[ Andy's eyes stay fixed on him as she reaches out for that olive branch, her hand closing slowly around the haniwa before she takes it and carefully places it into her jacket pocket for safe keeping. Some part of her almost resents that she knows he's right about her. He's seen her too clearly now. Can he tell that she cares too much for this appeal to go unheard? That, despite her violence, her cruelty — she still carries inside her a worn and battered idealism? Maybe it's just a shot in the dark he's taking, but that doesn't mean his aim wasn't true.

But now she's seen him too. Just a little. A glimpse. She knows he must be some kind of idealist too. Because he's asking her to be better, telling her he believes it when she says she'll try — even after all that talk about disappointment.

Finally: ]

I'm sure you will. [ Hold her to it, that is. And she won't shy away from that either, whatever ends up happening from here. A bit wryly, then: ] The delinquent youth of Jigoku-cho should probably thank you for it.

[ But they both know that's not the point. He's said as much. ]

One of these days, it might be novel for us to run into each other under circumstances where you don't need to do damage control.