#19 Next to What I Love

I had a meeting with my boss today.

"What kind of career are you thinking about for the future?"

I was asked that, but I couldn't answer.

I've always been bad at these kinds of questions.

Things I want to do.
Things I want to become.
Future goals.

I wonder how many people can state those clearly.

Honestly, I'm just doing my best to get through each day.

Handling the work right in front of me, one by one.

Is that not good enough?

At the end of the meeting, my boss said,

Maybe you should start by thinking about what you like.

***

Even after I got home, those words kept spinning around in my head.

Things I like.

Even if I'm told that,
I can't think of anything that would connect to my work.

"For a mob character like me,
living a reasonably happy life is enough..."

The moment I muttered that while collapsing onto the sofa, he appeared.

"...Mob? ...Mo-mob? ...Peach fart?"

"You're saying weird things again (lol)"

No, I shouldn't laugh.
But I can't help it.

"Kaupon, you really love 'farts,' don't you?"

"Hmm."

"You're not even going to deny it? (lol)"

Then Kaupon started singing to the tune of that melody everyone knows.

"Fart is the 'f' in 'freedom'~♪"

For a moment, the room went silent.

"…What is that—! (lol)"

It was so incredibly silly that I held my stomach and laughed.

With a smug look on his face, Kaupon

"Fart is the 'f' in 'freedom'~♪"

kept singing it over and over again.

Once my laughter had calmed down a little, I asked him.

"Do you like that so much?"

"Hmm."

"…You really like it?"

"I love it."

That answer made me feel
a little bit envious.

He likes peaches.
He likes ice cream.
He likes paper airplanes.
He likes cicada shells.

And he likes the fart song, too.

The things he loves just keep popping out.

I thought I didn't know what "love" was, but
perhaps I was justlooking for something bigfrom the very beginning.

"I kind of want to find something like that too."

"Hmm."

"It might take some time, but I feel like I could find it with Kaupon."

"Leave it to me"

My stomach still hurts a little from the lingering laughter.

Things that are difficult to do alone
might just be found before you know it
if you walk while laughing with someone else.

My "search for what I love"
starts today, together with Kaupon.