Classroom of the Elite: Free Will

V6: Prologue - Answers

"Why would it anger me? It's just who you are Kiyo. Rin did the same when she left. No looking back, no second thoughts, no regrets. It's what we've been taught. It's as simple as that."

What we've been taught, huh?

Only the result mattered. Sacrifices, collateral damage, pain, suffering, all of that was trivial as long as the result was satisfying. As long as we won.

It was, in simple words, the mindset they had installed in all of us. I always found it curious how they kept telling us that loyalty was a liability while expecting us to remain loyal to the White Room and its goals. But, on the other hand, why would any student try to go against the White Room? It would be like going against the only thing you knew.

The Allegory of the cave described our situation rather accurately. Presented by Plato on his Republic, it showed a group of people chained to the wall of a cave all their lives. In front of them, a blank, sterile wall. On this wall, shadows of objects were projected, representing the prisoners' world. Their reality. The parallels were obvious. We were the prisoners and the cave the White Room. What was projected on the wall, what we were taught. Our reality.

But what were the accurate representations? What did all the things we have been taught really like? All the things we have read or done. How could we be sure they were the real thing?

In Plato's allegory, he explains what would happen if a prisoner was freed and then came back. He would be mesmerized by the real world and would want to share this knowledge, this reality with the rest of the prisoners that had remained in the cave. Yet, re-entering the cave would only blind him in the same way you were blinded when you stared at the sun. This state of blindness would only confirm that harm would fall upon those leaving the cave, and so, the prisoners would attack and destroy all those trying to get them out. Their place of comfort and safety. It wasn't so because it really were comfortable and safe. It was seen as such because the prisoners just didn't know any better.

The oddity about our situation was that unlike the prisoners, we were learning how to create those shadows on the wall.

We were just prisoners that were supposed to control prisoners.

Puppets controlling puppets.

And so, loyalty became meaningless.

"But you refuse that," I said.

A high kick.

"Of course, I do."

A cross.

"... I realized that..."

A jab.

"... I wouldn't bow down to their thinking..."

A hook.

"... To their ideology...."

A jab.

"... That I would advance, following my own ideas...

A cross.

"... My own principles...."

A hook.

"... And with my own ideas..."

A front kick.

"... I will show them..."

With a direct clean punch, the bag broke and flew out of its support landing over a meter away, the contents spilled all over the place.

"... That I will cleanse this world from their stain and corruption."

I looked at him and the mess he made. I put my hands in my pockets and glanced at him.

"That's a nice speech and all... But you still haven't answered my question."

He closed his eyes and smiled.

"Heh! Well, it seems I failed to impress you... What I'm trying to say is that I found my answers, Kiyo," he laid a hand on my shoulder. "I hope you find yours in that school. Live the peaceful life you want, learn the things you want to learn, satisfy your curiosity. It doesn't really matter. But promise me that you'll search for your answers."

"I don't have any questions that need answer, though," I lied.

"Is that so...? What's justice, Kiyo?"

"The fair and moral treatment of people."

He chuckled.

"That's a dictionary definition. Let's try again. What's freedom?"

"The ability to do what you want..." I replied a little more unsure as it was a dictionary definition as well.

"And equality? How do you define it?"

"The state of being equal in rights—"

"And what's that? To be equal?"

I opened my mouth but closed it again. I thought for a second before giving the definition I knew.

"To be treated in the same way as others."

Tsukasa shook his head.

"Those are the answers you find in a dictionary. Don't you want to find your own?"

"So, you're saying you already know the answer to all of those questions?" I asked.

He smiled slightly.

"I have my own answers to those questions. That's what makes my principles, Kiyotaka. That's precisely why I want you to go there. Find your answers. Build your own principles."

I eyed him. The smile hadn't left his face, not even for a second. I didn't exactly know how to reply. It was true; I had a good number of questions that I felt couldn't be answered in the White Room, but...

"That's too generous a goal to give up on your freedom."

His smile grew and he took his hand off my shoulder.

"I'll tell you my real motive if we see each other again, Kiyo. If you haven't figured it out by then that is... I will take a shower for now. You should pack your things; in a few days your new life will start."

With those parting words he left me alone in the gymnasium.

I sighed.

This conversation had allowed me to understand his motivations, but his true goals regarding me were still a secret. There were theories forming in my mind sure, but it would be hard to narrow them to one with this little information.

Cleanse the world from corruption, huh? I wonder if that's possible.

__________________________________________________

The picture is to show the six members of the Demonic Fourth Generation. I came up with Mikoto's, Karma's and Nao's surname. The other three are cannon in their series I think.

First apparition of Tsukasa.

With this prologue, Volume 6 begins.

What are your thoughts? What do you expect?