Messages to Kentarou Miura: Kouji Mori (2)

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Part 1 of this translation can be found here.

Page 8

Superficially, it may sound strange but
Sharing information or thoughts was quite a common thing between us.

Anyway, when we were young, we talked (together) almost every day, all year long.

Pointed arrow: That’s me. I didn’t hesitate to ask for another bowl of rice in Miura’s home.

To tell an unbelievable story, I was even a freeloader like Dora*mon at Miura’s place for quite a while when I was in high school.

※ I might tell you more about my freeloading later.

We met in the classroom during the first year of high school.

Mori: In the drawing, I’m talking to a boy who is drawing a Zaku on his student notebook. [Note: The boy is Miura, and a Zaku is a mech from “Mobile Suit Gundam”]

On the way home on that day

Page 9

Miura: Eh!? You’ve been drawing manga!?

Mori: No… Well, I’m not good at all
Mori: I’ve been drawing… because I like it.

At that time, we were around the same height…

Miura: Me too!
Miura: Then, can I come to your house next Sunday!?
Miura: Let’s draw together.

Miura had a lot of hair that made his hairstyle look like a helmet, which gave him trouble.

Mori: Ehh!? …Well… Ok
(This is) abrupt…

At that moment
I thought he was a really sociable chap, but I quickly learned I was wrong.

I had a 7:3 parted hairstyle, people called me “bald head” because of my wide forehead.

Later on, I asked him why he daringly said so.
He answered that he didn’t have any idea at all. *laughs*

Page 10

And then we started to have manga companions, little by little
Although they eventually left

We were still drawing manga together.
Miura: I knew it would happen.
Mori: Is that so? Well... you were right.

Miura: Except for you and me, no one was serious.
Miura: Because manga isn’t just graffiti…

Mori: I’ll surely become a mangaka.
A few years later, I turned twenty and got frustrated.

Page 11

My life became tougher and tougher, but Miura didn’t change.
Although I stopped drawing manga, we still met.

Without caring about the fact I was frustrated with manga, Miura started a manga consultation.
(It was about) the story he had been drawing
(About) storyboards that weren’t proceeding well
(About) materials that he would draw next, etc.

Mori: What a torture
This bastard…

I was half-upset and half-pleased, I think.

Later, I asked Miura why he did it.
He immediately replied “because I was sure you’d come back to manga eventually.”