Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 5/27
May. 27th, 2010 03:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkera.k.a. is that the best they offer?
Haruko, the cute girl, was leaving the house. She had her hat on again, and her bag in her hand. She faced Shigeru, who was standing in the entry way, and said, "Thank you so much. I learned a lot." Shigeru said, "No, no, you really helped me. And... here's your pay. It's not much." He held out an envelope. Haruko said, "No, I couldn't." Shigeru pushed it into her hands. "Take it, you deserve it. And you need to have some money if you're going to live in Tokyo." Haruko took the envelope, with a little bow. Then she looked at him and said, "Yesterday when I got here the future was very black. But now, thanks to you, I think there is some good in it." Shigeru said, "So what's next for you?" She said, "I'll look for some work, and a place to live."
Haruko walked into the street. She looked up, and raised her hands, with her bags in one hand. She stretched. "Oh, the morning air is so good and fresh."
Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Shigeru got a glass of water. Fumie said, "Why don't you rest a little?" Shigeru shook his head. "I can't. I'm not done yet." Fumie said, "Who was she, anyway?" Shigeru laughed. "Oh, she tried to get Fukuzawa to teach her, and he sent her home. But she couldn't find him this time, so she came here. Why?" Fumie said, "I didn't know. No introduction, she just walked in looking for you."
Shigeru shook his head. Then he sneezed, a sudden deep sneeze that curled him up and blew his glasses off and across the floor. Fumie picked them up and handed them back to him. He fumbled, putting his glasses on. Fumie said, "Are you all right?" Shigeru said, "Oh, don't fuss. I'm going to work." He went into his work room and shut the doors.
While he was drawing, the pages seemed to waver. He blinked. "I must be tireder than I thought." He kept on drawing.
Later, Fumie came in from hanging clothes. She found Shigeru sitting in the entryway, with his army bag. "Are you going out?" He said, "Yes. Have to deliver this." He started to stand, then wobbled, and sat down again. Fumie leaned down and put her hand on his forehead. "You've got a fever!"
In the kitchen, Shigeru sat in the corner. Fumie brought out a housecoat and pajamas. Fumie said, "You don't eat, you haven't slept, and now you've got a fever. You have to rest." He shook his head. "No, I have to deliver this." He started to struggle up, and sat down again. Fumie looked at him and said, "Let me take it. I can do that." Shigeru looked at the bag. "No, no, I have to do it."
Fumie knelt and said, "Believe in me. I may not be able to help you draw, but I can help. Let me deliver it. I want to, I'm your wife." Shigeru looked uneasy. "This publisher isn't very nice. I think he's as bad as Tomita was. But... he should give you 10,000 yen. Here. Please?" He handed her the bag.
At the publishers, Fumie watched as the man glanced at Shigeru's drawings. "He did a thriller. Good." He flipped a page, read a little, and laughed. "He's very good." Then he glanced up at Fumie. "So what kind of work do you do?" Fumie shrugged. "I don't work." The man said, "My wife works. Every day, with a baby. This manga business, you can't depend on it." He looked at the drawings. "If these don't sell, what do you do then?" He laid the drawings down, and got up to go to his desk. "I guess I shouldn't talk to you about that though." He opened his desk drawer, and pulled out a bill. He held it out to Fumie. "Here." Fumie looked at it and said, "5000 yen? My husband said you promised 10,000 yen." The man turned. He held the bill out. "What? No, I wouldn't promise that. All of our authors get 5,000 yen." He waved the bill. "Look, does he want to work or not?" Fumie didn't take the money.
He shrugged, and tucked the bill in his shirt pocket. He walked back to the drawings on the table. "Okay. Here." He picked up the drawings and tossed them towards Fumie, letting them fall to the floor. Fumie gasped and started to pick up the drawings. Then she looked at them. "What? Mizuki Yoko? These aren't his." The style and the name was different. The publisher laughed. "He didn't tell you? Look, his other stories didn't sell, right? So we had to change the name. Mizuki Yoko -- no one knows, right?"
In front of a Shinto temple, with a huge tree surrounded with a braided rope and paper twists, Fumie sat while children and mothers played. She stared at her feet, with the army bag on her lap. She sat there as a ball rolled close to her feet. A little boy ran to pick it up, and looked up at her. "Lady? Are you okay?" She didn't move. After a moment, his mother came over and said, "You're getting wet." She didn't answer, and they went away.
She looked at the army bag, and thought to herself, "Shigeru works so hard. And then he doesn't even get to have his own name? Nobody knows? Is that the kind of treatment manga authors get? How does he stand it?"
Later, Fumie said, "I'm home" as she came into the kitchen. Shigeru was sitting up, looking better. "Oh, you look better." He nodded. "I slept some, and I think the fever went down."
Fumie laid the bag on the floor, and knelt. She bowed to Shigeru, and said, "I'm sorry." He said, "What? Did something go wrong?" She reached into the bag and got a small envelope. She set it on the floor. "Here. It's only half the advance." Shigeru laughed. "Oh, he pulled that, did he? He's even worse than Tomita was, I guess."
Fumie reached into the bag and got out a small sack of coffee. "I got this for you, too." Shigeru smiled. "Coffee? But I thought you didn't want to spend money on luxuries?" Fumie said, "You work hard, sometimes we should have some good things. Besides, when you have a cold, coffee is probably good for it." She started to stand up. "I'll make it..." Shigeru grabbed the sack. "No, I'll do it."
Shigeru poured the coffee from the pan into one cup. Then he started to fill a second cup. Fumie said, "No, you drink it. I got it for you." He said, "No, you should have some too." Fumie said, "But there aren't many grounds." Shigeru poured the cup. "That's okay, you get a cup, too." Then he started to put sugar in. Fumie argued again. He stopped, suddenly, and said, "You saw the manga, didn't you?" Fumie said, "Yes." He shook his head. "It...well, I needed to do that." Fumie said, "You don't talk to me. You had some problems, but you didn't tell me. You have to change your name, I can't go in your room, a stranger walks in." Shigeru shrugged. "What, the name change? It's not such a big thing. Pen names. When you change your style, you change your name." He looked thoughtful. "It's like pro wrestlers. They lose a fight, they change their hood and their name, and they keep fighting." Then he looked at Fumie. "Actually, you could help me think about other names." Fumie said, "What? I couldn't do that." Shigeru said, "Well, then maybe I'll just use your name." Fumie said, "Don't you dare. OK. What about... Spot? Or Rover? Or..." Shigeru laughed. "I can't use dog names." Then he looked at the spoon and the sugar. "Oh, drat. How many sugars did I put in each cup?" He put a little more in, just in case. Then he stirred them with a chopstick, and handed one to Fumie.
She sipped the coffee "Tasty!" He grinned, and sipped his. "Great."
As they were drinking the coffee, there was a clatter in the entryway.
<to be continued>
Haruko, the cute girl, was leaving the house. She had her hat on again, and her bag in her hand. She faced Shigeru, who was standing in the entry way, and said, "Thank you so much. I learned a lot." Shigeru said, "No, no, you really helped me. And... here's your pay. It's not much." He held out an envelope. Haruko said, "No, I couldn't." Shigeru pushed it into her hands. "Take it, you deserve it. And you need to have some money if you're going to live in Tokyo." Haruko took the envelope, with a little bow. Then she looked at him and said, "Yesterday when I got here the future was very black. But now, thanks to you, I think there is some good in it." Shigeru said, "So what's next for you?" She said, "I'll look for some work, and a place to live."
Haruko walked into the street. She looked up, and raised her hands, with her bags in one hand. She stretched. "Oh, the morning air is so good and fresh."
Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Shigeru got a glass of water. Fumie said, "Why don't you rest a little?" Shigeru shook his head. "I can't. I'm not done yet." Fumie said, "Who was she, anyway?" Shigeru laughed. "Oh, she tried to get Fukuzawa to teach her, and he sent her home. But she couldn't find him this time, so she came here. Why?" Fumie said, "I didn't know. No introduction, she just walked in looking for you."
Shigeru shook his head. Then he sneezed, a sudden deep sneeze that curled him up and blew his glasses off and across the floor. Fumie picked them up and handed them back to him. He fumbled, putting his glasses on. Fumie said, "Are you all right?" Shigeru said, "Oh, don't fuss. I'm going to work." He went into his work room and shut the doors.
While he was drawing, the pages seemed to waver. He blinked. "I must be tireder than I thought." He kept on drawing.
Later, Fumie came in from hanging clothes. She found Shigeru sitting in the entryway, with his army bag. "Are you going out?" He said, "Yes. Have to deliver this." He started to stand, then wobbled, and sat down again. Fumie leaned down and put her hand on his forehead. "You've got a fever!"
In the kitchen, Shigeru sat in the corner. Fumie brought out a housecoat and pajamas. Fumie said, "You don't eat, you haven't slept, and now you've got a fever. You have to rest." He shook his head. "No, I have to deliver this." He started to struggle up, and sat down again. Fumie looked at him and said, "Let me take it. I can do that." Shigeru looked at the bag. "No, no, I have to do it."
Fumie knelt and said, "Believe in me. I may not be able to help you draw, but I can help. Let me deliver it. I want to, I'm your wife." Shigeru looked uneasy. "This publisher isn't very nice. I think he's as bad as Tomita was. But... he should give you 10,000 yen. Here. Please?" He handed her the bag.
At the publishers, Fumie watched as the man glanced at Shigeru's drawings. "He did a thriller. Good." He flipped a page, read a little, and laughed. "He's very good." Then he glanced up at Fumie. "So what kind of work do you do?" Fumie shrugged. "I don't work." The man said, "My wife works. Every day, with a baby. This manga business, you can't depend on it." He looked at the drawings. "If these don't sell, what do you do then?" He laid the drawings down, and got up to go to his desk. "I guess I shouldn't talk to you about that though." He opened his desk drawer, and pulled out a bill. He held it out to Fumie. "Here." Fumie looked at it and said, "5000 yen? My husband said you promised 10,000 yen." The man turned. He held the bill out. "What? No, I wouldn't promise that. All of our authors get 5,000 yen." He waved the bill. "Look, does he want to work or not?" Fumie didn't take the money.
He shrugged, and tucked the bill in his shirt pocket. He walked back to the drawings on the table. "Okay. Here." He picked up the drawings and tossed them towards Fumie, letting them fall to the floor. Fumie gasped and started to pick up the drawings. Then she looked at them. "What? Mizuki Yoko? These aren't his." The style and the name was different. The publisher laughed. "He didn't tell you? Look, his other stories didn't sell, right? So we had to change the name. Mizuki Yoko -- no one knows, right?"
In front of a Shinto temple, with a huge tree surrounded with a braided rope and paper twists, Fumie sat while children and mothers played. She stared at her feet, with the army bag on her lap. She sat there as a ball rolled close to her feet. A little boy ran to pick it up, and looked up at her. "Lady? Are you okay?" She didn't move. After a moment, his mother came over and said, "You're getting wet." She didn't answer, and they went away.
She looked at the army bag, and thought to herself, "Shigeru works so hard. And then he doesn't even get to have his own name? Nobody knows? Is that the kind of treatment manga authors get? How does he stand it?"
Later, Fumie said, "I'm home" as she came into the kitchen. Shigeru was sitting up, looking better. "Oh, you look better." He nodded. "I slept some, and I think the fever went down."
Fumie laid the bag on the floor, and knelt. She bowed to Shigeru, and said, "I'm sorry." He said, "What? Did something go wrong?" She reached into the bag and got a small envelope. She set it on the floor. "Here. It's only half the advance." Shigeru laughed. "Oh, he pulled that, did he? He's even worse than Tomita was, I guess."
Fumie reached into the bag and got out a small sack of coffee. "I got this for you, too." Shigeru smiled. "Coffee? But I thought you didn't want to spend money on luxuries?" Fumie said, "You work hard, sometimes we should have some good things. Besides, when you have a cold, coffee is probably good for it." She started to stand up. "I'll make it..." Shigeru grabbed the sack. "No, I'll do it."
Shigeru poured the coffee from the pan into one cup. Then he started to fill a second cup. Fumie said, "No, you drink it. I got it for you." He said, "No, you should have some too." Fumie said, "But there aren't many grounds." Shigeru poured the cup. "That's okay, you get a cup, too." Then he started to put sugar in. Fumie argued again. He stopped, suddenly, and said, "You saw the manga, didn't you?" Fumie said, "Yes." He shook his head. "It...well, I needed to do that." Fumie said, "You don't talk to me. You had some problems, but you didn't tell me. You have to change your name, I can't go in your room, a stranger walks in." Shigeru shrugged. "What, the name change? It's not such a big thing. Pen names. When you change your style, you change your name." He looked thoughtful. "It's like pro wrestlers. They lose a fight, they change their hood and their name, and they keep fighting." Then he looked at Fumie. "Actually, you could help me think about other names." Fumie said, "What? I couldn't do that." Shigeru said, "Well, then maybe I'll just use your name." Fumie said, "Don't you dare. OK. What about... Spot? Or Rover? Or..." Shigeru laughed. "I can't use dog names." Then he looked at the spoon and the sugar. "Oh, drat. How many sugars did I put in each cup?" He put a little more in, just in case. Then he stirred them with a chopstick, and handed one to Fumie.
She sipped the coffee "Tasty!" He grinned, and sipped his. "Great."
As they were drinking the coffee, there was a clatter in the entryway.
<to be continued>
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