don't think I fully understood that, why it was such a concern to you, until I wound up in the dock myself...
no subject
All his worries are temporarily set aside, however, at Ryunosuke's last admission.]
You were in the dock? [He can't imagine someone as nonthreatening-seeming as Ryunosuke being accused of anything untoward, let alone him actually doing it.] What for?
no subject
[He says it plainly enough. Eyes downcast.]
Well. I was framed for murder, actually, as it turned out... We figured that out together, over the course of the trial.
[And it's probably relevant for him to add:]
You... Were the only person who believed me, when I said I didn't do it.
no subject
That can't possibly be true. You don't seem like you'd be capable of such a thing.
[Uh... no offense??]
no subject
I'm not. [He'll cop to that.] But that didn't stop the police from arresting me, or the courts from making a case against me.
no subject
[If it's true he used to be a law student, it's a natural thing to assume. People usually don't represent themselves in court, after all, and why else would he be involved in someone else's murder charge? It's somewhat ironic, then, that Stronghart has him training to be a prosecutor now.
He assumes he's right, so he doesn't wait for Ryunosuke to answer the question before asking another one:]
I take it I was successful, considering you're not in prison. Is that when we became friends?
no subject
He should probably double back and correct that. Perhaps in a minute... He's eager to answer this question too.]
No no, actually, we... We met in our first year at Yumei University. At a speech competition.
[How's he supposed to explain THAT story? Kazuma honestly told it much better. When he could still remember it, that is...]
You, uh... You kind of lost. To me.
no subject
You won the speech competition but I'm the lawyer? That doesn't seem right.
[He's not exactly accusing Ryunosuke of lying, but, well... the doubt is there. Are you sure you actually beat him at a speech competition, because that sounds fake.]
no subject
...You accidentally worked a tongue twister into your closing line.
[Maybe that'll be enough to explain things on its own.]