My Personal Recommendation for Natsuhiko Kyogoku: It Might Just Save Japan at the End of a 'Lingering Urination' Feeling, That Kind of Thing | Shin Novel No.022
"Sekiguchi, the recent bear damage is terrible, isn't it?"
Kyogokudo said from the back of the secondhand bookstore.
I nodded while folding the newspaper.
"Yeah. I see it in the news almost every day."
"However."
Kyogokudo looked up from his book.
"The truly troublesome ones aren't the bears."
"Eh?"
"It's the monkeys, Sekiguchi."
I frowned.
"Monkeys? I certainly see them often."
"Monkeys flock together. They learn. And they test humans. They are animals that understand the boundaries of human society, you see."
"Boundaries?"
"Yes, boundaries."
Kyogokudo slowly took off his glasses.
"Sekiguchi. Humans think the world is made of boundaries."
"First, there are national borders. You understand that, right? Plus prefectural borders, private property, roads, buildings. Racial discrimination, too. Humans draw lines everywhere."
Kyogokudo tapped the desk with his finger.
"But those lines don't actually exist."
"They don't exist?"
"They are just agreements."
Kyogokudo said indifferently.
"However, animals have different boundaries."
I leaned forward.
"That is 'scent'."
"Scent?"
"Territory, danger, predators, the strong. Animals judge these by scent."
Kyogokudo continued.
"In other words, the animal world is made of boundaries of scent."
I couldn't find words for a while.
"Now then."
Kyogokudo said.
"Why do you think they come down in the first place?"
"Because there's no food... right?"
"Wrong."
Kyogokudo answered immediately.
"They don't come down because there's no food. They come down because it's safe to come down."
"Safe?"
"There are places that are neither mountains nor human villages."
Kyogokudo said.
"Abandoned villages."
I held my breath.
"Abandoned villages have houses left, fruit trees left, water, and roads. But there are no people."
Kyogokudo said quietly.
"From an animal's perspective, there is no base more convenient than this."
"In other words... they come down from there?"
"Yes, because the human scent is no longer a foreign object to them."
Kyogokudo nodded.
"Abandoned villages are forward operating bases."
I crossed my arms.
"Then we should just turn the abandoned villages back into forests."
"We can't."
"Why?"
"There's no money."
Kyogokudo said calmly.
"Just bringing in heavy machinery costs a fortune."
"Then burn them or something."
"It would cause a forest fire. The houses are too close."
I fell silent.
"Then what do we do?"
Kyogokudo was silent for a while, but eventually said flatly.
"Urine, Sekiguchi."
"...Huh?"
"Pee."
I stood up.
"Hey, Kyogokudo, what are you saying?"
He ignored me as usual and continued.
"Scent creates boundaries."
Kyogokudo said quietly.
"Human urine has a certain effect as well."
"Huh, that's good."
"However."
Kyogokudo held up a finger.
"Urine has its limits."
"I suppose so."
"The amount is small. It disappears quickly. In some cases, it actually attracts animals."
"Attracts them?"
"They might lick it. There is a possibility they will judge you as a weak individual."
I sighed.
"Then that's no good, is it?"
"That is why."
Kyogokudo put his glasses back on.
"A specialized chemical is needed."
"A chemical?"
"A drug that doesn't destroy the environment, lasts a long time, and creates a scent boundary that animals won't cross."
Kyogokudo smiled slightly.
"A drug that surpasses pee."
I remained silent.
Kyogokudo closed his book.
"Come to think of it, Sekiguchi."
"Yes?"
"You have an acquaintance at XX University of Pharmaceutical Sciences, don't you?"
"Yeah... well."
"You should talk to them if you have the chance."
Kyogokudo said quietly.
"That might just save Japan."
"That's a bit of an exaggeration, isn't it?"
"No."
Kyogokudo said.
"We can reduce the number of bear victims. That alone, at least."
And he added flatly.
"Shall we call it 'Anti-Urination Drug'?"
I remained silent for a while.
Eventually, I thought to myself.
"Kyogokudo."
"What is it?"
"In other words, we..."
I looked toward the mountains outside the window.
"Have we been believing in boundaries that don't exist all this time?"
Kyogokudo smiled just a little.
"That is what humans are, Sekiguchi. In the end, everything is just an agreement. It's all armchair theory."
I thought to myself.
If humans returned to the wild, perhaps we would keep our distance from each other using scent.
Maybe wars and conflicts would decrease a little, too.
"Hey, hey, Sekiguchi, that look on your face—don't tell me you're thinking humans could also be managed by scent?"
"Well, you know."
Kyogokudo said while laughing.
"That would just lead to the birth of an 'Anti-Anti-Urination Drug'."
I look at the mountains once more.
I felt a little envious of the animals.
To tell the truth, Kyogokudo is just a persona he has decided to adopt on his own.
However, if you don't play along with this persona, he stops talking.
It seems he has such a strong attachment to it that he is nicknamed the 'Persona Player'.
It would have been a shame to end this rather interesting, rambling story halfway through.
Forgive me, but for convenience's sake, I'll refer to them as Kyogokudo and Sekiguchi.
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