Chapter 4

In a small, cozy room, a young girl entered. She looked extremely tired. Her name was Akiko Takatsuki. She made her way to the unmade bed and collapsed onto it.

"Ugh, I'm so tired... I want to go home..."

This was her "home," but Akiko, overwhelmed by fatigue, was babbling incoherently. She had been meeting with various "important people" with her father to secure patents for 66 nylon and the interfacial polymerization method she had "discovered," which was taking a toll on her mentally.

(The Patent Cooperation Treaty doesn't exist yet, so we have to apply individually to each country... Oh, this is so troublesome...)

Akiko had applied for patents several times in her previous life and had been somewhat complacent, thinking it would be manageable. However, this time, she needed to secure patents in all the major European and American countries, which required an unprecedented amount of effort.

(Still, if Father doesn't see me as a "full-fledged person" now, we won't be able to intervene in the Russo-Japanese War in time... If that happens, thousands and thousands of soldiers will fall to beriberi and machine guns. I can't bear to sit and watch that happen.)

She had already shared the historical facts of the future with her father and expressed her desire to prevent Japan's disastrous defeat in World War II. To achieve this, she needed to advance various technologies and tactics from this point on to boost Japan's national strength and turn the narrowly won Russo-Japanese War into a decisive victory.

(I can't afford to give up. Father has trusted me, and now it's my turn to meet his expectations.)

Of course, she didn't act without a plan. After living as his daughter for four years, she trusted that her father would accept even her outlandish ideas.

"Here goes nothing."

As Akiko mustered her energy and jumped out of bed, someone knocked on the door.

"Yōko, I'm coming in."

"Big Brother Shin'ichi."

It was Shin'ichi Takatsuki, who was eight years older than her.

"Did you have another meeting about patent applications today? You must be tired. I brought some manju from Mother. Let's eat them together."

"Wow...! Thank you, Big Brother!"

Akiko's face lit up with gratitude. There's nothing that seeps into the brain like sugar when you're tired.

"Still, artificial silk is completely different from this... It's amazing that you found it at just four years old."

"Well... As the saying goes, 'Love makes one proficient.'"

Akiko casually brushed it off. The fact that 66 nylon was a result of "cheating" was a secret between her and her father.

"Speaking of which, I don't think there are many people in the world who love birds as much as you do. I'm looking forward to seeing you become a world-renowned ornithologist."

"That's a bit much..."

"But isn't that your goal?"

"Sure, it is. But I'm the eldest son, so I have to take over the family in the future. Can someone like me just wander around looking for birds?"

"I think you can."

Akiko looked Shin'ichi in the eye as she said this.

"On the contrary, I think the only people in Japan who have the leisure to travel around looking for birds are the eldest sons of noble families, don't you think?"

"Hmm..."

"For example, Big Brother, you can keep not only domestic birds like turkeys but also wild birds like mandarin ducks, which would be difficult for commoners... Although, the turkey was a bit of a disappointment."

"Yeah, well, it did cause a lot of trouble for Onee-san, and in Europe and America, turkeys are considered a delicacy..."

Akiko was referring to the incident where the turkey Shin'ichi had raised while at school was sent to the butcher.

"Besides, when you look at birds, your eyes show a genuine passion. I believe that, as your sister."

"..."

"Therefore,"

Akiko turned to face Shin'ichi and looked him in the eye.

"I will become a world-renowned chemist, so please become a world-renowned ornithologist."

Shin'ichi stared at his sister for a moment, then sighed.

"You're right. I'll follow your advice and aim to be an 'ornithologist' without hesitation. Father will understand."

"That's the spirit, Big Brother."

Shin'ichi Takatsuki. At this time, no one, not even Akiko, knew that he would later be known as the "Duke of Birds" and become a leading figure in Japanese ornithology. During this period, Shin'ichi actually kept turkeys and mandarin ducks, but the turkey was sent to the butcher, and the male mandarin duck killed the female, so it didn't last long.

Reference:

"Living with Birds" by Shin'ichi Takatsuki, Chitose Shobō, 1943

Most of the book is about birds in various parts of Japan, but there is a brief section about Shin'ichi himself.

Still, Father, giving a taxidermied bird as a get-well gift to a child hospitalized with diphtheria... Is that really okay? (The child was apparently delighted, though.)