Chapter 2: An Shizhi
“I’ve received royalties for a manga, Yu Yu Hakusho, the one I mentioned to you before.”
Hiroshi Nohara smiled.
While speaking, he glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that time was already a bit tight, so he quickly shoveled down a couple bites of breakfast and reminded Misae: “So, once I save up enough money, I’ll let you open your own coffee shop, which is way better than you going to work at Koyamada Trading Company, right?”
“Of course!” Misae’s eyes lit up at that moment, her little face flushing red with excitement.
Which young girl doesn’t dream of opening a coffee shop?
Both elegant and stylish.
If she wore a suit symbolizing an elite woman, or an elegant and charming noble gown.
Misae felt excited just thinking about it.
But while Misae was excited, Hiroshi Nohara’s expression darkened slightly as he ate with his head down.
Though it flashed by quickly.
He truly had no fondness for Koyamada Trading Company.
“If I remember correctly, in the plot, the only time Misae worked was as a stock clerk at Koyamada Trading Company.”
“But she fought back after being groped by the leader.”
“And then quit the job.”
Hiroshi Nohara’s gloomy expression and disgust toward Koyamada Trading Company stemmed from this.
Though plot is plot.
But now that he had taken over as Hiroshi Nohara, and was together with Misae due to the inertia of the plot.
He didn’t want any possibility of such a disgusting scene continuing to occur.
Especially thinking about the Japanese people’s「perverted」culture.
Hiroshi Nohara still planned to eliminate any possibility of it happening.
Even if in his previous life on Earth, perverted culture had become a meme in two-dimensional works, if his girlfriend or wife encountered it in reality, it would truly be disgusting.
This was also why Hiroshi Nohara directly refused to let Misae work at Koyamada Trading Company.
“But it’s good.” Hiroshi Nohara ate while a smile appeared in his heart.
He glanced at the drawing board and picture album in the corner.
The corners of Hiroshi Nohara’s mouth curved up even higher: “This world has a manga industry too, and it’s as prosperous as in his previous life’s Japan, but after all, it’s a parallel world without Hayao Miyazaki, Osamu Tezuka, Akira Toriyama, Eiichiro Oda, Fujiko Fujio, or Togashi the Old Thief.”
These manga artists don’t exist.
Of course, that includes all the various manga works created by these manga artists.
So when Hiroshi Nohara was in university, he tested the waters by submitting Yoshihiro Togashi’s《Yu Yu Hakusho》 to this world’s《Shonen Jump》, and it successfully caught an editor’s eye, starting serialization in the weekly.
By now, he had indeed saved up quite a bit of money.
“Plagiarist Togashi the Old Thief, no psychological burden at all!” Hiroshi Nohara thought of this, and the corners of his mouth nearly grinned wide.
Perhaps due to crossing over, in this life he could easily draw on memories from his previous life.
Just like viewing a slideshow.
So after learning a bit of manga drawing techniques, he successfully recreated《Yu Yu Hakusho》.
Including this time, in the picture album Hiroshi Nohara had already prepared, the trump card he prepared for success!
For entering Tokyo Broadcasting System, Hiroshi Nohara was full of confidence!
And for changing his and Misae’s destiny.
Hiroshi Nohara was also full of confidence!
“I’m done eating.”
Looking at Misae’s cute little face full of reverence, Hiroshi Nohara felt a bit touched in his heart.
He quickly finished all the breakfast on his plate.
And drank the miso soup in one gulp.
Hiroshi Nohara gave Misae, who was still in a dazed state, another quick dragonfly-on-water kiss on her little mouth, then got up and quickly changed into a suit, picked up the picture album he had prepared earlier: “I’m off.”
“Ah… yes!” Misae snapped back to attention, hurriedly doing a dogeza and bowing low to Hiroshi Nohara: “Have a safe trip!”
“Of course.” Hiroshi Nohara smiled as he pushed open the front door and left.
It was now working hours.
So both the elevator and subway were quite crowded.
Or rather, overly crowded.
“This is no different from previous life’s Japan; the public transport clearly can’t keep up with national development.”
Hiroshi Nohara hugged his picture album as he squeezed off the subway.
His suit was all wrinkled up.
Looking at Tokyo Broadcasting System not far away, which had become a landmark broadcasting tower in Tokyo Metropolis, he strode quickly toward it amid the surrounding crowd of commuters.
But when passing the convenience store, he saw his current disheveled appearance with details not quite in place.
He still frowned: “This won’t do.”
Japanese people value etiquette.
Including details of personal grooming.
Thinking of how he had finally asked his classmate to introduce this connection, a crucial step for his future film and television career planning.
Hiroshi Nohara still went into the convenience store and, while making a call from there, quickly tidied his appearance.
Confirming he had returned to the sharp look from when he left home.
Only then did he start dialing the public telephone.
He dialed a number.
After all, this Japan’s timeline was still 1990, the beginning of the nineties; mobile communications existed but weren’t widespread.
Ordinary families couldn’t afford them.
The number Hiroshi Nohara dialed was the one in the other party’s office.
‘Beep beep beep…’
As the dial tone sounded, the call was quickly answered: “This is Kiyoto Suzuki.” A weary middle-aged voice came through.
“Hello, Mr. Suzuki, this is Hiroshi Nohara, the one your classmate Kawa Suzuki introduced to you before, the author of《Yu Yu Hakusho》 currently serializing in《Shonen Jump》 weekly, and I’m already at the company doorway.”
Hiroshi Nohara immediately gave a simple introduction of himself.
The tone on the other end of the phone changed slightly: “Oh, it’s you, the somewhat famous manga artist.”
“You flatter me.” Hiroshi Nohara replied respectfully.
“Alright, I’ll send someone to pick you up shortly.” Kiyoto Suzuki pondered briefly on the phone before arranging: “We’ll talk when we meet later.”
“Looking forward to meeting you, Mr. Suzuki.” Hiroshi Nohara described his appearance and the feature of holding a picture album, then hung up.
He paid the convenience store and hurried with his picture album to the doorway of Tokyo Broadcasting System.
He waited quietly under the suspicious gaze of the security personnel.
It didn’t take long.
A young girl around 20, wearing work clothes and an employee badge, quickly walked out the company entrance.
She spotted at once Hiroshi Nohara, who was carrying a briefcase and picture album, dressed in a proper suit, and handsome in appearance.
So she hurried over and asked: “Hello, are you Hiroshi-kun?”
“That’s me.” Hiroshi Nohara nodded.
“Great.” The young girl breathed a sigh of relief, her face breaking into a sweet smile with two cute dimples, and gestured invitingly: “Section Chief Suzuki is waiting for you. Come with me now.”
“Thank you for leading the way.” Hiroshi Nohara followed the young girl, registered simply at the front desk, and entered the grand building.
They took the elevator to Kiyoto Suzuki’s office.
“Section Chief Suzuki, I’ve brought Hiroshi-kun.” After a brief chat, Hiroshi Nohara learned the young girl’s name was Yō Kitagawa.
“Come in.” Just like the slightly weary voice on the phone, Kiyoto Suzuki’s voice came from inside.
So Hiroshi Nohara pushed the door open and entered.
It was a small room, about ten square meters, but filled with various books and picture albums, including quite a few《Shonen Jump》 weeklies popular with young people.
So the whole room seemed a bit messy.
Right in the middle of the room, behind the desk, a slightly balding man in his fifties was wearing glasses, head down, quickly writing something with a steel pen.
“I’ll be going then, Section Chief Suzuki.” Yō Kitagawa said, then left the room with a soft hum.
Only Hiroshi Nohara and Section Chief Suzuki remained in the room.
“I know you, Hiroshi-kun. My nephew Kawa Suzuki already gave me a detailed introduction.” After Yō Kitagawa left, Section Chief Suzuki, Kiyoto Suzuki, looked up, adjusted his glasses, and gestured for him to come closer.
“Mr. Suzuki, I’m very grateful for Kawa Suzuki-kun’s referral, and for your recognition of me.”
Hiroshi Nohara was very polite.
His tone very respectful.
“Mm.” Kiyoto Suzuki was quite pleased by this.
After all, anyone would be happy to receive such courteous and respectful treatment from a currently somewhat famous manga artist.
So he set down his steel pen and got straight to the point: “As I told Kawa Suzuki before, I plan to produce a horror folklore-themed animated film, and you seem to have material on that, right?”
“Yes, Mr. Suzuki.”
Hiroshi Nohara nodded.
Then he picked up the picture album, placed it on the desk in front of Kiyoto Suzuki with both hands, and said confidently: “This is a theme I prepared earlier, combining horror and folklore elements, and even including film and television storyboards, ready for direct animated film production.”
“Oh? Looks like you’re fully prepared.” A smile appeared on Kiyoto Suzuki’s lips as he picked up the picture album.
He drew out the top picture album from it.
He raised an eyebrow slightly.
Kiyoto Suzuki looked at the cover painting in classic ukiyo-e style and read the name of the picture album word by word:
“Dark Grass… Dwelling?!”
