Episode 3: Encouragement at a Reserved High-End Yakiniku Restaurant
The place Mei-san and I arrived at was JOJOen, a high-end yakiniku restaurant in Shinjuku.
“Sorry, Sensei, but I could only secure a reservation at JOJOen. There weren’t many options available.”
“Oh, no… It’s not a problem. B-But, isn’t it empty here?”
“Well, of course it is. It’s reserved just for us.”
“JOJOen reserved just for us?! Why…?”
“I wanted to have a calm conversation. So I thought it would be better to have it reserved.”
“But… isn’t it expensive?”
“Don’t worry! The company gladly paid for it!”
“Seriously?”
Mei-san and my father work for a pretty big publishing company. That’s probably why they’re willing to cover the expenses.
“Ordinary people wouldn’t do something like this, that’s for sure. It’s only for you, Sensei.”
“Why?”
“Well, because you’re the renowned author of ‘Digimaster’! Your novels, comics, and movies are all huge hits! The publishing company is making a fortune with you. So, they’re more than willing to spend money on you.”
“Wow… That’s pretty straightforward.”
“It wouldn’t make a difference if we tried to hide it, right? Now, come on, let’s take a seat!”
We were guided to a private room with a stage next to it, where live performances with cellos and pianos were being held.
A female staff member dressed in a kimono came to take our order.
“For now, let’s go with the course menu.”
I nodded, and the staff member bowed and left.
Soon enough, various dishes, starting with appetizers, were brought to our table.
“Go ahead and dig in! Don’t hold back.”
I started grilling the meat.
“Um… Mei-san?”
“What is it?”
“Why yakiniku?”
“Whenever you’re feeling down, just go for meat! That’s our family motto. Here, it’s ready.”
The meat was perfectly grilled and served in front of me. It had a marbling that made it look incredibly delicious.
“Mmm… Even without dipping it in sauce, it tastes amazing!”
“Y-Yeah…”
Mei-san happily devoured her meat. Meanwhile, I didn’t have much of an appetite.
“What’s wrong, Sensei? Did you get rejected by your girlfriend or something?”
“Gah…! W-Why…?”
“Oh dear, I hit the mark, didn’t I? But you didn’t have a girlfriend, right?”
“Well… It was a one-sided crush.”
“I see… If you’d like, you can talk about it.”
Mei-san skillfully continued grilling the meat.
I don’t really like being pried into… but maybe talking about it will make me feel better, I thought, and started explaining the situation.
“I see… So you got rejected by your childhood friend, and it made you feel worthless, leading to your retirement announcement.”
“Yes…”
After finishing our meal, we were having coffee. Mei-san fell into deep thought for a while and then smiled.
“That’s a relief.”
“Huh?”
“I’m glad that you don’t hate the story itself… that it’s not about disliking your own characters.”
Mei-san let out a sigh of relief.
“Well… It’s not like I hate it. But… I just don’t want to write anymore.”
“The story of Ryo and the others isn’t over yet. What are you going to do, Sensei?”
“…Leave it to the readers’ imagination… Is that not okay?”
“No, it’s not.”
Sighing, Mei-san said, “No, that’s not it. As an author, you have a responsibility.”
“Responsibility?”
“Yes. Once you create something, you have a responsibility to depict the conclusion of the story of your characters, your creations.”
Mei-san took out her smartphone. The phone case and strap were themed after Digimaster.
TL notes: Man already got quiet a popularity then why getting depressed cause of a childhood friend,step up man go for her Mom other girls.
Till now the raws I have read so far the author is more into harem fan service but it has a good amount of japanese readers so let’s hope for the best.
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