Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 6/30
Jul. 1st, 2010 10:39 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkera.k.a. bookstore Olympics!
Fumie was outside hanging clothes when Uraki walked through the gate, carrying a copy of Zeta, the new magazine, and grumbling about why hadn't Shigeru told him this was coming. She greeted him, and he strode over. "What's the idea of being so unfriendly! Why didn't you tell me about this?"
Inside the house, Uraki stood and grumbled, while Shigeru fanned himself and sipped from cold glass of tea. "Why didn't you tell me about this?" Shigeru shrugged. "Why do you care?" Uraki flung out his hands. "Why? This is going to grow. And I'm going to help." Shigeru sipped from his tea, then said, "I don't think so. Fukuzawa already has an assistant. Who has sold plenty of advertising, knows publishing, and has lots of energy." Uraki smiled. "Like me." Shigeru chuckled. "And she's beautiful." Uraki fell down. "What?" Fumie said, "Oh, Miyako?" Shigeru nodded. Uraki stood up, and tossed the copy of Zeta down on the table. "Why did I buy this?"
He walked into the workroom. "If I'm not helping Fukuzawa, how am I going to meet Haruko?" Shigeru said, "I thought you were giving her illustration work?" Uraki nodded. "Yes, but she says she wants to quit. She doesn't have time." Fumie said, "Why is she in such a hurry?" Uraki shook his head. "I don't know..."
He walked back into the kitchen and leaned against the counter. "I heard the bookstore might close..." Fumie looked up, startled. "What?" Uraki said, "Well, I was in the coffee shop, and I happened to hear..." Fumie said, "What did you hear?" "Well, there was that guy I met at the racetrack?" Shigeru said, "Masashi. Michiko's husband." Uraki nodded. "Yeah, that's him. He was talking to some old friend about an electric repair shop. The old friend wanted to turn the bookstore into an electric repair shop, where they can work together." Fumie said, "But the bookstore would close?"
Shigeru shook his head. "Don't listen to his gossip. He likes to make trouble."
Uraki paced in the kitchen. "How am I going to meet Haruko? Why doesn't she have time?"
Later, Fumie was upstairs with Aiko, folding origami. Fumie made a paper boat and showed it to Aiko. Then she started to fold another sheet of paper. She thought about Michiko telling her that there weren't as many customers at the bookstore. "I guess everyone is excited about the Olympics and television." She wondered if there was something she could do. Then she saw her basket of leftover cloth, and looked at the folding paper. "That would work!"
In Michiko's living room, Fumie laid out three ribbons made from leftover cloth, with origami circles on them. "Bronze, Silver, Gold." Michiko and Kiyo looked at them. "Medals? They're very nice, but..." Fumie said, "I thought you could use these in the store. Make them prizes for reading. Set a rule that if a child reads 10 books, they can win a silver medal, or 20 books, a gold. Something like that." Michiko and Kiyo looked at each other. Fumie shook her head. "I guess it's just a silly idea." She started to pick up the medals.
Michiko grabbed her hands. "No. Let's do it. I think it's a good idea." Kiyo said, "The other day when the marathon was being run, everyone pretended to be in the Olympics. Actually, we could call it the rental manga Olympics." Michiko nodded. "But we'll need more. Can you make more? We'll pay you." Fumie said, "I'll make more, but no pay. When I first came here, you helped me so much. Taichi, too. And others. Now it's time for us to help you." Michiko said, "Oh, Fumie-chan."
Then Fumie looked thoughtful. "I'm not sure that just medals is enough, though." Michiko said, "We could give them free rental?" Kiyo said, "No, it really should have something to do with Olympics." Michiko said, "What about an armband?" Fumie smiled, "Like the officials! That's a good idea. I've got a sewing machine, so I can make those easily."
A voice called from the store. Michiko answered and went out. Kiyo said, "I wonder what he's doing here today? This isn't his usual day."
In the store, Michiko served cool tea to a man, who sat and took off his hat, fanning himself with it. She said, "It's good to see you, but..." He shook his head. "I hate to say this. You've been here so long. But... the land has gone up in value, taxes are higher, well... I have to raise your rent."
In the doorway, Kiyo and Fumie peeked at them. Kiyo said, "He's the rental agent for most of the land around here."
Michiko said, "It's going to be hard. How much?" He fanned himself. "To be honest, I need to double your rent. Other people have a much higher rent, it's not fair to them to keep yours so low." Mitsuko gasped. "Double?" He nodded.
Later, sitting in the dining room again, Michiko shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe we can't keep the bookstore going." Fumie said, "So you would open an electric repair shop?" Michiko and Kiyo looked surprised. Kiyo said, "Electric repair? Who said that? What have you heard?" Fumie looked nervous. Kiyo said, "Who told you that?" Fumie said, "Well, Uraki said he heard Masashi talking to an old friend in the coffee shop. But it's just talk, and Shigeru said Uraki likes to make trouble. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."
Michiko looked at Kiyo. Kiyo said, "It might be... well, maybe it's just old talk. When we're in Chiba, we had an electric repair store." Fumie asked, "So you would do that again?" Kiyo shook her head. Michiko said, "No. Masashi worked hard at the electric repair store, but when he came back from the war, he said he didn't want to do that anymore." Fumie said, "Why?" Michiko shook her head. "I don't know."
After a moment, Michiko put her hand on the medals that were still laying in the middle of the table. "But today, let's do medals." Kiyo said, "Right. Tokyo Olympics, rental manga Olympics." Michiko nodded. "I'll decorate the store." Fumie said, "I'll make more medals and bring them soon."
Back at home, upstairs, Fumie was counting medals on ribbons. "Silver... 20. And gold...18, 19? There's one missing." She glanced around the room.
Downstairs in the kitchen, Aiko sat with a ribbon around her neck. Shigeru looked at her. "So you're a prizewinner too, Aiko?" Fumie walked in with a bag. "I was counting the medals for the bookstore. And there's the one that was missing." She kneeled down and said, "Could I please have that, Aiko?" Aiko lifted it over her head and handed it to her. "Thank you."
When Fumie arrived at the bookstore with her bag of medals, it was busy. Many children were reading. She went inside and handed the bag to Michiko. Michiko said, "Oh, good. We were almost running out." Then Michiko leaned in close and whispered, "This was such a good idea. They're bringing their friends, and even their parents."
The three shopkeeper's wives came in. Matsui, the shopkeeper's wife turned cosmetic saleslady, said, "Fumie, this was a great idea." Miura, another shopkeeper's wife, said, "But I think it's hard for you to keep making all the ribbons by yourself. Why don't you teach us, and we can make some too?" Yamada, the third wife, said, "That's a good idea." Kiyo said, "No, no. When Fumie makes the ribbons, they're clean and pretty. If you three make them... we'll have bleach medals!" The wives and Kiyo laughed.
A young boy stood behind the wives with a stack of books, a ribbon around his neck. Kiyo waved the wives out of the way. "Let our customer through!"
<to be continued>
Fumie was outside hanging clothes when Uraki walked through the gate, carrying a copy of Zeta, the new magazine, and grumbling about why hadn't Shigeru told him this was coming. She greeted him, and he strode over. "What's the idea of being so unfriendly! Why didn't you tell me about this?"
Inside the house, Uraki stood and grumbled, while Shigeru fanned himself and sipped from cold glass of tea. "Why didn't you tell me about this?" Shigeru shrugged. "Why do you care?" Uraki flung out his hands. "Why? This is going to grow. And I'm going to help." Shigeru sipped from his tea, then said, "I don't think so. Fukuzawa already has an assistant. Who has sold plenty of advertising, knows publishing, and has lots of energy." Uraki smiled. "Like me." Shigeru chuckled. "And she's beautiful." Uraki fell down. "What?" Fumie said, "Oh, Miyako?" Shigeru nodded. Uraki stood up, and tossed the copy of Zeta down on the table. "Why did I buy this?"
He walked into the workroom. "If I'm not helping Fukuzawa, how am I going to meet Haruko?" Shigeru said, "I thought you were giving her illustration work?" Uraki nodded. "Yes, but she says she wants to quit. She doesn't have time." Fumie said, "Why is she in such a hurry?" Uraki shook his head. "I don't know..."
He walked back into the kitchen and leaned against the counter. "I heard the bookstore might close..." Fumie looked up, startled. "What?" Uraki said, "Well, I was in the coffee shop, and I happened to hear..." Fumie said, "What did you hear?" "Well, there was that guy I met at the racetrack?" Shigeru said, "Masashi. Michiko's husband." Uraki nodded. "Yeah, that's him. He was talking to some old friend about an electric repair shop. The old friend wanted to turn the bookstore into an electric repair shop, where they can work together." Fumie said, "But the bookstore would close?"
Shigeru shook his head. "Don't listen to his gossip. He likes to make trouble."
Uraki paced in the kitchen. "How am I going to meet Haruko? Why doesn't she have time?"
Later, Fumie was upstairs with Aiko, folding origami. Fumie made a paper boat and showed it to Aiko. Then she started to fold another sheet of paper. She thought about Michiko telling her that there weren't as many customers at the bookstore. "I guess everyone is excited about the Olympics and television." She wondered if there was something she could do. Then she saw her basket of leftover cloth, and looked at the folding paper. "That would work!"
In Michiko's living room, Fumie laid out three ribbons made from leftover cloth, with origami circles on them. "Bronze, Silver, Gold." Michiko and Kiyo looked at them. "Medals? They're very nice, but..." Fumie said, "I thought you could use these in the store. Make them prizes for reading. Set a rule that if a child reads 10 books, they can win a silver medal, or 20 books, a gold. Something like that." Michiko and Kiyo looked at each other. Fumie shook her head. "I guess it's just a silly idea." She started to pick up the medals.
Michiko grabbed her hands. "No. Let's do it. I think it's a good idea." Kiyo said, "The other day when the marathon was being run, everyone pretended to be in the Olympics. Actually, we could call it the rental manga Olympics." Michiko nodded. "But we'll need more. Can you make more? We'll pay you." Fumie said, "I'll make more, but no pay. When I first came here, you helped me so much. Taichi, too. And others. Now it's time for us to help you." Michiko said, "Oh, Fumie-chan."
Then Fumie looked thoughtful. "I'm not sure that just medals is enough, though." Michiko said, "We could give them free rental?" Kiyo said, "No, it really should have something to do with Olympics." Michiko said, "What about an armband?" Fumie smiled, "Like the officials! That's a good idea. I've got a sewing machine, so I can make those easily."
A voice called from the store. Michiko answered and went out. Kiyo said, "I wonder what he's doing here today? This isn't his usual day."
In the store, Michiko served cool tea to a man, who sat and took off his hat, fanning himself with it. She said, "It's good to see you, but..." He shook his head. "I hate to say this. You've been here so long. But... the land has gone up in value, taxes are higher, well... I have to raise your rent."
In the doorway, Kiyo and Fumie peeked at them. Kiyo said, "He's the rental agent for most of the land around here."
Michiko said, "It's going to be hard. How much?" He fanned himself. "To be honest, I need to double your rent. Other people have a much higher rent, it's not fair to them to keep yours so low." Mitsuko gasped. "Double?" He nodded.
Later, sitting in the dining room again, Michiko shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe we can't keep the bookstore going." Fumie said, "So you would open an electric repair shop?" Michiko and Kiyo looked surprised. Kiyo said, "Electric repair? Who said that? What have you heard?" Fumie looked nervous. Kiyo said, "Who told you that?" Fumie said, "Well, Uraki said he heard Masashi talking to an old friend in the coffee shop. But it's just talk, and Shigeru said Uraki likes to make trouble. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."
Michiko looked at Kiyo. Kiyo said, "It might be... well, maybe it's just old talk. When we're in Chiba, we had an electric repair store." Fumie asked, "So you would do that again?" Kiyo shook her head. Michiko said, "No. Masashi worked hard at the electric repair store, but when he came back from the war, he said he didn't want to do that anymore." Fumie said, "Why?" Michiko shook her head. "I don't know."
After a moment, Michiko put her hand on the medals that were still laying in the middle of the table. "But today, let's do medals." Kiyo said, "Right. Tokyo Olympics, rental manga Olympics." Michiko nodded. "I'll decorate the store." Fumie said, "I'll make more medals and bring them soon."
Back at home, upstairs, Fumie was counting medals on ribbons. "Silver... 20. And gold...18, 19? There's one missing." She glanced around the room.
Downstairs in the kitchen, Aiko sat with a ribbon around her neck. Shigeru looked at her. "So you're a prizewinner too, Aiko?" Fumie walked in with a bag. "I was counting the medals for the bookstore. And there's the one that was missing." She kneeled down and said, "Could I please have that, Aiko?" Aiko lifted it over her head and handed it to her. "Thank you."
When Fumie arrived at the bookstore with her bag of medals, it was busy. Many children were reading. She went inside and handed the bag to Michiko. Michiko said, "Oh, good. We were almost running out." Then Michiko leaned in close and whispered, "This was such a good idea. They're bringing their friends, and even their parents."
The three shopkeeper's wives came in. Matsui, the shopkeeper's wife turned cosmetic saleslady, said, "Fumie, this was a great idea." Miura, another shopkeeper's wife, said, "But I think it's hard for you to keep making all the ribbons by yourself. Why don't you teach us, and we can make some too?" Yamada, the third wife, said, "That's a good idea." Kiyo said, "No, no. When Fumie makes the ribbons, they're clean and pretty. If you three make them... we'll have bleach medals!" The wives and Kiyo laughed.
A young boy stood behind the wives with a stack of books, a ribbon around his neck. Kiyo waved the wives out of the way. "Let our customer through!"
<to be continued>
Tags:
