[Novel: Venus Syndrome] (173) Returning home and crying over udon

Chapter 1: Going, returning, and everything in between

Narita → Singapore → Accra → Freetown.
Two layovers, 33 hours of travel time.
Every flight I took was a low-cost carrier.

"International development is pretty much like this, you know."
Misato Akena said, lying down on a hard bench at Singapore Changi Airport.

The airport in the middle of the night. The air conditioning was too strong, but they had run out of blankets to lend.
Yuina Waridashi hunched her shoulders to avoid hitting the sensor part of her prosthetic arm and nodded silently.

In the CSR department's dispatch project for a prosthetic manufacturer, luxury is basically not allowed.
My position as a development torso was strictly that of a "field test subject," not a technician.
At the business trip application stage, it was set to "lowest price route only," and this was the only flight I could choose.

The layover in Accra was hell.
The gate number didn't appear on the display board, and English was hit or miss.
Yuina walked around the airport holding her passport with her shoulder. Misato asked for directions calmly, bought only a banana at a shop, and returned.

"Well, the trick at times like this is 'not to get angry'."

"I don't even have the energy to get angry, though..."



On-site, it was even harsher.
The heat, the insects, the language that didn't get through, and the prosthetic arm that didn't work well.
The villagers' eyes shifted between curiosity and indifference, and both expectations and misunderstandings weighed heavily on me.

In the midst of that, Yuina met a young man named Momo, and
through the prosthetic arm, without even being able to grasp properly, they lightly touched shoulders.

Neither words nor a handshake could bridge the gap.
But—perhaps that moment was a distant and quiet "understanding."

It took a long time before I could think that way.



Just before the return flight, I received a call from the public relations department of Saisei Prosthetics.

"Yuina-san, your activities have become a bit of a topic due to photos posted on social media by a local NGO..."
"So, um... we've decided to have you appear on the front page of the company newsletter after you return home."
"Therefore, we have upgraded your return flight. We've booked you in business class."



On the plane. An ANA partner flight from Brussels.

Yuina sat in her first business class seat and looked at Misato.
She was in the front row of economy, already wearing her earphones.
Right before boarding, she just left behind, "Looks like your seat was changed," and didn't seem to care at all.

"Wait, Misato-san...?"
"Don't worry about it. I'm just going to sleep."

At that time, Yuina couldn't say anything either.

But when she took a bite of the in-flight meal, she suddenly thought.

—This will probably never reach the stomachs of the people in that village.



Arriving at Haneda. The morning light was white, and the airport lighting was too bright.
Compared to the heavy, cloudy sky of Freetown that held red soil,
the air at Haneda was well-polished and odorless.

"…I'm back."

Yuina whispered, not to anyone in particular.

The floor was smooth, the signs were clear, and the people were quiet.
That was something to be grateful for. But at the same time—it also felt somewhat "too kind."

The moment she reached that point,

"Yuina-chaaan!!"

A high-pitched voice cut in.

A woman in uniform was waving her hands widely.
It was Sae-gusa from the public relations department of Saisei Prosthetics.

"You arrived at Haneda!? I thought it was Narita and booked a taxi~! Wait, aren't you thinner!? Africa is amazing, right!? Anyway, let's go get food!"

"…Why are you so energetic?"

"No, no, no, there's definitely something I want you to eat! Actually, I've already made a reservation!"

Sae-gusa started walking toward the rotary in a tone that brooked no argument.
Behind her, Misato slung her bag over her shoulder and said one thing.

"I think it's udon. That person always does that."

"…I had a feeling."



Yuina followed Sae-gusa just like that.
She had a premonition that it would be a taste that would soak into her.

Chapter 2: Udon

The food court in the basement had a lot of people for 9:30 in the morning.
A corner of Haneda Airport Terminal 1, a place that was neither departure nor arrival.
To someone who didn't know, this space was just a transit point, but to Yuina now, it smelled more like "life" than anywhere else in the world.

"The dashi here is surprisingly good. It's properly infused."

Sae-gusa turned only her face back while lining up at the udon shop counter.

"I think you'll be surprised because it's so different from in-flight meals. You'll realize you're back home with just one bowl of udon."

Saying that, she handed over two meal tickets.

"Kake udon with only seaweed and green onions. If there are too many weird toppings, the dashi dies."

"…Are you a fanatic?"

"I have 10 years of commuting udon experience."

When they sat down, Yuina exhaled slowly.
The white bowl was brought over a few minutes later.
Steam rose slowly.
Green onions, seaweed, and a clear, amber-colored dashi.
No extra toppings, no extra salt, just the "basics" were there.



Chopsticks had been handed to her, but Yuina said nothing, pulled her bag closer with her feet,
used her shoulder slightly to hold the chopsticks against her chin, and gently received them with the instep and toes of her foot.

A moment of silence at the counter.
But Sae-gusa didn't say anything.
Her way of reading the atmosphere of "don't look" and "don't say" was strangely accurate.



The first bite.
The soft udon noodles unraveled in her mouth.
The broth went down her throat.



That was the moment.

The back of her eyes grew hot.



"…Eh?"

Tears fell on their own.

It wasn't because of the heat.
It wasn't because of surprise either.
A taste that had nothing sharp about it said, "Welcome back," from deep in her throat.

Yuina put down her chopsticks.
She bowed her head and couldn't move for a while.



"…It's a gentle taste."

She said just that in a raspy voice.

"Right? I don't know what's in it, but it really soaks in."

"No… it's soaking in too much… somehow…"

Along with the tears, it felt like various things were leaving her.
The dry earth, the smell of sand, the weight of the mud,
the children's eyes, the moment the prosthetic arm didn't move,
the words, "Why do I need to grab?"

This and that, everything that had been stuck in the back of her throat, melted away smoothly.



Sae-gusa said while slurping her udon.

"Yuina-chan, you've probably only been thinking about 'whether it's usable' or not, right?"

"…Well, it's an occupational disease."

"But you know, udon isn't really for anyone in particular, it's something you offer by saying, 'Eat up'."

"…That's true."

"And your prosthetic arm, Yuina-chan, probably isn't 'convenient' in that village, but by 'showing it,' it became something."

"Even if it's just a 'hmmm'?"

"A 'hmmm' becomes a culture. After all, everything starts from a 'hmmm' at first."



Yuina took another slurp.
The steam hit her face.

Beyond that, she remembered Momo's face.
That straight gaze when he offered his shoulder.



"…Maybe it was good that I went."

This time, she was able to say it out loud properly.



Sae-gusa smiled a little and slurped the last of her udon.

"Can I put that in the company newsletter?"

"Absolutely not."

"I figured!"

The two of them laughed, and the sound spread softly through the morning food court.



#AINovel #Novel #VenusChild #VenusSyndrome
#SaiseiProsthetics #YuinaWaridashi