E: Thank you for agreeing to this interview and making time in your busy schedule.

J: Not at all. It’s my pleasure.

 

E: So, I hope you don’t mind, but I’d like to dive right in.

J: By all means.

 

E: How long have you been working with Hayato in the Sea & Storm Agency?

J: As the Sea & Storm agency? It must be…over ten years now.

 

E: Pardon me for saying, but you don’t look old enough.

J: Why thank you (laughs), but I’m older than I look.

 

E: Good genes, huh?

J: You could say that, yes.

 

E: Okay, next question. What’s the best thing about working with Hayato?

J: Hmm, well… That’s a difficult question.

 

E: Sorry about that.

J: Not at all. Let’s see… He’s very passionate and he can be headstrong and reckless, but his heart is in the right place and I know I can trust him to be there when it counts.

 

E: That’s great. Sounds like he’s a pretty good partner.

J: He can be.

 

E: When he wants to?

J: … When he focuses.

 

E: Right. Okay. What do you like best about your job?

J: Oh, there are so many things. I like the opportunity to be useful. I like helping people. I like solving puzzles. I like meeting different kinds of people. There are a lot of things I never would have experienced without this job.

 

E: Really? Can you give me an example?

J: Well… I can’t give you anything concrete at the moment, but what I do as a part of Sea & Storm is outside my usual field of expertise.

 

E: Oh, that’s a perfect lead in to my next question. What is your field of expertise?

J: (laughs) Well, for the Sea & Storm Agency, I handle all of the logistics — paperwork, client meetings, billing, location scouting, resources…

 

E: Sounds like a lot.

J: It can be, but I’m good at those kinds of details. Even if I tried to make Hayato do some of it, I’d probably end up going over all of it again to check and make sure he’d done it properly. It’s quicker if I just do it myself.

 

E: I see. Yeah. He doesn’t seem like the paperwork type.

J: No, he certainly isn’t.

 

E: Okay, one last general question, and then we’ll move on to the rapid-fire round.

J: Sounds good.

 

E: What’s the scariest thing that’s ever happened on the job?

J: … That’s another difficult one. … We see so much in our jobs, things most people wouldn’t understand or believe… Trying to find the best way to solve these problems without upsetting the Balance can be challenging. I think it’s not so much the things we encounter on the job that scare me, it’s more…getting it wrong, making the wrong decision in the moment. Every action has consequences. Sometimes the enormity of that can be daunting.

 

E: I see… Not the answer I was expecting, but thank you. There’s a lot to think about there.

J: I hope it was all right.

 

E: It was great. Now on to the rapid-fire questions. Don’t think. Just answer when I ask. Okay?

J: Fire away.

 

E: Coffee or tea?

J: Tea.

 

E: Chocolate or vanilla?

J: Oh… vanilla.

 

E: Up early or up late?

J: Up early.

 

E: Fantasy or sci-fi?

J: Sci-fi.

 

E: DC / Marvel or manga?

J: …what does that mean?

 

E: You know, like, American superhero style comics, or Japanese comics.

J: Ah… I’m not really familiar with either, so I’ll just choose Japanese comics.

 

E: (laughs) All right. Here’s an easier one. Dogs or cats?

J: Cats. Of course. (laughs)

 

E: Final question. Ready?

J: Ready.

 

E: Save the world or save your true love?

J: Both.

 

E: All right. I think that’s all. Thank you again for coming in and agreeing to do this.

J: It’s been a pleasure, and I wish you luck with the rest of the interviews. Hayato can be…challenging, but he’s a good person at heart.

 

E: I’ll keep it in mind. Thank you again.

J: My pleasure.