[Kitsumi]

Rylan was quick to agree, nodding enthusiastically. "Yeah, now all three of us can bond! I mean, we're gonna be out here for what, a month? That's plenty of time for... uh, for us to... bond." He was having trouble verbalizing his thoughts, but hopefully he had gotten his point across.

[Kitsumi]

At first, Malcolm didn't know what to say. He felt a bit guilty that he had possibly deprived his sons of something so important. But at the same time, he felt incredibly proud of them, especially seeing how understanding and patient they were being with him. And he was hopeful for the future.

[Kitsumi]

"Alright, starting now, things are going to change," Malcolm said. "I don't want you two to compete against each other, and I don't want to be so hard on both of you." He paused, thinking. "Of course, that doesn't mean that your training isn't going to be hard. Because it will."

[Kitsumi]

"The training has to be hard, because our line of work is so dangerous," Malcolm continued. "I need both of you to be strong enough to handle whatever is thrown at us. Going easy on the two of you would only get all of us killed, I hope you understand that."

[Kitsumi]

"You don't have to explain," Roman took the chance to speak up when Malcolm paused to take a breath. "We know that you are just trying to give us the tools we need to survive out there. We don't expect you to just let us sit back and do nothing."

[Kitsumi]

Rylan nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we get it," he said. "I mean, you already gave us the option to back out of this before we came out here. You told us just how tough and dangerous our jobs would be. We chose this, and we're ready for whatever training we have to go through."

[Kitsumi]

"I'm glad that you both understand," Malcolm said. He was relieved that both of his sons had such a good attitude about the harsh training they would have to undergo before joining him in his line of work. "But there's something else that I need you to understand. I'm on your team."

[Kitsumi]

"I don't want you to feel like you have to be afraid of failing because you might disappoint me," Malcolm continued. "Because that will never happen. If you struggle with something, I want to be able to help you. And if you decide that this line of work isn't for you, that's okay."

[Kitsumi]

Roman and Rylan exchanged looks. Somehow, both of them understood that they were feeling the same way. The younger brother nodded, giving his older brother permission to take the lead.

"I think I speak for both of us," Roman said. "When I saw that we won't change our mind. We want this."

[Kitsumi]

"We've wanted this ever since we were kids," Rylan added. "Back when we were little and you would tell us stories about working the job with grandpa, I knew that I wanted to one day work with you."

"You're my hero," Roman spoke again. "I would like nothing more than to be just like you."

[Kitsumi]

If the two brothers didn't know any better, they would have said that their father's eyes looked a bit misty, almost like he was holding back tears. But of course, that certainly couldn't be possible. Malcolm had never cried, not once. It was probably just a trick of the light or something... right?

[Kitsumi]

"I... thank you, boys." When Malcolm spoke, his voice sounded slightly choked up, although it was such a slight change that it could have been imagined. "It means a lot for me to hear you say that. I know that the two of you will succeed in this, no doubt about it."

[Kitsumi]

An awkward silence ensued, as neither man seemed to know what to say next. Eventually, Malcolm spoke up. "Why don't we take it easy today? The rest of the month is going to be tough, so it's only right that you should have a day to prepare for all of that."

[Kitsumi]

Roman seemed a bit unsure. "Is that really okay?" he asked. "I thought it was important that you didn't go easy on us?" It wasn't that he didn't want to simply spend time with his father and brother. He did. But he didn't want to forget about the main purpose of this trip.

[Kitsumi]

"It's just one day," Malcolm replied. "Don't worry, I'll start whipping you boys into shape tomorrow." He offered them a rare smile. "Besides, pushing you too hard too soon could result in one of you getting hurt. And that's the last thing that I would want to happen to either of you."