Tachibana Retsu's Questionnaire

Tachibana Retsu lives in Umeda, Osaka. A major commercial, business, shopping and entertainment district in Kita-Ku.

The district's name means "plum field". It is a central hub for transportation , with JR Osaka Station, private railways that go to Kobe and Kyoto and the Umeda subway station, which connects all subway lines. Umeda is bristling with commercial complexes, housing three major department stores and many shopping malls. It’s also known to offer cheap and yet delicious cuisine, such as mixed juice, grilled meat and higher-class foods like Kobe beef.

A 1,300-year-old shrine with a tragic story, Tsuyuten Jinja is a must-visit for couples and those wishing for love. Once discovered on an island, the shrine now is situated at the existence of Ohatsu-Tenjindori Shotengai, the shrine is dedicated to the tragic, sad legend of Ohatsu and Tokubei. The tale known as The Love Suicides at Sonezaki tells the story of the two forbidden lovers in Osaka and their sad ending.

The Osaka Museum of Housing and Living is an interactive museum you won't want to miss! step back in time and wander through Osaka’s different historical periods, visitors can explore the Japanese traditional townscape featuring attractions and facilities from the Edo, Meiji, Taisho, and Showa periods!

From Higashi-Umeda Station the museum takes a 4-minute train ride and then a 3-minute walk. For those who don't mind an adventure, it takes a 30-minute walk from Umeda and visitors can stop by Nakazakicho along the way! Please note that the museum is closed on Tuesdays..

Visit today!

Some things are affordable, some things aren’t.

Let’s talk about food. That’s Tachibana’s area of expertise. Food is fun to talk about. It’s universal. Why are some foods prized, and expensive, why are certain foods considered premium specialty items, reserved for holidays, or special occasions, while other foods are abundant, affordable, taken for granted, and given less attention? This varies a lot, from culture to culture.

Fish eggs, salmon roe.

This is premium stuff.

A modest package of this stuff can cost upwards of ¥3500 (32.00 U.S dollars) or even ¥5000, for a larger package.

If you want to purchase a generous package of just salmon eggs? Break out the wallet.

Some of the core values are thinking of others, doing your best, not giving up, respecting your elders, knowing your role, and working in a group. These concepts are taught explicitly and implicitly from nursery school into the working world, from a very young age.

Not for Tachibana, though, he has that fighting spirit.

How far would he go to achieve this? Not very, he’s lazy.

Would he kill for it? No, are you insane?

How close to death would he come to for it? Now you’re just being silly.

Tachibana wants to travel the world, to set up his business as MORE than successful, global and world-wide baby! He wants the fame, he wants the attention, the knowledge and the opportunities.

Or, alternatively, he can settle for infamy, negative media attention, useless knowledge and just one opportunity..that’s fine too..less than ideal but..something? Anything?

WORLD WIDE BABY!

Have you ever tried starting a business, do not search online how to start business and do mot purchase courses on how to start a business. Do not do it. Whatever you do.

Anyway, unrelated, Tachibana Retsu used to be an average salaryman, slaving away to get his money, having a ‘boss’ or whatever, terrible time overall really. Until he quit, left, fell into terrible depression and emerged anew, starting his own thriving (kind of) business! He’s the boss now and you’ll never forget that because it’ll be all he talks about. Japan. Asia. The continents. The world. Global! Soon..

His employee number 1:

Anxious, weirdly sweaty, but not all the time. Mostly when he’s anxious. Which is often. But he’s a hard worker and isn’t afraid to get out in the field, well he is but it’s being worked on, he’ll do anything from paperwork to doing more paperwork. Reliable. Trustworthy. Doesn’t complain when doing any paperwork.

His employee number 2:

Also a trustworthy and reliable, this one isn’t anxious to go and do anything more than paperwork though, and isn’t weirdly sweaty. Out in the field more often with clients, he’s sure to win anyone over with a cute face and smile. Well maybe not a smile, has Tachibana even seen him smile?

The wonderous cat, Bean:

Soft, loves people and purrs in the mere presence of any living breathing human, or occult spirit, or divine entity, or odd shadow, or anything else Retsu dreams up at the time. Sits on work laptops. Enough said.

Tachibana’s past was normal. Very normal. Infact, the worst things that happened to him pre contract were menial, average. Things like forgetting his lunch as a child, being turned down by a romantic partner and the like.

His parents were..well, fine. Fine for parents, not particularly proud of him and his life decisions but they were not the worst of the worst. He attended school, all the education he needed and he lived through his school days normally. He was inbetween. He didn’t stand out, but he didn’t have a whole great lot of friends either. 

He was average, and as much as he wouldn’t admit it, this hurt him more than he realises. He wasn’t an outcast enough to fit in with one cliche, and not popular enough for another. Even the other mostly average children had their hobbies, interests. He did not, and he feels he wasted his childhood if he ever really thinks back on it at all.

Tachibana is a hopeless romantic, he’s still unsure about what the future will bring. Particularly now, stuck in a hospital albeit temporarily the damage will be lasting.

But, he has been in love. He’s confessed, he’s even been on a date or two, but to no avail. He’s never had a proper relationship no matter how much he’s sought one out, he just can’t seem to find someone. Perhaps it’s to do with the sort of person he is? Or the fact of how much he hides under his facade of charisma? Maybe it’s neither of those, and he just isn’t trying all that hard.

One day, he might find someone. But now, he can’t wince without imagining someone touching him.

Tachibana’s worst fears were, well, different to they are now, some stay the same while others are vastly different.

His main fears used to be that of losing everything, going back to square one of who he used to be, a loser to put it frankly, or at least one in his own eye. Since being skinned and having his brain turned to temporary mush, he’s basically spedran having that happen to him, being unable to look after himself for weeks, having his very core rearranged. But he came out of it..interestingly, but he came out of it.

As well as this, his image being thoroughly slandered, him being shown to thousands as a sham, scared him and still does. A conman, not something people would look fondly on.

Finally, his final fear would likely be the threat of being unloved. Tachibana finds it hard to like himself, to have any care for himself at all, so he believes others must think the same thing..which scares him. He doesn’t want to be alone for the rest of his time, and it doesn’t help he’s so closed up under the facade.

He doesn’t have much that he really really values, but recently he’s come into some cool items, so they’re as close as he can get to a prized possession.

Bandages:

They keep him protected, with medical fabrics and salve. He prizes these for doing that, and easing the pain of his flayed skin, they’re the only thing between the face he thinks it’s horrific and other people, too.

Suit:

Not something he’s gained recently, but formal attire is his go-to clothing, for ages he was wearing a hospital gown, or clothes that were breathable and easy to get into and out of, so he’s more than happy to wear a suit again. He’s chosen a new colour too with his new look, with a dark grey suit jacket and pants, and a dark red tie.

His current state.

He has no skin, meaning day to day life is very painful. While this is getting better, and he’s finding new ways to cope, it’s still him having to go through life with a completely new perspective and feeling. As well as this, his very atoms have been turned inside out, ripped apart and glued back again. He’s changed, inside and out, and he has to deal with this and it’s consequences.

This comes with it’s own slough of minor related problems, he’s had to put his life on hold for weeks, his place is a mess from smashed mirrors, he can’t think about certain things too hard, people are terrified when they see him without bandages.

If it wasn’t for all of that, then his biggest problem in life would probably be having to feed his screaming cat every five minutes due to it’s strange diet. So the change has been…a lot, completely ripped him apart as a person. Literally.

For a man who hasn’t endured much real hardship, he’s dealing with it pretty much as well as you’d expect him to.

Tachibana wakes up to an alarm, and a dark room. He sleeps with tv static, it seems to help.

From here, he’ll begin to treat his wounds, thoroughly cleaning them with medical grade equipment, rubbing his surface with ointments and salve, and dressing everything carefully with bandages. He’ll get dressed, in formal clothing, usually a suit, he doesn’t often wear anything that isn’t formal.

From here, he’ll have breakfast. Still mostly sticking to mushier foods that are easier to stomach, and then he’ll read a newspaper or listen to the radio, getting ready to head out.

He’ll make his way to work via the train, trying to stay out of view of most people. He’ll arrive at work and sort out any paperwork, any trips that need planning or clients that need seeing.

From here, the rest of the time is spent working before heading home.

Getting ready doesn’t take up too much of his day now he has begun to get used to and streamline the process.

Well..it depends where it is first of all, for him to go bandages on or off. But he’d definitely find his most pristine and ironed suit, clean gloves, shiny shoes..all the like. 

It probably wouldn’t take him all that long to get ready, changing the bandages underneath the suit so he could wear it comfortably would likely take up most of the time.

Tachibana knows the power to a good appearance, so he does try to make sure his clothes are in good shape at all times regardless of where he’s actually headed, but if it was particularly special he’d probably add a few flairs, make himself smell good with some cologne, perhaps have a slightly different shade of dark suit for once, a slightly more expensive tie that he likely ripped off someone to get..

That’s all really, he’d be sure to shower in preparation as anyone else usually would too.

….

Tachi’s never really been a big celebrator, he’s never really told anyone why, but it’s because he’s just not great with people when he isn’t trying to scam them out of something. Sure, he can be in public for a little while, but who on earth would he invite to his birthday? His employees? Contractors he’s met a few times? …unlikely they’d come in his mind. He doesn’t consider this a sad or miserable thing, just a fact. Besides, what would they even do? Listen to music? Boardgames?

But, if he were to decide to actually have a birthday it’d likely involve a lot of alcohol. He wouldn’t invite family..he hasn’t even told them about his injury and it’s severity yet..he hasn’t even mentioned his eye, let alone his skin!