[ The shout rocks him back on his heels in the mental space they share, but it doesn't stop him. It just... hurts. The pain she feels, his own empathy, the way he tries to think of what he can say.

He's not sure there are any words that will help.

But he still thinks he should try. ]

...if I have to give up my sense of right and wrong, then what's the point of winning? If I no longer recognize myself at the end of it...

[ He trails off. That doesn't help anything, does it? ]

You're not a fool, Hayame. To hope for something better, to think that change might be possible, to want more - there's nothing foolish in it. The world, the universe, might be imperfect but we only make it better through the work of our own hands. You... deserve more than this.

You always will.