Read Online Paprika by Yasutaka Tsutsui - Free Book Online Page A

Electronic parts and tools were scattered haphazardly all over the floor, not to mention the desks. Beneath the shelves, desks lined the walls on either side, allowing just enough room for a person to squeeze through to Tokita’s laboratory. The desks were littered with naked Braun tubes and bright monitor screens displaying an array of graphs and diagrams. Himuro had been using an image scanner to input design drawings. He tensed and stood up when he saw Atsuko.
    “Er, Doctor Chiba! He’s in the middle of an experiment right now. I’m afraid I can’t let you in.”
    Like Tokita, Himuro was fat, but marginally less so; when standing side by side, they resembled a pair of babushka dolls in descending order of size. Himuro, another computer geek, had taken it upon himself to act as Tokita’s bodyguard, a role in which he was extremely resolute. He stood before his master’s door to prevent Atsuko from getting through.
    This was what always happened. But Atsuko knew how to handle him. She went close to him, so close as to frost up his glasses. “Come now,” she breathed as she peered into his widening eyes. “Still so persistent? No one’s going to take your precious master from you!” And she prodded the tip of his nose with her index finger.
    Himuro instantly turned bright red, then cast his eyes down and started muttering indistinctly. “Well, I suppose … It’s just the same old … You know, that bipolar IC … thingy … You know …” And with that he crept back to his seat.
    Tokita’s room was in the same state as the anteroom – only much darker, three times as large, and therefore three times as chaotic. But this was no ordinary chaos. The ends of spiral fibre bundles had been shoved into used pot noodle containers, ceramic elements torn to pieces, Braun tubes smashed. Testing monolithic semiconductor chips had been piled up inside coffee cups, while weird electronic components and tools designed by Tokita lay strewn all about. It was clearly the workplace of a genius, but then again, the endlessly bewildering appearance and juxtaposition of objects could equally have been the product of madness. Beads of perspiration glistened on Tokita’s brow as he fabricated some infinitesimal thing using a compact laser processor. His face was bathed in the light emanating from countless display screens that projected design drawings, images, and graphs in full color, as well as CAD line drawings and fractal graphics in high definition mode.
    As Atsuko walked in, Tokita threw his tools down onto the desk. The abruptness of his reaction made Atsuko regret having interrupted him.
    “Oh. Hi there,” said Tokita.
    “Is it OK?”
    “It’s fine. I was just about to open the window anyway.”
    Tokita got up dozily, opened the thick curtain and pushed the double-leafed windows open. His research lab offered the same view as Atsuko’s over the spacious gardens of the Institute, as well as the illuminated office buildings in the center of the metropolis beyond. An evening breeze carried the smell of freshly cut grass into the room.
    “I just came to thank you,” Atsuko said, walking toward Tokita’s back as he stood by the window.
    “Thank me? For what?” Easily embarrassed at the best of times, Tokita did not turn to face her, but continued to stare into the distance.
    “Hey, why don’t you look at me? I won’t bite! It’s so dark in here you won’t even see my face!” Atsuko laughed.
    “True. True.” Tokita slowly turned round, like a good boy. His face was barely visible in the gloom.
    “Now I’ll tell you,” said Atsuko. “It’s thanks to your fine performance today that we got through the press conference in one piece. I just wanted to thank you.”
    “Performance? Oh. That childish nonsense. I’m sorry, I can’t help it.” He turned to look outside again.
    “Well, I’m glad you can’t help it. It was really a great performance. Oh, come on! Why don’t you just face this