Title : Maybe it's a Dream Original Title : Yume kamo shinnai Author : Hoshisato Mochiru Kase Haruo : (Kase) Kase Misako : (Kase's wife) Kase Mana : (Kase's daughter) Yumeno Sumire : (Ghost) Satou Hiromi : (Young saleswoman working in the same office as Kase) Chapter one (page 5-29)-- Title: "I had a very good time." Kase remembers his junior-high days. He is an eager fan of Sumire. On the day of Sumire's 'Sain-kai' (autograph convention) in the amusement park, the convention is about to finish, although a lot of people are still waiting, because her schedule is tight and she is to attend a meeting of her support society which she is not interested with it. She notices young Kase alone is still waiting for her autograph. Sumire's manager is going to keep her schedule tightly, but she starts to talk to Kase and write down her autograph on the jacket of her first single record which Kase is holding. She gets her manager to take their pictures with Kase's camera. She suddenly takes Kase's hand and runs away from the manager to get on a Ferris wheel together with Kase. She says to Kase that she recently has to sing songs which she doesn't like just for promotion but that her first song Kase had for her autograph is still her favorite. While Kase is talking to her in the Ferris wheel, Sumire confesses she is not happy at all. Kase insists she should be happy. Sumire starts to cry a bit hearing that and she says she is the one who has to make people happy with her songs. One month after that, Sumire died, just when Kase got a postcard from her. On the postcard, she just says "Are you happy?" Chapter two (page 30-50)-- Title: "Things are not going as expected." When Kase comes back home next morning far from Fukushima, he finds his wife Misako is still awake. She wants to talk to him about her new job in Nagano. Satou-san is taking a holiday since she caught a cold. The other day Misako says to Kase that she really wants to join the company in Nagano, which a friend of hers has started. On top of that, she says she wants to take their daughter Mana to Nagano with her. He cannot help but slap her. He apologizes her at once but he feels bad. Later when Kase is drinking at a 'yatai', he notices that he has become a boring adult by himself and that he is not happy at all. Just when he remembers about Sumire, she appears up to him and tells him that she has come up to him to make him happy as always. Sitting next to Kase, Sumire tells him that his wife Misako was crying. Note: Nagano is located 3 hours far from Tokyo by train Note: 'yatai' is a moving small bar where we can drink 'sake' or beer and some warm foods cheaply. Chapter three (page 51-72)-- Title: "Stop talking nonsense." Next morning on Saturday, Misako goes to Nagano with Mana in order to figure out what the new job would be like. After Misako and Mana leave home, Sumire pushes Kase visiting Satou-san. Satou-san looks happy with Kase's visit's her home. When she is going to help Kase to warm foods for her, she totters toward Kase and she clings to him. Just then, Aikawa Fuyuko, her friend in her college days, comes in. She brings an old record player (for vinyl records) which Satou-san has asked her to lend so as to listen to the old Sumire's song. The three people have nice dishes which were made by Misako. On the way back home, although Fuyuko accuses Kase that he must be having an affair with Hiromi, he denies it. She says she also wants a boy friend, and Kase tells her he will introduce her one of men in his office. At Kase's home, coming back from Nagano, Misako looks happy. Kase tells her maybe he gets an affair with another woman, if they live separately. Misako laughs at that and tells he does not have the time to do things like that, because he is a workaholic. Anyhow they talk to each other pleasantly unlike usual. Chapter four (page 73-94)-- Title: "I've got something to talk to you about." Misako tells Kase that she should make a decision in the coming week whether she will take the job or not. Meanwhile Fuyuko arranges a party for herself so that she might have a chance to find the type of man, and she involves Satou-san and Kase with it. Kase brings Yamasaki to the party. Though Fuyuko and Yamasaki don't look to get familiar with each other at first, they actually have interests with each other. Sumire notices that and tells Kase about that. Kase is trying to help them get close, and asks Sumire to stop all the vending machines for the train tickets at the station, so that they can have another party. Yamasaki finally asks Fuyuko to go together to a bar alone with her. After the two leave Kase and Satou-san, he asks her to talk to him for a while. Chapter five (page 95-116)-- Title: "Let's produce results." Kase takes Satou-san to a bar. There he starts to talk about his wife who is eager to get a job in Nagano. He even asks Satou-san what he should do about that. Satou-san suddenly stands up and is going back home. She tells him that she feels herself looking like a fool, since she said to him she loved him but he tells her only about his family. Sumire blames Kase for his attitude to Satou-san and disappears. Next morning it appears Yamasaki gets along well with Fuyuko. Kase wonders what is important for him and he decides to have dinner with his family at a restaurant. He tells there he thinks over his attitude for his family and he agrees to that Misako goes to Nagano to have a job. But he expresses he still is against about having separate lives. Misako says it is just for a year and she still wants to take Mana to Nagano, since Kase is too busy to take care of Mana. Finally Mana proposes to see whether Kase does well in housekeeping alone with Mana, while Misako stays another place for four or five days. If it goes well, Mana would stay in Tokyo with Kase. Misako is not supposed to call home, even if she worries about home. The rule is set up that if Misako calls home with worrying, she loses this match, while Kase loses it if he calls Misako for her help with housework. Now their match starts. Chapter six (page 117-138)-- Title: "I can do it somehow." Kase and Mana start their lifes alone. Kase returns home early these days. He manages to cook their supper with Mana's help and plays TV games with her. It looks like he is doing well in housekeeping in the first place. ------------------------------------------------------------ [Page 122] In the customer's office which Kase once sold printer : 1) Kase: It's Muscle System Services! 2) Shachou: Oh, I've been waiting for you. In fact, that printer is in bad condition. Kase: Excuse me. 3) Kase: The revision of the driver is too old. 4) Kase: It's fixed up. 5) Kase: If you have any trouble, .... Clerk (Maybe she's wife of Shachou): Kase-san, would you like a cup of tea? 6) Clerk: He looks like Superman. Shachou: I'd rather tell he looks like Clark Kent. ------------------------------------------------------------ [Page 123] 2) Kase: All right, It seems I can finish my job early today, too. 3) Kase: I hope any trouble won't take place. Particularly not with Yamasaki ... 4) Cellular phone: Pipipipi 5) Kase: Oh, my. 6) Kase: Hello. It's Yamasaki, isn't it? 7) Kase: A printer doen't work at all on the network? Your customers often have that kind of trouble, Yamasaki. 8) Kase: What? It's Sato-san's customer? Is it the machine Sato-san sold? ------------------------------------------------------------ [Page 124] 1) Kase: As it's close from here, anyway I'll be there in ten minutes around. Yes. 3) Kase: I wonder if Sato-san hesitates to call me? How can I reply to her feelings? 4) Kase: Alas! ------------------------------------------------------------ [Page 125] 2) Child A: Mom, you are late. Mother A: I'm sorry, but it suddenly started to rain. 4) Mana: I cannot call Papa to pick me up ... 6) Mother B: Mana-chan, won't your mother come up to pick you up? Mana: No. She went out today. ------------------------------------------------------------ [Page 126] 1) Mother B: That's very bad! Won't you come with us some of the way, if you like? Child B: It doesn't seem it'll stop raining soon. 2) Mana: Thank you. 4)On the screen of a PC, the "print" button is being clicked. ------------------------------------------------------------ [Page 127] 1) Kase: Not working? Yamasaki: It doesn't tell anything at all. Sato: Just as I told you, isn't it? Customer: Is it still not working? 2) Customer: I'll be not able to be in time, if I cannot print it out today. Sato: I'm sorry. 3) Customer: You don't have to be sorry. You are always good to us. 5) Kase: It cannot be helped. Shall we take a backup and check on all the system? Yamasaki: It takes time, but it must be the only way. 6) Kase: If we devide it, we can manage. Let's go! Yamasaki: Yes. ------------------------------------------------------------ [Page 128] Kase and the people watch the screen of the PC. Mana runs back home in the rain. She sneezes. ------------------------------------------------------------ [Page 129] Mana cooks her supper for herself, plays a TV game alone and washes dishes. She sneezes again. Sumire looks at her. ------------------------------------------------------------ [Page 130] Being back again in the customer's office; 3) Kase: We did it. Yamasaki: We did it. 4) Customer: You helped me a lot. Thank you. Sato: It's not me ..... 5) Sato: Kase in our office did it. 6) Yamasaki: You are the man we can rely on whenever we have pinches. You looks as if you were Doraemon. 7) Kase: You don't keep on relying on me. Yamasaki: I'm sorry. [Note: Doraemon is the main character of a manga and anime series "Doraemon" created by late F. Fujio. He is a robot of a cat and he can do anything to help his friends when they have troubles, though he is usualy a scatterbrain. ] ------------------------------------------------------------ [Page 131] 1) Kase: Anyway you can call me anytime you have troubles. All right? 3) Sato: Yes. 5)At Kase's home; Kase: Hello. 6) Mana: Hello. Kase: I'm sorry I'm late. 7) Mana: I know that. I cannot live alone with you Papa, if I don't understand that it cannot always go well everyday like yesterday. ------------------------------------------------------------ [Page 132] 1) Mana: Have you already got down and do you want to call Mom? 2) Kase: No way. Not at all. 3) Mana: Then let's hang in. Kase: OK! 4) Mana: (coughing) Kase: What's wrong? 5) Mana: I'm all right. I'm going to bed. I'll prepare the bath for you (before that). Kase: Thank you. 8)In the bathroom; Kase: Mana, she is strong (nice). I tell you I'm happy. ------------------------------------------------------------ [Page 133] 2) Kase: Alas? 3) Kase: Well, (where is a new bottle of) shampoo? 5) Kase: In old days, everybody used soap in place of shampoo. 6) Kase: I can use my brain if something is short. I can do it anyhow even if Mama(=Misako) doesn't stay here. 7) Misako: (At a hotel) Oh? ------------------------------------------------------------ [Page 134] 1) Misako: The bottle of shampoo was just going empty. I wonder if he can find the new one. 3) Misako: If I call, I lose it. 5)Kase is going to lie down on bed, being exhausted. ------------------------------------------------------------ [Page 135] 1) Sumire: Aren't you overstraining somewhat? 2) Kase: No, I'm not! Sumire: Are you happy now that you work hard in the daytime to keep time for being with your daughter, and being tired? 3) Kase: Didn't you look at that? At that a father and his kid had a happy time? Sumire: Don't you think it is not worth it if you make things too hard for that? 4) Sumire: That aside, don't you think it'd be nice if you'd send the digusting woman away to Nagano and get along well with Sato-san? Kase: I tell you this! My home is not your business! It's none of your business anyway. ------------------------------------------------------------ [Page 136] 1) Kase: If someone doesn't endure to some extent, it doesn't go well. 3) Sumire: Beeehhh! ------------------------------------------------------------ [Page 137] 1) Kase: Oh, my! 2) Kase: I overslept! 3) Kase: Has Mana already left for school? 5) Kase: When we can, we can have a meal together, and when we cannot, we'll do things separately. That's reasonable, isn't it? 6) Kase: Looks like things are going well. I can make a living with Mana. 8)On the way to the office in the car, the phone rings; Kase: Yes, Kase speaking. ------------------------------------------------------------ [Page 138] 1) Kase: What? That printer went wrong again? I, I see. I'll be there right away. 2) Kase: What a mess! I'd better call a service man, too. (His phone rings again) 3) Kase: Yes. Is it Yamasaki? What? You also have trouble? 4) Kase: Four printers of the same type .... It must be the initial failure. I have to take measures. 5)Once again the phone rings; 6) Kase: Yes, Kase speaking. What? A call from school? 7) Kase: Mana collapsed at school? Chapter seven (page 139-160)-- Title: " The fruits of my efforts." Chapter eight (page 161-182)-- Title: "To tell the truth, I love you." Chapter nine (page 183-204)-- Title: "I'm glad to meet you."