Chapter Text
Society still clung to the modus operandi that every single woman must have a husband for economic stability and a family to raise. The truth of such statement was an incredible foil to reality. Fewer marriages, low birth rates, economic hardships, and divorces were now pervasive to the younger generation. Creating a conventional family was slowly becoming impossible, let alone sustaining it.
***
“Tachibana-kun, how are you feeling?” Dr. Mizuno asked over breakfast on her first day back in Japan. Wato had no doubt there were dark circles under her eyes. She knew her overall appearance was horrendous: lack of adequate sleep, messy hair, crumpled clothes, and stench from being cooped in a jet for over eleven hours. “Fine, Sensei,” she answered meekly. Even though she felt like crap, there was no way she would be crass with her mentor. After all, he sent her nineteen letters when she was in Syria and even picked her up at the Narita International Airport.
Both mentor and student were eating a traditional meal at one of Dr. Mizuno’s favorite eateries. The quietness and low lighting provided a homely sight that Wato welcomed. The doctor shared stories of his step-daughter and student shenanigans at the hospital. While he spoke, Wato opted to eat more in hopes of avoiding the chance to talk about Syria.
At her second bowl of miso soup, her mentor recounted a mystery the media dubbed as Sachiko’s Mustache. It started with a young man running away from the Gables Museum of Arts after drawing a mustache on Kishida Saneatsu’s Sachiko. In the midst of escaping, the culprit received a concussion from a truck and was transferred to the hospital where Dr. Mizuno worked. The surgeon and his students were responsible for providing medical attention to the young man. Her interest grew when the graffiti ruse was linked to a homicide disguised as a suicide and the scheme itself was a selfish attempt to steal a Stradivarius frame that enclosed the painting. After arrests were made and the frame reattached to the portrait, Sachiko was displayed at the museum again. This time, the owner was working with the security team to prevent another defacement incident.
“Maibara-san, the art owner, decided to hold a small gathering as thanks for those involved in solving the mystery,” Dr. Mizuno concluded. “It will be held tomorrow night at Hotel New Kamata.”
“That’s a nice gesture,” Wato remarked. The thought of her mentor being appreciated made her smile. Although his role may have been small in overall picture, there was no doubt that he contributed a clue for the investigators.
“I would like you to accompany me.”
“Eh?” Her eyes widened and her mouth formed a perfect o.
“Forgive me for being too forward, but I think this will be a great chance to meet new faces.” He paused after glancing at Wato’s expression. “It will also be a school night for Airi and Akiko has deadlines to meet. I’m sure my students would like to use the evening hours to rest.”
With her mentor looking at her with gentle, yet pleading eyes, how could she refuse? He had always been good to her and Wato held him in high esteem. “I will come Sensei. Thank you for inviting me.”
They parted ways after Dr. Mizuno texted her the address and time of the party. She hailed for a cab that took her to the hotel where she placed her reservation. Wato checked in with the front desk and trekked upwards to her room. She intended to take a shower, but one look at the comfy queen size bed changed her priorities to sleep first. She could always freshen up after a long deserve nap.
***
It was late afternoon when she woke up. Her stomach grumbled for food as a consequence for foregoing sustenance to rest. Wato decided to shower before heading out for a quick bite and dress shopping at a department store before nightfall. She exited the hotel and indulged herself at food stalls. Fresh, piping hot treats at low prices. Long winding lines filled with customers waiting for a chance to purchase a scrumptious morsel. It had been a long time since she had street food.
Once her cravings were satisfied, Wato made her way to the closest department store not far from the food stalls. Upon her arrival, sale associates directed her to their formal wear. She tried on many outfits and eventually settled for a floor length, black v-neck dress. The sleeves and dress length was a plus to keep her legs and upper arms warm. She also bought low heels and earrings to complete her outfit.
Wato arranged with the department store to deliver her purchases to the hotel at the registers. This gave her free time to roam around the Shibuya neighborhood and enjoy the night scenery of the city without extra baggage. Her wanderings made her reflect her stay in Tokyo. She could not stay here for long. Housing in the capitol was expensive; it was difficult to secure an apartment with a small income.
The most logical choice would be returning to Sapporo. Up north, she would be back in a familiar environment and have job security. She could easily have a place at her family’s hospital. Her sisters would be overjoyed to see her. Wato’s older sister, her confidant, would give her comfort and security she sorely missed.
All these were good reasons, but returning home was not an option.
She was brilliant like all the doctors in her family. She even had the compassion a physician needed to help patients. The stark difference between her and her family members was ambition. Her relatives were content with staying in Sapporo or any nearby city on the island of Hokkaido. Nobody was interested in traveling south or abroad to make a difference for others. Only Wato had that drive. The Great East Japan Earthquake influenced her career path. It was not the damage that tugged her heart strings, but the humanitarian responses. Help from the international community left a deep impression on her; she wanted to be part of that world.
She started researching medical volunteer abroad programs. A mission to Syria could use her skills as a surgeon. When she announced her intentions to travel, she was met with protest from her parents. It was not about their concern for her safety. Rather, it was judgement about functioning in an intense environment. There was no way a young lady such as herself would ever thrive in a war zone. Those words fueled her zeal to work harder. Only her older sister and Dr. Mizuno were her advocates. Eventually, her efforts led her to volunteering and hopping on the plane.
In the end, it was all for nothing. Her performance did not meet up to her expectations. It was cruel that her parent’s words were almost like a prophecy. She could not keep a level head to help those that were suffering. The bomb near the hospital prompted a swift response from the government to have all Japanese volunteers return. She opted to stay in Tokyo instead of taking a layover to Sapporo. She could imagine the condescending words and looks if she saw her parents.
Returning was not an option. She would find a way to stay in Tokyo.
That was her mantra as she commuted back to her hotel.
Later at night, she received a pleasant text from Mizuno Akiko asking to spend lunch together. Wato was fond of Dr. Mizuno’s family; Akiko was a great friend that listened to her troubles and Airi was the sweetest girl Wato knew. She promptly replied back, accepting Akiko’s invitation.
***
“It’s good to see you again, Tachibana-san,” Akiko remarked before taking a bite in her sandwich.
“Likewise, Akiko-san; how are you and Airi-chan doing?”
After exchanging pleasantries, Wato set the course of discussion by talking about an easy subject: Airi. Akiko loved her daughter; the strong love for her child enabled her to storm through a bitter divorce of her first marriage and gained admiration from Dr. Mizuno, leading to Akiko’s second marriage. As a mother, Akiko throughly enjoyed talking about her little girl.
Wato politely listened to Akiko while eating her meal. Like her breakfast with Dr. Mizuno, she wanted to divert conversations alluding to Syria. That tactic worked on her mentor since he could be oblivious at times whenever he got caught up in telling a tale. However, Akiko was not easily fooled; raising a daughter enabled her to recognize nonverbal cues. It was clear that there were topics Wato did not wish to discuss.
So Akiko decided to switch topics.
“How are your sisters?”
“They’re fine, keeping busy with work and school.” That was what Wato knew months ago. Her older sister was seeing a nice man. Given her sister was the heir to the hospital, Wato was sure the boyfriend would also become her brother-in-law. The middle sister should be finishing her studies abroad soon while the youngest siblings should be studying hard for the entrance exams.
Akikio gave her a pointed look. It was clear that Wato was giving a half-truth. Fortunately, Akiko did not press further.
“Thank you for agreeing to accompany Takayuki for the party tonight,” Akiko commented. “He was quite worried of being the only person with a medical background in a party surrounded by law enforcement.”
“Of course. I owe a lot to him.” Wato sipped on her drink. Eating her sandwich made her thirsty. “Sensei mentioned you were busy with work?”
“My company has been pushing all the research scientists to complete their tests; upper management wants us to publish our findings so we can compete with Morthon Pharmacy.” Akiko grimaced. She was a research assistant at a pharmaceutical company that enabled her flexible hours to raise Airi. “The pressure is getting fierce due to a rumor about the head Morthon Pharmacy researcher.”
Wato leaned closer. “A rumor?”
“Watanuki Hiroshi-sensei will be announcing his research on a new drug. It took him four years to create it and many are speculating the press release date.”
“What kind of drug was he developing?” Wato asked.
“Who knows?” A slight shoulder shrug. “The subject matter of his drug research is unknown. It’s classified and that makes the executive directors worry. I’m not sure how the president or chairman would respond.”
Wato leaned back on her seat. This was an industrial espionage story in the making. With a premise like this, why did television networks not produce these types of dramas? Even the story Dr. Mizuno told her was also intriguing. Sachiko’s Mustache had the potential to become a TV special.
“Akiko-san,” Wato began. “Please let me know if I can do anything to help.” She was too familiar with having two parents away at work. She was fortunate that she had her older sister. Spending time together during their formative years definitely contributed to their close bond. Airi, on the other hand, did not have that luxury.
Her friend shook her head. “Shouldn’t I be the one saying that? You just got back. Takayuki and I can help find job openings.”
“Actually…I’ve decided not to be a doctor.”
A puzzled look marred Akiko’s face. “Why?” With Dr. Mizuno’s penchant to tell stories over meals, there was no doubt his wife was familiar with Wato’s work ethic and compassion towards patients. His assurance left no doubt Wato would be a great doctor.
Wato recounted her initial plan of working in Tokyo, then moving back to Sapporo; however, the 2011 earthquake changed that and inspired an overseas career that ended disastrously. “People stared at me. I knew I couldn’t be a doctor,” she uttered.
“That must have been difficult,” Akiko said quietly. Although Akiko had never been in a combat zone, there was sympathy in her tone. Wato knew her friend was sad that those six years of surviving rigorous biological science curriculum in college had gone to waste. Akiko also had an intense education to achieve her dream of working in the pharmacy industry. “What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.” Wato took her last bite.
***
She took a step back, looking at her reflection in the full length mirror. The black dress was elegant, but comfortable. Her long hair was tied back into a neat low-ponytail. The hairstyle allowed her to show her cute earrings. She looked good. From her peripheral view, Wato glanced at the clock. It was almost time before a taxi Dr. Mizuno arranged would pick her up.
By the time she walked out of the lobby, there was a taxi at the driveway with her mentor standing next to the vehicle. He helped her get inside the backseat before he settled in. Dr. Mizuno rattled off Hotel New Kamata’s address to the driver. Hotel New Kamata was not far from Wato’s hotel, but the surgeon knew it would be a nuisance for Wato to use public transportation in her current outfit. Throughout the drive, Dr. Mizuno explained who were the other guests. The only other person that had a similar education background was the medical examiner. The others were law-enforcement, the museum director and his staff, and Maibara. This made Wato comfortable as she trust the surgeon’s word.
The taxi pulled up to Hotel New Kamata. She quickly exited the cab and waited for Dr. Mizuno. They walked towards the entrance.