The Final Simulation Begins. / Chapter 82: This Child Could Be My Mother
"I was just picking up Classmate Sakayanagi, sorry I'm late."
Facing Mashima Tomonari's cold expression, Kitagawa Ryo replied with an innocent look.
"... Come in."
"There's really no other way, so you don't need to stand as punishment."
After speaking to the two Mashima Tomonari then earnestly addressed all the students in Class D:
"In life and in studies, we need to take care of our classmates. Small acts of kindness like this are commendable, and Beichuan has done a great job in this regard."
Having gotten away with it, Kitagawa Ryo returned to his seat and accepted the teacher's praise without any pride. After Mashima Tomonari finished speaking, he picked up the chalk again and started teaching. Kitagawa Ryo yawned, propping his head up with his hand.
The soft sound of chalk scraping across the blackboard and the tip touching the pages filled the air. While Mashima Tomonari turned his back, Kitagawa Ryo made a playful face at Sakayanagi Arisu turned around with an unfriendly expression.
Sakayanagi Arisu, not to be outdone, mouthed a reply:
"Fraud."
I am feeling unwell and need to take one day off.
The author isn't feeling well today and has been sleeping since 8 PM, so there probably won't be any updates tonight. (Posted on behalf of a friend)
One hundred words, one hundred words, one hundred words, one hundred words, one hundred words, one hundred words, one hundred words, one hundred words, one hundred words, one hundred words, one hundred words, one hundred words, one hundred words, one hundred words, one hundred words, one hundred words, one hundred words, one hundred words, one hundred words.
Chapter 81: The Final Simulation, Opening Ceremony.
Almost a week has passed since the last simulation ended.
Kitagawa Ryo lay on the bed and closed his eyes. The leisurely campus life of the past few days had allowed him to recover from the negative effects of the last simulation, and the time was ripe to start the second simulation.
"Meow."
Hotaru, with cat-like steps, climbed from Kitagawa Ryo's abdomen all the way to his chest, as if sensing something.
Wish me luck, Hotaru.
Kitagawa Ryo reached out and hugged Hotaru, curling up slightly to lie on his side.
Immediately afterwards, his consciousness completely sank into the simulator in his mind.
[Life Restart Simulator]
[Each time you participate in a life simulation, five talents will be randomly selected. Talent levels are divided into five tiers: white, green, blue, purple, and gold. After each simulation, players can choose one talent to solidify and retain for the next simulation.]
[Chapter: Arisu Sakayanagi's Spring Wish]
[The second simulation of this chapter will follow.]
[Randomly selecting talents]
[Heavenly Jealousy (Gold): Your body is extremely weak and you will most likely not live past thirty, but in exchange, your intelligence level will increase dramatically.]
I didn't expect to draw this talent again.
However, this time Kitagawa Ryo showed no sign of worry. He had two items in his inventory that could resolve the hidden dangers of this talent: a one-time special Talent Refresh Card (illness) and a permanent item, "Sakayanagi Arisu's Wish," both of which had the ability to eliminate the negative effects of the talent.
In other words, this time we can get a huge boost to intelligence for free.
However, Kitagawa Ryo's good mood only lasted for a moment. As the second talent he was selected slowly emerged, Kitagawa Ryo unconsciously frowned.
If that's the case, then the entire strategy for completing this simulation will have to be completely changed.
It's just a pity that the achievement rewards from my last simulation didn't include a normal Talent Refresh Card.
However, putting aside the idea of simulating a game, Kitagawa Ryo was indeed intrigued by this talent he was seeing for the first time.
[White Room: You will become a member of the White Room, and the system will provide you with training within the White Room. (Important to the plot, no level requirement.)]
He had previously participated in simulations involving the White Room, but at that time he could only learn about this stunning yet incredibly important institution through brief textual descriptions.
[Player has been detected to have drawn the special talent "White Room". Some talents will be disabled.]
Kitagawa Ryo browsed through them and found that the banned items were indeed all talents related to basic identity settings and interpersonal relationships, such as [Unforgettable], [Heir of the Wealthy Family of a Wealthy Family], and [Kindred Spirits].
Just like the name of the White Room, any child entering this room must be completely white.
Even Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, according to Sakayanagi Arisu, was thrown into the White Room from birth.
"Interesting..."
Kitagawa Ryo casually glanced at the other talents he had drawn and chuckled softly.
He discovered a rather interesting talent, and on a whim, Kitagawa Ryo used the tool.
[Self of Horikita Suzune: Before each simulation begins, she can actively choose one talent and upgrade its level to gold.]
The talent [King of the Children (Green)] has been upgraded to the talent [Leader (Gold)].
[King of the Kids (Green): You are very popular among children and easily gain their trust. (You're always the dad when playing house!)]
[Leader (Gold): You are a natural Leader, with a significantly enhanced personal charisma. (You were the king among children, and the busiest person after starting school; you're always number one in front of others.)]
The upgraded talents were largely as expected, and Kitagawa Ryo nodded in satisfaction. After re-selecting all the talents that might be useful, and then using an item to remove the negative effect of [Heavenly Jealousy], he no longer hesitated and selected "Confirm".
[Talent selection complete]
[Simulation Start]
"Give me a dozen healthy infants, and I can guarantee that I will take one at random and train him to become any type of person I choose—doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant, or beggar, thief, without regard to his talents, inclinations, abilities, ancestral occupations, or race." —John Bruders Watson, United States psychologist and founder of behaviorism.
The man could clearly see the sentences engraved on the desk surface as soon as he sat down in that office chair and looked down. They were words he had written to motivate himself when he first came here a few years ago, but now they only brought him more frustration.
"Mr. Ayanokoji, this is the latest list of test subjects. Please take a look."
The subordinate who knocked and entered respectfully handed the documents to his desk. Ayanokoji Atsuomi nodded and then waved for him to leave. The subordinate then bowed humbly and left.
For the first twenty years of his life, Ayanokoji Atsuomi had imagined countless times what it would be like to dominate others. As an ordinary person with no background, Ayanokoji Atsuomi did not graduate from a very good university, nor did he have outstanding athletic ability. However, he still became a member of parliament at the age of thirty-one through his own efforts, joined the old political faction Naoe, and was even valued by its chief Naoe Jinnosuke.
Ayanokoji Atsuomi, soon received a secret mission:
The establishment of government-affiliated talent development programs and institutions.
Ayanokoji Atsuomi became the direct person in charge of this project and organization, and after much consideration, he named it [White Room].
But that was several years ago.
The man rubbed his temples wearily. In fact, after this seemingly wonderful plan actually began, he realized that he had seriously underestimated the difficulty of the plan.
Ayanokoji Atsuomi glanced again at the words engraved on the table. In reality, as a politician, he did not have a deep understanding of psychology. However, part of the source of the [White Room] project came from the other party's theory, which was why he had copied this quote from the book.
The White Room has now recruited five batches of test subjects. Taking into account suggestions from various parties, the first, second, and third batches selected children aged ten, seven, and five, respectively. However, the final educational results were not ideal, so the focus of the research began to shift. Some project organizers also believed that it was best to start nurturing infants from scratch. Therefore, starting from the fourth batch, the White Room's test subjects became newborn babies.
This is a process that anyone can imagine will be extremely long, to the point that even Ayanokoji Atsuomi is now somewhat regretful.
Although he knew that if the plan were to be successful, it would bring him huge political gains, anxiety was still inevitable.
"Is something troubling Ayanokoji's father?"
Ayanokoji Atsuomi was leaving his office to clear his head, encountered Sakayanagi Narimori, who greeted him. This young man, only a few years younger than him, always humbly addressed him as "teacher." Because the Sakayanagi Family had always been quite famous in the education field, Ayanokoji Atsuomi would sometimes ask for the other man's opinion on the "White Room" issue.
"Yes, the plan is progressing far too slowly right now, and I'm getting a little anxious."
"Has the teacher heard of the 'delayed gratification' experiment?"
After listening to Ayanokoji Atsuomi's troubles, Sakayanagi Narimori asked with a smile.
Ayanokoji Atsuomi shook his head, so Sakayanagi patiently explained:
"This is a famous psychology experiment conducted at Stanford University in the United States in the 1960s."
"Dozens of children were randomly selected from kindergartens and placed individually in a small room with only a table and a chair. On the table was a tray with the children's favorite treats—marshmallows, cookies, or cookie sticks. The researchers told them they could eat the marshmallows immediately, or wait until the researchers returned and receive another marshmallow as a reward."
At this point, Sakayanagi smiled kindly again, as if thinking of the children's awkwardness:
"The experiment was quite difficult for these children. Some covered their eyes or turned their backs to avoid looking at the tempting cotton candy, while others started fidgeting—kicking the table, pulling their braids, and some even hitting the cotton candy with their hands. As a result, most of the children gave up in less than three minutes."
"In the end, only about a third of the children successfully delayed their craving for the marshmallow, waiting for the researchers to return and deliver the reward."
"Subsequent follow-up studies showed that the children who resisted temptation and achieved delayed gratification generally had higher academic performance in school and a lower rate of drug use in adulthood."
After listening to Sakayanagi's words, Ayanokoji Atsuomi smiled, a rare occurrence for him. He was certain that if he were the one participating in the experiment, he could easily resist the temptation and achieve delayed gratification.
"Sakayanagi seems to know a lot about these psychology experiments?"
"Because most of the results of psychology experiments can be used for education."
Sakayanagi Narimori adjusted his glasses and said with a slight smile:
"And I'm a father now too."
Ayanokoji Atsuomi nodded. He knew that Sakayanagi's daughter was born last year, and she was the same age as his son.
Seemingly sensing that Ayanokoji Atsuomi's mood had improved, Sakayanagi Narimori hesitated before speaking:
"Actually, there are some other experiments, if the teacher would like to hear about them."
"Just tell me a few, consider it a story."
"OK."
As if he had been waiting for this sentence, Sakayanagi Narimori quickly spoke:
In the 1920s, a psychology professor at John Hopkins University conducted the following psychological experiment:
"He and his assistant brought in Albert, a baby who was only nine months old. Before the experiment began, Little Albert underwent a series of basic emotional tests: he was briefly exposed to the following items for the first time: white rats, rabbits, dogs, monkeys, masks with and without hair, cotton wool, and burning newspapers. The results showed that Little Albert did not show any fear or special reaction to these items."
"About two months later, the experiment officially began. The professor brought Albert into the laboratory and placed laboratory mice near him. At this time, Albert was not afraid of the mice. As the mice swam around him, he began to reach out and touch them. In later tests, when Albert touched the mice, the professor and his assistant would strike a suspended iron bar with a hammer behind Albert, creating a loud sound."
With a look of reluctance on his face, Sakayanagi Narimori Ayanokoji Atsuomi continued, watching Ayanokoji Atsuomi's increasingly focused expression:
"Children are naturally afraid of such a sudden, loud noise, and Little Albert quickly burst into tears, showing obvious signs of fear. After this happened several times, when the white mouse reappeared in front of Albert, even without any sound, Albert still showed extreme fear, crying as he turned his back to the white mouse and tried to leave."
"Seventeen days into the experiment, the fear spread, and Albert became uneasy when the professor brought a non-white rabbit into the room. He showed the same reaction—fear—to a furry dog, a sealskin coat, and even when the professor appeared before him wearing a Santa Claus mask with a white cotton beard."
At this point, Sakayanagi Narimori finally revealed his true intentions, staring directly into Ayanokoji Atsuomi's eyes as he said:
"This experiment has long been criticized by psychologists for being inhumane and cruel, violating academic ethics. And the person who conducted this experiment was none other than the psychologist you admire, Professor... John Bruders Watson."
With a hint of pain, Sakayanagi Narimori closed his eyes and whispered:
"Watson only distorted Albert back then, but what the teacher is doing now..."
He didn't seem inclined to continue. When the test subjects in the White Room changed from children to infants, Sakayanagi Narimori found it difficult to accept, especially after he himself had children.
It was precisely because he devoted all his love to his daughter, Sakayanagi Arisu, that he became increasingly confused and even hesitant about the future of the [White Room] project.
Sakayanagi Narimori had been thinking about this for a long time. He looked at his respected teacher with hope, yearning for the other to make some changes.
However, what he saw in the other person's eyes was not a look of reflection or contemplation.
It was an ambition that bordered on fanaticism.
Things seem to be spiraling out of control, like an unfortunate beginning in a story.
"I see."
"It was a really interesting experiment, and it gave me a lot of inspiration."
The man smiled as he flipped through the documents in his hands. Starting with the fourth generation, all the children who came here had lost their surnames and only had a simple first name for easy address. And now, lines of short text flashed before Sakayanagi Narimori's eyes.
Each row and each column represents a test subject (infant).
"Let's start now, it's not too late."
Ayanokoji Atsuomi made this declaration, his finger stopped, casually pressing down on a name.
Sakayanagi Narimori stared blankly in the direction he was looking:
[The Fifth Generation of the White Room]
[Cold]
Chapter 82: This is a child who could become my mother.
The talent [Affinity (Green)] has been obtained.
[Affinity (Green): You possess an innate Affinity that surpasses that of most people, making it easier for you to gain the trust of others. (Effective for both men and women)]
The item [Self of Ichinose Honami] has activated its effect, and the talent [Affinity (Green)] has been upgraded to [Approachable (Blue)].