The previous night I had been up until after 2 a.m., so the next day I woke up near noon again. The moment I opened my eyes I was surprised to realize that something was missing.
Ah, yes that’s right. Kurosawa-san called last night and said he wouldn’t be able to come over during lunch. Apparently, there was going to be a meeting at the company and it would be running late into the afternoon. Our phone conversation had been rather short.
“You don’t have to call and tell me this.” I had told him dismissively.
“Oh, but I thought you might miss me and think I had abandoned you if I didn’t tell you.”
“Don’t talk nonsense! I’m hanging up now!”
Kurosawa-san had been coming over to my place so often lately, that I somehow had gotten used to his presence. I would lie if I said that during the afternoon, I didn’t feel a tad bit lonely. But I guess it couldn’t be helped. We both had our jobs and also it mustn’t have been easy for him to come over so often just to have lunch with me.
All I could do was sigh and prepare my instant noodles. I saw Fukuharu shooting me disapproving glances all throughout lunch.
“Stop looking at me like that! There is nothing I can do about it. I don’t have any ingredients to cook a proper meal and I don’t feel like going out.”
Honestly, I feel as if my cat is beginning to resemble Kurosawa-san more and more lately. Does he, by any chance, have a special ability to talk to animals and he asked Fukuharu to keep an eye on me?
No, I’m just being stupid now, letting my imagination run wild again. How can something like talking to animals really be possible?! But then again, isn’t my own strange ability to hear thoughts just as improbable?
That day I decided to take a break from writing, and enjoy a cup of green tea on the balcony. The weather has been warmer these days, making it perfect for relaxing outdoors. Since I didn’t like going outside, though, I decided to transform my rather large balcony into a perfect place for relaxing. Outside, trees and flowers had already bloomed and the cherry blossoms were being scattered through the air, creating a beautiful painting capable of soothing the mind and soul.
A fragrant breeze wafted inside the apartment the moment I slid open the glass door. I took a few deep breaths, feeling the scented air entering my lungs and calming my spirits. Lately, I have been able to write more. My mind has been able to spring into action whenever I thought of the plot and everything just naturally came to life on paper. I was pretty satisfied with my work and believed that if things kept going like this, I might finish the second half of the book in less than a month.
Just as I was calmly sipping my tea and enjoying these musings, the doorbell rang. It’s useless to tell you whom I instantly thought of. Hadn’t Kurosawa-san said he couldn’t come by today because of the meeting? Why is he here now?
While wondering and questioning his so-called professionalism, I went ahead and opened the door. I began scolding before I even took a closer look at the person in front of me.
“Wasn’t there supposed to be a meeting? How come…” I stopped abruptly and gaped at the newcomer as if he was an alien sprouting from the ground. “Kota-san! Y-You… Why are y-you here?” I stuttered, all to Kota -san’s utter amusement.
He chuckled and raised a hand holding a bag, dangling it in the air.
“I brought goodies. Won’t you let me inside?”
Without a word, I stepped aside and made room for him to enter.
“Were you perhaps expecting someone else?” Kota -san questioned, a mischievous glint appearing behind his rimless glasses.
“No. What makes you say that?” I looked away, avoiding his meaningful gaze.
“Oh, is that so? Then who were you about to rebuke so terribly when you opened the door? Could it be…” a devious grin spread on his face. “You’re waiting for Kurosawa-kun?”
I felt a jolt of surprise and my breath caught in my throat. I had been found out. If Kota-san knew how often Kurosawa-san came over, or that we had gotten closer over the past few weeks, I would never hear the end of it. Therefore, I had to try on a new profession: acting.
“Don’t speak nonsense. Why would I wait for him? Today is not a meeting day with my editor.” I tried to keep my voice steady and my expression calm. Yes, very natural indeed.
“Hmm, alright. If you say so.” Kota-san eventually decided to be merciful and spare me. He turned towards the bag and fished out a box of cookies. “I received these from a client on my way here. Let’s eat them!” he said excitedly.
“You know I don’t like sweets.” I decided to burst his bubble. Though the cookies looked delicious, I never had a sweet tooth.
“But I like them.” He ignored me and shoved an entire cookie in his mouth. After he finally swallowed it, Kota-san glanced around and asked pointedly. “Where is Fukuharu? I don’t see him around.”
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.
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“Krx, jcv tfgf P jw mjiilcu sbe oglfcv.”
“No one asked you for that.”
During our banter, Kota-san had advanced towards the living room. He took a seat at the table, continuing to munch on his cookies.
“Want some tea with those?” I asked heading towards the kitchen.
“Ooh, first you allowed me entry in your sanctuary, now you are offering me tea. I feel like I am being spoiled by you today. Thank you Keita-chan~~~!”
“Haven’t I told you to stop with that creepy tone?” I grumbled.
When we both had a teacup in hand, we settled down on the sofa.
“So, what’s the purpose of your visit? Wasn’t there a meeting at the company today?” I asked, taking a small sip of tea.
“Oh, how do you know about that?” Kota-san asked, this time without any of his former playfulness.
“Kurosawa-san called me last night and told me about it.” I replied calmly.
“As I thought. You two have gotten quite close.” Kota-san smiled, a tiny spark of amusement flashing in his eyes. It made even his glasses glitter. “I am glad to know that. He is a good kid.”
“Stop talking like you’re an old man.” I paused, then glanced at him from above the cup. “How come you left so early? Wasn’t the meeting supposed to continue until the evening?”
“I skipped it.” Kota-san grinned. “I asked my assistant to go and take notes. If anything happens, they can call me.”
“It sure is good to be the president’s second son.” I retorted, scrunching up my face.
Ah, yes. I forgot to mention that this guy sitting on my sofa, eating cookies like a preschooler is Suzumori Publishing president’s second son. He might have gotten his job easier than others, but it was undeniable that he was very good at it. Being smart, handsome and charismatic, made his way up the chain smooth. His father was satisfied with his progress inside the company, and even the older directors approved of his results. Therefore, him skipping on a meeting with the entire editorial department came across as a surprise.
“You’re staring at me with that lofty look of yours. I am sure you are thinking how irresponsible of me to be skipping on such an important meeting, right?” Kota-san hummed.
“Right on spot! Don’t tell me you are beginning to hear people’s thoughts as well.” I gasped sarcastically and feigned shock.
“No, I think I will leave that troublesome ability to you. Hearing what my former girlfriends think of me… now that is a scary thought.” Kota-san said, wolfing down another cookie.
I couldn’t help but shake my head and laugh. That was indeed the Kota-san I knew. From the first moment I brought myself to tell him about this ability of mine, he had never once stopped teasing me about it. But the way he did it was always able to make me feel better, like it didn’t really matter. He made me feel confident that regardless of what strange powers I might have, I am still myself. No one else had ever done that for me. Well, at least not until recently. Now there was one more person whom I confessed this dark secret to and he accepted it. Kurosawa-san was slowly beginning to be another special being in my life after Fukuharu and Kota-san. And yes, the cat comes first.
“So, Kota-san, you decided to skip on work and come over to kill time?” I asked after several minutes.
“I only said I skipped the meeting, not that I didn’t go to work.” Kota-san retorted, placing the cup down on the table. “I went to have a meeting with the representative of the company who is going to finance the upcoming movie.”
I was stunned for a moment. I had almost forgotten that a movie was about to be made based on one of my books.
“Is that so. And? How did it go?”
“It went rather well. They were open to discuss the details about the copyrights and we agreed on almost everything. If one of their last requests is granted, then we can set a date next week to sign the contract.”
I nodded in approval. If things were moving so quickly then it must mean that the terms and conditions were agreed upon by both parties. Since I trusted Kota-san, I didn’t want to ask any further.
“That’s good. Seems like they are a serious company.” I could only say.
“Yes, they are. But there is something more I need to tell you.” Kota-san said, leaning forward with a serious expression on his face.
“Oh? What is it?” I asked in bemusement.
“They asked for you to take part in the early stages of the planning.” Kota-san replied bluntly, without beating around the bush.
“Eeeh?! What does that even mean?” I asked, being even more confused.
What early stages? What do I have to do with anything the company that finances the movie decides?
“At the meeting, besides the financier company, there was also the director and producer of the movie. The big shot who offers the money wants you to come along when the casting is made and when they have to decide on the setting and character apparel.”
“What and what?! Are you serious?” I barked. This was truly something straight out of a nightmare.
“Very serious.” Kota-san nodded, his serious gesture and expression feeling like a death sentence.
“But why me? I am simply an author. Did the production company actually agree to this nonsense?” I asked, clinging onto the last straw of hope. Surely, the producer and director wouldn’t allow a simple novelist like me to call any shots.
“You might be surprised to know but they not only agreed, but even insisted on it. I don’t know the exact relationship between the corporation that finances the movie and the production company, but it seemed that they had already discussed things between themselves before they approached us. They want you to be part of the early planning stage and it is one of the major conditions for the contract to be signed. This means that…” Kota-san’s words faded away and he stared at me quietly for a moment.
“It means that if I refuse, they will not buy the rights and make the movie, right?” I asked despondently.
“Precisely so.”
After hearing Kota-san’s final verdict, I slumped onto the sofa. My thoughts were in disarray, my emotions a complete mess. Dejection, sorrow and frustration swirled inside my chest, making it hard to breathe.
If they wanted me to take part in this planning, that meant I had to get out and meet so many people. I had to be surrounded by strangers whose thoughts I was in danger of hearing at almost every step. For a moment, I felt a sudden nausea rising in my throat.
Seeing me like this, Kota-san leaned closer and placed his hand on my shoulder.
“It’s alright. They told us to think about it and give a reply in a few days.” He said softly.
The touch of his hand was gentle and it felt warm, but it made my body shudder when his thoughts flooded inside my mind.
Keita, I am sorry I couldn’t protect you more.
“No… It’s alright.” I gasped, barely keeping my emotions from bursting out. “Kota-san has done so much for me already. Thank you.”
“Stop saying thank you with such a painful expression. We’re friends after all.” he replied, a sad smile blooming on his face.
Soon afterwards Kota-san left, saying he had another client to meet. Right before he left, he didn’t press me for an answer. Instead, he just said to take my time and think about it and when I have an answer to give him a call.
The rest of the day ended in a blur. There was no way for me to write and I couldn’t focus on reading either. Therefore, I curled up in my bed with Fukuharu in my arms and drifted to sleep.
The next day, Kurosawa-san came to visit. His hyped personality highly contrasted with my gloomy appearance. Despite going to bed very early the previous night, I couldn’t sleep well. I kept tossing and turning until even Fukuharu marked me as a lost cause and left for the comfort of the sofa. At least there nobody could squish him to death like I had nearly done several times in my restless sleep. Consequently, I had dark bags under my eyes and a foul mood.
Afraid he might step on a landmine and get himself thrown out, Kurosawa-san was unusually quiet during lunch. Noticing his abnormal behavior made me feel slightly guilty. Surely, it wasn’t easy for a chatty guy like him to keep himself quiet like this. Thus, I decided to tell him about Kota-san’s news regarding the movie production. Of course, as my editor, he already knew about the movie being under discussion, but the part where I was supposed to be involved in the initial planning process was a huge surprise.
“Wow! Masato-sensei, that is really awesome!” He cried out in excitement.
“What is so awesome about having to meet a bunch of strangers when I can hardly tolerate one human being such as yourself?!” I threw at him in a bitingly cold tone.
“True, having to interact with so many people might be an inconvenience, especially with your circumstances.” Kurosawa-san said, slightly deflated. However, he managed to bounce back the next instant with an even greater enthusiasm. “But Masato-sensei, think about it this way. If you take part in the initial planning, you can make sure that your story will be brought to life exactly the way you wanted. Isn’t that amazing?”
Well, he was right about that. Leaving aside my personal issues, being able to take part in the character design, casting, choosing the best locations for filming and all other little details was indeed something to be excited about. Furthermore, there wasn’t every day that a big corporation and production company allows an author, who doesn’t know squat about movie production, to take part in their planning activities.
“Well, at least you are excited for the both of us.” I sighed deeply.
“Then what are you going to do, Masato-sensei?” Kurosawa-san asked, his eyes blazing with enthusiasm.
“What else can I do? I will accept their condition and take part in the initial planning phase. After all, I really want to see my story being brought to life.”
“En! Masato-sensei, all your stories deserve to be brought to the big screen.” Kurosawa-san jumped up from his seat and grabbed both my hands in his.
“Now, you s-stop right there. I d-don’t think I can do this k-kind of thing for every one of my books.” I stuttered slightly, while trying to pull my hands from his grasp. But he stubbornly kept holding them tightly, refusing to let go no matter what. Then, he pulled me closer and our noses almost bumped against each other.
“Masato-sensei, since you can hear the thoughts of those you touch, then you know that I am now being very honest when I say that your books are amazing. They deserve to be brought to life so that more and more people read them. Therefore, you will do great and the movie will be a resounding success.”
Hearing this fervent declaration, I could only gape at him in astonishment. Truly, he was one of a kind; honest, blunt and passionate about everything he says and does. And like always, there was silence inside my mind. His fingers warmed my hands, but his thoughts remained silent. Did that mean he really meant what he said or was there really another reason why I couldn’t hear him? For the first time, I found myself wanting to hear something from his inner thoughts; anything would do, whether it was good or bad. Oddly enough, it made me confused and sad that he was the only person I couldn’t hear.
While my thoughts strayed in this direction, I swallowed my rebukes and instead looked away in embarrassment.
“Uhm, actually… I… I can’t really… hear… you.” I mumbled.
My voice was so low and soft that not even I could hear it clearly. It was as if I wasn’t certain if I really wanted him to know the truth or not.
“Eh? You can’t hear what?” Kurosawa-san asked in confusion. It was clear that he heard my whispered mutterings but he didn’t understand what I meant.
“Your thoughts… I… cannot hear Kurosawa-san’s thought. From the very beginning… I couldn’t.”
I could feel myself blushing and I couldn’t understand why this was happening. What was so embarrassing about not being able to hear a person’s thoughts? Wasn’t that the normal state of things in this world?!
“Really? Is that really so, Masato-sensei?” Kurosawa-san asked rather impetuously.
I summoned my courage and decided to gaze up at him. But I regretted it immediately when I saw the look on his face. I was startled by the way he was grinning from ear to ear and how his eyes were glistening with passion. When he continued to speak, his voice even shook slightly.
“You know what… what this means, right, Masato-sensei? This means that… that I am being honest with you. Now you know that every word I say is… true. Doesn’t that make you feel good?”
To be truthful, his words were right. I have wondered so many times how it would feel like if I met someone like him and now that I have, I can honestly say that I feel happy. It is really nice to know that someone doesn’t hide dark thoughts inside their heads while portraying an image of happiness; that they don’t accept you just for appearance’s sake, but that they truly feel that way about you.
“En. It feels good, it feels really good.” I replied to him, feeling my lips curving upward in a smile.
I couldn’t remember when was the last time I smiled so openly in front of someone. The feeling was really… refreshing. It seemed to me that Kurosawa-san was, slowly but surely, chipping away at the ice wall that I had placed around my heart. I decided to try again and trust in his honesty; just like how I used to do when I was younger, before my heart grew cold and stale.
I really like these first chapters! Thank you so much for your novel!
By any chance do you have a description or drawing of the main characters? I would like to know how you see theyre physical appearances
☺?
Will there be some chapters from the ML point of view later? Just being curious!
It’s so sweet and I love your characters! Also Cat! 😻
Thank you so so much! It makes very happy that you enjoyed the story so far 😄
I honestly tried, but just like Keita I couldn’t hear Rintarou’s voice 😖😥 I am really disappointed in me! But I hope you won’t mind just Keita’s perspective so far.
And yesss I found two pictures that I believe show the exact image I have of the characters. I actually tried to uploaded on this chapter but it said it was too large sighs But… I will try to edit the chapter and add them later today since I managed to make them smaller. Please make sure to check it out
😁
thank you!!! the pictures are amazing!!! And for reading and answering my comment!
You’re most welcome!!! I’m happy you like them. The artists did a wonderful job with those! Found a few other amazing pictures that go with story. Might post them when they fit the chapters 😁
thanks for the chapter! <3
<333
I’m really enjoying your story, thank you for sharing with us.
I’m very happy to know that! Thank you for giving it a chance! <333
I’m wondering about what kind of stories he has written~~
Thank you for the chapter 💜💜💜
I mainly imagined historical and cultivation novels XDDD
💜💜💜