【 Stray Sheep 8 】

Although the meeting with Yoshie had ended safely, Yokozawa, not wanting to go home just yet, invited Naoto out for a drink. Taking Naoto, who had readily accepted the invitation, Yokozawa went to a familiar small restaurant. There, Yokozawa told Naoto about his wife's past.

“Even after she left the facility, she would come back on her days off. She used to take care of the children living there. That was when I first met her. Michiko often said, ‘The children here are all the same as me. There are many versions of me here.’”
“Giving love is like passing on a flame. For example, even if you were to pass the flame from your candle to mine, your candle's flame would neither go out nor grow smaller. Love is the same; no matter how much you give, it never decreases or disappears. Your wife must be someone who knows this.”
“Perhaps you’re right.”
Yokozawa finished the cold sake he had poured for himself and added, “Madam, two more,” ordering hot sake.
“She sounds like a wonderful person, your wife.”
Naoto said while drinking the remaining sake in his small cup.
The proprietress, dressed in a kimono and a white apron, poured the hot sake she had brought for them, smiled without saying a word, and left the table.
Watching the proprietress’s back as she walked away, Yokozawa began to speak.
“Thank you. After that, we lived together for a year and then got married. We registered our marriage because we were expecting a child. ‘I finally have a real family of my own,’ she said, and Michiko was truly happy. And we have deepened our bond as a family. I just cannot believe that such a Michiko would have given birth to a child by a man other than me. I can’t believe it, Sensei...”
“Please, try to believe. I also think, ‘It must be some kind of mistake.’ Based on what you’ve told me, I feel that ‘it couldn’t possibly be her.’”
“Thank you. Hearing you say that, Sensei, makes me feel reassured, in a way...”
“The words of someone like me are of no use at all.”
“That’s not true. Just talking to you like this, Sensei, I... Sensei, I’ve thought about many things this time. Especially about blood relations, really, every single day.”
“With your child?”
“Yes. ‘If this child has no blood relation to me... what will I do?’ I spent every day repeating that question to myself. But now I understand. Talking to you like this, I realized it. Blood relations don’t matter; I love my wife and my child. I don’t love them because we are blood-related. I simply cherish my wife and my child. I will love and protect these two. I will live with them forever, from here on out. No matter what happens, even if the re-examination results are whatever they may be. I have finally reached that resolve.”
Naoto nodded silently.
“You are a wonderful person, Yokozawa-san. I think that is fine. As long as you have that resolve, the results of the re-examination don’t matter. I have no experience raising a child myself. So, I cannot speak as realistically as you can. I thought that was for the best, too. But my words lack persuasive power. After all, they are just products of imagination.”
“That’s not true. Because I was able to talk to you, Sensei, I realized my true feelings. If I had been thinking about it all by myself, I don’t think I would have reached this point.”
“If you say so, then I suppose I have been of some help.”
Naoto said with a shy, bitter smile.
“The thought that ‘I hope it’s a mistake’ hasn’t disappeared yet, though...”
“That is only natural. A person’s feelings don’t disappear so easily. But in the same way, the feelings you just expressed to me about your wife and child will not disappear either.”
Yokozawa was shedding tears.

After parting with Yokozawa, Naoto walked through Kotodai Park alone.
“To reset his heart... is this the only way to settle it?” Thinking this, he looked up at the night sky. The thirteenth-day moon was shining, and a large lunar halo glowed white as if to protect it.

The first month of the new year had already passed its middle and was about to enter its final third. The power of the ‘Winter General’ showed no signs of waning, and even in Sendai, a relatively warm region in the Tohoku area, cold days with fluttering snow continued. Amidst this, Yokozawa’s re-examination was scheduled for the following Tuesday, four days later, with Saturday and Sunday in between.
In the laboratory, they were collecting new samples in parallel with the follow-up survey. Because of this, it was a bit crowded. It was on Friday evening, when Yokozawa’s re-examination date was set, that a strange offer for a sample donation came to the lab.
The donor had specified the date of donation himself. And quite forcefully, he had specified the following Tuesday, and even the time.
“We are quite busy that day...”
Just as the researcher who took the call was trying to apologize and decline, Yoshie, who had finished her meeting with the professor, returned to the lab.
“What’s wrong?” Seeing the junior researcher’s troubled expression, Yoshie called out.
“Oh, Senpai, it’s a call from someone who wants to donate a sample...” Holding the receiver with her hand, the junior briefly explained the content of the call to Yoshie.
“I see, that’s fine. I have my own re-examination scheduled for that day, so I’ll just have them add it to the schedule together.”
“Understood. Then I’ll give this person the okay.”
“Okay, make sure you get their name properly.”
“Yes!”
With those drawn-out replies, the donation was set to take place.
A semen collection request form for the donor, written with “Tuesday, 10:00 AM. Name: Jiro Takizaki, 32 years old,” was placed on Yoshie’s desk.

Yokozawa had used a paid leave day to come to the university hospital on Tuesday. Of course, the purpose was the re-examination. However, he encountered an unexpected person here.
“Oh, Sensei, what are you doing here?”
“Oh, hello, Yokozawa-san. What are you doing in a place like this? Are you off today?”
It was Naoto.
“Oh, come on, Sensei, did you forget? Today is that re-examination. I contacted you about it the other day.”
“Ah, that’s right. It completely slipped my mind.”
“What about you, Sensei? What are you doing here?”
“Yes. An old acquaintance was hospitalized, so I’m just visiting.”
“I see. And is that person doing...?”
“No, it’s still unclear. They are in for a check-up.”
“I see, then it’s still worrying.”
“Indeed. But worrying won’t change anything. I just hope it doesn’t turn into anything major.”
“As expected of you, Sensei. I feel like I’ve been sleeping on a bed of needles every day.”
“That’s right. By the way, have you finished the collection? That...”
Since they were talking standing in a slightly wider corner of the hallway, Naoto did not use the word “semen.”
“Yes, just a moment ago.”
“What is it like? Could you show me for a second?”
“Sure, here it is.”
Yokozawa took out a paper bag from his jacket pocket containing a plastic container slightly smaller than a paper cup.
“Oh, is this it?”
Naoto took the plastic container with the red lid out of the paper bag and looked at it with curiosity.
“It feels kind of strange, even though it’s my own.”
“I don’t think so.”
Naoto replied while walking to the window to hold the container up to the light, but with a cry of “Ah!”, the container slipped from his hand and fell toward the floor. The moment Yokozawa instinctively looked away, the falling object was caught in the palm of Naoto’s hand, who had quickly crouched down.
“Phew, that startled me.”
“I’m the one who was startled. Please give it back now.”
“Haha, sorry, sorry. I made a little mistake.” Saying that, Naoto carefully put the container back into the paper bag and returned it to Yokozawa.
“Are you going to hand it over to that... um, what was her name, that woman now?”
“Yoshie Takagi. Yes, I’m going to meet her now, have lunch together, talk for a bit, and then go home.”
“Well then, have a nice lunch. I’ll excuse myself now.” Saying that, Naoto started walking toward the exit.

“When will the results be known?”
Yokozawa asked Yoshie. While eating soba in the hospital cafeteria, Yoshie answered.
“Well, I think I can let you know by tomorrow.”
“Phew, another night on a bed of needles...”
“Hmm, what about a bed of needles?”
“No, it’s nothing. I’m counting on you.”
“Okay~”
Yoshie replied with a drawn-out tone while stuffing the chicken from her soba into her mouth.
“Still, you sure can eat. I can’t taste anything I eat.”
“Well, my body is my capital. If I don’t eat properly, I won’t last.”
“That may be true, but...”
“Come to think of it, Kazuya-kun, have you lost a little weight?”
“I have! Whose fault is that, really!”
“Sorry, sorry, it’s my fault, I’m reflecting on it. Next time, I’ll check it properly and let you know.”
“I’m really counting on you, Yoshie.”
“Roger! Leave it to Yoshie-san.” Patting her chest, Yoshie smiled brightly.
“I don’t know if you’re an optimist or what, but I envy that personality of yours.”
“Hehe, isn’t it great? But even I get depressed sometimes.”
“It really doesn’t look like it, though.”
“Half of it is just a bluff~ It’s tough, graduate school is.”
“Is that so?”
“That’s how it is.”

Yokozawa left half of his soba and left the cafeteria with Yoshie.
“What are you going to do now?”
“I haven’t thought about it yet. I’ll watch a movie or something to kill time and then go home.”
“What did you tell your wife about today?”
“I told her I hadn’t had a health check-up because I was busy, so I was going to get one at the hospital today.”
“Oh my, you made up a good excuse.”
“I’m not good at lying, so I was nervous about whether I’d be found out.”
“But that will be over soon, too. I’ll have the results by tomorrow. You can say goodbye to those restless feelings!”
“I really wish I could have a little bit of that personality of yours.”
“I’d like to share it with you, too.”
Their conversation continued until they reached the hospital exit.
“See you tomorrow, then.”
“Yeah...” Saying that, Yokozawa left the hospital.
Yoshie watched Yokozawa’s back as he left, then returned to the lab.

“Oh, Senpai! Did you see Takizaki-san?”
“Who’s that?”
“You know, the donor who called last week.”
“Ah, the person who was obsessed with donating today. I didn’t see him, did he come?”
“Yes, he seems to have arrived on time... but he’s been missing ever since.”
“What do you mean, missing?”
“I gave him the collection container and explained everything. He said, ‘Understood,’ and went to the collection room, but...”
“And then he disappeared?”
“That’s right.”
“What a strange person. Just leave him be! Even without his donation, it won’t affect the research. Maybe he got scared and went home.”
“But...”
“Oh, never mind, just act like he never existed and get back to your work.”
“Yes.”
The junior researcher returned to work, looking not entirely convinced.

“What a nuisance. If I find him, I’ll slap him.” Thinking that, Yoshie began her afternoon work.

－To be continued－

Facebook Publication Date 3/15 2021