Interview with Izumi

An interview with Izumi, who is being unacceptably schizophrenic in the novel.

1. Who are you?
"A former NSIO (Nippon Special Investigators, Osaka Unit) agent from Neyagawa."

2. Where are you going?
"Probably nowhere. At nineteen, my life is behind me."

3. Who do you serve?
"I used to serve my country, and the grand dream shared by my friends. Now I'm not so sure."

4. Who do you trust?
"A lot of people - the captain, the chief, even Richard Ivy, and to a certain degree Calliope is one of these people."

5. What is your favorite food? What food do you hate?
"I would die for a good serving (or three) of katsudon or blueberry pocky. I very much hate hot dogs with mustard."

6. What was your first or most memorable love affair? [This can be anything from a pre-teen crush to a long-term romance.] Be sure to describe the object of your affection, along with the changes that you went through in terms of feelings and thoughts about that person. Did it start out in terms of maddening hatred? Instant love? Who fell for who first? Were the feelings a surprise? How did it end? How does everyone involved feel about it now?
"My first and only true love was Mio Akiyama. She was like a lodestone - you couldn't help but be attracted to her. She was energetic, pretty, kind, sweet, always smiling, always surrounded by friends. She had a great smile. She had flaws, of course - she was naturally lazy, she was a ditz, she was dreamy to the point of being a little disconnected from reality. But I loved her so much - I could have married that girl, and I would have, if she hadn't died. Her body hasn't been found yet, but it's been a year. She fell first, I think. The feelings were a surprise when I fell for her - she was the opposite of the kind of girl I wanted to be with."

7. You get into a discussion about death and dying. How would you describe the perfect death?
"There is no perfect death, but I think the closest is to be sleeping peacefully, and to die of old age."

8. What were you like at the age of ten [fifth grade]? Were you a wimp, a bully, a nerd, a snitch or a klutz? Or none of those? Were you popular or not? Write up a description, and, if you like, a little day-in-the-life-of story of you at that age?
"I was always popular, even though my English was good. I was studious, but I was also a bit of a teacher's nightmare in that I asked many questions they couldn't answer."

9. Did you ever have a pet? What kind of pet? Where is it now or what happened to it?
"I had a pet dog named Tomo, a shiba inu. She was very friendly, and extremely loyal. She was the mascot of my father's restaurant, until Mr. Kagawa, who was allergic to dogs, became a paying regular."

10. Describe your perfect evening? Would it involve others or be alone? If it involves others, who would it involve?
"The perfect evening is one which I would spend with my family, including Uncle Yasushi, and Tomo."

11. To you, does revenge mean (1) "an eye for an eye", (2) "repayment with interest", (3) "the only good enemy is a dead enemy", or (4) something else? In exacting your revenge, would you serve it hot, as soon as possible after the offense, or cold, awaiting a perfect place and time?
"Revenge is an eye for an eye. I prefer my revenge cold. Hot often gets messy."

12. If you were doing something else with your life now, what do you think you would be doing? What do you want to do?
"If I could, I would become a rock star, like Iggy Pop or David Bowie. He might have sung about gay rebels, but I'm sure he got his share of women. Or could have had."

14. Where are you from?
"Neyagawa, Osaka, Japan. I wish I could go back."

15. Give a brief description of your childhood, including emotional and economic status, and any unique or odd events.
"My family did well. There was nothing particularly notable about my life until Mio and her coterie of superheroines adopted me as one of their own. I think they originally wanted me to give them the invisibility cloaks I worked with as a NSIO agent, which I did, but eventually they accepted me as one of their own. It's a long story, one I don't feel like telling."

16. How do you deal with your past? (any scars, emotional or not?)
"I take it one day at a time. I'm waiting for a chance to redeem myself."

17. Towards which races or groups, if any, do you feel animosity? Why?
"I'm completely prejudiced against serial criminals that don't depend upon their trade to survive."

18. What fears do you have (they can be actual phobias, or just worries) and where did they come from?
"I fear being senile like my maternal grandmother, Masami Ikeda."

19. If an opponent surrendered and asked for mercy, would you grant it, and under what circumstances, if any?
"It depends on the opponent. Mostly, I would grant mercy of some kind. Mercy is one of the things which divides us from animals."

20. If someone approached you and asked for protection, would you grant it, and under what circumstances?
"I would grant protection to anyone who I felt deserved it."

21. Would you obey a law even if you thought it was wrong?
"No. If I thought a law was very wrong, I would fight it."

22. Would you risk the lives of your companions without their knowledge and consent?
"Never."

23. Do you consider the use of force or the use of cleverness and guile to accomplish things to be "more" moral?
"Cleverness is superior to brute force."

24. Do you feel that the ends justify the means, no matter what those "means" may be?
"For the right ends, yes."

25. Do you feel that the strong are entitled to exploit or manipulate the weak? Do you indulge in it, too?
"Exploitation and manipulation are usually not right."