Chapter Text
Shinei had clearly noted that Harumichi was getting frustrated, Harumichi could see the infuriating glint in his eyes. The glint that signalled Shinei’s superiority over him. It was written in his expression, in his body language, and in his voice. And Shinei was not intimidated by Harumichi’s words. He'd probably heard much worse from colleagues in the fine arts world.
He inhaled quietly, and nodded, responding in the same, even tone as before.
"Yes, I do believe it's that simple. They have their own life, their own desires. It's their choice to do what they want. Not yours. Not anyone's."
Harumichi furrowed his eyebrows, an almost disapproving look on his face now. He didn't like being disagreed with, and he liked even less not having control over a situation. He folded his arms, and stood there, his breathing quiet, yet a little heavier than usual, and his eyes still narrowed.
He didn't say anything for a moment, before the corner of his mouth curled up into a small scoff.
"I didn't know you were such a careless parent."
It was a sarcastic jab, an insult to his parenting. But Harumichi wasn't even sure if that was true. He couldn’t see eye to eye with Shinei, but... he had no real basis or evidence to stand on, and they both knew it. He didn’t know the first thing about being a parent like Shinei is. He knew music. That was all he knew.
And that statement actually seemed to irk Shinei a little bit. A small frown of annoyance quickly came over his face, and he spoke again, his voice still collected, but just the slightest bit harsher than before:
"Careless, huh? Not forcing your desires and ideals onto your children is careless? I would beg to differ."
Now it was Harumichi's turn to be surprised, seeing a hint of anger on Shinei's face. It was almost unexpected, and he didn't think he would get under his skin that easily. He huffed at his words though, and responded back with defiance in his voice:
"Allowing your children to make poor and foolish decisions like that, without even trying to steer them on the right path... what part in that is not careless?"
Shinei chuckled humorlessly at that, an irritated but mocking look on his face. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms with an amused sort of huff.
"The right path? If you mean your path, the one you wanted him to take, the one you so desperately wanted him to take... that's a selfish perspective. It is not the only path, and it is not the right path. It's just your path."
Harumichi huffed in response, almost rolling his eyes in annoyance. He was not backing down at all, still being firm and stubborn with his argument.
"So you think these children know what's best? Two sixteen year olds who both decided to give up an immensely promising future, just to mess about on the street? They're sixteen! They hardly know what they're doing!"
And Harumichi could see it. Bringing Shinei’s own son into this was the wrong move. The air seemed to grow cold, much more tense than before, as Shinei stayed silent for a few beats more before speaking.
Giving Harumichi a critical look, he started to speak, thinly veiled anger in his tone.
"So you're assuming that because they're 16, they don't know what they want? That's a shortsighted perspective, Mr. Aoyagi. Just because they haven't lived as long as you or I have, doesn't mean they don't know what they want. They are old enough to know who they are, and what they want from life. If you can't see that, then... you hardly know either of our sons at all. They're smarter than you make them out to be."
Harumichi clenched his jaw, his irritation only growing the more he talked. He didn't like being corrected, and he was starting to tire of this entire conversation.
"Of course they're smart. I never said otherwise. But they're misguided. They make stupid decisions, and act without thinking. They don't... they don't know what's best for themselves. They don't-"
He cut himself off, running a hand through his hair stressedly. This conversation was not going anywhere. They were both too set in their respective ways, it was simply not going to work.
He took a breath, and looked up at Shinei, almost reluctantly. There was an almost defeated acceptance in his tone as he finally spoke again.
"I should go. Thank you for your time."
Shinei nodded, getting up from his seat as he brushed off the dust from his jacket. Like he was dusting off the last few remnants of Harumichi’s words.
“Let me take you to the door, Mr. Aoyagi. It’s the least I could do.”
Harumichi stood there, watching as Shinei got up to lead him out. Part of him felt like he had been silently judged the whole time. No, that's what he had been. Judged and criticized, just about his entire approach to parenting, and honestly, he wasn't sure how he felt about that.
Without speaking again, he followed after Shinei as he led him out of the room, an awkward silence filling the air between them as they walked.
When they reached the front door, Shinei paused for a moment, and turned to face Harumichi. They were both stood still in the doorway, and there wasn't really anything else to say. Yet, it seemed there were some final thoughts going through Shinei's head, that he was compelled to share.
He let out a quiet, thoughtful hum, and then spoke calmly:
"I have a question for you, before you leave, if I may."
Harumichi shifted a bit at that, hesitating slightly before nodding. He wasn't sure what this 'question' was, but part of him wondered if it was just a way to get in another jab at him. Nonetheless, he agreed and responded quietly:
"Fine. What is it?"
Shinei folded his arms, and hummed quietly again. He was taking a moment to think of how exactly to word his question, not wanting to sound rude. He then looked at Harumichi, and proceeded to ask his question in a calm and even tone.
"Did you ask your son if music was what he wanted to do? Before you started teaching him?"
That statement took Harumichi slightly by surprise. It was such a simple question, but he had never even thought of asking something like that before.
*He was quiet for a moment, thinking. He had simply assumed, expected even, that his sons would want to take the same path he did. So, he never asked, assuming it was an unnecessary question. However, this question forced him to really consider things now, and he had no answer for it that could defend his methods any further. So he simply stayed silent.
Shinei let out a small, derisive scoff, which frustrated Harumichi to no end, and responded in a voice just a little bit more cold than his usual speaking tone:
"I'm not criticizing you, Mr. Aoyagi. I know you're only doing what you think is best for them. I've taught enough students to know that. However... I think you're seeing your own goals in them, rather than seeing what they actually want to do with their life. You should keep that in mind.”
That statement felt like it almost struck a nerve in Harumichi. He wanted to react, respond with something, anything. But he couldn't. He couldn't find one single thing to defend himself with, because... he was right. He could feel the heat on his face as he stood there.
A few moments of tense silence passed between them, and all Harumichi could do was look at the ground, before he spoke quietly again.
"... I'll keep that in mind."
Shinei nodded at that response, accepting that this was all he was going to get out of Harumichi. He placed a hand on the door, preparing to open it as Harumichi stepped outside, but he spoke one last time before doing so.
"Safe travels, Mr. Aoyagi."
Harumichi hummed quietly in response. He just wanted to go home, and get all these thoughts out of his head. He couldn't stand the fact that a man he had just met had put him in this position so easily. He walked to the front porch, looking back at Shinei one last time, before giving a small nod.
"Thank you. Goodbye."