Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330662545387095/episodes/16817330666175251842
Marunouchi, Tokyo Station at night.
Nobuhiko, who had finished his part-time job at a beef bowl restaurant, was gazing absent-mindedly at the station building with a face as lifeless as a ghost.
The reason for this is not only fatigue from work. He has been in this condition for a long time now.
He got off at this station when he came to Tokyo from Hokusei.
This place, which bears the name of [Tokyo] is an economic and transportation hub. Within Tokyo. It was supposed to be the place where he would start his brilliant life.
However, it turned out to be a series of hardships.
What awaited him, after winning Yua and eliminating Kingo, was a hard life in Tokyo.
Day in and day out, he worked part-time and neglected his music.
He found time to recruit a guitarist, but he was a complete amateur.
He was forced to make his debut with a makeshift lineup, but then he realized the reality of the situation.
The office had been expecting Kingo. He had no idea that the man he had criticized as [irreplaceable] was the key man.
“Was I looking at it wrong…..?”
Somehow, he had managed to avoid a blank check, but he was not out of the woods yet. Kingo’s songs were essential in order to sign an agent contract. He needed the signature of Kingo, whom he had treated so unprofessionally.
But getting his permission was impossible. Who in the world would be so good-natured as to offer a song, a song that could be called his soul, to the man who had treated him so unkindly?
“I wonder if I’ll ever be able to make my debut on Ptolemy again…..”
He will never be scouted again. He had failed to make the most of the opportunity, and his life looked bleak.
“Haa….I wondered if I would be able to live in Tokyo for the rest of my life……”
“No, you’re going to work hard, Nobuhiko”
Suddenly, a heavy, flat voice echoes from behind.
Nobuhiko’s shoulders jumped up. He shivered and turned around to see Ushimine of Moo Moo Finance standing there.
“U-Ushimine san ! H-hello !?”
“Oh.”
Ushimine was as expressionless as ever. The eyes behind the rim-framed glasses were like a black hole, staring straight at Nobuhiko.
“W-was the interest payment due today?”
“No, it’s tomorrow.”
“S-so why then….”
“I saw you so I called out to you. Is it bad? Besides, you forgot to pay the other day, didn’t you? That’s why I went to the trouble of telling you.”
Ushimine spoke calmly, with a heavy voice, without any hint of affection or anger in his voice. Every word was like a chain that bound Nobuhiko tightly.
“U-um….the interest, can you wait a little bit? I’ll pay you when it’s payday…….”
Nobuhiko asked with a smile on his face. But right then, Ushimine’s arm, like a log, reached out and grabbed Nobuhiko’s chest.
“No. I can’t wait a day for the payment. Bring me exactly 189,318 yen, principal and interest.”
“Then…please let me jump…”
“That’s no good either. I can’t wait any longer.”
“I…..I don’t have that kind of money.”
“Then let the woman pay.”
He couldn’t believe his ears. But there was no blur in Ushimine’s voice. It is not a bad joke or a threat, but he is really trying to make Yua pay for it.
It is true that Yua might be able to manage to pay 200,000 yen or so. The girl bar job was on the board, and the economic gap with Nobuhiko was widening day by day.
However, he and Yua are in a state of near-impenetrable negotiations. Since that day, Nobuhiko has been kicked out of his room and has been sleeping across the street at the homes of Itsukik Hiroshige and his part-time co-workers.
However, his relationship with Yua has not ended. In other words, they have not yet broken up.
This is not an egotism on Nobuhiko’s part, and Yua does not intend to completely isolate herself from him. As proof of this, Yua has gradually softened her attitude and even contacted him on LINE.
The girl, Matsuyama Yua, has no initiative and is easily influenced. Although she distrusts Nobuhiko, she is afraid to live alone in Tokyo, so she uses him as her last emotional support.
When Nobuhiko confirms that his belongings have not been disposed of from the apartment, he is confident that they will be able to reconcile once things cool down. In fact, the relationship is on the road to recovery.
However, he is in debt, and it is obvious that Yua will run out of love for him if he asks her to take on the repayment of the debt. In order to survive in Tokyo, he had to avoid that.
However, he couldn’t touch what he didn’t have. He has only 3,000 yen left in his wallet.
“Then come to the office tomorrow. Don’t think you can escape, okay?”
Ushimine released Nobuhiko as if to push him away, and then turned on his heel and walked away. Nobuhiko, who had fallen on his buttocks, felt his strength drain out of him, and he lay sprawled out in the plaza in front of the station.
With that kind of spirit from Ushimine, it would not be surprising if he came all the way to the other side of the world to collect.
It was obvious that there was nowhere to run.
“Damn…..what am I supposed to do……”
No one in the Tokyo office district would respond to that voice.
Complete isolation.
In the big city he had longed to live in, Nobuhiko was alone in a dead-end street in the big city he had always admired.
At that moment, a dry wind blew. A piece of paper was blown away by the wind and landed on Nobuhiko’s face.
“What’s this?”
He was so surprised that he hurriedly brushed it away. He confirmed it. It was smaller than a bill and very hard papery…….
“A ticket for the Shinkansen. Where did it fly from? No, this is more than that…..”
Nobuhiko’s heart almost jumped out of his mouth when he saw the destination. The name of the station is always used by Hokusei citizens when they take the Shinkansen.
Seeing the name of the nostalgic station, Nobuhiko felt a tightening pain in his chest. He suddenly felt nostalgic for Hokusei city, which he despised as a countryside.
“If I take this train, I can go back to Hokusei.”
But what would he do when he got back? He would not be able to make his debut, and he would not be able to clear his debts. His parents were constantly quarreling, and he did not think they would replace his debt, and his pride would not allow him to bow down to them.
Suddenly, a man’s face came to mind. He could see Kingo’s back in the starless Tokyo night sky. He turned around as if he had noticed Nobuhiko’s gaze and stared at him.
“Kingo, are you calling me?”
He’s sure of it. He was trying to offer his help, seeing himself in a pinch. The wind had brought him the ticket because it was his destiny to meet him again.
Nobuhiko, possessed by this impossible fantasy, stood up vigorously and ran into Tokyo Station at full speed. He jumped on the Shinkansen and headed for his hometown of Hokusei City, where his friend was waiting for him.
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