Chapter 4
'Story'
Damn, I'm so nervous right now. It took me almost a month just to rewrite the whole last chapter of my story which included editing and proofreading. Of course, I made a lot of changes too with the rest of the chapters. I've done it in between playing NetGo every after school. Never expected it to be so hard.
I researched about Go professional world and surprisingly, it gave me more ideas. It's turns out to be more complicated and thinking that my character going to be a Go professional is kinda impossible. My knowledge in Go professionals is too little and I don't want to mess up everything. So I decided for another, however more fitting ending.
I managed to locate a good publishing company. It was a huge establishment, not a shady ones like I'd seen last time. When I approached the information desk, I kinda hesitated. Luckily, the lady is accommodating and knows sign language a bit.
She asked a few questions then dialed a number. She told me that the editor of novel section is willing to meet me, and instructed to press fourth floor where I can find the man waiting for me. It's makes me glad.
Once the elevator opened, I'm taken aback and astounded. Standing there was a lean tall man, in his middle twenties I guess. He had a long silver hair braided and rested on his shoulder. His icy blue eyes, pale skin and feminine feature was reminded of those model I've often seen in some fashion magazines. Did the man wore a pink suit? Hell! It suits him perfectly and carries himself like a royalty. The way he elegantly walks greatly reminding me of Sai. Honestly, their resemblance is uncanny. It gave me goosebumps.
Hanashiro Inoue-san. Editorial chief of novel section of Seishūn Publishing Inc. He welcomes me with a warm smile after he verified that it was me who wanted to meet him. We exchange greetings and bows then motioned me to follow him to his office. I hand him my manuscripts. He took few pages to read it.
And he read.
And read.
And read after pages one another.
It's been an hour already. Does he plan to read the whole story now. Didn't he just need to read few chapters to see the story then review the rest later. Heck, is he giggling? ... and crying?
l had to wait for another hour when he finally pay his attention at me.
'Kami! I thought he's gonna finish the whole story!'
"Shindou-kun." He called serenely that soothed my irritation. "Are you sure you want to conceal your identity?" He asked in his businessman-like tone. I'm kind confused on why he asked me that question. Of course, at least for now, I wanted to answered. I just nodded.
"Your story has a huge potential." He smiled. 'Yeah right. You finished reading it.' I wanted to tell him. "It can be pass for a manga if you allow me to find you a artist. I can recommend it to a friend." Inoue-san suggested. Well, not really bad idea.
'I prefer a novel Inoue-san.' I scribbled. Ah manga huh? That would be nice, but still I wanted my story to be something that all ages, all classes and professions of people will read.
I'm not saying that manga cannot be read by older people, but novel is something that even old geezers will read and treasure. And that's what I wish for.
"I see. That's your decision. Well, I guess it will work that way too. I just can see the potential if we turn it into manga. And maybe to an anime. But, if that's what you want..." He looked at me. His expression changed. Perhaps he could see my seriousness and determination to published it as a novel. So he totally dropped the idea.
"I can guess why you want it to be a novel." He smiled and reached out to tousled my hair. "To think someone young like can write like this. I'm impressed." He chuckled childishly.
I see, aside from a scary resemblance with Sai, he also had the same personality. I guess. I wish he won't cling to me like my former ghost did. Sai is more than enough for me.
Inoue-san patted my cheek. I blushed. I could feel my face heated. Geez, I thought I used to get close with beautiful man like Sai. I guess not. He handed me a business card.
"Shindou-kun. Just email me on that address okay. Since we can't communicate well in phone. It's more safe and convenient for both of us to send emails. And besides, I respect your wish to keep your identity and anything about you. It's my personal email by the way. I will email you once it's ready to publish. I needed to check and to do some editing, though it's written quite well." He said, scribbling something then hand it to me.
Huh? A paycheck.
I looked at him dumbfounded. Why paycheck? Isn't it too early for payment? Did they need to publish it first before they pay me?
"It's just a partial." He grinned and winked teasingly. "I told you..you have a potential. It will hit big. My gut never fails me at all." Inoue-san added confidently. His words boasted my confidence and push away my insecurities.
"Anyway..." Inoue-san said. "Is it okay with you if I had one of my Go professional friend to look at the kifus.?" He asked. I got nervous all of a sudden. I never thought that he needed a go pro to take a look at it.
"You see...even though it's fictional, we need to make sure that the kifus is approved by the professional. We can't just publish it without asking for professional guidance and approval. It's about Go, and we cannot let our readers to recreate those kifus without consulting professional whether they are good or bad games."
He has a point. If I were a reader and a go player, I might think to recreate those kifus then just to realized it's not possible to do so.
I look at Inoue-san. I could sense the truthfulness on his words. If he is just after publishing a story he won't waste a time to suggest to consult a professional about kifus. He is a businessman indeed. So I can't say no. I nodded.
"Don't worry. I trusted this person. I will not mention about your name...just the kifu to make sure that we won't face a falsification, plagiarism or copyrights problems in the future.
I nodded again. That's right. Copyrights and plagiarism issues. Though it's my real game with Sai, nobody will believe me. I could just tell them I learn playing Go from my late grandfather if ever they ask me from where I got those records.
All I can do was to smile shyly and bowed politely and wrote my gratitudes. 'Thank you Inoue-san. I'm looking forward to work with you.' I wote. Then I left his office happily.
When he received a call from the information desk saying that there was someone who wanted to submit a manuscripts, he got excited.
Now these days, it wasn't usual for someone to personally drop by to meet editors from the company. However, when the information clerk added that the certain person was mute, his excitement goes down. It's not discrimination. It's just hard to do business with someone who cannot exchange words with you. As he enjoyed discussing, talking and sharing new ideas about books they're publishing.
Hanashiro Inoue was hailed as the youngest editor in chief for Seishūn Publishing Inc., at the age of twenty one. It's been six years now since he became the chief.
People around him speculated that his quick and early promotion was due to his good looks and being good friends with the company's owner, the CEO himself. He works so hard to earned his promotion. His intelligence and skills helped him to achieved his position right now. And his good looks was just added to that blessings. Being friends with the CEO was nothing to do with it at all.
His influence among his peers was widely know as well. After all, isn't he the one who helped and picked up this department from slump when the former editor in chief are in panicked. That they cannot produced a good novels and literature, and cannot keep up with the reader's expectations.
He chosen and preferred his own department to be small. He had only six staffs, the best ones including himself working together, as he believed in quality over quantity. And he could easily done his other tasks with this small section.
His department became well-known for publishing inspiring literature and novels. He wasn't quite fond of romance, and more into mystery and thriller when it comes into novel. And two out of four of his literature authors are professors in those well-known and prestigious university in Tokyo and Osaka.
However, Inoue was surprised to see a young, blonde bang teen in school uniform came out from the elevator. He asked the clerk to let the person to meet him upstairs, but he never expected someone young as him.
He's quite hesitant to greet the young man, but the teen beats him into it. The teen bowed at him gracefully and smiled nervously. Hm. Interesting...he thought. It's surprising to witnessed a teenager bowed at him with such grace. Even himself who study and came from traditional family cannot do it easily, properly.
"Hikaru Shindo-kun?" He asked for verification. The teen noodded. He bowed at him and gestured Shindo to follow him inside his office.
Inoue was stunned and fascinated. When he asked Shindo to hand him the manuscripts, he wasn't in the mood to read at all. The first chapter was quite a bit boring. The main character was one of those protagonist you can always encounter in most mangas nowadays. A modern day with no-care-in-the-world kid
But as soon as the story progressed, he got sucked in. The encounter between the brat and the thousand-year-old ghost kinda cliche but with a touch of distinctiveness and good of sense of humors .
He loved the idea of having an antic, haunted goban as a way to let the main characters met. In a second, he wished that the ghost possessed him and beat his best friend in Go, utterly. He giggled at the thought of finally seeing his best friend's crying face from a huge lose.
What fascinated him the most was the development of the kid at the games he had with ghost. Especially the kifus.
He was once an insei during high school. His obsession to beat his rival turned best friend to the said games leads him to take an insei class. He's never a genius, never prodigy of the game, but he works really hard. But sadly, he never passed the pro exam and never a pro level either as he barely rose at Class A. He quit after failing once and continued his studies till he finish his bachelor degree instead.. And his best friend passed the examination with ease without a single lose.
He wasn't at Pro level in Go but he could differentiate the good and bad games.
This is really surprisingly good games. The ghost was a master in Go. And the kid have a potential to follow his mentor's step. The progress of games from beginner to a high level game was electrifying. It was if he, himself is learning too.
It was getting good as he went to next pages after one another. He never noticed how many pages he's been reading when the vibrattion of his phone in his pocket interrupted his reading. He was quite embarrassed to realized that he had Shindo Hikaru waited for him for almost two hours now.
'Great... I'm already in chapter seven...' He pouted, dismayed with the interruption.
Inoue assessed the teen in front of him secretly. His young, tall, athletic build and good-looking teen. His blonde bangs was eye-catching together with the paper fan he was holding. Tightly? Is he anxious or annoyed?
His overall appearance and the fan doesn't blend well in terms of fashion, but for some reason it's fits him. He find it quite charming and unique.
He never noticed it at first, but with a closer look he could see the red earring pierced at the upper side of his left ear. It's not visible since it's covered by a hair, but it gave him more boyish looks. Hell, he can easily passed as an pop idol if he join the audition.
If ever he will pass him by in the street, he won't think that he is a mute. For a moment, he thought of a popular lines from some of his female classmates saying 'aww too bad, Shindo-kun is cute...handsome and so on...' in his mind.
His facial expression was gentle and kind, yet he can feel an intimidating aura. At first glance, Shindo Hikaru seems approachable, yet his eyes gives you a do-not-get-near-me look.
Those eyes...his emerald eyes that seems dull had a reflection of deep sadness. Almost heart breaking. The teen gave a smile. But a fake smile.
He professionally discussed with him the terms and conditions for publishing of the story. Attached with the manuscripts was his personal information. He took a brief glance and discovered that he's an orphan so he didn't asked anything personal aside from the content of the story.
After another ten minutes or so of discussion, the teen left his office.
Inoue sat on his swivel chair and pay more attention at Shindo's personal information again. It's smart of him to attach it since they both know that it'll be hard for them to discuss it. And it's one of their company's policy to attach personal information, kinda resume when submitting manuscripts for first timer. Though not much prople seems to bother and follow it.
And then his eyes search of the last kifu from the story. It's indeed a high level game. He didn't read the rest of the pages, but with the kifu he's holding, he could tell that the boy in the story managed to beat his mentor.
Does Shindou himself plays Go or maybe have someone who knew a lot about Go to had those high level kifus.
He wondered if this story was based on reality since the description, the narration feels realistic. The emotions poured in every words was so genuine and passionate. He could tell and felt the pure love and respect between the main characters. As if both them really exists in this world.
He really loved and enjoyed the idea of the boy and the ghost blindly challenging a supposedly Go prodigy kid and beat him swiftly. It's entertaining and exciting . Inoue wonder if Shindo do a research about Go pro world when he's writing these story, as a few of the supporting characters resembled of some people he knew personally.
He took the phone as it vibrated again. 'Shit. I've a meeting within an hour.' He cursed mentally as he dialed the telephone and call the information desk to cancel his meeting as a more important matters came up.
He scanned his phone book and eyes fell on the particular name. "It's been awhile when we had a drink over the game of Go. Maybe it's nice time for a surprise visit and ask for some advice about these kifus" he said to no one. "Wait... I think it's a bad idea. Seiji has this creepy stalker-like personality and obsession with Go. No no not Seiji..." He mumbled while shaking his head.
He scanned his phonebook again and smile widely. "Of course, sensei is the most reserved and trusted person I've ever known. And I have a good excuse to pay him a visit..." Talking to himself while turning his chair around.
He tapped the particular name and made call.
*Kouyo Touya-sensei*
A/N: Thank for you the reviews, folowing and favoriting this story guy. This will be my last update for this month. But I will try to update first or 2nd week of Feb. hopefully ASAP.
review ne?
ケイ