Volume 12, Chapter 12.5
Volume 12, Chapter 12.5
The sub-title “12-12” means that this quiet talk is about the end of Chapter 12, Episode 12.
Please be careful.
“Hello. Oh, Emi? Yes. Huh? No, I haven’t given birth yet! My due date is in two months!”
“It’s Los Angeles, USA.”
Yuuji’s sister, Sakura, received a phone call.
It was a phone call from Emi, a friend who lived in Utsunomiya.
She said, “Yes, George and Lewis have gone there. They’re only going there for a week, but the baby hasn’t been born yet.” She continued, “so call your mom if anything happens. Actually, I could have flown there just in time, but George stopped me.”
Sakura was disappointed to hear that.
Since she is in the stable stage, it is possible for Sakura to fly to Japan. It was up to the airline company, but if she had a doctor’s note and consent, she could board the plane. But apparently George did not approve.
“I guess so, yeah. George and the others will go to Gunji-san’s place, and I’ll call Emi if anything happens. I’ll also let you know if something comes up.”
Sakura simply hung up the phone. Although they were both women, they didn’t seem to spend a lot of time on the phone. Maybe it was because Emi had a family to care for.
“I hope nothing happens to him. I hope nothing happens to him…”
Sakura muttered to herself.
By the way, she’s not worried about an incident or accident. No, she was only a little concerned about that.
Rather, she is worried about her husband, George, and her friend, Louis, and their mysterious antics.
But despite Sakura’s worries, the two American otaku are having a blast in Japan.
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“We’re finally in Japan!”
“You’re getting too excited, Lewis. Now, you said you’d pick me up…”
It took about 12 hours from Los Angeles to Narita by direct flight.
After the long trip, two American men finally landed at Narita Airport.
They were George, Sakura’s husband, and his good friend, Lewis.
George’s only luggage was a large backpack. Apart from his wallet, passport and other valuables, he only had a change of clothes and a laptop. He’s naturally a light traveller.
On the other hand, for some odd reason, Lewis was dragging around a large suitcase. Like George, it contained only a change of clothes, a laptop, and a digital camera. The suitcase was actually just full of empty space.
“Hey, George, over there, there’s Gunji! Hey!”
“Oh, that’s right. I’m glad he could make it here.”
Lewis pointed to a man in a suit. He was sporting a rucksack on his back.
It was Gunji.
He was wearing a suit with a backpack, but he didn’t look out of place at the airport.
Next to him was an interpreter who had been arranged by the lawyer working with Gunji. He was a pathetic interpreter who had had a lot of trouble translating during the camp-off.
“Mr. Gunji, it’s been a long time.”
“First of all, we’re off to Utsunomiya! Let’s go get the work done quickly! Then we’ll look around Yuji’s house, and then head straight for Akihabara!”
George didn’t come here for fun, he was in Japan as Sakura’s proxy.
Lewis, who joined him on the flight, was then persuaded into going along with George’s itinerary.
Anyway.
After meeting up with Gunji and the interpreter, they were put in a car and headed for Utsunomiya.
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“Sakura is planning to buy land in the vicinity if possible. She doesn’t want to cause any trouble to her neighbors.”
Utsunomiya City, Gunji’s Law Firm.
In the reception area, I saw George and Lewis.
In the reception area, George and Lewis were joined by Gunji, their lawyer, an interpreter, and a cool neet guy.
“Yes, that’s the direction we’re moving in. We are currently leasing the Hojo family’s land as farmland, so it may be difficult to do so right away…”
“Gunji-san, you should seize it as soon as possible even if you have to pay for it! This is not the time to relax! A contract? Even if you have to pay a penalty, do it now!”
When Gunji’s words were translated, Lewis spoke quickly. It was like he was crying for an interpreter.
He seemed to feel that Gunji was taking a risk by proceeding with the procedure in a strict and orderly manner.
Yuuji’s story will be broadcast as a documentary in the winter.
Once it is broadcasted, both researchers and fantasy lovers will flock to it to confirm its authenticity or to visit the other world. That’s what I was thinking when I said that.
“Gunji-san, the Hojo family’s land and the surrounding area is farmland, isn’t it? It may be difficult to convert the land for other uses, but even if the land remains as such, you wouldn’t be offended if you put up a fence or security system to prevent intrusion. As Mr. Lewis says, we’ll get it later, but we’ll hold it anyway.”
As if to support Lewis’ statement, the cool neet guy explains it more thoroughly to Gunji.
We’ll get the land the Hojo family is renting back and convert it from farmland. Gunji was consulting with various authorities and going through the procedures for two things at the same time.
Normally, this would have been no problem.
However, the situation was much bigger than Gunji had imagined.
“So that’s it… I understand. Even if it costs extra money, let’s prioritize speed.”
Gunji seemed to have finally realized the magnitude of the situation.
Even though he has read a lot of great fantasy books, he seems to have underestimated the vitality of people who dream of other worlds.
I hope he will look back on his words and actions when he used his position as an agent of the Hojo family to stay at the site of the Hojo family.
“If you seize the land and it’s no longer farmland, what are you going to do with it? Sakura said she wants us to keep the place where the house used to be.”
“Of course not, George! I’m sure you’ve heard of it. If we don’t leave it where it is, he might not be able to go to the other world! He might come back to the same place. It’s outrageous to tamper with that place! That place is the holy land!”
Lewis speaks passionately in response to George’s words. Incidentally, this man is an outsider.
Gunji, the lawyer representing the Hojo family; Neetu, a cool guy who is a central figure in the company that manages Yuuji’s rights and the NPO that accepts Yuuji’s wishes; George, Sakura’s husband; and an interpreter.
Lewis is a member of the video production staff, but he is not entrusted with anything by the producer.
Lewis was the only outsider in attendance.
“Yes, we’re not going to do anything with the site of the house. It’s just a question of what to do with the surrounding area. We’ll need an observation post and a guard station, and we’ll ask… Yuuji what he wants.”
“I don’t even know what to do! I’m not sure what to do, but I’m sure I’ll be able to do it. I want to be able to enter! It’s like a theme park!”
“I see, so we can earn money for maintenance… Theme park… a park… a campground? Oh, yeah, that could be a good one.”
The cool neet guy and Lewis talk through a translator.
In the middle of the conversation, the cool neet guy was muttering to himself. He is a dangerous man. No, he’s not dangerous. It’s normal to talk to yourself when you’re thinking. It’s not strange.
I’ll ask Sakura about it when I get back.
“Well! Let’s go to the site! Lewis said he wanted to see it before it was made into a movie. That’s it for today anyway… Tomorrow we’ll be in Akihabara!”
George said and stood up. Lewis also stands up vigorously.
It seems that the two of them had come to Japan for sightseeing, under the guise of discussing and inspecting the land.
The contents of Lewis’ large suitcase were almost empty, probably for shopping.
“George-san, Lewis-san, I’ll come with you. Our guide will join us there.”
The cool neet guy also stood up. Apparently, some of the board’s residents are also coming along.
“I’m going with—“
“Gunji-sensei, please take care of the land as soon as possible.”
The cool neet interrupted Gunji’s attempt to speak. He is a ruthless man.
It seems that Gunji’s Akihabara debut has been put on hold.
He loves classic fantasy books and yearns for a different world. Maybe it’s better for Gunji to stay at that level. If he ever wakes up, he will probably wear a suit and backpack to Akihabara and Comiket. It would be out of place. No, he would probably still fit in the Akihabara atmosphere.
George and Lewis are filled with anticipation.
The cool neet guy, the interpreter, and the residents of the NPO’s bulletin board are on their way to the Hojo family site as chaperones.
Gunji, who had been left behind, was nodding slightly, despite the excitement of the group.
Anyway.
With this opportunity, the movement to seize the land around the Hojo family accelerated.
The people involved had one thing in mind: to get it on the air, and to make it accessible to us.
All the people involved had one thing in mind.