Chapter 1

 The graduation party for the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine will be held at a hotel in Shin-Sapporo.

"I'm still looking in the mirror," Hagio Chiho clicked her tongue in her mind.

At her graduation party, she sees the most glamorous face in the girls' bathroom mirror. A confident female student carefully checks her face as she creates her final college memories. Chiho hates seeing people with smug faces on her face. The fifth graders are waiting in the lobby for the after-party after the graduation party. Before taking her seniors to the after-party, the same two people were facing the mirror from the time Chiho went into the bathroom until she left. I'm sure she's checking every single eyebrow of her, even the ends of her hair.

“I told Nishimura-kun that a slim suit would definitely suit you.”

``When I thought he arrived in Kanagawa Prefecture, the first thing he said was that it was the Kamakura Health Center.I also work at an animal hospital in Kawasaki, so there may be many more in the future.''

"That's right!! Today is the decisive day in many ways."

While Chiho was washing her hands, she noticed that she was smiling a little. The letter from Nishimura-senpai is in Chiho's bag.

**

Nishimura-senpai and Chiho were a good team. When Chiho was in her fourth year, a theme was decided upon in her laboratory, and for a year she assisted Nishimura in searching for genes related to lifespan in animals. Chiho felt that the new word "lifespan genes" would bring something to her, so she decided on a theme for her seminar. Nishimura was in charge of that theme. Nishimura was tall and had a good posture, and his cool eyes matched well, and he was liked by both people with the same surname and people with different surnames. Female students in particular have fans among their classmates, and in a laboratory far away from the main building, 6th grade female students study for exams from December to February, when studying for national exams is popular. They gathered under the name. However, Chiho was not interested in Nishimura's handsome features. She is convinced that no man can match her father in terms of looks and charm. However, I had a good impression of Nishimura as a partner in exploring the unknown. We read research papers in English that are difficult to read together, and discuss over coffee which new discoveries might lie on our experimental desks, and what samples to take and what to look for. Once it started, it was really fun.

Chiho's first year was filled with time in her lecture room and laboratory. Chiho and Nishimura searched for genes that protect the body from active oxygen produced by living organisms themselves. By the time Nishimura's research was completed in October, he had discovered a gene fragment that could provide important clues. Since November, Chiho and fourth-year student Kiyoda have been looking for a continuation.

Genes are made of a substance called DNA, and in order to examine it, it was necessary to repeatedly double a portion of the DNA. By placing artificially created short DNA called primers and animal DNA in a small tube and heating them repeatedly at near 100°C and 60°C, they were able to extract only the desired region. Since primers can be freely designed and ordered, it was theoretically possible to investigate the mysteries of genes as long as the primers were designed correctly. However, since primers consist of 20 bases of four types, there are over a trillion possible combinations. Researchers are trying to select 20 characters that solve the mystery from among 1 trillion characters based on a huge amount of past data. Nishimura and Chiho searched for primers by focusing on the genes responsible for longevity in birds. When successful, the gene could be seen on a special agar called agarose. Researchers use their wits to design primers, hoping that the secrets of animals' evolution over hundreds of millions of years will reveal themselves as long, thin orange squares called bands.

Chiho liked watching bands with Nishimura. 9 out of 10 times I couldn't see anything, but the other time I saw a beautiful band as if it were my reward. Chiho wasn't interested in Nishimura's handsome face that her classmates said, but she liked the look on Nishimura's face when they looked at Agarose together. When the experiment was successful, she said it was a small celebration and each of them licked a piece of candy. Candy was originally Chiho's hobby, but Nishimura gradually learned the different types of candy and started buying them at stores in Sapporo. When things didn't work after 10 tries, he adapted to Nishimura's habits. I rode at the front of the JR train and watched the scenery move from behind the driver. Although Nishimura was not a train fan, he remembered the scenery from the train well, and liked to talk about the changes in the buildings in his hometown before the private railway line ended. Chiho preferred the Starbucks they went to when they took the JR train from Marijuana Station to Sapporo Station. September was the worst, and her experiments continued to fail, and she finally bought a Kitaca for JR.

In the laboratory used by Nishimura and Chiho, a large forest could be seen from the window. There are always small changes deep in the forest. In the spring, skinny foxes would sometimes come looking for food right outside the window. Nishimura and Chiho held their breath as they watched the fox. Canis' sensitive noses search for hints of food in order to survive. Nishimura and Chiho bent down to watch the fox as it searched every part of the grass for signs of a mouse, trying not to notice it. The fox continued its search until it was within a meter of the window. While holding her breath, Chiho was happy to see the same fox as Nishimura. The hour ended with the high-pitched voice of a sixth grader who came to call for Nishimura. The fox instantly braced itself and met the two's eyes. Immediately after that, the fox disappeared into the depths of the forest, but Chiho could see that the fox had an expression that seemed to criticize her. Chiho, she thought, the look on her face was similar to when she accused her mother.

It was March 12th when I found a letter from Nishimura. After Nishimura put away his belongings, he found it tucked away in a drawer in the laboratory. The short message included words of gratitude and a proposal to meet in Kamakura during summer vacation to discuss progress. After Chiho read it twice, she put the letter in the pocket of her lab coat. She opened the laboratory window, wondering if her junior would see her red, flushed hands in contrast to her lab coat. New buds were sprouting in the forest where there was still snow, giving off the scent of early spring. Her chest shook as she took a deep breath.

**

Chiho left in front of her mirror in the shortest possible time to check that her hair was disheveled. She didn't like people who were smitten with their faces, but she also didn't like her own face, which looked exactly like her mother's. Humans are not faces. She took a short breath and returned to the lobby.