Notes:
Tohma POV.
Inserting more awkward continuum for Another Mission and the rest of the Savers anime. I'll be frank, I'll be brushing over the fact that doing this means that they fought Belphemon more than once somehow (in both Another Mission, and anime)~ I'll just assume they had some good times regardless.
If you're interested in watching all the cutscenes for Another Mission which I translated and subtitled, you can check it on Ryuu-Rogue's site.
It's about 2.5 hours of pure Savers content!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
(A couple weeks before Masaru's return...)
From a surface perspective, Tohma and Suguru, both deep in their respective fields of sciences, had little reason to interact with each other. Tohma was working on discovering a cure for a disease previously uncured, and Suguru was working with the government on ecological discoveries. Perhaps correlations could be made within the results of their work, as there had been the potential for Tohma's cure to come from the subjects that Suguru studied... But the public had no knowledge of that. What the public saw was a noble with a Nobel Prize, won through the cure that he had discovered, and just another family man with a stable government job.
But under the surface, the two had a tight-knit working relationship... So tightly knit to the extent that Tohma was often exchanging calls with the professor regardless of day or nighttime. They were both making huge plans for the future of their world (and another), and there was one person in particular whom they were making those plans for.
More specifically, one man in particular. For Suguru, it was his own son. For Tohma...
Despite how often Suguru and Tohma interacted with each other, they had never held a conversation solely with the two of them in private before. They had private video calls, sure, but in physical presence, they were only having casual lunch outings while eating ramen or udon. Of course, those happened only during the times when Tohma was even in Japan, as for more than half the time, he was in other countries.
Today though... Today was different.
Today, Professor Daimon was spending the afternoon with Tohma for a certain agenda of discussions. For this, it was one-on-one with Masaru's father, to speak of many private matters... beyond their work.
Their families. Masaru's family. Tohma's family too, potentially.
Relena was with him in the living room as he waited for Professor Daimon's arrival. She had just come back from a lunch outing with Chika.
"So Chika tells me that her brother is probably coming home soon!"
"Yes, in a few days if all goes well."
He was still waiting for confirmation from Gaomon that Masaru was ready to go back to the real world for a week, but he had full confidence that it was going to happen. So confident, he could see Masaru's nod of approval in his mind, as clear as day...
"I hope I get to meet him soon! You always look so excited whenever you talk about him."
Tohma shook off a strange shudder that had run through his shoulders, as if it were odd timing for him to think of the fighter. "I've only mentioned him a couple times to you, Relena."
"Yes, and I remember both times so well! You really can't wait to see him, can't you?"
The innocent smile on Relena's face was almost too much for Tohma to deal with. He kept silent out of embarrassment, feeling heat creeping up his cheeks as he hesitated to answer, until a knocking sound came from the door near them.
"Master Tohma, your guest has arrived."
"Show him inside," Tohma said with a sigh of relief.
Relena giggled to herself as she turned towards the hallway. "I'll be in my room for a while."
On the other side of the door was Professor Daimon. Despite all the times they'd been on the phone with each other, exchanged emails, gone on lunch trips... the professor had never once stepped foot into the Norstein mansion before. Part of it was a matter of simply being too busy, with their schedules (particularly Tohma's) never lining up to make room for it. That day, however... nothing was more important than having this time with the professor.
As they sat down together in the living room, Tohma's butler presented them with freshly brewed tea and a set of snacks before leaving the room to their privacy. Suguru was all quietly polite and full of calm smiles as he leaned over his seat to catch the tea's aroma, identifying the jasmine notes... a stark contrast from the distant memory Tohma had of certain other Daimons who had visited many years ago.
Waiting for the tea to cool, Suguru opened up the conversation with a question. "Is Relena back? Chika was out shopping with her, I believe."
"Ah yes, you just missed her. She went to her room. Did you want to see her?"
"No need, I was just curious. It's so nice that those two are getting along so well."
Over the recent years, Tohma had ended up spending a lot of time in Japan to work with the Noguchis regarding the Digital Gate. The mansion in Japan gave him private space from the rest of his family to do his research, save for Relena as soon as she recovered... But that was more than a welcome change to him.
Even before her recovery, Relena wasn't one to let her brother's frequent absence deter her. She even studied Japanese in 'secret' with the help of the maids at the Austrian Norstein residence. Of course, that was all textbook Japanese and limited media in the end, so she still needed a lot of actual practice once she started spending time in Japan. But that was where Chika helped out.
Professor Daimon switched subjects. "I take it that approval for Digisoul filtering is going smoothly?"
"Quite so. I've managed to make clean implementations using the knowledge the DigiGnomes gave me. It's just... I went through so much red tape just to get this trial period approved... It still feels like a long way before we can scale it up to the larger public."
"Once we have solid results to show for it, I'm sure scaling will come at a better pace. But no need to rush it, Tohma."
"I'm well aware that I've been pushing things at a fast pace, Professor. I've even already finalized the scaling methods with our collaborating manufacturers."
"Just glad you're keeping me in the loop. Wow, you even finished that step, too? That could've taken years by itself... But then again, like you said, the real challenge lies outside the manufacturing process."
"Yes... the public, and the Dark Area itself..."
Tohma had long spoken with Suguru regarding his plans for filtering negative emotions into the Dark Area. The Dark Area existed to have such emotions pool into it, and while some in the past had tried to harness the power created there, Tohma instead sought to channel those powers to feed into a symbiotic cycle that would benefit both Digimon and mankind.
Tohma enlisted the aid of Yuma's brother, Kagura Tsukasa, as an expert of the properties of the Dark Area. Tsukasa was one such man who had tried to harness the power created in the Dark Area for his own ambitions. In Tsukasa's case, however, forces from within the Dark Area had influenced his actions beyond his original intent. The man had only wanted to one-up Tohma, but instead he ended up bringing forth a terrifying being who tried to dominate all in existence.
Four years after the incident he caused, Tsukasa was allowed to continue research for the government, under Tohma's supervision. At first, the government wanted to alter Kagura's memories as well, but Tohma ensured that didn't happen. Kagura needed to remember everything he had done in the past. For himself. For Yuma.
Tohma was the reason Kagura Tsukasa didn't just rot behind bars for the rest of his life (although he was also the 'reason' that Kagura was behind bars in the first place... in the loosest sense possible).
Once in a blue moon, Tohma would wonder if Kurata would've had a similar opportunity had he lived after the Belphemon fiasco. He wondered if Kurata would have had the chance to contribute to society, make a positive difference in someone's life again... But there was only so much point to considering what was likely never going to be. The reality of the situation was that Tsukasa was still present and alive, while Kurata... wasn't so much.
Kagura Tsukasa was a changed man after serving four years behind bars, having had plenty of time to repent and blessed with the fortune of Yuma's visits keeping his spirits alive. Even 'behind bars', he was still allowed to read books, browse the internet (heavily monitored, of course), and have access to writing tools and whatnot to keep himself busy. Tohma would pass messages from Yuma to Tsukasa, regarding the potential future at hand, to further motivate him. Tohma made it clear upfront that he still wanted to work with Tsukasa once he was allowed to.
Even released from prison, Tsukasa's access to the outside world was severely limited; he wasn't allowed to travel out of the country, let alone go to the Digital World and whatnot. He had to live completely under government confinement-with his record, he had no other choice but to serve under the government as they had assigned him anyway. He was out of jail, but considering how he was kept secluded from the rest of society in a government facility, it was more like he had only moved to a different type of jailhouse. In any regard, it was better treatment than a regular prison...
Spending only four years in prison for all the wrongdoings he committed seemed light, in all honesty. Tohma was the one who endorsed his early transition into parole (using any and all tools he had at his disposal), immediately after returning from his solo trip to the Digital World. Still, Kagura Tsukasa understood the weight of his 'sins' and was willing to spend the rest of his life under this parole as long as his sister Yuma was happy.
And she was. She had great friends, she had dreams to aspire to, a brother she could still call family... After learning that Renamon was the mayor of an important Digimon settlement in the Digital World, Yuma only wanted all the more to see him again. Tsukasa was there to help realize that dream.
In the meanwhile, there was still a lot of work that had to be done on Tohma's end.
"I had plenty of ideas for a scalable version of a smartphone with Digisoul filtering, but in the end, I had to go with the proprietary route. It's been a major conflict with me since I'm a big supporter of replaceable parts. Making it replaceable presents a huge risk though, since someone could potentially manipulate the Digisoul filtering function as a result. At the same time, I don't want to remove that freedom... Being able to replace individual parts when one part goes wrong rather than having to replace the entire device is better on sustainability and other long-term factors..."
"You're more into the hardware than I ever had the knowledge for, but I think I understand where you're coming from. How about keeping only the filtering compartment irreplaceable, while everything else remains as usual?"
"Companies are already trending toward making everything proprietary, sadly. I don't want to be a part of that trend, but at the same time, I'd HAVE to in this case, if we want to ensure the safety of the Digisoul filtering system. The most I can do is help ensure the filtering component is at its best in every device, so that it never becomes a liability... Always easier said than done. There's only so much I can do about it..."
"We can't all win everything, Tohma."
Tohma took a sip from his tea cup before speaking again. "I bet your son thinks otherwise."
"Speaking of which, there's still yet a bigger challenge to all this, regardless of the public, or this Dark Area business..."
"You mean explaining all of this to Masaru in a way he'd understand? Considering how important his involvement will be in all this, he should at least TRY to understand, at least."
"It's not as if you HAVE to have him understand EVERYTHING," Suguru added in a strange manner of sympathy. "Just motivate him into doing what he needs to do, and you'll be set."
"Professor Daimon, you do realize this is your own son you're talking about?"
"And I would've thought that after all these years, you'd know how to handle him..."
"There's only so much I can do when it comes to him..." Tohma veered his gaze away, running through various thoughts in his head.
"I have a pretty strong feeling that I know what you're capable of when it comes to him."
Tohma left his mouth gaping for a short moment, unable to put his racing thoughts into words.
So instead, the professor continued. "I also know that after all these years working on this project with you, you're not doing this solely to see Gaomon again, or even just to prove yourself to certain people. You have other extremely personal reasons for this."
"Huh?" Tohma stirred in his seat, knowing he was doing a poor job at covering up his emotions, but Suguru gave him the mercy of switching subjects with his next words.
"This might just be all my ego talking, though. Pardon if I seemed to be making assumptions... I'm no saint like any of the Digimon tried to make me out to be. I have ambitions, and they're pretty selfish ones."
Tohma took another sip of tea, trying to relieve some nervousness that had built up. "You've always been completely respectable to me, Professor Daimon."
Suguru laughed and started plucking the treats on the tiered tray. He picked up a triangular-looking pastry from the middle of the 3-tier rack and took a bite. "I'm lucky to have you guys around to make these ventures into the Digital World in my stead. Now I just get to be an old man trying to tout both manliness and pacifism in these constantly changing times."
"Pacifism... True, it's what we ultimately stood for at DATS."
"Some people attribute the utter violence of world wars as the catalyst for rapid development of technology, but I'm here to prove them wrong. Our simple desires to do great things can do just as well, and in fact better. I mean, if we were strife with war, we wouldn't get to enjoy these nice conversations over these great snacks. What is this, by the way? I like it."
"It's a scone," Tohma replied, smiling with some reservation. "I'm the same way, Professor. I just worry sometimes if what we're doing could result in something that spells disaster further down the line..."
"They say only hindsight is 20/20. Mitigating anomalies as a foresight... that's what your genius self is here for, am I right? No pressure."
Tohma furled one brow at the older man.
"But seriously... There's only so much we can worry about in the current timespace we can work with. You just keep concentrating on what you do best." Suguru, having finished the scone, took a long sip of tea before giving Tohma a staunch look. "I'm here to back you up, and I'm grateful that you're with us, Tohma."
"And I'm grateful to have your assistance and experience on board. I know you've heard it countless times already, but truly, everything you've done has been a huge boon for us all."
"Like I said, I'm just an old-"
"I don't mean only these last six years you've been working with me. Everything you did in the Digital World before that... And even before the Digital World was discovered... I..." Tohma's voice trailed off completely.
Suguru let the young man's words settle in for a moment before speaking again. "All this flattery seems out of place somehow. You didn't have me come here today just for us to go through these work-related formalities again, did you?"
"No, there was certainly more to this than just work. But I... don't know where to begin with the other things I had in mind. After all, you're already aware that I'm awaiting a response from Masaru regarding his first return..."
Daimon Suguru was far more intellectually cultured than Masaru, and over the years, Tohma continuously found himself amazed at how different the two were in that aspect. Suguru never let details slip past him if he ever caught onto something he needed to address. Although Masaru was also stubborn once his mind was set, there were still fundamental differences with how they expressed their obstinance.
In this case, Masaru likely wouldn't have noticed a certain number of details in the first place. He wouldn't have noticed this subtle flattery to be so far out of place, for instance. At the same time, he might've called Tohma out on the whole thing far earlier in the conversation, strictly out of gut instinct. Suguru just had more tact.
"Then I'll try moving this along." The older man sat back with his shoulders slack, cupping his crossed knee with his palms. "You've been a different man ever since you came back from the Digital World a couple years ago. And it's not just about what the DigiGnomes put into your noggin."
"But they DID give me a lot to work with... We've loaded our past two years with all this development and planning, yet we're still at the first step with everything. Even if or when Masaru comes back, there's still so much to d-"
"That brings me back to my point about why you're doing all this. It's ONLY been two years since you came back from that trip, and we've gone from barely allowing one person to go to the Digital World for a week, to already being in talks of officially opening up the Digital Gate to the public. I know I skipped a lot of steps by saying that, but this is exactly why I know it's not just about the Digimon for you."
Daimon Suguru's gaze firmly met with Tohma's before he continued.
"It's about that man, my son, who's there in the Digital World right now. It's about what all of this means to him... And from him to you. Masaru is important to you. Perhaps in ways even more important than mine."
"W-What do you mean by that..."
"It's fine if you want him to stay with you when he comes back. Assuming he wants the same."
Daimon Suguru had more tact than his son... Or at least Tohma thought he did. In the end, he was just as frank all the same.
Well, at least there weren't flying fists involved. Just drinking tea. Suguru took another sip.
Tohma tried to keep his voice from stuttering as he spoke up. "I've been running under the assumption that he'd be staying at the Daimon residence. I couldn't just..."
"You don't have to keep beating around the bush, Tohma. If you're a man, stand by your dreams with your head held high. If he wants to be with you, and you want to be with him, then I'll respect that dream."
"...I never once even brought up the implication that Masaru and I were... like that."
"Tohma... I study animals for a living. Don't underestimate my ability to notice these things."
Tohma almost gave a nervous laugh, but instead it came out as a short puff of a sigh.
"As I said, you've been a changed man ever since you came back from the Digital World," Suguru continued. "Every time Masaru came up in our conversations since then, your face wouldn't show it, but your ears would."
In that instant, the blond cupped both of his ears with hands. He had no idea...
Yet... with the way things were going... perhaps...
Suguru laughed, loud enough to practically echo through the large room. "No need to get defensive or anything at this point. Maybe we can talk more about this later? I'd like to hear more details about your plans for Masaru's return first. We've discussed it in broad terms, but I'm guessing you have a deeper breakdown of the schedule at this point."
"I do..."
Tohma always knew that every one of the Daimons had a big heart. Still, he'd held back on telling any of them about his relationship with Masaru. In all honesty, he thought it would only prove to be a distraction to all parties if he let that become a focus point in his conversations with the Professor. He needed every bit of focus he could hold onto so that he could realize his long list of goals.
His long list of goals... that ultimately led to that one person.
Even today, he had only intended to go over his plans for Masaru's return. Although it was true there would be certain additional conveniences if Masaru were to stay with him during some duration of the return, he had no issues just going to the Daimon residence whenever he needed to. He DID want Masaru to stay with him ultimately, but this first return didn't have to be the time for that. There was still so much to be done before that day.
But...
He'd said something along that line two years ago, to Masaru directly in the town hall auditorium of Digicon Valley. 'It's going to be a while yet before I can stay with you. We've made it this far... We just have to keep pressing on.'
Still a while yet... He'd spent so many years thinking like that, perhaps something in him was refusing to acknowledge that things were changing, even though he was the one propelling those changes in the first place.
This shift had to happen sooner or later. If anything, the father Daimon had just made everything easier for him.
As Tohma laid out the schedule he had planned out for Masaru's return, indicating various medical tests, the number of bureaus they had to physically visit, the 'important' people they had to meet, and all such details... he suddenly felt lighter somehow. A burden had been lifted.
Tohma could feel a sense of cleansing everywhere within his system. He always had faith that Suguru was the kind of person to have a big heart that even such a special relationship was welcomed with no malice whatsoever. Nonetheless, to experience it in such a personal moment... Once again, Tohma quietly awed the power of the Daimon family.
After going through the schedule explanation, Suguru held a hand to his chin and nodded.
"Is there any flexibility in this schedule of yours?"
"Considering that I don't even have confirmation from Masaru yet, none of these absolutely have to happen on the designated days I've noted. They just have to happen at one point or another during his return."
"Good, good. Tohma... You turned 20 recently, right?"
"Yes, what about it?"
"When Masaru comes back... I was thinking you two could have your Coming of Age ceremonies together. Unless you've already decided not to go through it, of course. I wasn't sure, since your father isn't Japanese and all..."
Tohma paused before answering. "I've heard and read up about it, but I haven't given it too deep a thought... I have dual citizenship, and as far as things go in Austria, I've been an adult there for many years already..."
"Heh... More like you've been a NOBLE there for many years. I've known you long enough to see that it's time you had the real deal, in good ol' traditional, Japanese fashion. What say you?"
Suguru gave Tohma a calming stare of approval, so calming that chills went down the blond's back.
In actuality, Tohma was well aware of the advertisements for the Coming of Age celebrations that had been littered all over the city, mixed in with the sooner-to-come New Year celebrations. In those advertisements, there were often images of newly-branded adults dressed in fancy kimonos and suits, the sight of which always struck a chord within his certain memories long passed...
And here was Suguru, earnestly suggesting him to make the most of the opportunity. Ah... There really was something about all of the Daimons that always ignited the suppressed passions inside him.
"...I can have specially tailored hakama and professional photographers arranged for the both of us."
Suguru visibly tilted back in reflex. "I won't stop you from pulling out a few stops, but just don't go overboard with it all."
"Just ensuring a memorable experience for an important, once-in-a-lifetime event, Professor."
"Heh... Well, I'm glad my son chose to be with someone so meticulous."
Tohma didn't know how to respond to that remark. It was more like... That remark kept invoking more questions he wasn't sure about asking. Questions that were likely too direct, questions that would likely put further strain on his thoughts if he were to actually ask them...
For now, there was one... fundamental question he needed to ask, at least.
"Professor..."
End Notes:
Just to clarify... There's more to this... next chapter.~