Free Time Events: Hide Yamazaki (Side C)
EVENT 1: Both Yamazaki-san and I have rather unimpressive talents compared to our peers. I'm a bit surprised that he thinks of his that way, though.
Yamazaki-san quizzed me on some of the trivia behind Magical Girl Sakura. I did fairly well when it came to things that were shown in the film, but struggled a little when asked about the actors' careers (except for Akira-san, of course).
"I've got a non-trivia question for you, Nagato," Yamzaki-san said, "but, uh, I'm not sure how to ask it."
"Please go ahead and ask, Yamazaki-san," I said. "I reserve the right to refuse to answer it, but there's no harm in telling me the question."
"All right," Yamazaki-san said. "You, uh, seem to have one of the lamer talents out of everyone in this class, don't you?"
I giggled.
"What's so funny?" Yamazaki said.
"Nothing, really," I said. "It's just that you made the right call asking me instead of Asakura-san."
"That's for sure," Yamazaki-san said. "I may not be all that bright, but I'm not that dumb."
I couldn't help but laugh. Of course, while I wasn't a genius or a fool, I'd gotten on Asakura-san's bad side just by getting into this class, and I couldn't think of anyone who'd managed to get on his good side (if only because no one seemed willing to put in the effort).
"But in all seriousness," Yamazaki-san said, "I know that it does sound like I'm making fun of you... or it would if it was anyone but me. I can't really look down upon you when my talent's a pretty useless one."
"Why do you say that?" I said. "Don't people like to watch you ace game shows on TV?"
"They do," Yamazaki-san said, "but it inevitably gets old after a while. That's why that Andy Warhol guy said that people will be famous for 15 minutes in the future. Obviously, '15 minutes' is an exaggeration, but you're only famous as long as people think you're worth talking about. Successful celebrities have to keep doing what they do best to stay in the spotlight."
Yamazaki-san was right; fame didn't last forever. As celebrated as Akira-san was, there would likely come a day when she'd end up being forgotten, quite possibly during her lifetime. Perhaps she would always have fans, but if she didn't continue to work hard, then she'd soon find herself out of a job.
"But I digress," Yamazaki-san said. "Do you think your talent's 'lame'?"
I paused to think for a moment. The answer I had in mind would likely make me come off as waffling on the question, since Yamazaki-san clearly wanted an unambiguous "yes" or "no" answer, but I decided to give it anyway.
"I'll admit that it's not exactly impressive," I said, "since not all Ultimate talents are created equal, after all. But it is useful in its own way, not to mention my ticket into this school, after all, so I wouldn't give it up."
"Hmmm..." Yamazaki-san said. "You say it like it's a 'yes,' but in reality, it's more of a 'no.' Interesting..."
Yamazaki-san quickly changed the subject, but I could tell that he wasn't entirely happy about my answer for some reason. I could only guess why, but since it wouldn't be a very reliable guess, it would be better to wait until he was ready to tell me.
EVENT 2: Even more entertaining talents get old after a while. Whether you're good at something matters less than whether people have use of your skills.
Yamazaki-san asked me some more trivia questions about various other shows. Even though it was obvious that I wasn't nearly ready to compete on Eureka, the show that had helped Yamazaki-san become famous, he said I was better than average in the topics I mentioned knowing about.
"I have a question about what we discussed last time," I said. "You don't see many tech support professionals on TV, do you?"
"Nope," Yamazaki-san said. "I know of one Indian drama called Delhi Nights in which Indira Dhobi, one of the supporting characters, works at a call center."
"I didn't think so," I said, "but people did like seeing you answering trivia questions, didn't they?"
Yamazaki-san shrugged.
"I guess they did," Yamazaki-san said, "but the main draw is that it's entertaining to watch. They're mainly curious about how long I can go on, and when I'll ultimately lose. Now that my run's finished, I'm sure they'll forget about me eventually."
I didn't have anything to say to that, since while I knew it was true, it probably wasn't good to bluntly tell Yamazaki-san that.
"You know," Yamazaki-san said, changing the subject, "some of my friends actually have part-time jobs at a fast food joint I frequent. They're generally decent at their job; they aren't anything special, but their performance is reliable, so their bosses gladly keep them around."
"Good for them," I said. "Do you think they're better off than you?"
"I dunno," Yamazaki-san said, "since they sure as hell aren't planning on doing that for a living. But in some ways, proving you can do something pretty well for the long term might just be better than doing amazing for the short term. Of course, the real challenge is finding something you're even pretty good at."
I had to agree. Choosing a career was a difficult decision, since while you weren't necessarily stuck at the same company or in the same line of work for your entire career, you'd have to think carefully about where your skills and passions lay, and choose something that suited you. For some, that choice was easier than others, and while my choice wasn't especially easy, Yamazaki-san had a more difficult time than I did.
EVENT 3: Some of the talents that are most useful to society aren't necessarily the most fun to watch. Unfortunately, Yamazaki-san's talent is the opposite, being entertaining but not all that good for a career.
I met up with Yamazaki-san again, and we discussed some of the more obscure TV shows he'd watched or read about to prepare for Eureka. They ranged in quality from "pretty good" to "garbage," and while many were soulless and cliched, others were surprisingly original. We were discussing one show about a high school girl who could transform into an adult police officer for an hour a day when Yamazaki-san changed the subject to ask me a question.
"You know, Nagato, I've been thinking about what you asked me before," Yamazaki said. "Have you ever seen any lawyers on TV?"
"I have," I said. "I remember seeing a few trial scenes in some movies."
"I thought you'd say that," Yamazaki-san said, "but have you ever seen real trials on TV?"
I shook my head.
"I guess not," I said. "The real thing's a lot more boring, isn't it?"
"You got that right," Yamazaki-san said. "Instead of a prosecutor and defense attorney screaming 'OBJECTION!' at each other as they bring up increasingly crazy arguments to find the true culprit, a lot of cases take hours or even days... when they aren't settled out of court or with a plea deal."
It was obvious that the producers of stories with trial scenes were taking artistic liberties with the legal system, but was it because they couldn't be bothered to do the research, or because they knew the truth wouldn't be as entertaining? The reason probably varied from person to person, and for most of them, putting them into one of the two categories would be oversimplifying things.
"Speaking of which," Yamazaki-san said, "surgeons' work is similar in some ways. Surgery is often a nerve-wracking process that takes hours, with one slip-up resulting in the patient's death, but if you can do the job, you'll save many lives."
"You're right about that," I said, "but what are you implying? Is your point that you... can't do anything like that?"
I wondered if it was too obvious, but Yamazaki-san nodded.
"Something like it," Yamazaki-san said. "My point is that all those people have ways to be useful to others, which is more than I can say for myself. Sure, I'm fun to watch, but in the end, did I really make anything or help anyone?"
I was about to ask, "Isn't that enough?", since there were many wealthy and successful entertainers, but I knew that Yamazaki-san would have quickly shot down that question with a "No" answer.
EVENT 4: Yamazaki-san is actually jealous of me, and wishes he had a useful talent. Despite that, he's willing to consider what he can do for a living
Once again, I met Yamazaki-san, who wasn't in the mood to talk about pop culture or trivia.
"You know, Nagato-san," Yamazaki-san said, "even though I suggested that we both had 'lame' talents, I was actually jealous of yours."
I chuckled nervously. I wasn't exactly the kind of person who had many enviable qualities, so I'd never heard that before, and didn't know how to respond.
"On second thought, maybe you should have gone to Asakura-san instead," I said. "I think he'd have enjoyed hearing you say something like that, which would've stroked his ego."
"Heh, true," Yamazaki-san said, "but you're the kind who can listen without judging me, so I thought you'd be a better pick."
"I'm glad you think so," I said, "so feel free to say what's on your mind."
Yamazaki-san nodded.
"Well, it goes back to what I've been saying," Yamazaki-san said. "People who call you up need your help, don't they? So I'm guessing after you answer their questions, they'll be grateful to you, right?"
"In theory," I said. "In many service jobs, your customers are rather entitled, showing little gratitude when you do your job right, and complaining bitterly when you don't do it."
"OK, so maybe it doesn't work out that smoothly in reality," Yamazaki-san said, "but I know your employers will pay you good money because they need someone to answer other people's questions and think your skills are worth the price. It'll take you less than a year to earn as much as I did in my run on Eureka, won't it?"
"Maybe it will," I said, "but you earned that much in a few nights."
Since we were arguing purely in terms of theoretical money, without mentioning any actual amounts, Yamazaki-san merely shrugged.
"I guess," Yamazaki-san said, "but I only made a couple million yen, and many workers make at least a billion over the course of their careers. It was fun being on television and winning all those competitions, but it isn't a living."
"Maybe not," I said, "but I'm sure there's something you can do with your skills."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, I guess," Yamazaki-san said. "It isn't too specific, though; I guess I'm supposed to find the answer on my own?"
"Yes, because you're the only one who can answer it," I said. "Perhaps we could put our heads together and help think of some ideas, but the choice is yours."
It sounded like a cop-out, but this was one decision I didn't feel comfortable making for Yamazaki-san.
"Then I'll start by doing some thinking by myself," Yamazaki-san said. "I'll talk with you when I have some ideas to discuss."
"Until then, Yamazaki-san," I said. "In the meantime, I'll think of a few myself."
I said goodbye to Yamazaki-san for now.
EVENT 5: Yamazaki-san is starting to find his own path for the future.
Yamazaki-san invited me to his cabin and we brainstormed what he could do for a living. We came up with a surprising number of possibilities, even if most of them were relatively menial jobs.
"Wow, thanks, Nagato," Yamazaki-san said. "I'm amazed we came up with this many ideas."
"That's the natural result when two people put their heads together and make an honest effort," I said. "I'm sure Nagato-sensei would be an even better source of guidance for you. She's a professional, after all."
"You're probably right," Yamazaki-san said, "but as far as amateurs go, you're still my first choice."
I was taken aback for a moment.
"Really?" I said. "I'm not sure what sort of qualifications I have to help you with that."
"Well, you're a good listener and a trustworthy friend," Yamazaki-san said, "which is what counts more than anything."
"I'm glad you think so," I said. "I've been doing some thinking myself, and I found a career I want to pursue- to be a teacher like Mom."
"Great plan," Yamazaki-san said, "and while you're at it, you should double as the school's guidance counselor. I'm sure that will be a good career for you, probably better than any I could aspire to."
"I wouldn't be so sure," I said. "I think you'd do a good job at anything you set your mind to."
"Thanks, Nagato, Yamazaki-san said. "Coming from you, that means a lot.
We shook hands. Neither of our talents were very promising for our future careers, but they had gotten us into Talent High School, enabling us to meet each other and everyone else in our class. I didn't know what the future had in store for us, but I knew that I'd always be grateful for the chance to meet all these people I'd have never spoken with otherwise.
Author's Notes
Many of the characters I write have relatively useless talents, to show that not all Ultimate titles are equally desirable. This series of Free Time Events shows how some titles don't necessarily guarantee success in the future.
This concludes Chiyuri's Free Time Events. There will be some other Side Stories, including Cruise Mode, eventually.
