Chapter Sixteen: An Ungrateful Heir

ENDO IS QUITE THE TALKATIVE PERSON, THAT'S pretty obvious. Everyone at Karasuno knows the drama queen of the volleyball team who looks for every tid bit of drama and gossip that he can get his hands on. Not only is he well known for his hobby of finding gossip and such, but he also has plenty of admirers. It's not that surprising, considering he has this exotic look to him since he is half-English. Foreigners are not that uncommon, but Endo Joji is certainly one of the most famous ones around Miyagi.

With his father being Endo Hideaki, a wealthy CEO of a medical supply corporation, it's not that surprising that there would be some spotlight on Joji. Hideaki is well known for his past of building his company by himself and slowly growing his wealth as the decades went by. Hideaki is an intelligent man who went through medical school and eventually settled for helping the development of medical supplies that go to hospitals all across Japan. Though they specialize in prosthetic limbs and it's what they are most known for.

Joji's mother is not that well known in the sense of wealth or owning a company. Endo Eliza is a native English woman from the heart of London. She has a small following of people who like her art since she's a small time artist. Not that well-known, but still has enough fame to sell her paintings for a good chunk of change. She of course met Hidake when they were both young adults when he was on a business trip to help distribute his supplies to other countries, starting with Europe. As the story goes, they fell in love, got married, had Joji and eventually Hideaki moved his family to Japan.

So the Endo family has lived in Japan for quite a while now, ever since Endo was in grades school. They've lived in Miyagi for just about most of that time and have become well known amongst the community. 

People know about the Endo family, but not many know Joji. The only ones who come close to that is the volleyball club. Asahi must be the only one who truly understands the blond. So that's probably why Joji likes the volleyball club so much. 

At the moment, Joji was helping out with cleaning up after yet another practice. Though like usual, Endo wasn't doing all that much cleaning. Really all he had done was pick up a few stray balls and then kind of just messed around with his friends. Currently he was observing Shōyō as he swayed from side to side due to exhaustion. "Oh! Are you tired, little guy?" Endo teased Shōyō as he poked him in his cheek. "You look dead on your feet."

Shōyō caught himself before he fell over onto the ground, "Ah!"

"Hahahah!" Endo laughed loudly as the younger boy scowled at him.

"Endo," Daichi called out in exasperation, "leave Hinata-kun alone!" Honestly, Endo acts more like a child than the children.

The blond shrugged his shoulders as he calmed down his laughter. "Huh? I'm just making sure that the poor guy is awake enough to head home!" He smiled widely and puffed out his chest. "I'm just being a good senpai!"

Tsukishima raised an eyebrow as he and Yamaguchi walked past the upperclassmen towards the closet, "Like you can actually do that."

"Tsukishima!" Endo shouted after the other blond who just snickered, "Get over here so I can lecture you about respecting your elders!"

There was the sound of someone clicking their tongue, "Like you deserve our respect."

"Paparazzi-chan!" Endo whined as he stuck out his bottom lip. He turned to the girl who was sitting against the wall and pointed at her with tears in his eyes, "Don't act like that salty beanstock! It's unbecoming of a young lady."

Sakura just rolled her eyes and wrinkled her nose at being compared to Tsukishima. Though even she couldn't deny that her statement was similar to his, "Shut up."

"Oh," Asahi walked over to his friend with Endo's buzzing phone in hand. Of course, it's one of the newest iphones that not just anyone could get. Well, unless you're rich, like Endo is. He handed Endo his phone, "Joji, your phone's been ringing."

"Hm?" He hummed and took his phone from Asahi's outstretched hand. He looked at the number that was calling him and the contact was named 'Don't answer'. He rolled his blue eyes before answering it, "Ah. Hello?"

"Endo-san!" A high-pitched voice exclaimed on the other end. The woman who had been calling let out an exasperated, yet relieved sigh now that he had picked up the phone. "I've been trying to contact you for nearly thirty minutes now!"

Endo scoffed, "Well, did you not know that I'm at practice?" He started to walk out of the gym, not really wanting his friends to eavesdrop on his conversation. The last thing he needs is for any of them to overhear something that he wouldn't want them to know. He waved at them over his shoulder while grabbing his school bag and walking out of the gym. Endo ignored the calls from the others telling him to keep helping and asking him where he was going. If he was getting a call from this number, there was no way he could stay at practice anymore. "Anyway, what is it that my father wants?"

"He wishes for you to be home right now," his father's assistant, Komatsu Tomiko, said hotly, "he has important business to discuss with you about your training for-"

"For what?" Endo snapped as he came to the front gates of the school, "I don't need training for anything."

Komatsu sighed heavily, also not happy to have to make this call like Endo, "I'm only telling you what I was told by your father." There was the shuffling of paper on the other end of the line, "He has a meeting tomorrow afternoon and wishes for you to attend it with him to observe. After all, you'll be taking over the company at some point in your life."

"That's not…" Endo gritted his teeth, annoyance starting to bubble up in his chest, "We agreed that I wouldn't have to worry about anything involving the company until after I graduated." He then clenched his fist around his phone, "not only that, but I have practice tomorrow, just like any other day. He should know that I'm busy!"

"Yes, well," Komatsu exhaled quickly out of her nose, "like I said I'm just-"

"Telling me what father said, yes, yes." He ran a hand through his hair as frustration started to settle in. "Whatever, if it's so important, father should be the one calling me not one of his lackeys!"

"I-"

Endo hung up the phone before the assistant could say anything else. He silenced his phone to make sure that if they did call again, he wouldn't get annoyed by it. The blond stared at his phone for a while before clicking his tongue and shoving it into his pocket, "How lame."

So he trudged away from the school to head home. His head was bowed as he started his journey. He kept his eyes to the ground as contemplated things. Endo is somewhat angry at the moment, it'll take a little bit for him to calm down. 

His bright blue eyes had started to grow dull as he was more or less forced to leave practice a tad bit earlier before he got in trouble. He hates having this happen. It doesn't happen much, though still enough where it got annoying. His father, or more specifically his assistant, would usually try to pull him away from volleyball from time to time. Endo knows that his father doesn't necessarily… understand how he somewhat enjoys the sport. His father has a plan for him, just to grow up, get involved in the medical field and inherit the company when it comes time. Endo doesn't want that. Well, he's not totally sure what he wants. He doesn't have a clear idea of what he wants to go to college for, nor what he wants as a future career. He hasn't had any real interests, besides maybe volleyball. However, he doesn't see himself making a career as a professional athlete. So he doesn't have that much going for him.

When he was little, he had plenty of dreams. Some days he wanted to be a doctor, just like his father, other days he wanted to be an artist, like his mother. Though he also wanted to be a superhero or actor or something completely random. It varied from day to day back then. He seemed to have big dreams like that while he was a child. Then he moved to Japan and that might as well as completely dampened his childish dreams. Being ostracized like he was would do that to a young child. 

Being a CEO of a company isn't really something that he would say he's built for. His father has been trying to mold him into the perfect heir for his company to be passed down to him eventually. It hasn't really worked out all that well, considering how Endo had not taken to the idea that well. Though why his father was bothering him about it now and trying to force him to go to a meeting tomorrow was definitely violating their deal.

 ---

Getting home was a far more depressing affair than it usually was. The entire walk there, Endo just kind of felt like dragging his feet. Perhaps he could just go somewhere else for a bit, cool off since he was still pretty upset about what Komatsu had told him and made him leave practice. Daichi had promised him a meat bun, now he was annoyed he didn't get one as well. Today just truly wasn't going that good anymore.

He finally made his way to one of the largest houses in Miyagi. The Endo family lives on a somewhat spacious estate. It wasn't excessively large, but still enough to basically be considered a mansion. It was a simple style home with traditional Japanese architecture and features. 

"Joji, sweetheart," a melodic, soft voice called out from the living room as Joji walked through the front doors. He walked towards it to find his mother sitting on one of the couches with some tea in her hands. "How was school?" Endo Eliza is the epitome of beauty. While Kiyoko is a Goddess, Eliza is a celestial being! She has long golden hair that shined in the light as if it were the sun. Her skin was pale, but it didn't give her a sickly appearance or anything like that. She seemed to be glowing because of it. Then there were her crystal blue eyes that looked as though they were as blue as a calm ocean. Truly, there isn't much of a question as to why Hidaeki would fall in love with this woman. 

The teen huffed slightly and plopped down on the arm chair beside the couch. "It was fine, I guess." He lazily played with his finger nails, "I heard that one of the boy's baseball players say he's dating a girl from Shiratorizawa, but we all know that's a lie to make his ex jealous."

Eliza sighed, more than familiar with the fact that her son is a hotspot for finding gossip at his school. "That's nice, dear." She then tilted her head, her hair swaying like a golden curtain across her porcelain features, "Though you seem bothered by something. Did something else happen at school?" She could tell right away that Joji was a bit… annoyed by something. He's not as boyishly happy at the moment, which he usually is after school. He'd be talking non-stop about how volleyball practice went, but he was surprisingly quiet. Especially when his father isn't home. A fact that saddens Eliza a bit, but she knows that the relationship between her husband and son is strained. She shook her head and put down her tea cup. "I thought everything was getting better, especially since you told me your friends joined the team again."

"Did father mention to you about some…" Joji clicked his tongue and tilted his head back against the chair, "meeting tomorrow?"

She blinked, "Oh, well, yes, he did."

Joji sighed heavily, staring up at the intricately designed ceiling, "Did he also forget the deal that we made when I went to Karasuno?" His eyes hardened, "Not only that but I have practice tomorrow!" He was certainly growing a bit more upset now. Of course, he's not upset with his mother, he'd never be upset with her. She's far too pure and kind hearted for him to ever get angry with her. His father is the one who will certainly face the ire of his frustration. After all, it's because of him that Joji now has to go to this stupid meeting.

"Sweetheart, calm down," Eliza tried to pacify her son with her soothing voice. She patted the spot next to her on the couch. "Come, here."

Joji got up and lumbered over to the seat and sat down next to her. Eliza patted his back and rubbed circles to try and calm him down further, as she's done so in the past. He let out a heavy sigh, "I know that he expects me to be the perfect little son for him and learn how to work at the company. However, I have my own things to do!"

"...It's alright, Joji." His mother said, "I know it's stressful right now, but it'll be fine eventually."

He looked up at his mother, his eyes completely devoid of their usual mischievous glint as he stared at her with a small amount of disbelief. "Why does it sound like you aren't as annoyed about this as I am."

Eliza sighed and politely placed her hands in her lap. She thought of a response for a moment before finally finding something to say, "Joji, you have to understand, you are your father's son, his only child. He's more than ready to start giving you some insight into how to run the company." Joji just rolled his eyes at her in annoyance. She saw this and ran a comforting hand through his short hair, "Look, sweetheart, I know that you and your father made a deal when you graduated junior high. You agreed that if you were allowed to attend Karasuno, you would take up learning about the company eventually."

"After I graduated from Karasuno," Joji scoffed, "that was the deal!"

"You have to understand, you are going to graduate soon," Eliza stressed, "sooner than you think." She reached over to place a hand on his knee in a form of comfort. "Your father just wants to ensure that you're ready to start looking after a small part of the company. He's trying to have you understand just how important this is to him. To you. We just want you to think about your future, that's all."

Clicking his tongue, Joji shook his head. "I get it. Though did you ever consider what I want to do with my future?" Joji snapped, "Huh?"

"And what do you want to do with your future?" A cold voice asked from the front door. Eliza and Joji turned to find that it was Hidaeki who had entered the living room, home from a long day at work. His sharp, hard dark brown eyes seemingly glared at his son who returned that glare tenfold. Tension started to rise in the home as Hidaeki entered the room fully. His prim and proper black hair was seemingly glued back to his head. His expensive black dress shoes clicked across the floor as he stalked further into the living room with his eyes still burning into Joji's head. "As far as I can tell, you do not have any ambitions, no definitive interests that can be created into a successful career."

Joji clenched his jaw at the truth behind his father's words. Yeah, Joji hasn't found anything that really interested him all that much besides gossip, but he couldn't really turn that into a career. "How would you know?" He debuted, "You're never around to get to know me, father."

It was silent for a moment as Hidaeki considered his words. Not only did Joji realize that his father told the truth, but Hidaeki recognized that his son was also telling the truth. He glanced away for a moment, "That may be true, but I know enough about you, Joji." He squared his shoulder, certainly not willing to back down from this, "You play volleyball, but we all know you are not passionate about it. Besides becoming a professional athlete is completely off the table for you."

"Oh? And why's that?" Joji spat the frustration starting to bubble over, "Is it because my life is basically planned out by you and you are going to force me into your company."

"We aren't forcing you-"

Joji scoffed and cut him off with an unamused chuckle, "Yet I have to learn how the company is going to work and I shouldn't try to find something else to do, right?"

Seeing how upset Joji was getting with the way that his voice was starting to grow tight and grow louder. She hates when these arguments happen. Of course, they happen far too much. "Sweetheart-"

"Joji." Hidaeki cut off his wife with his seemingly ever cold voice, "You are going to inherit the company at some point, whether it's sooner or later, you must know how to conduct business. So I suggest that you come with me to this meeting. It will only take a short while and it's in your best interest." The nonsense in his tone was palpable, but an ever present part of his voice. No matter how many times they argue about this, that got nowhere. While Joji likes to say that he's nothing like his father, he certainly inherited his stubbornness. Both Endo men were completely headstrong and they butted heads far too much.

The pregnant silence that followed his statements was uncomfortable. The tension was at it's all time high as Joji glared at his father intensely. He doesn't understand how his father could think that he could dictate his life. Joji is his own person, if he decides that he doesn't want to join the company, then he has the option not to. Though like his father would ever let that happen. Joji clenched his jaw again, "If I go," he swallowed thickly, "will you leave me alone for the rest of the year about it?"

Hidaeki stared at him with his facial features as hard as stone. He subtly nodded his head, agreeing with the terms, "Fine. Come to this one meeting tomorrow, observe how the proceedings go and I will not… bother you with this until after you graduate high school."

Joji mocked him with a smile, "Yeah so then you can dictate my university life as well."

"Joji," Eliza said firmly, not liking the hostility that was brewing up between her family.

He then brushed off his clothes to straighten them out and then grabbed his discarded school back. His usual bright eyes were stoic and lifeless as he walked away from his parents. He waved his hand over his shoulder and started to head towards the main stairs. "I'm going to bed. Don't bother with calling me down for dinner." He started making his way up the stairs as he could feel the burning gazes of his parents on his back. "Night, Mum. Father."

 ---

"You're going to miss practice?"

Joji nodded his head to Asahi's question as he sat at his desk in his bedroom. Asahi was currently on the phone with him since he needed to talk with someone about what happened. Of course, Asahi is his go too since he knows just how bad Joji's relationship with his father is. He's heard all of the retellings of the arguments between them, and he's always been there to calm and reassure Joji.

"Yea, at least after school." The blond rolled his eyes while leaning back in his chair. His homework is completely forgotten about now. He had first thought that he could do it to distract himself from the argument earlier, but that didn't work. So the next best thing is to call his best friend and just vent. "Father wants to bring me to a meeting tomorrow. He says it won't take that long, but for him that's hours. There's no way I can go to practice at all."

On the other side of the line, Asahi sighed, "Oh, well, maybe it'll be a good thing."

Joji narrowed his eyes, "A good thing for who? Father, probably." He stood up from his desk and started to pace his spacious bedroom, "He'll be more than happy to subject me to the boring meeting."

"Still you can learn stuff there about the company." Asahi said, trying to be somewhat optimistic. He knows that Joji doesn't really want to get involved with the company. However, he knows that Joji is the heir to the Endo family, he knows that it's important for Joji's father to pass it on to him. It's a troubling situation to be stuck in between. Asahi hasn't met Joji's father before, but from the stories that he's heard of him he knows he's a very uptight person. Joji's mother is an angel, he could tell that from the few times that Asahi had met her(really he could tell that from the first time), and he couldn't imagine what it was like being in the middle of the two.

Joji paused in his pacing and blinked, why was everyone seemingly against him right now. He groaned and ran his hand down his face, "And you know more than anyone that I don't want to learn about the company!"

"Joji!" Asahi exclaimed, a bit panicked that his friend was shouting now. He slowly calmed himself down before trying to do the same for Joji. "What I know is that you don't know what you want to do after graduating. Maybe giving the company a chance will be a good idea."

"Yeah…" Joji rolled his eyes, "Whatever. I'll see you tomorrow."

Joji hung up the phone after saying his goodbye and threw himself down on his bed. He stared up at the ceiling in exasperation. Why was this coming up now? He wondered. He still has a year left of high school, the deal that he made with his father just as he was deciding what high school to attend. If he was allowed to go to the school of his choosing, Karasuno High, then after he graduated Joji would do what his father wanted. 

Hidaeki has dictated just about everything in his life. When Joji was born, his father decided to have him stay in London with his mother. Hidaeki stayed in Japan to take care of his business, and never visited Joji. So he lived his life for nearly nine years without really seeing his father in person, only through a screen or on the phone. He blindly idolized a father who was in a completely different country, and who didn't seem to care enough to even visit his only son for so long.

Back then, his mother built up this image of his father that Joji followed blindly, believed without question. It wasn't until they were forced to move to Japan that he saw the truth. Hidaeki brought his wife and son to Japan, picked out the school that Joji was to attend, the friends he had to make to be successful.

Joji questioned his father as to why. Why did he have to do everything his father wanted him to without complaint? He asked those questions and complaints to his father back then. He remembers his father calling him… ungrateful. How was a ten-year-old ungrateful about something like this? A child wanting to just… be a kid and not having the prospect of a company hanging over his head.

He grew up, became a teenager and slowly grew frustrated. In the beginning, yeah, Joji thought that it would be cool to be a CEO like his father. Though with the constant berating from his father, saying that he wasn't enough, isn't what he wants in a son… Joji grew resentful and insecure. For how could a son that wasn't living up to his father's expectations be a good CEO.

That insecurity grew more and more. So it wasn't that Joji didn't want to get involved with his father's company… it's just that he doesn't think he's good enough for it. What if he got into the company and messed it up, becoming a disgrace for the Endo family. After all, his father is all about legacy and such. Even if he tried to say that he dislikes his father… Joji certainly wants his approval.

He burrowed himself in his bed and fluffy duvet and pillows. Perhaps if he hid himself in his bed for long enough he could completely forget about everything. That would be great. So he closed his eyes and settled himself in his bed. He's far too emotional right now. Sleep will definitely distract him from this. Tomorrow is going to be great.