93949
I have trouble understanding the meaning of this
line「すみません、悪いと思うなら協力しろって話ですよね」, especially the 協力しろって話 part. Why there's
imperative? Directed to who?

[![i](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Sb2hA.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Sb2hA.jpg)

Source: _Shuumatsu no harem_ ch.7
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-04-02T06:34:01.750
93941
2022-04-02T16:09:30.860
50969
question
meaning
Meaning of「悪いと思うなら協力しろって話ですよね」
If you just look at that line, it's hard to make sense of it without context,
and it's understandable why you are at a loss. Let's put it back into context.

> 男：その．．．．．．いろいろ理由つけてメイティングしないし、無茶な研究始めるし  
>  Male: Um... I've been using various reasons to not mate, and also started
> some crazy research.

> 男：周防さんの立場からしたら俺にたくさん子供作ってもらわないと困るはずなのに．．．  
>  Male: From your (Suou) point of view, I think you should be unhappy if I
> don't produce a lot of kids for you.

> 男：．．．なのに俺が特効薬作るって言ったら色々手伝ってくれますし．．．何だか悪いなって思ってて  
>  Male: ... but after I said I wanted to make a special medicine, you've been
> helping me... I've been feeling kinda bad (about it)

> 女：って、すみません．．．っ 悪いと思うなら協力しろって話ですよね  
>  Female: Well... If you feel bad, I'm going to say "cooperate with me/give
> me your help."

> 男：分かってはいるんですけど．．．その．．．どうしても．．．  
>  Male: I actually do understand that (you need me to help you)... but,
> well... I just...

So I gave rough translations of every line. As you can see, 悪いと思うなら is talking
about the listener, namely the guy: if (you) feel bad (about that). And
協力しろって話ですよね is about what the speaker wants to say to him: (you know) I'm
going to say/I'd like to say to you: come help me!
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2022-04-02T08:00:21.920
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2022-04-02T08:00:21.920
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answer
話 can mean what would be a great variety of words in English, all derived from
its core meaning "story."

[大辞泉](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/%E8%A9%B1/)

Your 話 here is the definition #7. I would translate it as: "If I feel sorry, I
should be helping you. That's the **deal** , right?"
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-04-02T15:11:36.893
93945
2022-04-02T15:11:36.893
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answer
It is like saying:

> You would be like, “if you are feeling bad, then cooperate with me,” right?

The imperative 協力しろ is directed from the girl to the guy, but only in what the
guy thinks is a natural reaction from the girl to what he has just said. She
didn’t actually say it.

話 basically means the same as こと. It is used in the same way as in the
sentence in this [question](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/21064/43676).
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-04-02T16:02:18.237
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2022-04-02T16:09:30.860
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answer