Tokyo: The Manga Begins with the Funeral of Frilian

Shiori Shirakawa hung up the phone.

Yuma Kamiya asked, "Who called?"

"Personnel Section of the Ward Office".

Shiori Shirakawa's voice sounded quite calm when she spoke.

"They said that due to a sharp drop in tax revenue, the district's finances have suffered a large deficit, and my name is on the first list of non-core document processing staff to be laid off this year. I will go to the office next Monday to complete the resignation procedures."

After she finished speaking, she sat down at the low table.

Outside the window, the shadow of the ginkgo tree was stretched extremely long.

The setting sun shone on the French windows.

A warm yellow light and shadow were cast on the floor.

Shiori Shirakawa stared intently at the patch of light.

I stared at it for quite a long time.

"The day I passed the exam to get into the ward office, my uncle gave me a fountain pen. He said that a girl with a stable job would have more confidence when she got married. I kept that fountain pen on my desk for three years."

Her fingers unconsciously touched the callus on her right index finger.

This callus was caused by holding a pen for too long.

  

"Now the iron rice bowl is broken."

Yuma Kamiya walked up to her.

He didn't say anything about things getting better, nor did he tell anyone not to be sad.

He did just that, picking up the white mug from the coffee table.

He picked up the kettle again and slowly filled the cup.

The warm water was positioned exactly two millimeters below the rim of the cup, not a fraction more or less.

There will be no overflow.

It also won't make people feel like there isn't enough.

He placed the cup on Shiori Shirakawa's cold palm.

"I already said that."

He looked down at her.

"The trees outside have fallen, but the trees on my paper will not fall."

Shiori Shirakawa held the cup with both hands.

The warmth of the cup's walls seeped into her palm little by little.

"I'll submit my resignation tomorrow."

Kamiya Yuma's voice and expression remained completely unchanged.

"Kamiya Studio needs a boss lady."

Shiori Shirakawa's hand suddenly twitched.

The water in the cup almost spilled out.

"What did you say?"

"The finance and general affairs manager is a corporate-level position. The boss's wife is a position at the operational level. By having one person do both positions, one salary is saved."

Shiori Shirakawa stared at him.

"Who wants to be the boss's wife?"

"If you're not the boss's wife, how can you use your position to control the boss's schedule?"

"I can manage it in my capacity as both finance and general affairs manager."

"The finance and general affairs supervisor no longer has management authority after get off work. The boss's wife does." Kamiya Yuuma's tone remained calm. "Twenty-four hours a day, three hundred and sixty-five days a year, no days off. You can manage it whenever you want. Think about it."

Shiori Shirakawa held the cup in both hands.

The temperature at the fingertips gradually changed from icy to warm.

"Your proposal makes absolutely no sense."

"Where is the logic missing?"

"Why merge the positions of finance and general affairs manager and boss's wife? Normally, these two positions are separate in a company."

"Because there are only three people in the studio. Me, you, and Hoshino Rin. Hoshino Rin is in charge of drawing the Undead Legion, not me."

"Then why not have the boss's wife as well as her background assistant? That way, we can save on another salary."

"Sure. You can also work as a background assistant."

"I didn't say I wanted to take on a side job! I was just refuting your logic!"

Shiori Shirakawa placed the cup on the coffee table, the bottom of the cup making a crisp sound as it tapped against the surface.

She stood up and walked to the French windows, her back to him.

The setting sun bathed the entire Banqiao street in an orange-red hue.

In the evening breeze, the golden leaves of the ginkgo tree rustled softly.

"Last time in the meeting room, you said I was someone you could trust."

Her voice was much softer than before.

"Now you're saying you need a landlady. Every time you say something like that, it's like you're saying the weather's nice today. Don't you know that normal people are very sensitive to these kinds of word choices?"

"What wording are you concerned about?"

Shiori Shirakawa turned around.

The setting sun slowly spread out behind her.

Her face was difficult to see clearly in the backlight.

However, her voice was exceptionally clear and audible.

"Trust. The landlady. For life."

Yuma Kamiya leaned against the easel.

"Then let's rephrase it."

Women's eyesight.

"Shiori Shirakawa, would you like to plant this tree on paper with me for the rest of your life?"

A breeze blew in through the window, gently brushing the tops of the ginkgo trees, causing the golden leaves to rustle.

The living room remained quiet for a very long time.

"want."

Shiori Shirakawa said.

Then, a slight tremor appeared in her voice, a hint of embarrassment and anger.

"But you're not allowed to suddenly add 'I haven't slept for forty-eight hours' when you're talking about serious matters. You did it last time, and you did it again this time. Do you even know when a normal person would say something like that?"

"When?"

"It should at least come after the cake and flowers."

"I bought a cake last time. I bought it in Ginza."

"That was a thank-you gift! No..."

Shiori Shirakawa took a deep breath.

"Alright. I'll go heat up some soup. You haven't finished your painting tonight. Finish at ten o'clock, no more delays."

She turned around and walked towards the kitchen.

She moved forward at an extremely fast pace, as if she were fleeing from somewhere in a panic.

Kamiya Yuma's voice came from behind her.

"Shiori".

"what?"

"Do you need me to accompany you when you hand in your resignation tomorrow?"

Shiori Shirakawa paused for a moment.

"...No need. I can manage on my own."

"Then buy a carton of eggs on your way back. We've run out of eggs at home."

Shiori Shirakawa turned around and glared at him.

"Is this what you said to your future boss? 'Buy a carton of eggs'?"

"I need to buy milk. We're out of it in the fridge."

Shiori Shirakawa pulled the apron off from the hook and then tied it tightly around her waist.

Her movements were quite exaggerated.

But the slight curve at the corner of her mouth just couldn't be suppressed.

"Okay, okay."

She turned around and then went over to open the refrigerator.

Then they began to check the condition of the items stored in the refrigerator one by one.

"We're almost out of eggs, milk, and butter, and we only have half a box of miso left. We'll buy them all tomorrow."

The light emanating from the refrigerator shone on her face.

The tear stains that hadn't yet dried were clearly visible under the corners of her eyes.

But she was already smiling.

The next morning, Shiori Shirakawa woke up half an hour earlier than usual.

She took out the fountain pen that she had been using for three years from her bag.

I looked at it for a few seconds, then put it in the innermost drawer.

The drawer was closed.

Yuma Kamiya was standing at the door of the master bedroom.

"Do you need me to go with you?"