Wishing You Both Happiness! | Junichi Ushiyama, Assistant to the Dean of the Graduate School of Media and Governance
2025.01.14
I knew.
Back then, we often spent our days together in the lab from morning till night, didn't we? The three of us, transcending the boundary between professor and students, always had such enjoyable discussions. Then one day, suddenly, the two of you stopped talking in front of me. It was still manageable in the lab, but lunchtime was truly a struggle. I found myself chattering on and on, wondering, "Why am I the only one who has to fill this void?"
I knew.
There were times we'd all be in the lab late at night, and it would turn into a war of attrition, with an unspoken "Who's going to leave first?" atmosphere. I was just trying to finish my work, but then it dawned on me, "Oh, I'm the one in the way!"... So I would dejectedly head home, even with work still left to do.
I knew.
At some point, your fashion sense clearly started to change, and a younger student even asked you, "You've been looking particularly sharp lately, did something happen?" You'd just brush it off, saying, "Nothing at all," but it was so obvious. A professor with overly sharp intuition, a junior student with overly dull intuition, and the person in question who was just terrible at feigning ignorance... This was before the "age of masks," so it was a real challenge to keep a straight face and stop myself from laughing.
You were both incredibly talented individuals who supported the lab in its early days and laid the solid foundation that exists today. But your personal conduct... was simply "adorable." Those four or five months of having to play the oblivious old man, even though I knew what was going on, were a true test of endurance... but it was also a fantastic side story.
I am truly delighted that the two of you, having grown and matured through your experiences in society, now stand before me as fellow "adults," and that you have declared your vows to become a family. I am also so happy that you have given me the opportunity to reminisce on such a precious occasion.
From the bottom of my heart,
I wish you both a world of happiness!