Honeymoon Salad 14

[boke's comments in brackets like this]

Page 128 Panel 1 [page numbers from tankobon]
Even though I receive a salary

I don't want to do work that's embarrasing

[envelope] Pay Advice

128-3 Here, Natsukawa-san

You must have been waiting for this

Something I don't have to be shy about

Something that tugs the heartstrings

128-4 (But who am I trying to impress?)

Ah...

129-1 Ah, that's right. Today's payday.

Whaaat!?

I can't belive you forgot!

129-2 I been waiting and waiting for this!

I can now go on living! [handwritten]

What do you spend it all on?

129-3 Car. DVD. Paying off the golf clubs...

You're too much...

I haven't so much as taken out a loan

129-4 I've got used to the poor life when I was a student

I've got so little desire for things, even I think it's dumb

Ah...

The phone...

129-5 It's ok

I'll get it

130-1 You can call it a boring existance

Outside line [handwritten]

Greenhill Sales Department...

130-2 I'm calling from GB systems. Natsukawa-san, please.

130-3 Crap...

Ah...

Uh...

That voice!

Is that you Natsukawa?

131-1 I can't believe you remember my voice

Ah, it is you!

...it's someone from my old job

131-2 Hey, you listening?

They keep pestering me about the work I did there

They hadn't called me in a while...
I let my guard down...

131-3 To tell the truth, I didn't want to answer the phone

What going on?
Trouble again?

Yeah,
No surprise there, eh?
Hahaha

Give me a break, already

131-4 Anyway, I thought I'd invite you out drinking for a change

131-5 That's ok, right?

My treat, ok?

132-1 sfx: kara kara

132-2 Hey!

Over here!

132-3 So just what's gotten into you thah you invite me out?

Oh man! You're wearin' a tie!

You look all respectable and shit!

132-4 Respectable...
Gimme a break

Whatever

Another beer

Well, I've been dumping work stuff on you, so...

133-1 I thought

I'd pay you back a bit, eh?

133-3 So, sorry.
I know I've been a pain

It must be tough getting used to the new job

133-4 Fuuu

Thanks for waiting

sfx: don

134-1 Um
What can I say...

But, man, it's been tough without you

Didn't know what's what.
Had no idea how things worked

134-2 That's because...!

134-3 I wasn't able to get my job done

I was only good for taking care of the office stuff

134-4 But you did your job

"Doing it" and "Competent" are two different things!

135-1 No matter if I pushed myself to the limit
There was alway something I couldn't get done!

Even if I didn't sleep, didn't take time to eat or bathe

I never could get the work done

It was inevitable

That I would never be someone indispensable at that company

135-2 So in reality, I ran away from that job

Aren't you thinking too hard?

135-3 There's all sorts of people. Everyone's got a specialty

sfx: paka

The are some guys who are fine sitting in front of their computers for hours
But they still can't fill out a form in 5 or 10 minutes.

136-1 Ah, man, we have nothin' but those guys at my company!

sfx: Nn-aaah!

They're so booooring!

136-2 Ah,
Add grilled Buri and octopus salad to the tab

136-3 Look...

Honestly, you have an impact on things
So people come to you with requests...

137-1 Sorry

137-2 Haha...

137-3 So I was of some use after all, eh?

Of course

That a bit of relief

But...

137-4 I want to get to the point where

I don't go thinking that things are ok just like that

138-1 I stop wanted to rely on things

I want to be able to think to myself "That's it!"

Where I can say to myself that I am competant

138-2 One more bar!

One with girls!

Gimme a break!

S'ok, right? We don't work tomorrow

138-3 I wonder if thinking that way is naive

139-1 Good morning!
Even though it's noon

Going to take it easy today, huh?

139-2 Mmm...

139-3 I really drank last night. Been a while.

How about something to eat?

Mmm... no

Ok, just tea then

139-4 Ah... here

I came in late last night and couldn't give it to you

140-1 What is it?

This month's rent

and
Expenses

140-2 This much...?

140-3 Natuskawa-san, I can't...

It's fine

Youko's not pulling any salary
You must be having trouble with your injury

140-4 Even so, it's too...

It's fine!

141-4 I...
Was thinking about it all last night

142-1 That maybe

sfx: katan

Working, earning money

Really isn't all that it's cracked up to be

142-2 That's not true...

No matter what the job
No matter if you do a slapdash job

Some money, whether a large amount or small, will come in

142-3 That, in and of itself, is something anyone can do...

142-4 Aw, shit! I can't put it into words very well

sfx: ka

I think you're explaining very well!

143-1 That's right...

143-2 Maybe there'll always be a smile here

For example, this money

If

Me or some other person, were to support you

If it was like that...

143-3 Then it would have value from the beginning or something...

Maybe...

144-1 Maybe, the smile I've always been searching for

Is here...

That things would develop meaning, or...

144-2 sfx: ban

144-3 I'm home!

145-1 Look! Look!

Prize money!

I go-t fif-ty thou-sand yen!

145-2 "Prize money"...?

Eh...?

Youko-san, you mean...

145-3 That's great!

Hm-hmm! Easy money!

So let's go have steak or something! The three of us!

145-4 Steak!

You're wasting

Your money

146-1 Hehehe

146-3 Ah...

146-4 You're really having a good time

Ah... I...
You see

It's been about five years since I've been to a yaki-niku joint [a Korean restaurant where you grill you meal at the table]

146-5 You know, I left my family
And you don't come to a place like this alone

147-1 You didn't come with your old guy?

Ah

It's been four years for me too

147-2 Well it's been ten years for me!

147-4 Well!

We're all such lonely hearts!

sfx: do

147-5 Hey, stop that!

If you put yukke on the bi bim ba
The yukke loses it flavor

147-6 So why is it on the menu?!

And you take the rice and kimchee separately!

You take your preferred amount and set it on top...

Like this [handwritten]

I'm gonna start calling you the yaki-niku nazi

148-1 But...

148-2 Your name isn't on this. Or am I imagining things?

Pen-name?

That's right! Neither the prize winner or the runner up got their names printed

148-3 But, see, they said they'd give me a small column to write

So said "Gimme money!" I put the screws to them!

148-4 So they gave me 50,000 yen in prize money
Heh heh heh

148-5 Youko...
That's not prize money

That's an advance...

You said it