CH 33

I got a call from the editor-in-chief of my former workplace.

Soon after, I arrived at the meeting place, a family restaurant in front of the station.

I went to a seat in the back and found …….

“Jyunikane ……-san, ……?”

There was a female editor-in-chief there, looking miserable.

“Okaya-kun ……”

In the past, she was dressed in a neat and tidy manner, as if she were an accomplished woman.

But ……, what about now?

She had large dark circles in her eyes, and her hair and skin were a mess.

She looked like she hadn’t slept enough and was wobbly, as if she wasn’t feeling well.

“I’m sorry you had to come …….”

“No…… it’s fine, though.”

She wobbled to her feet and stood up…….

On the spot, she got down on her knees and bowed her head.

“Please, Okaya-kun!　Please come back to our company and work for me!”

…… Suddenly, I was confused, wondering what this person was doing.

But …… I realize.

She’s …… on her knees.

“I was wrong!　Please …… please ……!　Please come back to our company ……!”

In the midst of a crowd of people watching, Jyunikane got down on her knees.

“…… What’s the matter? … Suddenly getting down on your knees?”

The people are looking at us

Not good, it would be a problem for the store.

“Jyunikane, please raise your head.”

“If I raise my head, will you come back?!”

“Why are you doing this……”

She’s looking at me with bloodshot eyes.

Honestly, it’s bad.

If I had the ability to think normally, I would realize that getting down on her knees and shouting in front of this many people is wrong for a member of society.

“Anyway, please calm down for a moment.”

“But ……!”

“Calm down, you’re disturbing the store. Please sit down.”

Ugh, …… Jyunikane clammed up.

She returned to her chair quietly.

It’s rare for her to listen to what I have to say,…….

“So what’s this all about?　What do you mean, come back?”

“…… Exactly what I said. Okaya-kun, do you know that we are in a difficult situation right now?”

“Yes, somewhat.”

I heard that Takanawa, the major publishing company I used to work for, is currently on the verge of bankruptcy, triggered by the scandal of the former president.

“It’s not just a sign of bankruptcy ……. If we don’t do something, we’re really going to be ruined.……”

“Is the situation that urgent?”

“Yes…….”

Haa….I sighed deeply and turned his head away.

“Kamimatsu, Hakuba, Kurohime…… and even Kaida-sensei all left us. The publishing rights for the animated works were also taken over by another company. ……”

Kamimatsu-sensei’s Digimasu and Bokushin will be rebooted as paperbacks in the SR library.

It seems that Ouji and other authors will be releasing their works under different labels.

“Mou……My publishing company is in shambles. Besides, talented people are quitting, and the …… building has been evicted. …… Now we’re crammed into a crowded building.”

The building that housed the previous publisher is now going to house SR Bunko.

“Now that Takanawa is in trouble…… the only one who can save it is you, Okaya-kun.”

“You’re being too overbearing.”

“No, now that you’re gone, I’ve realized how good you were. I realized that you, Okaya, were the one who supported our label underwater.”

She put her head on the table and said.

“Please come back, Okaya-kun.”

…… I see.

In other words, she wants me to come back and help her rebuild the label.

But …….

“I’m sorry, I have to decline.”

“Wha……?!　W-why?”

It’s like Jyunikane, who screams with her eyes peeled off.

“I’m already a member of the SR bunko.”

“But …… but ……we are a bigger publisher than you.　Your social status and trust will be greater if you stay with us.”

…… What is this person saying now?

“It doesn’t matter how big the company is. I just don’t want to leave my current workplace because of Ugematsu-san.”

He was the only one who reached out to me after I was fired, asking if I wanted to work with him.

I can’t betray Ugematsu-san.

“When you say social status, I wonder how much status there is left in Takanawa now.”

“Damn it, that’s……”

Didn’t she just say herself that the publishing company was in trouble?

Even if it wasn’t me, who would want to go back to the current Takanawa?

“I’m going to work with Ugematsu-san and SR Bunko for the rest of my life. So, I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to decline your offer. Please excuse me.”

“Wa, wait……!”

Gashi, Jyunikane grabbed my arm with a firm grip.

“You’re throwing me away!　I’m your former boss!　I’m in so much trouble!　Am I asking you too much?!”

“You’re the one who abandoned …… me in the first place, don’t you remember?”

“T-that’s ……”

“There are so many better people than me, right?　After all, you have Kisogawa over there, right?”

Kisogawa , that’s the name of the asshole who had an affair with my wife, Misae.

“You prefer Kisogawa over me, right?　Isn’t that what you said?”

It’s true that when she fired me, she cited Kisogawa as the reason for her disdain.

But …… a look of indignation comes over her face.

“Such useless scum!　He was fired a long time ago!”

“Ha?　Fired ……?”

“Even if I hadn’t gotten a call from the top, I would have fired him myself!”

Dang!　She punched the table and said evasively.

“He can’t do the job!　He makes our business partners angry!　And to top it all off …… he cheated on me with someone else!”

Ah, not again.

He’s done the same kind of thing elsewhere.

He never learns.

“You were tens of thousands of times better than that scum!　Please, Okaya!　Come back to us!”

…… I wonder what she’s really saying now.

“Jyunikane.…… Do you remember?　The reason you fired me?”

“Eh……? Eh, uhm.……”

…… Apparently, this woman has forgotten the reason why she fired me.

She really doesn’t care about her subordinates.

“You said that I was having an affair with Kisogawa’s girlfriend.”

“Ah, ……!”

With my words, and the fact that he was unfaithful…….

I think she finally realized what was going on.

That Kisogawa was lying and that I was being set up.

“I have no intention of serving under someone like you who doesn’t trust his or her subordinates.”

“Aa…….that’s….”

“I told you didn’t I, that Kisogawa was cheating. You were the one who didn’t listen to me, right?”

“Ah …… Ah ……”

I guess she doesn’t want to keep me around anymore.

So, in the end, I deserved it.

“Excuse me.”

I walked out of the restaurant, leaving the Jyunikane groaning helplessly in the background.