Ayanokouji POV:
THE COLOR. The color that spread across my field of vision.
The first thing I remember was equally as white.
As the name White Room implies, this facility is based on the color white.
The ceiling is no exception.
I was staring at that white ceiling in my first memory.
Katsuragi: It's a memory of Ayanokōji's childhood. It's amazing that even after so many years you can remember something from infancy.
Manabu: The human brain is designed in such a way that it forgets 40% of the past day's events. This information is not important. It is stored in our hippocampus. With each passing day, these memories are erased. And only those moments that a person can remember even after a dozen years have passed are stored in the cerebral cortex.
Tachibana: Be grateful that Horikita-kun lectured you on anatomy!
Ichinose: Children's first memory must be of their parents...
Matsushita: But in Ayanokouji-kun's case, it's a white world...
Before showing any interest in staring or playing with my fingertips, I simply wondered what this white ceiling was.
Day after day, I spent more and more time just staring at that ceiling.
At first, I cried. I cried because I missed people, and then I learned that no one was coming to help me.
All girls: Kyaaya! He is so cute!
Kobashi: Is that okay?!
Kiryuin: Ha, modern society is strict about this type of thing as morality. in a normal situation, such treatment would be considered cruel, and law enforcement and guardianship authorities immediately entered into the matter. But after the last video, it became clear that neither human nor divine laws apply in this place. We'll have to accept and face what is happening face to face.
Now that I look back on it, it was instinct, not logic.
This is the first thing a newborn baby, who cannot even speak, learns when it accepts its environment.
After that, I realized the existence of my fingers.
I spent all day long looking at, sucking, and licking my little fingers, and nothing else, in the emptiness.
The nourishment necessary for life was brought to us by the cold adults.
This is no different in the case of illness.
The treatment was carried out without hesitation, and daily life returned as if nothing had happened.
No one panicked, no one worried, no one rejoiced.
Satou: Wouldn't that lead to negative consequences for the child?
Matsushita: Yes, it's called Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - is a severe mental condition, a type of anxiety disorder (neurosis), which occurs as a result of a single or repetitive psychotraumatic situation. Although the child does not experience traumatic situations as such, the very fact of being in the same place every day following the same scenario can cripple the child's psyche.
Ichinose: Is that why Ayanokōji-kun always has the same facial expression?
Karuizawa: Kiyotaka, honestly, have you ever smiled in your life?
Ayanokouji: I have an excellent memory, as you can see, so if you leave out the possibility that I forgot about it, then the answer to your question is No.
Karuizawa/Ichinose: "I'll do my best to make Kiyotaka/Ayanokouji-kun smile!"
Eventually, you learn. You realized that you're being carefully cared for here.
Human beings have feelings of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure.
But none of them are of much use in this facility.
The children, with their still undeveloped brains, learned that early on.
No wonder. Whether you laugh or cry, get angry or sad, the instructors weren't there to help you.
The only time I could move forward was when I achieved something.
The first time I remember that I recognized communication as a language was when I was two years old.
Katsuragi: According to research, from the beginning of the second year of life, every month a child begins to understand about 20 new words, while on average begins to pronounce about nine. The first words denote the most important and interesting objects, objects and actions for the child. For ordinary children, these are their loved ones or the actions of others. I wonder what Ayanokouji, who is isolated from all this, could realize?
The instructor was sitting in front of me and I was sitting in front of him.
Matsushita: Another abnormality of this place. Ayanokōji refers to these people in white as "instructors" instead of caregivers or teachers.
There was nothing in between—just the instructor holding out both of his open hands to me.
Not long afterward, the instructor placed a small little gummy bear in his right hand in a very conspicuous way.
For the children living in this facility, this snack was a rarity.
The sweetness that they were usually deprived of. As a child, I was no exception; I remember having the same cravings as anyone else.
Ichinose: They don't even give the kids sweets!
Suzune: So that's why you were so eager to buy a bowl of instant noodles... Turns out you've never tried anything like this... My comments about unhealthy food were out of place, sorry.
Ayanokouji: Nothing. I'm used to this kind of food. The required dose of glucose entered my body through the consumption of vegetables, fruits and cereals.
Manabu: "It's hard to imagine how much all this equipment and hiring these instructors cost. It's a huge amount. Without government support, it's impossible to maintain such a facility. Are they really willing to maintain this facility for their experiments?
"Guess where the gummy is, and you can eat it."
The adult who held a gummy bear in his right hand extended it to me.
His expression was stern and almost expressionless.
On the other hand, the child facing him—me, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka—was also emotionless.
Both of us had the same expressionless face, but I was in a natural state while the instructor was consciously trying to be silent.
And the other kids were also naturally emotionless.
I could sense that the other children were well aware of the fact that emotions can be a stumbling block. There were one-on-ones between adults who hid their emotions and children who had minimal emotions.
Satou: Matsushita-san was right about mental trauma.
Katsuragi: It's still too early to say for sure, if you compare these children with the students of our school, it's safe to say that they behave like exemplary students. None of them do anything extra, they are just waiting for external changes to respond to them in the right way.
Ryuuen: You're damn right. Even these two-year-olds are better behaved than most Class D dregs.
Some class D students wanted to argue with Ryuuen, but they themselves realized that he was right...
"I'll give you a chance until you miss three times."
The instructor muttered to himself in front of me.
"..."
I still don't understand the adult language—the meaning of every syllable within those words.
Missing, chance—neither of these words can truly be understood by a two-year-old child.
However, they can instinctively sense what's being appealed to.
I could sense what was being asked of me.
I touched his right hand, just as I had seen.
Without hesitation, the instructor opened his right hand and gave me a small gummy bear.
At the same time, other children were also trying to guess the gummy's location.
All of the instructors clutched the gummy in their right hands, and all of them answered correctly.
Ike: Why even do something like that? If they want to give them gummy bears, why do guessing games?
Manabu: It's called non-verbal communication. Communication interaction between individuals without the use of words, that is, without speech and language means, presented in direct or any sign form. In other words, learning. Perhaps further the task will become more difficult to test the intelligence of children.
Matsushita: So we can see the difference between Ayanokouji-kun and other kids through the video.
Ayanokōji: "It's not pleasant when your thoughts are exposed. Looking back, I realize that even then I was different from children of my age. What will be the reaction of my classmates when they see this?"
"Next!"
This time, he held the gummy bear in his right hand, but immediately after that, he put it back in his left hand and offered it to me.
Of course, I touched the left hand without hesitation. Another correct answer.
This simple process was repeated twice more, yielding a total of four gummies.
Although they weren't very sweet, they were a valuable snack in this White Room and were well received by the children. I remember that I, without exception, enjoyed the taste of these gummies.
"Next."
Fifth time. This time, the instructor crossed his arms behind his back, grabbed a gummy bear, and held it out to me.
Watanabe: But isn't that just a matter of chance? There were no clues.
Ryuen: Maybe it will happen several times with a certain pattern, for example, each time the gumdrop will end up only in the right hand or only in the left hand. As a result, the child can understand the sequence and give the correct answer. Or maybe it's something else?
The strength of his grip and the position of each hand were almost the same.
The instructor's expression didn't change, nor did his gaze.
In this case, there was no way to judge objectively which of the instructor's hands clenched the gummy.
The probability was 50/50 in either case.
In that case, time efficiency was the priority here.
Katsuragi: Is this reasoning really something that a two-year-old child has managed to get to?
Arisu: Ayanokouji-kun is impressive.
Ayanokouji: It's nothing.
Ryuuen: In other words, are you saying that this is just the beginning? Ayanokouji: You will see everything.
I randomly touched the right hand; it was empty. The other children were divided into two groups, and although the ratio of children who picked the right hand was a little higher than the left, there was no clear reason for this. However, as expected, all the instructors held the gummy bear in their left hands.
Asahina: Here comes the sequence! All instructors continue to put marmalade only in a certain place. Now it remains to see if it will be in the same hand and conclude that all subsequent times they will hide them in the left hand or change to the right and then the sequence will be an alternation of hands.
"Next."
The instructor hid his hand behind his back again, clenched it, and then brought his arms forth.
I wondered if he would continue to make us guess the 50/50.
There was no point in choosing either of them, but I dared to choose the left one.
No—.
After a short thought, I decided not to answer immediately but to observe what was nearby.
The children were so focused on the instructor and the gummies in front of them that they neglected to pay attention to their surroundings.
This time, the majority of the children pointed to the left hand, but the correct answer was the right hand.
Then, the instructor in front of me was most likely holding the gummy bear in his right hand.
I pointed to his right hand, and after a short pause, it opened to reveal a green gummy bear.
Matsushita: T-That's...
Katsuragi: I find it hard to believe that someone at such a young age can have such a mindset.
In psychology, the description of such a phenomenon is called "Insight".
Insight - a sudden conscious finding of a solution to a problem, which is the result of prolonged mental activity.
The term was first used in 1925 . In Köhler's experiments with , when they were offered tasks that could only be solved indirectly, it was shown that after several unsuccessful trials, monkeys stopped active actions and simply began to look at objects around them, after which they could quickly come to the right decision.
"Next."
You weren't praised for guessing it correctly, but at least you were allowed to eat the gummy.
Rolling the gummy on the tip of my tongue, I concentrated again. The instructor clutched the gummy again behind his back.
He held out each of his hands at the same time.
Of course, this time, I observed my surroundings in the same way...
When all the children had finished pointing, there was no sign of the instructors opening their hands.
"You are the last one."
Suzune: It's now a 50/50 choice, either left hand or right hand.
This meant that they won't open their hands until all the children had given their answers.
Since there was no hint at all, I continued to point to his right hand.
All at once, the instructors opened the palm of the indicated hand.
However, all of them missed it. Both the children who pointed to their right hands and the children who pointed to their left hands got it incorrect.
Ryuuen: Kukuku, Suzune, as it turned out, the chance was 33/33/33, it seems that Class D puppet leader didn't foresee this possibility. Maybe you yourself should go to this white place and guess the gummies?
Suzune: ...
Matsushita: So the gummy bear was hidden behind his back. What will be next?
At this point, many children missed three times and won't be getting another chance.
I had only one chance left.
"Next."
Similarly to the previous two occasions, the gummy was clenched behind the instructor's back. There was no way to tell which hand it was in from the outside and no sign of hands opening after the few remaining children had finished playing.
In this case, it didn't make any difference whether the right hand or the left hand was used.
I wondered if this was really true.
...Or...
Manabu: Often, if a person is put before an election with several options, he will choose one of them. There will be no thought that all of the proposed options will lead to collapse. This is comparable to a regular written multiple choice test. What is the chance that all of the proposed options will be wrong? It practically does not exist. The human brain itself sets limits, only one in a billion can see further.
Mashima: The conclusions of this two-year-old child are simply amazing. Even such a genius as Sakayanagi Arisu could not give such a result at this age.
One last chance.
If it wasn't held in either of these hands, then...
The instructor didn't say which hand had the gummy bear.
He only asked us to point to where the gummy bear is.
So it was possible that they were hidden somewhere other than in the left or right hand.
I let that childish thought run through my mind and pointed behind without touching either hand.
"..."
He didn't answer and just stared at my movements.
"Why are you pointing back?"
"Gummy, hand, no."
Kiryuin: Fufufu, you're incredible, Kouhai-kun! Lately, all I've been doing is getting disappointed with the students of this school. Horikita Manabu, Nagumo Miyabi, I've been interested in these people for a while, but not now. Now they are boring to me. But now I'm sure these people are nothing in front of you. I hope I can continue to enjoy you.
Ayanokōji: ... Thanks, I guess?
Nagumo: Kiryuin, your words are too arrogant. I will show you that you are wrong. I will face Ayanokouji personally.
Manabu: "And you will fail miserably..."
Nishino: He can already speak simple sentences. I was over three years old when I could do this...
Most agreed with Ayanokouji's phenomenality.
I replied in such a way that showed I still didn't have perfect control over the language.
Without saying a word, the instructor opened both hands at the same time.
Then, I found a small gummy bear in his right hand.
"That's too bad. The right hand is the correct one."
The instructor then popped the small gummy in his mouth.
One of the two remaining children had answered correctly for the right hand and was given a gummy bear.
"I'll give you one more chance, just for the heck of it."
He took out a gummy bear and held it in his hands behind his back as if to repeat the process, and stuck out his arms.
I thought his hands were empty by hiding them behind his back, but in fact, they were held in his right hand. Then, did I simply miss the 50/50, and it was never hidden from the beginning of this match?
Or, after hiding it twice, did he hold it in his right hand, anticipating that we would read it that way? The possibility that both hands were empty is more probable than the possibility that they were holding something. The other remaining child pointed to the instructor's left hand.
What's the right thing to do...?
Arisu: Please accept my praise, Ayanokouji-kun. You really are a genius. Every time we watch you draw brilliant conclusions one by one and time after time you surpass yourself.
Ayanokouji: Thank you for your praise, Sakayanagi.
Hashimoto: My impression is that we are seeing the development of artificial intelligence, which develops through trial and error.
Manabu: "It's been 14 years since the on-screen incident. It's hard to imagine how far ahead Ayanokouji has gone with that kind of potential. If I had to guess, even a 7 or 8 year old could be an elite student of this school. Now I understand his desire not to stand out.For him, this whole school is boring."
Was it the right hand, the left hand, or was it hidden behind?
"Behind."
After thinking about it, I took a gamble. I rejected the right and left hands, judging both to be empty.
The instructor opened his hands. In his left hand was a small gummy bear.
"Too bad. Another miss. Are you disappointed?"
It's true, I was disappointed.
I nodded slightly.
It wasn't because I wanted gummy bears.
It was more like frustration that I was wrong.
"I guess this kid is different after all."
The adults gathered around and whispered to each other.
Kanzaki: After this test, we unlocked one of Ayanokouji's abilities - Assertiveness. This ability can be partly attributed to Assertiveness. the ability of a person not depend on external influences and assessments, independently regulate their own behavior and be responsible for it. Except communications. It does not fit any of the two typical patterns of human behavior.
Koenji: Accept my praise, White Room Boy, I award you the title of perfect existence! Second after me, of course! Accept it gratefully! HAHAHAHAHA! - Apparently, even Koenji was surprised by what he saw, although not that much ... After all, then he again took out his mirror and began to comb it, without waiting for an answer.
Ayanokouji: "What a freak..."
Matsushita: "After discovering Ayanokōji's abilities, things might get more difficult. Other classes might try to lure him over to their side. Although he doesn't seem to care about Grade A graduation, that alone can't keep him in our class..."
Ichinose: "Maybe I can bring Ayanokouji into my class? Then I can help him and with his power we can move forward"
My two-year-old mind couldn't comprehend the meaning of the complicated words, so I only remember them as a list of words.
"All the children, with the exception of Kiyotaka, were honestly trying to guess everything between left or right. But he observed the choices of those around them and was clearly aware of the possibility of a third option, which was the option that the gummy was hidden behind our backs. Moreover, even after proving that it wasn't hiding behind my back, he didn't abandon the possibility. This isn't the thinking of a two-year-old."
"You're overthinking this, aren't you?"
"But in all the tests I've done, this is clearly the only child who thinks differently; he's the only one who has a different point of view."
In the midst of these incomprehensible thoughts, the instructors' words were etched in my memory.
I thought, in the future, I may be able to get some hints from this conversation.
When I grew up, I could just open the drawers to my memories.
"...The way he's looking at me is creepy. I wonder if he even understands what we're talking about."
"No way... He's two years old. There's no way he understands more than the bare minimum of what we're saying."
"That's true, but..."
Katsuragi: ... Back then, he didn't understand their conversation yet, but he was able to memorize it verbatim, and using the knowledge gained in the future, he reproduced and learned its meaning.
Shibata: Maybe Hashimoto was right and Ayanokouji is really some kind of supercomputer?
Minamikata: Don't be stupid, Shibata-kun!
Ichinose: Ayanokouji-kun, you're amazing!
Ayanokōji: That's not entirely true, Ichinose, everyone is special in some way. For example, I will never be able to be such a socially active person as you in my life. You also have many good qualities: kindness, caring, empathy. And even your appearance - you are one of the most beautiful girls I have ever seen.
Ichinose: A-Ayanokouji-kun, you're embarrassing me, Ichinose, red as a tomato, said.
A buzzer sounded, announcing the end of the test.
The adults looked at each other, ordered the children to stand by, and walked out.
Given this familiar scenery, the kids saw them off without any of them crying.
Any fear that we'd be left alone has long since disappeared.
There was no help for us.
This was something we learned in our bones at the age of two.
Amikura: No help. They have completely lost hope of salvation ...
Kanzaki: It reminded me of a phrase from Dante's The Divine Comedy - "Abandon hope, ye who enter here", which was written on the gate of one of the Auschwitz concentration camps in Nazi Germany during the Second World War.
Hashimoto: It's a creepy comparison, but it accurately describes the current situation for children.
Kushida: Ayanokouji-kun, but after all, you're in this school right now, right? How did you manage to get out of there? - Kushida, silently observing everything until now, asked everyone's question.
Ayanokouji: I'm sure it will be shown in the video, it would be wrong to talk about it now.
Matsushita: What happened to the other children then?
Ayanokouji: That too will be answered...
There were also a few people who understood what Ayanokouji had gone through. They sincerely worried about him and set themselves the goal of helping him in the future.
Ayanokouji: "Ehh, I hope the next video doesn't show anything outrageous..."
________________________________________________________________________________
Author words:
Here is the second chapter on Volume 0.
To be honest, I've only read half of the entire volume. And that was a month ago. Since then, I have forgotten a lot. I will need to read it in full.
The next chapter from the new volume. Haven't decided what to write yet. But more likely something to do with Ichinose. Or Ichinose's conversation with Kei and Sato, or the moment in the room with Ayanochad.
I'll see how long they are and maybe do 2 chapters in a row on volume 9.
Some people have problems with notifications, so just a reminder, this is the third chapter in 3 days. If you haven't read the Ryuen chapter or the previous chapter of Volume 0, please read it.
How do you like the chapter?
See you!