Chapter 0 - Meeting One Another

The world was inevitably unfair. That was a thought that had been stuck to his head, even way back when he was young. No, it wasn't just unfair to some people that had the worst luck ever known to humanity. It was unfair, to everyone.

But he.. He was a person who seemed to be at the worst end of life's unfair treatment.

He had suffered far more than anyone else. Everyone was having such fun, fair lives. They had friends, family, or in general, just a life to live in.

Maybe, it wouldn't be peaceful. Maybe, it'll be full of challenges. But, for this little kid, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, it was that sort of life that gave meaning to living.

That everyday life, no matter how repetitive it may be, was far more colorful than the dull life he was living in right now.

No matter where he looked, it was white. The walls were white, the people were wearing white uniforms, and the children were wearing white lab gowns. Heck, even the tables were white.

Yes- in Ayanokouji's eyes, the life he's living right now, is black and white. A dull, colorless, monotone world.

It was unfair, he thought. How could other children be given the opportunity to live such happy, colorful lives. All while he is here, trapped in this cage known as the 『 White Room 』.

Why was he, of all people, chosen to live such an ugly, horrendous life?

His life, and his suffering, had taught him so many things. The way he's living right now led to his current self. So much so, that he wished he was a different person, living a different life, just because of that.

He may be a child, but his talents far exceed the adults supervising him. Even worldwide talents have lost him lately.

It doesn't matter if it's chess, jiujitsu jitsu, muay thai, piano, violin, mathematics, english, or whatever. He can, and he will defeat them.

And yet, in exchange for that, he became.. Apathetic. No matter how much his fellow 'classmates' were beaten up to shape them properly, he remained empty.

Empty, just like the feelings in his heart, and the endless rooms painted in white.

He couldn't feel anything. He can't smile. He can't laugh. He can't cry. He can't even get angry.

He's just... There.. Without a single expression on his face.

It was inevitable. After all, the harshness of the 『 White Room 』was meant to create a genius.

And for a genius, such emotions were unnecessary.

But, that was also exactly why he had remained standing, all until the very end. Even when his fellow 'classmates' fell one by one, he remained standing, all alone. Watching apathetically as they eventually got destroyed by the harsh training regimens of the 『 White Room 』.

But, he didn't live this long for some noble cause.

No, it wasn't for his father. He hasn't even interacted with his 'father' once.

He knows what he looks like, yes. But he had never once acted as a father towards the child known as 'Kiyotaka'. Heck, he never even once looked at the direction of his own son as he suffers under these people.

It wasn't for anyone else, either. He doesn't even have friends, nor acquaintances. He remained alone, all this time.

He did it to survive. After all, the strong will always survive.

That's right- it was exactly how it was taught to him. Slowly, he's becoming the person his father had wanted him to be.

But, even so, Kiyotaka was still a child. Even if his emotions were eliminated, his young heart still yearned for companionship. For attention. For appreciation. For love..

Yes.. After all, Kiyotaka was still a young child, wasn't he? Even if he doesn't realize it, he'll want such things, no matter what.

"... I want a friend..." Kiyotaka mumbled, his voice quiet and low. He didn't even realize that such words had slipped from his mouth.

If someone had heard that, he could've been slapped, and beaten up for saying something as ridiculous as that. After all, Professor Ayanokouji's child was not deserving of such a privilege.

Realizing such a thing, Kiyotaka's brows unnoticeably moved slightly. It was barely noticeable, yes. But people with a keen eye could see the wrinkles formed by his brow.

"Hm..? You're.." Kiyotaka's eyes widened, hearing a voice that clearly belonged to a child after who knows how long.

Moving his gaze, he saw a girl, around his age. She had blonde hair, with its tips changing to a hue of blue, tied into a one-side ponytail, and eyes the color and shade of emeralds. She, just like him, wore a lab gown meant for the students of the 『 White Room 』.

For him, it had been a while since he had seen a student, much less, talk to them. It was.. Quite surprising seeing another student still alive, and well.

.

.

.

.

Ah.. How he missed the voice of a child..

..

".. What.." The girl blinked, giving Kiyotaka a curious gaze as he muttered those words. She knew he wasn't asking her due to his tone. Rather, it seemed like..

"Are you shocked?" She asked, giving a small, faint smile, as she sat beside Kiyotaka, who had been sitting on the floor since who knows when.

Yes, Kiyotaka was shocked. But, it wasn't for the reason that this girl was probably thinking.

'Did I really just.. Think that I missed human presence..?' Such thoughts invaded Kiyotaka's mind. For someone like him, such emotions were forbidden..

So why..?

".. Why are you talking to me?" Kiyotaka's question wasn't a wonder. After all, no one would talk to Kiyotaka. Why would they? Especially, when this person was the reason why this specific generation of the 『 White Room 』was hell.

"Can't I?" The girl raised a brow, before chuckling softly, seemingly finding Kiyotaka's words amusing.

Amusing..

'I want to laugh like that, too..' Once again, such a thought entered the young boy's mind. Seeing a person chuckle like that, without any worries, made him jealous.

Why can't he be like that too?

Well, seeing the girl laugh brought another thought within his mind.

'How can someone living inside these walls smile like that?' Another thought popped into his head. Slowly, he was growing more, and more envious of her.

He wanted to experience what she was experiencing..

"I'm Hironaka Kaori. You're Ayanokouji-sensei's son, right?" Kaori smiled softly, making Kiyotaka feel another pang of jealousy within.

Nonetheless, he pushed such thoughts, and.. Unknown feelings aside, wanting to focus on talking with the girl before him.

".. That's right.. I'm... Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.." He said, those words feeling foreign coming out of his mouth.

Well, why wouldn't it be? After all.. He had never introduced himself to anybody else before. So, such a thing was definitely new.

".. How.. Can you smile..." Suddenly, those words slipped from Kiyotaka's lips, earning surprise even from himself, and Kaori.

"Eh? Oh.. You mean why.." Kaori mumbled, almost rather confused, by Kiyotaka's words. Emotions were normal for people.

But..

Kaori stared at Kiyotaka. As a fellow classmate, she knew better than anyone that Kiyotaka wasn't the person to feel emotions.

After all, it was..

"-It was unnecessary, was it? That's how we were taught, after all." She smiled, making Kiyotaka feel a bit unnerved. No, it wasn't because her smile had hidden intentions, nor anything. But.. It was because she was smiling, despite being in a hell hole, like this.

"I suppose I can do it, because it feels the closest to 『 Me 』, if that makes sense." Such words earned Kiyotaka's frown.

The 'closest' to herself? That made zero sense. Even with his computer-like mind, he cannot comprehend and understand what Kaori meant by those words.

As such, many questions popped in his head. From such simple words, thousands, perhaps, even millions, of questions formed in the young boy's mind.

But one single question stood out from among the rest.

'『 Myself 』, huh..? Who am I, really? How.. Can I even understand myself..?'

Seeing Kiyotaka's frown, a nervous look appeared on Kaori's face. Perhaps, she had said things that shouldn't be said to Kiyotaka at all.

As such, she naturally tried to avert the topic.

"Well, another reason is that I have no reason to hate such a facility. Sure, I hate Ayanokouji-sensei for making this generation such a hell. However, at some point in time, I suppose I do feel grateful because I had learnt so many things I couldn't even understand before.

At first, it was.. Terrifying, figuring out what'll happen if we don't follow and improve ourselves. But, it was exactly that threat that pushed us to improve, and be better at what we do." Kiyotaka's eyes narrowed at Kaori's answer.

Her viewpoint.. Wasn't wrong. After all, it was a matter of how you see and view things. And technically, in Kiyotaka's opinion, Kaori was right.

He wouldn't be this talented, nor gifted, if it wasn't for the 『 White Room 』. However-

"-You're suffering, aren't you? Is it even worth it to suffer this much, just for skills that the outside world will probably find outrageous?" He frowned, to which, Kaori herself mirrored.

It was yet another opinion that made sense. After all, for Kiyotaka, or just the children living im the white room, it made perfect sense that they wouldn't appreciate the life inside the 『 White Room 』.

Why would they? It was just full of suffering, and pain. People die if they fail in this facility. For a normal White Room student, it's normal that they'd wish for a life that never involved this hellish place.

And so, with that thought, Kiyotaka found Kaori's opinion ridiculous. How could she even think like that?

"I'm sure you already know this, but nothing comes easy in the world, Ayanokouji-san. The world is full of people filled with Jealousy. The moment you see someone better than you, you'd immediately strive to wish that you had those things that made them better so you'll be at the top. That's just how humans are.

I, too, am like that, Ayanokouji-san, and so are you, I'm sure. I guess you can say, I'm just greedy for more power." Kaori chuckled, earning yet another ridiculous look from Kiyotaka.

But, despite finding her answers and thoughts ridiculous, he let his guard down unconsciously, and relaxed. Then, so-

".. I'm glad.." -Such words slipped from the young boy's lips, earning Kaori's attention. She noticed that Kiyotaka was spacing out, almost as if letting such thoughts out unconsciously.

It was as if, he was in a daze.

However, to her surprise, the young boy's expression actually seemed relaxed, almost as if enjoying her presence.

"You're glad? Why..?" Kiyotaka froze at Kaori's words, not expecting to slip up like that. He was never the type to say what's on his mind. After all, he was always guarded. Well, until today.

'I.. Let my guard down..?'

'How Ą̵̘̥͉̘͖̱̥̺̿̀̈̒̂̅̀̅̈́̓̏͊͘͝️ṉ̵͓̬͈̞̥̭̥̇̓̔͋️ṉ̵͓̬͈̞̥̭̥̇̓̔͋o̶̯͎̱͐̇͋̅̃̈́͋̽̊̀̓͊̃́͋̓y̷̧̰̲͍̝̘̗̩̑̇͐̾̽̏͊͑̇̃̉͜i̵̢̢̡͚̩̞̥͕̜̻̫̩̐̈͘͜️ṉ̵͓̬͈̞̥̭̥̇̓̔͋ğ̶̡͚̺̼̱̺̘̳̘̩͚̯͔̎̅̍͋̒́̔̈́̎̂͜͜..'

".. I'm just.. Glad.. I guess.. It's been so long since someone talked to me..."

"You're lonely, huh?" Kiyotaka nodded, finding his hidden feelings slipping out before he could even control them.

And, before he had even realised it, Kaori's words had unlocked the words he couldn't feel before. It was like a dam had burst.

His heart became filled with anger, guilt, hatred, anxiousness, and more. But, it wasn't directed at anyone.

It was directed at himself.

".. Yeah. But, I guess it cannot be avoided.. I mean, it makes sense, doesn't it?

Why would they befriend someone like me? Why would they talk to me? After all, I'm the reason why the 4th generation of the『 White Room 』was such a hell hole.

It's all my fault.." Kaori frowned at hearing Kiyotaka's words. She knew he wasn't wrong. This so-called 『 Demonic 4th Generation 』was made up for him, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.

This specific generation was pushed far beyond the White Room's usual training for children. This.. Was far more extreme. All for the child of the headmaster himself.

However, the way Kiyotaka said that.. Made Kaori feel guilty. It wasn't like he chose to be born this way, did he?

"-Someone like me, who had started all of this mess, wouldn't be someone children would want to be friends with, much less, acquaintances. I understand that much,

Why wouldn't I? I know it's my fault, anyways. So what's the point in hoping that someone would come and help?

No one wants me, not even my father. He doesn't even look my way, nor does he even acknowledge me as his son. For him, I'm just his test subject.." As Kiyotaka went on and on, Kaori slowly got worried about his state.

His gaze was empty, far more than it usually was. It was almost like, he was in a daze, while being swallowed by his own self-guilt and hatred.

It was.. Off, seeing the so-called top student of the 4th generation being like this.

And so, she began to call out his name.

"Ayanokouji-san.."

"-I've always wished, and wished. But, there wouldn't be any point. Everyone hates me. But, I didn't choose to be born this way, did I..? Just what did I do to deserve such treatment-" And so, Kaori's words got ignored.

Somehow, she knew it would happen. Despite that, Kaori called out for his name once more.

"Hey, Ayanokouji-san.."

"-But then again, why does it matter.. I must've done something-"

"Ayanokouji-san."

"-And so, I was given this kind of life. Who knows, honestly. If that's the case, then-" Slowly, Kaori grew frustrated.

She knew he wasn't deliberately ignoring her. It was that, Kiyotaka's drowning so much from these foreign emotions, that he couldn't hear her voice.

So, with a sigh, Kaori gently flicked Kiyotaka's forehead. It wasn't that strong, because Kiyotaka had high pain tolerance. But, it was strong enough that he was brought out of his daze.

"Eh-"

"Are you back, Ayanokouji-san?" Kaori smiled sheepishly, earning a glance from Kiyotaka, who couldn't believe what he had just done.

'What.. Was that.. Just now, I felt.. So much things.. Are these, emotions..?'

"Ayanokouji-san. As much as I understand your predicament, please do not put yourself down like that.

You never chose to be born this way, did you? You never chose to hurt the children around you. After all, they had nothing to do with you.

Don't shoulder your father's sins, hm? You're your own person, Ayanokouji-san." Suddenly, something warm trickled down Kiyotaka's cheek. And, before he had even realized it..

'I.. I'm crying..?'

'Why..?'

'Oh.. That's right..'

'Those words.., I've been wanting to hear those for a long time..' Kiyotaka thought to himself, causing more tears to stream down from his eyes, almost like a waterfall.

One by one, emotions began bursting from his heart. Emotions that felt extremely foreign to him.

Kaori noticed, and smiled. She stood up, and turned her head to Kiyotaka with a small smirk.

"Say, why not try to start now? Start figuring out who you are.

You've always been your father's puppet, haven't you? So, isn't this your chance now to get to know yourself better?

I'll help you, so, it's fine.

I want you to feel more.

More of what other people can feel.

So, will you take my hand, Ayano- no, Kiyotaka-san?" She said with a small smile, reaching out her hand towards Kiyotaka, who was being bombarded by his thoughts.

'Is it okay for me to tale her hand?'

'Is it okay for me to act like myself?'

'What if my father notices?'

'What if I also get punished?'

'.. But.. I..' Kiyotala paused, Kaori's smile flashing on his mind. It was right then, and there, that he had decided.

Although it was hesitant, and slow, Kiyotaka's hand slowly gripped Kaori's tightly, clinging unto hope after who knows how long.

For once, Kiyotaka finally felt something.. And he wasn't going to let that opportunity go. Not anymore.

I̸̡̛̳͌̉͋͐͒̍'l̷̢̨̨̫̼͙̞͉̗͉̖̲̖̞̿̉l̷̢̨̨̫̼͙̞͉̗͉̖̲̖̞̿̉ u̴̢̠͎̲̗̮̤̥̪̖̦͈͕͛̈́̀̒̒̄̚͠️ş̵̛̳̍̃̏͆̏̂̎͌͘͝͝͝͝ẹ̷͓̺̰̽̍͛̉̐̔͋̓̚͜ y̷̧̰̲͍̝̘̗̩̑̇͐̾̽̏͊͑̇̃̉͜o̶̯͎̱͐̇͋̅̃̈́͋̽̊̀̓͊̃́͋̓u̴̢̠͎̲̗̮̤̥̪̖̦͈͕͛̈́̀̒̒̄̚͠ ŵ̵̨̢̳̞̤̝̖̠̘̩̞̘̭͍̘̐́̈͑̈́̐̂̔̽̓͋̂̔ͅẹ̷͓̺̰̽̍͛̉̐̔͋̓̚͜l̷̢̨̨̫̼͙̞͉̗͉̖̲̖̞̿̉l̷̢̨̨̫̼͙̞͉̗͉̖̲̖̞̿̉,t̵̏͛̃̍́̈̚͜͝o̶̯͎̱͐̇͋̅̃̈́͋̽̊̀̓͊̃́͋̓o̶̯͎̱͐̇͋̅̃̈́͋̽̊̀̓͊̃́͋̓l̷̢̨̨̫̼͙̞͉̗͉̖̲̖̞̿̉.

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『 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚕, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚢 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔. 𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚊𝚛𝚝, 𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚊𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝙸𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜, 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖 𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢. 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞. 』