Something was broken, but there was something necessary in it.
"It was more fair. You're the most fair person I know."
Mariko looks at Togusa for a long moment, before reaching out. It's clumsy and takes more effort than it should, but gently she turns his head back towards her. It's such a soft thing, unlike her - or maybe what she would have been like, if she hadn't devoted herself to armoring her heart against such pain.
"You weren't wrong for trying, Hitori."
She knows he's going to beat himself up anyway, once she's gone home, but she doesn't bother stifling the urge to try and protect him for once.
"I think because you were learning so much, I wanted you to have The Answer. And that was unfair of me."
With a sigh, she looks at her glass again. They're good at finding answers together, but this was never just a case. And they were stupid to try and pretend they could keep their feelings out of it long enough to crack the case. She shoots him another sidelong glance, almost smiling.
"If you weren't around, I'd probably be someplace way the hell off. In the woods or some goddamn place. You're the only reason I'm around, practically."
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"It was more fair. You're the most fair person I know."
Mariko looks at Togusa for a long moment, before reaching out. It's clumsy and takes more effort than it should, but gently she turns his head back towards her. It's such a soft thing, unlike her - or maybe what she would have been like, if she hadn't devoted herself to armoring her heart against such pain.
"You weren't wrong for trying, Hitori."
She knows he's going to beat himself up anyway, once she's gone home, but she doesn't bother stifling the urge to try and protect him for once.
"I think because you were learning so much, I wanted you to have The Answer. And that was unfair of me."
With a sigh, she looks at her glass again. They're good at finding answers together, but this was never just a case. And they were stupid to try and pretend they could keep their feelings out of it long enough to crack the case. She shoots him another sidelong glance, almost smiling.
"If you weren't around, I'd probably be someplace way the hell off. In the woods or some goddamn place. You're the only reason I'm around, practically."