Now and Forever...Itsumademo... - Chapter 21C

[unare_haineko]

Title: Now and Forever…いつまでも…

Author: Unare Haineko

Pairing: [Juntoshi] Matsumoto Jun x Ohno Satoshi

Rating:  R-ish, but NC-17 for this chapter

Summary: [Revised] Three years after the ending of ‘Kodoku kara Umareta Ai’ (which you can read here), we have Juntoshi trying to raise their son Ayumu while the demons from the dark shadows that

Comments

Analyses & Commentary, Chapter 21, Section 1, part 1

[mmestrange]

Vindication on so many counts! Let’s begin with the order in which Haineko had written. We open with Miyazono at the law offices. Things seem to be at an uproar there. But there is an order in the disorder you might say. In this opening scene, there are so many vindications vis-à-vis my early analyses and commentaries. Let’s break it down and go through that which this segment makes clearer.

The Nozoki & JE ConnectionImmediately upon Miyazono’s entrance, the place is thrown into momentary confusion and a flurry of activity takes place. Under the cover of this hurly burly, Miyazono took the opportunity to get the basic information on the what’s what from Sawaguchi. From this opening scene alone, we know two facts about Miyazono. One, he doesn’t like sycophancy. Two, given how the rest of the firm treats him, he only trusts Sawaguchi in the firm. She knows all his professional secrets outside the courtroom, and it is she whom he trusts to do the preliminary legwork and the finalisation of the documents he needs. That he trusts her to

Analyses & Commentary, Chapter 21, Section 1, part 2

[mmestrange]

In a sense, Miyazono is doing onto Kei a more refined reversion of what Nino (the dear little truffle) is doing to Daisuke. He is trying to win and woo and kill with kindness and offers of succour and understanding. We see this immediately from the get-go when Miyazono enters and offers Kei a seat. Kei simply stops lounging and plops himself into the chair nearest to him and is careless. While Kei is careless in his manners and behaviour (in stark contrast to Miyazono’s polite formality), he is in no way flippant. This means Kei walked into the meeting thinking he knows himself, his own mind, and what he wants. This is in contrast with Daisuke who only wants to go pastry school (and the boy really doesn’t know himself at this point). What this means is that Kei is wily. He’s far wilier than Daisuke, and he has to be wily for all the accounts he has been cooking for JE. Indeed, even Miyazono knows Kei is not to be trusted. Hence, despite the overly polite manners and the surface appearance that the conversation is sub rosa, Miyazono

Analyses & Commentary, Chapter 21, Section 1, part 3

[mmestrange]

In so doing, Miyazono manages to get Kei to revealed his plans to tattle on Johnny and getting away to live another day. That’s because he’s been lulled into a false sense of security and he doesn’t even notice. But still, it doesn’t change that Kei is not to be trusted. He still is cocky and he still has the “I will just give you the bare minimum in this and get everything I want.” What he doesn’t know is that he’s up against an old fox who has pre-empted him at every step of the game. Just look at the fact that Miyazono has already prepared for this eventuality with the additional 100 million yen. That speaks volumes as to how much Miyazono has already anticipated.

Miyazono’s Governing Principles & His Approach vis-à-vis KeiMiyazono is something of a Confucianist, as evinced in the manner he adopts to Kei. Confucianists use the carrot more often than they do the stick. Carrots are rewards sticks are punishments. People like Johnny are Mohist because they emphasise the stick more than the carrot. And this is why in the jimusho,

Analyses & Commentary, Chapter 21, Section 1, part 4

[mmestrange]

Confucians like Miyazono are always attacking the Mohists precisely for having these beliefs. Confucians are thinkers who value the noble things in people and despise rampant acquisition and materialism, and disdain placing reputation over what you really are. On paper, it would seem that the Confucians are very out of place, very conservative, with very elevated ideals. But you see, Confucians are not idealists whatever you may think. They best understand how the stick and carrot work. Why and how? Because they understand the problems that come from the usage of these two instruments (e.g. the stick and the carrot); the use of these two instruments ultimately limit our growth as human beings. So long as these instruments are used, human development is stunted. Why? Because animals are exposed to these instruments too. I mean how do you train and coax a donkey. The Confucians recognise that these two instruments may be necessary but they are not sufficient if you want to lead a meaningful life. In other words, if you truly want to be

Analyses & Commentary, Chapter 21, Section 1, part 5

[mmestrange]

Despite this, Kei is still slippery. He wants to escape from degenerating into bestiality and the punitive punishment of the stick. But he still cares a great deal for the carrot. He still cares for his reputation. And it is no surprise that he tries to milk things so as to get the carrot along with a sense of self-worth. He compares the whole cooking the accounts books for JE to cooking fish. This is interesting and telling because he is a slippery as a fish. He’s doing all this yet is not quite truthful of his motivations

Analyses & Commentary, Chapter 21, Section 1, part 6

[mmestrange]

Well, well, we have always known the connexion between JE and HC Nozoki. And the treatment of hosts in the HC reminds me of how ancient Greece used to treat non-citizens. In Greece in those days, non-citizens who worked and contributed to the economy and did things for Greece in general were called “metics” But they were not allowed to vote, they had no rights, nothing. But yet, they were in essence working and trying to make something of themselves. And yet they did not belong there nor were they offered the chance to belong there. They’re just there. It’s interesting that the HC is run along those lines. And really, it’s not a way to live, not that they are really “alive” to begin with anyway. Notice that people like Kei and Daisuke get to live a little when they work outside the host club.

Rubik’s Cube ConnectionThe Rubik’s cube makes an appearance in this chapter. This comes as no surprise as we know of Miyazono’s methodological way of solving the corner of the cubes first and then going on to fill in the other colours of the

Analyses & Commentary, Chapter 21, Section 1, part 7

[mmestrange]

Residual Questions for this section:

(01)Will the recorded conversation between Miyazono and Kei will have a role to play keeping Kei to his promise or as an insurance policy to ensure that Kei doesn’t play Miyazono against Iago, or as one of the strokes of a coup de grace against Iago? I await to see how Haineko wants to play this.

(02) Out of all the lawyers in Tokyo, why did Kei solicit Miyazono? Just what does he know/suspect about Hubby’s dealings with Iago and vice versa for him to go to hubby?

(03) Why was there disorder in the law office right where this chapter opened? Who was searching for what? Or is there some kind of cover up? It seems to be that the mess was interrupted in medias res, like Miyazono suddenly returned and the office peons and lesser lawyers were caught loafing or something, and thus they were flustered. It could be as simple as that, or it could be something more.

(04) We are told Miyazono enters the scene with a shopping bag. It seems likely that it could be used to hide documents and it is also

Re: Analyses & Commentary, Chapter 21, Section 1, part 7

[unare_haineko]

Very nice introduction to the Miyazono-Kei scene in your Nozoki+JE connection section. Readers who skim through my chapters should read this first part of the analysis to grasp the full picture of the control dynamics of the scene.

I simply adored the bit on Confucianism and Mohism. Since I overslept this morning, I was only able to read the first half of Section 1 of the commentary before work. But it was so nice to read a reference to the different schools of thought. Had I woken up half an hour earlier I could have had tea and scones with my degeneration of humanity among minor characters in the HC Nozoki subplot. Only you spoil me!! *kiss kiss* Ironically, the NCP is the ultimate foolish animal--he chases the carrot relentlessly (and not even the real thing, half the time it's an illusion of a bushel of carrots) yet he rules his household and his business with the stick. But that is for another day.

And the Rubik's cube makes a second appearance with our MatsuJun lookalike. (You can bet it's not going to be its final

Re: Analyses & Commentary, Chapter 21, Section 1, part 7

[mmestrange]

I seriously doubt people read the commentaries, my love. Very often, they will go "tl;dr" and cast scathing looks this way. *smirk* Anyhow, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I enjoyed reading the first section and you know I am quite devoted to my Yuuichi. Ah... My hubby is truly a man amongst men...

The Rubik's cube will be returning, I can feel it. And I look forward to it. The Mohism and Confucianism thing was something that struck me as I read this section. You know how NCPs are like, the sperm donor and the male sprogs from that line are the same. Meh.

Well, Kei may muddy things, but hubby will get the better of him. Oh, isn't he such a darling, my Miyazono. *swoons*