Prelude to the Second Weltkrieg - Part 6: Japan

Part 3

Masaki was exhausted, and the baby seemed pretty tired too, so it wasn't that much later into the evening when the crowd filtered out. Everyone exited that evening with parting gifts: more words Kazuhiro wouldn't remember, as well as the cash and small pieces of clothing for the baby that he and Masaki would find around the house for the following week. Kazuhiro received every well-wish and tangible gift with the same smile he'd been sporting all day, the same smile that seemed to make actually interacting with anyone that day quite difficult.

It was his father-in-law who left last. A deeply greyed man with an enormous mustache and a pair of reading glasses on his nose at all times, Mr. Shizuka was not a physically imposing man, but Kazuhiro had always felt a little small next to him. Shizuka carried himself with a sense of importance, and one that was, for the most part, well-earned. He was a director, or senior executive, or something like that – Kazuhiro could never remember the title and it seemed to change frequently – for the Nakajima Aircraft Company, the company that built the very plane he flew. Most of the year he spent in Tokyo, but he was also responsible for regional activities in his home town of Nagasaki and frequently visited his family.

Kazuhiro had known none of this when he first met Masaki. She was simply the beautiful receptionist at flight school who was always wearing the most fashionable western clothes. Every would-be pilot fell in love with her at first sight. Except for those who couldn't imagine a woman working, and those who knew who her father was. Kazuhiro was just forward-thinking and stupid enough to fall out of both categories, and he pursued her even before his father had passed away. The only time he regretted that pursuit was when he was alone with his father-in-law.

"Little Kaz," the old man took him by the shoulder and escorted him away from the doorway where Kazuhiro had been staring at mother and daughter sleeping in the bedroom. "I'm so proud of you both, you know that."

"You are?" Kazuhiro was only barely listening, but the statement got through his smile-based-defenses.

"Of course! My youngest daughter a mother herself now. It's every father's dream."

"You're not upset it's a girl?" Kazuhiro asked. Mr. Shizuka was much more traditional than Kazuhiro and Masaki.

"Boys will come! Plus I already have three grandsons. No, all that matters is that Masaki is healthy and happy and you and she are well taken care of."

"Thank you Mr. Shizuka, you know I—"

"Well taken care of!" Shizuka repeated. "And while surely you've done relatively well for yourself so far, with children now, you must want to do even better for your family, correct?"

"Masaki and I have been saving for a while for this and–"

"Oh I'm not talking about savings, little Kaz. I'm talking about taking the next step."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean going from being a pilot to something bigger! Something with more of a future. Something with room for advancement, you know?"

Kazuhiro had the distinct sense he was being sold something he didn't necessarily want or need. But he also liked the idea of something bigger than his current job; the memory of his boredom in recent weeks somersaulted the word "advancement" round and round his head.

"Do you have something in mind?" He asked.

Mr. Shizuka stopped him in the living room and pulled Kazuhiro about so they could face one another.

"As a matter of a fact I do. The Americans have approached us about selling us the licenses to some of their scout planes. Amazing devices – can hit 400 kilometres an hour and go quite a long way. Anyway, we're looking to really put them through their paces, make sure we'd be getting our money's worth. So we need pilots to be part of a review committee."

Kazuhiro didn't know exactly what to say. Early on in their marriage, Kazuhiro had almost expected Mr. Shizuka to offer some sort of patronage, but had viewed it as a sign of respect when nothing arrived. Now though, the thought of his nameless daughter asleep in the next room forced him to reconsider. Perhaps the greater sign of respect was finally emerging.

"Wouldn't the army or the navy be the one deciding whether to use the plane?" Kazuhiro asked, a question he would normally have been too timid to ask so directly to his father-in-law. But he was too tired and happy to hold back now.

"Technically it will be a civilian contract with the company," Shizuka waved the idea off. "The navy is sending three pilots, but two will be ours to select. And you've flown as many of our planes as anyone else, I think you'd be very qualified."

Pride again rose up in Kazuhiro's chest. Could this day really be getting even better?

"That's very considerate Mr. Shizuka father-in-law, but reviewing a single plane does not seem like a very... long term job."

"That's the best part. After we've finalized the contract, we'll need trainers to teach pilots how to use them. If you do well on the review part, we would hire you to do the training. You'd officially be a company man."

The way Shizuka talked about "the company" had always grated on Kazuhiro just a bit. It seemed as if he invoked its name to keep Kazuhiro out, to remind him of his much lower position. Kazuhiro's parents had both been smalltime shopkeepers – not the poorest family in Nagasaki, but certainly nowhere near the great big, fantastical house the Shizuka family kept. Now that he was including Kazuhiro in the same breath as the "company" though, that same sense of isolation now swept over him in reverse. A company man. Part of the Nakajima Aircraft Company, one of the Zaibatsu that had helped Japan become the modern power it was. And Kazuhiro could be a part of it all.

"I'd be very honoured by the opportunity Mr. Shizuka." Kazuhiro hadn't thought he could beam any brighter than he already had all day, but he was wrong. "Very honoured indeed."

"Good!" Shizuka clapped his son-in-law on the shoulders. "Then come to the headquarters building tomorrow at 9:00 for the first meeting, and we'll confirm everything with everyone."

"Tomorrow sir? I have to be in the air heading to Shanghai at that time tomorrow."

"Little Kaz," Shizuka chuckled, "I've already taken care of that. I contacted your boss – what was his name? Sojiro?"

"Mr. Sojiro," Kazuhiro confirmed.

"I contacted Sojiro as soon as Masaki was given the all clear by the doctor. He offered you the day off to be with your new baby! Of course there's no reason you can't slip in a little business as part of your day off too!"

"But, who will fly the plane to Shanghai tomorrow?"

"Sojiro said something about your co-pilot being able to handle it."

"Shota?" Kazuhiro considered it for a moment – the man had seen Kazuhiro run the flight over a hundred times by this point, and despite his age, he had hundreds of hours of time behind the yoke as well...

"Kazuhiro," Shizuka brought him back to the moment. "Don't worry. This is an excellent opportunity."

"Yes sir, I know sir. Thank you again."

Shizuka smiled, then went to put on his shoes, a large hat, and his overcoat. "Now go to bed Little Kaz. You should be well rested for tomorrow and that baby's going to wake you up at least twice tonight."