I got a call from my former editor-in-chief.
Before long, I arrived at our meeting spot, a fast-food chain in front of the station. As I headed toward the corner booth… “Tsuken…san…?”
Sitting there was the female editor-in-chief, looking absolutely wretched. “Okani-kun…”
In the past, she had a sharp, put-together air about her, always dressed impeccably. But… how things have changed.
Dark circles under her eyes, her hair and skin in shambles.
She looked visibly sleep-deprived and unwell, swaying on her feet.
“I’m sorry to trouble you by asking you to come here…” “It’s fine… I have time.”
She stood up, staggering slightly…
and immediately dropped to her knees before me, bowing low.
“Please, Okani-kun! Come back and work under my supervision again!”
Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, I wondered what on earth she was doing. But… I realized it.
She was… performing a dogeza.
“I was the one who was wrong! Please… please… come back to me…” ★
In front of a large crowd, Jūnikane dropped into a deep bow.
”…What’s going on?” ”…Suddenly groveling like that, what does that even mean…”
The onlookers were staring right at us.
This was bad; we were causing trouble for the establishment.
“Ms. Jūnikane, please look up.”
“Will you come back if I look up?!”
“Why does it work like that…”
She stared at me with wild eyes. Honestly, this was dire.
If she possessed normal reasoning, she should have realized that bowing to the ground and shouting loudly in front of a crowd like this was socially inappropriate as an adult.
“For now, please calm down.” “But…”
“Calmly, we’re causing a scene for the shop. Please sit down.” Muffled sounds escaped Jūnikane’s lips.
She obediently returned to her chair.
It was rare—she never really listened to what I had to say…
“So, what does that mean? ‘Come back’?”
”…Exactly as it sounds. Okaya-kun, are you aware of the critical situation we’re currently in?” “Yes. To a certain extent.”
Takanawa Publishing, the major publishing house I used to work for, is reportedly on the verge of bankruptcy following the former president’s scandal.
“It’s not just signs of bankruptcy… If things continue like this, we’re truly heading for ruin…”
“Is it really that urgent?” “Yes…”
Letting out a deep sigh, Juuri lowered her head.
“From Kamimatsu-san to Hakuba, Kurohime… and Professor Kaita too, everyone has left us. We’ve even lost the publishing rights for our anime adaptations to other companies…”
Professor Kamimatsu’s Dejimasu and Boku-gokoro are scheduled to be rebooted as bunko editions in SR Bunko.
I guess Oji-sama and the other authors will also be released under different labels.
“Anyway… our publishing house is falling apart. On top of that, all the capable staff are quitting… We got kicked out of the building, so now we’re packed sardine-style into a mixed-use office tower.”
The building that previously housed the previous publisher is now slated to be taken over by SR Bunko.
“Times are tough for Takana… you’re the only one, Ogawa-kun, who can be our savior.” “You’re flattering me a bit too much.”
“No, it’s not that. With you gone, I realized just how outstanding you really were. You’ve been the one keeping our label afloat beneath the surface all along.”
Juken pressed her forehead against the table with a thud and said,
“Please, Ogawa-kun, come back to us.” …I see.
So basically, she wants me to return and help turn the label around. But… “I’m sorry, but I have to decline.”
“W-wait…!? W-why?!”
Juken stared at him with her eyes wide open, shrieking.
“I am an SR Bunko person now.”
“B-but… but~… we’re a much bigger publisher! Socially, in terms of status and trust, it’s far greater to be with us!”
…What is this woman talking about at this point?
“It has nothing to do with the size of the company. It’s simply that because Matsushita-san is there, I don’t want to leave my current workplace.”
The only one who offered me a lifeline after getting fired was you. I can’t betray Uematsu-san.
“You talk about social status, but what kind of status does Takana even have these days?” “Wh—w-what do you mean b—”
Wasn’t it just moments ago that she herself said the publishing house’s management was in a bind?
I’m not the only one. There’s no one out there who actually wants to go back to Takana as it is now.
“I intend to continue working alongside Uematsu-san and SR Bunko for the long haul. So, I’m sorry, but I have to decline your invitation, Matsugane-san. Excuse me.” “Wa-wait a minute—!”
Snatch. Matsugane grabbed my arm.
“Are you going to just throw me away?! I’m your former boss! Look how stuck I am! I’ve been begging you not to leave!”
“Actually… aren’t you the one who threw me out?” “Wh—what do you mean b—”
“There are plenty of people more capable than me, right? For starters, you have Kisogawa.”
Kisogawa. The name of the lowest-scum bastard who was having an affair with my wife, Misae.
“You’d rather have Kisogawa over me, is that it? That’s exactly what you said.”
Indeed, when Matsugane fired me, she had dragged Kisogawa’s name into it to tear me down.
But… an expression of fury surfaced on her face.
“That useless piece of trash! He was fired ages ago!” “Huh? Fired… from the company?”
“Even if there hadn’t been a directive from above, I would have fired him myself!”
Thump! She slammed the table and spoke with venomous disdain.
“He couldn’t do his job! He pissed off our clients! And to top it all off… while I existed, he went and cheated on me, that bastard!” Ah, here we go again.
So that bastard had been doing the same kind of thing elsewhere too. The guy just doesn’t learn.
“You were ten thousand times better than that trash! Please, Okaya-kun! Come back!”
…What is she even saying right now?
”…Ms. Jūrikana… do you remember? What was the reason you fired me?” “H-um… uh…”
…It seems this woman has forgotten the reason she fired me.
She really doesn’t care about her subordinates, does she.
“You said this: That I had been cheating on you with my lover from Kiso River.” “Ah…!”
My words, and the fact that I was cheated on by her……
Juken finally must have realized.
That Kisoawa had been lying, and that I had been set up.
“I have no desire to serve under someone who doesn’t trust a subordinate like you.” “Ah… so it’s…”
“I told you clearly, didn’t I? That Kisoawa was cheating. It’s you who refused to listen, isn’t it?” “Ah… ah…”
She must no longer have any intention of holding me back. Yes, in the end, this is all my own doing. “Excuse me.”
Leaving Juken slumped there in defeat, I walked out of the family restaurant.