Difference between revisions of "Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai:Volume 3 Chapter 4"
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Hearing that, I felt a chill run down my spine. Kuroneko’s thin, eerie smile was similar to the one my little sister had when she handed me an eroge box. |
Hearing that, I felt a chill run down my spine. Kuroneko’s thin, eerie smile was similar to the one my little sister had when she handed me an eroge box. |
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| + | <noinclude> |
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| − | It was evening two days later. Together with Kuroneko this time, I once again headed for the publishing company in Shinjuku. |
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| − | |||
| − | Saori didn’t come. The reason seemed to be related with how she set up an appointment with the publishers for us through her connections, but it seemed to be a difficult topic so I didn’t press the issue. |
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| − | |||
| − | And I didn’t need to hear it. |
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| − | |||
| − | “… So we should just head straight up to the second editorial department on the fourth floor…” |
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| − | |||
| − | No response, as expected from Kuroneko. |
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| − | |||
| − | … Well, how do I put it… she was fundamentally the type of person who didn’t talk much. By the way, the last time I came here, Kirino had dressed up in a formal suit because she was meeting with the editors, but this time Kuroneko was dressed like usual, head to toe in her black Gothic Lolita fashion. |
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| − | |||
| − | … Does she not have anything else to wear? That wasn’t a question I should ask a girl even if I were wrong, so I didn’t say anything, and she could have very well been wearing a different outfit with a similar design… |
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| − | |||
| − | She kind of acts like some eroge character, doesn’t she? Those characters always wear the same clothes too… |
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| − | |||
| − | As those stupid thoughts were running to my head, I proceeded through the lobby and entered the elevator, going up to the fourth floor. |
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| − | |||
| − | Coming out of the elevator, I saw paths going to the left and right, with a telephone placed right in front of me. |
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| − | |||
| − | It seemed that this phone was connected to an inner line that visitors were supposed to use to call the editorial department. |
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| − | |||
| − | I used the phone while looking at the list that was on the same table as the phone. |
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| − | |||
| − | “Hello, this is the Dengeki Books Editorial Department.” |
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| − | |||
| − | “Ah, umm… this is Kousaka… I have an appointment at five.” |
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| − | |||
| − | “Understood. Please wait a little while.” |
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| − | |||
| − | “Ah, sorry, I also wanted to ask if this is the second editorial department?” |
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| − | |||
| − | “Yes, it is indeed. This is the Media Ascii Works Second Editorial Department, Dengeki Books Editorial Division.” |
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| − | |||
| − | So, that means that in the Mobile Division here, there was an editor named Kumagai Ryuunosuke. |
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| − | |||
| − | Which means we managed to make it to the same department that person was in. |
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| − | |||
| − | When I put the phone back, before long, a door opened on the left and a bespectacled man appeared. It seemed that he had come to meet us. Following behind him, we walked through a magnificent passageway you would expect to find in a hotel. Going through the innermost door that the man had come out of, we entered a ridiculously wide office space. |
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| − | |||
| − | “Sorry for intruding…” |
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| − | |||
| − | … So this was an editorial department? I was curious, so I let my gaze wander around without restraint. To be quite honest, the place was pretty jumbled. They were meticulous in their cleaning, so all the furnishings were spotless, but it was pretty cluttered. Over there were a large number of cardboard boxes, along with a bunch of bishoujo character posters and dolls for decoration. It honestly was an office that reeked of otaku. To be pretty old and have to work in a place like this… you could call it a job, but editors certainly had it rough. |
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| − | |||
| − | “Please come in and wait in one of these booths.” |
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| − | |||
| − | “Thank you thank you…” |
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| − | |||
| − | On the left hand side after entering the office there was a corner that had been partitioned off, and in that section were desks that could seat four people. So this was the place they would have business meetings about publishing books…? |
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| − | |||
| − | As advised by the person who had led us in, we picked the closest booth out of the three that were there and sat down. |
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| − | |||
| − | I took off my jacket, put down my bag, and drank a mouthful of the tea they had prepared for us. |
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| − | |||
| − | “Phew…” |
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| − | |||
| − | Finally, a single breath. |
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| − | |||
| − | “Ahh, I’m pretty nervous… this is what job interviews must feel like.” |
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| − | |||
| − | I struck up some small talk with the girl next to me, but… |
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| − | |||
| − | “…………..” |
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| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko looked as pale as a vampire and both her eyes were opened wide. Cold sweat ran profusely down her forehead. |
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| − | |||
| − | “… H-Hey, Kuroneko. Calm down. Are you alright?” |
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| − | |||
| − | “… There’s no problem.” |
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| − | |||
| − | There so is a problem. She looks like death. |
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| − | |||
| − | Even though she was the one who suggested this tactic… |
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| − | |||
| − | “………… Well, I guess it’s natural that you’re more nervous than I am. Sorry about all this…” |
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| − | |||
| − | “… I said there wasn’t a problem, didn’t I? Please do not apologize to me.” |
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| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko closed her eyes halfway, and took one sip of her tea. |
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| − | |||
| − | “Also, this meeting is being held only under the pretext of us wanting to meet with an editor, so there’s not a single reason to be nervous.” |
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| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko mumbled while maintaining an expressionless mask, but I felt she was just putting on an act. |
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| − | |||
| − | Yes, to make it perfectly clear, today we had come to submit an application. |
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| − | |||
| − | By application, what I mean is, for example, someone takes them a manga or novel he or she wrote and makes an appeal to try to get them to sell it. The editor reads the work and judges whether it can be used or not, and should the situation permit, gives the applicant advice on how to get the work published, or introduces him or her to another editorial department. Of course, if the work can’t be used, the applicant might get verbally abused, driven away, laughed at… that kind of thing. |
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| − | |||
| − | Even though she had never submitted an application like that, Kuroneko had told me all that. |
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| − | |||
| − | The office was quieter than I had expected (I had imagined an office in which a frightening editor-in-chief was ranting and raving at his subordinates, in which editors desperately called authors and urged them to turn in their manuscripts… that kind of thing). But, occasionally I could hear what sounded like editors having business meetings with authors over the phone. |
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| − | |||
| − | And the Mobile Division or whatever was somewhere around here… |
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| − | |||
| − | Even though Saori had connections, we wouldn’t have been able to get in here without at least making up a reason. So, we told them that we were submitting an application to get a work published and successfully infiltrated the office. |
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| − | |||
| − | In a word, we were on a scouting mission. Let me explain it simply one more time. |
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| − | |||
| − | We had passed into the “Second Editorial Department, Dengeki Books Editorial Division.” |
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| − | |||
| − | The place “Kumagai Ryuunosuke” worked was the “Second Editorial Department, Mobile Division.” |
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| − | |||
| − | These two were different divisions that belonged to the same editorial department, and the one we were interested in was the latter. |
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| − | |||
| − | The genre of the work that Kuroneko created seemed to mesh relatively well with Dengeki Books, so under that pretext, Saori had been able to get us to the Dengeki Books Editorial Division. If possible, I wanted to ask the editor we were going to meet to allow us to have a meeting with Kumagai Ryuunosuke, but… |
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| − | |||
| − | This wasn’t a trick we could keep on doing, so I was all the more nervous. |
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| − | |||
| − | “By the way, you don’t seem to have anything here, so what are you making your application with?” |
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| − | |||
| − | “… I already mailed it in. My application this time was for a novel, so it wouldn’t make sense to bring it in and expect him to read it in the same day, right?” |
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| − | |||
| − | Ahh, I see. That’s certainly true. |
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| − | |||
| − | “So, which work did you send them…?” |
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| − | |||
| − | “… Earlier, I had brought a black, bound doujinshi to your house, right? That.” |
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| − | |||
| − | “…………………………. T-That one….?” |
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| − | |||
| − | “What’s wrong?” |
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| − | |||
| − | “Well…” |
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| − | |||
| − | That one… she was going to make a professional editor read that novel that Kirino had spent so much time bashing…? |
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| − | |||
| − | W-Will this really be alright…? And that… wasn’t the only thing I was worried about… |
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| − | |||
| − | “… Let me just say it. You’re dealing with someone who’s meeting with you as part of work. So don’t treat this as if you’re casually talking with a friend or something, alright?” |
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| − | |||
| − | Because your mouth is every bit as nasty as Kirino’s. |
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| − | |||
| − | “… Tch….. you don’t have to tell me that. I already know.” |
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| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko gently covered her face with one hand, and then suddenly flicked her arm to the side. |
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| − | |||
| − | When she did that… her red eyes had turned black. |
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| − | |||
| − | “… Camouflage complete… is this character and tone of voice more acceptable?” |
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| − | |||
| − | What was up with her attitude, as if she was trying to say ”I have assumed a character that is more appropriate for human negotiations”? |
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| − | |||
| − | All she did was take out her color contacts very quickly, right? Pretty handy trick there. |
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| − | |||
| − | “Do you really understand…?” |
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| − | |||
| − | But there was no time to confirm that. A new person had entered the booth. |
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| − | |||
| − | It was a guy who had a white towel wrapped around his head in the style of a pirate bandana. He wore a warm-looking fleece hooded sweatshirt, and rather than seeming like a company employee, he looked like someone who would be working stage crew during a show. |
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| − | |||
| − | “Ahh, I’m really sorry! The editor who’s handling your case still hasn’t come in today! I really do apologize, but would you mind waiting another fifteen minutes or so?” |
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| − | |||
| − | “… Ah… I don’t mind.” |
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| − | |||
| − | “Ah, really? I’m honestly terribly sorry! Feel free to leaf through a few of the magazines over there while you’re waiting!” |
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| − | |||
| − | From the time he came in, all he did was apologize. He seemed like an incredibly humble person. |
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| − | |||
| − | And then, even though he told us to read some of the magazines, he went and comfortably sat himself across from us. |
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| − | |||
| − | “But nice to meet you, my name is Henkutsu. I’m just a lowly editor here.” |
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| − | |||
| − | “Ahh… Henkutsu-san…?” |
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| − | |||
| − | “Haha, it’s a strange name, isn’t it? Our editorial department gives each and every one of its editors pet names… nicknames, I should say. It’s become customary that we call each other by those names.” |
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| − | |||
| − | It was like a custom straight out of a secret evil organization in a superhero series. Alright, remind me to never apply here for a job. |
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| − | |||
| − | “By the way, you two sure have some strange connections. Our department generally doesn’t deal with applications made by amateurs. We only handle applications just occasionally from semi-pros or pros. And the work you sent to us was a doujinshi derivative of a preexisting series, so this situation is honestly quite unprecedented.” |
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| − | |||
| − | “Ahh.” |
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| − | |||
| − | For a while now, all I’ve been saying is “Ahh.” Wait, so this guy also read the doujinshi? |
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| − | |||
| − | “Well, that company does help us out a great deal with our related goods. Like, for instance, those things over there are good examples.” |
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| − | |||
| − | Henkutsu-san vaguely gestured with one hand to the “things over there.” |
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| − | |||
| − | Even if you say that… it’s not like I know which things you’re talking about. For Henkutsu-san, he was probably speaking under the assumption that we were well informed about “that company” or whatever, and so it was unavoidable that he would be difficult to understand. |
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| − | |||
| − | Anyhow, I never asked him about “that company.” Why, you ask? Because Saori didn’t seem to want to talk much about the connections she had. |
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| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko didn’t ask anything either. Or rather, she hadn’t said a single word since Henkutsu-san had shown up. |
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| − | |||
| − | “So, after that we decided that we would just read your work and meet with you and see how things went.” |
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| − | |||
| − | Well, he was a pretty blunt person, wasn’t he? |
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| − | |||
| − | “This is just my personal opinion, but I thought it was pretty interesting. What you sent us was a so-called “time travel” Maschera doujinshi, right? I personally am a fan of Maschera, and I’m relatively knowledgeable about plot elements in derivative novels like “time travel” and “alternate universe,” so I can’t deny that I may be somewhat biased in my opinion here. There were certainly a lot of words you made up, and places that were difficult to understand. I had read your setup notes so I didn’t have a hard time at all, but it would be good for you to remember that there will be many people who don’t feel the same way.” |
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| − | |||
| − | “Ahh…” |
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| − | |||
| − | Hey, pretty good, Kuroneko. He certainly added on a lot of annoying things at the end there, but a professional editor thought your book was interesting. |
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| − | |||
| − | When I glanced at Kuroneko, she had a bit of a blush on her cheeks while still retaining her emotionless mask. She probably wasn’t completely dissatisfied with his comments. Of course, our visit today was primarily concerned with contacting the people involved with Maisora, Kumagai Ryuunosuke in particular, and Kuroneko’s application was to the very end just the pretext under which we came. |
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| − | |||
| − | But if Kuroneko could also get her work assessed like this, that was a good thing too. |
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| − | |||
| − | “Ah, also, they never told me what kind of people would be coming, and I’m surprised at how young you two are. And what’s more, I didn’t expect two people to show up.” |
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| − | |||
| − | “Ahh.” |
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| − | |||
| − | “Umm, did you both have a hand in the project? The doujinshi you sent us had a manga and a novel portion. So perhaps one of you was in charge of the original story?” |
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| − | |||
| − | “No, that’s-“ |
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| − | |||
| − | I’m just accompanying her… is what I wanted to say, but Kuroneko cut me off. |
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| − | |||
| − | “Yes. We’re brother and sister and wrote it together.” |
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| − | |||
| − | “Wha-…?! Hey, you-“ |
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| − | |||
| − | In my surprise, I began to protest, but Kuroneko slapped a hand over my mouth. |
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| − | |||
| − | Her expressionless face and black eyes stared right up at me. |
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| − | |||
| − | “Isn’t that right… oniisan?” |
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| − | |||
| − | “……..?!?!” |
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| − | |||
| − | When had we decided on this setup?! Nobody told me anything!! |
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| − | |||
| − | I sent Kuroneko a resentful look, but we couldn’t take back what was already said. |
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| − | |||
| − | Whatever may happen, we had to stick to this story. I turned my gaze back front. |
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| − | |||
| − | “Yes. We wrote it together.” |
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| − | |||
| − | “So, who did what?” |
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| − | |||
| − | Even if you ask that… honestly, Kuroneko was the one who wrote the entire thing, so how exactly should I answer? |
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| − | |||
| − | I scratched my head and hesitated, but Kuroneko nonchalantly answered. |
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| − | |||
| − | “Niisan thought of the setup. For example, the special move names and such…” |
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| − | |||
| − | “So for example, this ‘Divine Demonic Destructive Thrust’?” |
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| − | |||
| − | “Yes. He said he had put his all into that name.” |
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| − | |||
| − | I definitely did not! That’s just your own opinion about it, isn’t it?! |
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| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko vaguely glanced in my direction. |
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| − | |||
| − | “In truth, the manga and novel were written by me, but the setup notes niisan made were very important to the work. So, I can say that we both wrote it.” |
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| − | |||
| − | Dammit! What’s with that haughty facial expression, as if she’s bestowing some great honor on me…?! Thanks but no thanks! |
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| − | |||
| − | Also, wait… so I’m the person she claims wrote that thick set of notes? I hadn’t read the notes at all, but didn’t Kirino trash that thing, saying that it was embarrassing and jokingly comparing it to something like a book of sorcery? |
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| − | |||
| − | I don’t know about this… |
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| − | |||
| − | “Ah… I’m not too sure about that ‘Divine Demonic Destructive Thrust’ line…” |
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| − | |||
| − | See?! The editor looks completely bewildered! |
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| − | |||
| − | Having been softly criticized, Kuroneko seemed displeased and scowled. But she still tried to smooth things over with her next question. |
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| − | |||
| − | “… Well, Henkutsu-san, what name would you give to this special move?” |
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| − | |||
| − | “Ahh, hmm…” |
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| − | |||
| − | Henkutsu-san crossed his arms and thought about it for a few seconds. |
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| − | |||
| − | “How about ‘Pure Magic Destructive Killing Wave’?” |
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| − | |||
| − | … That didn’t seem to be all that different of a name. |
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| − | |||
| − | No, I apologize. I’m just a novice at this, so I might not really know what I’m talking about… |
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| − | |||
| − | Afterwards, Kuroneko and the editor talked for a bit about the naming (even though all the names they came up with honestly sounded the same to me). The discussion didn’t seem to be going anywhere (that was just my personal opinion though), so I wanted to suggest that we start looking into the Maisora issue before the other editor showed up, but Kuroneko seemed to have really gotten into her conversation with Henkutsu-san, so I couldn’t get a word in edgewise and I couldn’t really look around without her. |
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| − | |||
| − | And then, the conversation stopped for a moment, so I took the opportunity to forcibly steer the conversation back onto something more productive. |
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| − | |||
| − | “Umm, so what kind of person is the editor that will be meeting with us today?” |
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| − | |||
| − | “Eh? A-Ahh… in this department we call him ‘Puurin.’” |
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| − | |||
| − | “Sounds like a pretty cute name.” |
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| − | |||
| − | It was probably a female editor, then. An image of a plump office lady (with huge breasts) came to mind. |
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| − | |||
| − | “That’s what it seems like, right? Hahaha, but that’s completely off the mark. Once you see the real thing, you’ll be really surprised.” |
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| − | |||
| − | “Ahh.” |
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| − | |||
| − | “… How will we be surprised?” |
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| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko cocked her head to the side. |
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| − | |||
| − | “Fufu, well…” |
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| − | |||
| − | Henkutsu-san put up a finger and looked as if he was about to launch into a ghost story, and suddenly began to speak in a low voice. |
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| − | |||
| − | At the same time, someone appeared behind him. |
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| − | |||
| − | “He looks just like Akuma from Street Fighter.” |
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| − | |||
| − | “… Sorry for being late. I’m Puurin. Nice to meet you.” |
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| − | |||
| − | He introduced himself with a deep voice. What incredible timing that was. |
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| − | |||
| − | Having realized that his comment was overheard, Henkutsu half jumped with an “Uwaahhh!” and looked over his shoulder, quickly lowering his head. |
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| − | |||
| − | “I’m sorry! I didn’t think you would be behind me like that!” |
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| − | |||
| − | “… No, it’s fine, people always say that about me.” |
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| − | |||
| − | He was an elderly man. His white hair was arranged in waves on top of his head, looking almost like flames. |
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| − | |||
| − | Just like Henkutsu-san had said, he looked quite like the hidden character from the Capcom one-on-one fighter. It was a famous character even I knew. |
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| − | |||
| − | He had deep-set eyes, his face was solemnly wrinkled, and his skin was dark. But unlike Akuma, he was incredibly thin. He was almost sickly thin, but his eyes were sharp, so he gave off quite a horrifying impression. |
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| − | |||
| − | My father also looked pretty terrifying, but this person… and this might be really rude of me to say… but this person exuded an inhumanly sinister atmosphere from his entire body. |
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| − | |||
| − | To be frank, I could feel waves of killing intent coming off him. |
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| − | |||
| − | And even then, his name was Puurin. Puurin… what the hell? Who exactly would have attached that cute of a name to this person? It couldn’t be that he thought of it himself, right? |
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| − | |||
| − | “… Hello, I’m Kousaka. Nice to meet you.” |
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| − | |||
| − | “… Nice to meet you.” |
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| − | |||
| − | Both Kuroneko and I were a bit taken aback by this warlock with such a cute name, but for now at least we safely completed our opening greetings. |
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| − | |||
| − | And then Puurin-san responded with a heavy voice that surely emanated from the depths of hell. “… Yes,” he nodded. |
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| − | |||
| − | Henkutsu-san stood up, switching positions with Puurin-san. |
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| − | |||
| − | “Well, I’ll just return to work then… good luck!” |
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| − | |||
| − | With that final word of encouragement, Henkutsu-san hastily ran away. |
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| − | |||
| − | Eh? Seriously? That just leaves us alone with… w-we’re supposed to just talk with Puurin-san? Wait just a second! Don’t just abandon us here! Why does it feel like we’ve been left on a sacrificial altar?! |
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| − | |||
| − | “… Something wrong? *stare*” |
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| − | |||
| − | “N-Nothing! *shock*” |
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| − | |||
| − | The minute our eyes met, I looked away. Uwah, this isn’t good, is it? We were supposed to get information about Maisora and Kumagai Ryuunosuke out of this clearly reticent, difficult-seeming person? |
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| − | |||
| − | No way! We’re done for! If I knew this was going to happen, I would have much rather have brought up the issue at hand while the good-natured Henkutsu-san was still here. Crap, what should we do…? |
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| − | |||
| − | When I looked to the side in bewilderment, this time I met with Kuroneko’s gaze. Probably for the same reason as I had, Kuroneko was also looking to the side. It seemed that even Kuroneko had a hard time meeting Puurin-san’s gaze straight on. |
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| − | |||
| − | “… We have to do what we came here to do.” |
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| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko mumbled, almost as if she was talking to herself. She then resolved herself, faced front, and nervously broke the ice. |
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| − | |||
| − | “… Umm, did you happen to read the doujinshi I sent you the other day?” |
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| − | |||
| − | “… I read it. As well as the setting notes.” |
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| − | |||
| − | Puurin-san’s words were clear and concise. Kuroneko’s manner of speaking was quite gloomy, so listening to these two talk didn’t give me a cheerful feeling. I could almost see a black aura rising from the booth. In this case, two negatives did not make a positive. |
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| − | |||
| − | “Here are copies of the manuscript and the setting notes.” |
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| − | |||
| − | Puurin-san stacked up bundles of A4-size papers onto the desk. There were three stacks of the thick papers, each held together by a separate clip. |
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| − | |||
| − | … There was a stack for me too? … But I really never read any of this. |
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| − | |||
| − | I looked down at the bundle of papers that was passed to me, and felt just a bit awkward. It’s a bit late to be saying this, but I really should have read this before coming. |
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| − | |||
| − | Puurin-san began to read the memo that was on top of his desk. It was something Henkutsu-san had written and left behind. |
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| − | |||
| − | “Brother and sister wrote it together… The main writer is the little sister, and her penname is ‘Kuroneko.’ … Is that correct?” |
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| − | |||
| − | “… Yes.” |
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| − | |||
| − | “Kuroneko-san, are you aiming to become a novelist? The doujinshi I received also had a manga portion though…” |
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| − | |||
| − | From the start, Puurin-san barely looked at me, and focused his attention on Kuroneko. |
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| − | |||
| − | To a pro, it may have been obvious that I was just an extra here at this meeting. |
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| − | |||
| − | “… I…” |
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| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko grasped the hem of her skirt tightly and hung her head. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Even though she spoke a bit clumsily, she spoke from the heart. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… I like writing stories and drawing. So much so, that if possible, I want to be able to do both as a job… but, today I’m making an application for a novel.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “I understand. So, would it be correct to say that right now, you are aiming to debut your work with our firm?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Yes.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “I see… well, allow me to speak with that in mind then.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | His tone was completely indifferent as he continued talking. It almost felt like a medical interview. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “What amateur novelist competitions have you applied to?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “I apply for your company’s competition every year.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “How many years have you applied? Have you applied for any other competitions?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “I’ve applied for three years. Other than your company, I’ve also applied for the MF and SD competitions every year, but I’ve never made it to the final round.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… I see. That’s quite impressive for someone so young.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Ah, thank you very much.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | …………… This is uncomfortable. |
||
| − | |||
| − | What was with this heavy, gloomy atmosphere? Henkutsu-san, come back, I’m begging you. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Feeling intolerably restless, I glanced around. The other booths were separated by a partition, the wall being made of cabinets and cardboard boxes, so I couldn’t get a glimpse at what was happening in the office. |
||
| − | |||
| − | The area we were in was in the dead center of the office, but felt more like a private room. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Perhaps because our opponent looked so scary this time, I felt as if I was locked up in an interrogation room. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “It’s quite unusual for someone so young to apply every year like that. Do you have any special motive for applying?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… It’s like I said before, that I really want to write stories… but honestly speaking, I also want to earn money. Income from book royalties would be much higher than what I’m earning at my part-time job right now, so if I could make a good debut, I could make a good amount of money for my family.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | This was the first time I had heard about Kuroneko’s motivations. I remember she had told me at summer Comiket that she secretly had a part-time job, but… their family might not be very well off. Going to school, having a part-time job, trying hard at her hobbies… whether Kirino or Kuroneko, I found myself surrounded by exceptional younger people. As the older person, I really should learn from them. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Do you think that reason is selfish?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko asked in a bit of a worried voice, and Puurin-san frowned in silence for a while before finally speaking. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “No.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | And that’s all he said. It really appeared to me that Puurin-san had seemed to be angry at something ever since he came into the booth. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Was it because Henkutsu-san had said he looked like Akuma? Ugh, he really had gone too far. |
||
| − | |||
| − | The talk continued in this stifling, heavy atmosphere… and at last we arrived at the main issue of Kuroneko’s application. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “So… about the manuscript I read…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Thump thump. I felt like I could hear the sound of Kuroneko’s heart beating out her chest. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “We won’t be able to use it for a publication.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Puurin-san denied Kuroneko candidly, with a tone of finality. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “This goes without saying, but you haven’t been able to get through the rookie competition, so there’s no reason we would be able to publish your work. The reason I’m speaking with you here in the first place is because I am fulfilling an obligation to someone who we are indebted towards. This may sound harsh, but just because you’re well connected doesn’t mean we can treat you any differently. If we did, then that would be doing a disservice towards the people who apply for our firm’s rookie award.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… I understand. I apologize for taking up so much of your time.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko apologized timidly. Hearing her words, I felt a sick sensation in my gut. |
||
| − | |||
| − | I mean, the reason Kuroneko was here was at my request, for the sake of Kirino. |
||
| − | |||
| − | I understand where Puurin-san was coming from for being a bit hostile thinking that Kuroneko had forced this appointment because of her connections, but that blame should have been placed on my shoulders. But I couldn’t say that here. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Because then, all Kuroneko’s efforts might just go to waste. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “This is the last time we will meet with you because of your connections. Next time, please send your manuscript directly into the competition. Like everyone else… now, about what you have written…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “……… Yes…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… There were certainly some interesting points in the character dialogues. I especially thought this Kirino original character was good… After I read it, I really was turned on by this Kirino-tan … she was very moe moe, yes.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | This damn old man. What the hell are you calling moe moe at an age like yours? What exactly are you saying looking like that and sounding like that… although, I understood that it was his job. That character was modeled off my little sister, you know. Dammit, and just when I thought I had forgotten… wasn’t there a scene in which that character became a sex slave? Kuroneko, dammit, don’t use that for your application, you asshole. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… I… don’t really like that character though…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… I see. That’s quite unfortunate. On the contrary, I found all the characters other than Kirino-tan quite terrible. I also think you tried to jam too many elements into the setup. Working out a setup is definitely not a bad thing, but you don’t seem to have gotten the hang of it. The organization was a mess and the descriptions were way too dense, and it comes off as a prototypical wannabe novel in a bad way… I’m doubtful a manuscript on this level could even get through the preliminaries. Even bearing in mind that this work is based off something else, the craftsmanship is just awful. It is not even close to something we could sell on the market.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | As the severe criticisms rolled in one after the other, Kuroneko paled even further than she usually was. |
||
| − | |||
| − | At first, she countered each of his points, with a “But, if I change that…” or with a “That’s not right…” or with a “… The ‘dark force’ is a very important element of my original world…,” but she was shot down each time with his relentless logic, with a “The only person who feels that way is you, and to the readers it isn’t important at all. It’s just something that makes everything difficult to read,” or a “using your writing as a method of self-expression is perfectly fine, but aren’t there things you should worry about before getting to that point?”… so her will to resist slowly vanished. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… And those are my general comments on the work. Next I’ll go into the finer details… if I may, I will start in order from page one, so please follow along in the copies you have.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | This time, Puurin-san flipped through the doujinshi page by page, droning on and on about each and every little thing he found wrong with the book. The copy of the manuscript he was referencing had been marked completely red by a pen on each and every page. |
||
| − | |||
| − | D-Don’t tell me that all that writing was there to mark out the “bad parts” of Kuroneko’s novel… and if so, he was planning on going through each and every comment…? |
||
| − | |||
| − | The fault-finding session continued for what seemed like an eternity. We were dealing with a seasoned professional here, so Kuroneko and I had no choice but to sit through this one-sided consultation. |
||
| − | |||
| − | … Ten minutes had passed, and then twenty. |
||
| − | |||
| − | … And then an hour… and then three hours… and finally… |
||
| − | |||
| − | Staring fixedly at the ground and listening to the harsh criticism, Kuroneko’s expression, for the first time since I’ve met her, warped in frustration. |
||
| − | |||
| − | - |
||
| − | |||
| − | “……………………… sob….. hngh……” |
||
| − | |||
| − | - |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Don’t make my little sister cry, you asshole! Isn’t there a better way you can say things?! No matter how you look at it, what you’re doing now is just too cruel, isn’t it?! You’re talking to a junior high school girl, you know!!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | The minute I heard Kuroneko crying, I felt myself bursting with anger. I had yelled out half-unconsciously. |
||
| − | |||
| − | I also stood up forcefully, and slammed a fist down vigorously onto the table. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “…………..” |
||
| − | |||
| − | But Puurin-san didn’t seem the least perturbed by my yelling. Wordlessly, he began to wipe up the tea that had been spilled on the table by the force of my fist. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Seeing him do that, I suddenly came back to my senses. I had shouted quite loudly, so the people outside were probably curious about what had happened. I heard people chattering all around me, and the people having business meetings in neighboring booths were discreetly peeping in to see what was going on. |
||
| − | |||
| − | I felt absolutely horrible. When the thought occurred that I might have made Kuroneko feel the same way, I really just wanted to vanish. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “…..” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Ahhh crap, seriously… I had acted just like a child there, hadn’t I? That’s embarrassing. What rude things did I just say to the person who had so kindly taken time out of his work schedule to meet with us? He could have probably put what he was saying differently, but it’s not like I could tell him to not criticize things he thought were bad. It wouldn’t be good advice if he were being lenient. I wasn’t talking to a schoolteacher or my father here. I was talking to this man about business on equal footing, and he was telling us how to do things. He was being serious and sincere, and it was natural that we sit here and just listen. |
||
| − | |||
| − | … But how was I supposed to just bear with all that?! |
||
| − | |||
| − | To be told with a single stroke that something you had lovingly crafted was not something they could use… even though I knew he had a point, it was just way too cruel. |
||
| − | |||
| − | And this girl was the same as Kirino. She had worked out this thick set of setup notes, thinking about what characters would say what kinds of things, and I was certain that she had put her all into it. |
||
| − | |||
| − | To think that- |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Niisan.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Still seething with resentment, I heard Kuroneko’s kind voice admonishing me from the side. It was the same gentle tone she used when talking about her own little sister. As I stood there, she pinched my sleeve and tugged. |
||
| − | |||
| − | It seemed she wanted me to sit back down. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Briskly rubbing the tears off her face with her sleeve, she looked up at me with wet eyes. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… It’s fine… thanks for getting angry for me.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… I-I see…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | I was captivated by her teary face… o-oh right, I forgot that she’s also pretty attractive. It’s not something I’m aware of normally, so it had slipped my mind. Her half-crying expression was incredibly charming, so I couldn’t help but think weird thoughts despite the situation we were in… but to think seeing a girl’s crying face would get my heart beating so fast… it was probably a problem with my personality. And she was a junior high school student for Christ’s sake. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… I apologize. When it comes to his sister, sometimes niisan’s head goes funny.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Umm… I also apologize. Yelling out so suddenly like that…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | H-Hey. My head didn’t go funny at all though… even as I thought that, I followed Kuroneko’s lead and lowered my head. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… It’s fine, I don’t mind.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Fortunately, Puurin-san seemed to forgive us. Rather, he seemed completely composed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Shall we take a short break?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | … Puurin-san stood up from his seat, and spoke with a voice that didn’t reveal an ounce of what he was feeling. He held a wet handkerchief in one hand, so he might be going to deal with that. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “….. Um, I’m sorry.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Sounding more down than I had ever heard her, Kuroneko muttered. This was also the first time I had seen her act so sincerely. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Because of me, it’s become very difficult for us to get any information regarding Kumagai Ryuunosuke…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “No, I’m sorry too… it was my request that led to things getting like this… I apologize.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | We exchanged apologies. We used words from the heart that would not have come out if it had not been for a situation like this. |
||
| − | |||
| − | I felt strange. We had very seldom talked to each other in the past, but we had come to a strange sense of mutual understanding. What exactly was this weird feeling of camaraderie? |
||
| − | |||
| − | This awkward, unpleasant silence continued for a while. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Finally, Puurin-san came back. For some reason, he was holding a tray. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Please.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Concisely speaking just that one word, Puurin-san placed some new cups of tea and pudding on the desk. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Please eat.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Ah.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | What was up with him…? What exactly does he want to do…? Is he… not angry with us? |
||
| − | |||
| − | While we sat there completely puzzled, Puurin-san calmly sat down in front of us. With his usual warlock-like expression, he spooned up a bite of pudding and sent it into his mouth. Bite, chew chew, gulp. |
||
| − | |||
| − | … He nodded, seemingly content. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “The pudding is good. It’ll cheer you up.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | ……… Huh? I turned and met Kuroneko’s gaze. Could it be, that this person was… |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Are you trying to cheer us up?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Chatting really isn’t one of my strong suits… sorry.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Griiinnnnn. A rather repulsive looking light smile appeared on Puurin-san’s face. It was a look that could make children swoon… but I’ll just interpret his actions as trying to cheer us up. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Yes… this person’s criticisms were incredibly harsh, and he also looked absurdly scary, but he wasn’t such a bad guy. He really wasn’t a bad person… |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Haha… could it be… you like pudding, so they call you Puurin-san?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Yeah… well, it’s because pudding looks like breasts to me.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | …Well, he’s just a hentai old man. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Puurin-san tapped on the plate with the pudding on it with a finger, and watched the pudding wobble back and forth, seeming fully satisfied. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Don’t you feel at ease when you do this? Our company president has a policy, he recommends that you eat your pudding while tapping on the plate five times every ten seconds.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | If this wasn’t some ploy to get us to relax, this company was seriously deranged. |
||
| − | |||
| − | (Whisper) “… N-Niisan… he’s completely nuts…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | (Whisper) “… Shh, don’t let him hear you…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko and I whispered to each other as we watched this almost cult-like hentai ceremony happening in front of our eyes. |
||
| − | |||
| − | To be honest, we were quite taken aback… but just looking at the results of what had happened, I could see that the previously incredibly heavy atmosphere had improved by quite a lot. So… I decided to interpret this as Puurin-san’s way of being considerate, seeing as he wasn’t great with words. Or should I say, that’s what I wanted to believe. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Taking much longer than we had, Puurin-san tasted his pudding at a leisurely pace, finally clapping his hands together with a “Thanks for the meal.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Well, before we continue where we left off, let’s talk a bit about what you’ll do from here.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… What… I’ll do… from here…?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko put herself on guard, and I understood why. She was probably worried about what he was going to say this time. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Yes, from here… in other words, with regards to your next project.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Eh…? Next?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko widened her eyes and repeated his statement as a question. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Umm… but you told me you couldn’t use what I gave you, and this was the last time we would meet because of my connections…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Yes. From what I read of your manuscript, I am unable to take you on as your editor. As I said before, if you really want to debut with our firm, get your manuscript through our company’s rookie competition. Without using your connections, in the usual established way. Not doing that would be quite sneaky.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… I understand.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | It was the same verbal exchange as before… or so I thought, but Puurin-san continued with a “But…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “I would welcome any additional manuscripts you send to me. Please understand that I would only be giving you advice on it, and I wouldn’t help you more than that, and I wouldn’t be helping you get it published. But if you want… or rather, before that, if you’re not fed up after today’s session…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | If you’re prepared to get heavily criticized once more, please come again. |
||
| − | |||
| − | That’s what he appeared to be saying. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko took one deep breath, and nodded with an “… Alright.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… I look forward to working with you.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Yes, me too. It’s just that, to say the least, the way you are now, things would be out of the question, so please don’t get your hopes up too much. I would ask that you do not neglect your schoolwork or other things and misunderstand this situation as your being accepted by an editor. There really are very few people who can successfully debut, and speaking from the experience I have with the authors that work with me… there are people who will take ten years between the time they are accepted by an editor and the time they actually debut their work. And then, even though they work so hard to debut like that, if their work doesn’t sell they will just fade back into obscurity… so please, make sure your own life is your top priority.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Almost like he was warning Kuroneko, Puurin-san repeated his blunt words, and at the end even lowered his head. |
||
| − | |||
| − | …. So… in a word… |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… So, you’re trying to tell me that the probability of me debuting with your company is rather low?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Yes, exactly.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | He said yes! Even though he had just made her cry a little while ago! It really seems like “subtlety” is not in this old man’s dictionary! |
||
| − | |||
| − | “And… that’s not the only thing I want to say. I don’t know if this is putting it correctly… but, to so called “wannabes” like Kuroneko-san, debuting comes first and foremost. Of course, that’s not an incorrect way of thinking. But, from our standpoint, debuting is the beginning. It’s not the goal.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | All in one breath. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “After you debut, things will be different than when you were an amateur. Deadlines spring up, new information and material pop up and you have to craft new stories using those. There will even be times where you don’t even have time to absorb all this new information but you’ll still just have to keep on writing. The one thing that you can depend on at times like those are the experiences you’ve gained through life. Even if you take a detour along the way… for example, if you found something else you wanted to do, and decided to pursue that for a while, the experience you gain there is definitely not useless. This probably sounds rather extreme and these might be words that would anger most novelist hopefuls… but you should pursue some other line of work until you retire, and then debut as a novelist with your wealth of life experience. Even if you did things like that, you wouldn’t be late to the game.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | That is certainly quite extreme. As expected, the old man suggested the easygoing route. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Even though she wants to become a novelist now, he talked about doing something forty years down the line. And also, this is something I’ve been thinking up to now, not only does this guy sound like he’s giving us a lecture, but he’s terribly longwinded. But, he seemed to be honestly trying to be sincere and considerate, and I could tell that he was speaking seriously. This was also what he did as a job, so there wasn’t really a reason he would be lecturing us. Well, annoying things are annoying, so I found myself almost wishing he would drop dead from a heart attack right now… but it might not be a bad idea to have some faith in him, I think. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Puurin-san looked Kuroneko in the eyes as he spoke onwards. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “What I just said… did you take it as me trying to get you to give up your dream of becoming a novelist?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Yes, I feel like you’re lecturing and patronizing me, saying something like ‘You should listen to my advice when I say that you should try doing something else. Because you have no talent.’ It’s quite unpleasant.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Did this bitch just say “yes” straight out?! And what’s more, she felt unpleasant because he was being patronizing?! Certainly, I sort of agreed with her, but that’s not something you can say out loud! Why do you have to speak so aggressively no matter who you’re talking to?! What happened to the girl who was sitting here and quietly negotiating with him?! Did she die or something?! |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Hahaha, patronizing and unpleasant, hm?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | At Kuroneko’s tactless remarks, Puurin-san raised his voice for the first time and laughed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | He looked seriously scary. Did her words anger him…? |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Ah, but I’m sorry. Certainly, I probably sounded like I was lecturing you. Looking like this and being this old, there aren’t many people who would say something like that to me, so it’s difficult for me to realize when I’m being that way.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Not surprising.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko’s poisonous mouth just kept on going. She’s completely returned back to her old personality, hasn’t she? |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Yeah. Well, while I’m here lecturing and patronizing you, let me give you the punchline. Kuroneko-san, please realize that your time as a ‘wannabe’ is very precious. Whether or not you end up debuting with our company, it’s good that you have things that would make you want to go and earn money. In your case, there are other things that you want to do just as much as this, right? You’re still young, so go have various experiences, see various things, and enjoy your life. I think that’s a good shortcut to becoming a novelist. You don’t have to be in such a hurry. It’s a matter of your own future, so please think about it slowly and carefully.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Thank you for your opinion. I will try my best.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | She said that really sarcastically… well, that’s fine and all, but it’s not doing wonders for my nerves. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Yes, please try your best. It’s good to listen to the advice of those older than you.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Puurin-san didn’t seem like he wanted to give up and replied to Kuroneko. And then… |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Well, let me give you this. It’s my email address and cell phone number. Please use this to contact me.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | He took a business card out from his bag. When Kuroneko took the card from him, her eyes widened. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “N-Niisan, this is…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “W-What’s wrong?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | At Kuroneko’s strange expression, I put myself on my guard and stared at the lettering on the business card. |
||
| − | |||
| − | MediAscii Works Second Editorial Department, Dengeki Books Editorial Division… |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Eh…? Wait… t-this name…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Swish! Swish! Becoming more and more bewildered, I looked back and forth between the business card and the editor in front of me. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Ah, sorry, did I confuse you?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | And then, Puurin-san, seeming to misunderstand why we were surprised… |
||
| − | |||
| − | - |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Let me clear that up. My real name is Kumagai Ryuunosuke… Nice to meet you.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | - |
||
| − | |||
| − | He offered that simple explanation as to why the name he gave us was different from the name on his business card. |
||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | It was a few days later. We were in a Media Ascii Works conference room. On the fifth-floor of the building… in other words, right above where the Second Editorial Department was. We were sitting on a sofa that surrounded the long table in the room. There were decorative plants placed in the corners of the room that gave the room just a bit of color. It was a simple, plain reception area. According to Puurin-san, it was a room intended for large meetings or magazine interviews. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Along the fifth floor hallway, conference rooms like this were lined up one after the other like karaoke rooms. |
||
| − | |||
| − | We were in just one of those conference rooms. Only Kuroneko and I were here, sitting side by side on the sofa and waiting for the appointed time. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Perhaps it was the fault of the soundproof walls, but the interior of the room was dead silent. It almost made my ears hurt. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “You know, you really didn’t have to come.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Niisan. That’s the third time you’ve said that.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko faced front, and spoke without even sending a glance in my direction… also, even though nobody else was here, she continued to faithfully call me “niisan.” My real little sister didn’t even call me that, so each time she said that I felt a bit embarrassed… |
||
| − | |||
| − | “The ship has already set sail. Or do you intend to leave me out at the end after having me accompany you up until now?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “That’s not what I’m trying to do…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Also, I detest people who can cause me to go through such unpleasant things. So I want to be here and relish in the moment when they fire this person… you won’t mind if I kick them a bit too, right?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “I do mind. Stop it.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Her words were filled with pronounced weariness and hateful resentment. |
||
| − | |||
| − | As I suspected, having been subjected to such harsh criticism for over four hours was still grating on her nerves. |
||
| − | |||
| − | That previous meeting was just a bit… Even I, who was just listening as an innocent bystander, couldn’t get his voice out of my head, and even had a dream about it that night. Did all editors treat everyone so harshly during business meetings? |
||
| − | |||
| − | This segment here just won’t do; you should fix this part here; also, this part is not good either… |
||
| − | |||
| − | It was just so annoying~~! Idiot! Was there anything you didn’t think was bad?! Dammit! If you’re going to be like that, why don’t you just write the damn thing?! I really wanted to just throw the manuscript at his face. |
||
| − | |||
| − | But I didn’t. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Well, it’s not like it’s possible to make something that would please everyone. |
||
| − | |||
| − | That was true no matter what you were, whether you were a police officer, a Japanese sweets maker, or a novelist. |
||
| − | |||
| − | … Well, there’s still a bit of time left, so let me explain what’s going on right now. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Puurin-san was precisely the person we had been searching for, Kumagai Ryuunosuke. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Call it fortunate if you want, but once Kuroneko had finished badmouthing him, I decided to just explain the situation to him directly. About the other reason we had come to the editorial department. |
||
| − | |||
| − | When I showed him the business card we had brought with us, that of Kumagai Ryuunosuke, Puurin-san aka Kumagai confirmed that it was indeed his card. It seemed that he had a different set of business cards for the Dengeki Books Editorial Department and the Mobile Division. It also seemed that the Mobile Division was created for the sake of public image, and that the staff belonging to it was essentially the same as the staff at the Dengeki Books Editorial Department. They operated out of the same place, and the same editors worked there. |
||
| − | |||
| − | That explanation might have been a bit difficult to understand, so I’ll just repeat what Kumagai-san had told us verbatim… |
||
| − | |||
| − | ”This is quite a complex matter I suppose, but if I had to explain it, I would say that it’s a strategy to maintain our public image. The target audience for cell phone novels is young women, so we have to try to hide the moe moe sides of the business. So, the mobile division might have the same staff as Dengeki Books, but we say to the public that it’s a separate department. The public homepages of the two departments also don’t mention each other. That’s why we use different business cards for each side of the business… I apologize if that confused you.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | That’s how he explained it. I had been agonizing over how to find a way to Kumagai Ryuunosuke in the Mobile Division from the meeting with the Dengeki Books editor we had snagged with the help of Saori’s connections, but… it turned out that the person we met was Kumagai Ryuunosuke himself. What’s more, the Kumagai Ryuunosuke we met was a scary-looking old man, and bore not the slightest resemblance to the elite-looking, suit-wearing Kumagai Ryuunosuke that Kirino had met. |
||
| − | |||
| − | So the person Kirino had met really might have been an imposter. That realization really raised goose bumps on our flesh. |
||
| − | |||
| − | ”By the way, where did you get that card?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | ”Umm, before that, there’s something I wanted to ask you…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | I quickly turned the conversation to the topic of Maisora, what we had originally come to talk about. It’s just that… well, everyone already knows this all too well, but I was quite a chicken. So I didn’t immediately broach the topic of plagiarism, instead just asking a few questions about “Rino,” the alleged author of Maisora. |
||
| − | |||
| − | ”Ahh, Rino-sensei? To be honest, the one I was talking about before, the one that worked hard for ten years to finally debut with us, that’s Rino-sensei. After she switched recently to writing cell phone novels, her writing got much more interesting… it’s like she was completely different person. I honestly was quite moved that someone like that had the talent to write something like this. You could say I was shocked. Maybe it was my own incompetence for not realizing she had this much talent even though I was in charge of her for so long… seriously… I was surprised… and regretful… dear me, this is just an editor’s intuition, but I have a feeling that the novel is going to become quite popular.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kumagai-san spoke passionately and confidently. He was probably excited that someone he was managing for so long was finally beginning a brilliant debut. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Well, it was pretty clear by now I think. This “Rino” was undoubtedly the mastermind behind this plagiarism scheme. |
||
| − | |||
| − | ”What was the matter with Rino-sensei? |
||
| − | |||
| − | ”… Ahh, well, that is…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Ah, it’s almost time. Let’s end the recollection here, and the rest I’ll explain bit by bit later. |
||
| − | |||
| − | The conference room door opened, and Kumagai-san appeared. A single person entered the room after him. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Once that other person realized we were sitting on the couch, she blinked. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Hm?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | It wasn’t easy to tell she was a girl from her voice, but her voice definitely carried well. She was wearing a pair of deep blue pant suits, and her hair was short. There was a beauty mark under her left eye, and she looked like she was in her mid-20s. She was quite tall for a girl, and she almost had no breasts at all. If she wiped off her makeup and took off her earrings, it wouldn’t be difficult to mistake her for a pretty-looking boy. She was wearing feminine clothing though, and so she gave off the air of being a secretary to a company president or something. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Hey, Kumagai-san, I thought today we were having a business meeting to discuss the second volume of Maisora? Ah, maybe we have the wrong room?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “No, this is the right room. Let me introduce Kousaka-san and Kuroneko-san. They have something important to tell Fate-chan.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | F-Fate-chan? |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Hey, Kumagai-san, I told you to stop calling me Fate-chan~~. I’m writing under the penname ‘Rino’ now, so like I told you before, call me that from now on.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | … It seemed that this was “Rino.” And she seemed to have no problems asking other people to call her that… and right in front of me, no less… the image of my little sister sick in bed popped up in my head and I felt my insides coming to a boil. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Although, it probably wasn’t a good idea to openly get angry at this stage of the game. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Pushing down my anger, I stood up and greeted her. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Nice to meet you.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Nice to meet you.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Next to me, Kuroneko followed my lead. This girl called Fate-chan (I really didn’t want to call her Rino) looked baffled as she returned our greetings. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Ahh, hello… nice to meet you. I’m Rino… hmm? Kumagai-san?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Well well, let’s just sit down for a bit, and you should listen to what these two have to say.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… I don’t mind, I guess. Ah, I see, they want to find out more about me, right? I just got out of an interview though… so, what? Are these fans that have read the web version of the book?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | That’s how she seemed to be interpreting the situation. Suddenly cheering up, she sat across from us. By the way, through all this, Kumagai-san remained standing by the entrance, emitting dark waves of menace. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Well, nice to meet you two, then. Are you two siblings? Your little sister is quite cute.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Ahh, well, yes, we are.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Would I be able to break her composure in the allotted time I had agreed upon with Kumagai-san? For now, we had come with a plan, but it wasn’t a plan that I was absolutely certain would succeed. Whether or not we would be able to get Kirino’s novel back depended on how we fought this battle. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko made the first move. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Can I just ask you one thing?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Of course! What is it?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | She responded in a cheerful voice. She seemed to have entered into her fan-pandering mode. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko opened her mouth. I wondered what angle she would attack from, but… |
||
| − | |||
| − | “What kind of name is Fate-chan?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Really? From that angle? … Although, it was something I was curious about too. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Schhhlp! The girl’s face tightened up incredibly quickly. Panicked, she quickly tried to recover, but the smile she showed us was incredibly stiff. It seemed like a question that was hard for her to answer. Well, serves you right. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… It’s my middle name. My full name is ‘Iori Fate Setsuna’…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… So you mean, it was your former penname?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko was baiting her. Well, let’s see how she answers that… |
||
| − | |||
| − | “I-It’s my real name.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | What… did she say…? |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… What did you say just now?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “’Iori Fate Setsuna’ is my real name, I said…! Terrible, isn’t it?! It’s a name that shows up a lot in anime and light novels, isn’t it?! But what can I do when my parents decide to name me like that…?! I’m only three-quarters Japanese! I also think it’s an embarrassing name… s-so, enough with that!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… I think it’s a cool name though…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | You’re actually being serious, aren’t you? Don’t look so jealous. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko’s eyes sparkled, her cheeks flushed, and her breathing became ragged. The name Iori Fate Setsuna seemed to really tug at her heartstrings. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Can I call you Fate-chan?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “No! D-Didn’t you listen to a word I said?!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | This girl seriously had a talent for annoying people. She wasn’t even trying to provoke her, but it just came naturally. Well, I got a bit of a kick out of it this time though. |
||
| − | |||
| − | In fact, just do it more. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Ugh… I told Kumagai-san already, but please call me ‘Rino.’ I’m publishing a book under that name, after all.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “That’s impossible. I can’t call you ‘Rino.’” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Just baiting her along wouldn’t lead us anywhere, so it was time to get down to business. I spoke to Fate. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Because you aren’t the author of ‘Maisora.’” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Huh? What are you saying so suddenly?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Bewildered, Fate cocked her head to the side. That should have taken her completely by surprise, but she didn’t seem very shaken. She was playing dumb quite perfectly. Dammit, did I mess up how I said that…? |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko snorted, as if commenting on how my ploy had been no help at all. With an air that said “Step down, I’ll handle things from here,” she faced Fate and did what she did best. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Don’t play dumb, you fucking insect. You’re despicable, aren’t you, you piece of scum? We’ve come this far, and you still intend to annoy me?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko-san, t-that was quite something so suddenly! |
||
| − | |||
| − | Calling her a fucking insect in that eerie chanting tone of yours?! In her place, I would just burst out into tears! |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Y-You, be quiet for a bit.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko was probably just trying to speak like she usually did, so for someone like me who had gotten used to her poisonous mouth, I really couldn’t think anything of it other than “Well, here we go again…” But just look at Fate’s face! It was almost like the words were a bit too sharp, and the pain wasn’t even registering! |
||
| − | |||
| − | “W… What did you say?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “W-Well, I mean… she was talking about how you stole Maisora, you know…?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Even I would admit that my method of questioning was too soft. Honestly, I probably wouldn’t be cut out for being a detective. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “K-Kumagai-san! What is the meaning of these rude people?! They’re accusing me of theft!!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Fate stood up violently as she pointed to us two. Her shout was harsh and serious, but Kumagai-san stood stock still like a member of the Secret Service <ref>“Security police.” Essentially the same thing, but not limited to protecting the President.</ref> and responded in his usual calm tone. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… According to those two, the true author of Maisora was their little sister, and you conned the manuscript from her and passed it off as your own work. They also claimed that you used my business card to pose as an editor.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kumagai-san took out the business card that had Fate’s cell phone number and mailing address on it, and placed it on the desk. Fate gave a single glance at the business card, and once again returned her gaze to Kumagai-san. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Don’t tell me you actually believe what they’re saying? We get claims like this all the time.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Leaving aside what I think about the matter, this is a genuine business card belonging to me. And the contact information printed on it is the same as Fate-chan’s. Of course, these things could mean anything. They could mean anything, but… there are elements in this case that put it on a different level than the usual claims we deal with. So, I called Fate-chan over here so we can deal with this.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “I can’t believe this! Kumagai-san, are you saying you doubt me?!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Fate yelled desperately. If Kumagai-san really completely believed in her innocence, he probably would have told her beforehand that we were here waiting for her. She probably realized that. |
||
| − | |||
| − | The editor she had worked so hard with for years and years had possibly come to doubt her. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Her bitter yell was probably not an act. Even though she was my enemy, I couldn’t help but sympathize with her a bit. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “No, we were the ones who made Kumagai-san set up this meeting. We asked him to let us talk to you in private for the first thirty minutes at least. And we asked him to keep the purpose of this meeting a secret from Fate-san and to just call you over.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “I told you to stop calling me Fate!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | She really didn’t like that name. She honestly looked and sounded pretty scary, but I wasn’t frightened off by it. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… I just want to clear things up. Speaking personally, I am hoping that their claims of theft are just wild delusions. If that’s the case, there’s no issue. Fate-chan’s innocence would be proven, and not only would these two be strictly reprimanded, but they would be banned from this editorial department. Don’t I say this often? That I am always your ally, since I’m your editor.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Those were probably his true feelings. He listened to our story, let us show him the proof we had, and setup the meeting we were in now… but he was definitely not on our side. Considering he had just met us a few days ago, when compared to the novelist he had been working with for a long time, we were much less trustworthy to him. That much went without saying. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… I understand, if Kumagai-san puts it that way… I guess I have no choice. I’ll play along with this little farce.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Upon hearing her editor’s words, Fate seemed to have regained her composure. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “I’ll listen to what you two have to say. Umm… what was it? That I had stolen this novel? I want to get this over with quickly, so let’s start from the heart of the issue. You have proof, right?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Tch… I knew this was coming eventually, but I guess we’re starting from there. |
||
| − | |||
| − | This person hijacked Kirino’s account on the submission website, and upon securing the manuscript data that was on there, she posted the entirety of Maisora online. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Because of that, the evidence that Kirino was the real author of Maisora had been wiped clear. |
||
| − | |||
| − | It was quite a cunning method. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Let me just say that I definitely did no such thing, and that Maisora was written by me, and is my work. You appear to say differently, in which case you should take responsibility for making a false accusation.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Ugh…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | It was too early to give up. Yes, it wasn’t as if all the evidence had disappeared. As I looked for the item in question in my bag, Fate faced Kuroneko and scrutinized her. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “By the way, you over there. Who exactly are you? You’ve been mouthing off to me, but do you really think you can get away with having that attitude?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “What an idiot. Why do I need to be respectful to a thief? You’re pretty cocky for a crap wannabe who wasn’t able to take off for ten years. Stealing the garbage that other people write and pretending to be a decent writer with that? How tragic. Honestly, is your life worth anything at all?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Don’t screw with me and answer me! Do you have proof?! Or don’t you?! Which one is it?!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Hah, you’re showing your true colors, aren’t you, you fool? I was wondering what kind of garbage you were going to spit out with that filthy mouth of yours, but of all things, it was just ‘Do you have proof?’… ku ku ku ku… you sound just like a cliché villain with that line. It’s almost as if you’ve half-admitted your own guilt ku ku ku… The end is nigh… Feel free to just die in my arms…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | What kind of demon queen are you supposed to be? Go back to Alefgard, <ref>The original setting for Dragon Quest</ref> you dimwit. |
||
| − | |||
| − | If it was a competition over who could sound more like a villain though, then there was no doubt that Kuroneko would win. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten that we’re here for Kirino’s sake. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Seeing that Kuroneko was not being affected in the slightest, no matter how much she yelled, Fate was taken aback. But… after that one moment, the atmosphere suddenly changed completely. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Kuroneko-san… was it? This is advice from the bottom of my heart. It would be good for you to stop such unbecoming behavior. You’ll come to really regret it.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Her tone was quite sober. She gave off the impression that she was looking at something incredibly annoying. |
||
| − | |||
| − | She was quite a different person from when she was answering the accusations of theft. She spoke with the sincerity of an adult speaking to a child, and with the compassion of someone who was speaking to a younger version of themselves. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… It’s none of your business.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Quite unusual for her, Kuroneko laid her expression bare. It was almost as if she had been forced to look at something she didn’t want to look at, as if she was gazing into a mirror which showed an unsightly, older version of herself. |
||
| − | |||
| − | But that lasted for only a second, and she quickly returned to a mocking expression. |
||
| − | |||
| − | She gave a quick glance, and plastered on a sickly sweet smile while jutting out her chin. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Please tell her, my dear Watson. <ref>Reference to Sherlock Holmes, of course.</ref> Show this incompetent criminal who thinks that she’s managed to destroy all the evidence the hell we have prepared.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Who the hell is Watson, you little…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Geez… it seems we’re finally getting to the heart of the matter. Trying to dampen my nervousness, I did as commanded by this jakigan detective and took out this hell… or rather, the evidence we had brought. Kirino’s cell phone and notebook. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Could it be that there was manuscript data left? But even so-“ |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Take a look for yourself, here. This is the proof that my little sister was the author of Maisora.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | I passed the cell phone and notebook over to Fate. In that notebook was written the plot and the data notes that my sister had gathered for writing Maisora. On Christmas Eve, I had gone with her to Shibuya… we had walked around the 109 building, went shopping at an accessory shop, watched a live musical performance, she suddenly poured water over herself and sat shivering, and for her to be able to take a shower I reluctantly went with her to a love hotel, and she even took the opportunity to take notes in there… those experiences were bound together in that notebook. |
||
| − | |||
| − | That was the proof that Kirino was the author of Maisora. |
||
| − | |||
| − | By the way, we had already shown these two pieces of evidence to Kumagai-san. So if Fate tried to break the cell phone or rip up the notebook, it would be counted as a self-admission of guilt. Even she probably understood that much. Eventually, she flipped through the notebook and frowned. |
||
| − | |||
| − | I thought she was becoming desperate upon having evidence shoved in her face… but she pointed to a corner of the notebook. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “What’s up with this weird drawing here? … Some mean-looking version of the Yaranaio?” <ref>A meme-ish piece of ascii art. I believe it is this : http://f.hatena.ne.jp/images/fotolife/t/tvhumazu/20091021/20091021030658.jpg</ref> |
||
| − | |||
| − | “That’s not what I wanted you to look at! Look at what’s written, what’s written in the middle! Those sketches… they’re probably drawings of me.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | I mean, during Kirino’s data gathering, I got angry, confused, upset, close to tears… and those were probably drawings of me during those times. And there were even little captions to accompany them. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Honestly, I couldn’t deny that they were strange, terrible drawings. |
||
| − | |||
| − | And then, written next to the drawings… |
||
| − | |||
| − | –> A drawing of the idiot when he apologized to the shopkeeper after not having enough money to pay for an accessory (^0^). |
||
| − | |||
| − | ^ “Sorry I don’t have enough money,” he said! Haha! So gross! (lol) |
||
| − | |||
| − | <– I made him buy me earrings. I let the idiot choose one himself, but he has no sense at all and spent such a long time! (^^;) |
||
| − | |||
| − | ^ The idiot got really pissed when I got all wet (>_<) How much of a siscon is he?! wwwww <ref>The “w”s are basically “lol.”</ref> |
||
| − | |||
| − | <– The idiot got all excited seeing his little sister in a bathrobe. Nuuuuu, Kiririn’s chastity is in danger?! |
||
| − | |||
| − | <nowiki>Agh~~~!!! Kill me now~~~!! I don’t want to remember any of that, just kill me now~~~!! </nowiki> |
||
| − | |||
| − | Also, that curly handwriting just pissed me off! Every single little word got on my nerves. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Also, what the hell?! Why does the guy presenting the evidence here have to be subject to such torture?! |
||
| − | |||
| − | I wanted her to just look at the plot and the data written there, not to stare at the little drawings Kirino made of me!! |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Both the things I just handed to you are the things my little sister collected for the sake of writing Maisora. That cell phone also has the photos she took on Christmas Eve.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “…………” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Fate fell into silence, and looked over the things Kirino had prepared in order to write Maisora. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Hmph. Did you think that this was sufficient proof?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “P-Pretty much.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “I looked over all of this, but… yes, it certainly is quite well done. It does certainly feel like the childish notes a junior high school student would make. Ahh, yes, yes, I see. I can see that you believed that your sister wrote Maisora after she showed you these. Ahah, you two really are quite big siscons, aren’t you?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Fate chuckled, and tossed Kirino’s cell phone and notebook back this way. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “So, who cares?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Well…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Yes. That’s just some delusional data your sister made up after reading Maisora.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Fate spoke shamelessly. I could feel blood suddenly rushing to my head… |
||
| − | |||
| − | “You-“ |
||
| − | |||
| − | I felt a sharp elbow in my side and stopped moving. Kuroneko had inferred what I was about to do and had nipped it in the bud. She probably had learned to read my actions ever since I had yelled at Kumagai-san back then. |
||
| − | |||
| − | I was out of commission, and in my place, Kuroneko began to speak in a calm voice. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “How do you explain the timestamp on the photos? They were all taken at Shibuya on Christmas Eve.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “So? I’m not too familiar with cell phones, but it’s not difficult to forge digital data, right? Or rather, maybe it was just a coincidence.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Coincidence…?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Yes. Ah, this is probably close to what happened, right? That is, your sister happened to take a lot of photos at Shibuya on Christmas Eve and stored them on her phone. And then she realized that the setting of Maisora was the same as the photos she herself took, and then she started to say that she was the author of Maisora! And then, of course, it was your cute little sister telling you these things, so in your stupidity you completely were taken in, and without even considering what a bother you would be, you took the issue all the way to the Shinjuku publishing company. Ahaha, what an idiot simpleton, ahh, how embarrassing.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Right then, Fate mocked Kuroneko with as much condescension as she could muster. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Geez, this is why brats like you are so much trouble. You’re causing trouble for us adults, so keep your childish delusions to the confines of your own room, please.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “……………” |
||
| − | |||
| − | All the light vanished from Kuroneko’s eyes. To make matters worse, her pupils that I was sure had been black up until then had at some point become red. |
||
| − | |||
| − | ”@#$#@#@!$@%%#$@$#@#…” <ref>She’s chanting something and every friggin character is written in archaic Japanese</ref> |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Stop your chanting! I have no idea what’s going on, but be quiet! Return to your senses!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko had suddenly stood up and began chanting some nonsensical spell or something, and I held her back from behind and stopped her. |
||
| − | |||
| − | You aren’t calm at all, are you?! I was so surprised I even forgot about my anger! |
||
| − | |||
| − | Also, you’re really damn strong, aren’t you?! Was this the so-called placebo effect?! |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Let me go, niisan, you won’t be able to kill her.” <ref>Probably reference to this : http://dic.pixiv.net/a/お兄ちゃんどいて!そいつ殺せない </ref> |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Don’t say such disturbing things!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | As I restrained Kuroneko with all my might, I yelled at Fate. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Also, you cut it out! My little sister really isn’t that cute! If she really ran her mouth with delusional claims like that, I would have smacked her and shut her up myself already!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | It probably wouldn’t have happened that way in reality, but I could probably retort with something like that… in my heart at least! |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… The ones who are being unreasonable are you two… enough is enough. You two are just pathetic.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | For some reason, Fate watched our exchange with a pained expression, and sent us a scornful look. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “In any case… if you’ve said all you wanted to say, we’re going to end here. The thirty minute mark is coming up soon, so I won’t be playing along past this. Is that alright, Kumagai-san?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Yes, it is.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kumagai-san nodded expressionlessly. As I said before, we had already shown Kirino’s cell phone and notebook to Kumagai-san. He told us the exact same thing – that these things alone were insufficient. Kumagai-san was fundamentally on her side. And it’s not like we could choose a more impartial judge. |
||
| − | |||
| − | But… |
||
| − | |||
| − | “We still have proof. Something decisive.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Dramatically, I took out my final trump card. |
||
| − | |||
| − | It was a bundle of A4 sized paper. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Kousaka-san, that is…?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “It’s the sequel to Maisora. My little sister wrote it.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Geez… I was really surprised when I found out this thing existed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | We were working hard to deal with this plagiarism issue, but we had kept that a secret from Kirino. |
||
| − | |||
| − | So, we had a really hard time gathering every piece of evidence. A little while ago, just like a certain someone had done, I snuck into my sister’s room. I waited until she had gone downstairs to eat, and stealthily searched through her room. At any other time, she would have been stuck in bed, and the door would have been locked… I mean, if I had been found out, that would have been the end of me, so even though I could say it was for a just cause for the sake of my sister, I felt incredibly self-conscious and guilty during that. |
||
| − | |||
| − | While I was in there, I couldn’t help myself from thinking ”What the hell am I doing…?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | But, you can’t say I didn’t get results. When I borrowed my sister’s notebook and was checking through it, I found scribbles relating to a sequel for Maisora, and when I searched more deeply I found another notebook. |
||
| − | |||
| − | And, in that notebook I found two passwords listed, one for “work use” and one for “personal use.” They both seemed to be passwords for the Cell Phone i-Club. But on the “work use page,” entering the password returned an “Incorrect Password” error and I couldn’t login with it. |
||
| − | |||
| − | In other words, the “work use” page was the site that Fate had hijacked, and the site where the manuscript of Maisora had been kept. |
||
| − | |||
| − | And then, on the “personal use” page, there was the thing that Kuroneko had called a rape novel, and a cell phone novel titled Maisora Another Side: Little Sister’s Perspective. When I read the latter, it seemed to be the story of Maisora told from the perspective of the protagonist’s little sister, Shiori. You could call it a sequel in a sense. When Kirino had said that the little sister was an incredibly important character, she wasn’t lying. |
||
| − | |||
| − | To summarize, it was like this: |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kirino had registered separate pages for “work use” and “personal use,” and the “work use” site, where the Maisora manuscript had been stored, was stolen by Fate. |
||
| − | |||
| − | However, the “personal use” page remained, and therein lay what could be called a sequel to Maisora, or rather a different version of Maisora. |
||
| − | |||
| − | I mean, I was admittedly pretty confused as to why that thing was there. Kirino had only been directed by the fake Kumagai-san to write just the one cell phone novel with Rino as the protagonist. So, what was the point in writing a continuation novel that wasn’t even going to be published? That’s what I thought… but… |
||
| − | |||
| − | It was not that cut and dry. She probably just wrote this novel because she wanted to write it. |
||
| − | |||
| − | In any case… |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Earlier, Fa-… Setsuna-san said it, right? That she thought this was a meeting to discuss a sequel for Maisora… right? And, the sequel that Setsuna-san wrote for Maisora already exists, and Kumagai-san has already read it, has he not?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Yes, that is correct.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kumagai-san answered straightforwardly. Fate turned pale and bared her teeth. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “S-So what?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “So… I’m saying that we should read both of these and compare them. Comparing both with the original, it should be easy to make clear which one is the real thing and which one is the fake. Am I wrong?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Are you saying that whichever one is better is the real one?! That’s just a subjective opinion! You can’t possibly think that you can tell between real and fake with just-“ |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Heh, I guess you’re afraid to lose.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | I brazenly challenged her. I modeled my tone after Kirino and Kuroneko. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… What did you say?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “If you didn’t hear me the first time, I can repeat it however many times you want. Someone like Rino-sensei, who’s been training to be a novelist for over ten years and finally, happily made her professional debut, has no confidence in winning against a delusional junior high school student.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | This was definitely a gamble. For one, she might not take the bait, and even if she did, if her sequel novel turned out to be better than Kirino’s, then this all would have been for naught. |
||
| − | |||
| − | But well… this is what I think. Even though I’m just a novice who doesn’t know anything about cell phone novels. |
||
| − | |||
| − | The book Kirino wrote… take the absolutely unlikeable characters, or the simple premise and story filled with overly-convenient events, or the overly-idealistic, delusional dialogue between Rino and Toshi… |
||
| − | |||
| − | Those were things that came from Kirino, and were hers and hers alone. She put her all into thinking about her novel, even took her despised older brother out to collect data, and I’m sure her novel was profoundly influenced by her real life experiences up to this point. |
||
| − | |||
| − | She had taken a break off from her modeling and club activities and just kept on writing and writing and writing… and like that this novel had come to fruition. And for that reason, her novel had been very well-received by this age’s girls, and had become quite popular. |
||
| − | |||
| − | And so… |
||
| − | |||
| − | “There’s no way the real thing would lose to the fake. That’s what I firmly believe.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | And then, the time of reckoning had arrived. |
||
| − | |||
| − | The manuscript Kirino had written versus the one Fate had written. Having read both of them many, many times, Kumagai-san resolutely put them back on the desk, and gave out a long, leisurely sigh. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Fuehhh…………..” |
||
| − | |||
| − | He closed his eyes and sunk into thought. His already fiendish face tightened into something even more sinister, and he let out an almost poisonous-looking breath. After that, we sat there in silence for a long, long, long, long, long time… and finally, he solemnly opened his mouth. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Let me tell you what I’ve decided.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kumagai-san took one of the two manuscripts on the table and pushed it into the center of the table. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “This one was much more interesting.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | It was the one I had handed over… in other words, the one Kirino had written. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… So you mean…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Yes. I think that this one is the real one.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Really?!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Uwaaah, as expected from a pro editor! Amazing! Being able to judge impartially between the manuscript of the novelist he was in charge of and the manuscript we had just shoved in his face… and he saw that Kirino’s was the real one! You’re great, Kumagai-san! I’m sorry for ever doubting you! |
||
| − | |||
| − | Without thinking, I took up a guts pose. Wanting to share this moment of exaltation, I looked next to me, but to no effect, seeing as Kuroneko was staring at Kumagai-san with her usual emotionless expression. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “That’s…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Fate paled and seemed completely nonplussed, but the minute she came back to her senses, she grabbed at Kumagai-san. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Y-You’re my editor, aren’t you?! Do you have any idea what you just said?!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Yes, of course. This is an exceedingly serious problem. After I report this to the higher ups, I’ll have to consider my own resignation.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “What…?!?!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | At Kumagai-san’s unexpected answer, the furious Fate was at a completely loss for words. |
||
| − | |||
| − | If there was something wrong with the novelist, some of the blame would probably fall on that novelist’s editor. |
||
| − | |||
| − | And Kumagai-san had acknowledged that Kirino’s novel was the real one, even though he knew of the consequences. If I were in his place, I might have just continued to deny everything despite the evidence. As much as he was an old man that pissed me off in a few ways, when it came to work he was a sincere and honest person. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “This is probably the last project I’ll ever do.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kumagai-san laughed a bit, and then started speaking in the same ruthless tone he had taken up when criticizing Kuroneko’s novel that other day. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… The manuscript that Fate-chan sent me sounded and looked exactly like something ‘Rino’ would write… but that really was it. Apart from the cosmetic similarities, the heart and soul of the work was completely different. The pure simplicity of the characters or the bizarre plot twists that I saw in the first novel, the things that excited me and got me to the edge of my seat, were nowhere to be found in this manuscript. In a word, it wasn’t interesting at all. I really can’t believe that this was written by the same ‘Rino,’ and I’m almost certain it wouldn’t sell well as the sequel to the very promising ‘Maisora.’ Even if these two hadn’t come forward, you would have to rewrite… no, to re-plan the entire thing, I think.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “………….” |
||
| − | |||
| − | As usual, the old man was merciless. |
||
| − | |||
| − | I really do think there was probably a better way he could have put it… |
||
| − | |||
| − | But regardless, this wasn’t something Rino had written. This wasn’t something that would sell well. Having received the full force of Kumagai-san’s biting criticism, Fate took it almost exactly the same as Kuroneko had taken such criticism a few days ago, and hung her head in shame. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kumagai-san picked up the manuscript that Kirino had written. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “This one is definitely something ‘Rino’ had written. To be blunt, it’s quite interesting. It’s even more ridiculous than the first volume, and the author took one too many liberties here and there, but in fact that may not be such a bad thing. I especially liked this ending segment. It ended in a deeply moving scene that rivals Makoto’s scenario from Kanon, <ref>Visual Novel from Key</ref> and it tore my heart to pieces. I am confident that we can send this novel out to the people who had enjoyed Maisora.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Doing a complete 180, Kumagai-san began to give Kirino’s cell phone novel high praise. |
||
| − | |||
| − | This was the first time I saw this person praising something so openly. To think that Kirino’s manuscript could cause him to react so passionately furthered my exaltation… but at the same time, that fuzzy feeling I had felt once before once again swirled in my chest. Unconsciously, I bit my bottom lip. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Why was it that I felt so pained even though our plan had worked out so well? |
||
| − | |||
| − | Of course, there was a person right in front of me who was feeling a hundred times more pain than I was. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… I see. What I wrote… wasn’t interesting at all…?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | It was Fate. It was almost as if she had grown old over the past minute. All her willpower and energy seemed to have left her. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Completely beaten, Fate seemed to have almost admitted that she had stolen Kirino’s work. As she had aptly said before, whatever Kumagai-san said, it would be nothing more than a subjective opinion. |
||
| − | |||
| − | If she had continued to be defiant and stubbornly feign innocence, it was very possible that she could have complicated the matter and thrown our argument into quicksand. |
||
| − | |||
| − | And it wasn’t as if I had any other cards to play in this situation. |
||
| − | |||
| − | The delicate silence continued for a while longer, until finally, a light smile floated up to the surface of Fate’s expression. In a bizarrely calm tone, Fate mumbled. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Ahh, I remember now. ‘To be blunt, it’s quite interesting’… those were the exact words you used the first time you praised my writing as well.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “That’s true.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kumagai-san nodded with a hint of nostalgia. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… It was my third year in junior high school, wasn’t it? I had made it to the final screening round in this company’s amateur competition… in those days they called it the Dengeki Game Grand Prize though… and you called me… and invited me to the editorial department in Ochanomizu…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | It was a common pattern to publish the winning entries of the amateur competitions, but there were also cases where editors would choose to take on authors who hadn’t won at their own discretion. Recruit them, so to speak. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… That really brings me back. At that time, you spent around four hours bashing my work. I was really depressed.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | I heard Kuroneko’s breath catch. What Fate said reminded us precisely of what had happened a few days ago. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Ahaha… it really almost embarrasses me to death thinking about that now… but the things I was writing back then… although these words didn’t exist at that time… they were just blatant Chuunibyou Jakigan novels, weren’t they? I had thought they were so good at the time… I was brimming with confidence… and how I behaved back then was just painful to look at.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | At that, Fate looked sadly at Kuroneko. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “You know, you really remind me of how I was back then. From how you talk, and how you dress… look, our beauty marks are also in the same spot under our eyes… so it really struck a nerve when I saw you acting like that… hey, you don’t have a single friend, do you? You’re completely alone at school, aren’t you? Thinking that you’re more special than others, and believing that you’re different from all the other lower beings around you… Looking down on those around you, blaming your own incompetence and isolation on others, and then finding escape in the world of fiction. ‘Ahh, if terrorists came and attacked this class, I would awaken the dark powers hiding inside me, massacre the attackers, and save these ignorant dogs around me’… can you honestly tell me that you’ve never thought that in the middle of class, looking around the room aimlessly with your head in your hands?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “…………………………………………..” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko didn’t answer. Her eyes widened for just a second, but immediately returned to their usual emotionless state. |
||
| − | |||
| − | We had never mentioned that Kuroneko had aspirations to be a novelist… it was almost as if she were talking about herself. Well, granted, she was indeed just talking about herself. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… That has nothing to do with this situation.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | I spoke up for Kuroneko, but Fate couldn’t hold herself back. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “In any case, speaking from experience, you really should relieve yourself of those delusions as quickly as possible. Reality is not that forgiving. No matter how hard you may try, there are some dreams that just won’t come true. There are plenty of things that you just can’t do anything about. This sorry state of mine should prove that more than anything else.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “As I said, this has nothing to do with-“ |
||
| − | |||
| − | Irritatedly, I tried to repeated myself, but Fate cut me off and just continued to talk. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “I know, I know, this is about the story ‘Rino’ wrote, right? Aha, isn’t that hilarious, that someone like me, who has continued to write and write and write for ten years and has barely been able to find time to sleep… that something that I wrote was boring? And then the little brat who began writing a few months ago only half-seriously, with barely any understanding of the rules of good writing… that the novel she wrote would be interesting? A rising star? Expected to be a big hit? … Hah… what the hell? This… can something like this seriously happen?! That’s ridiculous, isn’t it?!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “You-!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Not being able to take her incredibly annoying little ramble any longer, I raised my voice to find some way to shut her up, but… |
||
| − | |||
| − | - |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Yeah, I agree completely.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | - |
||
| − | |||
| − | I couldn’t speak upon hearing that voice butt in. I instinctively turned around. |
||
| − | |||
| − | The one who had signaled her agreement with Fate’s bitter speech had been Kuroneko. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Her voice, filled with resentment, was oddly low, and reverberated around the room as if it had come from the depths of hell. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Even though you bashed what I wrote so harshly, why is it that you can speak so highly of her piece of garbage cell phone novel? I can’t understand this at all. Even though the things I despise the most are well received in the eyes of the world, what I write is insulted and criticized. What do you mean I can’t just write what I want? Wasn’t she doing the same thing when she wrote that? Why am I the only one whose work is completely rejected?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko continued on and on in the same emotionless, blunt tone she always used. But her words were filled with invisible pressure. Filled with the same dark sentiments as Fate’s words had been. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “H-Hey, hey! Hey hey hey! What the hell are you saying so suddenly?!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | I couldn’t help but unconsciously butt in at this absolutely unexpected turn of events. |
||
| − | |||
| − | We finally managed to produce some definitive proof, right? Wasn’t this the scene where we struck the final, decisive blow against the criminal who was blurting out all her motives in a burst of anger? |
||
| − | |||
| − | We were so close! |
||
| − | |||
| − | So why were you saying things like that here? |
||
| − | |||
| − | It didn’t seem like I was the only one who was completely bewildered. Fate also had widened her eyes. |
||
| − | |||
| − | I wasn’t surprised, considering someone who had done nothing but spew abuse at her up until now had suddenly went through a complete reversal and was now defending her instead. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Y-You… what are you saying?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Hmph, I’m saying that I understand how you feel. I might not have been at it as long as you have, but for three years I’ve been reading textbooks, studying with the help of novel-writing sites, submitting manuscripts, networking… I’ve continued to write things that I consider good. So isn’t it obvious I’m frustrated? Ahh, I’m so frustrated, frustrated, frustrated. And I’m jealous. The one who had so much fun writing that book and then showed it off with such an arrogant expression… and the editor who read it and praised it to high heaven… everyone can just go off and die. It’s like that, isn’t it?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… T-Taking it that far is…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Don’t even try to lie to me. Just man up and admit it. ‘It serves you right, you bastard novelist, and go die, Kumagai’… you’ve thought that, haven’t you? What are you still hesitating for when we’ve already come this far?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Don’t make things worse, you! And also, you’re actually being serious, aren’t you?! |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Hmph, to be honest, that girl rubbed me the wrong way from the first time we met. We never see eye to eye, and whenever she opens her mouth all that comes out is self-satisfied crap, and she always looks down on me… on top of that, this shitty cell phone novel that she just began writing a few months back is getting published? Don’t screw with me. Do you think I can actually bear something as absurd as that?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “W-Whose side are you on?! Weren’t you here to help get back Kirino’s cell phone novel?!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | I yelled, not being able to sit here watching silently anymore. At my words, Kuroneko sneered. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Whose side am I on, you ask? Are you an idiot? I’m sure I’ve already said that I’m just here to sate my own curiosity. Why do I have to lower myself and work so hard just to cover someone else’s mistakes?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Wasn’t that just an excuse you just gave out of embarrassment…?! |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Hmph, although, you’re one to talk. Don’t tell me you’ve never been annoyed about how everything always is about your sister.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “T-That’s… that has nothing to do with this!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Nothing to do with this? Heh, as if I care. I’m just saying something I’ve always wanted to say.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Even if you say it so smoothly, there are just things you can’t say!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Are you Kirino or something?! I almost feel like I’m talking with my little sister here! |
||
| − | |||
| − | What are you trying to do, ignoring the real criminal and taking over this dungeon as the last boss yourself?! |
||
| − | |||
| − | And having lost her role in this little drama, isn’t Fate also completely confused right now?! |
||
| − | |||
| − | Ugh! Leaving her outburst aside… well, I mean… it’s probably very true that Kuroneko knew how Fate felt. |
||
| − | |||
| − | The frustration of being over taken by someone who had started working after you, even though you’ve written so much. |
||
| − | |||
| − | The misery of having none of your efforts pay off. In a world that only saw value in things you despised. |
||
| − | |||
| − | And then, the someone who did have her efforts pay off. The someone who was accepted just by doing what she wanted the way she wanted it to be done. |
||
| − | |||
| − | A helpless situation. A reality out of her control. |
||
| − | |||
| − | I don’t know exactly what she was feeling. It wasn’t my place to say that I understood. |
||
| − | |||
| − | But, thinking about my sister who was so different from the plain old me, thinking about my little sister whom I could never win against no matter how much I tried… I understood the misery that could come from knowing that such a person was right next to me, day after day. And I could sympathize with the feeling of helplessness that came from continually comparing yourself to someone you just couldn’t win against. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Why was everything always about my sister? |
||
| − | |||
| − | - |
||
| − | |||
| − | Ah, that was it. |
||
| − | |||
| − | - |
||
| − | |||
| − | At that point, I suddenly came to a realization. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Crap, that was it. That was it… |
||
| − | |||
| − | These base feelings of jealousy were precisely the fuzzy feelings that have been swirling around in my chest. |
||
| − | |||
| − | When I realized that Kirino’s work had been stolen and all her effort had gone to waste, I honestly was pretty delighted. But then, I saw that pained expression on my little sister’s face… |
||
| − | |||
| − | “It serves her right. I consider this payback for her getting so full of herself and making a fool out of me.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | The jealousy that came from wondering why she had all the talent, why everything she laid her hands on went well… I think part of that feeling translated into hatred. That was certainly true in recent times. Being able to come closer to her, I was shown once again how amazing she was. |
||
| − | |||
| − | … Geez, I’m a pathetic older brother, aren’t I? |
||
| − | |||
| − | At that time, when I saw Kirino trying to act strong with tears coming out of her eyes, I really felt embarrassed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | I mean, because I had gotten so irritated… had gotten so resolved to do something about the issue, to make sure her efforts didn’t go to waste, right? |
||
| − | |||
| − | And then, perhaps, this Kuroneko who had been spurting out her gloomy feelings against Kirino for a while now, perhaps she also… |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… I could not care less what happened to that girl. You think I’m here to help her? Don’t even joke like that. Honestly, going through some painful experiences would be good for that girl.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Although I felt that all her words reflected her true feelings, they were all made from lies, bluffs, and excuses. It was almost like I was looking in a mirror. No matter how much I might say things were out of character or didn’t have anything to do with me, if someone asked me “well, why the hell are you doing what you’re doing then?” I probably wouldn’t be able to answer, or wouldn’t be able to do anything other than continuing to make pathetic excuses. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Ugh, she ticks me off. She really ticks me off. Whether I’m asleep or awake, she ticks me off. Everything in this world ticks me off. If only a bomb would fall from the heavens and obliterate everything.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | I knew the irritation she was feeling all too well. Everyone can empathize with the feeling of helplessness she was feeling right now. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Yes, we were not here for Kirino’s sake at all. We were here for ourselves. |
||
| − | |||
| − | We were just here helplessly trying to do something about these feelings of helplessness. |
||
| − | |||
| − | So, even if this situation gets resolved happily, I definitely didn’t want to be thanked by my sister. Kuroneko would probably say the same. If you asked us what we thought of Kirino, both Kuroneko and I would probably give the same exact answer in the same exact way. |
||
| − | |||
| − | We absolutely haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaated that girl!! But… |
||
| − | |||
| − | - |
||
| − | |||
| − | “But, that is that.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | - |
||
| − | |||
| − | Exactly. I was honestly lost as to what Kuroneko was feeling when she said those words. But that was exactly right. There was no reason behind it. Certainly, I hated my little sister. Absolutely hated her. My pretty, multi-talented sister… just by being next to me, I would be compared to her, would feel a sense of helplessness, and the person herself ridiculed and looked down at me. |
||
| − | |||
| − | But, even then, I couldn’t do anything here but yell like this. I’m her brother, after all. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Hey, listen to me, Setsuna-san!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “…?!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Suddenly being talked to, Fate trembled in surprise. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Not concerned about her reaction, I raised my voice up loud. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “What you stole was something my sister had put her all into writing! Something she had tried so hard to write! She put in much, much more effort than I did on this! She even took her despised older brother out to gather data with her, and even though she collapsed from fever she just kept on working away on her cell phone. So I’m not surprised the result would be so good. Even though you didn’t even look at it… don’t just belittle her efforts!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | It was almost as if I was yelling at myself. It was anger at myself for being jealous of my hugely different little sister, of resigning myself to just considering her as a special case and not even trying to see how hard she had worked. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “I really don’t know how much you’ve worked up until now. But, don’t just use that as an excuse to say that my sister didn’t try! Don’t underestimate my little sister!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | At that point, it seemed that the people around me had finally recovered from the surprise of my sudden outburst. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… You idiot. Don’t interrupt people while they’re speaking.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… What the hell do you understand?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Both Kuroneko and Fate glared at me, as if telling me to back off. |
||
| − | |||
| − | But! I turned their anger right back at them! |
||
| − | |||
| − | “But I said I don’t understand, right?! Just listen! Alright?! Alright? The most useless person here is me! The most pathetic person here is also me! I have no idea what you two are feeling right now, but there’s no mistaking that! Because, when I compare myself with you two, I really haven’t put in any effort at all! Haven’t tried at all! Even though such an amazing little sister was right next to me, I couldn’t get close to her or learn anything from her! Compared to that, you two have tried much more!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | The true feelings I had wanted to say came flying out of my mouth. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “I really respect her! This is quite an amazing accomplishment, isn’t it?! I love her! She’s really amazing!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Wha-“ “….” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Across from me, Fate widened her eyes. I heard Kuroneko’s breath catch next to me. |
||
| − | |||
| − | I might have said a bit too much, but at this point I didn’t have the time to care. |
||
| − | |||
| − | I clenched my teeth, tightened my fists, and my voice became strained. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “So… when you say you haven’t gotten results, or when you say you feel helpless… that might be the case, but don’t say that so much! What’s going to happen if you hate on yourself so much?! I mean, what about someone like me, who hasn’t tried half as much as you?! I should just go and die, right?! That’s right, isn’t it, dammit! … Ghng…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Nii-san, are you aware of how incoherent you sound right now? And why exactly are you crying?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Shut the hell up! It’s because you two are teasing me, isn’t it?! Whatever, just give it back! That was something really important to my little sister! So I’m begging you, just give it back! I’ll do anything, just don’t take away all her precious work! Don’t just waste all the hard work you’ve done up until now! Dammit, I don’t know how to say this… I don’t even know what the hell I’m saying anymore… just please!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | I banged my head down onto the desk forcefully and begged desperately without even glancing to the side. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… You…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Fate opened her eyes wide at my unsightly, violent attitude. I really looked like a terrible siscon right now, didn’t I? Even though I’m really not. Definitely, definitely not. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Quite shameful, aren’t you, oniisan…? My my…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko ridiculed me contemptuously, and then faced Fate. |
||
| − | |||
| − | [[Image:Oreimo3_301.jpg|thumb]] |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… I will ask you to return her work as well. To have your own story turned into a book, and to have it be read by many people… how happy and wonderful that makes you feel is something that you should know more than anyone, right?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko’s prodding voice was quite a different beast than the voice smeared with jealousy and hatred she had been using just a minute ago. It was kind, gentle… and overflowing with sincerity. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “So please, give her work back… I mean, just because our own efforts have not bore fruit up until now, no matter how frustrated or jealous or how intolerable you find it, this isn’t just something where the ends justify the means. Say whatever you want about me, but please do not curse everything you yourself have done up until this point. If you do… I really will curse you to death.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | It was a conclusion quite becoming of her. Wait… even if I didn’t break in, she was planning on persuading Fate like this all along, wasn’t she? She was planning on saying what I wanted to say in a much better way like this all along, wasn’t she? Geez… even though you had said you didn’t care, and that it served her right… I wasn’t the only one being incoherent, was I? … Ugh. |
||
| − | |||
| − | I had already broken out into tears. Ugh, this isn’t good. When I come back to my senses, I’m sure that I’m going to be embarrassed to death. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Having been hit with both my pathetic entreaty and Kuroneko’s sincere appeal one after the other, Fate caught her breath… and finally, resignedly sighed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… You all… just saying whatever the hell you want… this is why I don’t like brats. Now I know firsthand why Rino’s cell phone novel seemed so incoherent. If she used people like you as a model, there’s no wonder it turned out that way.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | She spoke slowly as if a burden had been lifted from her shoulders. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… At this point, I think I would be able to write something like ‘Maisora’ as well. Just like the real Rino.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | It was, in effect, a declaration of defeat. |
||
| − | |||
| − | I had begged her with a line of thought that bore no rhyme or reason, and was more driven by pure momentum than anything I had done before. |
||
| − | |||
| − | But even so, I wanted to believe that I had managed to get something across. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Eh, and I mean, don’t you two hate your little sister?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | It seemed like she was still confused when it came to that point. Well, I can’t blame her. |
||
| − | |||
| − | I’m her brother, so what else could I do? That irrational line of thought was nothing more than a means of trying to force people to understand all these things even I couldn’t comprehend. Even though I hated her, even though there was no mistaking that, I couldn’t respond in any other way to this situation. These unstoppable impulses were definitely things that only people who have stood in positions similar to mine could understand. |
||
| − | |||
| − | And then… |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Hmph.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | One step before I could lift my head off the table, Kuroneko sent back her response. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Not trying to brag, but I do have just a few friends.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Missing seeing her expression when she said that… it was something I would regret for the rest of my life. |
||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | And then… well, let’s talk about what happened afterwards in regards to the plagiarism situation. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Iori Fate Setsuna admitted to having stolen the novel… umm, what exactly should I call her at this point…? Well, let’s just go with Fate, like we’ve been doing up until now. |
||
| − | |||
| − | In any case, it seemed that Fate thought of the idea of stealing Kirino’s work after reading her submission on the Cell Phone i-Club and being deeply impressed by that work. |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''”… This really might seem strange considering how much I was bashing it before. But it was really interesting, seriously. Of course, the writing style wasn’t good at all, and the grammar was terrible… if this were me ten years ago reading it, I probably would have wanted to kill her. But, you could really feel that she was having fun from the bottom of her heart while she was writing it. It was as if she was proudly shouting ‘Hey look, this is me!’ right in your face. But really, that was how I was like ten years ago too. Writing my first novel, I thought in a similar way, and definitely had a great time writing it. ‘Let’s do that, and this,’ and getting a thrill out of it all. It really reminded me of those times… and for some reason I suddenly felt this annoyed, absurd feeling welling up in me…”'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | And then she had given into temptation. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… I really am very sorry. I was just being… I mean, from the very beginning I knew that I wouldn’t be able to write something like ‘Rino’ did. Even though I knew that from the very beginning…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | ”… You really should be saying that to the person herself instead of us.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | ”Yeah… I really should.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kumagai-san also lowered his head towards us. |
||
| − | |||
| − | ”I really do apologize as well. There was absolutely no excuse for what had happened. I will have to apologize to the real Rino-sensei as well.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | After that, he also said this: |
||
| − | |||
| − | - |
||
| − | |||
| − | ''”The special thing about cell phone novels may be precisely what Fate-chan had felt. If you ask me, each and every one of us has the power to write things that only we can write, and to use that uniqueness to deeply impact a great number of people. This does not apply to only cell phone novels, but also doujinshi and doujinshi games, web novels, and even submissions on Nico Nico Douga and pixiv. <ref>Pixiv is an art submission site.</ref> And in these amateur works, it is common to find scattered about hints of the unique visions that the creators had for their work. You can see all the interesting bits and pieces laid bare there; bits and pieces that wouldn’t survive the editing process if the work were to be prepared for sale on the market. Just like how it works with cell phone novels, you should seek to capitalize as much as possible on the uniqueness your works have as amateur works – the fact that this type of model actually can hold its own in the market is proof in itself that amateurs can sometimes surpass professionals. Of course, I won’t deny that there are works among these that are severely lacking technically… but nevertheless, just because these works can be a mixed bag is no reason to just lump them all together and reject them all.”'' |
||
| − | |||
| − | - |
||
| − | |||
| − | “On the one hand, Fate-chan and Kuroneko-san. The work you two have done does not interest our company very much, and we definitely would not be able to publish it. That is something that probably will not change. But, I firmly believe that the work you want to do still has a wonderful possibility to touch a lot of people. In other words, it’s like this.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | A wicked grin appeared on his face. |
||
| − | |||
| − | ”Please continue to try as much as you can.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | To those same words, Kuroneko had once responded with nothing but animosity… but this time, her eyes soon burned with the flame of determination to triumph over this old man. |
||
| − | |||
| − | And then… |
||
| − | |||
| − | That day, Fate-san got in touch with Kirino, and after Kirino recovered from the flu both Kumagai-san and Fate-san went to apologize together. They gave her a rundown of the facts and details surrounding the situation (of course, they kept Kuroneko and my involvement in the matter a secret), and lowered their heads. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kirino responded with something like “Ah, it’s fine. To be honest, it really wasn’t bothering me anymore,” and readily forgave them. I thought “But you were crying about this, weren’t you?” but it really did seem like outside of me, Kuroneko, and Saori, Kirino managed to be pretty nice. If only on the surface. Well, granted, it was true that she was quite famous in this neighborhood even though her real personality was like that. Geez, what a screwed up world we live in. |
||
| − | |||
| − | By the way, I heard about what had happened from Fate and Kirino separately. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “By the way, you seemed to be pretty bothered by what was happening, so I’ll tell you now.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Not like I really care. Hmph, well, the book went out under your name, right?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Yeah. Well, it was a bother to change it, so we just kept the penname as ‘Rino.’ Kumagai-san had said that doing that would make the book sell better. Hm, but…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “What?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Nothing… hmm… it’s just… there’s something that doesn’t make sense here. I mean, in the time I was stuck in bed, everything just resolved on its own, right? And I wasn’t planning on doing anything about it either…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “What’s with that attitude? Just be happy that everything ended up going well.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | I listened to my sister’s complaints with complicated feelings. |
||
| − | |||
| − | … Also, although I don’t really want to say it… my relationship with my sister hadn’t really changed at all. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Granted, I had realized many things about our relationship after getting involved in this whole affair. But it was already too late. Even if I understood my reasons a bit better, that didn’t change the fact that I still hated my little sister. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Sorry for everything up until now, Kirino.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “…? What the hell are you saying?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Nothing. Nothing at all. |
||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | It was February. Around half a month after those events, Kirino appeared to have recovered from the flu and jumped right back into her work and club activities. I stopped seeing the once familiar sight of her going around fiddling with her cell phone, so when I asked her about her novels, she gave me this response. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Ah, that? I stopped.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | She had already agreed to take on a second volume, but it seemed that her days as a novelist would stop after that. She had already written up the manuscript for the second volume, so there wasn’t much left for her to do. |
||
| − | |||
| − | From all the fuss of this episode, I had come to realize that being able to publish a book was quite an amazing accomplishment, so I was quite shocked. I mean… there are people who have been devoting themselves to this for ten years but haven’t been able to publish anything, you know? Is it really alright… for her to just so casually throw that away? |
||
| − | |||
| − | Did Kuroneko know about this? |
||
| − | |||
| − | Various doubts and feelings ran through my head, but Kirino seemed resolute. She had already sent her apologies to Kumagai-san and all the readers who were hoping to read more. Call it professionalism if you want, or rather a strong sense of duty. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “It’s just that now, there are other things I definitely want to do. I have priorities, so I have to stop with the cell phone novels. I’ve also learned a lesson from collapsing after working too hard.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Things you want to do? You don’t mean new eroge releases, do you?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “T-There’s that too, sure!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | T-This girl! “I want to play eroge, so I can’t keep on writing books”… if the aspiring novelists of the world heard you say that they would kill you, you know?! Geez, this is why people who are overly talented piss me off. Producing incredible results, but then nonchalantly throwing that away and moving right onto the next thing. For people who have spent their lives grinding away for results, all they would be able to say would be “I can’t take this anymore!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “You’re thinking something rude, aren’t you?! That’s not the only thing I want to do!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Well then, what?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Huh? Why the hell do I have to tell you?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Fine! Forget I asked! |
||
| − | |||
| − | Well, leaving that little exchange aside, today, for the first time in a while, Kirino’s otaku friends had gathered at our house. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Now that I think about it, this was the first time Saori had come over to our house. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Also, I may have said that this was the first time in a while, but it really had been a few months since Kirino, Kuroneko, and Saori (with me as the extra) had been under the same roof together. Well, granted, they didn’t go the same school, so it’s not a surprise. Things pile up, and they don’t have enough time to see each other. |
||
| − | |||
| − | So, really, you could say that this was a bit of a reunion party for friends who had not seen each other in a while. You might think that sounds pretty charming, but… |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Honestly, wasn’t this supposed to be the continuation of the anime appreciation event we had last time?! So isn’t it obvious we should finish watching Meruru when we stopped in the middle of an episode last time?! But you want to play Siscali?! Why the hell would I invite you over just to be forced to play what you’re good at?! Hey, answer me, you piece of shit cat!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Isn’t it natural that the host should make the guest feel comfortable? Even though I used up my long-awaited break to come here, the host seems intent on forcing us to do only what she wants to do… exactly what is the meaning of that? I even went so far as to bring a present for you.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | When these two got together, it quickly devolved into this. Didn’t they have other things they wanted to talk about that had built up over the past months? Why did they have to break out into a fight every time they met? Or was it that these fights were just their way of showing their affection for each other? |
||
| − | |||
| − | By the way, I guess I should mention that right now, we were in our living room. When I returned from the kitchen, carrying the snacks and juice I always prepared in situations like this, their battle had already begun. |
||
| − | |||
| − | I didn’t want to spill the juice, so I didn’t dare approach the table. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Gift? Could you mean this?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | As veins throbbed in Kirino’s forehead, she took out a bundle of A4-sized papers. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko calmly crossed her arms and nodded. She spoke in an incredibly sarcastic tone. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Yes, precisely. You should be thankful for all my work in collecting those online reviews of Maisora and bringing them to you. You’re curious about how it was doing, aren’t you? Ms. Rino-sensei.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Hmph, and that’s why you cherry-picked all the trashy reviews and printed them out to show me?! How much of a crappy personality do you have?!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… How upsetting. This is the proof of our friendship, you know. It’s a kind warning that you shouldn’t get too full of yourself just because some overly generous readers praised the garbage you wrote.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Why the hell do you care?! And what are you warning me about so smugly like that? Heh, you’re just bitter, aren’t you?! Nice one, you dumbass jealous wannabe!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Continuing on by repeating “nice one!” over and over, Kirino began to mock Kuroneko with all her might. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Kyahaha! Kyaaahahaha! Haaheehee~” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Almost dancing about, Kirino began to clap. While she looked at Kuroneko’s face… |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Hey, what are you feeling right now? Hey hey, seeing someone who started writing after you debuts before you, what are you feeling right now? If you don’t like it, why don’t you just go and debut yourself? Doesn’t it embarrass you as a creator to only be able to deal with your grudges by harassing me so childishly like this~?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “….. Grrrrrrrrrr…..” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko was making a face I couldn’t show to polite company. I really do wonder what she’s feeling right now… |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko had gone through a lot to protect Kirino’s cell phone novel too. |
||
| − | |||
| − | She had to bear with harsh criticism of her own doujinshi, verbally sparred with Fate-san, aired out her unsightly jealousy, but even after all that could put everything aside with a “but that is that” and sincerely wished to help save Kirino’s work. And then to be called a dumbass jealous wannabe by the very person you saved… it was just pretty terrible treatment all around. |
||
| − | |||
| − | … No, that’s not quite right. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Both Kuroneko and I had done what we had done solely to do something about the currents of jealousy swirling in our chests, and definitely had not done anything for Kirino’s sake. So it would be illogical to be hoping for any words of thanks from her. |
||
| − | |||
| − | I’m her brother, so what else could I have done? She’s her friend, so what else could she have done? Those might have been excuses, but you couldn’t say that they were only excuses. Even if we didn’t say it out loud, Kuroneko and I both understood this. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Yes. Things had turned out just fine. |
||
| − | |||
| − | I mean, in the first place, if we told Kirino the truth about what had happened, it would be terribly embarrassing and would be nothing but committing suicide. Kuroneko and I were both determined to take this secret with us to our graves. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Speaking of what I had gained from this entire experience, I guess I had achieved a strange semblance of camaraderie with Kuroneko. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko and I definitely had similar feelings when it came to Kirino. |
||
| − | |||
| − | This was a gathering of the victims of Kousaka Kirino. A get-together of small-minded people who pretended to be strong even when they were gripped by envy and jealousy. |
||
| − | |||
| − | That was us… ugh, she’s really getting full of herself, this completely uncute little sister of mine. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Well, it’s not like I could help being irritated here. Hey, why don’t I take a leaf from our club president’s book and say something provoking myself? |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Hey hey Kirino, you’re an author, aren’t you? Do you really think you should be taking up such an arrogant tone towards the people who read your book? They all took precious time out of their schedules just to read it, you know. Well? The appropriate thing to do here would be to just keep quiet and listen to their advice, wouldn’t it?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Are. You. An. Idioooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooot?!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Never before had I received such heartfelt words from my little sister. |
||
| − | |||
| − | I really wanted to believe that this personality problem was her problem alone, and that authors in general didn’t have this issue. |
||
| − | |||
| − | After hitting me hard with her intense “Are you an idiot?!” Kirino suddenly seemed to have realized something, and began to scrutinize the top page on the pile of papers Kuroneko had given her. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… By the way, this site’s URL here… I’ve seen it on your SNS Profile Page, I think…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “That’s my site.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Wha…?!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | With no shortage of shock and anger, Kirino stiffened, with an expression like this -> (ﾟДﾟ). The muscles on her face convulsed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Y-Y-You….” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Is that your new impression of a chicken?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “I’ll kill you! I’ll completely murder you! Y-You… Y-Y-Y-You……” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “K-Kiririn-shi! Calm down! What are you going to do with that ashtray?!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | I had already began to run to try to stop Kirino, but Saori was one step ahead of me and bound Kirino’s arms behind her back. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Nevertheless, as she watched Kirino being restrained, Kuroneko began to throw oil on the fire. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Hah, as expected from a cell phone novelist, your vocabulary is severely lacking.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Kyaaaaaaaah!?! Y-You just listen to me good! Alright?! Sooner or later, I’m definitely going to flood your damn site with flames!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Hmph, how boring. Kukuku… I look forward to that. I’ll let you experience firsthand the power of someone who has been around since the golden age of text sites…” <ref>Term regarding a generally obsolete type of website back when websites focused less on interactive features and more just on text.</ref> |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Y-Y-You stink of jakigan as usual, don’t you?! This is why you go so far as to bury blog posts with gross comments! Also, you’re wearing the same damn Gothic Lolita outfit today… what are you supposed to be, some Digital Cute Eroge character or something?!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Wha… what did you say? O-Once again, you’ve said something you shouldn’t say… you round-faced model. Let me just take this opportunity to say that it’s really gaudy for a junior high schooler to be running around with makeup on. Don’t come too close to me, or that perfume reeking of bitch will get stuck to my clothes too.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | [[Image:Oreimo3_315.jpg|thumb]] |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Shut up! Wear different clothes once in a while, dammit!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | For close to ten minutes after that, the two of them continued to throw cheap shots at each other. |
||
| − | |||
| − | In any case, when I asked Saori, she told me that the impetus for this conflict came when they had a difference of opinion over what they should do first today. |
||
| − | |||
| − | I would expect that from kids just starting elementary school. But seriously, it’s unbecoming of junior high school students to be doing this. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Just hearing about what was happening tired me out, but for some reason Saori seemed happy. She was probably just glad that this group could finally get together again after such a long time. |
||
| − | |||
| − | And her happiness was quite contagious. Even though I knew, I asked anyway. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Hey, what are you smiling about?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Well, I was just thinking back on the first time we all met each other… over half a year has passed since then, right…? My my, time sure does fly.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Yeah, I suppose.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Time certainly did fly. It flew, and during this short half a year I felt like I had changed quite a lot. For better or for worse. |
||
| − | |||
| − | If I hadn’t picked up that DVD case my sister had dropped… I probably wouldn’t be standing here with these people right now, I think. And now, I no longer just thought of Kuroneko and Saori as “my little sister’s friends,” but rather also as my own friends… as very important people to me. I hadn’t met with them very often, but this wasn’t about how many times we’ve met. Am I wrong? Haha, that’s so out of character for me, those words. |
||
| − | |||
| − | As I sunk into these serious contemplations, Kirino took a break from arguing with Kuroneko and cut into Saori and my conversation. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “What? What are you talking about?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Kiririn-shi. Haha, well, if you want to decide what we should do first, why don’t we do the same thing that we did the first time we met?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “What do you mean?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko cut in and asked about Saori’s proposal. But I had already caught onto what she meant. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “That, remember? Going in order and each of us getting a turn to speak.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “As expected from Kyousuke-shi, getting right to the point. At that time, we were allowed to ask the person introducing himself or herself a question… that kind of game.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | That was a game? |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kirino seemed to consent to this idea, and nodded. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… How nostalgic. Kukuku… the first time we met, you were huddled up like a scared little kitten, weren’t you…?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Wha-…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | At Kuroneko’s recollection, Kirino flushed a brilliant red. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Y-You weren’t any better, were you?!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Well well… hahaha, it is quite nostalgic. After that, you both really hit it off after talking about anime…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Don’t be an idiot. Who the hell would ‘hit it off’ with this woman…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “We definitely didn’t ‘hit it off’!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | They both collectively denied Saori’s statement. Ah, yes, it was like that. They had a difference of opinion over Meruru and Maschera, and got into a fight then too. And ever since then they had been like that. In a sense, they haven’t changed at all. Just thinking about it made me smile. |
||
| − | |||
| − | … Hm, what was this? Could it be that I was enjoying a moment of reminiscence here? Ohh, that’s pretty amazing if that’s true. To think that I would be able to reminisce about something with my little sister. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Don’t get me wrong though. It’s not like I’m happy about it. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Saori forcibly pulled Kuroneko and Kirino apart as they had their glaring match. In order to steer the course of the argument in a different direction, she began to go on and on. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “In other words, this time, the one who gives the most interesting response to the topic can decide what we’re going to do. And, the topic this time is ‘something unexpected that happened to you recently.’ Let’s go in the same order as last time… Kuroneko-shi, go ahead!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… As always, you’re just arbitrarily deciding things…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | The first time we had met, Kuroneko had said something similar. But even so, she didn’t seem as displeased as she let on. And she continued in the same way she had that time long ago. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Well, fine…. Hmph ‘something unexpected that happened to you recently,’ was it? … Well…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kuroneko pondered the issue for a bit, and finally spoke in an indifferent tone while watching Kirino. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Your brother confessed his love to me.” (3) |
||
| − | |||
| − | Cough! Cough! Cough! Cough! |
||
| − | |||
| − | I gasped for air. Kuroneko! What the hell?! W-W-W-What the hell are you saying…?! |
||
| − | |||
| − | Certainly, I said something like that, but that was… that is…!! |
||
| − | |||
| − | Dammit! Through my violent coughs, I couldn’t even put my explanation into words! |
||
| − | |||
| − | As that was happening, Saori bent forward in curiosity and raised her voice. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Hoh hoh hoh hoh hoh… and what exactly is the meaning of this? Please do fill us in on the details!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Sorry, but I cannot. That’s our little secret. Right, niisan?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “You’re already making her call you niisan?! Kyousuke-shi, there’s a limit to how much you can be into eroge!” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Nooooooooooooooooo!!! Saori, what the hell?! You’re just being cruel on purpose!“ |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Naturally.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | This asshole! I’ll get both of them back for this someday! My fist shook in frustrated annoyance. |
||
| − | |||
| − | As if dealing the finishing blow, Kirino, the only one who wasn’t in on the joke, sent me a scornful look. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “………….. Gross.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | She looked incredibly displeased. She was probably not able to take the idea that I had gotten closer to Kuroneko. |
||
| − | |||
| − | She might even be thinking that I was stealing one of her friends away from me. If that were the case, it would admittedly be a pretty cute situation. In any case, Kirino didn’t seem to think too much of Kuroneko’s response. Her chances of victory seemed to have slimmed. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Saori next announced that it was Kirino’s turn, but having been put in a bad mood, Kirino turned away with an “I’m still thinking…” Having no other choice, Saori spoke cheerfully in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere a bit. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Well, it’s my turn then! Hmm, let’s see… ‘something unexpected that happened to you recently’… hm, I wonder what I should say…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | She didn’t think of an answer even though she was the one who had proposed the topic? Well, it was pretty like her to do that, though. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Finally, Saori clapped her hands once, and hit us with quite an amazing announcement. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “The incident where I went to an arranged marriage meeting while I wore this outfit and the person I was meeting fainted.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | How sad! I was so filled up on how to snarkily respond to her statement that I didn’t even know where to begin, but that’s really not something “unexpected that happened to you,” right? Instead, it was something “traumatic that happened to whomever you were visiting.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Disqualification.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Our voices harmonized. It seemed that everyone outside of Saori had come to the same conclusion. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Ah, but I was so sure that was a good answer… well, that’s fine. Then, once again, it’s Kiririn-shi’s turn! Have you thought of anything yet?” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Hm, well… I don’t think it’s anything that impressive, but I guess I’ve thought of something… ‘something unexpected that happened to you recently,’ right? Well then…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Kirino spoke in an unexpectedly hesitant way. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “I guess when I bought a game called ‘Brute Brother’ and thought it was a little sister game, but it turned out to be a homo game.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Yup, we have a winner. |
||
| − | |||
| − | What an awful conversation… I’m never playing one of Saori’s topic games ever again. |
||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | And well, pretty much continuing in that way, the long-awaited otaku meeting came to an end. It seemed that their relationship hadn’t changed a single bit in the space of these few months. It made me a bit happy to see that. |
||
| − | |||
| − | I saw Kuroneko and Saori off with Kirino in the entranceway, and the minute I turned back into the house I went back to my room and began to study. Well… I mean… how do I put it… I felt like I really had to try hard as well, you know? |
||
| − | |||
| − | Like that, I continued to study for a little while… |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Phew, I’m pretty thirsty.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | It’s unavoidable that I would get tired doing something I wasn’t used to doing. Shall I go wash my face, drink some water, and then give it one more go? Thinking that, I temporarily left my room and went down the stairs. |
||
| − | |||
| − | And then… |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Ommph.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | Right when I got down the stairs, near the entranceway, I collided with my plain-clothed sister. There had always been a blind spot here, so it was a spot where we had often crashed into each other. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Thump. My left shoulder struck against Kirino’s chest. The impact itself was not very strong, but it caused my sister’s bag to drop onto the floor, and the contents to spill out. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Ah…” |
||
| − | |||
| − | “Oh, sorry.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | I sincerely apologized, and reached out for the cosmetics and other things that had spilled out… but I suddenly stiffened. What a strange sense of déjà vu… |
||
| − | |||
| − | “It’s fine, so don’t touch anything.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | I felt like I had heard those words before. Although, I had stopped my hand before it actually got down to the floor, so this time she hadn’t smacked my hand away… |
||
| − | |||
| − | … Tch. Just look at our relationship. In the end, it was still like this. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Feeling as if needles had been stuck into my chest, I watched as my sister began to pick up the cosmetics that had fallen onto the floor. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Having put the cosmetics back in her bag, Kirino scowled at me and put on her pumps. |
||
| − | |||
| − | “… Hey.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | - |
||
| − | |||
| − | “The next time I ask for life advice will be the last.” |
||
| − | |||
| − | - |
||
| − | |||
| − | … What did she just say right now? |
||
| − | |||
| − | For a while, I stood stock still in the entranceway, and stared at the door my sister had just gone out of. |
||
| − | <noinclude> |
||
==Translator's Notes== |
==Translator's Notes== |
||
Revision as of 08:06, 23 April 2014
Chapter 4
A week passed after she finished the manuscript for her cell phone novel and the morning of the annoying opening ceremony came.
Kirino had simply pushed herself too hard and her cold had gotten worse, so it seemed she was bedridden. I say “seemed” because she was so feverish that she stayed in her room even during meals, so I never had a chance to see her.
While I was eating breakfast, my mother came over to speak with me while looking a bit down.
“Kyousuke~. That girl still has a high fever, but she is insisting she goes to school.”
“She’s complaining about having practice and her job, isn’t she?”
“Yes, exactly. Sigh. She simply won’t listen, so I just asked your father to talk some sense into her.”
I knew it. That idiot brought this on herself.
Well, she isn’t going to get over this cold through pure willpower and she’ll have no choice but to stay home today once dad lectures her.
Tch. She’ll probably insist on going to school each and every day until she gets over this fever.
I could only shake my head.
“I’m worried, so I’m taking her to the hospital today. I’ve heard the flu has been going around lately.”
“Oh, I see.” I sipped at my miso soup. “Just warn her to make sure she doesn’t give it to me.”
“Hah. Why are you so heartless? You’re her brother.”
“Keh. Like I care about her.”
Are you stupid? Worrying for her isn’t going to make her get better any faster.
When I got back from school, my mom told me that Kirino did indeed have the flu. “Oh, I see,” was my honest reaction. I could not think of anything else to say.
After washing my hands and rinsing out my mouth more thoroughly than usual, I headed upstairs.
“…”
After a few moments of indecision, I knocked on my little sister’s door. She may have been asleep, so I knocked lightly.
I received no response. Deciding she must have been asleep, I scratched at my cheek and started to turn around, but then I heard a click and the door opened.
That door that usually slammed forcefully directly into my face had no energy today.
Kirino peered out at me in her pajamas through the cracked door.
“…What?”
…Oh, I haven’t thought of anything to say. Why did I even knock on her door? I don’t have any business with her. Um…uh…
“…Hey…do you want some yogurt?”
I held out the plastic bag hanging from one of my hands. I had bought the yogurt at a convenience store on the way home.
“…Sure.”
Kirino’s feverish head nodded and she took the convenience store bag. She seemed oddly docile, but that was likely because she did not have enough energy to verbally abuse me. Ironically, my sister was a lot cuter when she had the flu and didn’t talk much. It was worth giving up my yogurt for.
“Have you taken your medicine?”
“…No.”
“Take it.”
I then realized Kirino was holding her cell phone in her left hand.
“What are you doing with your phone?”
Don’t tell me she’s still working on that novel…
“Quit being stupid and get back in bed.”
“…”
Despite having been scolded by her brother, Kirino only hung her head down.
She seemed even more downhearted than you would expect of someone suffering from a fever.
Also, it looked a bit like she had been crying.
“What’s wrong?”
“…Nothing.”
Now, that’s a lie. I can’t have you thinking your brother is that stupid. I can tell how you’re feeling to certain extent just by looking at you. And now that I think about it, someone with as strong a sense of responsibility and awareness that she is a professional as you should be doing nothing but trying to get over this illness on her day home from school.
“It isn’t nothing, you idiot. If you’re worried about something, tell me. Tell me and then get to sleep. You need to recover so you can get back to practice and work.”
Kirino’s eyes opened wide in surprise at my bluntness.
“…What’s…with you? You’re being surprisingly kind.”
“Hah. I just want you to recover before you infect me.”
I had been trying to speak harshly to her, but Kirino only gave a small laugh.
“You’re an idiot,” she said. “Well, whatever. Come in. I doubt you can do anything about it, but I’ll tell you if you want to hear.”
“Fine, fine.”
I entered her room despite that meaning it would be my own fault if I caught her flu.
After inviting me in, Kirino sat on her bed and handed me her phone.
“Here.”
“Wh-what?”
I recoiled back at having it thrust out at me so suddenly. I then took it and looked at the screen. The main page for Cell Phone i-Club was displayed on the LCD screen. The site had a large announcement written on it.
“An amazing newcomer to the cell phone novel world is having her debut work published in hard cover! It is being published by MediAscii Works! The whole novel is available ahead of time here on Cell Phone i-Club!”
Apparently, a hard cover novel from Cell Phone i-Club was being put online in full as a sales promotion.
Since the author was referred to as an “amazing newcomer” they must have had a lot of confidence in the novel.
The first thing that came to my mind was…
“Is this ‘amazing newcomer’ they’re talking about you!? Wow!”
“…”
Kirino gave no response. She took the phone from me, pressed some buttons while coughing a few times, and then handed it back to me. I looked at the screen and saw what must have been a page of the cell phone novel this “amazing newcomer” had written.
Its title was “Little Sister Sky”.
“Well, that couldn’t be any more obviously you!”
I could tell without even glancing through the text. This was clearly the cell phone novel Kirino had written.
The novel Kirino had so desperately worked to finish was awash in the limelight in a big way.
Below the title was a button labeled “review this work”. I clicked it and a large number of people’s impressions of the novel popped up.
“What a good story!” “I cried.” “Their pure love was the best part.” “As a girl, this really moved me.”
They went on and on. The book had not even been released yet and there were already over 100 reviews. And they were all favorable impressions. From what I could see, the novel had the strongest support from young girls.
…That’s amazing.
I didn’t actually say it out loud, but that was what I thought. But I was also a little dissatisfied that the readers had seen Toshi and Rino’s relationship as pure love like the author had.
After tagging along when she was gathering data and watching as she worked so hard to write the novel, I was actually moved by this positive reaction. I was amazed at how much talent she had.
…Sigh. She’s increased the gap yet again. How far behind are you trying to leave your brother, little sister? It’s so frustrating and pathetic that I might just get depressed.
As a smile that was a mixture of self-torture and joy appeared on my face, I realized something.
“Wait, then why do you look so upset?”
I didn’t make sense. The novel she had worked so hard to write was being well received, had a huge announcement, and was being published. Normally, that would be a time for joy.
“…else.”
“Ah? What?”
“They’ve made it so it’s written by someone else!” Kirino shouted as if she was about to cough up blood before she started coughing normally.
“H-hey, are you okay?”
She seemed to be suffering so much that I reached out to pat her on the back, but she brushed my hand aside.
She was still coughing pretty badly, so I wasn’t about to get angry with her.
“What do you mean they made it so it’s written by someone else?”
After coughing a bit more and catching her breath, she said, “I-I mean that I’m the one that wrote it, but the author is given as some penname I’ve never seen before in my life.”
I looked and, sure enough, it said “Author – Rino” below the title. The author’s name was the same as the protagonist of Little Sister Sky. Presumably they were trying to make it look like the story was something the author had actually experienced, as was common with cell phone novels.
“So they changed the penname without asking because they thought it would sell better with the author and the protagonist having the same name?”
“No! That’s not what happened…!” My little sister fell into another painful-looking fit of coughing. “I wouldn’t be so upset if that was all it was. Ever since I sent him the password to the site where I saved the manuscript, I haven’t heard anything from him. When I call the cell phone number written on the business card, I just get the voice mail, I don’t get any response to my emails, and this page appeared without warning.”
The site where she saved the manuscript? …Oh, I get it. You save a cell phone novel to your blog-like page on a cell phone site as you write it.
“Maybe there’s been some kind of misunderstanding. How about I call the editorial department for you?”
“I already called them! I told them I wrote the novel and that no one was contacting me and asked them what was going on, but they wouldn’t tell me anything! They listened to what I had to say, but they just treated it like a common complaint and wouldn’t transfer me over to my editor. Also, the password to the Cell Phone i-Club site I saved the manuscript to was changed, so I can’t log in!”
“So…”
This was not a turn of events I wanted to think about. But if what I thought was going on was indeed going on, then having my little sister speak the decisive words would have been too cruel.
That was why I stated my conclusion even if it was a bit premature to jump to that conclusion.
“He plagiarized you? That editor we met in Shinjuku before took the cell phone novel you wrote and is releasing it under someone else’s name?”
“…I think so. …What else could it be?” Kirino muttered painfully while sitting on her bed.
Her face was red from her fever and I could see tears welling up in her eyes. Having this trouble occur while she was bedridden from the flu was like kicking her while she was down.
“So what are you going to do? Surely you aren’t just going to lie here crying.”
“I’m not going to do anything,” was my little sister’s unexpected response. “Make no mistake. I only told you about this because you asked. I have no intention of doing anything about this trouble. In fact, I wasn’t worried about this at all.”
“Why not?”
That had to have been a lie. She had worked so hard on it and it had all been snatched away from her.
I knew just how much she hated to lose, so I knew she had to hate it with all of her being.
“Why not?” repeated Kirino with a scornful laugh. “Isn’t that obvious? What I need to do right now is work my hardest to recover and get back to work and practice as soon as I can. Even if I was tricked, that only affects me. I don’t have time to deal with something like that. I have much more important things to do.”
Her arrogant tone made it sound like she was looking down on the entire world. To me, it sounded forced.
After another fit of coughing, she continued.
“It does piss me off that I was used and I want to kill that faggot. But isn’t all that just more proof of my talent? He only stole my novel because it was that valuable, right? Heh. If that one was stolen, I just need to write another one. I’ll make this one even more amazing.” Kirino folded her arms like usual and gave a small laugh. “Also, that cell phone novel was really nothing more than something to do for fun. I tried to keep it up alongside everything else, but I only ended up collapsing and causing trouble for everyone. I’ve learned my lesson. I’ll make sure that never happens again. In a way, this was perfect.”
If she hadn’t so clearly been crying, that might have sounded pretty cool.
“So just get out of here and leave me alone.”
You really do suck at lying.
My little sister was indeed amazing. She had plenty of talent, put in plenty of hard work, and had an almost creepy passion for something once she started it. As a result, I had thought that everything would always go the way she wanted. However, she was not without her weaknesses.
She had major problems dealing with trouble she had not expected. With difficulties that she saw coming, she was able to thoroughly prepare herself and come up with a plan. But when an attack came from a blind spot or she came across a problem she had not prepared for, she had no idea what to do.
I had experienced that weakness of my sister’s in the troubles with dad and Ayase.
She was only 14 years old and in middle school.
No matter how amazing or talented she seemed, I could not forget that fact.
I was her big brother, after all.
“Hoo…”
What do I do now?
After hearing what my little sister had to say and leaving her room, I bit my lower lip while thinking.
Except I wasn’t really thinking. While the voice of my heart may have been asking what to do, I had already decided deep down.
What I was doing was worrying. I could not accept why I was so settled on what to do.
After all, I hated my little sister. I really, really hated her.
I may be repeating myself, but I just want to make that very clear.
I had only ever accepted that life consultation way back when as a careless way to end that conversation with her as quickly as possible. My efforts to help her with the trouble with dad or the issues with Ayase were nothing but abnormalities. I had only done those things to put an end to the life consultations I had started. That was why, since she had said she wasn’t going to do anything and had not “consulted” in me, this had nothing to do with me. Seeing that damn conceited brat suffer a defeat like that should have been a refreshing scene to behold.
“Shit…What is going on?”
These vague feelings had not started just then. They were a major problem I had been carrying for a little bit at that point. My distant relationship with my sister had changed when I had learned her secret and she had come to me with those life consultations. The vague distance between us was continuing to change even then. I was losing the indifference I had for my little sister.
What was going on? I tried to peer into my own heart, but I only found a jumbled mess of swirling feelings there. That was no help.
I felt nauseous and annoyed and disgusted…
Agh! This really pisses me off. What am I supposed to do? I can’t get over this.
Tch. What is this? I wish I knew someone in a similar position, so I could ask them.
Why do I have to feel so bad for that brat of a little sister?
Don’t tell me I’m wrong about hating her. Don’t tell me I actually…
“Gyahhh!! Like hell I do!”
As my true feelings came out in a yell, I began doing what my sister would normally do on her own since she was too sick to do it herself.
But really, all I could do was consult those who I felt would be reliable.
“Thank you for being so open with us, Kyousuke-shi! I do not know how much I can actually do, but I will help in any way I can!” said Saori exaggeratedly as she sat across from me.
As usual, she was in full otaku fashion with her spiral glasses & flannel shirt tucked into her pants.
“I get the general situation. However, I find it hard to believe that rape novel ended up like that. But from how displeased you seem, it must be true,” said Kuroneko as she sipped iced coffee while sitting next to Saori.
We were in a McDonald’s near Matsudo Station. I had emailed the two of them to say I wanted to discuss something about Kirino and they had agreed to meet on the weekend because they had both happened to be headed to the preliminaries for a national Siscalypse tournament. The preliminaries had already been held in a nearby arcade called Tokyo Gulliver, and the bag sitting on Kuroneko’s lap had a badge indicating she had made it through the preliminaries. (It had the same design as an important item in the game and it had the words “True Little Sister” engraved into it with holographic film placed over them.)
That all-black gothic lolita girl was monstrously good at video games.
The arcade version of that game had come out during the fall, but I had yet to play it.
It was just too embarrassing to play a game like that in front of other people. I had actually been to a local arcade and one in Akagi, so it wasn’t that I simply hadn’t gone. How can people just go to an arcade and play games like that Something-or-Other Master where you raise an idol or that quiz game called Something-or-Other Academy? Do you overcome the embarrassment just by getting used to it? I don’t really get it myself.
By the way, the badge on Kuroneko’s bag had the player’s name carved into it, but what it said was Chiba District Representative – Matsudo Black Cat-sama.
Was that something like a ring name?
“Hmm, I see. So that is why she did not come to Winter Comiket.”
“Kyousuke-shi. Kuroneko-shi has actually been worried about Kiririn-shi ever since that. We had known she had caught a cold, but Kuroneko-shi had been wondering if she was okay with it lasting so long. And she looked so lonely.”
“Hah. I would prefer if you did not add in dramatizations like that. I have not been worried about her. It is just that I was planning to have her cosplay and sell my circle’s book if she had accepted my request. I need to get back at her for before. And yet she caught a cold and could not come. She lamented how unlucky she was while clearly sneering.”
“I see…”
So she wanted Kirino to take part in that winter event… She put together all sorts of plans and then Kirino couldn’t come. I can see why she would be feeling lonely.
“Sorry….and thanks.”
“I have no idea why you are apologizing or why you are thanking me.”
Kuroneko turned away in displeasure. For some reason, she always got like that when someone praised her or thanked her. I had thought she must have been embarrassed, but Kirino had told me it was something else.
“Oh, no, no. The way that black thing always does that is not her being a tsundere. She’s feeling ressentiment. Whenever a rebellious and disgusting otaku like her receives approval from someone on the winning side like me, they always get really pissed off. Really, the jealousy of a lower life form is just disgusting.”
I don’t really understand what she meant, but that was what she had said. In any case, she really spoke poorly of the girl.
“Getting by without seeing that sweets girl who thinks she is on the winning side during the whole new year’s period was most refreshing.”
I still think she is just shy, though. After all, I had been the one to compliment her and I was certainly not on the “winning side”.
Hearing what Kuroneko said, Saori came to the same conclusion as me.
“Hah hah hah. What are you saying, Kuroneko-shi? You did not find it refreshing at all. It hurts my heart to think about how sad someone without a boyfriend like you must have been during that time without seeing Kiririn-shi.”
“That certainly is arrogant of you. Heh. I can tell just by looking at you, that you are forever alone. If you want to prove me wrong, just tell me what you were doing on Christmas.”
“Oh, me? Let’s see, last Christmas I was painting my Gabthley and making my avatar for Xbox Live. Ha. I was so pleased at how the avatar looked exactly like me that I uploaded a picture to our social network group and bragged about it on Twitter.”
What a sad way to spend Christmas…
“Oh? But I think the person I was speaking to online during that was you, Kuroneko-shi.”
“…Th-that’s right…”
The topic Kuroneko herself had brought up had blown up in her face. She had been trying to mock Saori by asking her what she had done on Christmas, but the response had been “chatting with you”.
Matsudo Black Cat aka Kuroneko cleared her throat to smooth things over and said, “To get back on topic, you said this ridiculously titled Little Sister Sky cell phone novel may have been stolen, but can you give us more details?”
“You…will help too?”
“…You surprise me. Is your head okay? I am of course asking out of sheer curiosity. Why would I clean up after a pathetic human like her? I would prefer if you thought before you spoke.”
Kuroneko gave lovely little sigh.
“…I see.”
Kirino had not asked either Saori or Kuroneko to help with her difficulty, but they had still gathered and were willing to listen. The thought very nearly brought a tear to my eye.
“You two are such good people.”
“I do not want to hear that from you of all people. Do you just interpret what people say however you want, you masochistic dog?” spat out Kuroneko with extreme disagreeableness.
When I had first met her, I had thought she was an unsociable girl, but that may not have been true. Deep down, at least.
“Heh heh. Very true,” said Saori when she heard what I had said. She also put on her usual ω-shaped smile. “Come to think of it, this is the first time we have met with you without Kiririn-shi being here. There is something I had been meaning to ask you if I got a chance. With the offline meeting where we first met and Summer Comiket last year, why do you keep going above and beyond for your sister? At least on the surface, it seems to be nothing but a bother for you.”
Saori asked me the question Kuroneko had before.
But as before, it was a difficult question to answer. After all, I had been constantly asking myself that very same question and had yet to come up with a satisfactory answer.
While I was thinking, Saori leaned in toward me.
“Are my suspicions correct that you two are in a more ‘serious’ relationship?”
“What do mean by ‘more serious’!? No! Don’t get the wrong idea!”
And what was that about your “suspicions”!? Have you been looking at us in that way all this time!?
This is why I hate erogamers! They always see incest wherever they look!
“Mh,” said Saori while sticking out her lower lip when I denied it, but she then put on a horrifying expression. “Oh, is that not it? Then Kyousuke-shi, are you – shall we say – masochistically inclined?”
“That’s not it either!”
Why do otaku all seem to have the exact same thought patterns? I can’t stand it!
As I scratched at my head, I received unexpected support from Kuroneko.
“It is not that surprising. Being worried about one’s little sister and getting a bit overprotective is something that goes beyond liking or not liking someone.”
It was possible she was saying that because she had little sisters of her own.
“That is just what a little sister is. It can’t be helped. You do it even if you do not get anything in return for your efforts. It is like taking in a cat on a whim.”
After concluding her comment, she closed her eyes. She must have been imagining her own little sisters as she spoke. Her words came as smoothly as when she had been speaking about her doujin work at Summer Comiket and her words were also kind.
Her comment also put an expression on Saori’s face like you would expect of someone soaking in a hot spring.
“Hm…You must be a wonderful older sister, Kuroneko-shi.”
“…Not really. I tease them every day.”
Seeing the sadistic smile on Kuroneko’s face, I felt saved. The strange feeling in my chest was still there, but I now felt like there was nothing wrong with it being there.
It was okay for my brother/sister relationship with Kirino to advance at whatever pace I was comfortable with.
I felt convinced.
“Okay, let’s do this!”
I slammed my fist into my opposite palm.
Saori gave thumbs up with a smile and Kuroneko shrugged expressionlessly.
I had chosen Saori and Kuroneko to discuss this with because they both knew Kirino’s secret side and Kirino was important to both of them.
Due to Kirino’s position in the world, I had to be careful about who to discuss this kind of thing with. They worked from that standpoint and I figured they would know a thing or two about the writing business, so they were perfect. I was truly thankful.
By the way, there were actually two others who met the requirements I mentioned.
Those were my dad and Ayase. If I got the help of either of them, I doubt there would have been any more powerful helper and their efforts would have rivaled that of a thousand others. However, even if Kirino was extremely important to both of them and they would certainly have listened carefully and helped out had I consulted them, they both had major problems preventing me from doing so.
I’m sure you understand. Their help wouldn’t exactly come easily.
First of all, my dad still did not now Kirino’s cell phone novel was being published because she was sure he would be against it. And yet Kirino had pushed herself too hard and collapsed from the flu. It was hindering her track team practice and the model work she had gotten special permission for. It would make no sense to rely on our dad for this. If we did, we would need to be prepared for his opposition to her otaku interests to be ignited once more once it was all over.
As for Ayase, I had actually had a chance to speak to her a few days before. (She had called me about Kirino collapsing from the flu. Even though I had warned Kirino, I still got one hell of a lecture about it.)
What she had said afterwards was, “Everyone always praises Kirino for her attitude toward her work, so it really is no big deal if she takes a bit of time off because she is sick. However, I know Kirino. She is going to feel really bad about missing work due to her own mistake.”
Apparently, Ayase had spoken to their office and the magazines and volunteered to take on the model work early in the year that Kirino had been scheduled for. She said it would be best if she did it and that Kirino would not feel as bad than if anyone else had done it.
“So I will not be visiting her,” she had said.
“I understand. If you catch her flu, you can’t fill in for her. I’m not quite sure what to say, but tha-“
“No, do not thank me. I am only doing this because I want to.”
Ayase was helping Kirino in her time of need in her own unique way.
We were not the only ones getting overly involved in this.
I could leave that kind of thing to her and take care of what I could here.
And so, I treated Saori and Kuroneko to fries and refills to their drinks while I explained the details of how Kirino’s cell phone novel might have been plagiarized.
“I see…”
“Hm…”
Saori and Kuroneko both listened with patient expressions.
“Really, I just want to check if what I think is going on is really what is going on. This editor named Kumagai Ryuunosuke seems suspicious to me,” I concluded.
“Hmm. I understand where you are coming from,” said Saori in a grave voice as she gathered her thoughts. “But would a mere employee take such a great risk? Even if he was sure that Kiririn-shi’s novel would sell, he would lose his standing if this plagiarism came to light.”
“And even if this editor did this, I do not understand why he would steal the manuscript. Instead of stealing it, would it not be better to sell the author herself? I think it would sell even better if it said ‘the debut work of a beautiful middle school model’ on the cover. They could get her face out there with interviews for a cheap and effective means of advertisement.”
Those are excellent points.
“But it’s hard to imagine this editor had nothing to do with this,” I said.
“Kyousuke-shi, if you have his business card with you, could we see it?”
“Sure. This is it.”
On Saori’s suggestion, I pulled out the business card that editor had given Kirino.
The card read, “Kumagai Ryuunosuke – MediAscii Works Second Editorial Department Mobile Publication Division”
I placed it in the middle of the table and the two of them leaned forward to give it a serious inspection.
“Hmm. Does this Mobile Publication Division run Cell Phone i-Club?”
“I have actually seen a business card for this publisher before, and this looks real to me. I doubt it is a forgery. And even if it is a fake, detailed knowledge of the original would have been necessary to make it,” said Saori in agreement with what Kirino had said before.
Kuroneko then said, “Is there actually a Kumagai working for the editorial department?”
“Yes, I called and checked with the receptionist, and there is. It was treated as a prank call, though.”
“This is only what I have heard, but supposedly the editorial department receives complaints about plagiarized works all the time. Of course, most of them are incorrect assumptions or downright lies, but the department still hears complaint after complaint along those lines. They may think this is just another of those.”
That was the “Boy who Cried Wolf” effect. Finding the one true complaint amid the hundreds of lies would indeed be difficult.
Kuroneko picked up the business card and narrowed her eyes.
“This has a cell phone number and email address written in pen underneath the editorial department’s contact information.”
“Is that a problem? He said he was out a lot, so it would be easier to contact him via his personal phone and address.”
“How trusting are you? You need to have some suspicions about people. Did you never think he was having her call him because it would be a problem for him if she called the company? It’s just…Oh, I see. Given what Saori said, I am betting this card itself is real.”
“Meaning?”
“Are you thinking the person Kiririn-shi met in Shinjuku was a fake taking on the name and occupation of Kumagai-shi, Kuroneko-shi?”
“Yes.”
Kuroneko nodded.
“You mean that bastard wasn’t the actual editor?”
“I believe so.”
“But this is the actual business card of this Kumagai Ryuunosuke. And they met up at the publisher’s office building.”
“Don’t be stupid. Neither of those things proves he is an editor that works for that publisher. She was told to meet him in the publisher’s lobby, right? And you said the actual meeting took place in a nearby café. The lobby isn’t locked, so an outsider could easily meet someone there. Also, he could have handed over a business card he had gotten from the real editor to give credibility to his claim. It is a fairly popular means of fraud.”
“…Fraud?”
“Yes, there is a type of self-paid publishing fraud where someone approaches a hopeful author while pretending to be an editor. The fake editor suggests he publishes the hopeful author’s book, has them give a down payment, and then is never seen again. …A bit similar, don’t you think?”
“But Kirino never had any money taken.”
“True. In this case, it was the manuscript that was stolen, and it is being published by a proper publisher under someone else’s name. The trick is similar, but it is still a bit different. I think these differences are rather important,” said Saori prudently. “Perhaps this man pretending to be Kumagai-shi has some kind of connection with the publisher. Otherwise, he could not have gotten the novel published even with the manuscript and he would not have been able to acquire Kumagai-shi’s business card.”
Saori took out her cell phone and held it out so everyone could see the screen.
It was displaying the introductory page for Little Sister Sky.
“I cannot be sure, but it seems likely this Rino person is the one who stole Kiririn-shi’s manuscript. I do not know what position this person has, but he must have some influence at the publisher. First, Rino-shi must have noticed the popularity of Kiririn-shi’s cell phone novel on the upload site, so he used the real Kumagai-shi’s business card to take on the identity of an editor and approach Kiririn-shi. Once Rino-shi received the manuscript from Kiririn-shi, he took it to the editorial department as something he had written, and successfully had it published. Does that seem realistic?”
“Yes, except for the fact that this…criminal?...set his sights on that rape novel. How could he read that and come to the conclusion that it would sell? It is incomprehensible,” said Kuroneko as she tilted her head back and forth in confusion.
“That cell phone novel was first in the monthly rankings and had 350,000 views in just a month after being submitted. Maybe he decided Kirino would write a novel that would sell because of how the amateurs were receiving it.”
“That is what makes no sense to me. Any readers who enjoyed a shitty novel like that seem like the residents of the demon world to me.”
That’s going a bit too far.
Not only did Kuroneko have a sense of rivalry and jealousy toward Kirino, but she also seemed to have a negative impression of cell phone novels as a whole. She picked the cell phone up from the center of the table and stared coldly at the screen that was displaying Little Sister Sky’s prologue. (It was the scene where Tetsu was hit by the dump truck and turned to mincemeat. The text was as full of newlines as ever.)
“Hmph. Look at this. The shitty writing starts on the very first page. Someone getting hit by a dump truck isn’t going to make a ‘bakohn’ sound. Honestly, just glancing through this is bringing its author’s triumphant smile into my head and making me want to crush this cell phone more and more.”
“K-Kuroneko-shi!? That is my phone!” Saori shouted as the phone started creaking in Kuroneko’s grip.
Kuroneko clicked her tongue and put the phone back on the table.
“So there are really people who would publish writing this bad with no shame? Both the editor and the readers have no aesthetic sense whatsoever.”
…Why does she view the editor in such a hostile light?
Did something happen to her in the past?
“Now, now,” said Saori to pacify her. “At any rate, Rino-shi is someone who can tell what will sell and has guidance on the level of a real editor. He really did meet with Kiririn-shi, advised her, and actually convinced her. And now he has gotten the novel published. I may not be an expert, but it feels to me like Little Sister Sky will be a major hit.”
“Maybe. After her meeting with him, Kirino completely trusted him. She had been really excited, but she had not taken any of it for granted until she had actually met him.”
“Hah. To be honest, I want to tell her this serves her right. I had a feeling it was something like this. Do you have any idea how many dozens of hours she bragged to me about this last month?”
…Why am I not surprised? I knew it was unlikely Kirino hadn’t bragged to Kuroneko…
Saori looked very interested in that comment.
“Ya ha ha. Come to think of it, the online battle between you two reached even our SNS group. Was the direct confrontation over IM?”
“ ‘Kya ha ha! With how you are, you’ll never be anything but a wannabe! You should try to learn from me! Oh, but I guess you can’t! You don’t have the talent!’ I had to put up with that for an entire night on Skype. I will never forget my grudge over that.”
“…Ah, sorry about that.”
I had no choice but to apologize when she stared at me with those red eyes filled with hatred.
Kuroneko must have been quite a good person to help Kirino even after experiencing that.
Anyway, that was how we deduced who the thief likely was.
But we could not come up with any concrete ideas regarding what to do about it.
“We have a good idea what the situation is now, but what are we actually supposed to do? I know it would be best to make them realize Kirino was the one that wrote that cell phone novel. But…”
“That will prove quite difficult.”
“Yes, we have no proof.”
“What about the original manuscript data?”
“The site she saved it to was taken over by this guy. The second she gave him the password, he changed it so she couldn’t get into it anymore…or something like that.”
That meant we had no evidence that Kirino had written the novel.
Refusing to give up, Kuroneko said, “Is the manuscript data still on her computer? Like a backup or…”
“Kuroneko-shi, even if Kiririn-shi has a backup, I doubt it will change much. The entire novel has already been released on the web. If we came forward saying she had the original manuscript data, they would simply say we copied it from the web.”
“…Hmm. That may have been done as insurance made to look like advertisement. …This guy thought this through surprisingly well.”
He was always a step ahead of us. If our assumptions were correct, he was quite crafty.
Silence fell over our table. The three of us each ate the fries that were cold by that point, sipped at our drinks, and gathered our thoughts in our own way.”
Saori was the first one to give an idea.
“It seems to me, the only thing we can do is explain the situation to the editorial department and convince them that Kiririn-shi was the author. As Kyousuke-shi mentioned before, calling by phone merely gets treated as a common complaint. To avoid that, we need to get in direct contact with someone working on the Little Sister Sky project.”
“…Hmph. Thanks for pointing out the obvious. So how are normal middle and high school students supposed to get in contact with someone from the editorial department?”
“…I do happen to have a connection.”
“R-really?” I replied in surprise.
Come to think of it, she did say she had seen that publisher’s business card before.
Natural curiosity grew within me, so I started to ask for details about this connection, but I stopped once I saw her expression.
Looking troubled, Saori was scratching at her cheek. It looked like she was having trouble saying something.
“…Yes. But it is not all that strong a connection. I cannot exactly say the novel was stolen and directly ask to have something done. I can only use some reason or another to get an appointment at the publisher. Unfortunately, that is all I can do. It seems Kumagai-shi belongs to the second editorial department’s mobile publication division, but it would be difficult to get an appointment with that specific division with my connection. I do not directly know anyone in the editorial department.”
“No, that’s enough. Thanks, Saori. You really are reliable.”
I was truly thankful. I may have been the one to ask her, but I felt bad about being that indebted to her. It seemed she did not really want to use this connection.
I bowed my head deeply, but she stuck both hands forward to stop me and said, “Ah ha ha ha. Stop that. You are making me blush.”
Saori rubbed the back of my head and suddenly switched over to a serious tone of voice.
“If it gets that kind of response, then it was worth playing the role of Saori Bajeena.”
“…Ahn?”
“Hah hah hah. Nothing, just talking to myself.”
I decided to let the comment go.
“Okay, I can get us into the publisher, but what do we do then?”
“I have an idea for that. Just leave it to me. …Heh heh heh. If it goes well, I can create a reason to go to the editorial department not just once, but two or three times.”
Hearing that, I felt a chill run down my spine. Kuroneko’s thin, eerie smile was similar to the one my little sister had when she handed me an eroge box.
Translator's Notes
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