Mole Alley (もぐら横丁)

Okimi-san! - Yes!

My watch has stopped.

What time is it now?

2:35.

Hey…

The final draft is ready.

Huh?

Hey, ah…

Ah... What happened? Jeez.

This.

Hmmm...

How is it?

Did you finish the final draft? - Yes.

Read it. How does it compare to the last one?

I understood the previous one better.

Well, of course.

The last one was too loose, and I got scolded by the teacher from Nara.

It doesn't have to be understandable for middle schoolers.

Besides, if it’s not about the same length as the original,

the essence of Saikaku would be lost.

So, I rewrote it.

Also...

It was said that the slightly sluggish writing was a reflection of lifestyle.

Ah... it really stung.

I see…

What kind of pain are you talking about?

"What kind of pain?"

Well... like being punched with a fist...

or slapped in the face, there are different kinds.

No...

If it's a fist or a slap, no matter how many I get, it’s no big deal.

But the sting of even a single word of criticism...

is much, much deeper and more complex.

I can't understand that kind of complex pain.

Anyway, I'm working not just for my own livelihood,

but partly because I think Saikaku's rigor…

could serve as a model, and that's why...

...I’ve been given the opportunity to work on this.

So, once you send this, will you get paid right away?

Yeah... if the teacher says it's good and...

he sends it to the publisher.

How much will the publisher send, I wonder?

Well...

But, you know, I think I might have already taken an advance on most of it.

Oh, I see.

So, that means there’s no money for my final draft work either.

Yeah, that’s what it looks like.

Hmm...

That means no money for dorayaki either.

To me, that kind of loss feels much deeper and more complex.

Alright, let’s go get some dorayaki.

Really?

Hey.

The dorayaki shop is this way. - Yeah.

Oh, right.

Lately, I’m more familiar with that place than you are.

Shall we ask them for some kusa (herb)?

Kusa? Oh...

By the way, your watch had stopped earlier.

Oh, you’re right, it’s still stopped.

If it’s going to stay stopped like this, how about we just leave it?

Yeah, maybe it could take a break for a while.

Yeah.

Alright, wait for me in the field. - Okay.

So, how did it go?

The pawnshop owner, hehe... he’s actually quite nice.

Did something happen? - Yeah.

“He said, ‘It’s getting warmer, so you won’t need winter clothes for a while.’”

“Bring them in,” he said.

“He’ll keep them safe, free from mold and bugs,” he said.

He’s quite kind, actually.

Kindness is nice, but do you still have any winter clothes left?

Oh, right… I’ve already pawned them all.

What?! Hahaha!

But you know...

Did you ever think you’d become a regular at the pawnshop this quickly?

Yeah.

But pawnshops are interesting, aren’t they?

Everything turns into money so easily.

Well, I guess you could say that’s interesting, in a way...

But deep down, don’t you regret it?

Regret?

Regret what?

Getting involved with me.

No, not really.

Then let me ask you...

Why did you decide to be with me?

Well...

Hmm, I don’t really know why.

I just didn’t feel like saying no, that’s all.

Hmm...

You know...

Sometimes, when you’re about to bump into something...

you think, “Should I avoid it? Or should I not avoid it?”

And when someone tells you something...

you think, “Should I do what they say? Or not?”

There are moments in life when you need to make those kinds of decisions, right? - Yeah.

Well, when you asked me...

I didn’t think about those decisions at all.

I just went with the flow.

Hmm. - Hehe, I was kind of absent-minded.

Yeah.

And, at that time, I had a bit of a cold.

Hmm...

Did you have a cold?

And then later on, didn’t you ever think, “Oh no, I made a mistake”?

Well...

Well... I don’t like dwelling on things that have already passed.

Thinking about them won't change anything, will it? - Well, that’s true...

You know, that childhood friend of yours...

The one who always comes up in conversation— the university student.

Ah, Nonomiya, right? - Yeah.

Don’t you ever think you made a mistake not ending up with him?

Well, sure, when I first came to Tokyo...

I thought that if anything went wrong, I could always go to Nonomiya-san for help.

But that’s it, really. Nothing more.

That’s all.

Hey, I’m throwing! Move back, move back!

Whoa! Ahh!

Thanks, mister! - You’re welcome.

Alright, next, I’ll hit the ball for you! - Mister, hit it all the way here!

Hey, Yoshibee, go over there and catch it!

Alright!

Ogata-san, you have a visitor.

Who is it? - For your wife.

It’s for you.

For me?

Who is it? - Someone named Nonomiya.

Nonomiya?

He says it’s Nonomiya. What should we do?

Huh?

Why not let him in? - Hehe, yeah, I guess you’re right.

Alright then...

Sorry, the place is a bit of a mess.

Come on in, come on in.

Please, come in.

It’s Nonomiya-san.

This is Ogata-san. - I’m Nonomiya.

I’m Ogata. Nice to meet you.

How did you find this place?

I got a letter from Yoshi-chan’s mother.

Ah, I see.

Well, my mother always meddles too much...

You say that, but...

Your mother is really worried about Yoshi-chan, you know.

Oh, right, how about some tea?

Ah, I’ll go make it. - No, no, I’ll do it.

Yoshi-chan's mother is really worried about her.

Even though she says she’s helping a novelist,

her mother doesn't really understand what that means.

And when she mentions "Ogata Ichirō"...

she says she’s never heard of him in the newspapers or magazines.

She worries that he’s just some fraud pretending to be a novelist.

He’s not a fraud. He’s the real deal, but he’s not famous yet.

What’s Ogata-san working on now?

He’s translating Saikaku’s novels.

Translating? Into what language?

Into modern Japanese.

Stuff like **Seken Mune-zanyou** and others.

And what do you do to help, Yoshi-chan?

I copy the parts of the manuscript he’s finished.

And I help with a lot of other things, too.

Like what?

Well, to write a good novel, you can’t be distracted, right?

So, if a debt collector comes, I make excuses for him...

and sometimes, I even go to the pawnshop.

To the pawnshop?

Yoshi-chan, you go to those places, too?

Yeah... though not that often.

At first, I was embarrassed, but now I don’t mind it at all.

Hmm...

Yoshi-chan, you’ve really changed, haven’t you?

Oh dear... I guess I let that slip out.

You’ve been going through a lot, huh? - No, not really.

Well, sometimes there are movies I’d like to see...

So, you don’t even get to see the movies you want?

Well... if we don’t have the money at the time, then no.

Yoshi-chan. - Hmm?

How about we go see a movie? - You’ll take me?

What do you think is playing right now?

That French movie, **The Seven Deadly Sins**, it’s got really great reviews.

Wow! That sounds amazing.

Excuse me, here’s the tea. - Thank you.

Okimi-san...

Hold on a second...

This month...

Could I get the rent for this month?

Yes...

I’m really trying to figure something out.

Well, if you could just...

Yes, well, hold on a moment. - Hmm?

“Hold on,” so you’re going to make me wait again this month?

No, I meant this stone here.

Oh, I see... well, that’s a relief.

Hey, do you need socks? - Oh, can I borrow some?

Hey, Nonomiya-san is taking me to the movies, do you want to come too?

Hmm...

I just started working on this, so...

I see...

Well, I’m going by myself then. - Okay.