Interview with the Yokai

Chapter 9

Benihime's words seemed to haunt Shoji when he was at the meeting of the newspaper club. In fact all the girl's words seemed to stay in his memory. All four of the girls were not only alright with the great things expected of them, but they wholeheartedly embraced them. Here was Shoji running from his father's legacy. Shoji was completely caught up in his thoughts as he sat in the computer lab, only partially paying attention to the work he was doing.

" How are those questions for the final interview with the Presidential candidates coming?," Tanto asked.

" I honestly don't really have too many questions to ask them. I think they've made their positions pretty clear and honestly I feel like I know them all pretty well," Shoji said, looking away from the work he was doing.

" I've heard that you're quite friendly with the candidates," Oze said and Shoji couldn't help, but feel odd around him. Shoji had to think that he was a yokai too, but he didn't know how to verify it. He certainly didn't want to see a naked Oze.

" We've just become friends, they're all pretty easy to get along with," Shoji said.

" Just keep your eye on the assignment after this interview and the election day piece, I'll transfer you over to the arts section. I think you more than proved yourself," Oze said.

Shoji should have been ecstatic, covering more art related events was what he had wanted to do from the start, even if that mostly amounted to doing movie reviews. After the conversation at lunch he wasn't so sure anymore, was being a critic really the best he could be? Was he really living to his full potential?

" What's wrong Matsumoto-san? I thought you would be happier," Oze asked.

" You ever feel like you're choosing to hold yourself back?," Shoji asked hoping that maybe an upperclassman might have more insight.

" You mean why you aren't writing plays?," Oze asked. Shoji was caught by surprise by how accurate Oze was with his guess. " Don't look at me like that, it's a pretty simple guess, I know who your father is. To be honest I thought you joined the school newspaper, because it gave you a chance to write more regularly while you worked on a play to submit for the Performing Arts Club to put on. I was really surprised when you weren't working on any plays. Still it wasn't my place to probe, but since you brought it up, I'll ask you, are you familiar with the Jonah Complex?"

" Never heard of it," Shoji said wondering what it was.

" It's a psychological theory that says humans are capable of imagining themselves as these awe inspiring great figures, but find themselves so in awe and terrified by these images of greatness that they fear greatness," Oze said, explaining the concept. Oze then leaned in and in a low tone said, " Normally I wouldn't bring up something like that as it seems rather grandiose, but considering you are a descendant of Monk Boitan, it seemed appropriate."

Shoji's eyes went wide, " so you are..."

" Yes, but not to0 loud. Now don't let those girls bewitch you too much, your ability to keep your writing unbiased is one of your best assets," Oze said and walked away to see how the other members of the club were doing. So Shoji was right Oze was a yokai, that odd feeling he had was him sensing his aura. While that was interesting, Oze had brought up an interesting point, was Shoji afraid of greatness? Shoji always thought his inability to write plays anymore, came from a fear of failure of not being able to reach his father's level of success, but was it the exact opposite was he afraid of reaching or even surpassing his father and the fame and notoriety that would come with it.

Shoji was still stuck in his own mind, when he left the computer lab and made his way to his shoe locker. The discussion he was having with himself came to a halt when he saw Yayaka standing in front of his shoe locker. When she noticed him, her eyes brightened up and she came bouncing over to Shoji. Shoji remembered the whole incident with Tanahashi this morning, amazing how an existential crisis had made the incident seem insignificant. Now that Yayaka was in front of him, he wanted to get to the bottom of the incident.