Reiwa Chemist Yōko Takatsukasa Reincarnation: Saving Japan with Plastic Material

To Tōhoku

Let's just get to the end of the line.

- Toshitsugu Utei

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In August 1914, when flames were rising in Europe, Yōko was traveling with Nobuhiro, the second son of the Takatsukasa family, by train to Sendai, where Tōhoku Imperial University was located.

"I'm sorry, Nobuhiro-oniisama. It's such a valuable summer vacation."

"No, there probably wasn't a better candidate than me. Besides, it's not a bad idea to enjoy some sightseeing in Sendai while we're at it."

Nobuhiro was a student at the Army Artillery School and had become an impressive second lieutenant in the Imperial Guard Field Artillery Regiment. His grades were excellent, and he had the prospect of advancing to the higher course, which only the top 1/3 to 1/4 of the students could enter.

"Sendai at this time... I wonder what else there is besides Tōhoku University..."

"At this time...?"

"Oh, sorry, that was about something else..." Yōko chuckled to cover up the words that had slipped out of her mouth.

"...Yōko, you've always been a bit unusual, haven't you?"

"W-well... yes, I guess I can see why."

"No, it's not that you've done anything wrong. Thanks to you, our family is doing well, and it's not a bad thing, but it's just... there's something different about you."

Her father, Hiromichi, knew the reason, and her good-natured brother Nobusuke accepted Yōko's behavior as "just the way she is," but Nobuhiro had always felt a sense of discomfort—certainly not disgust—about Yōko's behavior.

"You often use phrases like 'at this time' or 'now' when talking about something."

"Ouch."

"Your behavior is a bit too old for a girl your age."

"Ugh."

"Your grades at school are extreme."

"How do you know all this...?"

"I accidentally overheard it when Father and I were talking about our grades."

For Yōko, the Gakushūin Women's College was not a very comfortable place. Members of the Imperial Family often visited, making it uncomfortable, and Yōko, who was already "a woman running a company," stood out at school. Her grades were also uneven; she was at the top of the school in four subjects: history, mathematics, science, and music, but her grades in ethics, geography, home economics, sewing, and physical education were mediocre at best, clearly reflecting her interests. Thanks to her status as a member of a regent noble family, she didn't face bullying, but she also couldn't make close friends and ended up becoming a university student as a complete loner and introvert.

"It's a violation of the 'compliance' (compulsory conformity), Father..."

"See, you're using those strange foreign words again... Hey, Yōko, who are you really?"

"...Well, for now, I'm definitely the second daughter of the Takatsukasa family."

"That's true, a progressive and intelligent sister that everyone in the family is proud of. But, Yōko, is that really all there is to you?"

Yōko found herself in a dilemma in response to Nobuhiro's question. She wasn't sure if there was any point in telling him the fact that she had reincarnated back in time. During Hiromichi's time, she was still a child and needed various things prepared for her. To achieve that, she had to demonstrate abilities beyond those of a typical four-year-old and convince others that she knew the future while maintaining her composure. Moreover, even if it failed, there was a high possibility that it would be dismissed as a child's nonsense. But things were different now. Yōko was already 17 years old. She had a company that she could run to some extent and was at an age where she was expected to behave like an adult. If she were to say something like "I was a person from the future in my previous life," she might even be thought of as insane. She didn't think Nobuhiro was an extreme person, but Yōko would have a lifelong trauma of having said something strange to her brother. She couldn't allow that to happen.