Nasuda’s office was about as far away, décor-wise, as you could get from the principal’s office at Nellis Academy. There wasn’t a single bit of adornment in the place. It was all steel desks piled with documents, a dry-erase board, bookshelves, and an old coffee maker with some chipped cups for guests. With the exception of the large photo of a rocket hanging on the wall, it could have been an office in any small company.
A man and a woman sat at the desk across from the door.
The man was in his sixties, bald save for a small patch of hair at the very top of his head and intensely black eyebrows. A wild light in his eyes shone through round, silver-rimmed glasses.
The woman was no older than thirty. She had rich black hair and wore a lab coat over a tight miniskirt. Red high heels stuck out from beneath the desk, a spot of color in the otherwise drab office.
The aging boss and his trophy secretary, Yukari thought. As if.
Nasuda spoke first. “Thanks for coming. I’m Nasuda, the director here. My associate is our chief medical examiner, Satsuki Asahikawa. She’s in charge of astronaut training and health maintenance.”
“Akane Miura,” Akane introduced herself, bowing so low her hair fell down over the top of her head. “I’ve come to apply for the position of astronaut.”
“We’ve heard about you from Yukari. Sounds like you did quite well for those goldfish.”
“It was nothing,” she began, then hastily added, “that is, I think that if I became an astronaut, I could make myself very useful in a variety of situations.”
“I see.” Nasuda glanced over at Satsuki.
She leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear. “Thirty-six kilos.”
“Measurements?”
“Height, 153 centimeters. Her measurements are seventy-four, fifty-two, seventy-five.”
“No complaints here, then.”
“Don’t jump to conclusions. I’m worried about her stamina.”
“Right.”
It was a remarkable talent of Satsuki’s that she could glance at a person and immediately gauge their weight, size, and general level of fitness.
“Miss Miura, thank you for coming all this way,” Nasuda said, turning back to their applicant. “I’m sure you’re tired from your trip, so we’ll begin the examinations tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
“Satsuki will be taking care of you while you’re here. Our medical examination can be a little hard at times, but hang in there. We’ll put you up at the guesthouse. Don’t get excited, it’s just a room, and pretty plain at that. That okay?”
“That will be fine.” She turned to Satsuki. “I look forward to working with you, ma’am.”
“Likewise, Akane,” Satsuki replied, a mischievous smile on her lips.
✦ ✦ ✦
I guess it wasn’t quite as easy as I thought it would be, Yukari thought. For her and Matsuri getting a job had been as simple as walking in the building. Now she was starting to worry. I really hope they take her.
✦ ✦ ✦
THE ASTRONAUT TRAINING center was a three-story building off to one side of the main complex.
There Akane spent the entire following day. It was not long into her medical exam that Akane realized just how powerful Satsuki Asahikawa was—at least here, in her own domain.
She measured Akane’s height, her weight, her chest size, her inseam, gripping power, eyesight, ability to distinguish colors, hearing, lung capacity—so far, nothing was all that different from a standard health exam, if a bit more rushed.
Then Satsuki stripped her down to her underwear, put a respiration mask on her mouth, placed electrodes all over her body, and put her on an ergometer, which was something like an exercise bicycle. She ran out of breath after ten minutes. After thirty minutes, she felt dizzy and slumped over the handlebars.
“What’s wrong?” Satsuki asked, a look of despair on her face. “Giving up so soon?”
Akane swallowed. “N-no, of course not. I’m…I’m fine.”
“Really? You’re really fine?”
“Yes. Yes, I’m fine.”
“You’re really really sure you’re fine?”
“Yes, I’m perfectly fine!” Akane forced a smile.
“That’s what I like to hear!” Satsuki narrowed her eyes. “Next up is the decompression chamber, I think.”
Practically skipping with excitement, Satsuki led Akane into another room.
This room was shaped like a cylindrical tube, with just enough space for a person to walk in a circle. The walls were made of thick stainless steel.
“In here we can adjust the air pressure however we want in order to test your adaptability. I’ll have you sit down, and I’ll leave the room, but you can talk to me on the intercom there. If you feel like you can’t take it anymore, just tell me. You’ll also have a deadman’s switch—but remember, stick it out as long as you can or you won’t have much hope of becoming an astronaut.”
The deadman’s switch was held in the right hand. She was supposed to press down the button and keep it down. Were she to lose consciousness, her thumb would lift off the switch and alert the controller, and the pressure would normalize.
Akane went into the chamber and sat down on the lone chair.
“You’re all set. Good luck!”
“Thanks.”
Behind her, the heavy steel hatch shut with a thunk. There was a small round porthole through which Akane could watch Satsuki at the controls.
She’s enjoying this.
Akane recollected what Yukari and Matsuri had told her about the chief medical examiner the night before.