zzz

Yoshiyuki Hatori double-checked the proposal that was to be presented at tomorrow's meeting. Even for the publishing of one single series, it was one of those things that just had to be done.

Things are different when authors continue to challenge themselves with one-shots, but when it comes to serialized works, one must first obtain approval from the editor in chief or a similar authority before even beginning to write it. Then, once the serialization begins, decisions are made based on surveys and reader feedback, leading to the creation of a proposal submitted for review, and it is only once this proposal is approved by senior management and the sales department that the work in question can be published.

(…I should go home.)

Hatori had already completed his personal quota for the day, and if he opened any new emails right now he would never finish. So he refrained himself from looking at any and checked the time once more before finally turning off his computer.

"Tori, are you done for the day?" When Hatori stood up, his colleague Kisa, who had been reviewing storyboards with a serious expression on his face, looked up.

"Yes, there’s nothing urgent left to do."

"I see, good work today. I'll make one last call and then I'll be heading out too. Oh man, I’m starving! Just out of curiosity, what are you having for dinner tonight?"

"It's been cold lately, so I was thinking of making stew. I'll pick out the ingredients on my way."

At this time of the day, there probably wasn’t much good fish left, and preparing shabu-shabu would mean eating mostly meat and almost no veggies. So, considering nutritional balance, something like sukiyaki was probably the safer bet. At this hour, Hatori should be able to make it to the supermarket before it closes, and aside from buying the ingredients for the stew, he also wanted to restock some groceries.

"Stew, huh? It'd be nice on a day like this… Now where did I put the clay pot?"

While Kisa remained completely absorbed in his dinner, Hatori finished getting ready and headed out.

"I'm leaving now."

"Yes, thanks for the hard work.”

And so, after briefly saying goodbye to his boss, Hatori left the editorial floor. 

Then, once in the elevator, Hatori took out his phone and sent an email.

"I'm heading home, I’ll be stopping by the supermarket on my way there. Is there anything I should buy? I'll be making nabe, what would you like to finish*?" As usual, the email was short and to the point.

(*T/N: when you make stew ("nabemono" 鍋物), you first eat the meat and veggies and leave the broth. Then, to finish (”shime” 締め), you add rice or noodles to that broth. I didn't know that :))

"Get hard-shelled shrimp, and udon noodles!" The reply came right away.

"Okay."

The elevator doors opened just as Hatori replied. He upturned the collar of his coat and stepped out. The wind that came in was icy, chilling him to the bone, and he remembered the weather forecast had predicted a severe cold front.

As he walked briskly up the hill toward the station, Hatori heard a voice calling him from behind.

"Hatori?"

"Ayukawa."

Walking alongside Hatori was Ayukawa, who had joined the company around the same time he did. She now worked in the General Affairs Department, but her kind smile was the same as before, and seeing her expression made Hatori smile too.

She used to be one of those people who didn´t really care about what they wore, but ever since getting married, she had started wearing better quality clothes, and it seemed like she had lost some weight too.

"It's been a while. It's rare to see you head to the station at this hour."

"I wasn’t too busy today."

"I presume you’re done with the proofreading?"

"Yes. I can relax for a bit."

Now that the proofreading period was done, Hatori could enjoy a brief period of peace. He still had work to do, of course, but for now it was nothing too pressing.

"Then let's go out for drinks with the old crew sometime! Although I think there's only three of us left from our generation."

"Yes, you’re right. If we can avoid scheduling it by the time of the deadline, I can make some time."

"Really? If you mean it, I’ll seriously set it up. We've talked about it before, but we never really do it."

"If you choose a date, I'll make sure to be free." Hatori looked at her suspiciously and gave her a wry smile. It was true; even when they did discuss the idea, they never managed to make it happen because of their busy schedules. It was unavoidable.

"In that case, how about next Friday or Wednesday? You are not too busy around then, right?" Seizing the moment, Ayukawa immediately proposed a date.

"That's too sudden. Just wait a moment." Realizing that Ayukawa was being for real, Hatori took his planner out of his bag, opened it to said week's page and checked his schedule.

"Wednesday should be fine. I have a meeting, but I’m free after that. If I can make it out then, we can meet at 7:00."

He avoided Friday because that was the day he’d be visiting Yoshino. Once the plot was complete and he started to draw it, they wouldn't be able to relax. Hatori knew Yoshino couldn’t help but get anxious during this process, so he wanted to savor as much time as they could spend together beforehand.

"Okay. Why don't we meet somewhere in between?"

"Considering your usual route, perhaps somewhere near Shinjuku?"

"Shinjuku would be great. Then let's meet Wednesday between 6 and 7 p.m. I'll pick a place at random."

"Thanks."

When they were still rookies and used to go out for drinks together, Ayukawa was usually in charge of picking the place. She had a bit of a gourmet taste, so one could always rely on her restaurant choices.

"By the way, have you heard anything about Mitani?"

"No, I haven't heard from him since he left."

Mitani had also been Hatori's classmate. He had joined the company in hopes to become an editor, but was assigned to sales instead, and his prideful nature made him harbor resentment over that. Because of this, he was prone to make many spiteful remarks about Hatori, who had been assigned to the editorial department despite not really wanting to be an editor.

(A lot happened...)

A few years after joining the company, and after many transfer requests, Mitani had finally earned a spot in Japun's editorial department. Hatori had found out after running into him right after his transfer, Mitani approaching him in an unusually good mood.

"I'll soon be editor-in-chief and then I’ll rise above you." he had said.

Therefore, Hatori had been surprised to hear that Mitani, who had been so enthusiastic about this transfer, one day submitted his resignation out of nowhere. The last he heard of him was that he was transferred to a mid-sized publishing house called Koyosha, but nothing else afterward. 

"Did something happen to him?"

"You haven't heard yet? If so, it’s probably not a big deal."

"What do you mean?" Hatori gave her a puzzled look. Truth was, Hatori didn’t really want to know anything about Mitani, but Ayukawa’s vagueness bothered him. 

"Yes, it's probably nothing. Ah, my train is that way. I'll text you when I pick a place. See you then.”

"Okay…" Hatori watched Ayukawa wave and quickly leave, tilting his head.

***

Using his spare key, Hatori opened the front door. As if having sensed his presence, footsteps approached from the inside.

"Welcome back, Tori." Hatori was greeted by Chiaki Yoshino: his childhood friend, star writer, and now lover.

"It's a souvenir. Put it in the fridge."

"Pudding! I love it!" Yoshino let out a squeal of delight as he was handed a plastic bag.

"It's the dessert, so don't eat it now."

Yoshino's favorite brand wasn't available at the supermarket, so Hatori had made a little detour to a convenience store with a wider selection. He'd be lying if he said it wasn't a hassle, but seeing Yoshino’s happy face made it all worth it.

"Your fingers are freezing cold, like ice." Yoshino pointed out. Indeed, the tips of Hatori’s fingers felt numb and stiff, as if they were frozen.

"It was cold outside."

"You should wear gloves or something. You’re always nagging me about it, but you don't really care about yourself." Yoshino hung the plastic bag over his arm and squeezed Hatori's hand.

Yoshino's hand felt warm, almost like a child's.

"...I guess you’re right."

"You're really freezing… The bath is ready, so why don't you go in first? I even put in some bath salts I got from a fan."

"Is that why it smells so sweet?"

"It would be a waste not to use them."

Yoshino had moved to this apartment many years ago out of an urgent need. When he debuted, he used to live alone in a one-room apartment, but as his popularity and workload increased, he needed a place big enough to accommodate several assistants. It had to be a reasonably spacious apartment with rent that fit his budget, could be occupied immediately and was located near Hatori's house, and this place was the one that met all those criteria.

Since the building was quite old, the landlord had recently renovated the bathroom and other areas. Yoshino seemed to find this newer system way more comfortable, and had started to take longer baths instead of the crow baths* he used to.

(*T/N: 鳥の行木 proverb used when someone takes too little while taking a bath, usually with a negative connotation.)

"Maybe later. I'm hungry too, and the nabe will be done quickly."

"Oh, I already set up the portable stove. What kind of stew are we having today?"

"I bought chicken. How about mizutaki?"

"Yes! I'll help too."

The kitchen had also become more comfortable since the renovation. Because of this, Hatori usually ended up preparing too many side dishes without noticing.

"In that case, go and chop the vegetables."

Hatori put the ingredients that weren't for the stew in the fridge and stayed with Yoshino in the kitchen. Lately, Yoshino had been helping out whenever he had time, so he seemed to have gotten quite used to the utility knife. 

Hatori gave Yoshino the napa cabbage and gave him instructions on how to cut it. In the meantime, he prepared the clay pot and added seaweed, sake, and chicken bouillon powder to the water, then added the chicken cut into small pieces. He would’ve put in a little more effort if he had more time, but he didn’t want to keep hungry Yoshino waiting too long.

"And don’t let your guard down just because you know how to use it." Hatori warned Yoshino about the knife. While, as a whole, it would be inconvenient for a manga artist to hurt their finger, Hatori simply didn’t want Yoshino to get hurt.

"It's okay. You’re quite the worrier, aren’t you?" Yoshino said calmly.

"I'm just being cautious. Speaking of which, how's the plot coming along?"

Ideally, it should be done within two or three days, but considering revisions and whatnot, early next week was a more realistic timeline.

"...I guess it's going slowly."

That brief pause bothered Hatori, but it probably meant nothing. When things were really not going well, Yoshino tended to put on a show or change the subject.

And while he sometimes needed a little push, it wasn't good to rush him either. Simply put, while some writers could work calmly without being influenced by their editor's opinions, Yoshino's mood heavily determined the quality of his work.

"Let me see it later when you've made good progress."

"I think I should be able to show you some tomorrow. I’ll email it to you."

"Okay. Then, I'd rather not stay over tonight. I'd be getting in the way."

"It’s ok! I can work even with you here. You can just go to bed first."

"...If you say so."

It seemed like the lovey-dovey atmosphere from the end of last year still lingered a little bit. 

One could say that was nothing to be weirded out by, since they were lovers, but when Yoshino made it clear that he wanted to be with him, Hatori still couldn't help but feel confused. Being together should be a given by this point, so it was strange how flustered it made Hatori feel.

(When will I ever get used to it?)

Maybe if he spent the same amount of time with him as he did with his unrequited love, then would come the time for him to accept it as part of his everyday life. But the years for that to happen were still too many to count with his fingers.

"By the way. I have plans for next Wednesday. So make sure to have something to eat."

"Is it a meeting?"

"No, I’m going out for drinks. I ran into a college friend and we decided to go out. I told her I wasn’t too busy these days, so we set it up for next week."

"Well, you're often very busy, and if you kept postponing it, it was going to be hard to find the time later."

"You do realize you're one of the main reasons I get so busy, right?"

Usually, whenever Hatori had to suddenly cancel his plans, it was because Yoshino's work was delayed and he would have to wait for him. If the manuscript that was supposed to be ready by noon was not ready, everything that came after that in his schedule was to be disrupted. 

If there was a more flexible deadline and it was only a matter of receiving the manuscript, maybe he could ask someone else to handle it. However, when things ran on such a tight schedule, Hatori had to be the one to negotiate a new deadline, keep an eye on Yoshino and then rush to the printers.

"Oh, and this friend of yours, do I know her?" As expected, Yoshino changed the topic, as he often did when he started feeling at disadvantage. There was no point in bringing up the past, so Hatori just went along with the conversation.

"It’s Ayukawa. I’ve told you about her before, right?"

"The one who knows a lot of great restaurants?" Being a foodie, Yoshino seemed to have his memories linked to his appetite. Hatori had taken him to restaurants that Ayukawa had recommended several times, so that must have left quite the impression on him.

"That's the one."

"How many of your classmates are in Marukawa? They don’t usually hire new grads, do they?”

"There were five of us when I joined. Now there are only three left."

"So the other two quit?"

“Yes.” In addition to Mitani, another guy quit soon after joining.

"What a waste! After all the effort it must have taken! Publishing companies have a pretty competitive system, don't they?"

"Yeah. It's tough to get in, but if it’s not your thing, sometimes it's best to act early."

Of course, the ideal would be to stick around for as long as possible. However, it is only once one applies to a specific industry that they may find it's not a good fit, or that it is hard to build good relationships. Not to mention, there were plenty of juniors who had no choice but to quit due to family circumstances.

That’s not to say there weren’t some sacrifices to be made when it comes to work. But there are plenty of different jobs out there, so one should only do their best as much as they can.

"That's true. I used to draw lots of different manga, until somehow I ended up with shoujo." Yoshino had been drawing for as long as Hatori could remember, but it was hard to pinpoint when the doodles in his notebook actually became full blown manga. "So I guess the people that quit just didn’t fit in within the company"

"Well, it's a quite specialized industry. Most people often transfer to a different publisher."

"Oh, really? Well, these things happen, I guess." 

Hatori still wondered what was Ayukawa trying to say earlier. When they had first joined the company, things didn't go very well between Hatori and Mitani because of their respective assignments, although that had been mostly Hatori catching strays.

"Well, I've cut up the cabbage. What should I cut next?"

Yoshino's question brought Hatori back to his senses. If he kept daydreaming while cooking, Yoshino wouldn't be able to follow his lead. He pulled himself together and scooped up the scum that had risen to the surface of the broth while giving Yoshino instructions.

"Cut the green onions to your desired size. I'll take care of the carrots."

"Roger."

"Just be careful."

"I told you I'll be fine. One day, I'll be able to cook without you, Tori."

"I'm looking forward to that." Hatori had the feeling that Yoshino would get bored of it quickly, but he still didn't want to discourage him. For now, the only thing that mattered was that he didn’t get hurt.

"So what would you want to eat, Tori?"

"First of all, it'd be great if you could learn to cook rice."

"I cooked rice the other day, didn’t I?"

"That was almost porridge. You need to control the amount of rice and water you use." It had only been his second attempt, but when he opened the rice cooker, the thing he found was a lot runnier than any rice should be.

"It was delicious the way it was, so in the end it was all ok."

"See? That's why you never improve. Why are you so careless when it comes to things you don’t like?" Even though he knew it was wrong, Hatori ended up nagging Yoshino anyway.