いとしいこと

Previous   TOC   Next Although Kusuda had gotten Numata’s permission to use the photos of Akizawa, he still hadn’t shown any of them to Masamitsu. Before and after the shoot, Masamitsu had been completely holed up on the fourth floor of the workshop, trying to finish a batch of made-to-order wedding rings on a tight deadline. When he's in that kind of pre-deadline frenzy, Kusuda and Miyamoto refer to it as “nesting mode,” and they’ve learned not to speak to him unless absolutely necessary. Metal engraving is a delicate craft that demands full concentration. When Kusuda returned to the office, he found Masamitsu sprawled out on the guest sofa in a rumpled sweatshirt, looking dazed like a bear just waking from hibernation. The job must’ve finally been done. He raised his right hand lazily when he noticed Kusuda. “I heard from Miyamoto-chan—sounds like the shoot was a total disaster?” He scratched his scruffy stubble with a loud rasp. “Akizawa showed up massively late and hungove...

Previous   TOC   Next The day after the shoot at the abandoned hotel, Kusuda arrived at the office just past ten when his phone rang. The name Numata appeared on the screen, and his hand trembled as he held his smartphone. He hadn’t yet apologized for what had happened the day before. He still didn’t know how to even begin explaining the fact that Tohru had hit Akizawa. He’d kept telling himself, I need to get my thoughts together before I call… and ended up pushing it to the next day. Numata might have already heard the story from Akizawa and could be furious. Striking an actor in the face was utterly inexcusable. They could demand damages, and Kusuda wouldn’t have a leg to stand on. He was responsible for the entire situation spiraling out of control. Taking a deep breath, Kusuda braced himself and answered the call. …But to his surprise, Numata’s voice sounded completely normal. “I apologize for not calling you back right away yesterday. I was in a remote location with po...