Before I could finish my sentence, as if he was summoned by my words, Kurosawa-san entered the restaurant. As soon as he stepped inside he saw me. I raised a hand and waved at him, not even realizing that I was smiling widely.

“Masato-sensei, I’m sorry… I’m late. Traffic was awful and I… also had to park a little farther away from… here.” Kurosawa-san spoke between light pants. It was clear that he ran here after parking his car.

“It’s alright.” I said simply, then I turned to look at Asakura-san. “Asakura-san, this is the person I was just telling you about. Kurosawa Rintarou, my editor.” Then, turning back towards Kurosawa-san, I finished the presentations. “Kurosawa-san, this is Director Asakura Ryuu, from Nozomu Financial.”

“Ah, it’s nice to meet you.” Kurosawa-san hastily bowed and pulled out a business card.

“Likewise.” Asakura-san replied politely, handing his own business card.

When we were all sitting down, Asakura-san looked at his watch and frowned slightly.

“The other two people should arrive shortly. I told them a different hour because I wanted to have the chance to talk to you alone, Masato-sensei. Since you have agreed to our terms, I wanted to ask you to come to a location viewing next month. We’ll be gone for about a week and see more than five places where the filming might take place.”

“A week?” I asked in amazement. “Don’t these kinds of activities usually take longer?”

“Yes, they usually do. But now it’s just the initial phase so we’re just going to view possible sites. We might not even stick with them until the end.” Asakura-san replied.

“Isn’t that just a waste of money? Why not wait until more planning is done, then go and see locations?” Kurosawa-san butted in at the right time. 

To be honest, I was thinking the exact same thing.

Asakura-san began laughing, taking both of us by surprise.

“Now I know what you meant by ‘a person who is even more honest than me.” He said, chuckling into his fist.

“Huh?!” Kurosawa-san stared between Asakura-san and me, looking completely puzzled.

Just then, the tea was served. Kurosawa-san ordered a strong coffee and then the conversation continued.

“You’re right, Kurosawa-san.” Asakura-san began. “It might be a waste of money, but I don’t care as long as the results are flawless. This movie is very important to me, so I want to make sure everything goes down perfectly. If we have to take several more trips, then so be it. I have the money and the time.” He said in a way that made him sound rather brash.

“Well, I guess directors from big financial corporations, who are favored by the gods, can afford to be this bold.” Kurosawa-san said with a strange smile. “But I am sorry to have to refuse you, Director Asakura-san. Masato-sensei cannot go with you for a week. Since nothing has been planned or decided yet, there is no need for him to travel so far for nothing. After more planning is done and the final list for locations has been approved, we can go and see them with you.”

I was startled by both his tone and attitude. It was my first time seeing the usual cheerful Kurosawa-san being so direct, almost impolite, to such a high figure like Asakura-san. I was half-expecting the director of Nozomu Financial to explode in anger at being talked to in this manner. 

However, to my astonishment, he merely smiled and sipped his tea calmly. 

Where were the rains of curses and threats that I had imagined? Or the breaking of contract and all possible business relations? 

Perhaps I had underestimated the businessmen’s level of tolerance. Apparently, they could be quite thick-faced when they wanted.

“Kurosawa-san, I understand what you say, but it is precisely that we have yet to decide on the final locations that I want Masato-sensei to join us. I want him to look at the sites and give us his opinion, whether those places fit into his image for the story or not.”

“That might be so, but I still find it rather troublesome. Masato-sensei has been working on a new book recently, and it is not long before he finishes the initial draft. It would be inconvenient to get interrupted at this stage.” Kurosawa-san argued.

Again, I nodded my head, thinking he had a point. I was almost finished with the plot and then we would have to review it several times before the final piece is approved.

Asakura-san turned to look at me. Since I was sure he saw me nodding my head, I decided to follow-up with words. But right before I was able to say anything, two other men appeared at our table. 

The movie director and the producer had arrived.

Director Mayama Kenta was wearing a tweed costume and black-rimmed glasses. He had quite an aloof look about him, making him appear artistic in a sense. 

Meanwhile, Producer Fukuoka Shintarou was dressed in a black business suit, with his hair cut very short and a frowning expression on his face. He looked both stern and unrelenting. 

Other than that, there was nothing else to catch my attention. They seemed pretty ordinary now that I was looking at them closely.

We made presentations, bowed and exchanged business cards. Then, the five-men meeting was officially in full swing.

Mayama-san spoke little, leaving Fukuoka-san to make most of the conversation, while Kurosawa-san and I merely listened and offered our input when necessary. 

On the contrary, Asakura-san kept silent the entire time. He had a detached expression on his face, making it impossible to know what he was thinking about.

Strangely enough, no one brought up the one-week trip afterwards, not even Mayama-san or Fukuoka-san. I didn’t want to be the one to say anything, and apparently Kurosawa-san had the same idea as me, because he didn’t mention it either.

Thus, two hours passed and we decided to conclude our first meeting.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Masato-sensei. You are just as Kota-san described you. I look forward to working with you.” Fukuoka-san said at the end, stretching his hand for a shake.