He feels like he could tilt back into that frame of mind. Like it’s suddenly very, very close, when he can normally keep his own personal pain very far away.

It’s not quite as terrible as saying it- but it’s close.

It takes a moment for him to find the words…but he does answer this time.

“Shame.”

A simple, quiet statement.

“I managed a great deal of damage - and there would have been more had Kiryu not fought me and others had not managed to calm me down. If that had happened here, I would have been demoted - and rightfully so.”