[ So many things are easier when you don't feel trapped, aren't they? ]

...Somehow, that doesn't surprise me. No one works on a doctorate without being fixated on their research.

[ Which leaves another clear possibility to Michel. That simple "nope" feels like an opening rather than a dismissal. And Fai maybe understands him well enough now to become more blunt if he's misinterpreting. ]

Is it about your brother?