Chapter 2: The Nosy Man
*Beep* *Beep* *Beep* *Beep*
There he goes off again. If you could only shut up for once.
*Beep* *Beep* *Beep* *Beep*
Shut up already.
I got dressed, it's time to go to work again…
I got to my office.
"This is not your office!", said my old boss.
"Opps!"
I forgot I am not from that office.
Everyone was staring at me with some sort of a jealousy in their eyes. Suck it, losers, if you want to climb up you gotta work.
I go to the new office.
There was someone in my desk. It's the girl from yesterday. What's she doing here?
"Good morning", my boss said, behind me.
"Don't scare me like that.", I said.
"You didn't got scared, be honest.", she said.
"Takahashi-san, you got a new novelist to edit.", Shizuka said, coming to me.
"Another one?", I said, surprised, " I mean I am only taking care of 15 novels.", I said.
"Well I'll help you out if you need, you seem a great editor, so I am sure you'll take care of it.", my boss said.
"Just don't make the deadlines to close to each other!"
"Fine. Go meet her, she is waiting for you in your desk!", she said pointing at my desk.
I went up to my desk.
Wait it's her.
How did i end up taking care of her novel?
"Oh, the guy from yesterday.", she said.
"I'm Takahashi Takumi, your editor."
"Here."
She gives her manuscript.
I read it.
Not a bad novel. A good rom-com novel, but she needs to work up the jokes or to make the rom-com turn into a romance. It's too serious to be a rom-com novel.
"The novel isn't bad but you have to decide whether you do a rom-com or a romance.", I said.
"It's a rom-com, doesn't it says so in the script?"
"It does, but you need to work up your jokes or make it a romance."
"Okay, then i'll try my best.", she said, disappointed.
"Your deadline is in 10 days."
"Sure.", she said, with a bored voice.
She leaves the office.
My boss was coming to me.
"So how was it?", she asked.
"It's okay, but she needs to suit herself in the category.", I said.
"Don't be to harsh, it's the first novel she is publishing."
"We have to guide them to make the best novel, otherwise I would be a bad editor…", I said.
She went back to her office.
Well I am surprised, it was her first novel. That look close to a above average novel from a 3-year expereciend novelist. Amazing.
A blonde spiky haired guy was coming to me.
"Damn, she is cute…", he said.
"Who ?", I didn't really knew whom he referred to.
"Boss, Nakashima Yuuka. Her serious face with her long straight black japanese hairs. Damn what glorious Yamato Nadeshiko (traditional japanese women) look she has.", he said, idolizing her.
"Hum, I'm sorry, I'm Kosuke Kanda, I'm an editor here, too. Ah, right ! Will you help me bring this documents to her office.", he said pointing at the pile of the documents that he had in the desk.
"Hum, sure."
I smell danger, he idolizing her…
It will go bad for him if he is in love with her, but I will keep my mouth shut for now.
We knocked at the door.
"Yes! Come in!", she said.
We entered.
"The documents you asked.", he said.
"Oh, leave them there, I'll take care of them later, now I'm working on something else…", she said, fiercely clicking on her computer's keyboard.
"Okay.", he said.
We left the boss's room.
"Sigh", Kosuke sighed.
"What?", I wanted to do a little test to see if he loved her.
"She is really diligent, what a great person she is…sigh."
"I guess so, too."
He is for sure completely fallen for her…
Poor him.
I guess I'll go back to work I still have one hour until the lunch.
It was lunch time, finally.
Kosuke was coming to me, again.
"Oi, wanna go eat with me?", he asked.
"I have a name I'm Takahashi Takumi."
"Ok then, Takami, it's okay, right ?"
What a weird nickname, but I guess no problem.
"Okay, then."
"Wanna go eat, then, Kosuke?", I asked.
"Sure, let's go.���
We made our way into the cafeteria.
He grabbed his bento box where he had two onigiris, with a hamburger, and some sushi pieces in other boxes. What a weird combination…
I grabbed my usual Yakisoba bread.
"What a good bento box you have there, are you good at cooking?", I was kind of intrigued by it he didn't looked the guy who cooked well.
"No, not really. My sister does it for me, she is great at cooking. She is a chef, she has her own restaurant. Why don't you come with me in another day. Her food is really good!", he said, biting fiercely the hamburger.
"Hum, okay I guess…"
"By the way, there is something I wanna confess to you…"
"What are you in love with me ?", I asked, laughing.
I knew what it was, to be honest.
"Not you… I think I like Nakashima Yuuka, our boss. But I don't really know how to step-up.", he said.
Game over, kid. There is no way you will win her. I feel really bad for him.
What should I do, what should I say, should I tell him?
It would be the most kind way of ending this…
Well they asked me to not say to anyone so I think I will evade this…
"I am not really good at those kinds of stuff.", I said.
"But you were a romance novelist… And now you edit lots of romances… Aren't you supposed to know something?", he said.
He had a point…
Well, then I guess I'll have to do something.
"Well, then, you'll have to tell her your feelings. Other way, she won't know them, nor can you express them. In novels, for example, you can have the best story, but if you don't know how to write it, it's game over. The same happens in those kinds of stuff.", I advised him.
He was burning in excitement.
He looked like he was getting pumped.
"Okay, then I guess I'll try out something tomorrow!", he said, finishing the bento and got off the cafeteria.
"Good."
Well, I tried to save him. He tried to dig up something from me, so I had to destroy him. I'm sure he has no chance of end up dating her.
I guess I'll get back to my desk… I have still 20 minutes but of break time, I will get bored if I stay here.
I was in the hall that connected the boss's office and the editor's office. I hear something falling in the bosses office. What is it? Boxes?
I'm feeling a dejavu since that day i found them in the archive…
I can't be, right? I mean it's almost work time. Oh right, I have documents to give to them I guess can use that as a excuse to come in.
I go get them in my desk with the minimal sound possible.
I open up the door that leads to the boss's office.
"Boss, I have documents to give to you…", I said, as I open the door.
There they were again…
They were in the office, Yuuka in top of Shizuka, barely wearing clothes. Kissing and rubbing their bodies one against the other.
"Why didn't you knock!", said Shizuka, throwing me a portfolio and some files she had nearby, that probably fell from a box that they made file, in the meantime.
"Sorry!", I said, closing the door right before it.
What was I expecting…
What is he (Kosuke) expecting…
There is no way that she will fall for him.
He will be only hurting himself. Poor him, yet there is nothing I can do... They are on their hands.
"You can come!", one of them said, I couldn't distinguish who it was because their voices were similar.
I come in.
"There you go, the document you asked me…", I said leaving the documents there and leaving.
"Sorry…", Shizuka said, in a soft voice.
"What?", I was not sure what she done to make her apologize to me.
"Well, it was our fault, we thought we had still time… And I threw stuff at you and threw you things…", she said, with her soft, begging for mercy voice.
"Ah, no problem, it was my fault too, I should've knocked…", I said.
"Well, there you go, your coffee.", said Yuuka, that was doing a coffee with a machine she had in her office.
Those two really do look a lot like each other, in their own way. What a cute couple.
"I'll be getting to work, then.", I said, grabbing the coffee and leaving their office.
"Good, work!", both of them said.
It was already the time for everyone to enter in the shift…
Kosuke was making his way into the editor's office.
"Oh, Takami! You're here already!", he said to me.
"Yeah…"
"I remembered I had to give out some documents to boss…", I completed.
"Oh, you forgot your deadline too, I guess that happens sometimes…", he said, making the face of «I understand you».
I guess I'll stick with that excuse…
It comes back to my mind. There is no way of him getting her. He will hurt himself. I am like a forced sadist, if I could tell him I would do so, but… Ahhh! Forget it, mind, and come back to work.
*After work*
Ahh, what a day, I'm beaten.Today was the publishing day of two novels…
I'm so tired. I wanna go home and finally get some rest. I guess I'll go on a beer hall and drink some… I get out of the company and went to the street that connected to the beer hall.
There is that little lake… A good perfect spot to get ideas for a novel. I wonder if I find some of my writers here. No way, I mean, not impossible but, very unlikely.
Long straight black hairs, strapped by a ponytail in the back. Wait, I think I know that girl there. She is writing with a pen and a notebook. And while she is writing she doesn't even look at the paper. It was like she was focused in the scene more than anything else… What a genius she must be… I think I will recommend my company too her. I can't see her face, though, so I guess I will go present myself to her…
"Lady in the lake, with the notebook and a pen. If you wanna write something professionally come to our company…", I said to her…
"Well, I already work in a company…", she said, not stopping writing to look at me.
Of course she must be already grabbed, I mean she is so talented.
But still that ponytail reminds me of someone…
"Are you sure, you would be in a good company…", I said.
"Well, I can't really destroy my contract…", she said, looking at me.
It was Ren Izumi…
"Izumi-san ? What are you doing here.", I said.
"Well, I'm adding a scene that suits better the rom-com…", she said continuing her writing.
She looked good doing so. The slight breeze that made her ponytail fly a bit, while she was swinging that pen, up and down, without even looking, but still keeping her calligraphy readable.
"I am looking forward to that novel…", I said.
"And the money you will have from it", she said, with a grin in her face.
"Before, I didn't saw this as a work. Only, until, recently (talking about her wife's dead) I lost my passion. I guess, I need to re-ignite the flame, I am editing a lot of novels because of that… More the novels, more the probability of finding the author that will do it…"
"I hope to be the one.", she said, smiling.
"Work hard for that…", I said.
"Who said I am working for you!", she said, making a funny-mad face.
"I never said that… But if you please the editor, you'll for sure please the community, because the editor has seen loads and loads of titles and good quality novels... "
"Aren't you being too narcissist…", she said, retracting that face.
"No, it's a reality…"
Now that I look closely, she was barefoot, and with her feet on water… How much purity that figure gives her…
"Why are you looking at my feet…", she said, hiding her feet.
"If you don't want to people look at it, then don't be barefooted…", I said.
"Well, the water it's just nice, and also you don't really have a reason to look at them…"
"It's night, there is no reason to the water feel nice it's cold and really unpleasant to some part of our body be in…"
"You don't understand women…", she said, laughing.
"It's not about women, it's about everyone, I bet everyone feels the same…"
She was getting up and got a towel from a bag she had.
But her wet feet slipped in the floor and she slipped and fell in the river.
"Now I am all wet…", she said, laughing, in the lake.
"I'm not even gonna comment that choice of words…"
I helped her getting out of the water.
She sneezed.
"You'll catch a cold…", I said giving her the towel that was in her bag.
"How far is your home?", I asked.
"It's like 10 bus stops away from here, I think like 12 kilometers or something…"
"You'll catch a cold for sure, my home is just around this block wanna get a change of clothes before going home?"
"You don't have women's clothes in there… Or are you a pervert who buys women's clothing in stores…"
"I don't…"
"Oh, right��� You probably prefer stealing them right after usage, you pervert"
"No! I have a sister that comes sometimes, and she left some of her clothes when she comes."
"Boring…", she said, probably commenting the real reason.
"Let's go then…", I suggested.
"Sure."
Well it has been time since I had someone in my home. Only my sister came like 4 months ago… Not that I feel lonely, but, sometimes I guess it's fine to spend the night with someone that's not your shadow… We are going home, then… I mean to my home!
"What are you laughing at?", she said, cometting the little laugh I made to her.
"Nothing really…"
The street was full of people going to the train station, probably going back to home from work. Some of them might be going for a nomikai. Having fun, working, spending money in things to have fun, this might be what everyone does… It's been a while since I done that with anyone…
"Why are you looking at those people.", she said, probably aware of my thoughts.
"I was thinking when was the last time I went to a nomikai…"
"Hmm, I see… Wanna go drink with me some other time…"
Is it okay, I mean she looks young, I bet she is probably still in school. She can't even drink alcohol, of course not!
"Why are you thinking I'm underage?", she asked, looking she was reading my thoughts.
"Are you not?"
"I am not! Don't you remember ? I told you I was 25!"
"No way!", I don't remember her saying her age…
"I am not lying!", she said, doing a sweet light sucker punch in my arm.
"Show me your ID then!", I said, carrying on with the joke.
"Is that what you need, okay then!", she said grabbing her ID from her purse.
Is she really gonna?
No way, I was joking, I thought she was joking too.
"See!", she said showing the ID with a embarrassed face.
It was true, she was 25.
"You look so young…", I said, with a slight tone to mock her.
"I don't know whether I should feel happy or insulted now!", she said.
We got to my home.
"We're here!", I said.
"Simple, eh.", she said.
"Now it's your time to mock me ?", I was slightly insulted.
"I didn't meant to insult you, really. I prefer having a simple house, too, because I live by myself, I would feel lonely if I lived in a big house…"
"I thought you were calling me poor!"
"Poor…", she said, mocking me
"That won't work, now."
"Oh ! I missed my timing!", she said, depressed.
We entered in the house, I was remembering if I didn't forgot to throw out anything or if I had nothing unclean or something, I guess not...
"Go take a bath…", I suggested.
"So you can drink my bathwater?", she said.
"How shameless…"
"But you didn't said no!", she commented.
"No! Of course not!", I said.
"Of course you didn't said no, right?"
"No! Of course I wouldn't drink that water!", I said, kind of mad by the way she understood it.
"Thank you for the bath!", she said, making her way to the bathroom.
I guess I'll take a bath later. I will prepare something to eat…
I will go ask if she wants to eat, too.
"Rina, do you want to eat too?", I asked.
" «Rina» ? Who is Rina?", she asked.
Oh god, I mistaken her name from my dead wife. How could I make such a mistake. Now I will have to make something up.
"Was it your girlfriend?", she asked.
"No!"
"Then?", she wouldn't knock herself out, she was too curious.
"I will talk about it later…", I avoided it.
"So wanna eat here, too?", I asked.
"Sure, but tell me about that…"
"About what ?", I was making myself dumb to see if she avoided touching the subject.
"About that «Rina» , I mean I smell romance in there, so I wanna know about it…", she said.
"Ah, sure…", I guess I'll tell her.
I was going to make some yakisoba.
It's simple dish.
Boiling some water, put the carrots and the brocoli, in the right timings.
Then, boiling some water and put the pasta in it…
Then when is cooked gather up everything in the pan where I cooked the meat, and add the soy sauce, etc.
It's not the normal yakisoba, I don't know if it even is yakisoba, but it was the way she done it. How that smell of the soy sauce in the pan made me remember her…
"Fuwa~, I'm refreshed, thank you for the bath… Oh that smell, smells good, oi!", she said, with her hair still wet, and wearing the clothes I gave her, the shampoo she used was really smelling good…
"Do you drink beer?", I asked.
"Yeah!", she seemed to be wanting to drink something.
"There you go, underage!", I said giving her an apple juice I had that looked like beer.
"Oi!", she seemed mad.
"There you go.", I said giving her the real beer.
She gave a gulp on the beer, drinking it with one go.
Mostrar painel lateral
"Huwaaa~. Beer after bath is amazing!", she seemed really refreshed by it.
"There you go, Yakisoba , but not really yakisoba, serving!", I said.
She grabbed the shopsticks, went to the table and started eating
"This is so good!", she said skipping the Itadakimasu, everyone does normally.
"Where are your manners!"
"Itadakimasu, sorry it was just too good.", she said, still with food in her mouth.
"Rina would do better.", I said, letting slip her name again...
"That «Rina» again, who is her! I forgot to ask you!"
Damn, she remembered. Why did I said that, again! I bet she would have forgot. I'm dumb!
"About that… Rina was my ex-wife, she died 3 years ago.", I said.
"So that's why, you were at the cemetery! I mean this clothes are from your sister. «she comes here sometimes», didn't you said… You lied to me, I knew they were from your wife! You are a terrible liar, by the way.", she said.
"Those clothes are from my sister, though.."
"Damn…"
"I didn't had the courage to stay with her clothes, so I gave them to her mom."
— New chapter is coming soon — Write a review
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone