Chapter 29: Sisters' Late-Night Talk About the 'Old Man'

Chapter 29: Sisters’ Late-Night Chat About the ‘Old Guy’

The night was already deep, yet Shinobu could not fall asleep. Everything she had experienced today had left the young girl restless. It was only natural; not just for a young girl like her, but even for an adult, such an experience would be enough to cause insomnia.

Shinobu kept replaying the events of the day in her mind—the tension, the danger, the excitement, the perseverance, the success, and everything in between. With all that swirling around, how could anyone sleep? So, she simply gave up on the idea.

It was still summer, and Shinobu liked to wear an oversized T-shirt as pajamas. Since she was at home, no one was there to tell her otherwise. She hadn’t quite shed her baby fat yet, and as she walked barefoot—her legs and feet soft and round—she couldn’t hide her youthful aura. What was even more striking was how straight her legs were.

She moved step by step, like a chubby orange cat trying to sneak into the refrigerator, her soft feet acting as cushions that made almost no sound. She pushed open her bedroom door and stepped into the hallway. Their house had an attic, but the ladder to reach it was usually folded away, pulled down by a cord. This cord, however, was kept high up—likely to prevent her from sneaking up there.

"What are you doing?"

Just as Shinobu was reaching up on tiptoes, her sister’s voice came from behind her.

"Oh! You scared me to death!" She turned back with a complaint, showing no sense of guilt for her mischief.

"Go back to sleep." Miho Nakayama brandished her authority as the older sister, arms crossed over her silk pajamas.

Shinobu just smiled. "Sis, you can’t sleep either, can you?"

The remark hit home, and Miho’s pretty face flushed.

Many detached houses in Japan these days favored attics, especially with those fold-down ladders that felt very American, though they were generally just used for storage. One thing worth noting, however, was the skylight.

The two sisters lay casually on the floor, directly beneath the skylight. At that moment, the full moon hung above them like a giant silver plate.

"Sis, what are you thinking about?"

"That’s a question I should be asking you."

"But you’re the older sister; you should go first."

"Why?"

"Is there even a need to ask? Isn’t that only natural?"

"What a strange definition of ‘natural’!"

"Fine, then I’ll go first."

"How can you do that? I was just about to say it."

"That won't do. You already said you didn't want to go first."

"That’s different! I was just objecting to the ‘natural’ part."

"All right, you go first then."

"Hmm..."

The sisters’ banter was quite amusing, and Miho generally tended to indulge her younger sister. "Are you thinking about the contract with Toho?"

In Miho’s mind, that was likely the most important thing at the moment. *Violent Man* had been a huge success at Iwanami today, and Toho had taken the initiative to discuss distribution. As the older sister, Miho had naturally seized this opportunity. Recommending her sister to Toho to launch her debut had always been part of Miho’s plan. At the time, even before she could bring it up, Shigeo Iwatani had proposed signing her sister himself.

Everything was going perfectly, and Miho felt quite proud. She had spent the day with her sister, and while she hadn’t explicitly revealed their relationship, it was more than enough. She had heard of Iwatani before; he might only be mid-level management at Toho, but in a large corporation, the middle tier represented the true pragmatists. Moreover, those who were favored often owed it to their connections with the upper echelons. Iwatani was a man of real power. To be favored by such a person, combined with her sister’s natural beauty, meant infinite possibilities for the future. And most importantly, she was Miho Nakayama’s sister.

To her surprise, Shinobu replied directly, "I wasn't thinking about that."

???

Miho was confused. If her sister couldn't sleep, wasn't it because of her impending debut, and a debut at Toho at that? If not that, then...

"Are you thinking about that ‘old guy’?"

Shinobu didn't hesitate. "Isn't that obvious?"

It was true; everything that happened today revolved around the ‘old guy.’ Was her sister being dense?

Miho frowned. She couldn't help but say, "I haven't even started on you yet! In that situation, why did you run back? And how can you still not see what kind of person he is?"

Shinobu replied with a smile, "The old guy is a good person."

It was that same tone of absolute certainty.

The older sister grew agitated. She stopped looking at the moon and stared at her sister’s profile. "Have you lost your mind? A 'good person'? A guy being hunted by so many people—how could he be a good person?"

"Sis, why can't you understand? Why was that car blocking the way? And why did the old guy confront those people? Someone who stands in front of women and the weak, and dares to stand up to bad guys... he's a good person. No, he’s a hero!"

Shinobu’s tone was unwavering. She continued to look at the moon, unmoved. A ‘hero’ carried significant weight in Japan.

Miho couldn't help but turn her sister’s face toward her, a troubling thought forming in her mind. "Tell me the truth. Do you have a crush on that guy?"

It wasn't unusual for sisters to talk about such things, but Miho regretted asking the moment the words left her lips. Shinobu was at an age where such questions would naturally cause embarrassment, but she immediately replied, "What are you talking about!"

Hearing this, Miho felt slightly relieved, but then...

"The old guy wouldn't even look at someone like me."

Huh???

Miho reacted reflexively. "What’s so good about a guy like that! If my sister liked him, it would be his..." *What am I saying?* Miho realized it was too late.

"The old guy is a very good person. You shouldn't always judge by appearances. Besides, back in Kanagawa, there was a girl who seemed to like him."

Shinobu’s defense of Takeshi Iwata stung Miho.

"No way!"

"It's true."

"She must have been a very ugly woman, right? Probably fat, too, right?"

"Sis! That’s going too far. I’ll tell you clearly: she was a very beautiful woman, not one bit inferior to you."

"Impossible!"

"And she’s going to pursue a career in music. She’ll be your rival in the future."

"Absolutely impossible!"

Miho Nakayama was extremely confident in her own beauty, so she decided that her sister was just saying this to spite her. But when it came to rivals... "Unless she’s someone like Akina Nakamori, she has no right to be my rival!"

Shinobu could barely hold back her laughter. "Even though my sister is great and I admire you, Akina-san is clearly suppressing you in every way. Calling her a rival is just a bit..."

How could Miho endure that? "You brat! How dare you talk to your sister like that!"

"Huh? Didn't you always say that children should tell the truth?"

"Dammit! See how I deal with you!"

"Ah! Haha... stop, I can't!"

Miho unleashed the tickle attack. Shinobu laughed and declared surrender, but her sister didn't stop, forcing her to launch a counter-attack. Moonlight streamed through the skylight, bathing their delicate skin, glistening sweat, and disheveled hair, creating a beautiful scene.

...

There was another person who couldn't sleep.

Koki Mitani, a young screenwriter favored by many, sat at his desk. The cigarette in his hand had accumulated a long ash, and he didn't notice until the embers touched his skin.

*Hiss...* He finally realized and snuffed it out.

Mitani had fallen into deep thought. His mind was filled with the movie he had seen today and that man. It was normal to hold prejudices against the Yakuza, but Mitani had to admit that Takeshi Iwata was... extraordinary!

*Violent Man* carried a very strong personal style, and many of the shots were deeply meaningful. Mitani found it hard to imagine that such a film could have been made by a novice.

But this was reality. Geniuses really did exist in this world.

Thinking of this, Mitani lit another cigarette, took a heavy drag, and began to write furiously. The young screenwriter had been stimulated—intensely stimulated.

Takeshi Iwata, you are the rival of my lifetime!

At this moment, no one could have known that the man on everyone’s mind—the old guy, the hero, the rival—was sleeping very soundly.