The Fumisha Yohi Method, Episode 12: True Identity

Episode 11: The Visitor

“What is the meaning of this! Who are you!”

In a private meeting room, Kato and Igarashi (provisional) sit facing each other. It was Kato who whispered in a shout, keeping his voice low.

(Hmm? Ah, is he surprised that Igarashi has come?)

“Well, of course I am! Aren’t you Igarashi-san?”

(You’re wrong, Kato. For starters, I don’t recall ever introducing myself as Igarashi.)

“No, that might be true, but!”

(Just wait, I’m going to go bring the real one here.)

“Eh? Can’t you only be seen by me?”

(Just like Kato, Igarashi can see me, you know.)

Igarashi (the fake) passes through the wall and returns a few minutes later with Igarashi (the real one). They look so similar they could be twins.

“You must be Kato-kun. Nice to meet you. I’m Igarashi.”

(I am Ran Kanki.)

“Nice to meet you, I’m Kato. Wait, so your name is Kanki-san!”

(You’ve been noisy for a while now. That’s right. I hadn’t introduced myself yet, after all.)

“It must have been tough, dealing with Kanki-san.”

(That’s rude, Igarashi. Besides, wasn’t it I who raised you?)

“That’s true, and I am grateful for that, but...”

“Why is Kanki-san dressed like Igarashi-san? That’s the reason I misunderstood.”

“Ah, Kato-kun, that’s not it. It’s the other way around. I admire Kanki-san, so I’m the one imitating his look.”

(That's exactly it.)

"Admire? You admire a ghost?"

(Kato is so rude.)

"Huh? You don't recognize the name Kamiyoshi? Ran Kamiyoshi is the daughter of the man known as the greatest publishing producer of the post-war era."

"Oh, uh, I've heard of that. Wait, don't tell me, the one who created Tengu Novels..."

(My father.)

"Exactly. Ran inherited her father's editing skills. Her father was so great that she didn't stand out, but she is a top-tier professional editor who has produced numerous bestsellers."

"Then, the Ranbun Method is..."

"Ran kept insisting, 'Don't use my name,' so I forced it into a phonetic equivalent and called it the 'Ranbun Method.' It's actually the 'Ran-bun Method.' It's the set of writing rules that Ran taught me."

(Igarashi has no talent for writing, but he has a talent for reading. I saw that in him and approached him. At first, he was afraid of me too, but just like Kato, he fell in love with my unparalleled writing skills.)

"You really know how to talk yourself up, don't you?"

"Seriously. But Igarashi-san, why did you step down from judging the Writing Awards?"

(Greed.)

"Yes. That's right. It was greed. I couldn't let go of the desire to become a writer. So, I followed the Ranbun Method, created a work, and submitted it."

(Even so, it didn't even pass the first round of judging.)

"You're annoying. Yes, I know. I know I have no talent for writing."

(However, I have a talent for reading. Igarashi, I've told you this several times: a book does not belong to the author. But it doesn't belong to the reader either. The author writes, and the reader reads. It is not a one-way street. That is why we are needed—to represent the readers and bring authors who have yet to see the light of day into the world.)

"I understand that now, but..."

"I no longer have the desire to write. That's why I think this judging job suits me."

"Kato-kun, I was the same way. But you know, as you read so many works, you start to mistakenly think, 'I could write something like this myself.' And before you know it, even when you see a good work, you only feel jealousy, envy, and other negative emotions."

(In that case, you should have just applied to a different open call instead of the Writing Grand Prize, though.)

"That was my weakness—I couldn't do that. I wanted to win an award, even if I had to cheat. I wanted someone to recognize my writing."

(And yet, there are tens of thousands of authors who want to be recognized by Igarashi.)

"It's ironic."

"I hate to interrupt, but why do you insist on being involved in the judging even after becoming a ghost, Kamiki-san? Could it be some kind of grudge?"

(That's right. In a sense, I might be a vengeful spirit or a yokai. Well, my reason is similar to Igarashi's. I wanted to be recognized by my father, too. But it never happened. Perhaps I was seeking that from the writers of the new generation. I might have wanted my father to see the works I found interesting—the ones that reflected my perspective as a reader—become the new bestsellers of the world. I did manage to put out a few, but it's greed. It has no end. Meeting you all has made me strangely happy. There are young people with good reader perspectives. It makes me happy. Once a bestseller author is born from the Writing Grand Prize, my existence will likely fade away.)

"This place is full of yokai."

"How rude."
(How rude.)

Episode 13: The Judges

Episode 1: https://note.com/u_yasushi/n/n50fe762ef006
Episode 2: https://note.com/u_yasushi/n/n2aefa79ddb17
Episode 3: https://note.com/u_yasushi/n/n7766d2efafdd
Episode 4: https://note.com/u_yasushi/n/n14db0d504832
Episode 5: https://note.com/u_yasushi/n/ne3df7df82afc
Episode 6: https://note.com/u_yasushi/n/nce363b3a3b6d
Episode 7: https://note.com/u_yasushi/n/n988d2fbbea88
Episode 8: https://note.com/u_yasushi/n/nc7891dfdb586
Episode 9: https://note.com/u_yasushi/n/nf24d6f4b8133
Episode 10: https://note.com/u_yasushi/n/n7df18307a437
Episode 11: https://note.com/u_yasushi/n/n3729eec39423
Episode 12: https://note.com/u_yasushi/n/n986740e6ffa6
Episode 13: https://note.com/u_yasushi/n/ne4d645a75975
Episode 14: https://note.com/u_yasushi/n/na38f84e5a63f

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