Kejgo Higasino - The Name of the Game is a Kidnapping

The moment she mentioned the word marriage, I lost interest in the woman. I could only see her large chest, her slim legs, and even her smooth skin as the parts of a mannequin.

I gave her an unamused look and then got out of bed. I put on my boxers that I had tossed aside and fixed my rumpled hair while looking in the mirror.

Whats with that face? The woman raised herself halfway up, flipping her long hair. You dont have to be so blunt and make such a sour face.

I wasnt even in the mood to reply. I looked at the alarm clock. Five minutes before eight in the morning. Just the right time. I switched off the alarm that wouldve gone off in five minutes.

Im already twenty-seven, okay? the woman added. You could stand to listen to a little of that.

I told you Ive never thought about marriage, I said with my back still facing her.

You said you dont think about it a lot. Not that you never think about it.

Is that right.

I thought it might be this way, but when I see through something, I get bored. I started doing pushups by the bed. I was careful about the rhythm, and when I flexed, I exhaled. Just like my gym instructor told me.

Hey, are you mad?

I didnt answer. Id lose count of my pushups. Twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty, then it got a little harder.

Then let me ask, what do you plan on doing with me?

I went down on the forty-second pushup. I rolled on the floor like that and thrust both my legs under the bed. Setup for sit-ups.

I didnt really have any plans. I liked you. I thought I wanted to sleep with you. So I did. Thats all there is to it.

Meaning that you werent thinking of marriage.

I thought I told you from the start. I wasnt thinking about anything like that. Unlike you, I wasnt thinking about it at all, and I dont plan on starting now.

And if I say that I dont like that?

Its useless. Youll need to find a guy wholl think about marriage. It should be easy for you to find one.

Youre saying youre tired of me?

Its not that. Weve only been dating for three months. But when theres a difference in opinion, you can only give up.

The woman sunk into silence. I couldnt tell what she was thinking. She was a woman with a lot of pride, so she wouldnt say anything unbecoming. While she was thinking, I started my sit-ups. Since turning thirty, itd become easier for my belly to put on fat. I couldnt get away with not doing this every morning.

The woman said, Im going home, and got down from the bed. It was pretty much the answer Id predicted.

While I did sit-ups, she put on her clothes. A black dress. Without fixing her makeup, she took her bag in hand.

Youre not getting any calls from me.

With those words, she left the room. Id heard her voice still on my side by the bed.

She had a magnificent body, but it couldnt be helped. It was true I was struck by that physique, but I didnt feel like living with her for a lifetime. Of course, I could have used the technique of hinting at marriage as appropriate to keep dating her. Then, if the time came that Id actually gotten bored, Id just have to talk about breaking up. But doing it like that didnt suit me. It wasnt because itd be on my conscience, but because itd be a bother. Id been in more romantic relationships than I could count now, including ones that were sustained through accumulating lies and compromises, but I knew deep down that it would do me no good.

By the time Id taken a shower and shaved at the washbasin, I was no longer thinking about the woman who had left. Instead, the names of two others floated into my head. One was a model in the making, the other was just an office lady. I knew the phone numbers for both of them, but Id never called them. Id gotten a call from the model. The one I liked was really the office lady, but when we went out drinking before, I got the feeling that there wasnt a lot of hope. I couldnt find it in myself to do this and that and everything possible to woo her. I didnt think she was worth it, and more importantly, I didnt have the time.

I fried some ham and eggs, toasted bread, and warmed up canned soup for my breakfast. Lately, I was lacking vegetables. There had to be some cauliflower in the refrigerator so I decided Id have a gratin with a lot of that in it tonight.

Changing into my suit, I booted up my computer and checked my email. Several items dealing with work. The rest of it was all trivial stuff. There was one from a hostess at a club I went to the other day. I deleted it without reading it.

By the time I left the room, it was a little past nine. That meant Id taken more than an hour since waking up. I still had a long way to go using my time wisely. I walked at a brisk pace to the subway station. It took seven minutes.

My work was in Minato Ward. The ninth and tenth floors of a fifteen-story building were occupied by Cyberplan. I got off the elevator at the tenth floor.

When I got to my desk, a piece of paper that said, Come to my office Kozuka, was on my computer. I put down my bag and headed on down the hallway.

The presidents office door had been left open. When it was closed, you werent to try to meet with the president except on very urgent business. If it was open, it meant that you could go in freely. It was Kozukas policy.

Kozuka was in the midst of discussing something with a female employee. When he noticed me, he cut off the conversation.

Ill leave the rest to you. Anyway, dont use that designer anymore, Kozuka told the woman. She answered that she understood and left the room. When she passed by me, she gave me a slight bow.

If Im not mistaken, shes in charge of producing a new game.

Well, games are hard. Kozuka closed a file that had been laid out on his desk. Please close the door.

It seemed he was preparing for a discussion about either a large amount of easy money or something serious. I closed the door and approached his desk.

We got word from Nissei Automobile, the forty-five-year-old president said.

They finally made a decision? Then we need arrangements for the first set of meetings. I can make an opening any time this week.

However, Kozuka remained seated with a long look. Thats not it.

This isnt about the automobile park?

It is.

Then, do you mean that itll take some time before the decision is made?

No, the decision has been made. I just got word.

Then?

Its been canceled.

What? Unable to comprehend his statement, I took a step toward him. No, I understood the meaning of it. It was just so idiotic that I couldnt bring myself to believe it.

Canceled. The automobile park plan is back to being a blank slate.

But... how could that be?

I wanted to believe that Kozuka was telling a bad joke. But I didnt sense that possibility in his expression. I felt like my blood was coursing backwards through my veins and like my whole body temperature had risen by several degrees.

I cant believe it either, Kozuka shook his head. That it was canceled after making it this far.

What happened? Please explain the situation to me.

Im going to ask about the details tonight weve got a meeting then. Even so, they might just give us a formal notice.

Is it just going to be completely scrapped? Or do they mean that the chances of implementing it are low?

The chances of it are zero. The concept of the automobile parks been rejected.

I balled my right hand into a fist and struck the palm of my left. Why, after getting this far...

The supervisor was also confused.

Of course. Considering how much time was used up for this project...

The person also said they would guarantee all the funds weve used until now.

I wouldnt think itd be a matter of money though.