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Chapter 30 – The Final New Drug

“So, you’re the one contacting me again. What’s next?”

“You’re free now, aren’t you?”

“I’d like to say no, but this is all for me to seize glory.”

“Then this is the final move for that glory. This time, I need you to go into the fields.”

“What, another grandma’s remedy? Good grief, that makes it the fourth one.”

The one exchanging the usual banter with me is Kouryuu-san.

His mouth is speckled with beard stubble like sesame seeds, so he probably isn’t exactly free.
It seems he’s been very busy lately, likely due to the various things he’s been working on over the past year.

But I decided it was time to move forward with the next step—no, the final practical move I can make in the field of medicine.

Just as I was about to get to the heart of the matter, Kouryuu-san continued speaking.

“But I already have a good idea of what you’re getting at. I am a genius, after all.”

“And what exactly do you think you know? I haven’t said anything yet, have I?”

“You did say one thing—fields. The soil is home to countless microorganisms. You could even call it a treasure trove of microbes. Did you think I wouldn’t take notice of that? I’ve already collected a great number of samples. Although, I haven’t yet found anything like penicillin-producing mold…”

I can’t help but be impressed by his words.
But then again, since something as major as penicillin has already been hinted at, it’s only natural—at least for someone like him—to follow through with thought and action.

Besides, research papers on penicillin have already been published worldwide, and Dr. Fleming is conducting experiments and clinical trials.
I should assume that there are many other geniuses around the world doing similar things.

Thinking that, I’m glad I decided to act early.

And what I’m about to suggest this time is something a bit different, so I respond with a sly grin.

“What’s that supposed to be? A little girl trying to play the villain just looks like pretend play. Are you trying to say I’m barking up the wrong tree?”

“No, Kouryuu-ojisama, your sharp insight is impressive. But what I want you to do is just a little different. Say, you know about actinomycetes(actinobacteria), don’t you?”

“Of course I do. So, you’re saying the next penicillin-like discovery might be from actinomycetes? But we still haven’t found any actinomycete that shows a clear effect against Staphylococcus aureus.”

(This guy’s racing ahead again. But since he doesn’t know the key details, he’s off-target. Seriously, historical cheats are amazing—or rather, totally unfair.)

Still, I’m not in the mood to dwell on that now.

So, right in front of Kouryuu-san, I wag my finger side to side and go, “Tsk, tsk, tsk,” teasing him.

As expected, Kouryuu-san’s face twists slightly in frustration.

“Stop dragging it out and just say it. Honestly, my research hasn’t hit a wall, but it has been stagnating.”

“I know. The problem is that you’ve been aiming at the wrong enemy. The particular strain of actinomycete we need to focus on isn’t for fighting Staphylococcus aureus—it’s for fighting tuberculosis.”

“What?! What did you say?! Is that true?! N-No, I believe you wouldn’t lie about something like this. I’ll trust you on that. But still—can it really be true?”

He’s clearly shaken and still not entirely convinced.

Well, that’s only natural.
Tuberculosis, until the invention of the antibiotic I’m about to mention, was considered an incurable disease.

The BCG vaccine has already been discovered and developed, but that’s only for prevention.
Treating tuberculosis itself comes down to a desperate battle relying on the patient’s own physical strength.

“It’s true. But even if one narrows it down to actinomycetes, I think it’ll be really difficult to find the right one. So if you need funding or anything, just let me know.”

“W-Whoa. Are you offering to fund it? Is it really that hard to find? Or is there some urgent reason?”

He leans in slightly, asking with concern.

“It’s the urgency. If we can treat tuberculosis, we’ll be able to save a lot of people. And… this is just a possibility, but… I have a feeling it’s not Grandfather, but rather Father who might have tuberculosis.”

“What?! Lord Kiichirou?! Is that true?!”

(There it is again—that exact same line. And way too loud, too. My ears are seriously starting to hurt.)

“He says it’s just a summer cold, but he’s been lightly coughing—cough-cough—on and off these past few weeks.
His condition doesn’t seem to have changed much, but if it is tuberculosis, that’d be serious, right?”

“Of course it would. I lost an uncle to tuberculosis myself. Alright, I understand. Leave it to me. I’ll track down the one that can defeat tuberculosis and drag it back by the scruff of its neck!”

Kouryuu-san’s attitude likely stems from the influence of Grandfather Kiichirou, who—even being an eccentric—treated his relatives from a branch family like Kouryuu-san fairly.
It’s possible Grandfather’s attitude also affects how Kouryuu treats me.

“That’s good to hear, but… what about funding?”

“Ah, right. That won’t be a problem. I’ve received a decent amount of support from the retired head. On top of that, thanks to the artificial shiitake cultivation method you introduced to me before, I’ve made quite a profit. Full-scale harvest is still more than a year away, but just selling the method has brought in a flood of buyers. My reputation in microbiology has been skyrocketing lately, after all! Wahahahahaha!”

He puts both hands on his hips and bursts into loud, hearty laughter.

It’s not really a topic to laugh so hard about, but somehow, with this guy, it fits.

“Well, if you’ve got that much leeway, I’ll leave it to you. Also, just as a bonus bit of info—most antibiotics are made from the metabolic byproducts of actinomycetes, so focus on that angle and do your best with the rest too.”

“Leave it to me. Now, there are plenty of actinomycetes, but do you know any details about the one that targets tuberculosis? If I had even one clue, I could move faster.”

“Well, I’m not very detailed on this, but the name of the medicine I saw in my dream was supretomycin. Does that help?”

“Eh? No, not just help, it’s almost like you’re telling me the answer already, just like penicillin. That’s the name of one of the actinomycetes. Of course, there are many types within that category, but this narrows it down significantly.”

“Oh, I see. The name really reflects its nature.”

“I feel like you’re using the term wrong, but yeah, that’s the gist of it.”

He looks slightly unsatisfied, but honestly, I’m just glad he’s here.
Even in the same era, finding a genius with expertise in cutting-edge medical science, specifically in bacteriology and chemistry, isn’t something that happens every day.

If I had been transported to the Edo period or some alternate world fantasy, even if I could vividly recall my memories, most of the medicines I know would probably have stayed as nothing more than a dream.

(Really, I can’t do anything on my own. The villainess’s name is going to go to waste…)

“Hmm? What’s wrong? You suddenly went quiet.”

“It’s nothing. I just thought that now I’ve shared everything I can with my Kouryuu-san. From here on, it’s just grandma’s old wisdom.”

“That grandma’s wisdom is the kind of invention that could win Nobel Prizes repeatedly, you know? Even I might start feeling guilty about it.”

“What are you saying? A lot of people will be saved, so just accept it. You’re a man, right?”

“Ah! That’s right. Carrying the cross is also the fate of doctors and scientists!”

Kouryuu-san, grinning with a cynical smile, looked a little cool at that moment.

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Actinomycetes (放線菌)
A microorganism found in soil, neither a bacterium nor a fungus, is an actinomycetes.
In soil where actinomycetes exist, the number of other bacteria decreases.

Various antibiotics are produced from the metabolic products of these actinomycetes.

Streptomycin (スプレトマイシン)
An antibiotic that is highly effective against tuberculosis. 

No further explanation is needed.

Supretomycin
This is a bit of a spoiler, but the real name is “Streptomycin”. 

The protagonist got it wrong.
Despite the mistake, Kouryuu-san still figured it out, which is impressive.

The protagonist is just a beginner.
The protagonist will continue to make mistakes with past-life memories (on purpose).

(Because I don’t believe anyone can be all-knowing.)

Even if the memory is clear, it’s still just human memory.