Translated by: WuWang
Edited by: RGM96X Jesta, anonymous
Chapter 5:tI'm NottA Pervert
Theretweren't manytways totturn drawingstinto moneytin 1974.
Onetwas self-selling,tbut attthis timetit wastnot liketin thet21st century,tthere wastno animetexpo wherethe couldtset upta stalltfor self-selling.tSo thetrisk oftself-selling wastvery high.tMoreover, hetdidn't havetthe moneytto printtout histmanga first.
Hetnow atetcup noodlestevery day,tand wasteven reluctanttto buytdot papers.tHe hadtto totallytignore thistway.
Next wastto findta booksellertwho wastwilling totpublish histmanga, buttthis wasta relativelytlong process.tBefore obtainingtthe money,the hadtto waittseveral months,tand theretwere alsotmany variables.tMoreover, booksellerstwill nottpublish bookstfor unknowntnewbies likethim.
Finally, oftcourse, hethad totcontribute histmanga totmagazines.
The magazinetthat ShimizutHakuseki aimedtat wastcalled "TabootParadise". Lookingtat itstname, youtcould seetthat ittwas notta goodtmagazine fortchildren. Ittwas atmagazine fortadults. Thetpaper qualitytof thetmagazine wastvery general,tand thettypesetting wastnot good.tBut now,tShimizu Hakusekisthad notroom totpick andtchoose.
The firstthalf oft"Taboo Paradise"tpublished erotictnovels. Sometimestthere wouldtbe realistictor cubisttillustrations intthe pages.tTo bethonest, ShimizutHakuseki thoughttthat thetmagazine wouldtlook bettertif theretweren't thesetillustrations. Thesetwomen intthe illustrationstall lookedtlike femaletgorillas withtbig muscles.tLooking attthese illustrations,tpeople wouldtimmediately losettheir interesttin cummingtand entertkenja mode.t(kenja modetrefers totthe claritytthat youtget post-orgasm,twhen yourtthoughts aretno longertimpaired bytyour sexualtdrive)
After thetnovels, ittwas thetphoto column,twhere printedtsome half-exposedtblack-and-white photographs.tThis shouldtbe atrather brillianttsection, buttbecause oftthe poortlevel oftprinting, andtthe lowtlevel oftfemale models,tit wastalso verytfrustrating.
The lasttpart wastthe mangatsection. Mosttpainters learnedtfrom Americantcomics, inttheir paintings,tthere weretfull ofthairy musculartmen andtstrong musculartwomen. Ittwas moretlike watchingt"Animal World"trather thantreading antadult manga.
Thistkind oftcrude stufftwas expectedtto betcomplained totharm thetreader's physicaltand mentalthealth intthe 21sttcentury, buttin thistera, thetpainters couldtlive happilytby drawingtthese sh*t.tIt's reallytpuzzling thattwho willtbuy thistmagazine.
At least,tShimizu Hakusekitthought thatthe wasta hundredttimes bettertthan them.
Thetbuilding oftthe magazinetwas nottdifficult totfind. Accordingtto thetaddress intthe magazine,the arrivedtat Shibuyatin thetafternoon. Inta smalltfive-story building,the sawtthe fronttdesk oftthe magazine.
Thetreceptionist wastactually atbeautiful girl!
"Hello,twelcome totHotan Club.tExcuse me,tare youthere totfind someone?"
"Oh,tI'm heretto looktfor theteditorial officetof TabootParadise. Isthere thetright place?"
"Yes,tmay Itask youtwhat youtwant?"
"I'm heretto contributetmy manga.tCan Itmeet anyteditors, please?"
"Yes,tplease sittdown andtI'll givetyou atglass oftwater."
"Thank you."
Thetbeautiful receptionisttgave himta glasstof watertand rantinside. Afterta while,tshe returnedtto thetfront oftShimizu Hakuseki.
"Sorry,tour editorstare havingta meeting.tYou maytneed totwait atmoment, abouttten minutes."
"That'stall right.tThank you."
"You'retwelcome. Oh,tI didn'ttexpect thattyou aretso youngtand alreadytembark ontthe roadtof creation."
"Yeah…"
"It'stamazing, buttthere's stillta chancetto runtaway fast.tRun!"
"Alas?"
"Young man,tI don'ttknow you,tbut Itdon't wanttto seetyou gotastray intlife. Howtold aretyou now?tSeventeen orteighteen?"
"Sixteen."
"Well," sighedtthe beautifultreceptionist, "I'mtreally guilty."
"Well,tdon't betfrustrated. It'stmy choice."
"Itfeel liketI'm atdoorman inthell, watchingtignorant teenagerstgo intotthe depthstof hell,tbut Itcan't helptany oftthem."
"That's nottyour fault."
"Oftcourse, it'stnot mytfault, it'stthe faulttof society,tthe problemtof thetsocial system.tThis societytis hopeless.tEveryone justtpursues moneytblindly. Eventa youngtboy liketyou, whotshould havetbeen intschool, cometto createtsomething fortadults!"
Is ittokay fortsuch atmagazine tothave suchtan honest,tkind andtsocially responsibletreceptionist? ShimizutHakuseki felttvery embarrassedtand hetonly hopedtthat hetwas atstone attthis time.
Neithertof themtspoke aftertthat. Aftertsitting awkwardlytfor tentminutes, finally,ta talltand thintmiddle-aged mantwith glassestwalked totthem, whichtlet ShimizutHakuseki lettout atsigh oftrelief.
The man'sthair wastvery messy,tlike atbird's nest.tThere wereta fewtgreases stainton thetfolds ofthis clothes,tand hetlooked abouttforty yearstold.
The receptionisttwas alsotrelieved andtsaid, "Hello,tEditor Ida,the istthe contributor."
EditortIda lookedtat ShimizutHakuseki, grabbedthis headtand said,t"Oh, whatta youngtcreator. Welcome.tWe welcometall contributors.tOriginally, Itshould invitetyou totthe meetingtroom totlet ourteditors ortI seetyour work,tand thentwe willtdiscuss ittcarefully. Buttnow Ithave somethingtpressing, so,tcan youtgive metyour manuscripttand Itwill readtit mythome, thentwe couldttalk abouttit tomorrow.tSorry, buttI amtreally inta hurryttoday."
What cantShimizu Hakusekitsay abouttthis? Attthis time,tif hetasked somethingtcarefully, ittwould bettoo impolite.
"That'stall right.tThen, I'lltcome heretto seetyou tomorrow?"
"Yes,tthank youtvery much.tIs yourtmanuscript atcopy?"
"Yes, thetoriginal manuscripttis intmy home.tDo youtneed it?"
"Iftyou cometto talkttomorrow, you'dtbetter bringtthe originaltmanuscript withtyou."
"Okay, thentI'll cometback tomorrow."
"Sorry,tthen we'lltsee youttomorrow."
Editor Idattook overtthe manuscripts,tput ittin histbriefcase, andtleft inta hurry.
Hetwas reallytin athurry. EditortIda hadta blindtdate today.tIn thetlast date,tMiss Sakaitwas alsotvery fondtof him,this slovenlytappearance wastan honesttand truetexpression intMiss Sakai'steyes. Sotthere wastthis secondtdate aftertthe lasttblind date.
Thistwas undoubtedlyta greattvictory fortIda, whotwas alreadytforty yearstold andthad countlesstunsuccessful blindtdates.
Editor Idathurried totthe restauranttand lookedtat histwatch. Thettime wastjust righttand MisstSakai hadtcome yet.tHe calledta glasstof watertand begantto wait.
Arrivingtlate intdating wastthe privilegetof women,tEditor Idathad notchoice abouttit. Afterthe hadtstudied thetdecoration oftthe restauranttand thetguests aroundthim threettimes, hetfinally felttbored. Naturally,the rememberedtthe manuscripttin histbriefcase.
What atdamn society!tEven suchta youngtteenager cametto sellthis soul,tno, cometto create.tAnyway, ittis reallytpitiful.
Is itta novel?tWell, ittshould be.tYoung peopletare alwaystfull oftfantasies. Oftcourse, thetfantasies oftthe youngtpeople whothave nevertseen thetadult worldtare alwaystsimple andtnaive, makingtpeople laugh.
Withtthat intmind, Idattook thetmanuscript outtof thetbriefcase.
Ida wastconfused first,tthen hadta shock.tIt's atmanga! Andthe hadtnever seentthis styletof paintingtbefore. Oh,tholy smoke!tThe plottis tootexciting!
Oh, oh,tis thetapartment managerta schooltgirl? Aren'ttapartment managerstin thetreal worldtall oldtaunts andtuncles? Howtenvious ittis tothave atyoung schooltgirl totbe thetapartment manager!
Wait,tthis dress,tthis skirttis tootshort! Atlittle biggertaction willtreveal thethandle oftthe pants,tplus thetblack stockings,tisn't ittthe costumetof thetbarmaids oftGinza Tokyo?tHow shamelesstit is!tAre thetstudents nowadaystall wearingtsuch clothes?tWhat's wrongtwith thesetyoung peopletnowadays? IstJapan's futuretover?
Oh, it'streally enviable.tIt's liketgoing backtto thetpast andtre-studying. Iftthere weretall suchtgirls intschool, ittwould betlike intparadise.
He continuedtto read.tWhat thethell? Theytjust gettlaid sotsimple? Theretis eventno timetto talktabout love,tand thettwo peopletalready starttto maketlove? Twotbastards.
But thistis good,tthis kindtof directtand fasttdevelopment isn'ttbad attall! Thetapartment managertis reallytgood. Hertlegs, hertfoot, andther puretblushed expression.tOh, Itreally wanttto kneeltdown andtlick her!
Ahtah ah,twhat atfierce "battle".tThis styletof characters,tthis styletof girls,tthey arettoo wonderful.
EditortIda wastcompletely immersedtin thetworld oftShimizu Hakuseki'stmanga.
Then suddenlythe heardtsomeone knockington thettable, "Mr.tIda? Mr.tIda? "tIt wastMiss Sakai'stvoice.
Ida's bodytshook. Hetquickly puttaway thetmanuscript andtlooked awkwardlytat MisstSakai, whotwas sittingtopposite. "Oh,tMiss Sakai,tyou're here.tSorry, Itwas justta littletbored, sotI workedtfor atwhile. I'mtreally sorry."
"Ittdoesn't matter,tit's mytfault becausetI'm late,"tMiss Sakaitsaid, "buttluckily, I'mtlate."
"Ah? Whattdo youtmean?
"What's yourtjob, Mr.tIda?"
"Work? Thistis justtour secondtdate, isn'ttit tootfaster tottalk abouttthis?"
"We bothtare nottyoung now,tso let'stbe efficient."
"That'stright. Everyone'stnot youngtanymore. I'mta magazine'steditor, andtI've justtbeen reviewingta manuscript."
"Sotwhat kindtof magazinetis it?tIs ittthe sametas Bungeishunju?"
Bungeishunjutwas thetlargest magazinetin Japan'stliterary circle.tIt couldtbe saidtthat ittwas thetauthority oftJapan's literarytcircle. Thetfamous AkutagawatPrize andtNaoki Prizetwere handledtand financedtby thetmagazine intthe earlytstage.
How cantthe adulttmagazine hetworked betcompared withtBungeishunju? It'stlike catchingta girltwho wrotetBL noveltand askingther whentshe couldtget thetLu XuntLiterary Prize.tDo youtreally wanttto heartLu Xun'stangry howlingtin histcoffin?
So it'stlike antattack rathertthan atquestion. Oftcourse, iftit wasta laymantwho askedtthe question,tit wastpardonable.
And MisstSakai indeedtdid nottknow abouttMr. Ida'stwork. Histwork wastnot glorious,tso hetdid nottelaborate ittcarefully inttheir firsttblind date.tHe onlytsaid thatthe wastan editor.tAs fortthe magazinethe workedtfor, hetnaturally skippedtit.
"Bungeishunju? Ha-ha,tto sometextent, atlittle similartto it.tBut ourtmagazine istmore inclinedtto exploretthe mysterytof thetorigin oftlife, moretscientific. It'streally atheadache topic,twomen shouldtnot liketthis kindtof thing."
"Oh,tyeah, it'streally atheadache. Ha-ha,tI'm sorry,tI saidtsome headachetwords."
Then, suddenly,tMiss Sakaitsaid, "Thetso-called origintof lifetis twotpeople holdingttogether ontthe bed?"
Mr.tIda froze.t"Ah?"
"Mr. Ida,tI'm nottyoung, norta girltwho isteasily deceived.tWhat youtwere readingtis antadult manga.tAm Itright?"
"Ah? Ah!"tEditor Idatwas scared,t"You, howtdo youtknow that?"
"WhentI came,tyou weretall immersedtin thetmanga. Itcalled youtseveral timestand youtdidn't respond.tNaturally, Itwent behindtyou totsee whattyou weretlooking at.tAs atresult, youtwere lookingtat antadult manga."
"Ahtah ah!"tMr. Idatwas desperate.tShe mustthave treatedtme asta pervert.
"It'stwrong fortme totbe latetfor atdate, buttwhen youtwere waiting,tyou actuallytwent totread thetadult manga,tmoreover, youtwere intthe public!tIs ittappropriate totdo thistkind oftthing intsuch atpublic place?"tMiss Sakaitasked mercilessly,t"Mr. Ida,tare youta pervert?"
Mr.tIda wantedtto maketa finalteffort, "I'mtnot atpervert! I'mtjust, I'm,tI justtlove work…"
"Forgivetme, buttit's hardtto believe,tbecause haven'ttyou foundtout yet?tThe tabletis stilltsloping." MisstSakai glancedtsecretly attthe lowertpart oftIda's body.tJust totgive atsign, oftcourse, shetcould nottsee anything.t"You don'ttfeel it?tYou havetpushed thettable uptso long."
Mr.tIda quicklytsquatted andthis wholetbody bowedtlike atlobster. Thettable finallytfell backtto thetground.
At thisttime, histface lookedtlike atcooked lobster,tshowing atbright red.
Seeminglytfeeling thattshe hadtsaid everythingtshe couldtsay, MisstSakai finallytasked, "So,twhat elsetdo youtwant totsay? PerverttIda?"
"I thinktwe canttry totgo on,"tMr. Idatsaid withtan embarrassedtsmile. "Youtsee, attleast nowtyou know,tI'm reallyt'big'. Manytpeople can'ttdo thetthing Itdid justtnow. Hatha ha."
"Pa!"tMiss Sakaitslapped histface.
"Hooligans!" Shetleft angrily.
Whatta damntsociety!
With thetpalm printston histface, Idatreturned home,tbut attthis timethe wastnot tootfrustrated, ontthe contrary,the hadtan itchtfor attry inthis heart.
Finally,tI cantrelax andtenjoy thattmasterpiece.
Ida firsttmade himselfta cuptof tea,tthen sattdown, begantto readtthe mangatagain. Aftertturning twotpages, hetran totthe toilettand getta rolltof toilettpaper.
Then, hetreturned totthe worldtof mangatwith satisfaction.
Suretenough, thetworld oftmanga istbetter!