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nande_daiyo
Title: Manual to A Successful Community Development
Pairing: Sakuraiba
Rating: PG13
Summary: All his life, everything has been exactly like Sho has planned. Everything, except one.
Warnings: Jumpy scenes with non-linear storytelling at places. Also, I have very little knowledge of how the Japanese government agencies operate. The working of government agencies here is purely fictional.
Notes: Dearestnande_daiyo, I am so happy to be writing for you. <3 Your prompts were truly inspiring and I tried several things at first. I eventually ended up with “oblivious!Sho” and “accidental asshole!Sho” prompts, and this story started out from that. However, it got side-tracked and diverted from its starting point quite substantially. I blame reports and meetings I had to do in RL while writing this story. Hopefully, you still find this story enjoyable ;) Also, thank you the mods for being amazingly wonderful and awesome. I have such a fun time. Thank you!
Sakurai Sho has always been a man with a plan.
Growing up in a family full of bureaucrats, Sho has his life planned out quite early on. Sho was put into an elite prep school where many sons and daughters of influential families attended. By the time Sho entered middle school, he knew what he would do with his life. He was going to university and earned a degree – or two. Then, he would get a respectable job, preferably in the government. When he has earned respectful promotion, he would go find someone he loves and start a family with at least two kids.
Sakurai Sho had a plan. And all his life, everything has been exactly like he wants.
Everything except one.
Work has been good for Sho so far.
After graduating from a prestigious university in Tokyo and earning a Master degree in Economics from America, Sho starts working as a policy analyst at the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Bureau of Regional Development Sho works for is considered one of the more respected divisions in the Ministry with a lot of influence and financial power. Sho’s work has been influential. He has made differences. He has been happy.
Adding to his already rewarding job, Sho has been growing up in ranks over the past few years. Now he is in his thirties and he is looking for the next big step in his life. Some says when the seat of the Deputy Director is vacant, Sho would certainly be the first one in line to take up the position. They say he is the most qualified person, the bosses’ favorite. Every time he hears such compliments, Sho would smile humbly and shakes his head, ‘No, no. You are too kind. You think too highly of me.’ He would say those words while trying to hide his proud smile. Sho knows no one likes an arrogant overachiever. He knows what other people expect of him and he acts accordingly.
However, secretly, Sho always knows. Of course, he would get the job. No one is brighter, more efficient and more capable than he is.
It’s just the matter of time before he would sit in the Deputy Director’s chair.
That’s why Sho is surprised when he is called into the Director office one day not to be informed of his well-deserved promotion but to be told that there is another person in contention for the soon vacant position.
“Is it Ninomiya?” Sho can hardly believe it. His voice only rises slightly to convey his surprise. His face hardly changes from seconds ago. “I cannot say anything about that, Sho-kun. You know I cannot give you the details.” Director Joshima comments. Sho nods, appearing to be calm and composed. But inside, his heart beats so fast. Disappointment and anger manifest in the burning on his face. How come Ninomiya Kazunari, another senior analyst in his division, is being considered for the position? Sure, the guy is very bright, Sho admits, but he is also sly and lazy. Ninomiya seems to get around finishing his projects by manipulating others to do the bidding for him. He also has no respect for authority and ranks. Ninomiya is definitely not a well-behave, rule-abiding, authority-respecting role model public servant like Sho is. It seems like an insult that the higher up would pitch Sho against Ninomiya instead of offering Sho the promotion he surely deserves.
Sho is distraught by the new development but he is not going to show it to his superior. Instead, he smiles calmly as he politely inquires of the situation.
“Of course, it’s not like we are not considering you for the position anymore, Sho-kun. We are looking at you both. The Selection Committee hasn’t agreed on anything yet.” The Director tells him with an encouraging, and cheerful smile. Sho does not see anything to be cheerful about, definitely not when he has spent the last six years of his life working his ass off – only to be considered the same position as the guy who Sho sees mostly spends his free time playing handheld games. This is NOT fair.
“I personally think you have a good chance. You know I really like you, Sho-kun. You are our most successful officer and the best at your division. It’s just that some committee members feel you still lack some skills needed for the new position. They want to see more record of you running field project, you know, leading collaborative work. You haven’t done one of that in a while.” His superior elaborates. Sho knows what he means. A sizable proportion of the Bureau’s work is collaborations with other agencies. It’s natural that anyone who would become the Deputy Director must be good at collaborating with other government agencies and local communities.
Knowing that Sho is on the same pace, the Director continues, “Here’s a way to show them you are capable.” He pushes a thick manila envelope across the table. “The committee has agreed to give you this project specifically. The detail of the project is inside but I think you would find it familiar already. You are the one that wrote the development plan for this place.” His boss explains. Sho’s eyes gleam up just a little as he reaches out to take the thick package. The whole thing is quite heavy, indicating the complexity of the project inside.
“It’s Miyabi island development project. You remember Miyabi Island, right?” Of course, Sho does. Sho remembers the case well as he always does for every case he works on. Miyabi Island is his old case project that he wrote the development plan a little more than a year ago.
“I just got the project returned to me two weeks ago. Whoever worked on it has given up and deemed the project impossible. It has been a flop. The local community strongly opposes the development plan.” The Director looks troubled. His worry is evident. It is not normal for a Bureau project to be refused by the locals. “The project is very important to our Bureau. The Ministry has hoped to use this project to spear-head the New Development Initiative. So far, it hasn’t been successful. The Bureau is hoping that you can rectify that. Lead the project, work it out with the community, and put forth this plan into action. No one understands this development proposal better than you.” The director smiles ambivalently as he explains the reasoning behind Sho’s newest assignment.
Sho gulps. The project worries Sho. He hasn’t done much field work these days and it has never been his strong point to begin with. He usually focuses on directing policy and writing up plans, while leaving the jobs of field operation, community relation, and project implementation to the others. This new assignment is not looking good.
“I think you know the importance of this project, Sho-kun. The head office is looking very closely on how you handle this case. Your promotion will depend on the success of this project.” Sho’s eyes perk up. His promotion. The next step for a successful life as he has always planned. It’s all hinging on the envelope he is holding. Sho subconsciously tightens the grip he has on the envelope. The Director continues,
“If you can prove to the head office that you can change the local perceptions of the project, I think the committee would be more comfortable promoting you to the Deputy Director position. Get this done. Let the committee knows how capable you are as a leader. I am counting on you, Sho-kun.”
Sho gets up from his chair and bows to his superior. The importance of the project weights in his hand. He takes a deep breath and leaves. There are so many things he has to do. And nothing is coming between him and his promotion.
“You traitorous idiot!” Ninomiya’s voice booms across the office, which makes Aiba Masaki aware of his best friend’s presence. Aiba instinctively dodges behind his desk as he anticipates Ninomiya’s harmful assault. Aiba is right. He manages to duck down and escapes a hit from Nino’s flying projectile just by inches. Feeling assured that the danger is gone, Aiba props back up and sees Nino heading toward his desk. From the look of it, Aiba should probably run as fast as he can to avoid what he knows is coming, but Ninomiya is uncharacteristically quick to close in on him before he can escape.
“What is this?!?” Ninomiya thrusts a piece of paper almost right into Aiba’s face. He is standing over the still sitting Aiba. However, their height difference makes Ninomiya look less intimidating than he truly is. Nonetheless, Aiba has learnt that when it comes to Nino, appearance and size are not everything. Ninomiya can be very intimidating even in his small size and cuddly face.
“Ah… right, the assignment sheet.” Aiba means the paper Nino just thrusted in his face. Aiba takes the paper even though he already knows what are written on it. “I was about to tell you,” Aiba says weakly.
“You are about to tell me? Tell me what exactly? That you went behind my back and bribed Shiori-chan to drop from the project so you could put yourself in her place? Or you are about to tell me that you decide to work alongside that narcissistic Sho instead of your best friend?” Nino barks. Aiba feels he’s getting smaller and smaller by seconds. With almost everyone in the office suddenly turning to see what’s going on, Aiba quickly pulls Nino down to an empty seat next to him and signals Nino to be quiet.
“Please, Nino. Do you want everyone to know about this?” Aiba pleads, feeling embarrassed.
“I don’t care. I want to know how come my best friend picks someone else over me.”
“That’s not true. I didn’t pick him over you.” Aiba tries to protest but even he himself knows Nino’s accusation is not completely ground-less. “I will always pick you first, you know.”
“It’s a lie, Masaki. You know it.”
Aiba feels guiltier. Okay, this does not look like a great idea like it did yesterday.
“I was just thinking, since this might be the last time….” Aiba’s voice trails off. “Maybe I can be useful to him, you know, for once.”
“What are you talking about? You have ALWAYS been useful to him, Masaki. That’s what he has been doing to you all those years you stayed with him. He used you to get his projects done.” Aiba wishes Nino would keep his voice down but Nino really doesn’t care. “And why are you doing this, letting him walk all over you again?” Nino is angry and Aiba knows it’s not only because of the immediate incident. Nino has always had issues when it comes to Aiba and Sho.
“No, that’s not true. Sho never did that.” At least, not intentionally, Aiba thinks.
“I thought you were over him already. It has been too many years, Masaki. Let it go, will you?” There is a clear disappointment in Nino’s voice. His eyes are accusing. Aiba has to look away.
“I am sorry,” He mumbles, feeling bad for disappointing his friend. Aiba knows Nino worries more about him than his own work, despite whatever he says. And Aiba is thankful for that.
Yet, there are something that even Nino cannot change. How Aiba thinks of Sho is one of the thing.
“Please, Nino. Let me do this one last time. I promise, after this, I am going to let him go.”
If anything is going to change, Aiba has to do it himself.
It has been almost ten years – on the last night of Aiba’s first Bureau retreat.
Aiba was crouching on a porch, trying his best not to throw up. He kept his head low and his hands held on to the railing as firmly as he possibly can. Yet, he still felt his entire body wobbling. Every time he tried to get up, he had the urge to regurgitate.
He was not going to trust Nino to make him drinks anymore.
“Are you alright?” A voice entered Aiba’s conscious. A soothing and soft baritone voice. Aiba managed to look up to its source.
The voice sure came with a beautiful face.
“Ughh…” If only Aiba could manage to keep the nabe he just ate in his stomach…
Another note to self, he was not going to eat nabe while drinking at the office retreat ever again.
Aiba kept at it a few more time. Bitter vile filled his mouth and he felt horrible.
Then, he felt a hand on his back, moving up and down, comforting him.
The touch was truly soothing.
“There, there. Easy, okay?” The guy with beautiful face told Aiba softly. Aiba loved that voice already. What was this guy’s name again? Aiba remembered vaguely he was from another group. The policy division, maybe? His name definitely started with an “S” but what was it? God, his brain hurt.
After what seemed like an agonizing eternity for Aiba, the content in his stomach was finally and completely relocated to the resort ground. Aiba felt a tiny bit better – just tiny bit better.
Surprisingly, the beautiful-face guy next to him was still next to him, rubbing his back softly. Aiba tried to stand up. That’s when his head spun and he fell.
But an arm caught him just in time. Aiba felt his body being pulled into a firm hug.
“Woah, woah, you should not stand up yet. Here, let me help you.” The guy said as he gently guided Aiba to a chair nearby. “Wait here, okay? I am going to get you some water. Don’t try to move, you can get hurt.” The guy rubbed Aiba on the back a couple more times before he left. Aiba could hardly open his eyes. God, the alcohol. He hated this. He swore he was not going to drink anymore.
Aiba must have dosed off because the next thing he heard was Nino’s voice sounding like it came from a far distance.
“Thanks a lot for taking care of him. The idiot ran off on me. He never wanted to throw up in front of anyone.” Nino seemed to be explaining the situation to someone. Only if Aiba could open his eyes or lift his head… “I am going to look after him now, don’t worry.” Nino stated firmly, then it was the voice of that guy – the beautiful face one, “I can help you carry him back to his room.” Aiba’s heart sprang up. Yes, yes, please help me, Aiba cried in his head. He wanted to spend a little more time with the guy. That feeling the guy held him. That feeling would be hard to forget.
“Nah, it’s okay. I’ve got this under control.” Aiba wanted to scream. Wrong answer Nino!
“Oh, okay.” The guy sounded slightly taken back by Nino’s indifferent response. Aiba wished he could speak for himself. “I will take my leave then. But you will let me know if you need help with him, right? I will be just inside.”
“Sure,” Nino confirmed, but not quite enthusiastically. Aiba could tell it was Nino’s way of telling the guy to get lost already. Aiba wanted to protest. Come on, Nino, at least get me a name. I wanted to know his name.
But Nino did not need to ask because the next thing he said was, “Thanks again, Sakurai-san.”
Ah… just as I thought. An “S”. Now, Aiba’s fussy brain could remember. The name of the beautiful-face guy was Sakurai Sho.
Sho isn’t sure what lead him to this.
Sho is grabbing the boat cam tightly. Okay, he is not afraid of the sea. But he doesn’t particularly enjoy riding a boat either, especially a small one when the sea is as crazy as this. When was the last time he was on a boat visiting the town for a project? Sho honestly cannot remember. The last few times he was on locations were all on mainland – none of them were that difficult to reach. This place is totally different.
Miyabi is a small island off the western coast of Japan. It is one of a very few rural areas that still hasn’t been touched by much of civilization and social progress like other rural areas in Japan. Its unique rural condition is the main reason this place is chosen to be a spearhead project for the New Development Initiative. From the report that the survey team has done for the Bureau, the island is in dire need for basic development. Infrastructures like asphalt roads, central water line, main electricity are still underdeveloped. The agricultural production, which is the main economic activity of the island, is hardly commercialized. The island is about an hour and a half away on a boat and there is no regular trip going from the main land. So, a new pier with a speed boat service would also be beneficial.
There are only five villages on the island and a total population of slightly less than a thousand. According to the Ministry regulation, the majority of islanders must approve of the development plan before it can get a go-ahead from the government. There have been several visits from the Bureau representatives and officials so far to encourage the island’s participation in the development project. But there has been no real progress. The previous group that worked on the project voluntarily dropped out of the project, citing their inability to accomplish the task the Bureau requires of them. Luckily, they left some detailed report on the project development. At least, Sho has somewhere he can start from. And for the last couple weeks, Sho has been working closely with his team in Tokyo, trying to readjust and fine-tune the details of the development plan to increase support from the local. Now Sho feels more comfortable toward the plan and he believes it has a better chance of success.
Although he does not lack ideas and information, what Sho does not have is time. The village meeting for the final vote has been set within the next two weeks. that is when the villagers will vote to approve or not approve the Bureau’s development project. The next few days are Sho’s final chance to convince the villagers to accept the new development plan that he has revised. He needs their votes to allow the island to be developed. If they say no, the project would be halted and with it, Sho suspects, his own promotion.
He has come too far and work too hard for the position. He is not going to give it up.
The sea is still rocking like crazy and Sho starts to feel dizzy. However, the guy standing just a few feet away from him is acting like a small boy on a playground and is humming happily. Sho wants to hide his frustration in his facepalm. When Sho opened the envelope containing the details of the project that had been assigned to him, he was very surprised to find Aiba’s name under “project coordinator”. Not that it is impossible, given that Aiba’s usual job deals primarily with coordinating the details of development plan with local communities. It is common to see a person from the division being assigned for these field trips. It just does not sound plausible for someone in Aiba’s position to actually come down to do field trips himself. Aiba is already a senior officer and senior officers hardly do any field trips. This is strange.
Of course, Sho has worked with Aiba on field trips before. But those were years ago. Recently, both Sho and Aiba have diverted away from the field trips responsibility and moved more toward supervising roles. If it’s not for the project being his ticket for promotion (hence, Sho feels the need to be here in person to make sure it is a success), Sho would not be on this boat right now. Aiba should also be the same. Yet, he is taking a ride on the boat with Sho, heading toward a very remote island when he should be staying in more comfortable places, away from rough sea.
Deep down, Sho cannot help suspecting Aiba’s interior motive. The promotion means so much to Sho it may have clouded his judgement. It probably makes him biased and overly suspicious. Yet, everyone knows Aiba has always been Ninomiya’s best friend. Why isn’t he on Ninomiya’s current project? Sho does not want to go as far as claiming that Aiba is here to spy on Sho or to sabotage his project. Sho knows Aiba well enough to trust that Aiba is a much better man than that. As he says, he just isn’t sure. Sho cannot help thinking there is a conflict of interest here. How come he is assigned Aiba to work on his team?
“You look pale. Maybe you should go inside.” Aiba unintentionally turns Sho’s way and notices the ill-looking Sho staring tiredly at him.
“I am fine. Don’t worry.” Sho waves his hand in denial although he almost vomits upon saying that. He really is too old for this rough ride. Aiba looks worried. He moves in to catch Sho’s arm, probably intending to steer him inside the cabin but Sho instantly jerks his arm off Aiba’s hold. It is a bit more forceful than how Sho intends and Aiba is taken back, surprised.
“I am really okay. I would rather stay here.” Sho tries to sound friendly, as if to compensate for his action earlier. It doesn’t sound convincing. Aiba’s eyes fixate on him for a brief moment as Aiba undoubtedly ponders on Sho’s unexpected reaction. Aiba’s look makes Sho feels strange somewhat. Sho really isn’t sure why.
Finally, Aiba probably decides to let something on his mind go. He gives Sho a brief smile and steps away toward the other side of the boat. With Aiba’s back on him, Sho secretly glances back toward the man. He feels his heart beats a little faster. Sho’s mind starts to wonder off to older days but he quickly pulls it back to present.
No, no, he must not think too much. The last thing Sho needs now is a distraction.
“Nino, did you hear? Sho-chan is going to be leading a field project. He has requested that I help him on it. I repeat, he “requests” me.” Aiba could not contain his excitement. Aiba had just gotten the news right before lunch time. Now, He and Nino were sitting side by side at the cafeteria. Nino continued to focus on his gyu-don and tried to ignore Aiba’s excited state. But Aiba knew Nino was listening, so he continued.
“I cannot believe it when Shiori-chan told me I would be working with Sho-chan. And it’s a field work, Nino. I want to work with him so much. Finally, I will get to really know him.”
“It is a bad idea, Aiba.” Nino commented dryly. “If you two work on the same project, you are going to be too close to him. It is not good for you. And this, you will go on a trip with him. That is even worse.” Nino voiced his concerns. Aiba, on the other hand, did not register anything his friend said.
“It’s not a vacation, Nino. It’s about work. It’s going to be all professional.” Aiba said firmly.
“You may say that but even you know that it’s not true.” Nino snorted. “You are going on a trip, and being in close-proximity with him almost all the time. And this is Sakurai, you know what’s he’s like.” Nino says gloomily. His friend had been head-over-heels with Sakurai since they were back from the Bureau retreat. Within a few weeks, Aiba moved from “that guy with a really beautiful face” to “Sho-chan” without even actually making friend with him. And for the last month, Aiba looked kind of like a stalker. It was scary. Nino could only conclude that Sakurai was Aiba’s weakness.
So, when Aiba mentioned wanting to be put in the same project as Sakurai, Nino could not help worrying that his friend’s obsession was getting out of hand.
Because they worked in the same office, Nino had been observing Sakurai secretly. Sakurai, from Nino’s observation, was a rather ambitious guy. Sometimes Sakurai looked distant and serious, when the other times he was sweet and caring. Not really a type that would fit well with the overly-optimistic, forever-cheerful, and positive-looking Aiba. Nino was afraid that his friend was going to get hurt if he invested too much on the unpredictable Sakurai. And now, it seemed they were going to be very close, and out of Nino’s supervision. Nino did not trust that Aiba would behave in his own self-interest. Since their years at the university, Aiba had a history of being self-destructive when it came to dealing with someone he really liked.
“Are you sure you can separate the work from your personal life?” Nino asked, rather seriously. “It’s not like Sakurai even likes men.”
“Give me some credit, Nino. For real.” Aiba pretended to be offended.
Aiba had made up his mind. He was going to ignore Nino’s legitimate concern. Aiba was going to work with Sakurai Sho.
Ohno Satoshi waits to greet Sho and Aiba at the pier.
Ohno is the head of one of the five villages on the island. Ohno is also the project local liaison, who has been responsible for communicating and convening messages and information between the Bureau and the island. Ohno has helped coordinating every visit of the groups from the Bureau. By default, he has been with the project through its various stages of development. If there is anyone who knows the situation the most, it should be him.
According to the notes from the other groups, Ohno seems to have an aloof and distant personality. There were mentions about the difficult times the previous groups had trying to get into Ohno’s interior thoughts and motives. The project liaison has been very helpful and agreeable in his responsibility. However, he has not revealed much of what he feels about the project and no one was able to get it out of him. When the earlier groups failed to convince the villagers of the new development project, they could not help contributing the failure to their inability to get the local liaison fully on board with them. It is a mistake that Sho believes he must rectify.
From the first look, Sho has an impression that Ohno is very reserved. He is still relatively young, considering his village head position, but Sho refrains from commenting on that when they meet. Sho thinks it would sound rude. However, Aiba does not seem to agree and Ohno’s young age is exactly what Aiba comments on right after they greet each other. Surprisingly, Ohno doesn’t look offended. Instead, he laughs quite a good laugh and starts telling them how even he himself thinks so but no one at the village agrees. Ohno looks proud and happy recalling the time when everyone voted for him to represent his village. He concludes with a hopeful look directing at Sho that he hopes this project would prove him worthy of their trust.
It seems Aiba’s initial interaction with Ohno has helped dissolving any barriers of communication between Ohno and them. Ohno ushers them to his small car before taking the driver seat. Aiba takes the front passenger seat next to him and continues chatting, leaving Sho in the backseat alone. During the drive, Ohno looks relaxed and laughs along all of Aiba’s jokes. Aiba lightheartedly complains about their difficult travel to the island. It seems Ohno understands Aiba’s sentiment because he spends a lot of his time at sea. However, Ohno is more accustom to rough sea than most people due to his job.
They are heading to Sho and Aiba’s accommodation for the next two weeks – Ohno’s own home.
“There’s no real hotel for you to stay. I have to make some other alternative arrangement for your accommodation while you guys are here.” Ohno tells them in apologetic tone. “You see, there are not many visitors coming here, let alone wanting to stay. So the town does not have a proper inn.” Sho already knows about this. Tourism and hospitality industry is close to non-existence here. The travel to the island takes too long and deems too difficult. Despite the tourism potentials that the department sees in the area, those possibilities are either underdeveloped or unexplored.
“You are going to stay with us. My wife has made an arrangement for both of you for these two weeks. I have to apologize in advance for the inconvenience of my home.” Ohno explains in soft voice as he drives them through a small road heading away from the more civilized part of the island. It looks like they are heading across the hill to the other side of the island. The distance is not far but the road condition and its size make it difficult to travel fast by car. Sho gets a feeling that they hardly travel any faster than a bicycle ride.
In the background, Aiba and Ohno are still chatting merrily with Aiba mostly dominates the talking. Sho loses interest in listening to them and his mind wonders to the project. Asphalted road is one of several infrastructures that the development plan proposes. And now, Sho is more convinced than ever that the island needs it. The development plan does not just propose the construction of basic infrastructures such as asphalted roads, a new pier, extended electrical lines, and telecommunication poles though. The plan also includes agricultural reform that encourages the local to produce more commercial crops. Currently, the majority of the farmers grow crops for their own consumption and the variety of crops and plants they grow on their land is vast. This leads to the lack of trades between the island and the outside world. Hence, there is very little source of income for local development. The only tradable produce from the island is the famous Miyabi peach, which is considered top quality and a rarity. The fruit is always in high demand and fetches higher price. The development plan would call for the expansion of the peach orchards and the establishment of local cooperative to help selling and distributing the popular peach. The Bureau hopes that the increase of the commercial peach growers would help bring in more income to the local economy and lead to a stronger and more sustainable economic development.
Sho looks out the side window to catch the scenic of the island. The overgrown, healthy forest somehow coexists peacefully with small patches of homegrown vegetables. There are occasional clearings of fruit orchards. The land is nourishing, no doubt from the ample rainfalls and the island’s natural volcanic soil. This place has all the right natural resources for economic growth but it is still far behind in term of economic development. The island seems to be halted in time and everything looks old and rural. The rustic beauty of the island is captivating.
Sho decides to rest his eyes a bit. The travel has been too rough for his over-exhausted body. The past few weeks have been very tiring. Sho was stressed and hardly had decent nights of peaceful sleep. The project means too much for him. As Sho closes his eyes, Aiba and Ohno’s voices seem to fade away. His mind keeps going back to the details of the development plan. Sho secretly wishes, with all his heart, that the plan would be approved, the project would be pushed forward, and the island would turn to the better. All the good that it would do to this place.
The last thought on his mind before Sho falls asleep is that the stake for this project is too high. He cannot fail.
It’s kind of a given, for a job that required them to be away ever so often. Aiba could see how the field work did not suite Sho’s life style. Sho was more like a city guy. He was so attached to his emails and his social network. And the life in the rural, despite some places did offer decent telecommunication connections, did not satisfy Sho’s craving for interactions. Sometimes work would interfere with his relationship.
“Hey, Aiba, you often leave Tokyo for these community outreach projects and travel a lot. Doesn’t this work get your girlfriend angry?” Sho broke a question to Aiba one evening in a local bar. Aiba could only guess Sho had gotten into a fight with his girlfriend over Sho’s job – again.
“I don’t have a girlfriend, Sho-chan.” Aiba replied monotonically. Surely Sho wasn’t particularly interested in Aiba’s personal life. It’s more likely Sho had something else in his mind he wanted to let out.
“Really? A nice guy like you? No way….” Sho looked surprised. “Anyway, my girlfriend just went ballistic this morning. She was so angry I had to extend my stay here for a few more days. Now, I am going to miss her friend’s wedding.” Sho sighed. “I don’t know what get into us lately. We fight a lot. I think it’s the work.” Aiba secretly agreed to Sho’s comment. Sho was the type that got into his work so seriously a lot of time he forgot there were other things beside work commitments.
“You work a lot, Sho-chan. In fact, you work too much.”
“I know but it has never been a problem before. She was never angry about anything work-related. But now, she seems to very discontented.” Aiba wanted to point out that Sho hadn’t been out on the fields much this year, until the last month when Sho probably ended up spending more than half of the time being away from Tokyo. It would put a strain on any relationships. Sho let out a heavy sigh.
“She changed a lot, you know. She used to be very kind and very gentle. The way she looks at things around her was so pure and so positive.” Sho reasoned. Then, his eyes widened as if he had thought of something. “Oh, right, she was just like you!” Sho reached for his glass of beer and drank from it before he continued, “very caring, very lovely, and so positive. She is perfect, well, at least she was.”
Sho laughed seeing Aiba’s face changed with Sho’s straightforward compliment. Aiba felt the atmosphere was getting very uncomfortable for him. It seemed Sho noticed that. “Okay, okay, sorry. I didn’t mean to humiliate you by saying you are like my girlfriend.” Aiba’s face turned red. Sho let out a laughter that brightened up the whole room.
“Seriously, Aiba-kun, you are perfect. If you are a girl, I would definitely date you.”
Aiba wasn’t sure if he should be happy or sad about the compliment.
(2/3)
nande_daiyoTitle: Manual to A Successful Community Development
Pairing: Sakuraiba
Rating: PG13
Summary: All his life, everything has been exactly like Sho has planned. Everything, except one.
Warnings: Jumpy scenes with non-linear storytelling at places. Also, I have very little knowledge of how the Japanese government agencies operate. The working of government agencies here is purely fictional.
Notes: Dearest
nande_daiyo, I am so happy to be writing for you. <3 Your prompts were truly inspiring and I tried several things at first. I eventually ended up with “oblivious!Sho” and “accidental asshole!Sho” prompts, and this story started out from that. However, it got side-tracked and diverted from its starting point quite substantially. I blame reports and meetings I had to do in RL while writing this story. Hopefully, you still find this story enjoyable ;) Also, thank you the mods for being amazingly wonderful and awesome. I have such a fun time. Thank you!Sakurai Sho has always been a man with a plan.
Growing up in a family full of bureaucrats, Sho has his life planned out quite early on. Sho was put into an elite prep school where many sons and daughters of influential families attended. By the time Sho entered middle school, he knew what he would do with his life. He was going to university and earned a degree – or two. Then, he would get a respectable job, preferably in the government. When he has earned respectful promotion, he would go find someone he loves and start a family with at least two kids.
Sakurai Sho had a plan. And all his life, everything has been exactly like he wants.
Everything except one.
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Work has been good for Sho so far.
After graduating from a prestigious university in Tokyo and earning a Master degree in Economics from America, Sho starts working as a policy analyst at the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Bureau of Regional Development Sho works for is considered one of the more respected divisions in the Ministry with a lot of influence and financial power. Sho’s work has been influential. He has made differences. He has been happy.
Adding to his already rewarding job, Sho has been growing up in ranks over the past few years. Now he is in his thirties and he is looking for the next big step in his life. Some says when the seat of the Deputy Director is vacant, Sho would certainly be the first one in line to take up the position. They say he is the most qualified person, the bosses’ favorite. Every time he hears such compliments, Sho would smile humbly and shakes his head, ‘No, no. You are too kind. You think too highly of me.’ He would say those words while trying to hide his proud smile. Sho knows no one likes an arrogant overachiever. He knows what other people expect of him and he acts accordingly.
However, secretly, Sho always knows. Of course, he would get the job. No one is brighter, more efficient and more capable than he is.
It’s just the matter of time before he would sit in the Deputy Director’s chair.
That’s why Sho is surprised when he is called into the Director office one day not to be informed of his well-deserved promotion but to be told that there is another person in contention for the soon vacant position.
“Is it Ninomiya?” Sho can hardly believe it. His voice only rises slightly to convey his surprise. His face hardly changes from seconds ago. “I cannot say anything about that, Sho-kun. You know I cannot give you the details.” Director Joshima comments. Sho nods, appearing to be calm and composed. But inside, his heart beats so fast. Disappointment and anger manifest in the burning on his face. How come Ninomiya Kazunari, another senior analyst in his division, is being considered for the position? Sure, the guy is very bright, Sho admits, but he is also sly and lazy. Ninomiya seems to get around finishing his projects by manipulating others to do the bidding for him. He also has no respect for authority and ranks. Ninomiya is definitely not a well-behave, rule-abiding, authority-respecting role model public servant like Sho is. It seems like an insult that the higher up would pitch Sho against Ninomiya instead of offering Sho the promotion he surely deserves.
Sho is distraught by the new development but he is not going to show it to his superior. Instead, he smiles calmly as he politely inquires of the situation.
“Of course, it’s not like we are not considering you for the position anymore, Sho-kun. We are looking at you both. The Selection Committee hasn’t agreed on anything yet.” The Director tells him with an encouraging, and cheerful smile. Sho does not see anything to be cheerful about, definitely not when he has spent the last six years of his life working his ass off – only to be considered the same position as the guy who Sho sees mostly spends his free time playing handheld games. This is NOT fair.
“I personally think you have a good chance. You know I really like you, Sho-kun. You are our most successful officer and the best at your division. It’s just that some committee members feel you still lack some skills needed for the new position. They want to see more record of you running field project, you know, leading collaborative work. You haven’t done one of that in a while.” His superior elaborates. Sho knows what he means. A sizable proportion of the Bureau’s work is collaborations with other agencies. It’s natural that anyone who would become the Deputy Director must be good at collaborating with other government agencies and local communities.
Knowing that Sho is on the same pace, the Director continues, “Here’s a way to show them you are capable.” He pushes a thick manila envelope across the table. “The committee has agreed to give you this project specifically. The detail of the project is inside but I think you would find it familiar already. You are the one that wrote the development plan for this place.” His boss explains. Sho’s eyes gleam up just a little as he reaches out to take the thick package. The whole thing is quite heavy, indicating the complexity of the project inside.
“It’s Miyabi island development project. You remember Miyabi Island, right?” Of course, Sho does. Sho remembers the case well as he always does for every case he works on. Miyabi Island is his old case project that he wrote the development plan a little more than a year ago.
“I just got the project returned to me two weeks ago. Whoever worked on it has given up and deemed the project impossible. It has been a flop. The local community strongly opposes the development plan.” The Director looks troubled. His worry is evident. It is not normal for a Bureau project to be refused by the locals. “The project is very important to our Bureau. The Ministry has hoped to use this project to spear-head the New Development Initiative. So far, it hasn’t been successful. The Bureau is hoping that you can rectify that. Lead the project, work it out with the community, and put forth this plan into action. No one understands this development proposal better than you.” The director smiles ambivalently as he explains the reasoning behind Sho’s newest assignment.
Sho gulps. The project worries Sho. He hasn’t done much field work these days and it has never been his strong point to begin with. He usually focuses on directing policy and writing up plans, while leaving the jobs of field operation, community relation, and project implementation to the others. This new assignment is not looking good.
“I think you know the importance of this project, Sho-kun. The head office is looking very closely on how you handle this case. Your promotion will depend on the success of this project.” Sho’s eyes perk up. His promotion. The next step for a successful life as he has always planned. It’s all hinging on the envelope he is holding. Sho subconsciously tightens the grip he has on the envelope. The Director continues,
“If you can prove to the head office that you can change the local perceptions of the project, I think the committee would be more comfortable promoting you to the Deputy Director position. Get this done. Let the committee knows how capable you are as a leader. I am counting on you, Sho-kun.”
Sho gets up from his chair and bows to his superior. The importance of the project weights in his hand. He takes a deep breath and leaves. There are so many things he has to do. And nothing is coming between him and his promotion.
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“You traitorous idiot!” Ninomiya’s voice booms across the office, which makes Aiba Masaki aware of his best friend’s presence. Aiba instinctively dodges behind his desk as he anticipates Ninomiya’s harmful assault. Aiba is right. He manages to duck down and escapes a hit from Nino’s flying projectile just by inches. Feeling assured that the danger is gone, Aiba props back up and sees Nino heading toward his desk. From the look of it, Aiba should probably run as fast as he can to avoid what he knows is coming, but Ninomiya is uncharacteristically quick to close in on him before he can escape.
“What is this?!?” Ninomiya thrusts a piece of paper almost right into Aiba’s face. He is standing over the still sitting Aiba. However, their height difference makes Ninomiya look less intimidating than he truly is. Nonetheless, Aiba has learnt that when it comes to Nino, appearance and size are not everything. Ninomiya can be very intimidating even in his small size and cuddly face.
“Ah… right, the assignment sheet.” Aiba means the paper Nino just thrusted in his face. Aiba takes the paper even though he already knows what are written on it. “I was about to tell you,” Aiba says weakly.
“You are about to tell me? Tell me what exactly? That you went behind my back and bribed Shiori-chan to drop from the project so you could put yourself in her place? Or you are about to tell me that you decide to work alongside that narcissistic Sho instead of your best friend?” Nino barks. Aiba feels he’s getting smaller and smaller by seconds. With almost everyone in the office suddenly turning to see what’s going on, Aiba quickly pulls Nino down to an empty seat next to him and signals Nino to be quiet.
“Please, Nino. Do you want everyone to know about this?” Aiba pleads, feeling embarrassed.
“I don’t care. I want to know how come my best friend picks someone else over me.”
“That’s not true. I didn’t pick him over you.” Aiba tries to protest but even he himself knows Nino’s accusation is not completely ground-less. “I will always pick you first, you know.”
“It’s a lie, Masaki. You know it.”
Aiba feels guiltier. Okay, this does not look like a great idea like it did yesterday.
“I was just thinking, since this might be the last time….” Aiba’s voice trails off. “Maybe I can be useful to him, you know, for once.”
“What are you talking about? You have ALWAYS been useful to him, Masaki. That’s what he has been doing to you all those years you stayed with him. He used you to get his projects done.” Aiba wishes Nino would keep his voice down but Nino really doesn’t care. “And why are you doing this, letting him walk all over you again?” Nino is angry and Aiba knows it’s not only because of the immediate incident. Nino has always had issues when it comes to Aiba and Sho.
“No, that’s not true. Sho never did that.” At least, not intentionally, Aiba thinks.
“I thought you were over him already. It has been too many years, Masaki. Let it go, will you?” There is a clear disappointment in Nino’s voice. His eyes are accusing. Aiba has to look away.
“I am sorry,” He mumbles, feeling bad for disappointing his friend. Aiba knows Nino worries more about him than his own work, despite whatever he says. And Aiba is thankful for that.
Yet, there are something that even Nino cannot change. How Aiba thinks of Sho is one of the thing.
“Please, Nino. Let me do this one last time. I promise, after this, I am going to let him go.”
If anything is going to change, Aiba has to do it himself.
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It has been almost ten years – on the last night of Aiba’s first Bureau retreat.
Aiba was crouching on a porch, trying his best not to throw up. He kept his head low and his hands held on to the railing as firmly as he possibly can. Yet, he still felt his entire body wobbling. Every time he tried to get up, he had the urge to regurgitate.
He was not going to trust Nino to make him drinks anymore.
“Are you alright?” A voice entered Aiba’s conscious. A soothing and soft baritone voice. Aiba managed to look up to its source.
The voice sure came with a beautiful face.
“Ughh…” If only Aiba could manage to keep the nabe he just ate in his stomach…
Another note to self, he was not going to eat nabe while drinking at the office retreat ever again.
Aiba kept at it a few more time. Bitter vile filled his mouth and he felt horrible.
Then, he felt a hand on his back, moving up and down, comforting him.
The touch was truly soothing.
“There, there. Easy, okay?” The guy with beautiful face told Aiba softly. Aiba loved that voice already. What was this guy’s name again? Aiba remembered vaguely he was from another group. The policy division, maybe? His name definitely started with an “S” but what was it? God, his brain hurt.
After what seemed like an agonizing eternity for Aiba, the content in his stomach was finally and completely relocated to the resort ground. Aiba felt a tiny bit better – just tiny bit better.
Surprisingly, the beautiful-face guy next to him was still next to him, rubbing his back softly. Aiba tried to stand up. That’s when his head spun and he fell.
But an arm caught him just in time. Aiba felt his body being pulled into a firm hug.
“Woah, woah, you should not stand up yet. Here, let me help you.” The guy said as he gently guided Aiba to a chair nearby. “Wait here, okay? I am going to get you some water. Don’t try to move, you can get hurt.” The guy rubbed Aiba on the back a couple more times before he left. Aiba could hardly open his eyes. God, the alcohol. He hated this. He swore he was not going to drink anymore.
Aiba must have dosed off because the next thing he heard was Nino’s voice sounding like it came from a far distance.
“Thanks a lot for taking care of him. The idiot ran off on me. He never wanted to throw up in front of anyone.” Nino seemed to be explaining the situation to someone. Only if Aiba could open his eyes or lift his head… “I am going to look after him now, don’t worry.” Nino stated firmly, then it was the voice of that guy – the beautiful face one, “I can help you carry him back to his room.” Aiba’s heart sprang up. Yes, yes, please help me, Aiba cried in his head. He wanted to spend a little more time with the guy. That feeling the guy held him. That feeling would be hard to forget.
“Nah, it’s okay. I’ve got this under control.” Aiba wanted to scream. Wrong answer Nino!
“Oh, okay.” The guy sounded slightly taken back by Nino’s indifferent response. Aiba wished he could speak for himself. “I will take my leave then. But you will let me know if you need help with him, right? I will be just inside.”
“Sure,” Nino confirmed, but not quite enthusiastically. Aiba could tell it was Nino’s way of telling the guy to get lost already. Aiba wanted to protest. Come on, Nino, at least get me a name. I wanted to know his name.
But Nino did not need to ask because the next thing he said was, “Thanks again, Sakurai-san.”
Ah… just as I thought. An “S”. Now, Aiba’s fussy brain could remember. The name of the beautiful-face guy was Sakurai Sho.
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Sho isn’t sure what lead him to this.
Sho is grabbing the boat cam tightly. Okay, he is not afraid of the sea. But he doesn’t particularly enjoy riding a boat either, especially a small one when the sea is as crazy as this. When was the last time he was on a boat visiting the town for a project? Sho honestly cannot remember. The last few times he was on locations were all on mainland – none of them were that difficult to reach. This place is totally different.
Miyabi is a small island off the western coast of Japan. It is one of a very few rural areas that still hasn’t been touched by much of civilization and social progress like other rural areas in Japan. Its unique rural condition is the main reason this place is chosen to be a spearhead project for the New Development Initiative. From the report that the survey team has done for the Bureau, the island is in dire need for basic development. Infrastructures like asphalt roads, central water line, main electricity are still underdeveloped. The agricultural production, which is the main economic activity of the island, is hardly commercialized. The island is about an hour and a half away on a boat and there is no regular trip going from the main land. So, a new pier with a speed boat service would also be beneficial.
There are only five villages on the island and a total population of slightly less than a thousand. According to the Ministry regulation, the majority of islanders must approve of the development plan before it can get a go-ahead from the government. There have been several visits from the Bureau representatives and officials so far to encourage the island’s participation in the development project. But there has been no real progress. The previous group that worked on the project voluntarily dropped out of the project, citing their inability to accomplish the task the Bureau requires of them. Luckily, they left some detailed report on the project development. At least, Sho has somewhere he can start from. And for the last couple weeks, Sho has been working closely with his team in Tokyo, trying to readjust and fine-tune the details of the development plan to increase support from the local. Now Sho feels more comfortable toward the plan and he believes it has a better chance of success.
Although he does not lack ideas and information, what Sho does not have is time. The village meeting for the final vote has been set within the next two weeks. that is when the villagers will vote to approve or not approve the Bureau’s development project. The next few days are Sho’s final chance to convince the villagers to accept the new development plan that he has revised. He needs their votes to allow the island to be developed. If they say no, the project would be halted and with it, Sho suspects, his own promotion.
He has come too far and work too hard for the position. He is not going to give it up.
The sea is still rocking like crazy and Sho starts to feel dizzy. However, the guy standing just a few feet away from him is acting like a small boy on a playground and is humming happily. Sho wants to hide his frustration in his facepalm. When Sho opened the envelope containing the details of the project that had been assigned to him, he was very surprised to find Aiba’s name under “project coordinator”. Not that it is impossible, given that Aiba’s usual job deals primarily with coordinating the details of development plan with local communities. It is common to see a person from the division being assigned for these field trips. It just does not sound plausible for someone in Aiba’s position to actually come down to do field trips himself. Aiba is already a senior officer and senior officers hardly do any field trips. This is strange.
Of course, Sho has worked with Aiba on field trips before. But those were years ago. Recently, both Sho and Aiba have diverted away from the field trips responsibility and moved more toward supervising roles. If it’s not for the project being his ticket for promotion (hence, Sho feels the need to be here in person to make sure it is a success), Sho would not be on this boat right now. Aiba should also be the same. Yet, he is taking a ride on the boat with Sho, heading toward a very remote island when he should be staying in more comfortable places, away from rough sea.
Deep down, Sho cannot help suspecting Aiba’s interior motive. The promotion means so much to Sho it may have clouded his judgement. It probably makes him biased and overly suspicious. Yet, everyone knows Aiba has always been Ninomiya’s best friend. Why isn’t he on Ninomiya’s current project? Sho does not want to go as far as claiming that Aiba is here to spy on Sho or to sabotage his project. Sho knows Aiba well enough to trust that Aiba is a much better man than that. As he says, he just isn’t sure. Sho cannot help thinking there is a conflict of interest here. How come he is assigned Aiba to work on his team?
“You look pale. Maybe you should go inside.” Aiba unintentionally turns Sho’s way and notices the ill-looking Sho staring tiredly at him.
“I am fine. Don’t worry.” Sho waves his hand in denial although he almost vomits upon saying that. He really is too old for this rough ride. Aiba looks worried. He moves in to catch Sho’s arm, probably intending to steer him inside the cabin but Sho instantly jerks his arm off Aiba’s hold. It is a bit more forceful than how Sho intends and Aiba is taken back, surprised.
“I am really okay. I would rather stay here.” Sho tries to sound friendly, as if to compensate for his action earlier. It doesn’t sound convincing. Aiba’s eyes fixate on him for a brief moment as Aiba undoubtedly ponders on Sho’s unexpected reaction. Aiba’s look makes Sho feels strange somewhat. Sho really isn’t sure why.
Finally, Aiba probably decides to let something on his mind go. He gives Sho a brief smile and steps away toward the other side of the boat. With Aiba’s back on him, Sho secretly glances back toward the man. He feels his heart beats a little faster. Sho’s mind starts to wonder off to older days but he quickly pulls it back to present.
No, no, he must not think too much. The last thing Sho needs now is a distraction.
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“Nino, did you hear? Sho-chan is going to be leading a field project. He has requested that I help him on it. I repeat, he “requests” me.” Aiba could not contain his excitement. Aiba had just gotten the news right before lunch time. Now, He and Nino were sitting side by side at the cafeteria. Nino continued to focus on his gyu-don and tried to ignore Aiba’s excited state. But Aiba knew Nino was listening, so he continued.
“I cannot believe it when Shiori-chan told me I would be working with Sho-chan. And it’s a field work, Nino. I want to work with him so much. Finally, I will get to really know him.”
“It is a bad idea, Aiba.” Nino commented dryly. “If you two work on the same project, you are going to be too close to him. It is not good for you. And this, you will go on a trip with him. That is even worse.” Nino voiced his concerns. Aiba, on the other hand, did not register anything his friend said.
“It’s not a vacation, Nino. It’s about work. It’s going to be all professional.” Aiba said firmly.
“You may say that but even you know that it’s not true.” Nino snorted. “You are going on a trip, and being in close-proximity with him almost all the time. And this is Sakurai, you know what’s he’s like.” Nino says gloomily. His friend had been head-over-heels with Sakurai since they were back from the Bureau retreat. Within a few weeks, Aiba moved from “that guy with a really beautiful face” to “Sho-chan” without even actually making friend with him. And for the last month, Aiba looked kind of like a stalker. It was scary. Nino could only conclude that Sakurai was Aiba’s weakness.
So, when Aiba mentioned wanting to be put in the same project as Sakurai, Nino could not help worrying that his friend’s obsession was getting out of hand.
Because they worked in the same office, Nino had been observing Sakurai secretly. Sakurai, from Nino’s observation, was a rather ambitious guy. Sometimes Sakurai looked distant and serious, when the other times he was sweet and caring. Not really a type that would fit well with the overly-optimistic, forever-cheerful, and positive-looking Aiba. Nino was afraid that his friend was going to get hurt if he invested too much on the unpredictable Sakurai. And now, it seemed they were going to be very close, and out of Nino’s supervision. Nino did not trust that Aiba would behave in his own self-interest. Since their years at the university, Aiba had a history of being self-destructive when it came to dealing with someone he really liked.
“Are you sure you can separate the work from your personal life?” Nino asked, rather seriously. “It’s not like Sakurai even likes men.”
“Give me some credit, Nino. For real.” Aiba pretended to be offended.
Aiba had made up his mind. He was going to ignore Nino’s legitimate concern. Aiba was going to work with Sakurai Sho.
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Ohno Satoshi waits to greet Sho and Aiba at the pier.
Ohno is the head of one of the five villages on the island. Ohno is also the project local liaison, who has been responsible for communicating and convening messages and information between the Bureau and the island. Ohno has helped coordinating every visit of the groups from the Bureau. By default, he has been with the project through its various stages of development. If there is anyone who knows the situation the most, it should be him.
According to the notes from the other groups, Ohno seems to have an aloof and distant personality. There were mentions about the difficult times the previous groups had trying to get into Ohno’s interior thoughts and motives. The project liaison has been very helpful and agreeable in his responsibility. However, he has not revealed much of what he feels about the project and no one was able to get it out of him. When the earlier groups failed to convince the villagers of the new development project, they could not help contributing the failure to their inability to get the local liaison fully on board with them. It is a mistake that Sho believes he must rectify.
From the first look, Sho has an impression that Ohno is very reserved. He is still relatively young, considering his village head position, but Sho refrains from commenting on that when they meet. Sho thinks it would sound rude. However, Aiba does not seem to agree and Ohno’s young age is exactly what Aiba comments on right after they greet each other. Surprisingly, Ohno doesn’t look offended. Instead, he laughs quite a good laugh and starts telling them how even he himself thinks so but no one at the village agrees. Ohno looks proud and happy recalling the time when everyone voted for him to represent his village. He concludes with a hopeful look directing at Sho that he hopes this project would prove him worthy of their trust.
It seems Aiba’s initial interaction with Ohno has helped dissolving any barriers of communication between Ohno and them. Ohno ushers them to his small car before taking the driver seat. Aiba takes the front passenger seat next to him and continues chatting, leaving Sho in the backseat alone. During the drive, Ohno looks relaxed and laughs along all of Aiba’s jokes. Aiba lightheartedly complains about their difficult travel to the island. It seems Ohno understands Aiba’s sentiment because he spends a lot of his time at sea. However, Ohno is more accustom to rough sea than most people due to his job.
They are heading to Sho and Aiba’s accommodation for the next two weeks – Ohno’s own home.
“There’s no real hotel for you to stay. I have to make some other alternative arrangement for your accommodation while you guys are here.” Ohno tells them in apologetic tone. “You see, there are not many visitors coming here, let alone wanting to stay. So the town does not have a proper inn.” Sho already knows about this. Tourism and hospitality industry is close to non-existence here. The travel to the island takes too long and deems too difficult. Despite the tourism potentials that the department sees in the area, those possibilities are either underdeveloped or unexplored.
“You are going to stay with us. My wife has made an arrangement for both of you for these two weeks. I have to apologize in advance for the inconvenience of my home.” Ohno explains in soft voice as he drives them through a small road heading away from the more civilized part of the island. It looks like they are heading across the hill to the other side of the island. The distance is not far but the road condition and its size make it difficult to travel fast by car. Sho gets a feeling that they hardly travel any faster than a bicycle ride.
In the background, Aiba and Ohno are still chatting merrily with Aiba mostly dominates the talking. Sho loses interest in listening to them and his mind wonders to the project. Asphalted road is one of several infrastructures that the development plan proposes. And now, Sho is more convinced than ever that the island needs it. The development plan does not just propose the construction of basic infrastructures such as asphalted roads, a new pier, extended electrical lines, and telecommunication poles though. The plan also includes agricultural reform that encourages the local to produce more commercial crops. Currently, the majority of the farmers grow crops for their own consumption and the variety of crops and plants they grow on their land is vast. This leads to the lack of trades between the island and the outside world. Hence, there is very little source of income for local development. The only tradable produce from the island is the famous Miyabi peach, which is considered top quality and a rarity. The fruit is always in high demand and fetches higher price. The development plan would call for the expansion of the peach orchards and the establishment of local cooperative to help selling and distributing the popular peach. The Bureau hopes that the increase of the commercial peach growers would help bring in more income to the local economy and lead to a stronger and more sustainable economic development.
Sho looks out the side window to catch the scenic of the island. The overgrown, healthy forest somehow coexists peacefully with small patches of homegrown vegetables. There are occasional clearings of fruit orchards. The land is nourishing, no doubt from the ample rainfalls and the island’s natural volcanic soil. This place has all the right natural resources for economic growth but it is still far behind in term of economic development. The island seems to be halted in time and everything looks old and rural. The rustic beauty of the island is captivating.
Sho decides to rest his eyes a bit. The travel has been too rough for his over-exhausted body. The past few weeks have been very tiring. Sho was stressed and hardly had decent nights of peaceful sleep. The project means too much for him. As Sho closes his eyes, Aiba and Ohno’s voices seem to fade away. His mind keeps going back to the details of the development plan. Sho secretly wishes, with all his heart, that the plan would be approved, the project would be pushed forward, and the island would turn to the better. All the good that it would do to this place.
The last thought on his mind before Sho falls asleep is that the stake for this project is too high. He cannot fail.
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It’s kind of a given, for a job that required them to be away ever so often. Aiba could see how the field work did not suite Sho’s life style. Sho was more like a city guy. He was so attached to his emails and his social network. And the life in the rural, despite some places did offer decent telecommunication connections, did not satisfy Sho’s craving for interactions. Sometimes work would interfere with his relationship.
“Hey, Aiba, you often leave Tokyo for these community outreach projects and travel a lot. Doesn’t this work get your girlfriend angry?” Sho broke a question to Aiba one evening in a local bar. Aiba could only guess Sho had gotten into a fight with his girlfriend over Sho’s job – again.
“I don’t have a girlfriend, Sho-chan.” Aiba replied monotonically. Surely Sho wasn’t particularly interested in Aiba’s personal life. It’s more likely Sho had something else in his mind he wanted to let out.
“Really? A nice guy like you? No way….” Sho looked surprised. “Anyway, my girlfriend just went ballistic this morning. She was so angry I had to extend my stay here for a few more days. Now, I am going to miss her friend’s wedding.” Sho sighed. “I don’t know what get into us lately. We fight a lot. I think it’s the work.” Aiba secretly agreed to Sho’s comment. Sho was the type that got into his work so seriously a lot of time he forgot there were other things beside work commitments.
“You work a lot, Sho-chan. In fact, you work too much.”
“I know but it has never been a problem before. She was never angry about anything work-related. But now, she seems to very discontented.” Aiba wanted to point out that Sho hadn’t been out on the fields much this year, until the last month when Sho probably ended up spending more than half of the time being away from Tokyo. It would put a strain on any relationships. Sho let out a heavy sigh.
“She changed a lot, you know. She used to be very kind and very gentle. The way she looks at things around her was so pure and so positive.” Sho reasoned. Then, his eyes widened as if he had thought of something. “Oh, right, she was just like you!” Sho reached for his glass of beer and drank from it before he continued, “very caring, very lovely, and so positive. She is perfect, well, at least she was.”
Sho laughed seeing Aiba’s face changed with Sho’s straightforward compliment. Aiba felt the atmosphere was getting very uncomfortable for him. It seemed Sho noticed that. “Okay, okay, sorry. I didn’t mean to humiliate you by saying you are like my girlfriend.” Aiba’s face turned red. Sho let out a laughter that brightened up the whole room.
“Seriously, Aiba-kun, you are perfect. If you are a girl, I would definitely date you.”
Aiba wasn’t sure if he should be happy or sad about the compliment.
(2/3)
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23/2/17 05:39 (UTC)(no subject)
5/3/17 08:48 (UTC)Btw, I love your writing, especially the one you wrote in Arashi Exchange this year. So I am very happy to be writing for you. <3<3 Your prompts were also truly inspiring. I have such fun writing Sho this way. Thank you so much for the wonderful opportunity :D