Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 6/16
Jun. 16th, 2010 10:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkera.k.a. it's not over yet?
Inui told Fumie and Shigeru, "It's a failure." Shigeru tapped the draft sitting on the table. "Can't you take this one?" Inui said, "I can't pay you what it's worth." Shigeru pushed it towards him. "Look, take this one, and I'll do one more." Inui said, "But..." Shigeru said, "I can wrap it up in one more volume. After three volumes, not having any work will be kind of relaxing." He smiled.
Inui shook his head. "I really thought this would be a home run." He scrabbled in his bag, and pulled out an envelope. "Here, take this. It's not very much, I'm afraid."
Outside the house, Inui turned to Fumie and said, "I'm so sorry." Fumie said, "It's hard for you, too." Inui's face twisted. "The Devil Boy books are really good. I just don't know how... I don't have the energy... I'm a failure." Tears ran down his cheeks. He turned and walked away.
In the workroom, Shigeru lay on his back. The ghost of poverty sat on his bookshelf and looked at him. Shigeru glared at the ghost. "Don't bother hanging around here. I'm not paying attention to you."
Fumie came back into the kitchen. Shigeru was hunched over the table. She looked at his back, and said, "Shigeru?" He said, "This is a hard part, I can't talk now." She looked puzzled and took a step closer. A model battleship sat on the table in front of him, and he was using tweezers to do something. She said, "A model?" Then she remembered Michiko's husband saying he could understand, concentrating on something that you don't have to think about helped.
Fumie said, "Can I help?" Shigeru looked up. "Oh. Well, there's a magnifying glass in the drawer. Could you hold that?" She got the magnifying glass out, and held it so that Shigeru could see what he was working on. He said, "That's better. But don't breathe too hard." Fumie put her other hand in front of her mouth. Shigeru carefully manipulated something with his tweezers. "There." He leaned back. "Take a look."
Fumie looked at the tiny battleship under the magnifying glass. "But that part looks twisted?" Shigeru said, "Here, fix it." He handed her the tweezers. She poked the tiny piece of plastic. When she looked up, Shigeru said, "Here, do another one." He pointed out a small piece of plastic on the table, then pointed at the other side of the battleship. Fumie picked up the piece and put it in place.
Fumie gave the tweezers back to Shigeru. "Uraki said you have collected things since you were a kid?" Shigeru nodded. "I've done lots of collections. But ships..." He picked up a set of model parts on the plastic tree that held them. "Here, cut these out. Be careful." Fumie picked up the sidecutters and started peering at the plastic. "Back when I was a kid, there was a Navy man. He was in his white uniform, and I was drawing pictures of the ships in the sand. He stopped and looked at what I was doing, then stood tall and saluted me. I saluted him back. He bought a meal, and talked about life on ships. He was leaving the next day." Shigeru looked at the model battleship. "When I was writing war stories, I used to think about him and hope he would read them." Fumie said, "Do you think he enjoyed them?" Shigeru shrugged, "I hope so."
After working on the model battleship for a while with Shigeru, Fumie looked up and said, "How late is it? I better feed Aiko." She got up. Shigeru stretched. "Working on the models is fun, don't you think?" Fumie nodded. Shigeru said, "It's one way to keep the ghost of poverty away. Something that's interesting enough that you want to work on it, that's enough sometimes."
Later, Fumie was helping Shigeru in the workroom. She had a panel that she was filling in. She looked at it and said, "How sad." Shigeru looked up. "What's that?" Fumie looked at the panel. "Devil Boy gets killed?" Shigeru said, "Well, I have to, to end the series." Fumie said, "But it's sad. He reminds me of you, he's poor, he fights and fights, and now he's going to just get killed?" Shigeru said, "Well... here, read this. Don't worry." He handed her a penciled sheet. She read it and said, "Devil Boy comes back?" Shigeru said, "Maybe sometime. He can come back, we just don't know when." Fumie looked at the sheet. "Whenever evil threatens, and we really need him..." She looked at Shigeru and said, "Do you really think you'll do more Devil Boy?" Shigeru shrugged. "Maybe someday. But I can't imagine what kind of strange situation we'd be in."
The shop wife turned cosmetics saleslady sat in the entryway with Fumie. She was holding up a shirt and shaking it out. "Here. Aiko can't wear it now, but maybe next year." She folded it and laid it on a pile of clothes. Shigeru stepped out of the kitchen, hanging his army bag over his shoulder. The cosmetics lady got up and said, "Are you going out?" He patted the bag and said, "I have to bring this draft to the publisher." The cosmetics lady said, "Another book? With so much money, are you going to have sukiyaki this evening for dinner?" He rubbed his neck. "Well, maybe."
Outside, Shigeru got his bicycle out. He blew on his hand. "It's cold." Then he got on and peddled off.
In the entryway, the cosmetics lady said, "Those people have been at Michiko's again." Fumie said, "The manga protesters?" The cosmetic lady nodded. "Yes. I heard they have made some stores close. I don't understand them, bullying people into poverty." Fumie said, "I don't understand either. But I guess Devil Boy doesn't just have problems getting accepted inside his book."
<to be continued>
Inui told Fumie and Shigeru, "It's a failure." Shigeru tapped the draft sitting on the table. "Can't you take this one?" Inui said, "I can't pay you what it's worth." Shigeru pushed it towards him. "Look, take this one, and I'll do one more." Inui said, "But..." Shigeru said, "I can wrap it up in one more volume. After three volumes, not having any work will be kind of relaxing." He smiled.
Inui shook his head. "I really thought this would be a home run." He scrabbled in his bag, and pulled out an envelope. "Here, take this. It's not very much, I'm afraid."
Outside the house, Inui turned to Fumie and said, "I'm so sorry." Fumie said, "It's hard for you, too." Inui's face twisted. "The Devil Boy books are really good. I just don't know how... I don't have the energy... I'm a failure." Tears ran down his cheeks. He turned and walked away.
In the workroom, Shigeru lay on his back. The ghost of poverty sat on his bookshelf and looked at him. Shigeru glared at the ghost. "Don't bother hanging around here. I'm not paying attention to you."
Fumie came back into the kitchen. Shigeru was hunched over the table. She looked at his back, and said, "Shigeru?" He said, "This is a hard part, I can't talk now." She looked puzzled and took a step closer. A model battleship sat on the table in front of him, and he was using tweezers to do something. She said, "A model?" Then she remembered Michiko's husband saying he could understand, concentrating on something that you don't have to think about helped.
Fumie said, "Can I help?" Shigeru looked up. "Oh. Well, there's a magnifying glass in the drawer. Could you hold that?" She got the magnifying glass out, and held it so that Shigeru could see what he was working on. He said, "That's better. But don't breathe too hard." Fumie put her other hand in front of her mouth. Shigeru carefully manipulated something with his tweezers. "There." He leaned back. "Take a look."
Fumie looked at the tiny battleship under the magnifying glass. "But that part looks twisted?" Shigeru said, "Here, fix it." He handed her the tweezers. She poked the tiny piece of plastic. When she looked up, Shigeru said, "Here, do another one." He pointed out a small piece of plastic on the table, then pointed at the other side of the battleship. Fumie picked up the piece and put it in place.
Fumie gave the tweezers back to Shigeru. "Uraki said you have collected things since you were a kid?" Shigeru nodded. "I've done lots of collections. But ships..." He picked up a set of model parts on the plastic tree that held them. "Here, cut these out. Be careful." Fumie picked up the sidecutters and started peering at the plastic. "Back when I was a kid, there was a Navy man. He was in his white uniform, and I was drawing pictures of the ships in the sand. He stopped and looked at what I was doing, then stood tall and saluted me. I saluted him back. He bought a meal, and talked about life on ships. He was leaving the next day." Shigeru looked at the model battleship. "When I was writing war stories, I used to think about him and hope he would read them." Fumie said, "Do you think he enjoyed them?" Shigeru shrugged, "I hope so."
After working on the model battleship for a while with Shigeru, Fumie looked up and said, "How late is it? I better feed Aiko." She got up. Shigeru stretched. "Working on the models is fun, don't you think?" Fumie nodded. Shigeru said, "It's one way to keep the ghost of poverty away. Something that's interesting enough that you want to work on it, that's enough sometimes."
Later, Fumie was helping Shigeru in the workroom. She had a panel that she was filling in. She looked at it and said, "How sad." Shigeru looked up. "What's that?" Fumie looked at the panel. "Devil Boy gets killed?" Shigeru said, "Well, I have to, to end the series." Fumie said, "But it's sad. He reminds me of you, he's poor, he fights and fights, and now he's going to just get killed?" Shigeru said, "Well... here, read this. Don't worry." He handed her a penciled sheet. She read it and said, "Devil Boy comes back?" Shigeru said, "Maybe sometime. He can come back, we just don't know when." Fumie looked at the sheet. "Whenever evil threatens, and we really need him..." She looked at Shigeru and said, "Do you really think you'll do more Devil Boy?" Shigeru shrugged. "Maybe someday. But I can't imagine what kind of strange situation we'd be in."
The shop wife turned cosmetics saleslady sat in the entryway with Fumie. She was holding up a shirt and shaking it out. "Here. Aiko can't wear it now, but maybe next year." She folded it and laid it on a pile of clothes. Shigeru stepped out of the kitchen, hanging his army bag over his shoulder. The cosmetics lady got up and said, "Are you going out?" He patted the bag and said, "I have to bring this draft to the publisher." The cosmetics lady said, "Another book? With so much money, are you going to have sukiyaki this evening for dinner?" He rubbed his neck. "Well, maybe."
Outside, Shigeru got his bicycle out. He blew on his hand. "It's cold." Then he got on and peddled off.
In the entryway, the cosmetics lady said, "Those people have been at Michiko's again." Fumie said, "The manga protesters?" The cosmetic lady nodded. "Yes. I heard they have made some stores close. I don't understand them, bullying people into poverty." Fumie said, "I don't understand either. But I guess Devil Boy doesn't just have problems getting accepted inside his book."
<to be continued>
