MATSUMURA PUBLISHING

Although it had been nearly six months since he'd been hired, Hideki still couldn't get used to the strange sensation he felt in his gut when he approached his office building. In terms of height, it was pretty tiny in comparison to his last workplace, but the windows were different. The middle section of the building's face had been installed with glossy, sleek windows that reflected the street below. All the way from the crossing section to the front doors, Hideki could see himself walking towards it. This never failed to unnerve him.

Thankfully though, working for the actual company itself wasn't a problem. At Matsumura Publishing, Hideki Yuhara was shaping up to be a competent manga editor for their monthly magazine called Empower. Their manga department was green, only recently established within the past two years, but the work exhibited was pretty solid. As told exactly by his editor in chief, Isao Mitsuhara, Empower magazine showcased interesting and offbeat manga, oftentimes dramatic in theme, and curated specifically for contemporary young adults. Though this slogan seemed a bit forced to Hideki, he supposed it was an effective summary of the magazine's presentation. They covered a lot of ground in terms of genre variation, so the threshold as to what was accepted in content matter wasn't picky. Still, Empower wouldn't accept just anything and everything. The materials had to have a similar theme of “coinciding with the current generation and depicting movement”, which Hideki had to admit he wasn't going to pretend he understood what that really meant, but he supposed he had a general idea. The magazine’s comics seemed to him more “cinematic” in nature, rather than what was typically expected from mainstream manga, which was often seen to the public as “whimsical” rather than realistic. This was what drew him to this particular position as an editor at Matsumara. Before his initial career, Hideki had almost majored in film studies in university, but eventually, he had to opt for something more practical.

Just a few months shy of his initial date of hire, Hideki turned thirty years old and, as strange as it all was, he'd never felt more satisfied with the state of his career. Satisfaction—this was as interesting as his life could ever become and he was pretty okay with that. At his previous job, he worked in a sales department for nearly eight years which practically exhausted every last drop of life in him. That previous job wasn't just any job, however, it was Ushiba Holdings, the stock sharing institution representing the infamous Ushiba Group. He had worked directly in the Ushiba Group building, right in the heart of Tokyo.

Like many huge companies, Ushiba was extremely difficult to get in. Nearly impossible, even. When Hideki's co-workers got word that the new employee came from such an elite and tight knit company, the questions were relentless. However, it was quickly noticed to everyone that Hideki preferred not to speak of it, and when he did, he simply told them he just wanted to change careers. Hideki didn't like to reveal any deeply personal information, and strangely enough, that seemed to pique the staff’s intrigue even more. Hideki Yuhara was a man of mystery...and the fact he’d originated from an elite past made him respected. Hideki, on the other hand, had no idea why they did. Truth be told, working for Ushiba Holdings wasn't anything to be glamorized. On a good day, it was a typical job with a typical workload. On a bad day, it was sometimes tiring. Actually, no—not sometimes. He had always been caught in a constant state of exhaustion from everything work asked of him. Everything was relentless. The fake smiles, the fake laughs, the fake compliments, and even faking his resistance to take extra inhumane hours of work. Not that working at Matsumura publishing didn't give him the same workload, but in essence, the job was different. It wasn't repetitive, and due to the creativity that came along with editing, it was actually quite fun. Everyone was working together to make something, something that would physically end up in someone's hands. Hideki felt some comfort in that. However, Hideki thought it was probably just the effect of being at a new company that would eventually wear off with time.

Hideki let out a deep breath as he walked in the elevator alone. As he watched the door trap him inside, Hideki pressed the button to his floor and attempted to brush his unwanted thoughts away. Enough of the sentimentalities, he needed to get his head back in gear. The elevator made a quiet, “ding” sound before rising, and Hideki organized his thoughts according to what he needed to get done for the day. Soon, the movement under his feet slowed and the doors slid open. Hideki didn't budge, knowing that it was common for others to get in the elevator around this time of the morning. For a building with only four floors, it was actually quite a busy one.

Ever since Hideki started in Matsumura, he could at least say that he knew the faces of the majority of the workers, but he only knew the names of those he worked closely with. The man who just stepped into the elevator, though, he knew very well. Keigo Mamiya, a fellow editor for Matsumura's fashion magazine: Alined. Even though they were both from separate departments, the guy was surprisingly attached to Hideki. Everyone thought they were long lost childhood friends with the way they acted with each other, but truth be told, Hideki was a go-with-the-flow kind of guy while Mamiya was an ass kisser of sorts. Funnily enough, there was still something honest about their relationship, regardless of their tendency to bullshit. The two of them actually genuinely got along, and Hideki cherished that.

Mamiya had a head of naturally wavy locks framed by a squarely shaped jawline, and no matter the occasion, Mamiya always managed to sport a cheeky grin. As his eyes locked onto Hideki, his familiar smirk appeared on his face as instantaneously as a light switch.

“Yo, Yuhara! What's up, my man?” Mamiya waved enthusiastically as he stepped into the lift.

“Good Morning, Mamiya.” Hideki struggled as he omitted an honorific from his co-worker's name. If he'd went ahead and called him Mamiya-san, the guy would have given him a fit. After engaging, Hideki paused to stare at the man and realized that bumping into him around this time was a rare occasion. During the early mornings, Mamiya was already hauled up in the office and “let out of the cell” around lunch time, at least, that's how Mamiya described it.

“What floor are you going to?” Hideki peeked at the button panel that Mamiya had just gotten around to looming over. “Because the floor I'm going to is...” He trailed and realized they just passed Mamiya's department, and Mamiya wasn't making any effort to press any other floors.

“I'm headed to your floor. In fact, I'm actually switching to the manga department.” He said as he crossed his arms and comfortably leaned up against the banister. Hideki's eyes looked as if they were going to fall out of his sockets. Watching this made Mamiya burst into a fit of laughter as a response. When he calmed down, he wiped his eyes and looked significantly more composed.

“Relax, man! You looked like I was about to steal your position or something.” The smile still lingered on Mamiya's face as he continued. “I just need to talk to Mitsuhara-san about something real quick. The stupid software's got me confused again.”

Mamiya went on with a tirade about how the computers were never doing what he tells them to do, almost as though he was talking about a stubborn child who refused to clean up their mess. The details of the conversation eventually faded out when Hideki noticed Mamiya was wearing a new tie. It was a shimmery navy blue fabric adorned with orange accents. The exact pattern was a bit indescribable to Hideki, but it looked almost like leaves, or perhaps paisley. Hideki didn't know. Either way, it looked trendy. Hideki tended to wear striped or subtly dotted ties, but that was as festive as it ever got. He had to hand it to Mamiya, he sure did have a charm when it came to style.

“Oh, I see...” Hideki nodded in agreement, but truthfully, he usually never had any computer issues. Hideki prided himself in being computer literate, but it was something to be expected by anyone young and ambitious in the working field. It wasn't that Mamiya was laid-back, Hideki just figured he was never raised around computers. He still couldn’t get over the fact that Mamiya was actually several years older than him, which would explain why the man tended to express his distaste with the technology shifts from paper to computer. Watching him complain like the old man he really was seemed so unfitting for his appearance. Mamiya practically looked and dressed more youthful than Hideki could ever dream of being—but that was probably because he was constantly bombarded by fashion magazines for a living.

At least Mamiya wasn't completely vain, because as soon he realized that the sound of his own voice had been dragging on for too long, he began to trail off. And as if on cue, the elevator doors slid open, revealing the vending machine on the other side of the wall. Mamiya turned to Hideki as he stepped in between the door and the elevator to prevent it from closing.

“Say, Yuhara...isn't your probationary period going to end soon?” Mamiya asked with a questioning inflection, though his face lit up with curiosity and excitement.

Over the past couple of months, Hideki was working alongside another editor as her assistant. After months of hard work and training, Hideki was beginning to grow absolutely confident in his skills. Now, as the next week was approaching, his time to shine was in his reach. Hideki would go through the appraisal process in order to officially become an editor of Matsumura publishing. That was assuming he passed his marks, of course.

The elevator closed shut as Hideki moved further into the hallway. The two stood idly in the halls while they chatted.

“Yep. Hopefully after next week, I'll be here to stay.”

“That's good! Man, six months really flew by, huh?” Mamiya laughed heartily while giving Hideki two firm pats on the back. Mamiya was definitely a pushy guy, but in actuality, Hideki didn't mind it one bit. It was nice to be on unconditionally friendly terms with a co-worker for once, even if Mamiya and himself weren't as close as they seemed. Admittedly, Hideki wasn't used to this kind of work relationship, but when it came to working Matsumara, there were a lot of things he wasn't used to. Somehow, this was all refreshing in it's own way.

“Have any ideas on your new author?” Mamiya asked, though Hideki hummed as he paused to collect his thoughts. This particular subject was giving him a bit of difficulty lately. Simply put—he was feeling indecisive. He would have felt so much more confident if his supervisor would outright assign him to any authors they deemed fit, but due to the novelty of the magazine, not many authors knew of its existence. Matsumura hardly received any pitches, so Hideki was told to do a little of his own scouting instead.

Hideki only managed to utter a mumble before Mamiya cut him off again.

“I guess you don't have any, huh?” Mamiya said, softening his voice to a whisper. He gave Hideki an empathetic smile. “Don’t stress out about it! You can always ask your fellow peers if you need help.”

“Yeah, thanks.” Hideki was feeling somewhat cheered on by Mamiya’s encouragement, though that soon subsided as he drifted back into thought. “To be honest, I just don’t know where to begin. I mean, of course Noguchi-san gave me some of her advice, but...” Hideki trailed off again, recalling his past conversation with the editor. Takahara recommended asking around with the published authors to see if any of their assistants might be looking to start their own work, but she did mention that any other methods would be acceptable, as long as he ended up finding someone suitable. Though Hideki had been wondering since then...what other “methods” were there?

“Hmm, I don’t know much about the manga business...but sometimes if you go to small conventions, you can scope out the doujinshi artists and see if they’re interested in doing something original.” Mamiya paused, then gave Hideki a crooked grin, almost as if his personality was unable to handle less than a minute of profound seriousness. “You’d have to look into those venues yourself though, because like I said, I’m no expert.”

“Hmm, I see. Conventions, huh? I didn’t even think of that.” With Hideki’s sudden brightened mood, Mamiya looked so much more at ease.

“That’s the spirit! Jeez, you had me worried for a second there. The great Yuhara in a pickle, who’d have thought?” Mamiya laughed and Hideki couldn’t help but join in with him.

The pair ended up arriving at the main office, and they both peeked inside to find Mitsuhara at his desk near the furthermost window, transfixed by his paperwork. Mamiya gave Hideki a silent nod to indicate his departure and made a bee line straight to the department’s head editor. Hideki noted almost instantly that Mamiya looked way more serious in his conversation with him, but that was to be expected of everyone when it came to Mitsuhara. Although his ideas were brilliant and Hideki thought his initial introduction to the position was passionately presented, the man was actually very difficult to read. Even the stickiest of situations never seemed to complicate his expressions, and he remained the epitome of professionalism, thus scaring the living hell out of the editors. Thankfully the magazine was small and manageable, so problems that usually arose at big publishing firms weren’t as common with Empower. At least, that was as far as Hideki could see while in his current position.

As Hideki settled into his partitioned desk, his morning routine was to start his computer and neatly arrange the items he needed for the day: a personal planner, his favorite pen, and a tin box with some supplies and tools. Hideki fished around in his bag for the toolbox, though it sank to the bottom of his bag. He pulled out some of the books he was reading for reference, such as dictionaries, thesauruses, and also the manga he read earlier on the train that morning. He had no choice but to plop the book right on top of his dictionaries in order to get to his box. When he finally held the box in his hands, Hideki felt a sudden presence loom over him. He noticed the manga was not on top of his desk like he remembered.

“You're not thinking of this guy, are you?”

Hideki’s body jerked to face the voice behind him, realizing that Mamiya had already returned from his conversation with Mitsuhara. Heat rose to his face as he noticed Mamiya holding the manga casually in his hands. It took a moment for Hideki to understand what exactly his co worker was getting at, but he quickly managed to understand Mamiya was continuing with their last conversation about editing. Hideki felt a little bit embarrassed, almost as if Mamiya just pulled his pants down or something. Of course that scenario was a bit outrageous to compare, but with the way Mamiya commented was making Hideki uncomfortable. Was this harmless manga actually controversial or something? Hideki lowered his eyes for a moment, then cleared his throat and returned his gaze to Mamiya.

“Uh, well—no. I actually just bought it this morning. It was on clearance and looked interesting, so I gave it a go.” Hideki reached to take his book back, and Mamiya was willing to let it go easily. “I thought it was good. But I haven't thought about looking into the author or anything...” Hideki trailed off while Mamiya leaned up against the desk, suddenly giving their conversation more privacy.

“I see, I see. Yeah, it's a pretty good book. Could you believe he did it all in high school?” Mamiya nodded quite a few times, gazing off at everything on Hideki’s desk. It typically wasn’t as messy as it was now, but Mamiya didn’t comment on that. Mamiya’s gaze fixed back on Hideki, but his tone, strangely, was tinged with spite. “He did another series called...Tempest Cross, I think, for a couple years. But after that finished, the publishing world hasn't had much to do with him.”

Hideki was instantly intrigued. The publishing world hasn’t seen Kazuhiro Tsuchiya for a couple years? Of course it could be possible that the author was simply taking a well deserved hiatus, or even retiring—but not even any one shots? Nothing, just like that? Not to mention, the way Mamiya spat out his words was beginning to sound like a personal vendetta. The sight of Hideki's face must have hinted to Mamiya that he was desperately searching for more information, so he continued, but this time with a hushed volume.

“If you ask me, though, the guy's a total loose cannon.” He paused to glance around the area with caution. A wicked smile refused to leave his face as he spoke. “Tsuchiya-sensei, simply put—does whatever the hell he wants with his stories, and that's his fatal flaw. He's super scary too!”

“You've met him?”

“Well—no, actually,” Mamiya strained, his smirk slightly faltering. “But a good friend of mine was actually his editor. He told me he couldn't take it anymore, though, so he asked for a switch.”

Hideki hummed an “I see” in response. Of course, Hideki thought. It wasn't surprising that Mamiya had some big connections, so maybe it all made sense. No matter how talented people can be, when it came down to business, productivity and discipline were top priorities. It also seemed that he was more than just touchy with his work, he expressed his dissatisfaction with conflict, and lashing out professionally meant disaster. And yet, Hideki recalled the comic he read earlier that morning and something still felt disconnected between the creation and the creator. He pondered to himself, how had he imagined the author of that book? He imagined him as someone...sophisticated, reserved, and possibly empathetic. However, Mamiya was painting this guy in a completely different light. He was downright stubborn and super “scary”, whatever that meant.

“He sounds like an interesting guy.” Hideki smiled, swiveling his chair around to face his computer’s login screen. Mamiya blinked with a superhuman speed, stuttering in amazement. Hideki was trying his very best not to show how amused he was with purposefully orchestrating Mamiya’s reaction. Admittedly, he was purposely trying to use some manipulation tactics in that respect.

“H-Hey!!! You better not be thinking about contacting him?”

“If I do, at least I'll have you to blame.”

To this, Mamiya growled in frustration, causing some of the other workers to look at him with confusion. He laughed to those watching before giving a quick, obviously forced wave and said his goodbye to Hideki. Before completely leaving the premises, Mamiya stopped mid doorway to look Hideki in the eyes and whisper, “I'm telling you, for real—that guy is bad news!”

Hideki only smirked as a response.