Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 6/10
Jun. 10th, 2010 11:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkera.k.a. bicycling in the rain
Fumie was cooking in the kitchen when she heard a bird singing outside. She slid the window open, and looked at the sunshine. "Oh, the rain has stopped." She started to take down the baby diapers, towels, and other clothes that she had hung in the kitchen.
From outside, a voice called, "Murai? Your water bill is due?" Fumie ducked down, and slowly, slowly slid the window shut again.
Aiko, the baby, started to cry. She scurried over and picked her up, patting her back. The voice outside said, "I hear your baby crying." Fumie grimaced.
In the entryway, she opened her purse and paid the water bill. The bill collector looked at the baby and said, "How old is your baby?" Fumie smiled, "Six months." The bill collector put his hands beside his face and spread his fingers. He said, "Next time your mother tries to hide, you call me again, okay?" He chuckled at the baby, who smiled.
Fumie started hanging clothes outside. Then she looked at the sky and said, "Is it going to rain again?"
In his living room, Inui was counting money. Shigeru watched. Inui laid the money on the table, and glanced back. His wife, sitting at her ledger, said, "There's no more." Inui frowned, and said to Shigeru, "Sorry, it's just half of what I owe you." He started putting the bills in a envelope as Shigeru said, "It's fine. How is your business doing?" Inui shrugged. "Well, it's getting better. But I had to give up the office."
His young daughter walked up to the table and looked at the draft pages that Shigeru had brought. She shuddered and ran to her mother. "They're scary!" Inui's wife said, "Why don't you make manga that she would like?" Inui shook his head. "I'm making adult manga. That's what will make the business grow." She laughed. "Ha! The smallest publisher in Japan, and you're worrying about how to grow?"
Shigeru smiled. He said, "That's really good. Being the smallest publisher in Japan. You can work anywhere. You don't have the extra costs that bigger publishers have, trying to keep their office and their staff. Wherever you are, there's your business." Inui shook his head. "But being the only person, it's hard to figure out what to do sometimes." Shigeru stroked his chin. "So, let me help. Make me an adviser." He looked past Inui at Inui's wife. "Advisor's don't get paid, so you don't have to worry about that." Inui said, "Would you? That would be great." Shigeru nodded, and Inui pulled out a stack of draft pages. "Now, here's one that I'm not sure of." Shigeru looked through some pages, and said, "I see what you mean. It's not bad, but who would be the audience?"
In the dark, later that evening, Shigeru went outside and started to get on his bicycle to leave. He glanced up and said, "Is it starting to rain? I better hurry."
Inside the house, Inui's wife said to Inui, "He's a really nice guy. And funny, too." Inui nodded. "I'm glad you like him." A roll of thunder interrupted him, and his wife looked up. "It's starting to rain? I don't think Shigeru had an umbrella." She jumped up and ran out.
In the street, Inui's wife held an umbrella over her head and held another one out to Shigeru. "Here, take this. It's an extra one." Shigeru had his leg across the bicycle, and his hand on the handlebar. He shook his head and smiled. "That's okay. I'll just hurry."
Inside the house, Inui's wife looked puzzled. "I thought I would give Shigeru an umbrella, but he refused it." Inui looked at her. "Was he on his bicycle?" She nodded. "How would he use an umbrella? He only has one hand, you know?" His wife looked horrified. "Ah, how could I have done that?" Inui said, "He doesn't pay attention to it, so we all forget." She nodded. "He is a really nice guy, with a great spirit." Then she sat down beside Inui and said, "You know, your company? Gambatte." (fight on) Inui looked puzzled. "Why suddenly?" She smiled. "Well, just thinking about Shigeru. He only has one hand, but he still keeps going with a smile. So we can, too."
Later that night, Fumie was talking to Aiko, in her baby bed. Fumie looked at the window, with rain pounding down. "Your father is very late, Aiko. What do you think, did he stay at Inui's tonight?" When she heard a sound in the entryway downstairs, she hurried down the stairs.
In the entryway, she found Shigeru, standing, drenched and staring at the wall. She said, "Where have you been?" He slowly turned his head, and said, "I don't know. I got lost, and I don't know where I've been. I kept pedaling and pedaling and getting nowhere. It was dark, and wet, and no matter how hard I pedaled, I didn't seem to go anywhere." Fumie said, "Do you want a hot bath?" Shigeru shook his head. "No. I'm just going to sleep. I'm so tired." He stepped slowly out of the entryway. On the first step of the stairs, he paused. "Oh. Here's the money." He pulled a crumpled envelope out of his pocket and handed it to Fumie. It was torn, and coins fell out and rolled across the floor. Shigeru just turned around and climbed the stairs.
Fumie shuddered, imagining pedaling and pedaling and getting nowhere in the dark, pouring rain.
In the sunshine at the shopping center, a group of children were singing the theme song from Atomboy, the TV anime that had started early that year. Some of them had flutes and they played along. Fumie smiled at them, but then walked up to the crowd of people with suits and banners standing in the doorway of the rental manga bookstore. Inside, the leaders of the group confronted Michiko, the bookstore owner, and Kiyo, her mother. One of them shook her hand. "Rental manga are a bad influence on the future of our children." Another one took a step forward and lifted a copy of Kitaro. "This kind of trash will destroy their education!" One of them said, "Only uplifting, socially correct books should be allowed." "You should close your store." "Do you know what kind of people come to these stores? Sexual perverts, foreigners, terrible people!" Kiyo grumbled, "Like you? But at least our normal customers don't try to run everyone's life." Michiko said, "Quiet, mother." One of the group said, "Very well. Here is our manifesto. Read it, and join us!" He held out an envelope. One of the others chanted, "No more rental manga!" Michiko took the envelope.
In Michiko's dining room, Fumie looked at the sheet from the envelope. "Rental manga will destroy the future fiber of our country? Close all rental manga stores now? This is terrible." Michiko shook her head. "They don't know." Kiyo grumbled, "Ha! I'll bet none of them has even read a rental manga." Michiko nodded. Kiyo said, "If this store closes, what will everyone do for amusement?" Michiko said, "Just be patient, they'll go away." Kiyo said, "No, they are sure they are right." Michiko shook her head. "Well, even if we have to close the store, we'll go on."
Fumie wondered if the growth of TV anime marked the death of rental manga...
<To be continued>
Fumie was cooking in the kitchen when she heard a bird singing outside. She slid the window open, and looked at the sunshine. "Oh, the rain has stopped." She started to take down the baby diapers, towels, and other clothes that she had hung in the kitchen.
From outside, a voice called, "Murai? Your water bill is due?" Fumie ducked down, and slowly, slowly slid the window shut again.
Aiko, the baby, started to cry. She scurried over and picked her up, patting her back. The voice outside said, "I hear your baby crying." Fumie grimaced.
In the entryway, she opened her purse and paid the water bill. The bill collector looked at the baby and said, "How old is your baby?" Fumie smiled, "Six months." The bill collector put his hands beside his face and spread his fingers. He said, "Next time your mother tries to hide, you call me again, okay?" He chuckled at the baby, who smiled.
Fumie started hanging clothes outside. Then she looked at the sky and said, "Is it going to rain again?"
In his living room, Inui was counting money. Shigeru watched. Inui laid the money on the table, and glanced back. His wife, sitting at her ledger, said, "There's no more." Inui frowned, and said to Shigeru, "Sorry, it's just half of what I owe you." He started putting the bills in a envelope as Shigeru said, "It's fine. How is your business doing?" Inui shrugged. "Well, it's getting better. But I had to give up the office."
His young daughter walked up to the table and looked at the draft pages that Shigeru had brought. She shuddered and ran to her mother. "They're scary!" Inui's wife said, "Why don't you make manga that she would like?" Inui shook his head. "I'm making adult manga. That's what will make the business grow." She laughed. "Ha! The smallest publisher in Japan, and you're worrying about how to grow?"
Shigeru smiled. He said, "That's really good. Being the smallest publisher in Japan. You can work anywhere. You don't have the extra costs that bigger publishers have, trying to keep their office and their staff. Wherever you are, there's your business." Inui shook his head. "But being the only person, it's hard to figure out what to do sometimes." Shigeru stroked his chin. "So, let me help. Make me an adviser." He looked past Inui at Inui's wife. "Advisor's don't get paid, so you don't have to worry about that." Inui said, "Would you? That would be great." Shigeru nodded, and Inui pulled out a stack of draft pages. "Now, here's one that I'm not sure of." Shigeru looked through some pages, and said, "I see what you mean. It's not bad, but who would be the audience?"
In the dark, later that evening, Shigeru went outside and started to get on his bicycle to leave. He glanced up and said, "Is it starting to rain? I better hurry."
Inside the house, Inui's wife said to Inui, "He's a really nice guy. And funny, too." Inui nodded. "I'm glad you like him." A roll of thunder interrupted him, and his wife looked up. "It's starting to rain? I don't think Shigeru had an umbrella." She jumped up and ran out.
In the street, Inui's wife held an umbrella over her head and held another one out to Shigeru. "Here, take this. It's an extra one." Shigeru had his leg across the bicycle, and his hand on the handlebar. He shook his head and smiled. "That's okay. I'll just hurry."
Inside the house, Inui's wife looked puzzled. "I thought I would give Shigeru an umbrella, but he refused it." Inui looked at her. "Was he on his bicycle?" She nodded. "How would he use an umbrella? He only has one hand, you know?" His wife looked horrified. "Ah, how could I have done that?" Inui said, "He doesn't pay attention to it, so we all forget." She nodded. "He is a really nice guy, with a great spirit." Then she sat down beside Inui and said, "You know, your company? Gambatte." (fight on) Inui looked puzzled. "Why suddenly?" She smiled. "Well, just thinking about Shigeru. He only has one hand, but he still keeps going with a smile. So we can, too."
Later that night, Fumie was talking to Aiko, in her baby bed. Fumie looked at the window, with rain pounding down. "Your father is very late, Aiko. What do you think, did he stay at Inui's tonight?" When she heard a sound in the entryway downstairs, she hurried down the stairs.
In the entryway, she found Shigeru, standing, drenched and staring at the wall. She said, "Where have you been?" He slowly turned his head, and said, "I don't know. I got lost, and I don't know where I've been. I kept pedaling and pedaling and getting nowhere. It was dark, and wet, and no matter how hard I pedaled, I didn't seem to go anywhere." Fumie said, "Do you want a hot bath?" Shigeru shook his head. "No. I'm just going to sleep. I'm so tired." He stepped slowly out of the entryway. On the first step of the stairs, he paused. "Oh. Here's the money." He pulled a crumpled envelope out of his pocket and handed it to Fumie. It was torn, and coins fell out and rolled across the floor. Shigeru just turned around and climbed the stairs.
Fumie shuddered, imagining pedaling and pedaling and getting nowhere in the dark, pouring rain.
In the sunshine at the shopping center, a group of children were singing the theme song from Atomboy, the TV anime that had started early that year. Some of them had flutes and they played along. Fumie smiled at them, but then walked up to the crowd of people with suits and banners standing in the doorway of the rental manga bookstore. Inside, the leaders of the group confronted Michiko, the bookstore owner, and Kiyo, her mother. One of them shook her hand. "Rental manga are a bad influence on the future of our children." Another one took a step forward and lifted a copy of Kitaro. "This kind of trash will destroy their education!" One of them said, "Only uplifting, socially correct books should be allowed." "You should close your store." "Do you know what kind of people come to these stores? Sexual perverts, foreigners, terrible people!" Kiyo grumbled, "Like you? But at least our normal customers don't try to run everyone's life." Michiko said, "Quiet, mother." One of the group said, "Very well. Here is our manifesto. Read it, and join us!" He held out an envelope. One of the others chanted, "No more rental manga!" Michiko took the envelope.
In Michiko's dining room, Fumie looked at the sheet from the envelope. "Rental manga will destroy the future fiber of our country? Close all rental manga stores now? This is terrible." Michiko shook her head. "They don't know." Kiyo grumbled, "Ha! I'll bet none of them has even read a rental manga." Michiko nodded. Kiyo said, "If this store closes, what will everyone do for amusement?" Michiko said, "Just be patient, they'll go away." Kiyo said, "No, they are sure they are right." Michiko shook her head. "Well, even if we have to close the store, we'll go on."
Fumie wondered if the growth of TV anime marked the death of rental manga...
<To be continued>
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