The Girl Named Arisu Sakayanagi

Even after many years, Arisu Sakayanagi still remembers that morning which made her fall in love with chess. The pure white building was like a brooch pinned to the mountainside, the trees and grass as tranquil as if they had existed for billions of years.

Through the one-way glass, Arisu Sakayanagi saw the figure that would haunt her dreams from that day forward.

A boy her own age was sitting in the room, playing chess quietly, forming a sharp contrast to the adult sitting opposite him, who was scratching his head in frustration.

That figure, whose skill surpassed all others, and the black and white pieces interweaving, left a profound shock in the heart of young Arisu Sakayanagi.

"Father, who is he?" Arisu Sakayanagi rested her hands against the glass, her chubby little face almost pressed against it, her breath fogging up the surface.

"Him..." Narimori Sakayanagi's voice carried a hint of sorrow, as if he were mourning the boy's fate. "This room was established for the 'artificial genius' project, and he is the most outstanding, as well as the only remaining, result. His name is—"

"Yuto." A man in a white lab coat spoke up for Narimori Sakayanagi. He looked a few years older than her father, with gray hair already beginning to spread at his temples.

"You've arrived, Professor Suzukake." Her father bowed his head in greeting, and Arisu Sakayanagi hurriedly greeted the man as well.

But she kept repeating the name silently to herself: Yuto, Yuto, Yuto...

During a lull in the conversation between her father and Professor Suzukake, Arisu Sakayanagi seized the rare moment of silence to ask her question: "This room was established for 'artificial geniuses,' but is it possible that those selected were simply geniuses who received a better education?"

Both her father and Professor Suzukake looked at her in surprise, but this was a question that little Arisu Sakayanagi could not wrap her head around no matter how hard she tried.

Were the people coming out of here cultivated geniuses, or were they geniuses to begin with? There was no way to verify it, was there?

The fact that only one person remained seemed to confirm her point. If it were possible to manufacture geniuses, there shouldn't just be one, should there? Doesn't the fact that there is only one person left prove that Yuto is a one-of-a-kind genius?

"It seems you have a bright daughter, Mr. Sakayanagi."

Professor Suzukake's tone was gentle as he crouched down to look her in the eye. "You are correct. At the current stage, human understanding of genetic evolution is still very limited. Even identical twins with the exact same genetic makeup will develop differences in personality and ability during division and differentiation.

What we are doing is merely exploring the limits of human education. Even if, in the end, we are only screening for true geniuses and providing them with the highest quality education, we have still fulfilled our mission."

There were many terms that eight-year-old Arisu did not yet understand, but she nodded as if she half-understood.

Then I will prove that this approach is wrong. An artificial genius will never be able to defeat a true genius. I will prove it.

If she could prove that, would she be able to rescue that boy from this meaningless experiment?

Arisu Sakayanagi turned back again, watching Yuto through the glass, as if she wanted to imprint that figure firmly into her mind.

The game had ended. Even little Arisu, who didn't understand chess, could tell that it was a one-sided victory for Yuto.

"There is no need to put pressure on yourself, Arisu." Her father seemed to feel a pang of heartache for her.

"What's wrong with that, Mr. Sakayanagi?" Professor Suzukake seemed quite pleased. "I am very much looking forward to Arisu's future."

"Father, when we get home, I want to learn chess," Arisu Sakayanagi said suddenly.

Narimori Sakayanagi froze for a moment. "Alright."

He had always been unable to resist the requests of his adorable daughter.

Starting today, I will be attending school here. Three years of confinement—it seems I will have to wait another three years to reunite with him.

Arisu Sakayanagi looked at the school gate and the bustling crowd. She tapped her cane against the ground and took a step forward, feeling somewhat bored.

Some classmates cast pitying glances at her due to her physical disability, which Arisu Sakayanagi found merely amusing.

There were also well-meaning students who wished to help her, all of whom she politely declined.

Truly, the morning mushroom knows not the end of the day, and the cicada knows not the spring and autumn. A group of mortals who cannot even control their own destinies, presuming to bestow their self-righteous pity upon a genius like me.

I hope this childish squabbling can provide me with a little amusement to pass the time in my loneliness.

After dealing with these trivial matters, spending a transparent high school life like this might not be so bad.

Arisu Sakayanagi always believed that she and Yuto would reunite somewhere, that they would be like old friends at first sight, even if they were both in their twilight years, even if they were both on the verge of death...

What is he doing right now?

As soon as she walked into the classroom, many eyes gathered on Arisu Sakayanagi. She scanned the room and saw the only empty seat.

I suppose I arrived last because of my limited mobility.

She wore a polite yet distant smile as she slowly walked to her seat.

Glancing inadvertently at the classmate beside her, Arisu Sakayanagi's brain seemed to crash instantly.

Even after eight years, she could recognize this boy who haunted her dreams at a single glance. Moreover, the nameplate on his desk clearly read [Amasawa Yuto].

How could he be here? This shouldn't be happening; this is an impossible situation. He should still be in the white room right now...

Arisu Sakayanagi's mind was like a chaotic council at this moment; one part was insisting on the impossibility, another was washed over by ecstasy, and only a small part remained calm enough to analyze the situation.

"Hello, Amasawa-kun. Long time no see."

Arisu Sakayanagi walked to her seat and greeted him in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"Hello, Sakayanagi-san."

The moment their gazes met, Arisu Sakayanagi felt her three years of high school life transform from a transparent hue into a rosy glow.

Amasawa Yuto also noticed Arisu Sakayanagi. This should be their first meeting.

Yuto's impression of her was limited to the high-status aura she projected in the first season of the anime; she hadn't really done anything, yet she naturally carried the air of a powerhouse.

She clearly had a role to play in the future plot.

Sixteen years had passed since Yuto arrived in this world. He couldn't remember many of the details, and he only had impressions from the first season.

But judging by her reaction, did she know him?

The anime hadn't mentioned anything like that. Was this more of the later plot that he hadn't seen?

Yuto was thinking about more than just that. This should have been his first time meeting Arisu Sakayanagi, yet he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

He definitely hadn't seen her in the White Room. Had he met Arisu Sakayanagi somewhere else after he left the White Room?

Questions piled up one after another.

"Hello, Yuto-kun. Long time no see."

Arisu Sakayanagi took the initiative to greet him.

"Hello, Sakayanagi-san. What do you mean by 'long time no see'?"

"Oh my, I apologize. I forgot that this is our first time meeting in person." She looked somewhat happy, moving her lips, but no sound came out.

It was lip-reading. Yuto Amasawa had never learned how to lip-read, but because Arisu Sakayanagi was speaking very slowly and he was quite familiar with the subject matter, he still understood what she was saying.

--White Room.