Chapter 5
The Facts of Life
It was a few hours before class, and Ae was sitting at her desk deciding the day's lesson plan. A familiar but unexpected voice came from the doorway. "Ae-san, might I speak with you a moment?" It was Yubaba in an uncharacteristically humble mood.
Ae stood. "Of course, Yubaba-sama. Please sit down," gesturing toward her chair.
Yubaba entered the room and closed the door behind her. She took Ae's chair and sat down. "I'm afraid I might have to return Lin to her natural state."
"Is there a problem doing that?"
"Normally, no. She's an Arctic Fox. In her case, however, she might retain much of what she learned."
Ae felt heartbroken. "The readustment will likely kill her. She'll lose the will to live."
"I know, but her performance the other day at the drain means she might be facing a bigger disaster if she stays in human form."
Ae was beginning to see Yubaba's point. "I know she behaved as a person far beyond her years, but do you think it's that bad a problem?"
"If her mental capacity is too great, she'll go dangerously mad in a few years."
"If?"
"That's where I need your help, Ae. I have an arrangement with a psychiatrist at Tsukuba University. I want you to accompany Lin to the Human World and bring her back. She'll need several tests of her IQ over the next year or so. Can I count on you to help me?"
"Of course, Yubaba-sama. What about my students?"
"I can arrange time. You won't miss any classes."
Ae couldn't quite fathom what she had just heard, but she took Yubaba at her word. "When do you want me to take her?"
"After tomorrow's classes. You will need to stay there three days while the doctor runs his baseline tests."
Ae protested, "But I'll need to teach another class the day after tomorrow."
Yubaba decided to remain cryptic for the time being. "I told you I'd arrange time. Don't worry: you'll be there for class the day after tomorrow."
Yubaba then got up and headed for the door. Just as she opened the door, she turned around and added, "It's time to tell Lin the facts of her life. I gave her two books yesterday morning. I believe you will find one of them helpful--if she hasn't already read it."
The two books Yubaba referred to were first-grade textbooks designed for human world cram schools--and she had, indeed, read them. One was about numbers and the other was about wild animals. Those were the first two books Lin had ever seen, let alone own, so she spent the entire day in bed reading and re-reading them. When Ae showed up at Lin's bed, she was already applying what she learned. She was on her hands and knees looking intently at her futon. "Three Hundred Twenty Six, Three Hundred Twenty Seven..."
Ae hated to interrupt her activity. "Uh, Lin-chan? What are you doing?"
"I'm counting the flowers on my futon. So far, I counted three hundred twenty eight of them--and there are many more. I also have sixteen real flowers and thirty seven packages of Genkou Youshi. You have two eyes, one nose, two ears, ten fingers and ten toes, right? Just like me!"
That was painful. "Yes, Lin-chan. Just like you." She deferred her main topic for a bit. "How high can you count?"
"All the way to the top: Nine Hundred Ninety Nine! How high can you count?"
"All the way to the top, I think. Just like you." Ae then decided she could wait no longer. She was inexperienced in these matters and was hoping she wouldn't ruin Lin for life. "Lin-chan, have you ever heard anybody call you a mammal?"
"Yes, all the time. Everybody in my class is a mammal."
"Is your teacher a mammal?"
"No, he's a boy--like the kids in the frog class and the boys in the bathhouse."
"Are the girls in my class mammals?"
"I don't know. They call me mammal sometimes."
"Am I a mammal?"
"I don't know."
"Lin, I am just like you. I am a mammal and you are a mammal. So are all your classmates."
Ae saw Lin's other book on the floor next to her futon and picked it up. She leafed through the pages, playing a hunch that Yubaba took care in selecting the book. "Frog...ok...Snail...good! Slug...better...White Fox...excellent! They're all there," she thought. She opened the book to the easy page first: the frogs. "Lin, does this fellow look like anybody in the bathhouse?"
"His face is unfamiliar, but his shape is like the boys around here."
"Very good, Lin. This is a frog. They are frogs."
Lin didn't seem to be having any trouble with the revelation so far. "Does that mean I am a tanuki?" Lin took the book from Ae's hand and started looking through it. She saw the picture of the badger-dog. "No, I'm not a tanuki." Continuing through the book, she stopped on the rabbit picture. "Usa-chan! Ta-chan!"
Ae wasn't sure if Lin was right, but she did pick a mammal's picture. "Maybe Usa was short for usagi," or rabbit, she thought.
Lin finally reached the picture of the White Fox and stopped. She examined it closely. "He's cute," she said.
At that point, Ae realized that Lin was far more sensitive to differences of appearance than she had realized. "He is what you are--a white fox. Can you find any of my students in your book?"
Lin continued thumbing through the book until she hit on the picture of the snail. "Some of them look like this," she replied. She continued until she saw the slug. "Some of them look like this," she added, and as if she remembered something from before, she went to the picture of a worm. "That's Pei-san. She's mean. I don't like her."
Ae didn't know if Lin was serious or joking--but that didn't matter. Lin seemed to take in the news with little or no difficulty. "Do you know what I am?"
Lin thought for a minute and went to a picture of an orangutan. "?"
"Close enough, Lin, Close enough."
The Facts of Life
It was a few hours before class, and Ae was sitting at her desk deciding the day's lesson plan. A familiar but unexpected voice came from the doorway. "Ae-san, might I speak with you a moment?" It was Yubaba in an uncharacteristically humble mood.
Ae stood. "Of course, Yubaba-sama. Please sit down," gesturing toward her chair.
Yubaba entered the room and closed the door behind her. She took Ae's chair and sat down. "I'm afraid I might have to return Lin to her natural state."
"Is there a problem doing that?"
"Normally, no. She's an Arctic Fox. In her case, however, she might retain much of what she learned."
Ae felt heartbroken. "The readustment will likely kill her. She'll lose the will to live."
"I know, but her performance the other day at the drain means she might be facing a bigger disaster if she stays in human form."
Ae was beginning to see Yubaba's point. "I know she behaved as a person far beyond her years, but do you think it's that bad a problem?"
"If her mental capacity is too great, she'll go dangerously mad in a few years."
"If?"
"That's where I need your help, Ae. I have an arrangement with a psychiatrist at Tsukuba University. I want you to accompany Lin to the Human World and bring her back. She'll need several tests of her IQ over the next year or so. Can I count on you to help me?"
"Of course, Yubaba-sama. What about my students?"
"I can arrange time. You won't miss any classes."
Ae couldn't quite fathom what she had just heard, but she took Yubaba at her word. "When do you want me to take her?"
"After tomorrow's classes. You will need to stay there three days while the doctor runs his baseline tests."
Ae protested, "But I'll need to teach another class the day after tomorrow."
Yubaba decided to remain cryptic for the time being. "I told you I'd arrange time. Don't worry: you'll be there for class the day after tomorrow."
Yubaba then got up and headed for the door. Just as she opened the door, she turned around and added, "It's time to tell Lin the facts of her life. I gave her two books yesterday morning. I believe you will find one of them helpful--if she hasn't already read it."
The two books Yubaba referred to were first-grade textbooks designed for human world cram schools--and she had, indeed, read them. One was about numbers and the other was about wild animals. Those were the first two books Lin had ever seen, let alone own, so she spent the entire day in bed reading and re-reading them. When Ae showed up at Lin's bed, she was already applying what she learned. She was on her hands and knees looking intently at her futon. "Three Hundred Twenty Six, Three Hundred Twenty Seven..."
Ae hated to interrupt her activity. "Uh, Lin-chan? What are you doing?"
"I'm counting the flowers on my futon. So far, I counted three hundred twenty eight of them--and there are many more. I also have sixteen real flowers and thirty seven packages of Genkou Youshi. You have two eyes, one nose, two ears, ten fingers and ten toes, right? Just like me!"
That was painful. "Yes, Lin-chan. Just like you." She deferred her main topic for a bit. "How high can you count?"
"All the way to the top: Nine Hundred Ninety Nine! How high can you count?"
"All the way to the top, I think. Just like you." Ae then decided she could wait no longer. She was inexperienced in these matters and was hoping she wouldn't ruin Lin for life. "Lin-chan, have you ever heard anybody call you a mammal?"
"Yes, all the time. Everybody in my class is a mammal."
"Is your teacher a mammal?"
"No, he's a boy--like the kids in the frog class and the boys in the bathhouse."
"Are the girls in my class mammals?"
"I don't know. They call me mammal sometimes."
"Am I a mammal?"
"I don't know."
"Lin, I am just like you. I am a mammal and you are a mammal. So are all your classmates."
Ae saw Lin's other book on the floor next to her futon and picked it up. She leafed through the pages, playing a hunch that Yubaba took care in selecting the book. "Frog...ok...Snail...good! Slug...better...White Fox...excellent! They're all there," she thought. She opened the book to the easy page first: the frogs. "Lin, does this fellow look like anybody in the bathhouse?"
"His face is unfamiliar, but his shape is like the boys around here."
"Very good, Lin. This is a frog. They are frogs."
Lin didn't seem to be having any trouble with the revelation so far. "Does that mean I am a tanuki?" Lin took the book from Ae's hand and started looking through it. She saw the picture of the badger-dog. "No, I'm not a tanuki." Continuing through the book, she stopped on the rabbit picture. "Usa-chan! Ta-chan!"
Ae wasn't sure if Lin was right, but she did pick a mammal's picture. "Maybe Usa was short for usagi," or rabbit, she thought.
Lin finally reached the picture of the White Fox and stopped. She examined it closely. "He's cute," she said.
At that point, Ae realized that Lin was far more sensitive to differences of appearance than she had realized. "He is what you are--a white fox. Can you find any of my students in your book?"
Lin continued thumbing through the book until she hit on the picture of the snail. "Some of them look like this," she replied. She continued until she saw the slug. "Some of them look like this," she added, and as if she remembered something from before, she went to the picture of a worm. "That's Pei-san. She's mean. I don't like her."
Ae didn't know if Lin was serious or joking--but that didn't matter. Lin seemed to take in the news with little or no difficulty. "Do you know what I am?"
Lin thought for a minute and went to a picture of an orangutan. "?"
"Close enough, Lin, Close enough."