The Story Of Forever (Todobaku)

Clear Communication

"How'd it go?"

Shouto threw on his seatbelt. "I think he liked me. I don't know if I'll get it though."

"Even if you don't," Enji said, "it's good practice. If it doesn't happen here, it will happen somewhere else. You've got a good resume."

Shouto smiled. He just completed his first ever interview, one for an assistant to a professional mangaka. Seishuu Handa was a nice enough person and Shouto admired his artwork and stories. He was told if hired, he'd only work part time until he graduated high school. 

Still, for someone who wanted to be a mangaka himself one day, this was a step in the right direction. Shouto already won a few small scale manga contests, so the possibility of making this his career was there. All he needed was strong mentorship.

"Thanks for setting this up for me," he told Enji.

Enji eyed the backup camera of his sports car as he pulled out of his parking space. "What kind of dad would I be if I didn't do my best to help my boy achieve his dreams?"

Shouto gazed out the window, allowing Enji's words to settle. He knew how privileged he was to have a father with so many connections. Even so, it was up to Shouto to prove his abilities from there. Enji could get him into the interview room, but he couldn't do the interview for him. Shouto hoped that one day he'd prove himself worthy of the success he desperately wanted.

They had dinner at Enji's place. To celebrate Shouto's first interview, Enji ordered from his favorite takeout restaurant. Shouto's stomach danced as he filled it with soba of the highest quality.

That was the one positive thing about this evening. Unfortunately, tonight came with a set of struggles, all existing in Shouto's head. But this was his last chance to tackle these problems before it was too late.

It wasn't the easiest topic to discuss, so he couldn't find a way to bring it up organically. Instead, he picked at his soba with a pout until Enji took notice of his demeanor. It only took a couple minutes.

"You're quiet tonight," Enji said, snagging another piece of his tempura shrimp between his chopsticks, "even by your standards."

"Yeah." Shouto swallowed hard, then set his own chopsticks down. "Dad, uh, I want to talk to you about something."

"Sure. Is everything okay?"

"Kind of."

He hunched into himself and glued his gaze to the liquor cabinet against the wall. There hadn't been actual alcohol in it for a long time. Enji now used it as storage for the most random artifacts. A currency collection, a rainstick, and even a framed selfie of him and Keigo that he reluctantly agreed to take at the wedding.

"Next week is my and Katsuki's one year anniversary."

Peering back at his father, he caught Enji smiling.

"That's great," he said. "A year is a long time, especially for someone your age."

"I know," Shouto mumbled. "It's a big deal."

"But?"

Offering no response, Shouto dipped his head.

"What? Are you having second thoughts about being with him?"

Shouto met his gaze again and blurted out, "No. Nothing like that." He broke eye contact immediately after.

He bounced his leg under the table. Shouto knew he was only prolonging his torture by not cutting to the chase, but his brain refused to listen. Enji didn't push him to speak, which made it worse. The longer the silence dragged on, the closer Shouto got to dismissing the conversation altogether. But if he did that, he'd regret it.