You'll have to make do with admirable, I'm afraid. I've pushed myself to my limit for you.

[Just a little joke. He is a bit of a kidder, when he's relaxed enough.]

I may have left too late, when I look back on things. They strayed too much from our shared ideals, and refused to let me contribute... That was part of the initial disillusionment.

[He perhaps left a little later than one might think, but who's he to correct that when it's not relevant? And who is he to get into the whole... rumors of death greatly exaggerated thing? Or the Furies? Not yet. It'll happen. And then he'll get to see what Sakamoto thinks of the Shinsengumi's ambition all over again. Somehow, it's kind of... fun? It's fun. It's hilarious, because of course no one would know about it from the outside. Certainly the Sakamoto in Sannan's timeline didn't know. Or... did he?]

The final straw was Hijikata branding me a traitor when I was simply doing what needed to be done to protect others. So which of us had honor? I'd have to leave that up to an outside observer to determine, I suppose.

[He accepts the sake with a gracious bow of his head, and takes a sip.]

I'll be cautious, however. I don't plan to run afoul of anyone I don't absolutely need to.