Kishibe Rohan wa Ugokanai: Mutsukabezaka

Hello, Mr. Kishibe!

It's such a nice day!

MINORU KAIGAMORI, AGE 23, EDITOR

What are you reading?

De Staël.

Dostarl?

Is it a new band or something?

He was a Russian artist. He died in 1955.

Listen, Kaigamori.

ROHAN KISHIBE, AGE 27, MANGA ARTIST

Of course, it's absolutely unacceptable

for a professional to be late for a business appointment, but…

it's also not right for an editor to arrive six minutes early

for an appointment with a manga artist!

I'm sorry. So coming early is wrong too.

You were lucky it was me this time.

Now, let's talk about my next 61-page one-shot manga, shall we?

Excuse me, Mr. Kishibe! We are your fans!

Could we have your autograph? Please write "To Akira"!

No, no! No autographs, you two!

Mr. Kishibe is busy! He's working!

I've signed them already.

Unlike some, I'm a fast worker.

I always give my autograph to thank my fans.

Wow! How did you do that?! Drip painting using coffee!

Thanks, buddy. You rock!

Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha!

-By the way… -Huh?

Before we start discussing work, I need to ask you about something.

Sure.

To be honest, it's about money. About my payment. Okay?

Could you pay me in advance? I've recently gone bankrupt.

I'm not in debt yet, but I have no home.

What?!

I'm staying with Koichi for now. I don't even have a desk to work on.

My Sailor Moon figures, Led Zeppelin paper-jacket records

and Rurouni Kenshin manga… I've sold the lot.

What did you say?

You don't have an office? What do you mean, bankrupt?

Haven't you just bought some mountains? In a resort village?

Yeah, so that I can do some research for my comics about a specter

which supposedly lives there.

Some developer was trying to build a damn road to the resort village.

So, I bought six mountains around there to stop the construction.

See, I needed to buy as much land as possible

to stop the construction.

Then, the resort road plan was scrapped, so the land price slumped.

That place is now just wilderness in the middle of nowhere.

The mountains I bought are worth nothing…

which means, I'm penniless.

Can I get paid in advance?

Hang on a minute.

Did you buy those hills to research your manga?

-Yep. -Not for an investment?

No. What I need is reality in my manga.

For your research on some specter legend?

Enough!

If the road was built,

that specter might be scared off!

Then my plan will be wrecked!

Hey, hey! Don't give me that look! Did you just look away?

Why are you looking away?

You think I'm off my head, don't you?

Mr. Editor!

Look, a manga artist doesn't always have to spend his money on super cars

and gaming rooms in the basement.

Besides, it was there. The research was well worth it.

Remember, this story is exclusive to your magazine.

"It was there"?

What do you mean "it"?

Haven't you been listening to me?

I saw it with my own eyes.

The specter of Mutsu-kabe Hill is still there.

It's still there now.

I'm sorry, Mr. Kishibe, but…

could you please say that again? What is there?

There was a girl called Naoko Osato, a university student in her last year.

At the end of September, she killed her boyfriend.

MUTSU-KABE HILL

Naoko Osato…

She is the only daughter of a successful family in Mutsu-kabe village,

who have been making miso paste for 300 years.

Their property stood at the end of a single-lane road on a mountain.

In other words, they owned the entire mountain.

Gunpei…

can you go home now ?

Put away the video game too.

Why?

Has someone come to the main house?

Doesn't matter! Will you just leave now? From the back door.

Nao? Ah…

Nowadays you're, like, a bit cold, huh?

Surely you're not with another guy?

If you've already worked it out, that makes things easy.

At least we've got something nice to remember.

My father will never let us marry. You're just a part-time gardener.

As the only daughter, I'll be responsible for the family estate.

I don't think so!

You're kidding, right? Why can't we just carry on, Nao?

Let me go.

We don't need to split up.

Let go of me!

Shall I show me holding you like this to your new man and your precious daddy?

I said let go!

You…

I-- I'm sorry.

B-but you hit me first.

I really love you, Nao.

It's fine this way. Nobody needs to know.

Go! Go home!

Nao, listen--

Go! Take that money and go home!

She may get flustered to see you drop in unannounced.

She'll be desperately trying to do herself up!

They're coming. I'm stuck!

Please, take your stuff and go now!

I'll be honest with you.

You're awesome.

But he's my fiancé.

I'm going to marry him next spring, after I graduate.

So this is the end for us. We can't see each other any more!

What?

Gunpei.

Hey.

No.

You're messing with me again…

aren't you?

Gunpei…

stop playing around.

No pulse.

He's d-dead.

Naoko thought she should attend to Gunpei's wound anyway.

She pressed a towel she found nearby onto the wound.

He's playing tricks on me. This can't be true.

I just shoved him lightly.

Why was that golf club there?

Why?

It looks as if…

as if I hit him with the golf club!

Gunpei!

What shall I do?

A doctor! I've got to call a doctor!

If he is dead, will a doctor be any good?

Or should I call the police?

Naoko, are you there? It's your father.

Shuichi has come to see you.

No, I'm not here.

I don't exist anywhere.

It's locked.

Maybe Naoko is not here…

I may be mistaken, Mr. Osato,

but I think I just saw movement through the window.

I must hide him!

S-somewhere!

I must hide Gunpei!

Under the sofa for now!

What's going on?

He's got no pulse, and his heart's not beating.

Why's he still bleeding?

Naoko! Are you there?

Are you all right? Is anything wrong?