Bodycount Stories

On an April afternoon when the cherry blossoms had begun to scatter, the teacher training center at the private high school was wrapped in a stiff, formal atmosphere that belied the mild spring weather. Yuka Fujimoto, a rookie teacher who had only just started standing at the podium this year, had c...

Takumi Nagai was admitted to the hospital after a university health checkup revealed an irregular heartbeat. He was scheduled for three days of hospitalization for detailed examination. Lying on the bed in his private room, he gazed at his assigned nurse's name tag. "I'm Miharu Iwai. I'll be your nu...

Takumi Nagai began visiting a dental clinic near his university after a filling in one of his back teeth came loose. The one who took care of him was a young dental hygienist, apparently only in her first year on the job. "Mr. Nagai, today we'll do a cleaning and take an impression for your filling....

The teacher training seminar before summer break was, as always, wrapped in a dull atmosphere. In the front row of the venue, Akari Miyamoto tucked her long hair behind her ear, finding herself unexpectedly absorbed in the words of the man standing on the podium. Takumi Nagai. A university professor...

The internal medicine outpatient department of the university hospital saw its crowds thin out by the afternoon. Takumi Nagai sat in a chair in the now-quiet examination room, waiting to hear the results of his regular health checkup. "Takumi Nagai-san, fifty-eight years old, correct?" The young fem...

"Professor Nagai, could you open your hips just a bit more to the left? Yes, that's it." Shizuku Shirai's quick-paced instructions echoed through the quiet studio. It was Takumi Nagai's first time experiencing this weekly private yoga lesson. "My goodness, I had no idea a body could get this stiff....

When the studio lights went out, Kiriyama Yoko let out a small breath as she removed her microphone. Today's guest had been Nagai Takumi. He was a professor teaching education at one of the prefecture's most prestigious universities, and this had been a recording for a special program discussing uni...

Nagai Takumi visited the internal medicine clinic because his university health checkup had recommended further examination. At fifty-eight, he considered himself still in good health, but when told his blood pressure readings were concerning, he couldn't simply ignore it. "Mr. Nagai, this way pleas...

The large auditorium at the education center was filled with the humid air of late summer. Yuka Ueda sat in the third row from the front, watching the man standing at the podium. Takumi Nagai-a university professor known as an authority in education. Today he had been invited as a lecturer for the c...

It was just past three o'clock on a Thursday afternoon when Nakajima Misuzu knocked on the door of Professor Nagai Takumi's office. "Excuse me! I'm Nakajima from the Secretarial Department at Mirai Trading Company. You must be Professor Nagai Takumi-I'm here today regarding the lecture request for n...

"Sensei, are you sure you don't need to sweep up those fallen leaves over there?" It was an autumn afternoon, and Takumi Nagai had been called out to a corner of the municipal park adjoining the university. A volunteer program called "Connecting the University and the Community Through Child-Rearing...

As autumn deepened into October, an afternoon public lecture titled "Modern Japanese Literature and Views on Love" was being held in a room at the Civic Culture Center. The lecturer was Nagai Takumi, fifty-eight years old. While he was well known as a literature professor at a university, he was als...

The autumn course at the university's lifelong learning center, "Modern Japanese Literature and Solitude," was taught by Takumi Nagai. Miwa Yuki appeared in his public lecture class about five minutes after the first session had begun. "I'm sorry, I'm late..." Apologizing quietly, she slipped into a...

The lobby of the major corporation Toko Industries caught the afternoon sun at a slant, the light making the marble floor glow faintly. Standing at the reception counter, Shiho Nakanishi kept her back straight as always, her ponytail swaying as she smiled at visitors. Takumi Nagai had come to the co...

Nagai Takumi opened the door to the piano school purely by chance-he happened to be passing by. On his way home after finishing a lecture at the university, he stopped walking for a reason even he couldn't quite explain. Perhaps he'd been drawn in by the strains of Chopin drifting through the window...

Nagai Takumi, having finished his university lecture, walked through the automatic doors of the comprehensive gym in front of the station, just as his doctor had recommended. It was his first time joining a gym at fifty-eight. When he gave his name at the front desk, he was led to a glass-walled tra...

In the cramped space of the underground live house "Shelter," Sakurai Yuka finished singing the final chorus under the spotlight. The audience numbered around thirty people. Still, for her, it was a precious stage. When she took her place at the merchandise table, among the usual familiar faces stoo...

It was late March, when the cherry blossoms had begun to scatter. Nagai Takumi heard that his regular hair salon was closed for renovations, so he reluctantly stepped into a new shop near the station. It was a stylish place called "Salon Lumière." "Welcome. You must be Mr. Nagai, our reservation." H...

On a drizzly Tuesday afternoon, the small café behind the university was quieter than usual. Takumi Nagai pushed open its door to escape the rain. Having just finished his lecture, he walked up to the wooden counter, briefcase in hand. "Welcome." The one who looked up was a young clerk with her blac...

Nagai Takumi looked at his midsection in the mirror and let out a small sigh. Fifty-eight years old-he still stood up straight at the university lectern, but there was no hiding the toll his unhealthy lifestyle had taken. "I'd like to sign up, please." When he said this at the front desk, he was dir...