Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 7/9
Jul. 9th, 2010 11:23 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkera.k.a. opportunity knocking?
Fumie and Haruko sat in the same garden where Fumie had watched Shuhei eating. They had one plate of cakes. Haruko tried one, and sighed. "This is great." Then she looked around, and said, "This is really beautiful. I didn't know this was here." Fumie smiled. "Shigeru and I come out this way on our bicycles sometimes. He likes to take me to the graveyard nearby." Haruko muttered, "That's very different."
Then Haruko looked at Fumie and said, "I'd like to apologize for the other day. I was just so upset." Fumie nodded. "I can understand. Shigeru and I have been very worried too about manga. It's so hard to figure out what to do."
Fumie looked at the small spray of wildflowers on the table beside the cakes. "If you want to take those home..." She pulled some paper out of her pocket, wet it from her glass of water, and wrapped it around the stems of the flowers. "There, now they'll keep."
Haruko shook her head and smiled. "I give up. You're Shigeru's wife." Fumie said, "Yes, if I weren't there, I think he'd have hard times." Haruko said, "You're like these wildflowers. If you look closely, there's a beautiful flower." Fumie shrugged. "Maybe I am weedy..." Haruko shook her head. "Not a weed -- a treasure."
Haruko got up and went into the gift shop. She picked up a straw horse. "You've got one of these, don't you?" Fumie nodded. "Yes, the first time we came here, Shigeru bought one for me." Haruko said, "And slowly, bit by bit, together you've put your life together."
Haruko looked out the window. "You know, I really like Sensei." Fumie looked at her back. Haruko turned and said, "Oh, no, nothing strange. But I like his drawing, I like his way of thinking... and I really like his family." Fumie thought about it. His drawing, his words, and his family. Those were his treasures.
Haruko grinned at Fumie. "I'm going to keep fighting!" Fumie chuckled at her.
Sometime later, Miyako, the assistant to Fukuzawa, the publisher, looked at a card from Haruko. It was decorated with a small drawing, and explained that Haruko had returned to the country. She set it on his desk, and looked across the office where Fukuzawa was talking to the same young man who had brought him a draft sometime ago. Fukuzawa was looking through a new draft. He looked up with a smile and said, "I'll take this. It's good." The young man gasped. He got up and bowed. "Thank you. And I'll be back, too."
Fukuzawa chuckled as he put the draft into an envelope and handed it to Miyako. "Put this in the next edition of Zeta. It's really unique, and funny." She smiled. Then he sat down at his desk and looked at the card from Haruko. Miyako said, "I guess she's not coming back." He frowned. "And she was so close, too." He laid the card down and looked into the air for a moment, drumming his fingers on the desk. Then he nodded. "All right. Let's start the new artists contest." Miyako said, "A contest?" He stood up and paced. "Yes. I want to get new artists excited, maybe we'll have a conference, too. But we're going to give them a way to get their work out there. New, exciting work." He smiled. "That's why I started Zeta, and we're ready now."
Fumie was gathering clothes from the bamboo clothesline when she heard someone stumble down the street and fall. She looked out and saw Uraki stretched in the street. He looked up and said, "Haruko! She left!"
Fumie folded clothes in Shigeru's workroom. Shigeru and Uraki sat at the kitchen table. Uraki was crying, loud, theatrical tears with his face working. Shigeru picked up a towel from the clean clothes and tossed it to him. "Here... now what is it?" Uraki took the towel and blew his nose on it. "Haruko went home. Without telling me. She doesn't care about me." He dissolved into tears again.
Fumie said, "You had better explain to him." Shigeru nodded. "It doesn't have anything to do with you. She promised that if she didn't succeed at manga in three years, she would go home. That's all. You can't tell if she likes you or not." Uraki tossed the towel down, and grabbed Shigeru. "Why didn't you stop her?
Fumie pushed Uraki back. "Wait, wait. She... she didn't talk to you because she likes you. She couldn't take saying goodbye to you. She asked me to say goodbye for her." Uraki looked at her, his lip quivering. "Is that true?" Fumie nodded. He sat down again, and said, "How can any man tell what's in a woman's heart?"
Later, Uraki sat in the corner of the kitchen, his arms wrapped around his knees, staring at the floor. Aiko patted his arm. She asked, "What's wrong?" He made flipping motions with his hand. "Go away. I can't explain it to children. Just go away." Aiko ran back around the kitchen, and Fumie picked her up. Uraki sighed. "I'll never meet Haruko again..."
Shigeru shook his head. "I can't waste any more time. I'm going to do some work." He stood up and started to walk into his workroom. Uraki grabbed his leg. "No, no. Go drinking with me!" Shigeru shook his head. "I don't drink." Uraki said, "That's perfect, you'll be cheap." Shigeru pushed at Uraki. "No, I can't waste the time." Uraki pulled at him. "Come on, go drinking with me." Uraki pulled Shigeru into the entryway.
Shigeru pushed at Uraki. "Let go of me. I'm not going drinking with you." Uraki grabbed him again.
Toyokawa, the young man from Shonen Land, walked in the door with a large bundle in his hands. He said, "Excuse me? Is this Shigeru Mizuki's house?"
Shigeru and Uraki said, "Yes." They let go of each other and turned. Uraki said, "Who are you?" Toyokawa set his bundle down, and reached into his suit pocket. He got out a card case, and presented one business card. "I'm Toyokawa from Shonen Publications." He bowed. Uraki took the card. "Shonen Publications?" Toyokawa said, "I work on Shonen Land." Uraki said, "Shonen Land? The manga magazine for young adults?" Toyokawa nodded, and said, "It looks like you're busy right now, but I'd like to talk to you if you have a little time." Uraki shrugged. "Why don't we go drinking?"
Shigeru pushed Uraki aside and said, "Wait a minute. I'm Shigeru Mizuki." Toyokawa looked at his face, then stared at the empty left sleeve of his sweater. "You are?"
Moments later, Toyokawa and Shigeru sat in the workroom. Uraki and Fumie were in the kitchen. Toyokawa said, "I'm sorry. I knew you wrote war stories, but I didn't know you lost your arm." Shigeru said, "It's OK. But you wanted to talk?"
Fumie brought tea, and knelt beside Shigeru to serve it. She picked up the cup for Toyokawa. Toyokawa looked at Shigeru and said, "Actually, I'm here for Shonen Land. We'd like you to draw a manga for us." Fumie froze. After a moment, Shigeru said, "Fumie? Go ahead." She shook herself, and set the cup down for Toyokawa. She put Shigeru's cup beside him.
Toyokawa opened his bundle, and got out an issue of Shonen Land. "This is one of our books." He laid it down, then got out two other issues and set them down. "And I brought some cakes, too." He held out a large wrapped box. Fumie took it and went back into the kitchen.
Uraki looked at Toyokawa and Shigeru. He pulled his suit straight, and muttered to Fumie, "I don't think Shigeru can handle this by himself. I had better help." Fumie grabbed his arm and stopped him. She shook her head at him. Then they both stared at the two men sitting in the workroom.
<to be continued>
Fumie and Haruko sat in the same garden where Fumie had watched Shuhei eating. They had one plate of cakes. Haruko tried one, and sighed. "This is great." Then she looked around, and said, "This is really beautiful. I didn't know this was here." Fumie smiled. "Shigeru and I come out this way on our bicycles sometimes. He likes to take me to the graveyard nearby." Haruko muttered, "That's very different."
Then Haruko looked at Fumie and said, "I'd like to apologize for the other day. I was just so upset." Fumie nodded. "I can understand. Shigeru and I have been very worried too about manga. It's so hard to figure out what to do."
Fumie looked at the small spray of wildflowers on the table beside the cakes. "If you want to take those home..." She pulled some paper out of her pocket, wet it from her glass of water, and wrapped it around the stems of the flowers. "There, now they'll keep."
Haruko shook her head and smiled. "I give up. You're Shigeru's wife." Fumie said, "Yes, if I weren't there, I think he'd have hard times." Haruko said, "You're like these wildflowers. If you look closely, there's a beautiful flower." Fumie shrugged. "Maybe I am weedy..." Haruko shook her head. "Not a weed -- a treasure."
Haruko got up and went into the gift shop. She picked up a straw horse. "You've got one of these, don't you?" Fumie nodded. "Yes, the first time we came here, Shigeru bought one for me." Haruko said, "And slowly, bit by bit, together you've put your life together."
Haruko looked out the window. "You know, I really like Sensei." Fumie looked at her back. Haruko turned and said, "Oh, no, nothing strange. But I like his drawing, I like his way of thinking... and I really like his family." Fumie thought about it. His drawing, his words, and his family. Those were his treasures.
Haruko grinned at Fumie. "I'm going to keep fighting!" Fumie chuckled at her.
Sometime later, Miyako, the assistant to Fukuzawa, the publisher, looked at a card from Haruko. It was decorated with a small drawing, and explained that Haruko had returned to the country. She set it on his desk, and looked across the office where Fukuzawa was talking to the same young man who had brought him a draft sometime ago. Fukuzawa was looking through a new draft. He looked up with a smile and said, "I'll take this. It's good." The young man gasped. He got up and bowed. "Thank you. And I'll be back, too."
Fukuzawa chuckled as he put the draft into an envelope and handed it to Miyako. "Put this in the next edition of Zeta. It's really unique, and funny." She smiled. Then he sat down at his desk and looked at the card from Haruko. Miyako said, "I guess she's not coming back." He frowned. "And she was so close, too." He laid the card down and looked into the air for a moment, drumming his fingers on the desk. Then he nodded. "All right. Let's start the new artists contest." Miyako said, "A contest?" He stood up and paced. "Yes. I want to get new artists excited, maybe we'll have a conference, too. But we're going to give them a way to get their work out there. New, exciting work." He smiled. "That's why I started Zeta, and we're ready now."
Fumie was gathering clothes from the bamboo clothesline when she heard someone stumble down the street and fall. She looked out and saw Uraki stretched in the street. He looked up and said, "Haruko! She left!"
Fumie folded clothes in Shigeru's workroom. Shigeru and Uraki sat at the kitchen table. Uraki was crying, loud, theatrical tears with his face working. Shigeru picked up a towel from the clean clothes and tossed it to him. "Here... now what is it?" Uraki took the towel and blew his nose on it. "Haruko went home. Without telling me. She doesn't care about me." He dissolved into tears again.
Fumie said, "You had better explain to him." Shigeru nodded. "It doesn't have anything to do with you. She promised that if she didn't succeed at manga in three years, she would go home. That's all. You can't tell if she likes you or not." Uraki tossed the towel down, and grabbed Shigeru. "Why didn't you stop her?
Fumie pushed Uraki back. "Wait, wait. She... she didn't talk to you because she likes you. She couldn't take saying goodbye to you. She asked me to say goodbye for her." Uraki looked at her, his lip quivering. "Is that true?" Fumie nodded. He sat down again, and said, "How can any man tell what's in a woman's heart?"
Later, Uraki sat in the corner of the kitchen, his arms wrapped around his knees, staring at the floor. Aiko patted his arm. She asked, "What's wrong?" He made flipping motions with his hand. "Go away. I can't explain it to children. Just go away." Aiko ran back around the kitchen, and Fumie picked her up. Uraki sighed. "I'll never meet Haruko again..."
Shigeru shook his head. "I can't waste any more time. I'm going to do some work." He stood up and started to walk into his workroom. Uraki grabbed his leg. "No, no. Go drinking with me!" Shigeru shook his head. "I don't drink." Uraki said, "That's perfect, you'll be cheap." Shigeru pushed at Uraki. "No, I can't waste the time." Uraki pulled at him. "Come on, go drinking with me." Uraki pulled Shigeru into the entryway.
Shigeru pushed at Uraki. "Let go of me. I'm not going drinking with you." Uraki grabbed him again.
Toyokawa, the young man from Shonen Land, walked in the door with a large bundle in his hands. He said, "Excuse me? Is this Shigeru Mizuki's house?"
Shigeru and Uraki said, "Yes." They let go of each other and turned. Uraki said, "Who are you?" Toyokawa set his bundle down, and reached into his suit pocket. He got out a card case, and presented one business card. "I'm Toyokawa from Shonen Publications." He bowed. Uraki took the card. "Shonen Publications?" Toyokawa said, "I work on Shonen Land." Uraki said, "Shonen Land? The manga magazine for young adults?" Toyokawa nodded, and said, "It looks like you're busy right now, but I'd like to talk to you if you have a little time." Uraki shrugged. "Why don't we go drinking?"
Shigeru pushed Uraki aside and said, "Wait a minute. I'm Shigeru Mizuki." Toyokawa looked at his face, then stared at the empty left sleeve of his sweater. "You are?"
Moments later, Toyokawa and Shigeru sat in the workroom. Uraki and Fumie were in the kitchen. Toyokawa said, "I'm sorry. I knew you wrote war stories, but I didn't know you lost your arm." Shigeru said, "It's OK. But you wanted to talk?"
Fumie brought tea, and knelt beside Shigeru to serve it. She picked up the cup for Toyokawa. Toyokawa looked at Shigeru and said, "Actually, I'm here for Shonen Land. We'd like you to draw a manga for us." Fumie froze. After a moment, Shigeru said, "Fumie? Go ahead." She shook herself, and set the cup down for Toyokawa. She put Shigeru's cup beside him.
Toyokawa opened his bundle, and got out an issue of Shonen Land. "This is one of our books." He laid it down, then got out two other issues and set them down. "And I brought some cakes, too." He held out a large wrapped box. Fumie took it and went back into the kitchen.
Uraki looked at Toyokawa and Shigeru. He pulled his suit straight, and muttered to Fumie, "I don't think Shigeru can handle this by himself. I had better help." Fumie grabbed his arm and stopped him. She shook her head at him. Then they both stared at the two men sitting in the workroom.
<to be continued>
