Pathway to Japanese Literature

1

X/X Rain.

At ten o’clock in the morning, I arrived at work at the Tamura-cho Patent Office.

The moment I pushed open the door to the room and entered, holding a Western-style umbrella from which droplets still hung, an unfamiliar man seated on the reception chair turned toward me with a piercing gaze.

Is this a client with a case?
For my usually deserted patent office, this was quite a rare occurrence lately.

“Hey, Mr. Attorney.”
“You’re Mr. Kako, the patent attorney, right?”

Without waiting for me to remove my overcoat, the guest—

“Yes, I am Kako, but…”

“No—I’ve been waiting! I came here at eight o’clock and have been waiting since.”
“Mr. Attorney, isn’t your commute far too late?”

“Ah, no—that is, this concerns a patent application matter, I take it?”

“If you had been thirty minutes later, I was considering paying a visit to your home, Mr. Attorney. Well, this will do.”

The guest sat back down on the chair, but the area around him resembled a great deluge.
This was because he had remained seated while keeping his rain-soaked umbrella drawn close at hand.

“To business—there’s an urgent patent application I require you to file. But first, I must confirm: you’ll keep this confidential, won’t you?”

“As you need hardly be told, patent attorneys—per Article 22 of the Patent Attorney Act—face up to six months’ imprisonment or fines not exceeding five hundred yen should they leak or misappropriate an applicant’s invention secrets—”

“No, that’s quite enough on that point.”
“Now I shall entrust you with filing a patent application for a momentous invention, so I want you to devote your very life to it.”
“Is that acceptable?”

Though the idea of "devoting one's life" struck me as peculiar, perceiving the client's sincerity, I found myself growing quite well-disposed.

"Understood."
"Then let us immediately hear about this invention of yours."

“Wait.”
“The invention is top secret.”
“I must request that you clear the room.”

“Clear the room? But aside from the clerk, there’s no one else here…”

Then the guest made a terrifying face and shook his head from side to side.
So even the clerk had to leave?
I, deeming the client’s desire to safeguard the invention’s secrecy entirely reasonable, went over to where the clerk was and—

"Hey Takagi! Go play on the swings at Hibiya Park and come back later."

When I said this,the clerk—

"Mr.Attorney.It’s raining."

"Is it raining?
"Right.
"Then go watch some newsreels."

and gave him 25 sen.
The clerk, overjoyed, forgot to serve tea and rushed out.

“Please proceed.”

“Did you lock the entrance door?”

“Key?”

“That’s correct. In the middle of a momentous discussion, if someone were to come in, wouldn’t that be a problem?”

“Ah, I see.”

He truly was a meticulous client.
I couldn’t help but find it a bit tedious, yet my admiration outweighed that.
I locked the door.

“There, all set.”

“Hmph, I still can’t feel entirely at ease... but I suppose there’s no help for it.”

With a camel-like expression, the guest kept scanning the windows, doors, and shadows behind bookshelves,

“...Regardless—should the contents of this humble one’s invention about to be disclosed leak elsewhere, I shall not tolerate it when that occurs.”
“Even five hundred yen would prove worthless then.”
“When that time comes, this humble one shall claim your life—your very life...”

It was at this moment that I first realized the patent attorney business was a life-risking trade.
But it was precisely this aspect that gave the profession its vigor.

“Please set your mind at ease and explain the invention’s particulars...”

“Ah... regarding that matter.”

And yet still uneasy—or so it seemed—the guest once again looked around every corner of the room, then quietly thrust his camel-like face toward me and lowered his voice:

“To tell you the truth, Mr. Attorney, this humble one has made a great invention.”
“The gist of this invention, if I may—human... human, *that is*, human arms—is to add one more arm.”
“How about that—isn’t it incredible?”

“Hah… Adding another human arm…”

I found myself at a loss for words mid-sentence.
The guest I had thought had come all this way was a madman.
I was suddenly struck by a bitter recollection of the 25 sen in aluminum coins I had given to the clerk Takagi.

“It’s only natural you’re astonished.”

Taking this as goodwill, the guest—
“You must have been quite astonished.”
“Truly, a groundbreaking invention is precisely this!”
“It’s an absolutely splendid invention.”
“Conventional human arms are merely two in number.”
“With this humble one’s invention, we shall add one more to that, making three arms.”
“Human productivity will increase by fifty percent.”
“How about that—isn’t it a splendid invention?”

The term “self-praise”—it was then that I first realized this phrase must have been created precisely for a client like him.

“Please wait a moment.
Is adding another human arm truly feasible?
I can’t quite grasp the concept…”

“What becomes of us if it proves impossible?
An unrealizable invention holds no value!”

The guest delivered a lecture that inverted all logic.

"But is such a thing truly possible? First, I must ask you to explain the implementation method..."
"In other words—what exactly would you do to add another arm and achieve this?"

"That, this humble one cannot disclose."
"Were I to explain the implementation method, my carefully guarded secret would be entirely exposed."
"That cannot be permitted."

“However, since you’re applying for a patent, if you don’t provide details about the implementation method, I’ll have trouble explaining the invention.”
“When filing a patent application, you have to prepare a document called a specification, you see.”

“I can’t disclose confidential matters.”

“In other words, unless you explain the practical details of where and how to attach that new arm…”

“There’s no need to write such things.”
“However, you—as this humble one has stated—conventional humans have only ever possessed two arms.”
“Adding one more arm there—that is this invention. Isn’t that sufficient?”
“With just this idea alone, you should be able to write it adequately.”

“However, no matter how many ideas you may have, an invention—as stated in Article 1 of the Patent Law—cannot be patented unless it possesses industrial value.”
“It may sound like fantasy, but you can’t patent something like human desire itself.”

“Such matters are well understood by this humble one.”
“The idea I just mentioned certainly has industrial value, does it not?”
“In other words, if humans had one more arm, work would proceed more efficiently.”
“If workers equipped with this humble one’s invention were employed, they could do the work of one and a half regular workers.”
“In that case, a factory using three hundred workers could reduce their workforce to two hundred while maintaining the same production output.”

The guest grew ever more impassioned.

“No, industrial value does not refer to such matters. In other words, the invention itself must be industrially applicable. Humans by nature only have two arms—of course I understand three would be convenient—but no matter how much you might want to increase what we’re born with, wouldn’t that require consulting God himself or waiting a hundred—no, a thousand years until surgical techniques advance enough for arm transplants? That’s an impossible request!”

“Nonsense!”

And the guest shouted, his face turning beast-like.

“Aren’t you a patent attorney? Who consulted you about surgical procedures?”

“However, adding another arm is such an absurd notion—or rather, I do understand your passion for this invention, but…”

“This is truly an utterly idiotic discussion!”

And still seething with indignation, the guest—
“If you’re talking about using surgical procedures, that’s medicine.”
“What this humble one is consulting about is an invention.”
“What this humble one means by adding one more arm is not a flesh-and-blood arm.”
“It’s a mechanical arm.”

“A mechanical arm?”

“Exactly.”
“That’s been clear from the start.”
“If I wanted to surgically implant a living arm, I wouldn’t have come to you.”
“I’d go consult at a university hospital.”
“I’d go to a university hospital...”
“What this humble one speaks of is mechanical arms.”
“Haven’t such mechanical arms already been properly developed before now?”
“Those things they call prosthetic legs and hands.”

“Ah—you mean those things? Prosthetic hands, correct?”

I finally managed to grasp this client’s true intent.

“However, Mr. Attorney,”

And, this time once again becoming “Mr. Attorney,”

“Strictly speaking, what they call prosthetic hands are replacements attached when one has lost a hand or two.”
“This humble one’s invention is not such a thing.”
“The two arms are already fully and satisfactorily present, but by adding another mechanical arm on top of those, the aim is to have humans possess a total of three arms.”
“Has there ever been, anywhere in the world, anyone who has conceived of giving humans three arms?”
“I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“If there are any prior art documents, present them here.”
“There’s no such thing, I’d wager.”

“I see, I see.”

I had no choice but to finally say those words.

When the guest saw that I had been convinced, he insisted that I file this application immediately and placed before me an envelope containing money for the application fee and the patent office’s stamp duty. And then, as I tried to say we should at least wait regarding the money, he thrust it upon me as if brushing me off and departed.

Alright, the money’s here!

As I wondered how much he had left behind and—much to my embarrassment—reached for the envelope, the entrance door burst open, and the guest—Mr. Takatoudo Juurou—came rushing back in.

(I messed up.)
(Did he come to take back the money?)

And I was disappointed, but that disappointment stemmed from my own fear—it wasn’t the case.

“Ah, I seem to have left behind something rather important.”

The guest, saying this, picked up the thick book titled *Animal Encyclopedia* that he had left on the desk, then once again departed in a flustered panic.

I waited for my heart to calm.
Then fifteen minutes passed.
Having gained confidence that the client would not return now, I finally achieved my purpose and was able to look inside the envelope containing the money.

Inside the envelope was a single 100-yen bill, so crisp it could slice skin.

Ah, a sum of one hundred yen it was.

It was not a dream.
And the client’s request had not been a joke after all.

Lately—for once—because a large sum of money had come in, I found myself unable to think about anything anymore.
Closed the office and hurried homeward.

2

Xth day of X month. Clear.

At 10:00 AM, I arrived at the Tamura-cho office for work.

Today, I finally resolved to write the specification for client Mr. Takatoudo Juurou’s three-armed invention.

I sat at my desk and picked up my pen, but my mind refused to settle.
The 100-yen bill I had slipped into my pocket yesterday seemed to shine through my clothes so clearly that I felt ashamed.
Moreover, I became even more unsettled thinking how clerk Takagi must have noticed this and was smirking behind me.

“Hey, Takagi.
I’ll give you this—go watch a movie or something.
Once you’ve seen it, you can just head home afterward.”

After driving Takagi away, I locked the office entrance from the inside.
With this now, no one should disturb me.
I took out a 100-yen bill there and placed it on the desk.
It was my intention to write the specification for the application regarding the commission while conversing with this 100-yen bill.

“What shall we do about the published name for this application?”

“Hmm, yes. How about the Three-Arm System?”

“Three-Arm System, you say? That sounds good. Let me see. ‘Three-Arm System,’”

I wrote that down.

“Well, next we must determine where to attach these three arms—that is, the matter of their placement. Do you have any brilliant ideas?”

“Hmm, yes. First, why don’t you go ahead and say your piece.”

“Hmm, yes. How about above the belly button?”
“The third arm would be attached above the navel.”
“Since the navel is the body’s center.”
“In terms of balance, I believe that location would be optimal. Even when carrying rather heavy loads, having it there would prove convenient.”

“I must oppose implantation above the navel.”
“Kindly imagine attaching it to young ladies—it wouldn’t be aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.”

“Of course it isn’t aesthetically pleasing, but that’s simply because people aren’t accustomed to seeing it.”
“Once you get used to it, I don’t think it would look so strange…”

“I’m not impressed.”
“Rather than that, I think attaching it to the back would be better.”
“Humans, perhaps because they lack eyes on their backs, make no use of that area whatsoever—which strikes me as rather wasteful.”
“Therefore, by attaching the third arm to the back, we can make effective use of the rear area.”
“And I believe selecting the base of that third arm at the same horizontal height as the other two arms would be mechanically advantageous.”
“I think it would be remarkably convenient for carrying luggage.”

“Alternatively, as a third proposal, how about the base of both legs? It might look somewhat like having three legs, but kangaroos and long-tailed monkeys use thick tails with great dexterity—I believe employing them in that fashion would prove effective. When carrying luggage in both hands and walking at night, you can use the third arm to hold a flashlight.”

“Well, this should be about it. In any case, wouldn’t it be best if you wrote a comprehensive ‘patent claims’ section—like finding the least common multiple—so that all of the first through third proposals can be realized?”

“Hmm, yes.”
“Then, let’s do that.”
“Thank you very much.”

And so, after much back-and-forth with the 100-yen bill, I finally drafted the main text of the patent claims as follows.

Patent Claims

For the purpose described in the text, as detailed herein and explained in the attached drawings, a mechanical arm capable of performing actions substantially equivalent to those of an arm is attached to a body part unrelated to the movement of arm joints, thereby enabling the possession and operation of at least three arms in conjunction with the conventional two arms—a method characterized as the Multi-Armed Human System.

This should do.

While Inventor Takatoudo Juurou had only mentioned humans possessing three arms, I wrote "a Multi-Armed Human System enabling the possession and operation of at least three arms, etc." and expanded the patent scope so that—by utilizing this patent—not only three arms but also four arms, five arms, six arms, and indeed any number of arms could be increased.
This is where a patent attorney’s expertise comes into play.

Furthermore, immediately following this, I established "Supplementary Notes" as Item 1, Item 2, and Item 3, which laid out the aforementioned first through third proposals regarding arm attachment locations.
Now it was an ironclad fortress.

After reading it through once more, I took it to the typing school and requested they type it up urgently, then proceeded directly to the drafting company to commission blueprints for the three arms.

3

X/X. Clear, turning cloudy.

Today, I brought the application documents for the "Multi-Armed Human System" to the application window of the Patent Office’s Filing Section in Kōjimachi 3-nenchō and had them accepted.
Now, all that remained was to wait for the examiner’s response.

Now, as the Patent Office was short-staffed, the examination would likely be completed around the following spring.

X/X. Snow.

At 10:00 a.m., I commuted to the Tamura-cho office.

I unlocked the door and entered the room.

Clerk Takagi finally resigned.
He claimed his mother was ill， but this was a lie; it seemed he had actually started commuting to a munitions factory.
That factory must have even better swings than Hibiya Park.

So these days， I commuted alone， cleaned alone， and even boiled tea alone.
In the end， this arrangement proved more comfortable—and preferable.

While taking off my overcoat, I suddenly noticed an envelope lying at the entrance.
I could tell at a glance it was a notice from the Patent Office.

When I looked up, written in pencil were the words: "Received on your behalf - Building Manager".

Wondering what this could mean, I hurriedly opened the envelope.
To my surprise, inside lay a notice from the examiner regarding that very "Multi-Armed Human System." To encounter this notification in less than three weeks since filing was extraordinary.
I read the notice with great delight.
However, this proved to be an application rejection notice.

“The present application is deemed subject to rejection based on the reasons stated below.”
“If you have any opinions, submit a written statement of arguments by X/X.”

And there was a terse, definitive phrase, followed by the section labeled “below” where—

“The gist of the present application is deemed to lie in affixing a prosthetic hand to the human body.”
“However, prior to the filing of the present application, within the territory of the Empire, prosthetic hands or legs had been publicly manufactured and used—a well-known fact evidenced by, for example, the *Prosthetic Hands and Legs Catalog* published in Meiji 39 (1906) by Jinaido of Okachimachi, Shitaya Ward, Tokyo City. Therefore, the present application is deemed not to satisfy Article 1 of the Patent Law.”

And thus, the reasons for rejection had been stated.

From this, it appeared the examiner had conflated the essence of the three arms with applications for prosthetic hands and legs.
I was furious.
What blockheads these Patent Office officials were!

I left the rejection notice on my desk and did nothing but sigh for over two hours.
As time passed, my indignation toward the examiner subsided, and gradually, a sense of pathetic resignation welled up within me.
I had to do something about this.

X/X. The snow still fell.

I finally requested a meeting with the examiner.
Intent on enlightening him about the “Multi-Armed Human System,” I stomped up the Patent Office stairs and reached the third floor.

As I waited in the reception room, Examiner Kamiya appeared through a thick side door.
Before even looking at my face,

“You’re quite the nuisance,”
“submitting such nonsense amid our busy schedule to mock us—this is unacceptable, don’t you agree?”

Examiner Kamiya made a bitter face.

“No, I have no such frivolous intention as to mock you.”
“I earnestly request that you conduct your examination with full seriousness.”
“Thank you for promptly conducting the examination.”

“So you’re serious?”
“No—that’s appalling.”
“So did you come today about that matter, or was it for another case…”

“No, I have come because I wished for Examiner Kamiya to deepen his understanding of that ‘Multi-Armed Human System.’”
“That differs from prosthetic hands.”
“It’s entirely different.”

And so, I volubly stated my convictions.

“Well now, you’re unexpectedly serious about this.”
“In any case, submit a written statement of arguments to that effect.”
“I’ll give it another thought.”

I left that place, rejoicing that my visit had been worthwhile as I watched the examiner’s retreating figure.

X/X. The snow stops.

I submitted the written statement of arguments.

4

X/X. Clear, strong wind.

From Examiner Kamiya came yet another rejection notice.

When he read through this in shock, while the main text deeming it subject to rejection remained unchanged as before，the reasons stated were as follows:
This was a separate reason，different from the previous one.
According to it，

“The gist of the present application is deemed to lie in affixing three or more numerous arms to a single human body.”
“However，concepts identical to the present application existed within the territory of the Empire prior to its filing and were widely known；for example，the Thousand-Armed Kannon Statue enshrined in the Golden Hall of Nara Toshodaiji Temple possesses forty arms.”
“Therefore，the present application is deemed not to satisfy Article 1 of the Patent Law on grounds of belonging to public knowledge prior to its filing.”

The examiner had brought up the Thousand-Armed Kannon and summarily dismissed this application.

(To invoke the Thousand-Armed Kannon—this fellow had truly lost all sense of reason!
The actual content of the invention—that examiner hadn’t understood a single thing about it!)

I looked up at the ceiling and lamented for a long while.
In the end, I spread out manuscript paper, took up my pen, and immediately began smoothly writing the following written statement of arguments to submit to the examiner.

Written Statement of Arguments

The Examiner has indicated, as grounds for rejecting this application, the fact that the Thousand-Armed Kannon statue enshrined in the Golden Hall of Nara Toshodaiji Temple possesses forty arms.
However, the essence of the present application is founded upon an entirely distinct inventive concept from the aforementioned Thousand-Armed Kannon’s structure; whereas in the cited statue, all numerous arms are supported at either the right or left wrist joints and configured to move using said joints as fulcrums, the present invention is characterized by not affixing the multiple arms in question to wrist joints—as clearly stated in the main text of this application’s patent claims: “...attach mechanical arms to body parts unrelated to wrist joint movement and are configured as such.”
Therefore, as both differ fundamentally in structure, it must be stated that this application finds no grounds for rejection based on the cited statue.

The above constitutes our formal opinion.

In other words, what I wish to assert is that all arms of the Thousand-Armed Kannon have their bases gathered at the wrist joints.
However, since the invention in this application is attached to areas without wrist joints, its structure fundamentally differs—thus I stated my opinion.

I promptly had this written statement of arguments sent for typing.
By evening, when it had been completed, I immediately went to the post office and dispatched it by registered mail to the Patent Office.
If this didn’t settle matters decisively, then this application case might as well have lost its last vital signs.

X/X. Snow again.

Hurrah!

The opinion had finally prevailed.
A notification of publication decision from the Patent Office came fluttering in.

Notification of Publication Decision

Having found no grounds for rejection regarding the present application, it has been decided that said application shall be published.

A glorious day—though the snow falls thick and fast….

The “Multi-Armed Human System” had finally become a full-fledged property right.

Before the patent could be registered, a sixty-day publication period still had to be completed, but as a property right, it would fully come into effect from the date of this application’s publication.

During the sixty-day publication period, if a patent opposition were filed by another party, the patent registration date would be pushed back because this had to be contested.
It would be preferable if no opposition were filed, but even if one were submitted, since we had thoroughly prepared our strategy, we would immediately rise to annihilate the opposing party.

Eager to convey the joy of the publication decision to inventor Mr. Takatoudo Juurou as swiftly as possible, I locked the front door of my office, tucked the notification into my coat, and set off for Kamata X-chome—the location of the apartment where Mr. Takatoudo was lodging.

However, he was unable to meet him.

He had apparently wandered out about a month prior and still hadn’t returned.
The apartment manager’s wife was worn out.

“Just why hasn’t he come back, I wonder?”
When I asked, the apartment manager’s wife replied,
“That man has a troublesome illness.”
“An illness? What kind of illness?”

“He’s an invention-obsessed lunatic.”
“Just the other day, he came up with some supposedly world-changing invention and had some patent attorney file an application for him.”
“Mr. Takatoudo apparently left 100 yen with that attorney at the time.”
“And yet he’s seven months behind on our apartment rent.”
“I’m so dumbfounded I can’t even find words.”

“Hmm, is that so?”
“Well then, I shall call again.”

I, judging the situation unfavorable, immediately beat a retreat.
I had gone to all that trouble to visit and delight Mr. Takatoudo, but finding him missing left me thoroughly disappointed.
Moreover, with this publication decision came my right to claim a ¥100 success fee from Mr. Takatoudo—truth be told, I had been greatly anticipating that aspect too—but under these circumstances, there was simply nothing to be done. Ugh.

5

X/X. Cloudy, with snow flurries again.

He went to work again today.
As had become routine, he sat before his desk today lamenting the ¥100 success fee—a golden opportunity that had slipped away like a serpent.

At around 11:00 a.m., I received a visit from two unknown gentlemen. They were Mr. Kanemaki Shichihira and Mr. Gashira Kouichi. I composed myself and granted an audience to both gentlemen. The gentlemen’s business, unexpectedly, was that they wished to purchase the rights to the recently published “Multi-Armed Human System.” The two gentlemen, wishing to discuss this matter over a meal, insisted that I accompany them. Thus, I entrusted myself to the two gentlemen’s request and was taken to a certain ryotei in Tsukiji.

“To tell the truth, we visited the inventor Mr. Takatoudo Juurou at his residence, but he was not present. Ultimately, we determined that entreating you, Mr. Attorney, as his agent would be the most advantageous strategy—which is why we’ve come to make this request…”

As soon as Mr. Kanemaki said this, Mr. Gashira jumped in to add,

“With your power, Mr. Attorney, we wish for you to transfer those rights even an hour sooner.”
“We will show you sufficient gratitude, Mr. Attorney.”
“We will pay a success fee of ¥1,000 or even ¥2,000.”

I was inwardly astonished. What outrageous businesses existed in this world. The patent attorney business—this wasn't half bad... if this wasn't a dream...

“Wait a moment.”

As Mr. Kanemaki restrained Mr. Gashira,

"Before that, let us see the actual arm made under that patent."
"...after we've seen that..."

"Now is not the time for such talk."
"If we delay, others will take it."
"What if foreigners buy it?"
"It would gravely endanger national defense."
"Decide now."

"However." Mr. Kanemaki interjected, "I've grown concerned about where to attach this third arm—if it interferes with carrying backpacks or hinders running, that would pose significant problems."

As I listened to the two gentlemen’s talk, it seemed their plan was to utilize that "Multi-Armed Human System" for weaponry. Thereupon, I requested an explanation from the two gentlemen.

“...I must ask you to absolutely refrain from divulging this, but in truth, our plan is to have that adopted as new weaponry once it’s produced.”
“In short, we will attach the third arm to soldiers.”
“When soldiers’ arms increase to three, they become remarkably strong.”
“For instance, take the case of firing a gun. One hand grips the barrel near the muzzle, another hand works the bolt, and the patented arm pulls the trigger.”
“In that case, the rifle’s rate of fire would increase dramatically.”
“The same applies in close combat situations.”
“When engaging the enemy, we can hold our own evenly against their two arms using our two arms.”
“Having thus prevented the enemy from making effective use of their two arms, we then deploy our patented third arm to swiftly draw a military sword and plunge it into the enemy’s back, taking them down.”
“If that happens, three-armed soldiers will have an absolute advantage.”
“Isn’t that right?”

“Ah, I see, I see.”

When I heard that, this time it was I who became excited.
That’s right! I had a feeling from the start—this “Multi-Armed Human System” is truly a magnificent invention.
However, even I had not thought to apply this to national defense.

“I must ask you to keep what we’ve just discussed strictly between us.”
“However, if we determine that the actual product under that patent performs sufficiently as I’ve just described, well—we are prepared to offer up to two million yen for the patent rights.”

“Two million yen? Are you saying the patent rights for that ‘Multi-Armed Human System’ amount to two million yen?”

I could no longer conceal my astonishment.

“Very well.”
“By all means, I will find the inventor and bring him here.”
“Of course, since the actual product should also be at his place, I will make arrangements to have it brought for your inspection.”

I had undertaken everything.

6

X/X. Clear skies, strong winds.

Finally, the whereabouts of inventor Mr. Takatoudo were discovered.

It was finally discovered through that apartment's landlady conducting an exhaustive search throughout the entire ward.
The gentleman had been living nonchalantly in another apartment in the vicinity.

When I entered, inventor Mr. Takatoudo was lying on the bed, reading a book.

“Well, well… I won’t run or hide.”

He remained lying on the bed without showing any sign of astonishment.

“Are you ill?”

Mr. Takatoudo was wearing a strange hood on his head.
It resembled a mechanical helmet of the sort women wear when getting permanent waves, though its shape was conical like a clown’s cap.
In some aspects it recalled a crane, while another part bore resemblance to a dentist’s grinding apparatus.

“No, this humble one is not ill.”
“In cold times, this humble one finds it best to study like this while lying down.”
“After all, there’s neither coal nor charcoal to be had.”
“However, since I’ve received your visit—though I’m in the middle of self-studying Malay Lesson 41—I suppose I’ll take a temporary break here.”

With that, Mr. Takatoudo gave a slight tilt of his neck.
Then, suddenly, the hood began clattering into motion. It smoothly extended to great length, its tip curling sharply toward the book. After flipping a page, it snapped the book shut.
Then Mr. Takatoudo drew in his chin.
Then this time, the mechanical arm—still holding the book—smoothly carried it over to the table beside him and quietly set it down.

(Huh, so this is Mr. Takatoudo’s invented third arm.)

I thought as if my breath had stopped.

Mr. Takatoudo bent his neck in the opposite direction.
Then, the mechanical arm that had been extended to full length folded up over his head with a clattering sound, returning to its original hood-like form.

“Hoh, that’s a wonderful invention.”

And with that, I offered heartfelt praise.

“However, I never thought to attach the third arm to the head.”

“When it’s cold, this humble one finds it best to use the third arm.”
“After all, since it’s a mechanical arm, even if left extended, it doesn’t get cold.”
“Depending on how one moves their neck, this thing can move freely however desired.”
“It works quite well.”
“Since it works so well, this humble one has grown increasingly lazy and ended up neglecting obligations all around—though debts just keep piling up.”

"Debts?" At that word, I realized I had forgotten to report an important matter to him.

The decision to publish the patent application.
And then, that these patent rights might sell for two million yen.
No—they would definitely sell now.
If we showed those gentlemen Kanemaki and Gashira Mr. Takatoudo’s current head-mounted mechanical arm, they’d undoubtedly shout “We’ll take it!” without hesitation right then and there.

“Mr. Takatoudo.
“Your invention has been published.”

I rapidly explained the details.

“And there are people who have come insisting they absolutely want to buy your invention.”
“They’re offering to buy it for ¥2 million, but…”

“Wh-what? ¥2 million? Is that true? I knew it would sell, but ¥2 million is…”

The instant he heard it had sold for ¥2 million, inventor Mr. Takatoudo lost all trace of his previous leisurely composure.
In a state of great excitement, Mr. Takatoudo jumped up on the bed and, in his overwhelming jubilation, vigorously shook his head left and right.

Clank!

Just as I thought I heard a strange sound, the mechanical arm abruptly extended forward, then curved inward this time, and tightly constricted Mr. Takatoudo’s neck.

“Ah, I messed up! Hey, give me a hand here!”

To release the third arm from Mr. Takatoudo’s neck，I and the apartment manager had to put in considerable effort.

“Ah，that was tough.”
“When I heard it was two million yen，I was so overjoyed that I inadvertently shook my head.”
“Ahahaha，ahahaha! Machines are too honest for their own good，I tell you!”

I once again offered praise for Mr. Takatoudo’s marvelous invention. And,

“Attaching a third arm to the head—now that’s a truly groundbreaking invention.”

When I said that, he replied, “Oh, that part’s nothing remarkable. Here—look at this animal.”

Mr. Takatoudo opened the animal encyclopedia he had been holding in front of me.
When I looked at the diagram his mechanical arm was pointing to, it was an elephant that had been familiar to us since childhood.

The seeds of great inventions lie right underfoot.
It’s merely that the person hasn’t noticed them.