Chapter 68 Please come with me, Saito-san!
Chapter 68 Please come with me, Saito-san!
Originally, the farewell ceremony for Takuya Yanjing and his wife was to be held in Annex C of Building 10 of the Kiritani Funeral Home. There were two other funerals before that, so their turn was around a.m.
After learning about this, driver Kinoshita took advantage of the fact that Kitagawa Hide and others were chatting in the waiting hall and quietly ran aside to call Kawaide Shizuko.
After a while, the driver Kinoshita came over quickly, bowed slightly to Kitagawa Hide and said, "Teacher Kitagawa, the funeral of Mr. Yan Jing and his wife has been arranged in the main building of Building No. 1. The staff will come to help pack up soon. Is there anything else you need?"
Saito Reina, who was chatting with Kitagawa Hide, was stunned. She was confused and surprised. She looked at Kitagawa Hide with an uncertain expression, seeking an answer.
It is very difficult to make a reservation at the Main Hall No. 1 of the Kiritani Funeral Home, especially on weekends, as it is basically reserved by powerful people.
Kitagawa Hideya was surprised. He remembered that when Senhara Masato discussed funeral expenses with him before, he specifically mentioned that the funeral costs of the main building of No. 50 Building were extremely high. The entire process would cost about yen, which was almost one and a half months' salary for Senhara Masato, a bank clerk.
The funeral cost of Annex C of Building No. 5 was much lower, about 10 yen, a difference of times.
In fact, the overall funeral environment of the two is not much different. The difference lies in the size of the venue and the service of the funeral home staff.
The former can accommodate about 300 people, and various staff will provide various services throughout the process. The latter has about 50 people and only provides the most basic carrying services.
Because labor service fees in Japan are very expensive, the price difference between the two is so big.
"President Kawade told me to do this. The funeral expenses have been transferred to the funeral home through the company's finance department. You don't have to worry about this issue." Driver Kinoshita said respectfully, "Also, the president said he couldn't attend due to some trivial matters. He is very sorry. Please understand."
"What the president has done is more than enough! Driver Kinoshita, please convey my gratitude to the president later." Kitagawa Hide quickly bowed in return.
The acting president of Kawaide Shobo is really thoughtful.
Reina Saito, who was standing by, seemed to understand the conversation between the two, while Keigo Higashino and others who were still busy not far away were even more confused.
Reina Saito had a lot of questions to ask, but before she could open her mouth, the employees of the funeral home rushed over in a hurry. She had to give up for the time being and follow the crowd to the main building of Hall No. 1. She would ask again when she arrived at the cemetery while there were fewer people.
The group set off in a mighty procession. With the assistance of the funeral home staff, the originally rather complicated farewell ceremony for the body was conducted smoothly.
In the huge venue, the bodies of Takuya Yan and his wife were placed in the center, with their portraits, spirit tablets, black candles, black umbrellas, and a tribute table behind them.
It was Kitagawa Hide's first time to attend a Japanese funeral, and he didn't know what the taboos were, so he pulled my wife Yumeko to follow behind Saito Rena and imitate them.
"Kitagawa-san, my wife-san, I'll have to trouble you as relatives of Yan Jing-san to return the gifts beside the coffin later." Saito Rena whispered to them, holding white flowers in her hands.
No relatives of Takuya Yan and his wife attended today's funeral, not even any friends came, so Kitagawa Hide and my wife Yumeko, who paid for it, had to act as relatives.
Kitagawa Hide and my wife Yumeko stood obediently beside the coffin, watching Saito Rena and others come one after another to pay their respects to the body, put the flowers in their hands, and finally clapped their hands and put them together in front of the spirit tablet on the offering table.
Masato Senhara and driver Kinoshita were the last two people to say goodbye. After they laid flowers, the staff closed the coffin quickly.
As he watched Takuya Iwao's face gradually disappear from his sight, Masato Senhara felt as if a part of his body was also killed.
"I'm sorry for being born as a human being." He whispered what Kitagawa Hide said, feeling blocked in his heart.
Could it be that Yan Jingsang and the others can only leave like this with injustice?
After the funeral, the atmosphere became noticeably more depressing. Everyone remained silent and took driver Kinoshita's car to the Tokyo Crematorium nearby.
After the coffin was completely burned in the crematorium, the staff returned with two urns, and everyone hurried to Tokyo Aoyama Cemetery.
Japanese funeral customs are very different from those in other countries.
Because they believe in the local Shinto religion, they believe that people become Buddhas after death, so they treat cemeteries with respect and have no fear.
In the Japanese concept, residential areas close to cemeteries are more likely to be blessed by gods and Buddhas, so many cemeteries are built directly in the city center.
The tomb of Takuya Yan'ai and his family was purchased by Hide Kitagawa from Aoyama Family Co., Ltd., the owner of Aoyama Cemetery, for 50 yen.
Buying a cemetery does not mean the end of the matter. He still has to pay 5 yen every year for cemetery management, cleaning and other miscellaneous fees, just like paying property fees after buying an apartment.
However, although there are many charging items, the cemetery managers do their job conscientiously and responsibly.
The group arrived at the tombstone, but unexpectedly, there were already several men in black suits standing there.
Cemetery staff have uniforms and certainly don't wear suits.
Kitagawa Hide and Chihara Masato looked at each other in confusion, both thinking that it was the person the other was looking for.
Seeing them coming, a tall man in a black suit, wearing black gloves and holding a small urn, slowly walked towards them.
"Hello, Mr. Kitagawa. I'm Fujiwara Kei, currently serving as the Chief of the Criminal Investigation Division 1 of the Kokubunji City Police Department." The man in the black suit bowed slightly to Kitagawa Hide, then handed the small urn to him with both hands, "This is what President Kawade asked me to hand over to you personally."
Kitagawa Hide glanced at the small urn. On the lid was written "Yumiko Yanjing". His heart was shocked again. He quickly and carefully took it and said, "Hello, Officer Fujiwara. Thank you very much."
"The things have been delivered, so we'll take our leave now." Fujiwara Keiichi looked like a serious person. He bowed to Kitagawa Hide again, then bowed to the tombstone of Takuya Yan and his wife, then turned around and left.
Kitagawa Hide was holding the urn and heard Fujiwara Kei seem to be quietly reciting the two lines of the epitaph written by Kitagawa Hide on the tombstone: "I am sorry for being born as a human being; there is no need to apologize for being born as a human being." His emotions were obviously fluctuating.
After watching a group of plainclothes police officers leave, Kitagawa Hide glanced at the driver Kinoshita, who smiled and nodded at him, answering his doubts.
"It seems like the favors I owe are getting bigger and bigger now." Kitagawa Hide sighed inwardly, and he and Saito Rena carefully placed the three urns into the tomb one by one, and finally sealed the entrance tightly.
The group bowed and paid tribute once more, placing the final offerings. This funeral, which no one knew about, ended completely.
When seeing the urn of Yumiko Yan'ai, the usually eccentric and eccentric Dango Shirou said half a sentence "Yan'ai, you guy..." and then suddenly broke down in tears.
His grief infected others. Keigo Higashino and Masato Chihara pulled him aside to comfort him, while Yumeko Agatsuma carefully helped clean the tombstone and put on the final touches.
Taking advantage of this free time, Kitagawa Hide glanced at Saito Reina, who was obviously swollen again, and pursed his lips towards the depths of the cemetery: "Saito-san, let's take a walk together?"
"Okay." Saito Rena also had a lot to say to him, so she nodded slightly.
The two walked towards the inner side of the cemetery. Along the way, there were many men and women walking together.
The Japanese believe that in the quiet and unique atmosphere of a cemetery they can more clearly feel the brevity and impermanence of life, calm their restless mood, and solve many problems or worries.
Therefore, residents living near the cemetery always go on a "cemetery walk" together, just like taking a walk after dinner. It is approaching mid-July and the weather is already quite hot.
Today, Rena Saito has changed her previous OL image. She didn't even tie a ponytail. Her hair was long to her hips and she had an elegant princess cut. She wore a black short-sleeved shirt, a short skirt and tights, and a pair of petite black leather shoes. When she walked on the gravel road, there was always a rustling sound.
Kitagawa Hide noticed this but didn't say anything.
It seems that she has been in a state of emotional ups and downs recently.
"Mr. Kitagawa, are you ready to leave?" Saito Rena asked first.
She was not stupid. After receiving several hints from the higher-ups, she realized that Kitagawa Hide, who had not appeared recently, was most likely having a conflict with the people above him.
At first she thought it was just a simple difference of opinion, but a few days ago, Managing Director Hanamori suddenly showed up with an unfriendly look, so she put down all her work and went to persuade Managing Director Kitagawa Hidemi Noma, who was busy contacting the authors under Yasuhara Akira and trying to start a haiku column.
Managing Director Hanamori even hinted that she could use methods such as "pillow business" to persuade Kitagawa Hide.
At that time, she immediately felt that something was wrong, and hurried to ask Muramatsu Tomoshi.
When she learned from Muramatsu Tomoshi about the literary salon, and how they secretly made an outrageous plan for Kitagawa Hide without telling her, denied his new book idea, and hoped that he would continue to follow the path they arranged and play the role they hoped for,
Reina Saito did not choose to obey orders because of her current difficult situation.
She called Kitagawa Hide directly, and just warned him not to let other things affect his mood, and then hung up.
She would rather let Kitagawa Hide run away than to see him being dressed up in a mess by Kodansha!
"Yes, I plan to go to Kawade's study." Kitagawa Hideya guessed something from her expression and words, and felt more and more moved.
It turned out that when she admonished herself that day, she was not only talking about Takuya Yanjing, but also hinting to herself not to fall into negative emotions because of the conflict with Kodansha.
Her attitude towards herself has never changed.
Just like at the beginning, she recommended herself against all odds, and worked hard to ensure that she won the award and published a physical book, and endured the storms that might come with herself.
She has always adhered to her philosophy of editing work - maintaining the relationship between editors and writers with a deep bond, rather than relying solely on monetary interests.
"Kawaide Shobo, at the moment, Kawaide Shobo is indeed the best fit for you, Kitagawa-san." Saito Reina had conducted a detailed study of the five major publishing houses. Since Kitagawa Hide decided to change jobs, she subconsciously analyzed the pros and cons for him as an editor. "The editors of Shinchosha have too old-fashioned ideas, Bungeishunju is too radical, and Shueisha is rich but does not value writers. It is the worst choice."
"Kawade Study looks the worst, though."
"Please come with me, Saito-san!"
Kitagawa Hide suddenly stopped and interrupted her.
Saito Rena blinked her big eyes and didn't react for a moment, and then Kitagawa Hide's voice sounded again.
“We left Kodansha together and went to a place that would accept us, accommodate us, and give full play to our talents.
Whether it is the Oricon chart, the Akutagawa Prize, the Naoki Prize, or even the Nobel Prize far away in the West.
Let us continue to work together as partners, as editors and authors, to take them down!"
At this moment, Saito Rena finally reacted. Her little leather shoes suddenly stopped and she almost fell.
She turned her head, tilted her neck, looked at Kitagawa Hide with disbelief, and then felt tears welling up in her eyes.
In fact, since her promotion, she has gradually noticed something strange, and her career does not seem to have changed fundamentally because of Kitagawa Hide's rise.
Indeed, she was promoted to deputy editor-in-chief, got the independent section she had always coveted, had her salary increased, and gained the respect of many of her colleagues.
But these days, she slowly discovered that the so-called deputy editor-in-chief did not have the same power as An Yuanxian. Everyone still revolved around the newly appointed editor-in-chief as before, treating working women like her as vases.
The independent section I got was actually a haiku column that no one was interested in. The company and the editorial department did not provide any help, but I was under tremendous pressure to achieve performance.
The so-called core base of writers who have taken over are actually those who have been eliminated by Kodansha, such as Mayumi Aso, the winner of last year's Newcomer Award, who was later completely banished to the cold palace due to the sudden death of her physical book. The good ones have already been divided up by others.
Even the bond between her and Kitagawa Hide seemed to be being cut intentionally or unintentionally.
Managing Director Hanamori once hinted that a new editor would be in charge of Kitagawa Hide's new book, and that deputy editors like her should focus on more "important work."
So she became busier and busier, and she barely saw Kitagawa Hide once a week.
These days, she would suddenly think of Tanaka Aoi, who climbed up all the way, gave everything, but in the end didn't even have a chance to become a regular employee.
Someone had hurtful words written on her desk in red ink: "Disgusting bitch who poached writers."
However, Reina Saito, who erased this sentence for her, suddenly discovered that in Kodansha, there seemed to be no essential difference between herself and Tanaka Aoi, who was always compared to her in the past.
But no way.
She could only silently endure the workplace pressure and discrimination, and continue to forge ahead as before. No matter how painful or tiring it was, she had to swallow it!
In fact, she had already made plans for Kitagawa Hide to leave alone and return to her old life.
Even under such circumstances, Kitagawa Hide invited her without hesitation.
"I will recommend you to join the editorial department of Kawade Shobo's Literature and Art magazine in my name. Of course, this is not 100% likely to succeed, but in comparison, the probability is much higher."
Beichuan Xiu looked at her expression, suddenly smiled, said something she was very familiar with, and then slowly stretched out his right hand.
Looking at his outstretched right hand, Saito Rena suddenly felt that all the worries in her heart disappeared in an instant.
"I do, Mr. Kitagawa." Saito Rena looked into his eyes and answered word by word.
The two hands were clasped together tightly in an instant!
(End of this chapter)