Published at 18th of January 2020 12:01 pm

Chapter 8, Idle talk 5 [8-9] Gunji Esq, opening a meeting with some of the bulletin board residents

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Tl: Jun

ED: Jun

[8-9] means this happened during chapter8 part 9

“I’m sorry for being late despite having invited you all”

A cafe nearby Ueno park, Tokyo.

The man, who was wearing a suit in spite of being the weekends, finally arrived at one table and spoke to the three people sitting there.

His approximate age seems to be fifty, and his suit was worn stylishly like a glove.

He had less black hair than he had white hair mixed in. His metal frame square glasses gave him an even more formal impression.

On a closer look, a rucksack was carried on his back. And climbing boots on his feet.

He stuck out like a sore thumb.

No, this was a traditional cafe chain. They are crowded on the weekends, but looking at the store interior, several groups of men in suits were conversing with each other. He was not so out of place, if one does not mind the rucksack and shoewear.

“No, it’s no problem, Gunji-sensei. This store has free wi-fi at any rate. Having no private room though, which is different from akihabara stores, was surprising”

Representing the three who were already waiting, a man responded.

Yes, this is the meeting that Gunji, attorney to Yuuji and Sakura, had called.

Its participants were four; the attorney Gunji, Sakura’s friend as well as bulletin board resident Emi, Cool NEET and Well-informed NEET.

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“Come to think of it, why Ueno? My husband was eager to show pandas to my daughter, so it was helpful, but…”

Who broke the ice with this was Emi. It appears she came from Utsunomiya to Ueno with her husband drove the car. Her husband had taken their daughter to a nearby zoo. He was an understanding husband.

“When I heard where all of you live, I thought maybe here is convenient. There are no other reasons for it”

Gunji declared to Emi’s question. However, once more Emi asked a question.

“Oh, is that so? We took along our daughter so we checked up various things together with my husband, but… Right now, a nearby museum seems to be doing an exhibition called ‘Katanas and swords: Their beauty’ you know. Japanese katanas and western swords gathered all at once looks unusual though?”

The three men averted their eyes towards Emi’s question. Only the clinking sound of lifting up the cup off the saucer could be heard.

“I knew it” Emi muttered while grinning broadly. It seems she hit the bull’s eye.

“Ah, come to think of it, Gunji-sensei. There was a well established mountain climbing supply store in Ameyoko right? But those in Akihabara or Jinbouchou seems to be more extensive now, you know?”

Gunji raised his eyebrows and showed some surprise. It appears that this hit the bull’s eye as well.

Nevertheless, Gunji was already carrying a rucksack on back and wearing climbing boots. What would he plan to buy at this point? Well, he may plan to cast away the suit style in the end however.

“Well, I guess that’s fine. Gunji-sensei and I are from Utsunomiya, but where do you two live? No, you don’t have to answer though. I just thought like, come to think of it, I’ve never asked during the offline meeting did I?”

“I’m from Tokyo. With various things happening around four years ago, I’m now living alone here”

Who answered as such was Well informed NEET.

On that subject, this man knew the ‘Mysterious religious buildings that transferred to another world’ and immediately went to the National Diet Library. He has some light footwork, but they seem to be movements that sure would not be possible if he didn’t live in Tokyo suburbs.

“I live in Toyota”

Next, Cool NEET answered.

“Toyota? Which means Aichi prefecture? You’re a Owari Nagoya guy?”

Hearing Cool NEET’s answer, Emi asked again in order to confirm.

However…

“It’s Aichi Prefecture, but it’s not Owari. It’s Mikawa”

Cool NEET answered back with a strong tone of voice. Did I struck a chord on something? Emi did not seem to know.

“Eh? Aichi isn’t Owari?”

“Please don’t confuse us with them. It’s Mikawa”

Ignorance is sometimes a dreadful thing.

“Miss Emi, I’ll teach you about that area later alright?” Well-informed NEET whispered such and the like in Emi’s ears. (T.N. Aichi Prefecture is actually a united Owari and Mikawa territory)

Incidentally, Cool NEET declared Toyota, but the area became tremendously vast by the merging of municipalities and since then the place he lived in also became Toyota. It takes forty minutes to pass through the mountain road to Matsuzakaya at the front of Toyota Station by car. He denied it’s Owari and yet seems to insist he lived in Toyota. You might say it is certainly Toyota City however.

In any case, it appears she ended it without hurting the pride of the Mikawa man anymore than this. It may already be too late however.

Nevertheless.

Well-informed NEET thought Aah, so that’s why he sometimes write like that on the bulletin board, understanding Cool NEET’s character.

Mikawa.

Needless to point out, it is Tokugawa Ieyasu’s birthplace and the land where Warrior Mikawa was born in.

The blood of the battle race seems to have been inherited as of yet.

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“Now, how about we get to the main question?”

In order to soften the pointlessly tense mood, Gunji began to talk with a low, subdued voice. It seems he did not call for a meeting in order to just deepen relationships.

“There are other subjects, but we start with this one first. The truth is, you see… Sakura-san will be unable to participate in the next offline camp and possibly the offline camp after that. It seems to be a happy event. And with that, though it was originally Emi-san, Infraworker and I, I was wondering if I could not request you two to organize them, which is why I have called you”

Aah, that’s why, is the understanding expression Emi was making. It appears she had heard of Sakura’s circumstances from the person herself.

Nevertheless, “happy event” was an old-fashioned way of speaking. No, as of now, marriage due to unintended pregnancy (T.N. できちゃった婚: literally “we made it” wedding) was changed to shotgun wedding (T.N. おめでた婚: literally happy event wedding), so they were words in the middle of revival. Then again, the fifty years old Gunji used the words from the olden days as is however.

“So she is pregnant. Congratulations, isn’t it. The person herself won’t be there so it will be chaotic, but… Yes, I don’t mind being an organizer”

Cool NEET and well-informed NEET readily agreed in helping with the offline meeting. These two seems to have been managing it even now. Since they have the time to afford it, they didn’t seem to have the intention to decline again. They were undoubtedly NEETs.

“Thank you very much. Next is the real issue at hand. The offline camping this time was funded by Yuuji-san, but I thought, is it fine to continue like this? He still can afford it, but…”

It was a vague manner of speaking, unusual for Gunji.

“I see. His savings will surely do nothing but decrease after all. There is also the possibility that Yuuji would become penniless at the time he ever comes back to Japan, is that it?”

Who followed Gunji’s words was well-informed NEET. Though Yuuji was certainly rich, his assets was at most around fifty million yen(roughly 456k dollars as of 2 feb ‘19). His asset was already continuing to decrease with the offline camping aid and PC. He was also paying Gunji as his attorney, his pension and taxes. Well, even at this pace he should be holding out for more than twenty years still.

“Yes. Yuuji-san doesn’t seem intent to stop the offline camping aid, as it is his idea”

“Say, Gunji-sensei. Yuuji-san won’t have any particular problems even if he doesn’t have any money after coming back to Japan, does he? If his physical ability stays like that, then he can work as much as he likes, don’t you think?”

“That is true. Yuuji’s current physical ability is twice the ordinary person isn’t it. If it’s a physically demanding professional sports somewhere like American football or rugby, then wouldn’t he be able to become first-class and higher? He should be popular with physical work too, even if he doesn’t go that far”

There is no problem even if he returned to Japan without any asset, is what Emi and well-informed NEET uttered. They were blunt. Certainly that was true, but that wasn’t what he meant.

“No, in this case, is it fine to just depend on that, is the problem Gunji-sensei must be thinking. Ideally, Yuuji-san would, or the bulletin board residents earn money and cover the costs of things like the offline camping. Is that what you mean?”

Cool NEET returned the discussion point and moreover confirmed his objective. So he was a businessman. He was a capable NEET.

“That’s right. I think it’s essential to collect an entrance fee from the participants of the offline meeting to cover the cost, but… Yuuji-san’s wish is to not change the fact that the present condition, where the meeting is free to participate and he would aid in travel expenses depending on the person, will become an occasion for the people who don’t leave the house and the people who don’t work. Yuuji-san himself seems to be thinking it’s fine to use up his savings for that, but…”

Gunji informed them of Yuuji’s wishes. As expected of Yuuji, he was a man of zero social experience. It seems he didn’t really understand the importance of money in modern day Japan. Well, it is certain that he could become anything even if he returned penniless.

“Alright. Well, with Yuuji’s present conditions, we have as many ways to earn income as we like if it’s the amount of money to support the offline meeting and its traveling expenses. Let’s think of a way to continuously earn money without burdening either the thread residents or Yuuji”

Cool NEET readily took on the challenge. The neighboring well-informed NEET also nodded. They were reliable men. They’re NEETs though.

In any event, thus marked the end of the meeting between Gunji, as Yuuji’s attorney, offline camp organizer Emi, cool NEET and well-informed NEET.

Incidentally, the first step of earning income was the advertising revenue of ‘Free Design/Pattern paper submission & download site’ that was launched mainly focused on the Loli bastard. Exactly stated by Cool NEET who lightly took on the challenge, they easily turned in the amount of money enough to support the once-a-year offline camp meeting cost and travelling expenses.

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