Tokyo Sick Girlfriend

Chapter 59 Turning point
Tokyo, October 27, morning.

"Your coffee, sir."

Shiratori Seiya snapped out of his reverie, looked away from the glass, nodded to the waiter, and glanced at his watch.

10:18
There were twelve minutes left until the agreed time with the producer.

When he has an important meeting with someone, he always likes to arrive 20 to 30 minutes early.

It's not just out of respect, but also out of concern that they might be late due to some special reason on the way.

Instead, they arrived early to reaffirm their purpose for being there, what they wanted to say, what they wanted to express, and to anticipate what kind of person the other person might be, what they might say, and how they should respond.

Shiratori Seiya never believed that he was smarter than others, so he put a lot of effort into his preparations.

Even if we don't aim for 100%, we should at least be 90% prepared.

After all, society won't treat you like a child and tolerate your mistakes.

Today he met with a producer from M TV station, and he was able to arrange the meeting because they had previously collaborated on a TV theme song.

However, it's just an opportunity to arrange a meeting; whether it will be successful depends on how the talks are conducted.

Ever since he began mentoring Mio Takahashi, Seiya Shiratori has been considering the future development path between them.

This isn't actually hard to figure out; you just need to refer to yourself and Hojo Shione.

Back then, Shion and I were lyricist/composer and singer, but now, if we apply that to Mio Takahashi, it would be the relationship between producer and actress.

The reason is simple: when it comes to making a TV series, the core decision-maker at the very beginning is the producer.

The process generally involves the producer having an idea or choosing a script, then submitting the proposal to higher management. After approval by the TV station's department head, director, and top management, a core team is assembled (selecting the screenwriter, director, lead actors, etc.)...

Of course, just as Mio Takahashi couldn't become an experienced actress overnight, he couldn't become a producer overnight either.

If I had followed the normal procedure, I should have been able to participate in the script competition and win an award, but it takes a full year from the submission deadline to the announcement of the results.

I can't wait that long, and who knows what might go wrong in the meantime.

Moreover, having connections doesn't mean you have to be a fool. It's much more efficient to directly contact the producer, join the production team as a screenwriter, and then rise to the position of producer based on your subsequent works...

As Shiratori Seiya was thinking, the door of the coffee shop suddenly opened in his field of vision, and a middle-aged man in a suit was asking the waiter something.

Shiratori Seiya raised his hand and waved to the other person. The middle-aged man reacted, smiled, and waved back before walking towards him.

Before Fujikawa Shunpei could even sit down, he looked at Shiratori Seiya and said:

"Ah, I'm so sorry, you must have been waiting for a long time, Teacher A."

"No, I came too early."

"Teacher A is still the same as always."

Fujikawa Shunpei smiled, pulled out a chair, sat down, and turned to the waiter, saying:

"A cup of Blue Mountain coffee, please, please."

"Okay, wait a minute."

After the waiter had left and walked a few meters away, Fujikawa Shunpei looked at the young man's face with a complicated expression and couldn't help but say:

"Sigh, sometimes I really envy you. You're so young and talented..."

"Miss Hojo's new song is coming out soon, right? I heard she's preparing for a concert. She's really going to establish herself in the music industry now. If I were a woman, I definitely wouldn't be able to resist marrying you."

Shiratori Seiya smiled and said:

"Don't mention it, it's all just empty fame. I've already run out of ideas."

Fujikawa Shunpei narrowed his eyes and said:
"I've heard about your retirement from writing, Teacher A. You don't know, but everyone says that it's a loss to the music industry for a genius like you to retire."

Shiratori Seiya took his words as mere pleasantries and didn't take them to heart at all.

In reality, the music industry is only so big, and envious peers are eager to retire as soon as possible.

He smiled and said:
"Fujikawa-san, please stop teasing me. I really don't have that level of skill anymore."

Seeing that Shiratori Seiya was unwilling to elaborate on this matter, Fujikawa Shunpei cut straight to the point:

"However, I think it's okay for the music scene to suffer a little loss, but the literary world may be about to welcome a new star. I'm really looking forward to the script that Teacher A mentioned."

Although Fujikawa Shunpei said that, it was just for show. He only came today to give Shiratori Seiya face, since they had worked together before. If the script wasn't good, he would probably give a few pointers and leave without looking back. Next time, he would just send his assistant.

Upon hearing this, Shiratori Seiya nodded and took out a small stack of scripts from his bag, saying:
"This is the script and outline I recently wrote. I would appreciate your feedback, screenwriter Fujikawa."

"Ah."

Upon hearing this, Fujikawa Shunpei reached out and took the script, first glancing at the title: "The Kidnapper's Daughter".

A typical type of suspenseful crime.

His gaze then swept over the screenwriter below, noticing "Suspect X" written on it, and he chuckled and joked:
"It seems I'll have to address you as Teacher X from now on."

Seeing that Shiratori Seiya smiled but didn't say anything, he continued reading.

However, after reading only half a page, Fujikawa Shunpei frowned, his forehead wrinkling into the shape of the Chinese character "川" (chuan). He flipped through the pages and couldn't help but glance at Shiratori Seiya again.

To reiterate, he didn't have high expectations at all, but now he finds that the script is very mature, with a well-organized overall framework and writing structure, and it doesn't seem like the work of a novice at all.

Fujikawa Shunpei opened his mouth, his gaze fixed on the boy's face, and after a moment's hesitation, asked:

"Teacher A, have you registered the copyright for this script?"

Shiratori Seiya understood that he suspected Fujikawa Toshihiro of writing it, so he opened his phone, pulled up a pre-prepared website interface, and placed it in front of him, saying:
"Registration just started the day before yesterday, and the results haven't been released yet."

In Japan, a script is automatically protected by copyright from the moment it is completed. In Tokyo, the script copyright registration process takes about a month. He registered it as soon as he received the money, just to shut others up.

In reality, no one cares whether he wrote the script or not. As long as it's legally recognized and can make money, that's enough. They don't bother to ask how he got it.

"oh oh."

Seeing this, Fujikawa Shunpei felt relieved and praised, "As expected of Teacher A," before continuing to read.

As he flipped through the pages line by line, Fujikawa Shunpei gradually became engrossed. After about ten minutes, he looked up, still seemingly unsatisfied, rubbing his chin with his fingers. He then looked down at the plot outline again and asked Shiratori Seiya:
“Is there any follow-up?”

Shiratori Seiya smiled and said:

"It's still being polished, but the script for the third episode should be ready next week."

Actually, the entire script for the drama, along with the original novel, was locked in a drawer at home. The reason I only brought this much at once was to pique Fujikawa Shunpei's interest, which was also part of the negotiation. "Oh."

After pondering for a moment, Fujikawa Shunpei said:

"I need to go back and discuss the specifics further..."

Shiratori Seiya's script was completely unexpected.

The story revolves around a shocking baby kidnapping at a hospital. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of 100 million yen from the hospital. However, during the police pursuit, two main suspects were killed in a car accident, causing the investigation to stall and the baby's whereabouts to remain a mystery.

Twenty years later, Hiroko Asakura, the daughter of suspect Akio Tsukumo, is hired by the well-known newspaper that covered the case years ago. However, her identity is revealed by a weekly magazine with the headline "Kidnapper's Daughter Joins Newspaper," sparking a media frenzy…

In order to deal with the public relations crisis and clarify the facts, the newspaper decided to reopen the investigation into this long-standing cold case. As the investigation deepened, the truth that had been hidden back then began to emerge one by one.

The plot is fast-paced, full of suspense, and the narrative is steady...

What is your expected payment for the article?

Fujikawa Shunpei tentatively asked.

Upon hearing this, Shiratori Seiya waved his hand and said:

"These are all negotiable; we can discuss them slowly."

"However, I have a request."

"You said."

"Give me a friend a chance to audition."

"..."
-
At six o'clock in the evening, the bell rang in the classroom. Mio Takahashi leaned back in her chair with a sigh of relief, her body slightly slumping.

After a day of studying, her brain seemed to have reached its limit.

It's no exaggeration to say that she was more tired than she was during her college entrance exam.

He stared blankly at the clock on the blackboard until almost everyone in the classroom had left before he came to his senses.

As she tidied up the books on the table and prepared to leave the classroom, Shiratori Seiya unconsciously came to mind.

Mio Takahashi pursed her red lips, took out her phone and sent him a message, wanting to ask if he had eaten yet, and if he wanted to go eat together, as she would be treating him today.

However, the message was not answered.

She unconsciously frowned.

It's been like this for the past few days. He seems especially busy. I hardly ever see him at school, and even when I send him a message, he takes at least half an hour to reply.

What are you busy with?

Busy writing a script?
Thinking of the notes Shiratori Seiya had made that night, a smile involuntarily appeared on her face.

However, her smile immediately froze.

Could he be with another girl?
Hojo Shione and Hasegawa Saori came to mind one after another.

Not to mention Saori Hasegawa, Shione Hojo has been completely silent since she sent her the last message.

I don't know if it's because she was affected by the incident involving Saori Hasegawa, or because she's busy with her concert next month.

After thinking for a moment, she decided to tentatively ask Hojo Shione what was going on.

However, just as I opened the chat window, a phone call suddenly popped up on my phone screen.

She paused for a moment when she saw the word "Mom" on the screen, then quickly answered the call.

Normally she would call home about twice a week, but it's been almost a month now. So much has happened lately that she's completely forgotten to make the call.

"Hello? Mom?"

There was a moment of silence on the phone. Takahashi Mio blinked, moved the phone away from her ear to look at it, and called out again after confirming that the call hadn't ended.

"mom?"

"I thought you were missing."

On the phone, her mother's resentful voice came through. Takahashi Mio bit her lip and chuckled awkwardly.
"Oh, Mom, I've been so busy lately, I forgot to call you back..."

“You weren’t this busy before, Mio.”

Mrs. Takahashi speaks at a very slow pace, and even when she complains, she sounds very gentle.

"So what I'm saying is, no matter how busy you are, you should still call home. You're under so much pressure out there, it's not good to keep all that stuff inside without telling your mom."

"Do you have enough money? You didn't do many part-time jobs in high school, and now you have to study and work part-time at the same time. You must be exhausted."

Upon hearing this, Mio Takahashi felt a pang of sadness, tears welling up in her eyes. She bit her lip, took a deep breath, and smiled:

"I'm sorry, Mom, I'm fine."

"Sigh, do you think I don't know how you're doing? If no one's taking care of you, you're probably just eating whatever you can find. Your dad and I are very worried about you, so we specifically asked your cousin to go and check on you..."

Upon hearing the first part of her mother's sentence, Mio Takahashi was deeply moved, tears welling up in her eyes. However, upon hearing the rest, her heart skipped a beat, she swallowed her tears, and instinctively opened her mouth wide to ask:

"My cousin? She's coming to see me?"

"Yes, we were really worried about you because you hadn't called back in so long. Dad and I contacted your uncle..."

Before her mother could finish speaking, Takahashi Mio immediately slung her bag over her shoulder and ran outside, anxiously asking as she did so:
When is she coming to see me?

Even though she hadn't seen her daughter, Mrs. Takahashi could sense her anxiety over the phone. She wondered:
"What's wrong? She said she'd be there tonight, she should be almost there by now, right?"

Upon hearing her mother's words, Mio Takahashi's face instantly contorted with pain, and she bit her tongue, saying:
"I understand. I'll call you when I get back."

After saying that, Mio Takahashi hung up the phone immediately without waiting for her mother's response and ran home with all her might, just like she was doing during a physical test.

Damn it...

It would be terrible if we got caught!
……
-
　Thank you all for reading, voting, and recommending this book.

　　I really don't want to be perfunctory with everyone. I haven't been neglecting to update. I've been deleting, revising, and writing since 5 pm and haven't eaten yet. I'm really sorry.

　　People may think this chapter is weak, but actually a lot of effort was put into it.

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(End of this chapter)