Reiwa Chemist Yōko Takatsukasa Reincarnation: Saving Japan with Plastic Material

The Baby Bird's Dream

A young girl entered a cozy little room. She looked very tired, and when she reached the bed, she laid down on it like a collapsed puppet.

"Uhh... I'm so tired... I want to go home..."

This is her 'home,' but Yōko was so tired that she was imagining things. She was mentally exhausted because she and her father were meeting with various "important people" in order to obtain patents around the world for her (supposedly) discovery of Nylon 66 and surface shrinkage law.

'In this era, there is still no Patent Cooperation Treaty, so we have to file individual applications (Paris route) in each country of the world... Aah, what a hassle it is...'

Yōko had applied for patents several times in her previous life, and she was confident that she would be able to get by. However, this time, because of the nature of the product, it was necessary to obtain patents from all the Western powers, and the effort required was significantly higher.

'Nevertheless, if I don't get Father to think of me as a 'full-fledged human being' here and now, we won't be able to intervene in the Russo-Japanese War in time... Then thousands upon thousands of soldiers will die before the lines of machine guns. I can't stand to sit and watch that happen.'

She had already hinted to Hiromichi that she was a reincarnated person. If she could be recognized as a full-fledged human being by synthesizing a substance that had not been invented and writing her own patent document, even if only the Japanese version, she could expect him to come and check out the details of the situation.

'...This is no time to dwell on it. Father had repaid my trust. Now I must live up to his expectations.'

Of course, she did not do this without a chance; she had lived as Hiromichi's daughter for four years, and as a parent and child, and she trusted that this father would accept her outlandish ideas, which was why she took this action.

"Alright."

Yōko woke up from her bed with a start as there was a knock at her door.

"Yōko, I'm coming in."

"Nobusuke-oniisan."

It was Nobusuke Takatsukasa, eight years older than her.

"I heard you had another meeting today to discuss your patent application. I got some steamed buns from Mother. Let's eat it together."

"Waaah...! Thank you, Oniisan!"

Yōko thanked him with starry eyes. Nothing soaks into the brain like sugar when you are tired.

. . .

"But how did you manage to find a synthetic fiber so different from artificial silk when you are only... four years old?"

"Well... there is a saying that what one likes, one will do well, right?" Yōko shyly replied.

It was a secret between her and her father that Nylon 66 was the product of 'cheating.'

"Speaking of likes, I don't think there are many people in the world who love birds as much you do, Oniisan. I am looking forward to seeing you make a name for yourself as a world-class ornithologist in the future."

"That's exaggerating it..."

"But that's what you're aiming for, isn't it?"

"That's true. But as the eldest son, I need to take over this house in the future. I don't think someone like that should be wandering around looking for birds..."

"I think it's a good idea."

Yōko stared intently into Nobusuke's eyes.

"The only people who can afford to travel all over the place looking for birds are the eldest sons of the nobility here in Japan, don't you think?"

"Hmmm..."

"For example, you can keep wild birds like mandarin ducks as well as poultry like turkeys. I think it's very difficult for a commoner to have a turkey... well, I'm sorry about the turkey."

"Oh, yes, that one used to annoy Fusako-oneesama a lot, and turkey is considered a feast in the West..."

Yōko was referring to the incident where the turkey that Nobusuke had kept while he was at school was brought to the butcher.

"And your eyes when you are staring at a bird. I believe those are real."

"...Haah."

"So..."

Yōko turned to Nobusuke and stared into his eyes.

"I will be the world's leading chemist in Japan, and you will be the world's leading ornithologist."

Nobusuke looked at his sister for a while, then sighed. "I guess so. You are right, Yōko. From now on, I will not hesitate to become an ornithologist. I'm sure Father will forgive me."

"Yes, Oniisan, that's the spirit."

Nobusuke Takatsukasa. No one, including Yōko, knew that he would later become the "Prince of Birds" and Japan's foremost expert on ornithology.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It seems that Nobusuke actually kept mating turkeys and mandarin ducks during this period. However, the turkeys were "('・ω・') brought somewhere" and "('・ω・') that" as described in the chapter, and the mandarin ducks did not last very long, as the males killed the females.

References

Takatsukasa, Nobusuke. "鳥と暮らして" (Living with Birds). Chitose Shobō, 1943.

Most of the pages are devoted to birds around Japan, but there is a little bit about Nobusuke himself at the end of the book. Anyway, what about the father, Hiromichi, who gave a carved bird as a gift to a child hospitalized with diphtheria...? (He seemed to be happy about it)

- Toshitsugu Utei