Friday, April 11, 1980
Arthur looked at the calendar and got ready to go to his high school.
After saying goodbye to his mother and taking everything he needed, another day began. On his way, he saw a car passing by—and when he noticed a familiar face inside, he waved. To his surprise, it was Emiko. Her stepmother was driving. Arthur wondered why her real mother wasn't the one behind the wheel, but before he could think further, Takashi called out to him.
"Arthur! Good thing you're here—Mika's leaving me speechless!"
Mika, who stood next to him, glanced at Arthur with annoyance.
"What do you want, foreigner?"
Arthur stayed silent for a moment. "What's the problem?" he asked, looking at Takashi with confusion.
Takashi only looked at Mika.
"It's about your story, foreigner! I cried because of your stupid story!" she said, and as she finished, she tried to hit Takashi—but he dodged quickly.
"Come on, Mika, no need to get violent," he said.
Mika looked up at the sky. "It's amazing how a story can bring out people's emotions. Nice work, foreigner."
With those words, she walked off toward her classroom.
Arthur stood there confused, staring at Takashi, who remained behind.
"Are you two… dating?" Arthur asked.
Takashi looked puzzled. "I don't think so, Arthur. But who knows? Mika doesn't express her feelings easily, and even if it seems that way, I doubt there's anything between us."
Arthur narrowed his eyes with curiosity. "Then help me with a project I have."
Takashi looked surprised. "What project, Arthur?"
"A low-budget movie. I want you and Mika to star in it."
Takashi leaned closer and whispered, "A teenage love story?"
"You guessed it," Arthur said, walking away before Takashi could object.
Takashi just watched as Arthur disappeared down the hallway.
---
In class, Arthur looked for Emiko and found her reading a magazine. Daichi greeted him and sat nearby. Arthur simply went to his seat and sat down.
When the class ended, Arthur looked at Emiko again, but she only smiled faintly and went back to her reading.
Daichi waved goodbye and left the room, leaving Arthur alone—but that didn't bother him. He took out the script for GO, a movie he had once planned to direct. Now, as AOI, he only needed to change his voice and use makeup. His friends would be the main actors.
With the script in hand, he headed to the cafeteria to see if he could find Takashi.
---
The afternoon sun bathed the tables in amber tones. The air buzzed with chatter, the clinking of trays, and the smell of cheap coffee.
Arthur opened his notebook on the cafeteria table. Takashi, carrying his lunch tray, leaned over curiously.
"Look," Arthur said, pointing to the first pages. "I've been writing this as a screenplay. The story follows two young people who feel torn between different worlds and expectations. Life forces them to choose—and in the process, they discover what it means to love and stay true to themselves."
Takashi flipped through the pages, nodding as he read.
"I want you to play one of the main roles," Arthur continued. "Mika would be the other lead. Their characters go through tough times, moments of joy and misunderstanding—they have to find their own place in the world."
Takashi looked up, thoughtful.
"So… you want us to act this out at school?"
"Yes," Arthur said with enthusiasm. "It's not just about acting—it's something personal. I want everyone to feel the story, to see the emotions and choices of the characters as something real."
Takashi smiled with quiet confidence.
"All right, Arthur. If you wrote it, I'm sure it'll be a success. We can do it. We'll bring these characters to life."
Arthur nodded, thrilled. Knowing Takashi was on board gave him the certainty that his story could become something real—even if only the two of them fully understood it.
"Now we just need to convince Mika," Takashi said, patting his chest. "Leave it to me. But wait—you're not directing it?"
"No, it'll be someone called AOI," Arthur replied casually.
Takashi nodded. "Makes sense. It'd be weird to direct something before knowing how."
Arthur laughed awkwardly. "Well, I'll leave Mika to you. Good luck, Takashi."
He left the script on the table and walked off, while Takashi kept reading, not even noticing Arthur had already gone.
---
At the literature club, Arthur browsed through foreign novels, trying to find something to read. Aiko noticed how focused he was and didn't bother him.
Takashi didn't show up—perhaps he was still trying to convince Mika.
With that thought, Arthur said goodbye to the club members and headed home. He didn't want to bother Emiko, who was probably still embarrassed about what had happened earlier.
---
When Arthur arrived home, he noticed his uncle's car parked outside. Before he could enter, his uncle quickly shared some news.
"Good news, Arthur."
Masato leaned against the doorframe, smiling calmly.
"Arthur, I wanted to tell you something important. I've managed to acquire three key companies for us: King Records, Akita Shoten, and Tsuchida Production."
Arthur looked at him with curiosity.
"And what will each one be for, Uncle?"
Masato smiled.
"King Records will handle the music—ensuring that Plastic Love and any other songs you want to produce are protected and well distributed. Akita Shoten will take care of novels and manga, so your stories have their own platform without relying on anyone else. And Tsuchida Production will cover films, anime, and TV series, so any audiovisual project born from your ideas will have a proper, secure path."
Arthur nodded slowly, understanding the scale of the plan.
"So with these three companies, everything I create will be protected and able to reach the public without problems."
"Exactly," Masato said, placing a hand on his nephew's shoulder. "That way, even if the Yakuza try to interfere, our ideas and projects will be safe."
Arthur smiled, feeling for the first time that his creativity could bloom in a world that often felt dangerous and chaotic.
"Tsuchida Production just needs a project to start with," Arthur said. "I want to make this low-budget movie—I already have the leads from my school."
Arthur pulled the script from his bag and handed it to his uncle. Masato flipped through the pages and became absorbed in the story.
"And, Uncle," Arthur added, "while we're filming, I want you to publish the novel too. Everything under my pen name, AOI."
Masato looked at him and handed over another manuscript. "So you wrote the novel first, then the script?"
Arthur nodded. Masato began to read.
Title: GO
The story follows Sugihara, a young man of Korean descent born and raised in Japan. He lives in a society that discriminates against him for his heritage, even though he feels Japanese at heart.
Sugihara is a rebellious, charismatic teenager searching for his identity while struggling with prejudice and societal expectations. His life changes when he meets Mizuho, a bright, courageous Japanese girl, and they begin a relationship that challenges social norms.
The novel blends themes of young love, discrimination, friendship, and the search for identity. Through Sugihara's experiences, readers explore how youth can be a time of self-discovery, facing both internal and external conflicts while fighting to be accepted for who they truly are.
When Masato finished reading, he looked at Arthur. "How do you come up with these ideas?"
Arthur looked out the window. "Who knows, Uncle."
Masato fell silent, then nodded. "All right, Arthur. I'll publish the novel, and once you finish filming as AOI, we'll screen it. Deal?"
He laughed heartily and looked at his nephew—the golden goose he hadn't realized he had. Holding the manuscript and the script, Masato said goodbye to Arthur.
Yumi, watching her brother hug her son, looked suspicious.
"What are you so happy about?"
"You have no idea, little sister. Your son's ideas are brilliant. With this, I'll be out of debt faster than I ever imagined," Masato said, grinning as he headed for his car.
Yumi watched the car drive away. When she turned, she looked at her son.
"It's surprising how much you trust him, Arthur."
Arthur just looked at her and said,
"Blood is thicker than water."
With those words, he went to his room.
Yumi was taken aback by what he said, but only smiled softly before walking to the phone to call her husband.
Arthur lay on his bed, staring at the calendar. For a moment, he wanted to tear it down—but instead, he folded it and put it away in a drawer.
"I don't like seeing what day it is every morning," he murmured.
Then he lay back and fell asleep.