Chapter 9
Contacts
After two months of tests and evaluation, Hideki was ready to engage in a specially-designed academic program. The results were not unexpected: he was very bright, but he lacked specific skills he would need to progress. He recognized fewer than half the Chinese characters he needed to know in order to read books aimed at his age and he could only write at a fourth grade level. As he had not yet entered middle school, he had no knowledge of any foreign languages or Algebra.
Owing to his celebrity status, A high-priced "cram school" in Tokyo offered to take on his training regimen free of charge for at least one full academic year. If he could show significant improvement, the Tohyo Academy Ochanomizu campus stood to gain considerable nationwide stature.
The Tokyo experience was once again a mixed blessing for Hideki/Haku. Hideki was accustomed to the more relaxed and less crowded life outside of Shimoda City. Haku, as it is with all spirits, thrived on company. He was just as happy interacting with the tree spirits around Shimoda as he was with the high density of human spirits in Tokyo. Humans, however, weren't the only source of spirits.
The Ochanomizu district in Tokyo is home to literally hundreds of schools and universities of all types and sizes. Passing through this area, from west to east, is the lazy Kanda River. Over the course of time, the Kanda River had become a glorified drainage ditch--and one of the three most polluted rivers in Tokyo. It was soon after Hideki arrived that the myterious incident at the Kanda River took place.
Early one morning, the owner of a boat rental shop upstream from Ochanomizu saw something from his dock that he had never seen clearly before: the bottom of the river. Not only could he see the bottom, he didn't see any signs of human refuse: no cans, no bottles, no plastic, no tires. It was like somebody came through the river in the night with a scrub brush. This caused quite a stir in the news, as environmental groups were not able to explain how a river can clean itself overnight. If it weren't for the normal bacterial levels, the water would have been safe enough to drink. It was definitely safe enough for fish.
A reporter from NTV, Channel 4, was on the bridge over the river next to Ochanomizu Station, when she spotted Hideki, seated at a bench with a book. After a little discussion with her news director, she approached Hideki. "Excuse me. I am very sorry for interrupting you, but aren't you Hideki Suzuki?"
"Yes," he replied.
"I am Hiromi Saitoh, reporter for NTV news. I'm here to cover the miraculous river cleansing and saw you sitting here. What's your impression of all this?"
"As you know, I just arrived a few days ago. I can't explain it, but I feel comfortable being near the river. Whatever happened here makes me happy beyond words."
"It makes all of us happy. How are you fitting in at the school?"
"It's difficult. I am aiming to learn thirty Chinese characters a day, but am lucky to get twenty. I have challenged myself to be fully literate before Summer vacation."
Doing a little math in her head and assuming he needed to know an additional thousand characters, she concluded, "If you can manage twenty character a day, you'll make it. What about math and English?"
"I'm doing the required classwork in those areas. My top priority is to be able to read my own language."
"Well good luck in your studies and hang in there, Hideki"
"Thank you," came Hideki's voice over the television later that afternoon. Chihiro was aware of the young man they found in Shizuoka, but neither she nor Sen sensed anything special about him. Spirituality doesn't carry over the airwaves. Chihiro was more interested in the river story than the Hideki angle.
Contacts
After two months of tests and evaluation, Hideki was ready to engage in a specially-designed academic program. The results were not unexpected: he was very bright, but he lacked specific skills he would need to progress. He recognized fewer than half the Chinese characters he needed to know in order to read books aimed at his age and he could only write at a fourth grade level. As he had not yet entered middle school, he had no knowledge of any foreign languages or Algebra.
Owing to his celebrity status, A high-priced "cram school" in Tokyo offered to take on his training regimen free of charge for at least one full academic year. If he could show significant improvement, the Tohyo Academy Ochanomizu campus stood to gain considerable nationwide stature.
The Tokyo experience was once again a mixed blessing for Hideki/Haku. Hideki was accustomed to the more relaxed and less crowded life outside of Shimoda City. Haku, as it is with all spirits, thrived on company. He was just as happy interacting with the tree spirits around Shimoda as he was with the high density of human spirits in Tokyo. Humans, however, weren't the only source of spirits.
The Ochanomizu district in Tokyo is home to literally hundreds of schools and universities of all types and sizes. Passing through this area, from west to east, is the lazy Kanda River. Over the course of time, the Kanda River had become a glorified drainage ditch--and one of the three most polluted rivers in Tokyo. It was soon after Hideki arrived that the myterious incident at the Kanda River took place.
Early one morning, the owner of a boat rental shop upstream from Ochanomizu saw something from his dock that he had never seen clearly before: the bottom of the river. Not only could he see the bottom, he didn't see any signs of human refuse: no cans, no bottles, no plastic, no tires. It was like somebody came through the river in the night with a scrub brush. This caused quite a stir in the news, as environmental groups were not able to explain how a river can clean itself overnight. If it weren't for the normal bacterial levels, the water would have been safe enough to drink. It was definitely safe enough for fish.
A reporter from NTV, Channel 4, was on the bridge over the river next to Ochanomizu Station, when she spotted Hideki, seated at a bench with a book. After a little discussion with her news director, she approached Hideki. "Excuse me. I am very sorry for interrupting you, but aren't you Hideki Suzuki?"
"Yes," he replied.
"I am Hiromi Saitoh, reporter for NTV news. I'm here to cover the miraculous river cleansing and saw you sitting here. What's your impression of all this?"
"As you know, I just arrived a few days ago. I can't explain it, but I feel comfortable being near the river. Whatever happened here makes me happy beyond words."
"It makes all of us happy. How are you fitting in at the school?"
"It's difficult. I am aiming to learn thirty Chinese characters a day, but am lucky to get twenty. I have challenged myself to be fully literate before Summer vacation."
Doing a little math in her head and assuming he needed to know an additional thousand characters, she concluded, "If you can manage twenty character a day, you'll make it. What about math and English?"
"I'm doing the required classwork in those areas. My top priority is to be able to read my own language."
"Well good luck in your studies and hang in there, Hideki"
"Thank you," came Hideki's voice over the television later that afternoon. Chihiro was aware of the young man they found in Shizuoka, but neither she nor Sen sensed anything special about him. Spirituality doesn't carry over the airwaves. Chihiro was more interested in the river story than the Hideki angle.