Chapter 216 The Third Player
On the other side of the wall, Saikai Haruto never thought that his "momentary laziness" would lead to such a wrong perception of Rimbaud. If Rimbaud really asked Saikai Haruto about these conjectures, he would definitely get a loud negative answer - "Of course not."
Although the character of "Yuuki Chitose" is based on Rimbaud, the "metaphor" is purely Rimbaud's own overthinking...or maybe smart people just have all kinds of twists and turns in their thoughts. Let's not talk about other things for now, but in terms of writing novels, as for "Mochizuki Kaoru", he really wrote with the mentality of "writing a novel".
Even if he were to do it all over again, guilt aside, misunderstanding aside, Saikai Haruto would still choose to write it this way... After all, it was Mochizuki Kurumi who wrote "Amnesia", so what does Mochizuki Kaoru have to do with it?
As for writing novels and using people you know as the prototype of characters, isn't that a common thing? Just like when Natsume Soseki used him as the prototype in his novel, it was the same. Saikai Haruto was justified. Anyway, Rimbaud couldn't provide evidence to prove that he knew him when he "lost his memory".
Unlike Rimbaud who tossed and turned and had difficulty falling asleep, Xi Haiqingdou had a good sleep quality that night.
The next morning, he woke up at around nine in the morning. The sunlight was bright but not glaring. "Mochizuki Xun" slept until he woke up naturally and felt refreshed in the morning. The contrast with the unlucky "Cointreau" next door, who was forced to get up at around seven in the morning and was full of resentment, was obvious... So it can be seen that he did not make the right choice in this freelance job.
Haruto Nishimi sighed silently, made himself a pot of coffee, and cooked a simple meal... Finally, when he finished calling editor Maeda, packed his clothes and went out, the time on the clock hanging on the wall had reached past ten o'clock.
I don’t know if the message I sent yesterday worked, but this time there was only one person “following” him along the way, and the action was much more covert than yesterday… although he still discovered us.
Xi Haiqingdou was shaking his head watching this - if being an "agent" is such a failure, he might as well quit his job and go home to grow flowers.
When he arrived at the publishing house, he found Maeda Hikaru's desk with familiarity and saw his beloved editor working diligently on the manuscript.
Xi Haiqing Dou knocked on the table.
No response.
…Xihai Haruto knocked on the table again.
"Mr. Mochizuki...?!"
"Keep your voice down!"
Seeing Maeda Hikaru raising his head with a surprised expression, and almost calling out his name loudly, Nishimi Haruto hurriedly stepped forward and made a "silence" gesture, not forgetting to look around - fortunately, everyone else around was also working at their own positions, and basically, except for a few people who were amazed by his appearance and cast a few fixed glances at him, no one paid attention to what Maeda Hikaru had just said.
"Oh, sorry, teacher, I forgot you don't like being noticed in public..."
Maeda Hikaru also followed suit and made a whispering gesture, and quickly found an excuse in his mind - that's right, if he suddenly shouted out Teacher Mochizuki's name loudly, then with Teacher Mochizuki's fame, everyone would probably stare at him for a long time, and with Teacher Mochizuki's "socially anxious" personality, he would definitely be unhappy.
However...
"I thought you would arrive in the afternoon. Teacher, why are you here to see me now? Is there something urgent? Is there something wrong with the new book?"
Maeda Hikaru put on a serious expression, and upon closer inspection, he seemed a little nervous.
Xi Hai Qing Dou: "..."
He was really sorry. Apart from the manuscript he handed in before leaving last time, he didn't have a single word of manuscript in his hands now.
He coughed tactically, his eyes drifting for a moment: "Didn't I submit the manuscript of the new book half a month ago?"
Maeda Hikaru looked at him eagerly and whispered, "But the manuscript you handed me only has a beginning, what about the rest?"
"Who said that? That's already one-third of the new book!"
"So there is indeed a sequel, right? And there is still two-thirds of the content? Then you must have written a lot of those manuscripts, right?"
“…”
Saikai Haruto looked calm and said, "…I haven't finished writing it yet."
Ah, I was tricked.
Can he say that he hasn't written a single word of the following content? After all, it's fun to delay writing for a while, and it's fun to keep delaying writing.
But looking into Maeda Hikaru's eyes, I still can't say anything... I feel like my non-existent conscience is faintly guilty...
So this is why he usually doesn't like to contact Editor Maeda actively, nor does he like to come to the publishing house.
Which writer would like to be urged to submit manuscripts by the editor every day?
Maeda Hikaru: “…”
I understand. Looking at the teacher's expression, I know that he definitely doesn't have the manuscript.
This expression, which appears cold, serious, and oppressive on the surface, is actually just a way to hide one's own feelings. He is very familiar with it after seven years of getting along with her.
It doesn’t matter, he has other ways to urge submission of manuscripts.
"So the male protagonist in teacher's new work is Shiina-kun? Can you tell me whether Shiina-kun is a victim or a perpetrator? Ah, if it involves spoilers, I can't tell you..." Maeda Hikaru showed a painful expression.
Saikai Haruto was distracted, and the expression on his face was indescribable: "Isn't it obvious? Shiina is the victim."
"It's because the teacher's books often have twists and turns that are completely unpredictable in the early stages. Sometimes a person who looks like a perfect victim makes people worry whether he is the mastermind behind the scenes."
Maeda Hikaru smiled and began to set a trap: "Since you said so, I feel relieved. It seems that you have already thought about the subsequent plot development and ending of the new book, right?"
Routine, this is the routine of urging manuscripts to be submitted. What a cunning editor.
Xi Haiqing Dou was silent for a second, and suddenly changed the subject with a serious face: "Hey, wait a minute, let's talk about the manuscript next time... I came to you this time for other things."
"Eh, what?"
"Kurumi." Saikai Haruto reminded him, "Is it okay? I came to you to pick it up."
"Ah, so you came here to see me just for Kurumi..." Maeda Hikaru looked disappointed, but also seemed relieved.
Of course he knew it was about Kurumi, after all, Saikai Haruto had called him to tell him before coming. Just now he was just thinking whether he could still "take Kurumi to make Mochizuki Kaoru" this time... Unfortunately, this beautiful fantasy was still punctured.
But there is still something to be thankful for. Fortunately, he came here this time just for Kurumi and not for some other reason.
Xi Haiqing Dou said silently: "Otherwise it can't be about the manuscript of the new book."
Maeda Hikaru chuckled twice.
"We should always have dreams... What do you think, teacher?"
Saikai Haruto's expression was serious: "...Let me see Kurumi first."
"Okay, teacher, please wait here for a while."
Maeda Mitsuru sighed, stood up, took off his glasses, turned around and walked into a bright office. After a while, he solemnly came back with a pot of hyacinths in his hands.
Because it is not yet in bloom, the hyacinth in the pot has only a straight stem and a few long leaves. It looks a bit monotonous, but also looks green and healthy.
Saikai Haruto reached out and touched the leaves lovingly, then carefully took the flowerpot with both hands and looked at it carefully for a while, then looked up at Maeda Hikaru with admiration: "Maeda-kun, you have taken good care of Kurumi, thank you for your hard work."
Maeda Hikaru smiled modestly, with a hint of kindness and pride: "No, no, Kurumi is also very worry-free, just leave her to me, the teacher, and don't worry."
——Yes, the "Kurumi" mentioned by Saikai Haruto and Maeda Hikaru is referring to this pot of hyacinths - a pot of flowers.
A pot of Mochizuki Kaoru, the first flower I grew after returning to Japan from Europe.
"This is the second generation Kurumi, right? You have taken good care of this child. This is already the sixth year."
"This is the third-generation Kurumi. The second-generation Kurumi died last year." Saikai Haruto's eyes were filled with disapproval.
"Sorry, teacher, I remembered it wrong!" Maeda Hikaru bowed 60 degrees to Saikai Haruto guiltily.
Hyacinthus generally only has a lifespan of three to five years. When "Mochizuki Kaoru" raised "the first generation Kurumi", she was not yet so experienced and it only lived for more than a year. "The second generation Kurumi" lived tenaciously for five years and successfully "died" last year...Now this one is already the "third generation".
"It seems that Maeda-kun has forgotten his old love now that he has a new love... I can understand that." Nishimi Haruto's eyes drifted quietly to the large bouquet of red roses in a glass vase placed in front of Maeda Hikaru's desk, and a single red rose in a small glass vase next to it. He shook his head, the meaning was self-evident.
"Ah... Teacher, you misunderstood. Did you forget? Today is Valentine's Day." Maeda Hikaru smiled awkwardly: "This is a gift from my girlfriend this morning."
Xihai·Every vest is a single dog·Completely forgot that today is Valentine's Day·Qingdou:……
"I am sincere to Kurumi and I am absolutely not distracted."
Maeda Hikaru handed a glass bottle with a bunch of red roses to Saikai Haruto and said, "Teacher, I wish you a happy Valentine's Day, too."
Saikai Haruto lowered his head and said, "Your girlfriend gave me the roses she gave you? Maeda-kun, this is not a good idea."
“…No, no, no, this is sent by the editorial department to all editors, so please feel free to take it, teacher.” Maeda Hikaru shook his head wildly.
Xi Haiqing Dou: "...You Jingfansha editorial department is quite concerned about humanity."
But to be honest, this is both friendly and unfriendly to singles.
"Yeah, do you think so too?" Maeda Hikaru said, "Then, teacher, the last two-thirds of your next book..."
Xi Haiqing Dou held the flower pot and turned around: "Oh, by the way, since the work has been done, I will leave first."
"Wait, wait, teacher, about the manuscript of the new book..."
"Oh, I suddenly remembered that I forgot to close the door of my house. I will definitely do it next time." Xi Haiqing Dou walked faster.
"Um, teacher, please wait a moment...!"
"…Is there anything else?"
Xi Haiqingdou lowered his head and looked at Maeda Guang who was jogging after him and anxiously grabbed his arm, and he couldn't help but sigh.
What a pity, he was holding the flowers and was wearing a kimono, so he couldn't run fast.
Maeda Mitsuru unconsciously let go of his hand.
"Ah... that is to say... Teacher... oh, by the way, you will definitely work hard to continue updating after you go back, right?"
Maeda Hikaru hesitated for a long time, as if he had something he couldn't say. Saikai Haruto looked at him patiently. It was not until a long time later that his eyes suddenly lit up and he uttered the words "urge him to submit his manuscript" expectantly.
Saikai Haruto: ...How can a person with a temperature of 36 degrees utter such cold words?
Xi Hai Qing Dou looked at him quietly: "Is this all you want to say?"
"Well, if you don't have any inspiration for this book, you can also consider buying a new book?"
Maeda Hikaru stuttered, his voice getting lower and lower. Finally, he lowered his head awkwardly under the gaze of Saikai Haruto, and said quickly: "Ah, I heard that Yokohama is in danger recently... It's okay if you can continue to rest for a while, or consider going out to travel to other cities? But in any case, you don't have to worry too much about what happened recently!"
So he made a round trip just to remind him to stay away from Yokohama and be careful?
"…Is that all? I understand." Xihai Qingdou responded helplessly.
Maeda Hikaru reached out and touched his sweaty forehead.
Holding the flowers, he returned home. On the way back, Saikai Haruto carefully observed the streets of Yokohama for a while.
Although the fight between the Port Mafia and the Takase-kai happened only a few months ago, the various secret fights have never stopped since the land of Yokohama became a "concession" and a place for people with special abilities a few years ago. As a result, the adaptability of Yokohama citizens has become particularly strong. The scene on the street now has become no different from the more peaceful appearance in the past, and no matter how Saikai Haruto looks at it, he can't see any special danger.
But Haruto Nishimi is quite familiar with Maeda Hikaru's character. His editor is not the kind of person who would tell lies, nor is he the kind of person who would always urge for manuscripts... unless he is approaching the deadline again.
So it seems that what Maeda Hikaru said was to urge him to submit his manuscript, but if you think about it carefully, it was not a urge. What was real was that he hoped he would not go out, or stay away from Yokohama, or... not care about some recent events in Yokohama.
After all, as a mystery novelist, "Mochizuki Kaoru" has always had a habit or quirk, that is, when he is writing, most of the time he seems to be in "seclusion". During that time, his mind is only focused on his own novel, and he will not pay attention to other various movements in the outside world. He almost separates himself and the outside world into two worlds.
——So something bad happened to Yokohama recently, and it was related to the "mystery novelist Kurumi Mochizuki"?
Moreover, he had just "woken up" these past two days, but as soon as he went out, he could see people from the Special Powers Special Agent Department watching him.
——So this bad thing may not seem to be a big deal on the surface, but in fact, what is involved behind the scenes is not a small matter, it is very serious... There is a high probability that it involves people with special abilities.
But on the bright side, since the people from the Special Powers Division did not take the initiative to contact him, it means that the matter has not yet fermented to the most serious level... Of course, maybe they are more cautious. After all, he really was not a good-tempered person in the past, and there were many serious people and things involved behind him, which led to them being reluctant to fight him under normal circumstances.
...In any case, he doesn't check.
After all, "Mochizuki Kaoru" has retired from being an intelligence dealer for seven years... Since it is a bad thing, it cannot be investigated.
After all, according to the routines of many novels and TV dramas, once the protagonist makes a choice that drags him back into the gray area, there is no going back, and it will always be the beginning of all the bad endings.
It sounds like a flag.
He is currently "only halfway through starting his business" and hasn't even seen a single frame in a comic book, so he doesn't want to let this account step back into the "darkness" so early.
...Besides, there is the Special Forces Division, an official organization, so it shouldn't be his turn as an ordinary good citizen of Yokohama to do anything, right? Even if he doesn't care about anything, it shouldn't be a big deal, right?
Xi Haiqing Dou made up his mind.