Helloooo minna! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter 
It was short, more like a preview or prologue
I didn’t mention this before but the updates will be of two (maybe even three chapters) every Saturday and Sunday Now, let’s continue with chapter 2. Today will be a ‘three chapter update’ day 💕
Three months later.
The initial planning team had finished compiling the final list of possible filming locations and were now in the process of choosing which one to check out first. The meeting was heated, each person having his own views and preferences based on his interpretation of the book.
The director and his men wanted to go to a historical city first; a place like Kyoto or Nara, where they could see Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines and castles. Meanwhile, the producer and his followers considered small remote villages on the coast as better suited. In the meantime, Asakura and the rest of the team thought they should check out the mountains first, since there were a lot of scenes in the book that happened in forests or on mountain paths.
After a few days of disagreements and discussions it was finally settled. The team would split in two, each group choosing a location to visit from the area they wanted. During the trip, each group would take pictures, make recordings and note down everything important about the place they saw. This way they could cover twice as much in the same timeframe. And since, in the end, they would eventually need more than just one location, it would be more advantageous if things were done like this.
No need to mention that this clever solution was Asakura’s idea. The others hemmed and hawed in the beginning but in the end they could only agree. Director Asakura was, after all, a rather powerful figure among them and being the main investor for the movie gave him the final say.
Hence, Asakura and his team would follow their plan and choose a few spots of interest on the mountain. From small rural villages to onsen and inns, they wanted to check out as many as possible.
Also, as promised, Keita would join them once their final destination has been decided.
That day, Asakura personally came to Suzumori publishing to make sure he receives a positive answer from the Chief Editor regarding this important matter. Unfortunately for him, he also met Rintarou and Keita there.
They were all having a meeting in Kota’s office and when Asakura entered he was taken aback by the scene in front of him. Upon seeing Keita’s startled expression, his own face flushed slightly and he stuttered for a moment, not knowing what to say.
As luck would have it, his biggest rival helped him out of this slump by jumping to his feet and speaking first.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Asakura-san, I’m glad you’re here. There is something I’ve always been meaning to say to you, but never got a chance to.”
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“Ktfgf lr cbatlcu ab atjcx wf obg. P atlcx atf ybbx vfrfgnfr la. Ktja’r jii.” Crjxegj gfqilfv, ibbxlcu jkjs ecmbwobgajyis.
“Still, without you, it would have been something difficult to achieve. This is why I am thanking you.” Rintarou said, raising his head and staring Asakura in the eye.
“Rintarou…” Keita whispered softly, his face showing conflicting emotions.
On one hand, he was impressed with Rintarou’s display or fair play, while on the other hand he felt nervous and guilty towards Asakura.
“Alright, alright! Enough with this!” Asakura exclaimed suddenly, raising a hand and turning his head swiftly in order to hide his embarrassment.
Truly, he had once again lost to Kurosawa Rintarou. He had to admit defeat in the face of this person’s straightforwardness. Asakura knew that, had it been him in Rintarou’s place, he would never show this type of honest and unaffected behavior towards his previous love rival. He couldn’t help but wonder whether Rintarou was indeed so pure of heart or simply stupid.
“I’ll say this one last time. There is no need to thank me. I am doing this because I want to. Consider it my own selfishness.” Asakura stated firmly, this time glancing at Keita. He forced himself to calm down and managed to show a reluctant smile.
At his words, Keita slowly nodded his head and returned an approving smile. His emotions were settled and there was no need for him to hesitate any longer. He also understood Asakura’s personality enough to know that things like thanks or appreciative words would only make the other man feel uncomfortable; especially if they came from either him or Rintarou.
Thus, they all settled down in their seats and the meeting began.
After listening to Asakura explain the situation, they all agreed that splitting up in groups was a faster and more efficient way to deal with the filming locations. Keita once again gave his assent to go with the crew, and see for himself the places they will ultimately choose.
All in all, the meeting went rather well and Asakura got ready to leave the publishing company feeling quite satisfied with the result. Right before he managed to leave the office, though, Kota stopped him at the door.
“Join me for a smoke?”
“You don’t smoke.”
“No, but you do.” Kota grinned and headed straight for the top floor terrace.
The unexpected request caused Asakura to pause. Alarm bells ran off inside his head and his eyes moved to search the other man’s face with suspicion. But Kota didn’t show any response, not even after being stared at like that for a full minute. He was merely blinking his pretty eyes at Asakura, appearing rather innocent.
Watching Kota’s restrained expression, Asakura felt a foreboding feeling rising along his spine.
Outside, the weather was still nice. A gentle wind was blowing, scattering a handful of fluffy white clouds across the pale blue sky.
After they stepped onto the terrace, Kota leaned against the handrail and remained silent. Asakura lit a cigarette and turned to face his unusually silent friend.
“So, what did you want to talk about?”
“Who says I have something to say?” Kota replied without emotion.
“I know you, Subaru. You never ask me to come for a smoke unless there is something wrong. Talk.”
“Showing your true colors as a Big Boss I see.” Kota’s mouth twitched and a snicker escaped his lips.
“You know what they say, ‘a leopard never changes its spots.” Asakura grinned, a wisp of grey smoke escaping from the corner of his mouth.
Looking at him, Kota felt the sudden urge to laugh. This man was truly wild and unpredictable. But that was exactly what worried him. Not wanting to drag the conversation longer, Kota took a deep breath and dived right into the subject.
“Father wants me to tell you that it’s ok to invest in our books and the movies that are adapted from them, but don’t ever think about eyeing the company.”
“Haaa?!”
In his shock, Asakura’s mouth opened so wide that his cigarette was on the verge of falling to the ground. He quickly recovered his wits and plucked it between his fingers. His expression as he looked at Kota was that of a man suspecting his friend of being possessed by a dumb spirit.
“Has old Kota-san woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning or has he taken the wrong medicine the night before? Tell me, why the heck would I be interested in his company?”
“Maybe you aren’t, but that other person might be.” Kota sighed and closed his eyes. A second later his eyelashes fluttered and he groaned. “They have started another cold war.”
“Again? But I thought things were settled between them. Hasn’t your father already agreed to let your brother handle his own business?”
“Mh.” Kota nodded. “They had reached a settlement.”
“Then why are they fighting again?” Asakura paused. A second later his eyebrows shot up and they got lost under his fringe. “Wait! More importantly, why the hell am I being dragged into their fight?”
Kota replied with a chuckle and pointed at Asakura’s chest with a finger.
“Because you get along with that person.”
“Which eye of yours saw that we get along? Tell me or else I will have them both poked out and checked thoroughly before giving them back to you.” Asakura grumbled, his raised eyebrows climbing down and settling into a frown. He puffed out smoke like an old locomotive, while his eyes were throwing daggers at Kota.
Sensing that his friend was utterly annoyed by now, Kota decided to beat retreat. He shook his head and spoke in a willful tone.
“Ah, who is to say what the ins and outs of their matter are. Just leave them be and they will settle their score soon. You just have to be careful not to get swept along by the current.”
With that, the conversation ended and Asakura was left feeling even more vexed than before. Nevertheless, he wasn’t one to fret over things that may or may not happen in the future unless he could deal with them before they happened. In the current situation, he had no other choice but to wait and see. Whether he would be dragged as a sacrificial piece in a game of chess between father and son or he would escape, he would deal with it when the situation occurs.
When he finally got home, Asakura decided to put everything aside and focus solely on what he currently had to do. And that was handling the upcoming trip to the mountain.
what does it have to do with him?
thanks for the chapter <3
Well, let’s just say it sets a certain premise for the future regarding that mysterious person 🤭
<333
Thank you for the chapter 💜
💜💜💜
Thank you for the chapter 😊
🥰