Reiwa Chemist Yōko Takatsukasa Reincarnation: Saving Japan with Plastic Material

Eternal Slumber

One era is ending and a new era is coming.

- Toshitsugu Utei

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

On July 30, 1912, it was announced that Emperor Meiji had passed away. The death of this great monarch, who in one era had elevated Japan to the ranks of the world's powers and had overcome numerous national crises, brought tears to many, not only among the Japanese citizens but also among foreign admirers of Japan. Yōko, who had never experienced the event of an Emperor's passing in her past life, was initially bewildered as she observed the widespread commotion around her. However, on the morning of July 31, with tearful and sleepless eyes, she finally grasped the gravity of the situation as she saw Hiromichi emerge from his room, deeply affected by the news.

. . .

At night, Yōko brewed green tea and stood in front of Hiromichi's room.

"Father, I've brewed some tea."

"...Yōko..."

"I'll come in."

Hiromichi's voice, heard through the door, lacked any vigor. He held a position beyond that of a mere chamberlain officer due to his hobbies and skills, especially in horseback riding. For instance, the terms of the Russo-Japanese War peace treaty deviated from OTL due to Emperor Meiji accepting Hiromichi's advice. Accumulating such instances, Hiromichi felt a great debt of gratitude to Emperor Meiji, and his sorrow was beyond comprehension.

"Here you go."

"Thank you... It's embarrassing, but my nose is stuffy, and I can't even savor the tea's fragrance," Hiromichi apologized.

"It's not made with strongly fragrant tea leaves, so you'll be fine."

"Hmm...? Well, I'll have some..."

"How is it...?" Yōko asked anxiously.

While she was accustomed to brewing green tea in her past and current lives, she often used boiling water to awaken herself, so she was unsure if she had made it properly.

"...It's quite good. The balance between sweetness and bitterness is exquisite. Plus, it has a vibrant green color."

"Thank you. I used a new variety of tea leaves called 'Yabukita' recently discovered in Shizuoka."

Yabukita had been discovered in 1908, but it had not yet become widely popular by this time. Yōko had managed to find these tea leaves through connections with Suzuki Shōten.

"I see... Is your knowledge of this Yabukita variety from your past life as well?"

"Well... yes. In my past life, it was considered the standard variety for green tea. However, as I mentioned earlier, it has a mild fragrance, so it's common to complement it with other varieties."

"Hmm... Yōko, I feel deeply apologetic."

"Huh? What do you mean...?"

Not understanding what he was talking about, Yōko asked Hiromichi.

"His Majesty the Emperor... treated me very well, even though I'm just a lowly chamberlain officer. I've been asked to stay active in the Army for a while longer... probably because they value the matter of infiltration tactics... But you see, Yōko, that idea originally came from you, and all I did was pass it on to Ōtani-kun... In a way, I'm receiving my current fame thanks to something that's not really my achievement... I just feel genuinely sorry to His Majesty, to you, to everyone in the Army..." Hiromichi murmured, revealing his innermost feelings.

Whether his daughter had truly reincarnated from the future or not was still relatively unimportant to him. However, what troubled him deeply was the fact that he had presented her idea as his own, pretending that he was the intelligent one, when it was actually his daughter's brilliance.

"There's no need to think that way," Yōko denied Hiromichi's thoughts.

"My knowledge is really superficial, and it's mostly impractical. Even if it were somehow practical, I am still too young to have what was needed. The one who filled in the gaps for someone like me is none other than my beloved father in this life, Duke Hiromichi Takatsukasa, Major General in the Army."

"Yōko..."

"You took my whimsical words and actions seriously, and you sincerely worked towards making them a reality. The Production Division Manager, Kikuchi-san, told me that without me, this company wouldn't exist, but from my perspective, even without you, Teijin couldn't have been established, and I believe we would have faced the Russo-Japanese War without anyone recognizing the infiltration tactics."

After expressing her thoughts, Yōko poured a second cup of tea into Hiromichi's cup from the teapot.

"So, the public's evaluation of you, Father, may have some shortcomings, but there's absolutely no exaggeration in it, as far as your youngest daughter is concerned. You are my pride."

Yōko looked straight into Hiromichi's eyes. Her gaze was unwavering, and it testified to the truthfulness of her words.

"I see... You're willing to go that far..."

"Recognizing the good in something when it's good is Teijin's motto, after all."

"Thank you... I feel a bit relieved," Hiromichi finished the second cup of green tea that had been poured. Since there was still tea left in the teapot, Yōko poured a third cup.

"Father, you've been working tirelessly and seem quite tired as of late. One of the components of the flavor in green tea, theanine, is believed to have properties that can help alleviate stress... uh, mental fatigue. I recommend that for a while, you don't take on major tasks and drink freshly brewed green tea at a low temperature every day. If you don't mind, I'll make it for you," Yōko explained.

"Thank you... In that case, could you bring me lukewarm, freshly brewed green tea every morning?"

"Of course. I'll make it with care for you."

In response to Hiromichi's words, Yōko replied with a happy expression.

. . .

In the aftermath, Crown Prince Yoshihito ascended to the throne, changing the era name into Taishō just as it had been in the original timeline. Emperor Taishō had a close relationship with Hiromichi, dating back to their days as palace military officers, and he had wanted to appoint Kizuki as the Chief Chamberlain. However, the Army, which still wanted to keep him on active duty, opposed this. After discussions, it was decided that Saneteru Ichijō, who had been the Chief Chamberlain of the Crown Prince, would take up the role of Chief Chamberlain, and Hiromichi was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and appointed as the Chief Military Attaché. Unlike OTL, this change meant that Hiromichi no longer had to take care of the Emperor's personal affairs, and with Yōko's pleas and the relaxing effects of green tea, his stress was alleviated more in this timeline.

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

Yōko-san has no knowledge of how her father in this world, Hiromichi, died in OTL, but due to a number of intertwined circumstances, she was able to accidentally break this historical death flag. She's going to have to work a little harder on this one...

- Toshitsugu Utei