A/N:
Spun a wheel for the next scene :)
ok, so the thing is... I was trying to copy paste the story through wattpad then remembered it's not possible... and i didn't want to write the whole ass thing out so im spinning the wheel again :)
if someone could suggest how to copy paste easily from wattpad or smtg, pls do say it.
anyway, other result:
enjoy!
"Now, time for another special video!" Bob announced.
"Special video? Is it about Ayanokoji-kun's past again...?" Hiyori asked, worried.
Bob grinned and nodded.
There were mixed reactions. Some excited, some pitying me, some afraid or curious.
I sighed. Which part will they show now?
Context: Some day in 2005
By the time I was five years old, the number of children had dwindled even further down to about 50 at one point.
"Hm? Where did the other children go then?" Ichinose asked.
Everyone looked at me for the answer.
Hey, hey... Don't look at me like that. I myself don't know the exact answer.
No one cared. There was no time to care.
Here, the only thing they want is our ability.
There was no end.
No, if there was an end, it was endlessly far away.
Once you falter, you'll never be able to catch up again.
Do you believe this is extraordinary?
There were some nods.
I don't. This was everyday life for me.
"It's like our school, being expelled once you fail an exam..." Ike said.
One day, when the number of people in the group had already decreased considerably, we had dinner together.
The meal was being served with everyone present. During the meal, the instructor left the table and the children were left alone. However, we've never had a direct conversation.
The whole time, I've only heard their voices through the instructor.
Why don't we talk to each other?
It wasn't forbidden by the instructors.
We just didn't have conversations because there wasn't a need to talk in the first place.
"I-This is too... All the children have the same apathetic faces, like they don't even know emotions..." Hirata muttered, slight anger on his face.
We knew each other's names through the instructors, we knew how good each one was in their studies, and we knew how athletic each of us was. All of our inner abilities were laid bare.
There was no food that they like or dislike.
The rule of eating only what was served applied to all of the children.
"This place is too cruel..." Horikita murmured.
several people nodded in agreement.
In other words, there was no need for dialogue regarding meals.
There was no sense of fellowship among us students.
The others' presence that neither helps nor hinders is just, somehow, no different from the scenery around us.
"I don't like..."
Some people perked up in interest.
I heard a girl named Yuki, who always sat in front of me, whisper.
It wasn't problematic behavior, since we weren't forbidden to speak during the meal. It was just that no one spoke because no one felt the need to.
This was the first change in the precedent.
I thought she would stop talking because no one responded, but Yuki didn't.
"Do you like it, Kiyotaka?"
She asked me if I liked or disliked the carrots in front of me.
To answer or not to answer.
But to begin with, I've never thought of the concept of liking or disliking carrots.
I only considered them as one of the nutrients that we should consume.
The main nutrient in carrots is Beta-carotene.
It has the ability to change into vitamin A when taken into the body.
It's effective in preventing cellular aging and maintaining healthy skin and mucous membranes. It's also very important for immunity against viruses.
"..."
"She only asked for your opinion..." Miyamoto sighed.
"But this were his thoughts when he was just a five year old? That's... woah," Sudo commented.
"Fufufu, these are definitely not a normal 5 year old's thoughts," Sakayanagi said.
"Do you like carrots?"
"I don't like them either."
The answer wasn't from me, but from Shiro, who was sitting on my left.
Yuki looked at him in surprise.
While I was distracted by the dialogue between the two, I checked the surveillance camera.
Of course, the instructors were watching our meals on a daily basis. There was no way they couldn't have picked up on the sound. Since there was no response from the instructors, and they didn't criticize us or anything, this kind of conversation must be allowed.
"At least they allow talking..."
However, we've never been asked to engage in dialogue with each other.
As long as there was no merit in bothering to engage in dialogue, there was no need to follow the two and respond.
Still... I thought about it for a moment.
You either like carrots or you don't.
...The answer was: I don't hate them.
"I love them," a random first year boy said randomly.
After the meal, I've always had a little trouble. I never learned how to kill time.
Just sitting and waiting was the easiest and only option I had.
However, Yuki wasn't like that, and after dinner, she walked around the room by herself.
I thought it was a waste of energy to walk, but I kept silent and watched her.
"Everything is a waste of energy to you..." Horkita said.
She walked around the small room for about three laps when she passed right in front of me.
"Wa...!"
Yuki almost tripped and fell in front of me.
"Hm?" Haruka looked excited for some reason.
I instantly stretched my arm and prevented her from falling down.
"It's strange to fall down in the middle of nowhere, isn't it?"
After I analyzed the situation, Yuki widened her eyes and looked surprised.
"Or is it just fatigue? No, it doesn't look like that to me."
I could see some faces of realisation as the video continued.
Meanwhile, Keisei looked confused too. "Why did she trip over in the middle of nowhere?"
Haruka sighed, "Yukimuu, you really don't understand a girl's heart. You too, kiyopon."
I couldn't understand why she fell down.
And it seemed the same was true for Yuki.
"Yeah. I'm not tired, but I fell down. Weird, isn't it?."
When she said this, a look came over her face that I had never seen before.
It was the first expression created by her facial muscles, the orbicularis oculi muscle around her eyes, and the wrinkled brow muscles near her eyebrows.
"The what muscle???" Miyamoto looked clueless.
"Kuku, you had not seen a smile before then? Kuku, that's sad," Ryuuen laughed, his face contradicting his words.
I had never seen such a look on the other students' or adults' faces.
Most students looked at me in sorrow or pity.
The girl herself seemed to understand my wonder.
"That... Now, I..."
You can see the confusion and bewilderment on her face.
I can see why.
I never learned that. I was never taught that look.
But I know it.
It didn't take me long to realize that it was a smile.
Everyone was once again reminded of how cruel and empty the White Room was.
It was an instinct that we're born with, or perhaps even before we're born.
That may be why she could express it without having to learn it.
~~~
Inside the White Room, there were rooms dedicated to various curricula.
One of them was a heated swimming pool where one could swim all year round.
"Ooh, so large?!" Sato unconsciously exclaimed.
"Ye, it's bigger than our school's one..." Shinohara agreed.
Swimming was considered to play a very important role in developing physical skills.
Swimming was also ideal for children's immature bodies because of its low impact on the body itself. The time spent in contact with the water was valuable for the children to relieve stress.
Swimming was taught for two hours at a time, with a 30-minute lesson at the beginning, a 10-minute break afterward, and 30 minutes of competitive swimming with races and target times.
After that, the children were given 30 minutes of free time.
They could swim in the water or take a break.
I always made it a habit to spend the remaining 30 minutes by the pool, observing the children.
"I knew I'd find you here. You set a new record again today."
"Woah! Impressive, Ayanokoji-kun!" Ichinose praised.
"I haven't reached the time that the instructor set yet."
"We're children. They're adults. It's not strange that we can't reach it. It's just a little frustrating that I can't beat Kiyotaka anymore."
Until a few weeks ago, Yuki was the fastest swimmer, regardless of how she swam.
"Once you passed me, the gap between our records has been widening. How can you swim so well? I've been practicing just as hard..."
"Breath-hold."
"What?"
"Your form is perfect when you're swimming, but it's when you take a breath that your form is off. If you improve your form, you can improve your time a little more."
"You're observing her really closely, aren't you, Senpai~" Amasawa said cheekily.
I sighed. I knew she knew that the underlining meaning she implied wasn't true.
"Yes, I see... My instructor didn't point that out to me."
"Swimming instructors don't tell you everything. I think they make you aware that you have to find out for yourself."
It's not that I haven't noticed.
"You not only see yourself, but you're also even able to see your surroundings. I don't have that kind of luxury."
"I'm repeating what Ichinose-san said, but you're really impressive..." Sato said.
"I'm the same way, I'm just biting the bullet."
Many of them, especially those new to the curriculum, were falling behind.
Without the fundamentals, one would be too focused on memorizing to get results.
On the other hand, people like Yuki and Shiro often got good results the first time.
They were able to quickly grasp the basics even though they didn't know them.
"Unlike me..." Hondo muttered.
Some of the... slower students in class agreed.
I guess you could call it a sense. That was the difference.
But I didn't envy them.
It has been proven in many curricula that you can make up the difference by learning and consolidating the basics, regardless of the initial gap.
It was okay if you weren't good at first. The first step was to build the basics and learn to apply them to yourself.
Yuki stood still and didn't walk away. She kept looking at me.
"...Do you still need something?"
"Is it strange for me to speak with you without purpose?"
"Yeah, it's weird. Normally, you'd talk to me if you needed something."
"Sigh~ Kiyopon..." Haruka said.
"What?"
"Do you understand why she did all that now?"
I nodded. Of course, since I hadn't been introduced to romance and this kind of stuff in the White Room, I had not understood Yuki's behaviour then.
But now, I was less naive in these things due to outer influences.
"You're the same as always."
I didn't look at her and started to think about Yuki.
Recently, she had been talking more and more.
And she was speaking in a different way from herself originally.
She was talking to me more and more often even when she had nothing to say.
Why did she do such inefficient things?
Some sighed.
She wasn't a bad subject for observation.
Besides, now I won't be reprimanded since there weren't any instructors watching and listening nearby.
Of course, we couldn't deny that we were being watched, but we weren't to be blamed for it.
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Yes..."
Yuki, puzzled, didn't expect such a response back.
"How come you're so good at conversing?"
"A main trait to have to be good at conversing is empathy. The Yuki girl probably has compassion and empathy. Including the fact that these people in the White Room rarely converse, she might have seemed to be exceptionally good at conversing to you," Nagumo said.
"What? How come I'm so good at talking? I don't know."
"You're at least better than me. I'm just not willing to speak."
"I'm not really motivated either, but... I'm just... I don't know..."
She didn't know what she was talking about, but she was willing to talk about it? That's what I didn't understand.
"Talking doesn't need a reason," Ike said.
"Then how can you laugh? You laughed before."
"And laughing doesn't need to be learnt..." Ike muttered.
"Why? ...I don't know that either."
"Don't you get it? Even though you're changing it, you don't know?"
"Because I can't laugh now."
Sure, Yuki laughed before, but I don't remember seeing her laugh since then.
"So love can also blossom in such cold places too huh," Shinohara commented
"This shows just how powerful love and friendship is..." Ichinose said.
Did she laugh only once by chance?
Are emotions formed by such coincidences?
"I don't know, but I think I can laugh again when I'm around you, Kiyotaka."
"I don't understand."
Was it possible that we can't feel the emotion that creates laughter unless we were around a certain person?
No, maybe she had a point.
When the instructors showed their anger, most of it was directed at someone else.
Smiles are also directed to someone else.
It wasn't hard to understand.
"Hey, I've never thought of it this way... Hearing your thoughts are enlightening, Ayanokoji," Sudo commented.
I looked at Yuki.
"...What?"
I tried to smile.
As I thought, I didn't know how to smile.
I hadn't even learned the basics of anger, sorrow, and joy.
Without the basics, you can't do anything.
Again, looks of pity we're directed towards me for the umpteenth time.
"Nothing."
If we haven't learned it, then we don't need to feel it.
I had already stopped thinking about this.
~~~
Again and again, I repeated the same day.
Repeated the days of learning that seemed to go on forever.
In a world where there were hardly any breaks, we fourth-generation students continued to repeat the curriculum.
There was nothing more to say.
No matter how complicated and difficult it got, what we had to do remained the same.
Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, the day after the day after that, and the day after that. Again and again, I repeated.
The next day came as a matter of fact.
We learned something new.
Absorb. If you didn't absorb, you wouldn't survive.
Once you were branded as a failure, there was no undoing it.
Most people looked unbelieving of this.
And what was normal yesterday may not be normal today.
The buzzer sounded.
The children followed the rules and placed their pens on their desks.
This was the end of the high-stakes written curriculum.
"Wait... Isn't this college level math...? They're learning this at what age? 6? 7? Woah..." Keisei muttered in disbelief as soon as he saw a glimpse of the paper.
"Plus the other subjects that they probably learnt far more in advance than us... How do they even remember this much?" Horikita continued.
The test papers were collected and the scoring began immediately.
Meanwhile, the children sat silently in their seats and waited for the results.
However, the results were usually known before they were given out.
All the children who remained here knew how well they answered the questions.
The little girl in the front seat was shaking slightly.
"Isn't this Yuki?" Haruka said worriedly.
I stared at her blankly, waiting for the right moment.
One of the instructors came in and walked over to the shaking child.
"—Disqualified."
The instructor announced in front of the child... in the same calm tone as usual.
"W-what happens when they're disqualified?" Someone asked.
"Well, probably nothing serious, right...?" Ike said, trying to convince himself more than others.
If they were disqualified, the students were sent to the outside world to have their freedom. However, if they couldn't live with the trauma, the freedom most longed for wouldn't be a happy one.
Once again, another student had been disqualified.
The number of remaining fourth-generation students had been reduced to only four, and now one of those seats disappeared.
"Damn..."
"Oh no..."
In the White Room, failure in the training and study phases was never an issue.
It didn't matter how much you progressed leading up to the exam, scoring a ten or a five on the other exams was irrelevant. The instructor would just keep the learning process going without stopping.
It was the final exam that decided everything—whether or not you failed.
If you failed to meet the standards, you'd be judged as having no ability at that point and dropped from the curriculum.
"No ability? This... This is much better than what all of us could do!" Keisei looked frustrated and angry towards the instructors.
"Well, at least, if they are dropped from the curriculum, they wouldn't have to suffer anymore and could lead a normal life i guess..." Haruka said somberly.
"I doubt that. The trauma from this place would haunt them for most of their life. They wouldn't be able to escape from that place for the rest of their life, whether physically or mentally," Sakurako Tsubaki from Class C replied. (A/N need more ppl to react so i just added her :D)
"Stand up."
No extra words were included, short phrases were all that mattered.
"I... I don't want to..."
The last thing you'll want to do would be to answer that demand.
If what she said was correct, Yuki's result was only five points short of the passing grade.
"Five points only..." Shinohara muttered in dismay.
To the casual observer, it may seem like only five points, but in the White Room, there was no redemption even if one point was missing.
This was true for many students I have trained against.
Children who failed to meet the passing grade once were generally less capable of learning later in life.
This has been proven. In other words, even if we ignore the situation here and let it go until the next regular exam, they still won't be able to break out of the situation where they're the next top candidate to drop out of the White Room.
In other words, you aren't qualified to remain in the fourth generation once you see that you've hit your ceiling.
"Have you ever hit your ceiling yet, Ayanokoji-kun?" Hiyori asked me innocently.
I shook my head. "As of now, nope."
This resulted in many awed faces.
"Rotten apples must be removed. Any hindrance will become a burden to our growth."
I guess they didn't intend to spend any more time on this.
One of the instructors reached for Yuki's arm.
"No... I hate it!"
Brushing away his arm, Yuki rushed towards me while still shaken.
"Kiyotaka, save me! I don't want to disappear!"
Spilling tears, Yuki pleaded for help.
Some people averted their eyes, not having the heart to look at her despairing face.
I took one look at the instructor who slowly approached me, but I didn't change my indifferent position.
"It's impossible."
"...!"
"I can't help you. No, I'm not going to."
"So cold..." Horikita muttered.
"Ayanokoji-kun, why don't you at least try to help her? There's no harm!" Hirata said, frustrated.
"Who knows what punishment they might give him if he tried helping her?" Sudo reasoned, a little sad and angry as he looked at the screen.
"S-sorry, Ayanokoji-kun. I-I lost my rationality there a little..."
Hirata probably got reminded of his past trauma and unconsciously lashed out at me without meaning it.
"Please! Next time I'll do my best! Next time!"
"Next? Why didn't you try before that? You know there's no next time."
"Well, that's...!"
If you can't work hard now, you won't be able to work hard next time.
Continuing was impossible, just as there's only one life.
"But still... I can do it, I can do it...!"
Look at what I've achieved up until now. Is that what this is about?
The instructors had me and Yuki surrounded.
"Huuh?"
I signaled to the approaching instructors to stop and turned to Yuki.
"Ayanokoji, are you gonna help her?" Miyamoto said hopefully.
"Just watch." I replied.
"It's true that you've been following the curriculum except for the written exam. However, your grades kept dropping year after year and never seemed to improve. In other words, this is where your limits lie."
Even if she were to be saved and remained, it would be the instructor's decision, not the decision of the kid that wants to be saved. I could only assume that Yuki was making a mistake by hanging onto me like this.
"Come here!"
"No! No! Please! Please let me try again!"
Raising her voice, Yuki showed a peculiar resistance to the instructors.
It wasn't an unusual behavior among the dropouts, but even so, Yuki's behavior was a little different from what we had seen before.
"Love, Kiyopon. Love can do many things. It can overcome rationality and logic, help do impossible things, and many more," Haruka said dramatically.
"You know very well the rules of the White Room. Why are you so upset?"
The students in the White Room, including myself, didn't understand the situation.
The instructors, however, knew very well why Yuki was resisting so much.
But they never stated the reason.
"But why was she resisting so much?" Horikita asked cluelessly from behind.
She must not have heard what Haruka said before.
"Well, Yuki-san had some feelings for Ayanokoji-kun so she didn't want to leave him," Kushida explained to her.
Horikita nodded in understanding.
They grabbed Yuki by the arms and forcefully pulled her off of me.
"Help me! Kiyotaka!"
She called out my name over and over again, screaming and begging for help.
"Help! Help...!"
She reached out to me as she crumbled to the ground, begging for my help.
Help?
The girl in front of me had already been disqualified.
The disqualified will leave this room.
And they never come back.
There were no exceptions.
Then why did she need to ask for help?
It was a waste of effort—a waste of time.
Some people looked extremely sad at the scene.
"Please, I don't want to leave!"
Two adults, who couldn't stand that she still hadn't left the room, came into the room in a hurry.
The instructors then seized the girl and dragged her out.
"No! No! No! Help me!"
One more person failed to reach their goal and was eliminated.
I'm sure the remaining children were looking at Yuki with the same cold eyes I did.
Or maybe they were scared that they might be next.
Either way.
All I cared about was that I was the last one standing.
"Ayanokoji-kun, I know you're trying to change now, so you can always rely on me, or anyone, for help," Hirata said.
"Mn! Ayanokoji-kun, feel free to come ask me for help, or just talk, anytime!" Kushida said.
Several other heads nodded in agreement.
From the beginning, I've been living in this world relying on those feelings alone.
I lived in that white world. A scream that comes from learning together for years, like family, or perhaps something from a different dimension entirely, like affection towards the opposite sex, huh?
To be dragged out of here is a denial of all that we are.
Therefore, everyone repeated their studies within a limited time so that this didn't happen.
It's just...
"Please wait."
"Ooh, you're gonna try to help her?" Ike said excitedly.
I muttered quietly to the instructors.
"Who said you could speak? You won't get away with it the next time you open your mouth without permission."
"Then it's fine if you don't let me get away with it, but please listen to me."
Immediately after those words came out, the instructor fell silent, came up to me, and kicked me without hesitation.
Many people sucked in their breaths and looked at the screen anxiously.
"I didn't give you permission to speak."
"Yuki wasn't feeling well before noon. She seemed restless during the exam, and I think she was unable to show her ability in other areas..."
As I was about to continue, he grabbed me by the chest as if to further interrupt me.
"It is also her responsibility to keep herself in good condition. Do you think that's an excuse now? I didn't see anything wrong with her this morning."
"That's right. But it would be a different story if it was unexpected."
"Hm?"
"Unexpected?"
The instructor turned around and looked at the other instructors surrounding the fallen Yuki.
"...There's bleeding."
Realisation dawned on the girls' faces.
The adults seemed to realize from their observations that Yuki was in an unusual state.
"Bleeding? Did she get hurt somewhere...No, is it that?"
"Yes. Normally, the earliest that this could occur is around 9 years old, but this early is exceptional. It's probably due to the stress, which is different from that of the other students in the class, caused by the difficulty of the course. She also seems to have a fever, so it's no wonder that she's unexpectedly ill."
Some boys seemed to understand too.
Meanwhile, the other boys were as clueless as ever.
"Huh? What's happening? Why's she suddenly bleedin'?" Sudo asked.
"'The earliest this could occur is around 9 years old'... Does that happen to everybody or something...?" Hondo said.
"If you don't know, you don't know. It's a girls' thing," Shinohara shushed them.
"Go to the doctor's office. We'll see if she's disqualified or not after we get a closer look at her."
"You saved her!" Ike cheered.
"It's not certain yet," Horikita replied.
With those words, the instructor instructed Yuki and took her out of the room.
As they were leaving, Yuki looked at me through her tears, but I didn't meet her eyes.
"Well spotted. That's what I would say, but we would've noticed it right after this without you having to point it out. Your unauthorized comments are still a problem."
"So you'll punish me?"
Punishments, such as corporal punishment, would follow after violating rules outside the curriculum.
But that was all there was to it.
I knew that they couldn't take such brutal measures, such as dropping out.
"Do you think I'm joking?"
"If you're going to stand by and keep an eye on me, you'd better watch me more closely."
"...You!"
Too late. The instructor, clenching his right fist and revealing his murderous intent, came at me, but I avoided him.
"He seems unprofessional..." Kanzaki said.
"Stop!"
The instructor tried to retort, but another instructor rushed back to stop him.
"Don't let the kid's comments get to you, newcomer!"
"Yeah, he's a newcomer," Ichinose said.
"...!"
There were some instructors who were inexperienced, but with this new instructor, he will make more mistakes from now on.
That's why there's a need to make it wide-known at this stage.
If they were going to use him, they needed to train him better. If they decided that he was useless, they needed to get rid of him.
In the end, after that day, Yuki never came back.
"Aw..." Haruka sighed.
Many people looked down in sadness.
"Looks like your efforts were for naught..." Sudo sighed.
~~~
I've been living in the White Room for well over 14 years now and have completed what was commonly referred to as the second year of junior high. The real world outside was different from the virtual world, but I found myself accepting it more comfortably than I thought I would.
"14 years..."
"Damn..."
Looks of pity and sorrow were directed towards me.
It was unclear whether this was due to the curriculum or some other factor.
While I was waiting in an empty room, as instructed by Dr. Ishida, I was approached by a man.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Ayanokōji Kiyotaka-kun. Thank you for coming today."
"Who are you?"
I had never seen him before.
His calm face made it hard to believe that he was from the White Room.
What caught my attention more was that he was holding a vase of flowers in his hand.
This was also something I had never seen before. Something I had only learned and seen in images.
"There's a girl I really want you to meet, so I asked Ayanokōji-sensei for a favor."
"I don't understand what you're talking about."
"The girl has become so feeble-minded that she can't even go out. She can keep herself relatively calm at home and in this clinic. That's why I asked you to come here."
"The girl...? Yuki?" Horikita made a reasonable deduction.
"Are those... cherry blossoms?"
"They used to hang in this room, but I had to change the water. It's her favorite flower. She should be back from her checkup soon."
He put the vase on the shelf by the window.
"Kiyotaka...!"
As I waited for him to return, the door to the room was opened and my name was shouted.
"She's back! What happens now? You two living happily ever after together?" Ike joked.
A girl, about my age I guess, stared at me and her eyes were wide open.
"I've wanted to meet you all this time... I've missed you so much!"
"You're..."
"Yuki! It's Yuki!"
Yuki. I knew that name. It belonged to a White Room student who had dropped out a long time ago. I've erased the name from my memory, but it was natural to remember some things since I can't intentionally erase them.
"You make it sound like you've remembered every single thing that has happened in your life... That can't be true, right?" Hondo said.
I shrugged, leaving everyone with more questions than answers about how good my memory was.
"Why are you here?"
Even if she didn't really die, the instant she dropped out, everything was over for her.
Facing the dead. It was a strange feeling, but what was the purpose of this meeting?
"T-the dead..." Hirata muttered at that cruel term I used to describe Yuki.
"My daughter Yuki has been weak ever since she left the Whi— No, the same facility you're in. She's been depressed. She can't go outside and just keeps worrying about you."
The man who was watching from a distance seemed to be Yuki's father.
Her smile was a little different from the one she used to show when she was a child.
"It's been a long time. Kiyotaka... were you at that place the whole time?"
She looked at me with fear in her eyes as she recalled the past.
Judging by her father's reaction, she was scared of the mention of the White Room.
"For 14 years, I've been there. Today is the first time I've been outside."
"O-Oh... I thought they at least allowed them to go out..." Miyamoto sighed.
Everyone looked at me in pity.
"Monster, how did you get out and come to this school? Were you let out?" Ryuuen asked.
i sighed. "It'll probably be mentioned.
"I knew you were great, Kiyotaka... What about the other kids? Did they leave in the past?"
"Well, they all left so soon. I've been the last one for years now. I don't know."
I never cared about the ones who dropped out, including the kid in front of me.
"That's harsh." Akito said.
"Alone... Always in that place...? I-I... I, that, that place... I...!"
Yuki's body began to tremble as if the fear she had been suppressing was swelling up.
"Yuki, stop remembering!"
Yuki was distraught as she dug up her memories. Was this how miserable a person who's dropped out of the White Room could be?
Everyone averted their eyes from the screen.
The one thing I understand was that she must be the daughter of a well-known businessman.
All I know is that she was treated with respect after she dropped out.
But the fact that she's going to counseling shows that she hasn't healed from the trauma.
And one of the healing methods was to meet with me, who was also in the fourth generation... I guess...
Now that I know what's going on, I have no further use for this place.
"B-but! Why can't you go talk to her a little?" Shinohara exclaimed.
"I have to go."
"Wa-wait! I finally got to meet you! I want to talk to you more—a lot more!"
"I have nothing to say to you."
If she couldn't talk about the White Room, we couldn't have a conversation.
"Please, Ayanokōji-kun, can you talk with Yuki for a while? Yes, any conversation is fine. A simple, insignificant conversation..."
"What do you mean by 'insignificant conversation'? You do understand that I'm new to the outside world, right?"
"That's..."
"Of course, I can tell her a story that's full of lies if you want. I am willing to force myself to make something up to the best of my knowledge, whether it's about Japan or the rest of the world. But that's not what you want, is it?"
"I-I'm fine. I'm fine with talking about the Wh-White-White Room."
"She's even forcing herself to talk to you... You better have stayed there a while, Kiyopon," Haruka said menacingly.
Yuki grabbed my sleeve, hyperventilating, trying not to let me go.
"I don't think you should. You can't talk to me."
"T-that's not true...! I've always wanted to meet you again... Kiyotaka...!"
"You should have stopped that feeling. Once you see me like this, you'll only suffer from the difference between your memories and your ideals. If you want to heal your mind, you should continue your treatment here."
That was enough. I'd rather take a look outside than waste my time here. The outside world, at least, still holds the possibility of curiosity.
Haruka looked disappointed.
"Please. Not yet, stay a while longer..."
Yuki's father blocked the exit with open arms.
"Is that an order?"
"No... it's..."
"No, it's not, isn't it? The representative of the White Room didn't give me any specific instructions."
"Indeed. Ayanokōji-sensei only promised to let you and Yuki meet. This is only my personal request."
"Then I decline."
"Harsh..." Ike muttered.
"What?"
"I'm refusing because I think it's what's best for her."
"You don't care about a kid who dropped out?"
"That's right. I don't care about a kid who dropped out."
Everyone were once again reminded of how cold the masterpiece of the White Room was.
But this guy made a bad call bringing me in as a counselor.
"Excuse me."
"No! Don't go, Kiyotaka!"
"You're no different than when you dropped out and disappeared."
"...!"
"You should be thankful for your parents and focus on your treatment here. The more you expect from me, the more you'll regret it."
"No! I want to talk to you! I want to talk with you more—talk about what we couldn't talk about back then!"
Yuki's spirit, with its terribly childish tone and reactions, had not changed at all since that time a few years ago.
"Wait... Were you searching for a change in her? To show that she had grown?" Matsushita asked me.
I partly was. Yuki could have proven her self there and then, to show that her past would not hold her back, but her mental health was just too weak.
"Wait! Please!"
"Please move aside."
"Yuki... I'm not the only one who can't reach her. My wife's and second daughter's words also cannot reach her. She can't be reached. But... she talks to you... You don't know how much just that could save her...!"
"Goodbye. I hope I never see you again. I'll leave you to it."
Some people looked like they were about to lash out at me, but held back, either due to pity towards me or fear.
"No! No! Kiyotaka! Nooo!!"
Her voice crying out and the voice of an adult yelling at her uncontrollably.
Neither of them reached the depths of my ears. I wasn't interested.
I left the hospital and returned to the waiting car.
"It has ended! 15 minute break!" Bob announced.
However, much like after the previous video about the White Room, no one moved from their seats, lost in their thought.
A/N
No motivation + busy cny period = late update :)
not proof read.
Btw, I've been having quite a few cote story ideas, so I'm gonna start a cote one-shots fanfic too (probably) ;D
Anyway, choose next chap:
1. i could mix the key parts of vol 2 to react to
2. trial no.1 plus trapping class c w ichinose (cctv part)
3. after the trials - horikita pov part
word count -> 5755
See ya!