Psycho Pass: Colorful World

9

"You betrayed your own division. You chose to follow your dark impulses over us. Over your job. Over the law. I am angry and disappointed. But most of all, I am worried that for blurring the line this way so often, it may be especially hard for you to see."

Yashiro did not say a single word. Aoyanagi's voice was a little deeper than usual. They were completely alone in their office, and her senior was looking at her with narrowed eyes. She had her hands on her hips in a reprimanding posture, but finally, after a minute, she sighed and closed her eyes. Then, they left the office. That afternoon, Kasei Joushuu read each inspector's report herself. She strictly reprimanded Yashiro for using a vehicle without Aoyanagi's consent, for causing an accident, and for going after a serial killer without waiting for reinforcements. Yashiro was warned that she had to learn how to rely on her colleagues, so from then on, she would have to bring at least one enforcer with her when investigating a crime scene, and she would always have to consult Aoyanagi before making a decision.

"You are dismissed," Kasei stated with cold detachment from behind the desk. Both inspectors turned to leave, but again the voice echoed in the room, "Not you, Inspector Takahashi."

Yashiro stopped short and closed her eyes for a moment. As soon as Aoyanagi walked through the door, she took a deep breath mentally preparing herself. Seconds ticked by, as did her patience. She turned around and decided to walk forward. However, Kasei's piercing gaze stopped her when she was near the desk. Yashiro herself was unable to move any further.

"Inspector Aoyanagi must have warned you, but I will refresh your memory nonetheless. As inspectors, your job is in high demand in this society, and it requires you to constantly balance on a fine line that separates your future from failure. Your job also consists of drawing that line in your mind, coloring it with the consequences of diving too deeply into crime. Have you stopped to think that your stress levels could have gotten so high... that you could have jeopardized your hue? Do you ever think about your psycho pass, Inspector Takahashi?"

Yashiro opened her mouth to involuntarily raise her voice, but only then did she remain silent, and pursed her lips.

"I do," she continued in a soft, measured voice. "But I had to stop that man, so I acted accordingly."

"Reports show the opposite—that you were unable to pull the trigger."

Yashiro blinked and looked away for a moment. A name popped into her mind—Kougami Shinya.

"I was told that is the job of an enforcer, not an inspector."

"And yet you did not authorize an enforcer under your supervision to act."

"I was buying time until reinforcements arrived. Besides, we still needed him to find accomplices," Yashiro responded with ease.

"You were willing to use lethal force against someone who did not commit a crime nonetheless," Kasei's voice echoed throughout the room, dangerously.

"She was not innocent," Yashiro squinted for a second. "And the Sibyl System approved the use of violence."

"Not at first, but you were patient. Did you expect her crime coefficient to rise?"

Yashiro knew that a database was supposed to store the data collected by dominators, but it struck her that a person like Kasei Joushuu had access to it. And she wondered what else she would have access to.

"It was an extremely stressful situation and she felt guilty about the crimes committed by her son. I think it was quite reasonable for her to break down under such pressure."

Yashiro took a step to one side of the room, putting her hands in the pockets of her black pants. She stood with her back completely straight, not looking her in the eye. She was still dressed in a black suit, without her coat, minding her speeches and mannerisms inside that room. Kasei looked her up and down for a second.