Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 7/23
Jul. 23rd, 2010 09:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkera.k.a. Bigger and better...
The telephone rang. Fumie picked it up, and said, "Murai...ah, Mizuki Productions." Then she called to Shigeru at his worktable. "It's business..." Shigeru started to stand up. But the two men in suits sitting in the doorway glared at him and said, "Sensei?" Shigeru said, "Have Sachiko take it." He sat down again and picked up his work.
Sachiko, his brother's wife who was doing accounts at the table in the kitchen, picked up the telephone. "Hello? Yes... we'll pay that soon." She hung up the phone.
The two men in the doorway looked at each other. "It's really hot." "Such a small office, with so many people..."
Sugai, the pushy young assistant, suddenly yelped. "Oh!" He took a tissue and blotted up the extra ink. Kurata glanced over. "There's no time for mistakes." Shigeru painted white onto the eye of a colored panel, then blew on it. He looked at the men in the doorway. "Here, this is finished." One of the men took it, glanced at it, and said, "Thanks!" He folded it carefully, and slid it into a large envelope. He got up, turned, and stumbled over Aiko, who started crying. "I'm sorry. Are you all right?" Fumie comforted her, and said, "Oh, I think she's just surprised."
Aiko cried, Sachiko clicked the beads on her abacus, the phone rang, and Sugai yelped as he made another mistake. Shigeru looked down at the sheet he was trying to work on, then set it down and stood up. He yelled, "It's too small, too noisy, I can't work with all this!"
That night, Fumie came downstairs in the dark. She slid the doors of the workroom open. Shigeru sat at his worktable, drawing. Fumie said, "Shigeru? Are you going to draw all night?" He continued to draw. She stepped inside. "I could fix you a snack if you're hungry." He made another mark on the paper, then nodded, and said, "There it is!" Then he looked at Fumie. "Oh, are you still up?" Fumie said, "What is it?" He showed her the drawing. It was a floor plan. "It's how we're going to rebuild the house." "Rebuild? What?" He nodded. "Yes. It's too small for the company. That was a mistake, trying to fit everything in here. But we'll fix it."
The next day, Shigeru stood outside with a builder and his plan. The builder looked at it and said, "But if we do that, you'll walk right into the stairway." Shigeru frowned. Then he pulled a pencil from his pocket. "What if..." One of the suited men stepped out of the front door and said, "Sensei? When are you going to get back to work? There's a deadline coming." Shigeru said, "Soon."
Soon, the house was surrounded with a framework. Builders hammered. In the workroom, Shigeru and his three assistants worked. Aiko stood in the kitchen, with her hands over her ears. Shigeru handed a sheet to Sugai, who put it in an envelope and stood up. He walked out of the workroom into the kitchen, and said, "I'm off to deliver manga." Fumie smiled. As he started to step out, a builder came through the doorway. They shuffled, and the builder said, "You're blocking things." As they dodged past each other, the saws outside ripped through wood for the house.
After the builders finished, Shigeru, Fumie, Aiko, Komine, and Kurata posed in the street outside the gate with the sign for Mizuki Productions beside them. Sugai checked the camera, then said, "Hold still." He pressed the timer, and started to step into the picture. As he took a step, he tripped, and Kurata caught him. That's when the camera clicked.
In the new, expanded workroom, a fan blew across the desks. Instead of sitting on the floor, there were rolling chairs for everyone. Bookshelves held scrapbooks and manga. Even Sachiko had her own desk, with the phone on it, and a blackboard over it to keep track of work. The big clear windows let the sun shine in.
The man in a suit came in, carrying a large vase full of flowers. He looked at the room, and said, "Wow! It really looks different now." Shigeru didn't look up, but said, "If you're here for your manga, you're too early. The deadline isn't today." The man said, "No, no. We're late, but I brought these as a celebration present for your company." Shigeru looked up, and said, "Oh! Very pretty. Just put them over there, then."
In the new, bright kitchen, Fumie poked through the cabinets, looking for brown sugar. "Where did I put it?" Aiko was reading manga in the nearby living room. Fumie looked around, and remembered poking through the cabinets when she first arrived in the house, and wondering if even a single man could live without anything in the kitchen.
Sachiko came in and said, "I'm going to go home now." Fumie said, "Okay." Sachiko looked at her and said, "You should take care of yourself. You're 34, you need to be careful of the baby." Fumie patted her stomach. "Oh, I'm still fine." Sachiko said, "Well, think about it." Fumie said, "I will."
Fumie poked around the cabinets. "Where is that brown sugar?" Shigeru came in, and said, "What are you doing, talking to yourself in here?" Fumie chuckled. "Oh, nothing. I'll bring the coffee soon." Shigeru said, "Okay. Say, what do you want to do about dinner?" Fumie said, "Well, we could have sushi, or chinese, or western?" Shigeru said, "Oh, let's have chinese." Fumie said, "I can order gyoza and fried rice from the chinese restaurant." Shigeru shook his head. "No, not them. Their gyoza is rubbery." He smiled at Fumie. "Why don't you fix it? That's the best!" She nodded. He said, "Oh, and add one more for Kitamura." "From Shonen Land?" Shigeru said, "Yeah, but he's helping. He's putting dialogue bits in place. Actually, he's better than Sugai." Fumie said, "Oh, don't let him hear you say that."
Shigeru looked at Aiko. "Are you reading manga?" She nodded, happily. He laughed. Then he rubbed his shoulders. Fumie said, "Do you want me to give you a back rub?" He shook his head. "No, not now. It's nothing, and we don't have time." He went back to work.
Fumie looked around the kitchen, and smiled. "Ha! I'll make a really good gyoza service. Let's see..." She started counting people on her fingers.
In the shopping area, Fumie walked to Yamada's shop. Her arms were full of bags. Yamada took one look at her and said, "Put the bags down here." Fumie quickly set them down. Yamada said, "What is all this, anyway?" Fumie said, "Oh, just groceries for dinner." Then she got out her shopping list and looked at the bags. "Oh, darn. I forgot the soap." Yamada said, "What, you need to do more shopping?" Fumie said, "Well, with all the people we have, we run out of tissue and soap really fast."
Then she looked at the dried mushrooms that Yamada had in front of the store. Fumie picked up one bag. Yamada said, "Those are really nice, but for a lot of people..." Fumie nodded. "It gets expensive fast." She set the bag back down, and picked up a large bag of dried shitake. "I guess I better get this, instead." Yamada said, "Thanks."
As Fumie paid, Yamada said, "Why don't you leave the bags here? I'll run them over to your house in my car later." Fumie said, "But you can't deliver everything just for a bag of shitake." Yamada said, "Sure I can. It's easy. Say, you should buy a car." Fumie said, "But I don't know how to drive." Yamada said, "You could learn. Nowadays, everyone has the three c's -- car..." Fumie said, "Cooler..." and they chorused, "Color television." Then Fumie shook her head. "But it's more expense, and we just rebuilt the house." Yamada said, "You should get one for the baby. Ask around, someone could drive it, I'm sure." Fumie nodded.
Meanwhile, Genbee, Fumie's father, looked at the picture of the assistants, Shigeru, Fumie, and Aiko in front of the house. He held a letter from Fumie in his hand. "They're going to have another baby. And the company is growing." Miyako, Fumie's mother, nodded. "I think I should go to Tokyo." Genbee said, "What?" Miyako said, "Aiko is still small, and Fumie is trying to take care of everything by herself." Genbee said, "What about Akiko? She's Fumie's sister, and she lives in Tokyo." Miyako said, "But it's the other side of Tokyo, and she has her own family to take care of. Fumie won't ask her for help."
Genbee said, "But she says in her letter that it's okay." Miyako said, "Well, yes, but I think I can go. I'm her mother, after all." Genbee said, "You'll shame them. No." Then he hit the table with his hand. "I've decided. You can't go, but I have an idea."
<to be continued>
The telephone rang. Fumie picked it up, and said, "Murai...ah, Mizuki Productions." Then she called to Shigeru at his worktable. "It's business..." Shigeru started to stand up. But the two men in suits sitting in the doorway glared at him and said, "Sensei?" Shigeru said, "Have Sachiko take it." He sat down again and picked up his work.
Sachiko, his brother's wife who was doing accounts at the table in the kitchen, picked up the telephone. "Hello? Yes... we'll pay that soon." She hung up the phone.
The two men in the doorway looked at each other. "It's really hot." "Such a small office, with so many people..."
Sugai, the pushy young assistant, suddenly yelped. "Oh!" He took a tissue and blotted up the extra ink. Kurata glanced over. "There's no time for mistakes." Shigeru painted white onto the eye of a colored panel, then blew on it. He looked at the men in the doorway. "Here, this is finished." One of the men took it, glanced at it, and said, "Thanks!" He folded it carefully, and slid it into a large envelope. He got up, turned, and stumbled over Aiko, who started crying. "I'm sorry. Are you all right?" Fumie comforted her, and said, "Oh, I think she's just surprised."
Aiko cried, Sachiko clicked the beads on her abacus, the phone rang, and Sugai yelped as he made another mistake. Shigeru looked down at the sheet he was trying to work on, then set it down and stood up. He yelled, "It's too small, too noisy, I can't work with all this!"
That night, Fumie came downstairs in the dark. She slid the doors of the workroom open. Shigeru sat at his worktable, drawing. Fumie said, "Shigeru? Are you going to draw all night?" He continued to draw. She stepped inside. "I could fix you a snack if you're hungry." He made another mark on the paper, then nodded, and said, "There it is!" Then he looked at Fumie. "Oh, are you still up?" Fumie said, "What is it?" He showed her the drawing. It was a floor plan. "It's how we're going to rebuild the house." "Rebuild? What?" He nodded. "Yes. It's too small for the company. That was a mistake, trying to fit everything in here. But we'll fix it."
The next day, Shigeru stood outside with a builder and his plan. The builder looked at it and said, "But if we do that, you'll walk right into the stairway." Shigeru frowned. Then he pulled a pencil from his pocket. "What if..." One of the suited men stepped out of the front door and said, "Sensei? When are you going to get back to work? There's a deadline coming." Shigeru said, "Soon."
Soon, the house was surrounded with a framework. Builders hammered. In the workroom, Shigeru and his three assistants worked. Aiko stood in the kitchen, with her hands over her ears. Shigeru handed a sheet to Sugai, who put it in an envelope and stood up. He walked out of the workroom into the kitchen, and said, "I'm off to deliver manga." Fumie smiled. As he started to step out, a builder came through the doorway. They shuffled, and the builder said, "You're blocking things." As they dodged past each other, the saws outside ripped through wood for the house.
After the builders finished, Shigeru, Fumie, Aiko, Komine, and Kurata posed in the street outside the gate with the sign for Mizuki Productions beside them. Sugai checked the camera, then said, "Hold still." He pressed the timer, and started to step into the picture. As he took a step, he tripped, and Kurata caught him. That's when the camera clicked.
In the new, expanded workroom, a fan blew across the desks. Instead of sitting on the floor, there were rolling chairs for everyone. Bookshelves held scrapbooks and manga. Even Sachiko had her own desk, with the phone on it, and a blackboard over it to keep track of work. The big clear windows let the sun shine in.
The man in a suit came in, carrying a large vase full of flowers. He looked at the room, and said, "Wow! It really looks different now." Shigeru didn't look up, but said, "If you're here for your manga, you're too early. The deadline isn't today." The man said, "No, no. We're late, but I brought these as a celebration present for your company." Shigeru looked up, and said, "Oh! Very pretty. Just put them over there, then."
In the new, bright kitchen, Fumie poked through the cabinets, looking for brown sugar. "Where did I put it?" Aiko was reading manga in the nearby living room. Fumie looked around, and remembered poking through the cabinets when she first arrived in the house, and wondering if even a single man could live without anything in the kitchen.
Sachiko came in and said, "I'm going to go home now." Fumie said, "Okay." Sachiko looked at her and said, "You should take care of yourself. You're 34, you need to be careful of the baby." Fumie patted her stomach. "Oh, I'm still fine." Sachiko said, "Well, think about it." Fumie said, "I will."
Fumie poked around the cabinets. "Where is that brown sugar?" Shigeru came in, and said, "What are you doing, talking to yourself in here?" Fumie chuckled. "Oh, nothing. I'll bring the coffee soon." Shigeru said, "Okay. Say, what do you want to do about dinner?" Fumie said, "Well, we could have sushi, or chinese, or western?" Shigeru said, "Oh, let's have chinese." Fumie said, "I can order gyoza and fried rice from the chinese restaurant." Shigeru shook his head. "No, not them. Their gyoza is rubbery." He smiled at Fumie. "Why don't you fix it? That's the best!" She nodded. He said, "Oh, and add one more for Kitamura." "From Shonen Land?" Shigeru said, "Yeah, but he's helping. He's putting dialogue bits in place. Actually, he's better than Sugai." Fumie said, "Oh, don't let him hear you say that."
Shigeru looked at Aiko. "Are you reading manga?" She nodded, happily. He laughed. Then he rubbed his shoulders. Fumie said, "Do you want me to give you a back rub?" He shook his head. "No, not now. It's nothing, and we don't have time." He went back to work.
Fumie looked around the kitchen, and smiled. "Ha! I'll make a really good gyoza service. Let's see..." She started counting people on her fingers.
In the shopping area, Fumie walked to Yamada's shop. Her arms were full of bags. Yamada took one look at her and said, "Put the bags down here." Fumie quickly set them down. Yamada said, "What is all this, anyway?" Fumie said, "Oh, just groceries for dinner." Then she got out her shopping list and looked at the bags. "Oh, darn. I forgot the soap." Yamada said, "What, you need to do more shopping?" Fumie said, "Well, with all the people we have, we run out of tissue and soap really fast."
Then she looked at the dried mushrooms that Yamada had in front of the store. Fumie picked up one bag. Yamada said, "Those are really nice, but for a lot of people..." Fumie nodded. "It gets expensive fast." She set the bag back down, and picked up a large bag of dried shitake. "I guess I better get this, instead." Yamada said, "Thanks."
As Fumie paid, Yamada said, "Why don't you leave the bags here? I'll run them over to your house in my car later." Fumie said, "But you can't deliver everything just for a bag of shitake." Yamada said, "Sure I can. It's easy. Say, you should buy a car." Fumie said, "But I don't know how to drive." Yamada said, "You could learn. Nowadays, everyone has the three c's -- car..." Fumie said, "Cooler..." and they chorused, "Color television." Then Fumie shook her head. "But it's more expense, and we just rebuilt the house." Yamada said, "You should get one for the baby. Ask around, someone could drive it, I'm sure." Fumie nodded.
Meanwhile, Genbee, Fumie's father, looked at the picture of the assistants, Shigeru, Fumie, and Aiko in front of the house. He held a letter from Fumie in his hand. "They're going to have another baby. And the company is growing." Miyako, Fumie's mother, nodded. "I think I should go to Tokyo." Genbee said, "What?" Miyako said, "Aiko is still small, and Fumie is trying to take care of everything by herself." Genbee said, "What about Akiko? She's Fumie's sister, and she lives in Tokyo." Miyako said, "But it's the other side of Tokyo, and she has her own family to take care of. Fumie won't ask her for help."
Genbee said, "But she says in her letter that it's okay." Miyako said, "Well, yes, but I think I can go. I'm her mother, after all." Genbee said, "You'll shame them. No." Then he hit the table with his hand. "I've decided. You can't go, but I have an idea."
<to be continued>
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