Capítulo 124: Father and Son
"That dinner was absolutely perfect…"
"Exactly! I didn't even know that they would perform a show while they cooked the food right in front of you."
Haruto listened to Akane's ramblings about the dinner they just had and couldn't agree more with her considering the amount of food he ate.
Patting his stomach, the thought of him overeating didn't pass his mind since he was used to eating a lot and the mood within the restaurant was too pleasant that he just had to eat what he could.
"Did you also enjoy the food?"
Haruto turned to the person beside him and noticed that Mahiru was humming happily while she walked towards their rooms.
"Yes, and it was really fun! I tried to remember the taste of the seafood fried rice since it was more fragrant than what I expected it to be."
"Oh? Does that mean…"
"If I have the right ingredients I can probably recreate it or something similar at least."
"A genius."
Mahiru laughed after seeing Haruto give her eye some honest praise but considering the taste of the food she ate tonight, It was worth remembering as she would like to eat that fried rice again.
"Are you guys going to the bath first or will you be resting instead?"
Haruto stretched his body as he asked both Akane and Mahiru since he was wondering if he should freshen up or if they could play some games while they waited.
Mahiru flinched when she heard him ask about the bath but calmed down after seeing that he was just asking a question.
Akane turned her head away to avoid being seen laughing as she found Mahiru to be a bit too obvious about what she was thinking.
She moved from her spot quickly to stand beside her and hooked her arm around Mahiru's own.
"We're probably going to be at the bath first. I heard from Mom that the interior is amazing so we're going to follow along with her."
Akane said before whispering in Mahiru's ear right after.
"Don't worry, let this big sister help with what you desire~."
"You…"
Mahiru's eyes widened after hearing what she said before pulling her towards their room leaving Haruto by himself in the hallways.
He watched their backs before sighing, hoping that they enjoyed themselves and that his sister would not be so mouthy as they bathed.
"I should probably check out the public bath as well before using my private one."
Thinking of this plan, Haruto made his way to his room and got what he needed to enjoy the hot spring which was the whole point of this trip.
Navigating and asking a few employees in the direction, he finally made it to a hallway where a large open door could be seen.
The entrance didn't have any traditional doors but more so a banner that reached halfway to help preserve the aesthetic of a traditional bath house.
Haruto pushed the banner as he walked through and noticed that only a minuscule amount of people were inside and they were mainly older adults and middle-aged men who were either leaving or entering.
'Not a single person my age…'
He looked around a bit to see if anyone his age was there but saw not a single person and opted that they were probably enjoying the activities the hotel had to offer since it was a bit early for people to enter.
Finding himself a little locker where he could place his clothes inside, he gradually took his stuff off and had a towel wrapped around his waist.
Going past the initial entrance that leads to the open waters, he felt the warm steam hit his face while noises of water being pushed around began to be louder
Despite the open baths being outside where the temperatures were cold due to the winter season, the area didn't feel all that cold which surprised him quite a bit.
The scenery was what he expected it to be, wooden platforms that led to different bodies of water that people could enter and an area where people would need to wash up first before entering.
Tall beams supported the roof keeping potential snow from falling but there was a wide open space that showed the scenery of a dense forest and mountains while also making sure no one could see the inside of the springs.
Haruto took a second to take in what he saw before going through the routine of entering the baths.
He sat down on a wooden basin and washed himself while making sure he got every spot that he could.
"Finally the time I've been waiting for."
Haruto got up and began to walk around trying to find a spot where he could sink himself into.
"My, my. You came in here pretty quickly."
"...I should say the same to you. Didn't you leave just a few minutes after we did?"
"I wanted to enjoy the waters before people came in so I had to make my way in pretty quickly~."
Jiro leaned his arms onto the rocky surface the water he was in had and sank his body after seeing his son.
Haruto shook his head before he walked into the water and felt the hot water touch his body. It felt a bit too hot to bear at first but his body eventually got used to it after staying in place for a few minutes.
The two stayed quiet as they enjoyed the sensation of the calming water relaxing their bodies and muscles.
One was due to the stress of work assaulting him while the other was the result of continuously training so his body could be in shape to play.
"How has school been?"
"Why did you open up the conversation with the most standard line a parent can ask?"
"Shut up. I'm trying to speak with my precious son and have some quality bonding time right now."
Haruto rolled his eyes after hearing Jiro but eventually opened up.
He spoke of his initial time entering the volleyball club when he first came to school. He also spoke of some of his new friends that he made which made Jiro interested in seeing them.
Haruto briefly told him of his experiences so far considering it was almost his time to enter the second year which he couldn't have imagined since it came by pretty quickly.
"Have you thought about your future yet?"
"My future?"
"Of course. What you want to pursue and eventually do as your job."
"Well…"
Haruto paused a bit thinking about this question. A lot of options came to his mind but one job immediately came to his mind.
"Will you continue playing volleyball or is this sport just something you're going to do for the fun of it while you're still in school?"
Jiro immediately voiced his questions while Haruto listened to what he had to say.
"You know that only a small percentage of people make it professionally and even more so make a living off the sport." Jiro raised his body and tapped the rock behind him.
"Contracts, sponsorships and even winnings from tournaments are some ways you can make money but it may be unstable since you would need the skills and physical condition to keep up with the rising number of players fighting to get a spot."
Haruto stared at the water he was sitting in and etched what Jiro had to say deep in his mind.
Jiro noticed Haruto's silence and glanced his way before turning his head fully.
"How about working for my company after you graduate?"
Haruto snapped his head towards Jiro who was serious and noticed his expression.
"I can teach you how to handle the company and when the time comes I will hand over my position to you. Your uncle also said that it was a good idea since you have a bright mind to handle the position."
"I…"
Haruto felt the pressure Jiro was giving when he was asking him this as it was vastly different from the relaxed attitude he was used to.
This was him asking not as a father but as the CEO of a company.
He thought of the offer. It was reasonable for him to ask as it was an opportunity to live a comfortable life for years to come. It also guaranteed a position for work after he graduated.
But deep inside him, he knew that it was something he didn't truly want.
The feeling of spiking the ball and the pressure the court gives when the scores are tied was something he could never turn his back on.
"I plan to play professionally after I graduate."
"Oh? Are you sure you can do something like that?"
Jiro raised his eyebrows seeing Haruto look back at him seriously and waited for him to speak more.
"Yes I can. I was already given the opportunity to be part of a group that will be picked to join the national U-18 team in the future." Haruto said and continued on.
"That's not all, I'm still in my first year and I still have more time to show my talents to scouters which is more true since I'm headed to nationals which can be the best stage possible. Plus…"
Haruto turned his entire body to Jiro and spoke in the most confident tone he could speak in.
"I have confidence in the skills I have and in myself that I can best any person or team I will face at nationals and in the future of my career."
Jiro noticed the gaze and the confident posture Haruto was giving him which made him faintly smile.
He didn't reply to what Haruto said and just rubbed Haruto's damp hair which made him push his hand away.
'I must be getting old now.'
Jiro scoffed when he thought of this before sinking his body back into the water.
"I will keep a close eye on what you said. But just be sure to come work with me if that plan fails."
"Don't worry, you'll see me do it."
Haruto heard Jiro chuckling to himself and he ignored what he heard and sank his body up to his lower face. However a little smile appeared on his face underneath the water.
"So have you done it with Mahiru yet?"
"Pfft!?"
"Woah, is something wrong?"
Jiro tilted his head when he saw Haruto coughing out water and lifted his head out of the water.
"Why the hell would you ask something like that..?"
"I'm curious. You've been dating for quite a while now so I was wondering since I was a teenager at one point too. Your mother and I also met in high school so…"
"Stop! I don't want to hear any more about yours and mom's love life…"
"Hmm… judging from your reaction, you still haven't done it. I just want to say that you should wear 'it' when you do it."
"I'm leaving."
"Also I would like to have both a grandson and a granddaughter but you should hold back on that for now."
"Please just be quiet already."
***
Sorry, I had a bunch of tests lol. I hope you enjoyed it. Peacu.
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