Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 8/12
Aug. 12th, 2010 09:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkera.k.a. fame and fortune?
[I have to apologize. I misidentified the young woman in yesterday's episode. Apparently she is not the principal, she is Aiko's teacher. And she heard from Aiko's teacher last year (which would be about a month ago -- the Japanese school year starts in April, and the holidays they had were beginning of May). So -- Aiko's teacher is talking to Fumie...]
Fumie looked at the young woman, Aiko's teacher, and said, "Is Aiko doing something wrong in school?" The young woman shook her head. "No, she's a good student. But... well, when I ask for volunteers or something, she doesn't put herself forward. And when most of the children are playing or talking in small groups, she usually sits by herself at her desk, drawing in her notebook." Fumie said, "It sounds like me in school."
The young woman smiled. "I just worry about whether she's interested. And I know there is some teasing." Fumie said, "Teasing? Like what?" The young woman said, "Well, today Aiko and her friend Tomomi were at the back of the room, looking at books to read. Three boys paraded past outside, singing the ge-ge-ge song?" Fumie chuckled. The teacher said, "I heard Tomomi tell Aiko to ignore it. But then the boys stopped in the doorway and said, 'That's her! Ge-ge-ge's daughter! The monsters' daughter!' They laughed and ran off before I could do anything."
Fumie shook her head. "I guess as long as she's healthy and studying, there's not much else we can ask for." The young woman frowned. "Well, she certainly studies." Then she tilted her head and asked, "How about time with her father? Does she talk to him?"
Just then, there was a loud thumping in the hallway. Fumie said, "Excuse me, I had better see what that is." She got up and walked into the hallway, followed by Aiko's teacher. Fumie found Sugai stretched out on the floor. He moaned, "I'm sorry, I ran into the wall. I've been making dots for three days straight to meet the deadline, and I can't see straight." He looked up at Fumie. "You've got dots on your face!" Aiko's teacher said, "I'll call an ambulance!" Fumie said, "No, no. That's all right. This happens all the time. Here, let me help you." She helped Sugai stand up, and he limped into the workroom on Fumie's shoulder. Aiko's teacher followed them.
Inside the workroom, Sugai limped over to his desk. An assistant looked at him and said, "Don't hurry too much." Sugai looked at the sheet of paper on his desk and groaned. "More dots!"
An alarm clock on Shigeru's desk went off, the metal clapper ringing the two bells on it. Shigeru looked up from the paper he was working on, then reached over and slapped the alarm clock into silence, and said, "That's the deadline! Let's go!" He went back to work.
A man in a suit with a briefcase came into the workroom and said, "Is it done?" Shigeru waved his hand, "Just a little more time. Wait!" Mitsuo was on the telephone, and said, "Next week? We already have four deadlines next week." One assistant pushed a sheet of paper across the desks and said, "Erase that, would you?" Shuhei pushed through the doorway past Fumie and Aiko's teacher. He wore his good suit, and adjusted his tie. He glanced around, and said, "Where's Matsukawa?" Mitsuo covered the telephone and said, "She left already."
Kinuyo came in, waving a duster. "What are you doing? You were supposed to help me with dusting." She glanced at Shuhei. "Ha, wearing your good suit and tie? I'll bet there's a pretty girl somewhere."
The man in the suit leaned over Shigeru. "Hurry!" Shigeru pushed him back with his shoulder. "I can't hurry when you lean on me."
Fumie plucked at the teacher's sleeve and said, "Maybe we should go back to the other room?" The teacher nodded. Kinuyo looked at her, and said, "Wait! Who is this?" Kinuyo's voice cut through the noise in the room, and everyone turned to look at the teacher.
As Fumie and Aiko's teacher walked back to the family living room, Aiko's teacher said, "Well, it's certainly busy. Is it always like that?" Fumie said, "Around the deadlines, yes."
Aiko's teacher walked ahead of Fumie into the family living room. She stopped and gasped. Fumie looked over her shoulder. Yoshiko was busily laying out manga on the living room table from under the couch. The covers and illustrations all seemed to have shapely girls in swimming suits or other skimpy dress.
Minutes later, Fumie put the last of the manga into a magazine rack beside the couch. She said, "I'm sorry, my husband has strips in most of these, and he looks at them at night, so..." The teacher folded her hands on the table. "It's probably better if you don't leave those where the children can play with them. But he certainly works hard. I'm glad he had time to go to Takao Mountain during the holidays."
Fumie said, "Takao Mountain?" Aiko's teacher nodded. She took a thick paper out of her briefcase. "Yes, Aiko wrote a very nice paper about your holiday trip. Climbing the mountain, having ice cream in the shop at the top, everything. Very good paper." Fumie said, "Oh. Could I read that?" Aiko's teacher looked puzzled, but handed Fumie the paper.
In the shopping center, Aiko and Tomomi walked home, with their schoolbags on their backs. Tomomi said, "Maybe your father could start doing some other kind of manga? Sports, or maybe school?" Aiko shook her head. "No, he would never let me tell him what to draw." Tomomi said, "What if you got your mother to ask him?" Aiko frowned. "He wouldn't listen to her, either." Tomomi said, "Well, I guess you're doomed, then."
That evening, after dinner, Aiko helped Fumie put away plates. Fumie said, "Your teacher was here today." Aiko said, "Oh. What did she say about father's work?" Fumie said, "She said he worked very hard." Aiko piled several plates up. Fumie glanced at her. "She also showed me a paper you wrote. I was surprised to hear about the trip to Takao Mountain." Aiko winced. Fumie said, "We haven't been there. Why did you write that?"
Aiko looked at Fumie. "What else could I do? If I wrote that we went to a department store, and looked around, without buying anything, that would just be boring. So I talked with Tomomi, and she told me about their trip to Takao Mountain. I wrote about that, because it was better." Fumie frowned. "But it wasn't true." Aiko shrugged. "So what? Father doesn't tell the truth, either. All of his stories about monsters aren't true."
Fumie rubbed her cheek. "Um... are you having problems at school?" Aiko looked at her. "Did the teacher say something?" Fumie said, "No, not really. But you don't say much about school, and if you want to talk to me..." Aiko shook her head. "There's really nothing that anyone can do." Fumie frowned at Aiko, remembering the teacher saying that she worried about Aiko, that she didn't say much. Fumie wondered what no one could do anything about.
Later, Fumie went into the darkened workroom. Shigeru hunched over a drawing table under a light. As she stepped into the room, Shigeru said, "Should I talk to my relatives or not?" Then he shook his head. "That's not good." He picked up an eraser and started to erase the penciled dialogue in the manga he was looking at.
Fumie shook her head. "Oh. Just something in the manga." She watched him scratching his head, then shook her head. "I don't want to bother him now. Maybe later." She walked back out of the workroom.
Late that evening, Fumie was asleep on the kitchen table. A voice outside yelled, "Come out here!" She woke up, glanced around, and went to the entryway. She turned on the lights there. Then she opened the door and stepped outside.
She glanced out the gate, then at Shigeru, standing outside. He pointed at himself. "Who am I?" She gaped at him. He pointed at the house. "Shigeru Murai, right? And Shigeru Mizuku, who works here, drawing manga. Right?" She nodded. Shigeru turned, and glared at the policeman standing outside the gate. "See! I'm Shigeru Murai, just like I've been telling you."
The policeman ducked his head, then pulled a notebook from his pocket. "I'm sorry. So, could you write your name here?"
Shigeru glared at him. "What! Why should I write my name there, now that you know who I am?" The policeman opened the notebook. "I just wanted your signature. My kids are fans of your manga."
In the kitchen, Shigeru slumped in a chair. "I was taking a walk, and he stopped me. I told him who I was, and he didn't believe me. A one-armed artist!" Shigeru slapped his empty sleeve. "He thought I was an underwear thief!" Fumie said, "An underwear thief?" Shigeru glared at her. "Now you're saying it, too." He shook his head. "No matter how many times I told him, he didn't believe me." He shook his head.
Fumie said, "This might not be the best time, but as long as you're not working, could we talk about Aiko?" Shigeru looked at her. "Aiko? Is something wrong?" Fumie said, "Well, her teacher was here today, and there's a paper about what she did for her holidays." Shigeru said, "She didn't write it well? I suppose she might need some help..."
Fumie shook her head. "No, it was well written. But it was all about climbing Takao Mountain with you." Shigeru shook his head. "We didn't do that." Fumei said, "Yes, that's the problem." She sighed. "I thought she enjoyed going shopping at the department store, but I guess that's not interesting."
Shigeru shrugged. "Well, when I was in school, I used to write about an explosion blowing up the school." He laughed. "Actually, I was a big fan of explosions." Fumie shook her head. She said, "But..."
Shigeru shook his head. "Not tonight. I'm really busy." He got up and walked into the other room.
As he walked into the dark, Fumie blinked and stared. A strange gray ghost seeped out of his back and stretched, skinny bent legs, long arms, rags, and a twisted face. As Shigeru walked, the ghost bounced around the room, off the ceiling, left, right, and then flashed around the corner following Shigeru. Fumie shook her head. "What was that?"
At the end of May, Fumie cleaned the entryway. She looked up at the door and muttered, "Soon..." Then there was a beep outside, and she ran out the door. She stepped out the gate and hugged Takashi, her younger brother. "So you did close the store and come! Let's go inside."
<to be continued>
[I have to apologize. I misidentified the young woman in yesterday's episode. Apparently she is not the principal, she is Aiko's teacher. And she heard from Aiko's teacher last year (which would be about a month ago -- the Japanese school year starts in April, and the holidays they had were beginning of May). So -- Aiko's teacher is talking to Fumie...]
Fumie looked at the young woman, Aiko's teacher, and said, "Is Aiko doing something wrong in school?" The young woman shook her head. "No, she's a good student. But... well, when I ask for volunteers or something, she doesn't put herself forward. And when most of the children are playing or talking in small groups, she usually sits by herself at her desk, drawing in her notebook." Fumie said, "It sounds like me in school."
The young woman smiled. "I just worry about whether she's interested. And I know there is some teasing." Fumie said, "Teasing? Like what?" The young woman said, "Well, today Aiko and her friend Tomomi were at the back of the room, looking at books to read. Three boys paraded past outside, singing the ge-ge-ge song?" Fumie chuckled. The teacher said, "I heard Tomomi tell Aiko to ignore it. But then the boys stopped in the doorway and said, 'That's her! Ge-ge-ge's daughter! The monsters' daughter!' They laughed and ran off before I could do anything."
Fumie shook her head. "I guess as long as she's healthy and studying, there's not much else we can ask for." The young woman frowned. "Well, she certainly studies." Then she tilted her head and asked, "How about time with her father? Does she talk to him?"
Just then, there was a loud thumping in the hallway. Fumie said, "Excuse me, I had better see what that is." She got up and walked into the hallway, followed by Aiko's teacher. Fumie found Sugai stretched out on the floor. He moaned, "I'm sorry, I ran into the wall. I've been making dots for three days straight to meet the deadline, and I can't see straight." He looked up at Fumie. "You've got dots on your face!" Aiko's teacher said, "I'll call an ambulance!" Fumie said, "No, no. That's all right. This happens all the time. Here, let me help you." She helped Sugai stand up, and he limped into the workroom on Fumie's shoulder. Aiko's teacher followed them.
Inside the workroom, Sugai limped over to his desk. An assistant looked at him and said, "Don't hurry too much." Sugai looked at the sheet of paper on his desk and groaned. "More dots!"
An alarm clock on Shigeru's desk went off, the metal clapper ringing the two bells on it. Shigeru looked up from the paper he was working on, then reached over and slapped the alarm clock into silence, and said, "That's the deadline! Let's go!" He went back to work.
A man in a suit with a briefcase came into the workroom and said, "Is it done?" Shigeru waved his hand, "Just a little more time. Wait!" Mitsuo was on the telephone, and said, "Next week? We already have four deadlines next week." One assistant pushed a sheet of paper across the desks and said, "Erase that, would you?" Shuhei pushed through the doorway past Fumie and Aiko's teacher. He wore his good suit, and adjusted his tie. He glanced around, and said, "Where's Matsukawa?" Mitsuo covered the telephone and said, "She left already."
Kinuyo came in, waving a duster. "What are you doing? You were supposed to help me with dusting." She glanced at Shuhei. "Ha, wearing your good suit and tie? I'll bet there's a pretty girl somewhere."
The man in the suit leaned over Shigeru. "Hurry!" Shigeru pushed him back with his shoulder. "I can't hurry when you lean on me."
Fumie plucked at the teacher's sleeve and said, "Maybe we should go back to the other room?" The teacher nodded. Kinuyo looked at her, and said, "Wait! Who is this?" Kinuyo's voice cut through the noise in the room, and everyone turned to look at the teacher.
As Fumie and Aiko's teacher walked back to the family living room, Aiko's teacher said, "Well, it's certainly busy. Is it always like that?" Fumie said, "Around the deadlines, yes."
Aiko's teacher walked ahead of Fumie into the family living room. She stopped and gasped. Fumie looked over her shoulder. Yoshiko was busily laying out manga on the living room table from under the couch. The covers and illustrations all seemed to have shapely girls in swimming suits or other skimpy dress.
Minutes later, Fumie put the last of the manga into a magazine rack beside the couch. She said, "I'm sorry, my husband has strips in most of these, and he looks at them at night, so..." The teacher folded her hands on the table. "It's probably better if you don't leave those where the children can play with them. But he certainly works hard. I'm glad he had time to go to Takao Mountain during the holidays."
Fumie said, "Takao Mountain?" Aiko's teacher nodded. She took a thick paper out of her briefcase. "Yes, Aiko wrote a very nice paper about your holiday trip. Climbing the mountain, having ice cream in the shop at the top, everything. Very good paper." Fumie said, "Oh. Could I read that?" Aiko's teacher looked puzzled, but handed Fumie the paper.
In the shopping center, Aiko and Tomomi walked home, with their schoolbags on their backs. Tomomi said, "Maybe your father could start doing some other kind of manga? Sports, or maybe school?" Aiko shook her head. "No, he would never let me tell him what to draw." Tomomi said, "What if you got your mother to ask him?" Aiko frowned. "He wouldn't listen to her, either." Tomomi said, "Well, I guess you're doomed, then."
That evening, after dinner, Aiko helped Fumie put away plates. Fumie said, "Your teacher was here today." Aiko said, "Oh. What did she say about father's work?" Fumie said, "She said he worked very hard." Aiko piled several plates up. Fumie glanced at her. "She also showed me a paper you wrote. I was surprised to hear about the trip to Takao Mountain." Aiko winced. Fumie said, "We haven't been there. Why did you write that?"
Aiko looked at Fumie. "What else could I do? If I wrote that we went to a department store, and looked around, without buying anything, that would just be boring. So I talked with Tomomi, and she told me about their trip to Takao Mountain. I wrote about that, because it was better." Fumie frowned. "But it wasn't true." Aiko shrugged. "So what? Father doesn't tell the truth, either. All of his stories about monsters aren't true."
Fumie rubbed her cheek. "Um... are you having problems at school?" Aiko looked at her. "Did the teacher say something?" Fumie said, "No, not really. But you don't say much about school, and if you want to talk to me..." Aiko shook her head. "There's really nothing that anyone can do." Fumie frowned at Aiko, remembering the teacher saying that she worried about Aiko, that she didn't say much. Fumie wondered what no one could do anything about.
Later, Fumie went into the darkened workroom. Shigeru hunched over a drawing table under a light. As she stepped into the room, Shigeru said, "Should I talk to my relatives or not?" Then he shook his head. "That's not good." He picked up an eraser and started to erase the penciled dialogue in the manga he was looking at.
Fumie shook her head. "Oh. Just something in the manga." She watched him scratching his head, then shook her head. "I don't want to bother him now. Maybe later." She walked back out of the workroom.
Late that evening, Fumie was asleep on the kitchen table. A voice outside yelled, "Come out here!" She woke up, glanced around, and went to the entryway. She turned on the lights there. Then she opened the door and stepped outside.
She glanced out the gate, then at Shigeru, standing outside. He pointed at himself. "Who am I?" She gaped at him. He pointed at the house. "Shigeru Murai, right? And Shigeru Mizuku, who works here, drawing manga. Right?" She nodded. Shigeru turned, and glared at the policeman standing outside the gate. "See! I'm Shigeru Murai, just like I've been telling you."
The policeman ducked his head, then pulled a notebook from his pocket. "I'm sorry. So, could you write your name here?"
Shigeru glared at him. "What! Why should I write my name there, now that you know who I am?" The policeman opened the notebook. "I just wanted your signature. My kids are fans of your manga."
In the kitchen, Shigeru slumped in a chair. "I was taking a walk, and he stopped me. I told him who I was, and he didn't believe me. A one-armed artist!" Shigeru slapped his empty sleeve. "He thought I was an underwear thief!" Fumie said, "An underwear thief?" Shigeru glared at her. "Now you're saying it, too." He shook his head. "No matter how many times I told him, he didn't believe me." He shook his head.
Fumie said, "This might not be the best time, but as long as you're not working, could we talk about Aiko?" Shigeru looked at her. "Aiko? Is something wrong?" Fumie said, "Well, her teacher was here today, and there's a paper about what she did for her holidays." Shigeru said, "She didn't write it well? I suppose she might need some help..."
Fumie shook her head. "No, it was well written. But it was all about climbing Takao Mountain with you." Shigeru shook his head. "We didn't do that." Fumei said, "Yes, that's the problem." She sighed. "I thought she enjoyed going shopping at the department store, but I guess that's not interesting."
Shigeru shrugged. "Well, when I was in school, I used to write about an explosion blowing up the school." He laughed. "Actually, I was a big fan of explosions." Fumie shook her head. She said, "But..."
Shigeru shook his head. "Not tonight. I'm really busy." He got up and walked into the other room.
As he walked into the dark, Fumie blinked and stared. A strange gray ghost seeped out of his back and stretched, skinny bent legs, long arms, rags, and a twisted face. As Shigeru walked, the ghost bounced around the room, off the ceiling, left, right, and then flashed around the corner following Shigeru. Fumie shook her head. "What was that?"
At the end of May, Fumie cleaned the entryway. She looked up at the door and muttered, "Soon..." Then there was a beep outside, and she ran out the door. She stepped out the gate and hugged Takashi, her younger brother. "So you did close the store and come! Let's go inside."
<to be continued>
