Tight-rope

Naoki Satoya is the only person who has never treated Ryuunosuke Oohara with fear because of his yakuza family. They have been inseparable since childhood, so Naoki is stunned when Ryu, only months away from inheriting his father's position, announces that he wants no part of the clan and would rather become a train conductor and live quietly.

The family asks Naoki to persuade him to change his mind, assuming their lifelong friendship will make the task easy. Yet Ryu refuses even when the request comes from the person who matters most to him. Naoki gradually realizes this is about more than dislike of yakuza life: Ryu imagines a future in which he does not lose Naoki, and understanding that turns the assignment into a question about the future Naoki wants as well.