Frank
Hello, this is Frank.
I am pleased to present the synopsis and a preview of my original full-length social mystery novel, “The Mysterious Rouge.” I would be delighted if you would take a moment to read it.
【Synopsis】
Koji Ayano, a young employee in the Latin America Section of Soudai Trading, a mid-sized general trading company, is appointed as an overseas business trip candidate in the winter of his second year at the company. Just days later, his boss, Section Chief Karasu, is murdered on a flight while returning to his hometown in Kagoshima. Together with his senior colleague Takao Mejima, Ayano travels to Matsuyama, where the body is kept. It is soon revealed that the president of the Japanese Association in Mexico was on the same flight as Karasu. Meanwhile, Karasu’s wife, Hiroko, receives several silent phone calls after returning to their home in Kobe. As the police investigation stalls, Ayano finds himself torn between the pressures of work and his desire to solve the case. In his struggle, he seeks solace in the company of a certain woman. On the X-day of Ayano’s business trip to Latin America, all mysteries are unveiled at the airport.
With approximately 120,388 words, this is Frank’s passionate, full-length social mystery novel. The Kindle edition features some additions and revisions to the softcover print version. Please enjoy the world of 《Frank☆World》.
【Preview】
＊ ――Prologue
A scrap of memo paper suddenly disappeared beneath a pair of black pumps on the floor.
Naomi Takai, feigning a twinge in her heel, quickly bent down and picked up the slip of paper.
A family restaurant facing the back alley of a high-rise building, filled with a sense of desolation. Naomi, sipping her coffee, waited for the next words from the man dressed in a navy pinstripe suit by Belvest.
Tuesday, November 6, 1979.
The grandfather clock pointed to ten o’clock at night.
“How about spending a night on Awaji Island?”
A wave of illicit excitement passed between them. Naomi, raising an eyebrow, echoed, “Awaji Island?”
“This Friday. Six thirty. I’ll be waiting in front of the parking lot behind here.”
Karasu’s heavy voice caressed Naomi’s eardrums, her wandering gaze suddenly coming to rest.
The man was Joji Karasu, thirty-two. After graduating from the Spanish department of a private university, he joined Soudai Trading Company, a mid-sized general trading company located in Osaka’s Chuo Ward. Last April, he became manager of the Export Department’s Latin America Section; this was his tenth year with the company.
A lapel pin shaped like the company’s initial “S” gleamed on his left collar. With sharply defined features, a height of 178 centimeters, and a suit worn with effortless precision, no one would doubt Karasu’s status as an international businessman.
Naomi Takai, with her short hair, worked in the Shipping Section of the same company. After graduating from a junior college’s English department, she joined Soudai Trading, now in her eighth year. Not quite a beauty, but her slightly crooked teeth gave her a playful charm, making her known among male colleagues as “an easy woman to talk to.”
Soudai Trading’s annual sales reached 8.5 billion yen, with seventy employees. Exports of home appliances accounted for eighty percent of sales; the remaining twenty percent came from domestic sales of building stones imported from Brazil. The Export Department was divided by region: Europe & America, Latin America, Middle East, Africa, and Asia & Oceania, with five or six sales staff in each section. The Shipping Section handled overseas shipments under both Export and Import Departments.
“The European shipments are settled for now, right? You can leave at five thirty, kill time at our usual café with a parfait or something.”
Karasu idly spun his coffee cup with his right hand.
“If I go so often, people will notice.”
Naomi’s expression hardened.
Karasu’s one-track mind was often the cause of their arguments, but it was also one of the things Naomi found attractive about him.
She wrapped the memo she’d picked up earlier in a handkerchief, gripping it tightly in both hands.
On the paper, it read: “To be handed over before vacation.”
A mixture of anxiety and faint anticipation swirled within her. After ten seconds of silence that felt like ten minutes, Naomi blurted, “If your wife finds out, don’t blame me!”
Her nasal voice echoed subtly in the chilly family restaurant.
Fluorescent lights began to flicker out, one by one.
Windows taped with masking tape, limp banners, unarranged chairs… “Closed for the day” would be generous; “Going out of business” felt more accurate for this restaurant.
“No one can read these numbers!”
The female manager snapped with a dangerous glare.
“I’m sorry.”
A new part-timer, perhaps, bowed repeatedly like a rice-threshing machine.
“If you’re a girl, at least write neatly, honestly!”
Karasu didn’t care about his boss’s gender, but he’d only respect a boss who shone so brightly that no one could approach. Otherwise, he’d never follow them.
“So, what about the weekend?”
Naomi’s sweet voice brushed Karasu’s ear.
The restaurant was dim now, their table the only one lit, like a stage in a rundown theater.
Three days until the weekend. Maybe it was Naomi, not Karasu, who couldn’t wait for their rendezvous.
“You’re off to MDB first thing tomorrow, right?”
MDB was a major electronics manufacturer headquartered in Tokyo. The Latin America Section, where Karasu was manager, exported container loads of MDB TV kits to Colombia every month. Tomorrow’s meeting was about SKD (semi-knockdown) export specifications.
“Lately, I’m so busy that even my wife would buy ‘another business trip to Tokyo’ for the weekend.”
Karasu, ever the schemer, needed little cover for his secret rendezvous with Naomi in Awaji. He could spin a hundred excuses for his wife without a second thought.
“Excuse me, but we’re closing soon.”
The grumpy manager said with a sullen face.
Karasu glanced at his watch and nodded.
As the manager’s thin back turned toward the register, Karasu, without hesitation, pulled Naomi close and pressed his thick lips to her pursed mouth.
A drawer of memories Naomi kept deep inside slid open, quietly.
（To be continued）
Please enjoy the rest at the link below. (Japanese version)
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新品価格 |
If you’re interested in an English version of this novel, I’d love to hear from you! Please contact me at: contact＠frankyoshida.com (Note: To avoid spam, the “@” symbol is written in uppercase. Be sure to replace it with a lowercase “@” when sending your message.)
Your interest will help me decide whether to publish it as a Kindle edition.
Thank you for reading today.
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