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It is completely dark outside.
Tsubune opens the window with his eyes fixed on the night sky. Unexpectedly
the stars are few and their sizes are small. He just remembers the night
stayed at the cottage on Mt. Shirouma in Nagano Prefecture several years
ago. This night sky is unsatisfactory compared with that with gorgeous
twinkling stars.
"May I serve ochazuke for you?" (boiled rice with hot green tea)
Eriko, the landlady, asks him.
Tsubune declines her consideration, saying,
"No, thanks. Leaving here now, I may get home before midnight."
Lively Mari is serving fresh tea for them.
"Not to forget, ...," Suga takes out the document of two papers from the bag and hand it out to the three.
"These are the advertisement of the subdivided lands for sale and
the comment of president Sano in the document from professor Tsukioka.
I hope they will be helpful to you as an anecdote during the move."
Suga and Tsubune call a taxi. Suga gets it off at his home on the way,
and Tsubune hurries to Ofuna Station. There, no sooner had he gone up to
the platform than the train came.
There were few people in the train, so he occupied the square seat for
four people and opened the paper written by Suga.
| A |
The advertisement of the subdivided houses for sale in Kunitachi College
Town -- Hakone Land Company
- - - - -
Since the new site for Tokyo Commercial College (TCC) was decided to be
in Kunitachi College Town by the approval and order of the Government on
September 2 last year, Taisho 14 (1925), the ideal suburban-life town of
1 million tsubo (3.3 million square meters) with TCC in the center has
been developed here.
We are just in construction work of roads, sewers, the new station, etc.,
while in the new campus of TCC the donated auditorium began to be built
early this year and the main school building is going to be built soon. |
| B |
The comment of president Zensaku Sano -- College Paper, November 15, Taisho
14 (1925)
- - - - -
I am personally thinking as follows.
An elementary school would be prepared for the children of local people
and the movers, and in the future a middle school, a girls' high school,
etc. would be opened possibly by the people related to our college.
Then this land would be a satisfactory form of a college town.
But the most I am concerned about is that some various doubtful dealers
would enter this town following the land newly opened.
For this matter, I definately intend to consult the real estate, a manager
of the land, to contact the authorities, and so, to let them prevent thier
entries perfectly.
Amusement facilities are surely all right, but they have to be suitable
for the college city. An ideal college city would never be realized in
any land other than surrounded by ideally refined houses. |
| C |
Notes of Mr. Yasuhiko Sano
- - - - -
The Kunitachi Elementary School was founded by my father Zensaku requesting
to Hakone Land, in an attempt to promote for the teachers and staffs of
TCC to move to Kunitachi.
That is, Hakone Land invested the fund, and Zensaku did every other thing
including the invitation of teachers and the selection of the first principal
Ushizo Yamamoto.
It was the fact at that time that most of the professors were strongly
against their college's move to Kunitachi, let alone voluntary movers. |
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Immediately after putting the document in the bag, his eyelids were ready
to close...
It is a crisp fall weather in Kunitachi Campus with peaceful scenery and
people there. Ordinary people are strolling more than students. Is it because
of a holiday?
There are people beside the fountain in the square who are having a commemorative
picture taken with Kanematsu Auditorium in the background.
A man dressed in a kimono in the center seat of the front row is Zensaku
Sano. He has dignity with handlebar mustache. He holds a shiny-black stick
with a grip of Mercury.
Tokuzo Fukuda and Hajime Seki sit on his both sides. They wear suits with
ties, and also have nice mustaches. Miura and Hori are there, too.
The woman sitting at the left end must be Mrs. Sano, because the boy wearing
an elementary uniform is surely Yasuhiko. He is sulking, probably warned
by his mother.
The people on the rear standing seat are Takagaki and other young professors.
What commemorative photo session is it?
Who on earth is a busy middle-aged photographer?
He is setting a camera on a tripod, wearing a hood, going back and forth
the subject people, and giving instructions to the apprentice.
Yes, he is Dr. Chuta Itoh! He sweats a lot with an open-necked shirt and
a beret hat.
Who is the apprentice with a college dress? Goroji Suga! He looks unclear
and running about in confusion.
The professors would like to finish this ceremony as soon as possible,
but the photographer won't press the shutter button.
The sky right above the auditorium has become threatening. Immediately
after that, large drops of rain have formed the dark clouds bunched together
and have attacked them.
There used to be an anime-omnibus Disney movie "Fantasia" before.
Its one scene is widening in Tsubune's mind: the world of evil spirits
with Musorgskii's "One Night on the Bare Mountain" echoing hair-raisingly
from behind the clouds.
The eyes of the Four-God statues got glared. Gembu, Suzaku, Seiryu and
Byakko have slowly left each of their relieves and begun to move under
the downpour. They roar in a muffled voice and prepare to wait for something
with eyes of flame.
Sharp lightnings flash and thunders with deafening noise roll through the
rain clouds hanging low.
Believe or not, monsters and ghosts of Chuta original have crawled on the ground from the inside of the auditorium to the entrance. What a huge number of them!
The Romanesque monsters on the side walls are beginning to squirm. A three-way
battle? How terrible!
Why don't the professors notice? The storm and the growls are too violent
like this just a stone's throw away from them.
What about the strolling people? Why, nobody there.
Strange! Dr. Itoh is still crazy about a camera. It's not such a time,
sir. Student Suga! Please do something fast!
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