Every morning at 8 o'clock, Saito Akane comes running up to me, waiting on the train platform, with her distinctive footsteps making a brisk sprint.
I met her in June 2012. She had joined the company two weeks before me.
The editorial department asked me to write an article because I know Akane best. I was hesitant, but it's true that I spend a lot of time with her, so I probably know her best in the company.
Akane lives in the same city, and is a 10-minute bike ride from my house, and we use the same station. We didn't meet up, but one day we happened to be in the same car on the same train, and somehow we started going to work together every day. It was like we were in an elementary school walking group.
We had lunch together most days. We went drinking together in Fuchu and she came to my house many times. When my parents sent me a huge amount of stewed offal, my family couldn't eat it all by ourselves, so I called Akane over and we ate together. My family, my husband's family, and even my sisters know Akane.
I would like to introduce Akane, who is like a part of my family and a part of my daughter, in my own words.
Cute! But...
Akane is quite cute.
I always get to see his face up close on the train, and he has big, round eyes like a small animal, and a really cute face. When he's particularly surprised, he makes a puzzled face like a pigeon that's been hit by a peashooter, but that's cute too.
But it's not cute.
"Okubo-san, I'm amazing today! I woke up this morning, took a bath in 15 minutes, and still made it to the train! Isn't that amazing?"
Not amazing at all!
It's a 20-minute walk from Akane's house to the station. She must have skipped the feminine preparations. Otherwise there's no way she'd make it in time. She's already old enough to care a bit more about makeup and getting dressed. I'm not her mother, but being like her makes me sad.
Another time, it was cold but she had nothing else to wear, so she wore a short-sleeved dress over her long-sleeved heat tech. She forgot to wear a cardigan, so she couldn't hide the heat tech that was showing from her sleeves, so she rolled up her sleeves to hide it under her short sleeves, but she couldn't! "Akane lamented. I had no choice but to lend her my hoodie. That was also sad.
Akane may seem feminine at first glance, but in reality she is not.
This can be seen from the origin of the name "Akane."
The name comes from Akane, the main character of Misokkasu, a manga by Chiba Tetsuya that Akane's mother, Junko, loved.
The protagonist is a mischievous, unconventional, free-spirited girl who lives a carefree life, and no one knows what she'll do next. There are many similarities to Saito's Akane.
The manga "Misokkasu." It's an old manga from the 1960s, so no one knows it.
※Tetsuya Chiba (author) "Misokkasu" Homesha 1998
Too calm childhood
Akane has been calm since she was a child.
When he was in elementary school, he fell off a playground and hit his head. He lost consciousness for a moment, but he was so embarrassed that he hid his head while blood was flowing from his head. He didn't want anyone to see that, because it looked bad.
In junior high school, she was in the patchwork club. "P-Patchwork club? What's that?" I couldn't help but ask. Apparently, it's a club that does patchwork every single day. She must be good with her hands, as she is also a dental hygienist. But even so, when I asked her, "Why, patchwork club?!" she replied, "Even though I don't look like this, I'm a fast runner, so even though I'm in the patchwork club, I was also the anchor in relay races. I like that contrast!"
He looks at himself calmly and finds himself to be surprisingly calculating.
Even as an adult, Akane has continued to view life calmly, and after graduating from university, she went to dental hygienist school and obtained a national license. This was because she wanted to be able to work forever regardless of age. There are certainly many dentists in the world, and they are always looking for dental hygienists regardless of age. When she first joined Monosus, she was still a part-timer, so she worked as a dental hygienist on some days, and wore two hats.
Dental hygienist Akane. This outfit is just too cute! I want to get treatment there!
I still have a strong desire to learn!
Even after studying hard and obtaining her dental hygienist qualification, her desire to learn shows no sign of slowing down.
When Monosus decided to hold the "1st Kamiyama Monosus Academy" to train coders in Kamiyama, Tokushima Prefecture, two years ago, he volunteered to become a student, saying he wanted to study so he could perform high-level inspections in the quality control department where he works.
I was worried about Akane, who had never lived outside of Tokyo, but she seemed to enjoy it 300%, and now she is completely captivated by Kamiyama. After work on Friday night, she often takes a late-night bus to Kamiyama, comes back early on Monday morning, and goes straight to work. It seems she has made a lot of acquaintances.
She made efforts to make the unsuitable living environment comfortable, and on weekend nights she would go to the only convenience store to buy snacks as a reward for studying hard. She seemed to be positive, happy, and comfortable in that environment. That's really good! And I (her mother) am so happy!
The coding he learned in Kamiyama proved useful even after he returned to Yoyogi, as he came to understand the difficulties faced by the coders better and began to think about how much he could help them in quality control. He became aware of the need to improve the quality of the checks and check them more efficiently, and began to actively discuss with other members, and has now grown into a vital and indispensable member of the quality control department.
And Akane's eagerness to learn continues!
She was concerned about her mother's health, who had a chronic illness, and also attended culinary school to learn nutrition. She had a hard time, arriving at work earlier than others and then dashing through the streets of Shinjuku to get to school after work. This was no mean feat. Her love for her mother (for real) and her appetite for delicious food were probably the driving force behind her efforts.
However, the dishes Akane makes are healthy but strangely original, and some are even difficult to name.
For example, cookies and muffins made only from soy pulp and sake lees. The cookies are also hard! They have a resinous chewy texture. But they taste good! He is always searching for healthy foods, and makes things that make the most of the flavor of the ingredients without using any salt, pepper, or sugar. The reason is that it is for his mother who has a chronic illness, and there are hardly any recipes that don't contain salt, sugar, or other ingredients.
When it's served in front of you, you'll think, "What on earth is this?", but when you eat it, it's delicious, and for some reason, you'll want to eat it again... Everyone should try Akane's cooking just once!
The only time!? Akane is cool
Also, something you would never imagine from the normal Akane!! But she is also a member of a visual kei band.
Akane, a band member, is not a lazy Akane as I wrote at the beginning of this article, but she has perfect hair and makeup and outfits. She is super sexy and cool.
The reason why he started playing in a band was because his current band, which was playing cover songs by his favorite band, didn't have a guitarist, so he volunteered. However, he had never played the guitar before. This was surprising! His spirit of challenge is truly admirable.
Akane is a band member. A famous artist's hair and makeup artist also does Akane's hair and makeup.
Looking back, Akane is free to do what she wants, and when she thinks of something, she takes action right away, studies a lot, and sees it through. She is quite stubborn and has a strong will.
However, as her mother, I wish she had a bit more sex appeal appropriate to her age. My current dream as her mother is to attend Akane's wedding.
モノサスアーカイブ