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Chapter 23 – I Can’t Do Everything

1925 (Taisho 14) had begun.

This year, a number of well-known companies that will last into the 21st century are founded.

Domestically, Japan enacted the “General Election Law” and the “Peace Preservation Law” as a set.
Overseas, Mussolini declared a dictatorship in Italy, and Hitler published Me*n Kampf.

The world is already starting to show signs of unrest.

At the same time, Japan sees the beginning of radio broadcasting, live coverage of sumo and baseball, and the launch of the magazine King, bringing peaceful and lively topics to the forefront.

If I remember correctly, the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb also happened this year.

And so, the Ootori family and the Ootori conglomerate, who do not exist in the historical record or my past life, seem peaceful at a glance.

“All is calm in the world. Quite nice, really.”

“Nice, my foot!”

(Why is Kouryuu-san showing up again, even though spring has come?)

In front of me, Kouryuu-san is once again devouring éclairs like lightning, shouting as he does so.

Even though my fifth birthday is just around the corner, the only men involved in my life are middle-aged or elderly.
The romantic interests are an exception, but since they’re designated targets in the game, nothing can happen until we know whether the protagonist appears in front of us.

And besides the romanceable characters, the youngest people around me right now are my “onii-sama”—Uncle Ryuuya—and the man right in front of me, Uncle Kouryuu.

The one I see the most often is Uncle Ryuuya.
His family includes Ryuichi-kun, one of the romanceable targets, my number one source of comfort Youko-chan, and Tatsuya’s wife, Yukiko-san.

This couple is absurdly lovey-dovey, to a degree that feels totally out of place for this era, and the whole family gets along really well.

However, not everything is smooth sailing.
Tatsuya’s father—my great-uncle Ryujiro—passed away in the Great Kanto Earthquake, just like my own father, Kiichi.

The Ootori conglomerate is still in turmoil from the loss of Ryujiro, who had been a very capable head of the family.

The stock investment I suggested is being handled almost completely in secret by the direct heir of the main family, so it’s not related to the rest of the group. 

But someday, the funds will run dry or the operations will have to merge—or else things are going to get bad.

So really, there’s no way the world is “all calm.”
But compared to what lies ahead, things feel peaceful now.

What’s more, Kouryuu-san—at least for now—is bringing a great light into my life.
Even if he looks like a villain character.

And now, he’s flying into a rage—though not at me.

“So the penicillin paper—it hasn’t even been that long since you sent it overseas, right?”

“That’s true. But it’s a discovery of that magnitude! I expected those bastards at the Imperial University to ignore it, but it should be getting international attention by now!”

“But Dr. Fleming wrote a positive article in a reputable journal for you, didn’t he?”

“Yes. He’s a truly admirable man. If I were asked whether I’d like to be co-awarded the Nobel Prize with him, I’d be glad to accept.”

“Come on now, Dr. Fleming’s the one who’s been researching it for years. You’re the one who discovered it ‘by chance,’ so you’re more like the extra.”

When I say that, he makes a slightly displeased face.

Though honestly, I’m the one who should be making that face.
The guilt is seriously eating at me.

“You’re not the one who should be making that face. And besides, today’s visit is about something like that again, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s right. I heard you had some free time.”

I pull myself together and switch into my proper young-lady mode.

That said, I’m still not quite five years old.
I must just look like a little girl trying to act grown-up. 

I want to at least give off the vibe that I’m on equal footing with adults—otherwise, I’ll just feel even more guilty.

“Is the next one also Nobel Prize-worthy? What kind of bacteria is it?”

“So you’re assuming it’s a bacterium?”

“My main field is bacteriology. If something’s going to manifest from your dream, isn’t that the most likely?”

“But you’ve studied chemistry too, right? Otherwise, you couldn’t isolate things so easily.”

“Well, yes. Hm? So is the next one something in chemistry? Like a treatment method?”

“It’s another medicine. Here’s the recipe. Could you study the exact process of how to make it? Also… I only vaguely remember it, but I think this is the chemical formula.”

“Let’s see…”

He wipes the cream from his mouth with his finger, licks it off, then wipes that finger on his lab coat before picking up the sheet of paper.

(Yeah. I’m never touching that paper again. What a waste—he’s good-looking, but still. No wonder he’s not popular.)

Brains and drive aside, there’s something a little off about Kouryuu-san.

But his expression grows gradually more serious as he looks at the paper.

“Reiko, can you really make this medicine with this?”

“Yeah, it should be possible.”

(Though part of my source is holy scripture—a manga.)

“Hm. Well, collecting the ingredients won’t be an issue.”

“What about the synthesis method?”

“If the chemical formula is accurate, I can figure it out based on the ingredients. If I put my mind to it, it’s something I could make in a small lab. For mass production, of course, a proper facility would be necessary.”

“As expected of you, Uncle Kouryuu.”

“Flattery won’t get you anything. Still, if it’s just about making it, that part’s easy. The real issue is whether it’s actually correct—animal testing and clinical trials will be necessary.”

“It really can be made that easily, huh.”

“With the ingredients, method, and formula all written out like this, of course it can. So, when in your vision of the future is this supposed to be invented?”

As he says that, the look in his eyes shifts from that of a specialist to something a bit more clouded.
He must be feeling a bit of guilt.

So I decide to speak plainly.

“1935. No—actually, the discovery itself is in 1932. It won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1939. Beyond that, ignorance is bliss.”

“That’s a short gap between discovery and the prize. That just shows how great the drug is.”

“Yeah. I think it’s effective against pneumonia and a lot of other infections, so if it spreads, it should drastically reduce mortality rates among the elderly and infants.”

“Then I absolutely want to see it succeed.”

“I really think so too. I’m counting on you, then.”

“You don’t even need to ask. Actually, I was the one who asked you to tell me in the first place. Just watch with those eyes of yours as I see this through to the end!”

He strikes a strange pose with a smug grin.
In another world, he’d definitely be a textbook case of chuunibyou. 

But judging from his expression and how amazed he seems, he looks like he’s handling things better this time.

So I decided to keep going.

“I’m leaving that one to you. Now, about the next topic…”

“There’s more? Can’t it wait?”

His expression quickly shifts to troubled, with slightly drooping brows.
He seems to at least understand his own limits.

“It’s fine, I just want you to spread the word. And I think the sooner, the better.”

“Spread the word? About some kind of medical knowledge?”

He leans forward, clearly interested.

“Yes. It’s about bacteria—but this really is going to sound like a future prediction.”

“You mean something we can’t detect or create at this point? I’m guessing it’s a pathogen even smaller than bacteria.”

“You sure know your stuff.”

“I’d like to say ‘of course I do,’ but even if we know they exist, if we can’t see them, it’s like fighting bare-handed. Don’t tell me you want me to build something like that? Even a genius like me has things I can and can’t do.”

For some reason, he puffs out his chest there.
Well, it’s better than making outrageous claims that he can do everything, but still—it’s hard to respond when he’s bragging like that.

I can’t help but let out a small laugh.

“It’d be best if you could, though. The machine is called an electron microscope. In about ten years, it’s invented in America. Once it spreads, all sorts of discoveries will start happening.”

“Electron microscope? So it’s different from an optical one? The principle is literally to see with electrons?”

He crosses his arms and starts thinking.
The fact that he gets close to the answer so quickly is amazing. It’s probably because he’s already familiar with related things, or because he’s just that much of a genius, it’s probably both.

Impressed, I go on.

“Something like that. I have no idea how it’s built or how it works. Anyway, without it, you can’t really see pathogens smaller than bacteria. However, if you really push it, you might still be able to isolate some now.”

“I suppose that can’t be helped. So, why are you telling me this?”

“Because antibiotics don’t work on those super small pathogens. So even if it seems like they helped with a cold or flu, that’s just because they worked on some secondary infection— they don’t affect the actual pathogen at all.”

“I see. It’s obvious, in a way, but also an easy blind spot. That’s definitely a useful thing to know. Still, invisible pathogens, huh. I look forward to seeing what happens in ten years.”

After folding his arms and nodding in agreement, he gives a sly grin.
It’s helpful that he doesn’t question the things I’ve said are impossible—he’s quite rational that way.

But when you start seeing real results, it makes you want to see results even more.
Makes you want to do something about it, if possible.

“It’s not all about looking forward to the future, you know. There are people fighting those pathogens right now, aren’t there?”

“True enough. Come to think of it, wasn’t Dr. Noguchi working on a vaccine for yellow fever?”

(And there it is—a Named Character, aka a historical figure. The guy on the 1,000 yen bill.)

No time to be impressed inside.
That’s right—this is still a time when Hideyo Noguchi is alive.

But I don’t know much about him.
Even with my villainess cheat brain pulling knowledge from my previous life, all I’ve got is the memory of reading a kids’ biography book when I was little.

I try desperately to remember something useful, but you can’t draw water from an empty well.

Times like this make me wish I had some convenient skill like in those laid-back isekai novels—like being able to search the internet even in another world.

“What’s wrong? You look like you’re thinking about something serious.”

“Ah, yeah, um… if I remember right, the yellow fever vaccine wasn’t actually discovered by Dr. Noguchi. It’s someone else, I think.”

“You’re being vague. Didn’t you see the future?”

“I can’t see everything. And even if I did, it’s not like I can remember all of it right on the spot!”

I realize my tone has gotten sharp without meaning to.
It’s just so frustrating.

“Don’t get mad. Still, I see now that this ‘dream sight’ of yours isn’t all-powerful. But actually, that’s a relief. If you could see all of the future, you might be able to conquer the world or something.”

“Even if I could, I wouldn’t want to. If anything, I just want to live a life that feels a little nicer for myself.”

“So that’s why you’ve taken an interest in me. Well, helping others does feel good. But as a doctor, I should say—this isn’t something easy or light, you know.”

“Y-yeah. I think I understand.”

“Well, that kind of understanding comes with time and experience. You’re still a little girl—this isn’t something you need to burden yourself with so deeply just yet. I’m not saying you shouldn’t care. Just don’t overthink it.”

“T-thanks.”

“Ohh. Still, that yellow fever business is bothering me too. I’ll talk to Dr. Kitasato about all this, so Noguchi-sensei doesn’t push himself too far.”

“Yeah. Please do.”

“OUU! You don’t even have to ask!”

He’s a little embarrassing, and he is not exactly cute about it.

More importantly, a woman in her late thirties on the inside just got comforted by a socially awkward guy in his thirties.

―――――――――――――――――――

Sulfa Drugs
A type of synthetic antimicrobial agent created by synthesizing chemical substances that has the effect of killing bacteria.
Because they are not derived from living organisms, they are not called antibiotics. Also known as sulfonamides.
Discovered by Gerhard Domagk in Germany. He received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1939.

Viruses
Tiny pathogens that reproduce inside the living cells of a host.
Once infected, the host cell is forced to rapidly produce thousands of identical copies of the original virus.

Unlike most living organisms, viruses do not have cells that divide—new viruses are assembled within infected host cells.
They are much smaller than bacteria.

Hideyo Noguchi
Hardly needs an explanation.