When the elevator door with a cold glow slowly closed, Qing Shui Toru looked at Heiichi Irie, who had a heavy expression, and took advantage of the absence of anyone else to ask a question that he had been worried about since leaving the printing house.

"Irie-san, about the expenses for the revision of the dictionary..."

"Ah, you don't have to worry about that."

"But over there..."

"Don't worry, this money is nothing to Kodansha, as long as you talk to the director of the Dictionary Bureau, you will definitely be able to take it out."

His words were very firm, but the tired posture that was inadvertently revealed made Qing Shui Toru suspect that he was just beating his spirit.

But at this point, I can't ask any more questions. Toru Shimizu could only nod in silence and watch the elevator stop on the floor to which the Dictionary Bureau belongs.

After getting off the elevator and walking down the empty hallway, he suddenly noticed that there seemed to be some strange silence in the dictionary bureau today. Someone walked out of the office next to them, and saw that the two of them had retreated again, and did not forget to close the door tightly.

Even if he caught a few familiar glances behind the glass on both sides, when Qing Shui looked back, there were only dodging eyes and shaking his head slightly.

Before he could find out the source of the strange atmosphere, Irie, who was walking in front, had already pushed open the door of the Japanese dictionary class, and the scene of the confrontation between the two groups of people suddenly appeared in front of him.

In the room full of documents, several people in black suits stood on one side, clustered around a middle-aged man sitting in a chair. In those suits, Toru Shimizu recognized Satoshi Kanzaki with a swaggering face.

On the other side, it's a little thin, and only Shuya Ishii is alone.

"Chief Irie!"

Ishii noticed the change in the doorway first and shouted.

Irie ignored him, but met the gaze of the man on the other side.

A few seconds later, it was Irie who bowed slightly and said, "Director Adachi." ”

Is he the director of the Dictionary Bureau? Qing Shui Toru had some doubts in his heart, but he also understood that this was not an occasion for him to speak, so he just closed the door to block the sight of those outside who were exploring, and stood behind Irie, watching the changes in front of him.

"Oh? It's the head of the Irie Division," the director of the Adachi bureau said in a relaxed tone as if he hadn't noticed the air in the room at all, "It's working time, right, where have you been?" ”

"I went to a printing shop in the suburbs to discuss dictionary paper."

"So? Are there any results? ”

"It's not much overall, but if you can invest a little bit more, they can provide better paper. Director, about the money, in the Dictionary Bureau..."

"Stop," the director raised his hand to interrupt Irie's words, and he also got up from his chair, his tone a little heavier, "Irie-san, I'm not here to discuss this with you today. ”

He shook his body and came to Irie.

"The bureau has decided to cancel the revision plan of the "Great Japanese Dictionary"!"

The completely unexpected news made Qing Shui Toru stunned, turned his head, and noticed that Ishii Shuya was at a loss. Irie in front of him also froze for a moment, his fists clenched, and a few green tendons popped out of his neck.

"Director Adachi, isn't this matter to be discussed by the board of directors?"

"What I am announcing now is the final decision of the Board of Directors!"

Irie staggered back. The director was in a hurry, patting one hand on Irie's shoulder, but his face was unusually kind.

"Irie-san, I know this revision is important to you. However, you should also understand that after the bursting of the bubble economy, the business conditions of Kodansha have always been bad, and this year's earthquake was a major blow. To be honest, I don't want to cut the plan to revise the Dictionary of the Japanese Language, but from a company's point of view, it's a no-brainer. ”

"Director Adachi," Irie forced his mouth to speak, even though his fingers trembled, "the sales of our "Great Japanese Dictionary" have begun to pick up. ”

"I saw the sales statistics, but even if I keep this trend, how many will there be in the end? Even if the revision is completed, how much will the new edition of the dictionary sell? It is impossible to surpass "Da Ci Lin" and "Guang Ci Yuan". ”

Toru Shimizu noticed some indignation on Ishii's face on the side.

The director was still talking.

"Take 10,000 steps back, even if it sells to that extent, what can it do? Now that the market for Japanese dictionaries has begun to shrink, if you have the time and money, it is better to do more lucrative projects, such as railway dictionaries, idol dictionaries, etc. ”

"By the way, I forgot to inform you that the bureau is planning to reorganize the department and disband the Japanese dictionary class. But you don't have to worry about Irie, our dictionary bureau will not make such a thing as layoffs, there will always be a position for you. ”

He patted Irie on the shoulder, as if to say that the matter would end here, but he was pulled by Irie the moment he turned around.

"Director Adachi, I don't care if I'm dismissed, but if I have to dismiss the Japanese dictionary class, I'll be sure to put it after the revision is over, please!"

As he spoke, he bowed deeply when he entered the river.

The director paused for a few seconds, as if admiring the scene, and only after a few moments forced him to his feet, a softer smirk on his face.

"Don't say such frustrating words to Irie-san, we still have a lot of things we need from you. But the dictionary has been revised to this point, and it's normal that you can't put it down. So be it..."

He turned his head and looked at the few black suits standing there, "The materials in this office are the results of Irie-san's hard work, you move all of them to the underground warehouse, be careful, I don't know when you will be able to use them in the future." ”

At the end, he said to Satoshi Kanzaki, who was already gearing up: "Kanzaki, you are familiar with this place, so you will be in charge." ”

"Okay."

"Kanzaki, you!"

Faced with Irie's anger, Satoshi Kanzaki tugged at the corners of his mouth and spread his hands, as if he was sneering.

"Irie-san, I'm just the order of the executive director, and you can't blame me when things get to this point."

"Okay, okay," the director blocked Irie, who was about to step forward to stop him, "You're also in your forties, so let them deal with it here." ”

He dialed out a phone, and a few more people came in and kept a close eye on Toru Shimizu and the others.

As if planned, the person carrying the materials moved quickly, and soon the room was completely empty, leaving only scattered pages.

Irie's expression also changed from anger to decadence, and the whole person was shrouded in darkness, as if he was completely numb.

The director nodded with satisfaction: "That's pretty much it." Without these trivial matters, you can also go back to Jiangsang to rest for a few days, and the bureau will make new arrangements for you at that time. ”

Before going out, he seemed to have just noticed Toru Shimizu standing aside.

"What department are you in? How come I haven't seen it? ”

Toru Shimizu naturally didn't bother to answer, but there were always some people who loved to be attentive.

Satoshi Kanzaki leaned in and smiled all over his face: "He is a student who came to Waseda for internship, mainly for dictionary revision..."

As he spoke, he glanced at Qing Shui again and lowered his voice: "Actually..."

"Oh," the director snapped, narrowing his already narrow eyes.

"Now that the dictionary revision has been canceled, there is no need for interns. You..."

Toru Shimizu watched as he turned to himself.

"Where did it come from... Let's go back to where we go! ”