Michi and Ellena were on their way to the hospital where Ellena’s grandfather had been taken by ambulance. As he watched Ellena’s profile while she drove, Michi started the conversation.
“Ellena, can you explain what’s going on now?”
Ellena replied, “Alright,” and after a brief pause, she began to speak.
“Actually, I’ve heard that my family used to be of noble descent. Now, we’re just ordinary people living in a somewhat large house. I’ve been told that in the past, they interacted with people in politics and business. By the time I became aware of things, my grandfather was trying to contribute to the world and the Earth in various ways. Ever since I was little, he would talk about getting along with people around the world and using the Earth’s resources wisely.”
Michi responded, “I see.”
“Recently, with all the conflicts between countries, within communities, and in personal relationships, my grandfather had been very concerned. My mother was also worried about the stress it was causing him. Then we got the call that he was taken to the hospital,” Ellena said in a calm tone, likely due to her focus on driving.
Michi asked, “I see. I don’t mind, but why did you ask me to come along?”
Ellena continued, still looking ahead, “I’ve talked to my mother about you before, telling her that you’re a professional consultant. My grandfather had been complaining about pain in his hip for a while, and he was having trouble walking. This is the first time it’s hurt so much that he can’t walk. Even though he’s seen various doctors, they haven’t been able to pinpoint a single cause. So, my mother and I thought that maybe you could help, even if just a little. I’m sorry for dragging you along on such short notice. I know it was a bit forceful.”
Michi reassured her, “No worries. I’ll do what I can, but don’t expect too much,” and then he reclined the passenger seat, adding, “I’ll rest until we get there. I’ve always gotten sleepy as soon as I get in a car.” He yawned.
Ellena felt a bit more reassured by Michi’s calm demeanor.
“We’re here.” Michi was woken by Ellena’s voice. He slowly returned the passenger seat to its upright position and rubbed his sleepy eyes.
“Good morning. I slept like a rock. Where are we?”
As she unbuckled her seatbelt, Ellena answered, “We’re in the hospital parking lot. You slept for about an hour. Let’s go.”
Yawning, Michi got out of the car and followed Ellena a few steps behind. It seemed she knew the room number, as they headed towards the inpatient ward.
When they reached the door of a fairly large private room, Ellena turned to Michi and said, “This is it. Let’s go in. Thanks for being here.”
Michi nodded, and Ellena knocked on the door before entering. Inside, they found Ellena’s grandfather lying in bed, with Ellena’s mother sitting by his side.
Her mother spoke up immediately, “Thank you for coming, Ellena. Nice to meet you, Michi Suzuki. I’m Ellena’s mother.”
Ellena said, “We made it in time for visiting hours. Grandpa’s sleeping, I see. Let’s wait until he wakes up.” She guided Michi to sit in a chair next to the bed.
Michi introduced himself, “Hello, nice to meet you. Ellena explained the situation to me a bit. I’ll do what I can, so please let me know if there’s anything specific you need. I’m here to help.” He bowed his head slightly.
“Thank you. Please, help yourself,” her mother said as she stood up, offering drinks from the bedside table and a tin of what looked like fancy snacks to Ellena and Michi, and then she began to talk.
“My father’s hip pain started a few months ago, and although he’s seen several doctors, they haven’t been able to come to a unified diagnosis or understanding of what’s causing it. It seems they can’t pinpoint the exact cause. My father never thought the pain would get so bad that he wouldn’t be able to walk. Is this type of consultation common? We just don’t know what to do.”
Michi glanced at Ellena before turning back to her mother and replied, “There are a few different ways we handle consultations. If the request is to help the client achieve their goal, then the client doesn’t need to do anything except wait for the result after making the request. Simply put, after you make the request, you just wait for the outcome. On the other hand, if you want to learn the methods while achieving the goal, then we would work together and discuss things along the way.”
At this point, Ellena spoke up, “My mother and I just want my grandfather to get better. We want the pain in his hip to go away so he can walk normally again.” Her mother nodded quietly.
Michi responded, “Then, I will take on your request to help your grandfather’s hip pain go away so he can walk normally. As for accepting the request, there are two points to understand: first, the result of the request cannot be guaranteed, and second, you can decide on the payment yourself, starting from one yen. Does that sound okay?” He looked back and forth between Ellena and her mother as he explained.
Ellena asked, “When you say the result isn’t guaranteed, does that mean there’s a chance my grandfather’s hip pain won’t go away or that he won’t be able to walk normally again?”
Michi answered, “Yes. As I mentioned to you before, as long as you have expectations for the outcome, the chances of achieving the goal don’t increase. On the other hand, you can decide on the amount to pay, starting from just one yen. I don’t base my decisions on the reward but on the nature of the request itself.”
Her mother then asked, “Should we tell my father that we’ve made this request to you? Would that increase the chances of him getting better?”
Michi replied, “No, it won’t affect the chances. If you feel it’s important to tell him, then you can, but it won’t make a difference either way.”
Ellena asked, “So, there’s no need to meet directly with my grandfather or mother? Sorry, I panicked a bit after hearing about my grandfather from my mother on the phone. I should have discussed it more with you, Michi.”
“Well, to be honest, more than half of the requests I handle are done via email or phone, and more than half are about someone else, so it’s true that just discussing it with you, Ellena, was enough to make the request,” Michi said.
Ellena apologized again, “I’m sorry about that. But I understand now, and I’m glad you met my mother. I think it all worked out in the end. Let’s head back.” Although she apologized properly, she didn’t seem to feel too bad about it.
Her mother also expressed her gratitude, “I’m sorry for the trouble. Thank you so much.”
Two days after Michi and Ellena visited the hospital where her grandfather was admitted, Ellena sent Michi an email.
“Hi, Michi. My grandfather was discharged from the hospital! I’m so surprised. What did you do? According to my mother, he still can’t walk normally, but the pain seems to be gone. Thank you!”
Michi replied, “Hi, Ellena. I didn’t do anything special. As I mentioned before, I just didn’t act emotionally and kept finding things I wanted to do and did what was fun at the moment. It seems the pain is under control now. The next step is getting him to walk normally again. I’d appreciate it if you could keep me updated on his progress. Thanks.”
Ellena responded, “I’m in a good mood today since my grandfather is out of the hospital, so I’m thinking of going for a drive, which I love. Would you like to join me?” Needless to say, Michi eagerly went on the drive with her.
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