There is an old saying.
Some food is so good that if two people are eating it and one of them dies, the other won’t even notice.
In other words, if I quietly cut my rib steak, one person would die.
“Then it is a mere movie. Is it supposed to be something impressive? Touji is a professional writer. Why are you making him do something useless?”
“What are you? Hiiragi’s manager?”
The rib steak is delicious……
After chewing the juicy meat, I put white rice into my mouth.
Maybe because both Korea and Japan were countries obsessed with white rice. Even at an Italian-style restaurant, they made sure to serve white rice like this.
This was localization.
Mm-hmm.
Kano said, “I’m Touji’s only friend, though?”
“Wait. That is a statement my soul friend Riku would find hurtful if he heard it.”
“Friend? I thought he might be your boyfriend or something. More importantly, do you even know that Hiiragi himself said he would make the movie? Why are you butting in?”
“Hm? That’s why I asked Touji if he was free, but you interrupted. Didn’t you? Am I remembering wrong?”
I lifted my spoon and stabbed it into the pudding.
So soft……
Yukimura growled.
“Saying that kind of crap in front of me means you’re trying to fight. Don’t pretend you aren’t.”
“Sorry. I wasn’t trying to fight. Should we make up?”
“You.”
Bzz. The smartphone in my pocket vibrated.
When I checked, it was Riku.
[Asano Riku]
Can I come back and sit down?
[Hiiragi Touji]
Come on over.
Once I sent the message, Riku, who had fled to the bathroom, quickly returned to his seat.
Maybe because Riku came back, Yukimura and Kano entered a brief lull.
Only then did I drink my cola and open my mouth.
“Originally, a writer who doesn’t write is unemployed. So I’m not busy. I haven’t quit writing either. I’m in a slump these days to begin with, so I’m trying various things.”
When I answered Kano’s first question, “Touji, aren’t you busy? You’re going to film a mere movie? Are you done writing now?” with a delay, Kano nodded.
“So in other words, the movie is just a temporary fling?”
“Kano. Please don’t twist my words. Otherwise—”
“Haa?”
The rest is omitted.
While watching Yukimura and Kano spark at each other, I drank my cola, then sent a message to Riku, who was caught between them.
[Hiiragi Touji]
Should we go watch a movie for a bit?
[Asano Riku]
Touji, your nerves are even thicker than I thought.
Thank you.
Kano slowly opened her mouth.
“Movies? Aren’t they just a playground for tragedy addicts? No?”
This statement is Kano’s personal opinion. It has nothing to do with me.
At Kano’s words, Yukimura’s eyebrows twitched.
“Tragedy is just the most effective tool in the medium of film. Is it because you’re an aspiring manga artist? You have some weird prejudice against movies.”
This statement is Yukimura’s personal opinion. It has nothing to do with me.
“……How did you know I draw manga?”
Kano asked back in an uneasy tone.
Yukimura snorted.
“What jobs do you think would give someone calluses around the spot a pen touches these days?”
“She thinks she’s Sherlock Holmes.”
I once said that every work in this world had changed into something I did not know, but not truly everything had changed. The classics were the same.
At a certain point in time, the world had changed into one I did not know. It was easiest to think of it that way.
Kano, who muttered as if dumbfounded, glanced at me.
Then she asked Yukimura,
“So what part of Touji made you ask him for a scenario?”
“Because his movie tastes match mine?”
For some reason, Yukimura’s shoulders rose slightly. She had gotten confident.
However, at Yukimura’s response, Kano frowned.
“What are you talking about? I’m asking which of Touji’s works you enjoyed enough to ask him for a scenario.”
“…….”
Yukimura’s shoulders dropped. She seemed to have nothing to say.
Yukimura, by the way, have you not read my novels?
I thought you would have, out of curiosity about my skill.
Well. She had not had time.
Having accepted that, I finished the pudding.
Immediately afterward, Riku said,
“Touji, I liked that, what was it? ? That one was fun.”
Riku……!
You read my novel……!
“By the way, Riku, your taste really is unusual. This is sincerely the first time I’ve ever seen someone pick that as the best.”
“How do I put it? The atmosphere of the novel…… It combined two things that don’t usually fit together, right? That’s why I liked it.”
My fourth work, , was a cyberpunk novel.
However, the protagonist was unemployed.
A relaxed unemployed person in a dystopian world.
There was no combination less suited than that.
Of course, I had thought and struggled a great deal to make them fit as much as possible. It did not mean much.
The sales were low, so I probably failed.
No.
It did have meaning.
My friend Riku said it was fun.
Riku excitedly chattered away.
“It made me doubt whether this was really the cyberpunk world I knew, but then when I felt that it really was that world, there was this thrill? I liked that, but what do you call that, Touji?”
“You say your sensibilities matched it. By the way, Riku, have you watched cyberpunk movies too?”
“Hm? I’ve watched movies and read novels. That old movie? ? I watched that.”
was something like the origin of the cyberpunk genre.
Because of that, if you had watched it, it was fair to say you essentially knew all of cyberpunk.
“Riku, you’ve seen more than I expected.”
“I told you my hobby was watching movies.”
“I acknowledge it.”
By the way, considering Riku had gone on about finding the blockbuster superhero film <Ring of King 2> fun, his tastes were quite minor.
He probably did not properly understand his own taste yet, but to choose as the best among my novels, you had to like strange elements.
So, Riku, make sure movie production stays only a hobby.
If you try to do commercial creation, you will end up like me.
As I chatted pleasantly with Riku like that, Kano suddenly snorted.
“You haven’t even read Touji’s novels? And yet you still asked him for a scenario? Unbelievable.”
“Do I have to read them to know his skill? There are things you can know without seeing them. Or do you think Hiiragi’s skill is terrible?”
“You’re leaving the point. Looks like you don’t want to keep talking about this topic?”
I carefully watched Kano’s and Yukimura’s hands.
It was so I could stop them if I spotted signs that they were about to grab each other by the hair, but thankfully, both of them seemed to be the type who thought the first one to use her hands lost. Their hands were calm.
What a relief.
I put the last piece of rib steak into my mouth.
Then, wiping my mouth, I said,
“Since the meal is finished, shall we start planning the movie production?”
“Touji, your nerves aren’t thick. You just don’t have any, do you?”
“But time is money.”
In the sense that it grew more precious and more expensive with each passing year, money really was exactly right.
At my words, Yukimura agreed.
“Exactly. We’re dying from lack of time, so what even is this? We’re going to talk about movie production from here, so why don’t outsiders leave?”
“Ah, Yukimura. Kano is also a candidate stakeholder. She agreed to participate in the movie production. What do you want to do?”
“……In what position?”
“As art director.”
During movie production, elements that required an aesthetic sense would be handled by Kano.
Film was a composite art form. It was originally better to have experts in various fields.
“……Why?”
“I don’t know that either. Kano. Why are you going out of your way to participate in the movie production?”
“Because I have time before high school entrance.”
“That’s what she says.”
Yukimura’s lips moved faintly.
She did not like Kano, but perhaps because she knew movies well, she also seemed to know the difference in quality between a movie with an art director and a movie without one.
Yukimura muttered,
“Does Tachibana even know movies?”
“Who knows. Kano, what do you say?”
“I know as much as Touji taught me?”
It was not as though I had forcibly injected film theory into Kano, but it had been eight whole years. Even if we had only talked casually during that time, it would have come out to several novels’ worth.
On top of that, she had overheard plenty from my conversations with Ryuji, so Kano likely had her own theory established to some degree.
She was an aspiring manga artist too.
Yukimura shifted her gaze to me.
“As much as Hiiragi taught her…… Hm.”
“What is it? Is there a problem?”
“I’m just curious? I wonder how Hiiragi talked to Tachibana. Did he do it the way he does with me?”
“I don’t do it that way.”
There were differences between people.
The most effective method of persuasion was different for each person.
Therefore, how I treated Kano and how I treated Yukimura were different.
For Yukimura, strong feedback was good for both of us, but with Kano, I needed to explain gently.
Beyond that, it was better to refrain from giving feedback itself in the first place.
This is how considerate I am of people.
Everyone, please clear up your misunderstandings.
“Really? Well, fine. I’m in favor of Tachibana joining. Hiiragi is obviously in favor, and…… Asano, what about you?”
“So I really was a member of the movie production group. Yukimura really did think that too.”
Riku whispered as if he could not believe it at all.
I scolded that Riku.
“Riku. What are you talking about? You are the music director of our production team.”
“Wait, I was the music director?!”
“You’re also assistant director, script supervisor, cinematographer, lighting director, supporting actor, extra, and assistant editor.”
“So you just gave me every remaining position. I see. That’s what happened.”
For reference, the main editor, general director, and producer were me.
So in reality, I was planning to do Riku’s work with him too.
This was far too serious to call simple slump treatment, but it was one of the rules I followed.
If you are going to eat poison, eat the plate too.
If I was going to do it, I had to do it properly.
Now that everything had been decided, only one thing remained.
I took the printed A4 pages out of my bag.
It was to show everyone the scenario.
Then my skin prickled, so I turned my head.
Kano, whose eyes met mine, raised the corners of her mouth.
“Touji. What did you do to Yukimura? You said you treated her differently from me. What was it?”
“Who wants to see the scenario?”
“Me! I want to see it, Touji!”
My best friend Riku.
You are all I have.