Alkimia ~the Craft of Love~

21. a heroine (Tokie + Atsushi)

Right before we leave the building, there is a ding. I turn around to see our co-worker who is also living in this apartment building reaches the ground floor using another lift.

The boys have gone ahead, but I don't mind them. I raise a hand and greet this person, "Good morning!"

When she notices me, she gives a sweet smile and returns the greeting, "Good morning,"

Unlike this acting childishly cute me, Mikoto Sanada gives off the feeling of being a calm and mature beauty through and through. Somehow, I feel slightly envious.

If I am quiet and reserved, I am told that I am dull.

If I act cheerful and childish, I am told that I am cute.

In reality, I just want to be myself. Yet, since everyone expects me to be like great-great-great-aunt, it means I have to be cheerful. There surely will be some old people who heard or even knew about great-great-great-aunt, the great inventor Tokie Mikagami, intimately.

If I am not like her, what would they say about me? If I am not like her, what will happen to our family?

I rely on Big Brother to invent items, but I shouldn't slack off on that too. People are always judging me, after all, despite my parents or even Big Brother's effort to shield me from the world.

I won't deny that I am a bit too sheltered though.

"You are...Tokie, correct? May I call you that?" with a gentle smile, Mikoto Sanada snaps me out from my musing

Blinking in surprise, I then offer her a big smile as I nod, "Un! May I call you Mikoto too?"

"I would like it if you call me Mikoto," smiling, I get the permission to call her by her name

I recall a feat she said she would do today. Because of that, I give her a cheer, "I wish for your success in your presentation later!"

"Thank you. Truthfully, I feel nervous about it. It is calming to know I have someone who cheers for me," the smile Mikoto gives is a very...charming smile. It is a mix of a bashful and happy smile.

It is not a smile I can replicate.

21.

Mikoto's presentation is about time reading. All this while, people of Blanket world have been reading time by using degrees. Mikoto introduces to use the numbers, hour reading, minute reading, and seconds reading.

From the image above, the left clock is the original clock. The right clock is what Mikoto develops.

The reading of the left clock is 66° from North. By Mikoto, it is introduced as 12:11 p.m., using the command a.m. for midnight until morning and the command p.m. for noon until night. The Latin language is used to explain that a.m. stands for ante meridiem, meaning before midday and p.m. stands post meridiem, meaning past midday.

The reading of the right clock is 12:07 p.m., with one-hour consists of 60 minutes and one-minute consists of 60 seconds. In the right clock, there is the number 1 to 12 with each number acting as 5 minutes.

Not a lot of people accept Mikoto's presentation. It is something worth debating though. Bringing new or improved ideas of what has already been established is the purpose of this research institute, after all.

For now, making people accept the change of time reading will be Mikoto's project. Her partner, Shin, is allowed to assist or leave her alone.

With that, the introductions and presentation end.

21.

I am currently in lab room 2900 with Atsushi. Sitting facing each other at the table for experiment purpose, Atsushi asks me what I think about Mikoto's presentation.