"I know," said Tsuchi. Then he began thinking of what he could do himself. He smiled briefly. "But I know you'll find something. You're that clever."

He tenderly turned and faced his friend. "But you make it very difficult for me to say that you're wrong." He was not any too sure how he would make his point, and it came across as uncertainty. "I mean, if he's hiding something bad and all. It's kind of corrupt, isn't it? That's pretty serious, right?"