Was I that obvious?
As I thought back on it, Karuizawa Kei came over with a serious look on her face to try and cheer me up.
It would be a rare sight, somehow.
But I had to admit, sometimes people needed someone to talk to and share their lives with.
Facing everything alone was just too hard.
After all, humans were social creatures.
I tidied the dining table a little, then flopped onto the sofa.
I'd planned to buy a television, but I'd be leaving this place in a little over ten days, so it didn't seem necessary anymore.
The manga lay quietly on the table.
I hadn't finished reading this volume yet, had I?
Sometimes I really wondered whether the stories in manga were based on real life.
A childhood friend who suddenly showed up out of nowhere, a love pentagon, picking up a girlfriend off the street, getting stabbed by a normally bratty, dishonest, jealous, slightly yandere little sister. (The author just made these up on the spot. Please don't read too much into them. Though if you do, leave a name so I can take a look.)
It wasn't impossible that they were inspired by real life, but they seemed way too embellished.
They just felt kind of far-fetched.
But that didn't make them any less entertaining!
I sat up and picked it up.
A bookmark slipped out of the book.
I had a vague idea of where I'd left off, but if the bookmark had fallen out, wouldn't I have to flip through the pages one by one to find where I'd stopped last time?
Damn, I'd suddenly lost the urge to keep reading.
I tossed the book back onto the table and bent down to pick up the bookmark and tuck it back inside, but the words on it suddenly caught my eye.
Wait! I hadn't written anything on it, had I?
"Until we meet again."
Until... we meet again?
I don't think I've introduced the place where I live yet.
I vaguely remembered that this apartment building had a fanciful name:
"Dedicated to Alice"
Maybe the old landlord had a fanciful side to him, too.
Well, the name Alice really did sound like something out of a fantasy.
Whenever I thought of this apartment building, I couldn't help recalling a few things.
On a bright spring day, I was just about to lie back on the sofa and enjoy a peaceful afternoon when a knock at the door disturbed the quiet.
A few measured, firm taps sounded against the door, then the person outside waited quietly for me to respond.
I had a feeling there might be some remarkable person on the other side.
I answered from the living room, then walked softly to the door and peered through the peephole.
A middle-aged man, wearing a polite, faint smile. His gold-rimmed glasses hid his deep-set eyes.
He was refined and scholarly, the kind of mature man you'd take an instant liking to.
The bloodshot veins in his eyes hinted that he'd lately been caught up in all sorts of troublesome affairs.
He kept staring at the peephole. Even though I knew he couldn't see inside, I still felt like he'd noticed me looking out at him.
Interesting.
"Habits buried in the subconscious aren't easy to change, but that doesn't mean they can never change."
He propped his chin on his hand and looked around the room without restraint.
"I once saw you from afar, in all your brilliance."
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Shigemori Sakayanagi. Hello."
Was that expression mocking, or was he simply smiling faintly?
There had never been any "before" for me in the outside world.
There were always places in the world that sunlight never reached.
In an instant, my mind was drenched in white.
All I wanted was...
I wanted to escape the chains binding me.
That place had unimaginable power. The fact that the facility had been able to exist for so long proved plenty on its own.
Though Ayanokouji's father had kept his promise and let me out, deep down, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was merely fodder for his efforts to cultivate Ayanokouji.
Maybe someday in the future, I'd be locked away in the White House again, reduced to a stepping stone for those who came after me.
If someone had to succeed, he'd surely want Ayanokouji to rise above everyone else through his own ability and become the person he envisioned.
No matter how powerful that place was, there were things it couldn't fight.
When faced with those who held power openly, it probably didn't have the strength to challenge them head-on.
Bring down the White House?
I had no attachment to that place.
Having no attachment didn't mean I hated it, and it didn't mean I liked it, either.
I was simply indifferent. I didn't particularly care to judge whether its existence was good or bad.
It benefited some people and harmed others.
I'd gained a lot there, and I'd lost a lot, too.
So there was no need to tally it all up.
Sorry, I don't pay much attention to things that can no longer affect me.
If it insisted on disturbing my peace, then all I could say was:
I'm sorry. You taught me too well.
As far as I knew, the most famous school in this place was Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School.
Students had a 99.99% chance of getting into their ideal university or landing their ideal job. The school had a free atmosphere and was one of the few schools to receive dedicated government funding and land. Though students lived on campus for all three years, it had plenty of facilities like a commercial center.
Karaoke rooms, movie theaters, and cafés were all rare sights on high school campuses.
But at this school, they were commonplace. You might even stumble across things there that you couldn't find anywhere else.
Maybe it was because students lived on campus? Did the school want them to have a better experience during winter, spring, and summer breaks?
I still didn't understand why the school did things this way, but what mattered to me was the power behind it.
Still, that school wasn't somewhere I could simply decide to attend.
Rumor had it that each year's students were selected while they were still in middle school.
If that was true, getting into the school now would be nearly impossible.
Once many things were decided, they were hard to change.
"You're not incapable of change. Why should I be?"
"I have to at least try to make amends for my past mistakes."
"Getting into the school you applied to is probably one of the few ways to truly escape the White House's control. I need your strength, just as you need my help."
Showing up at someone's home and talking in riddles like this was a little irritating.
It seemed there was something he needed to obtain from me, not some charity he was graciously offering.
"If you want to reach some kind of agreement or make some kind of connection, stop being so vague."
"And show me some sincerity."
(Sakayanagi Arisu)
As far as I could remember, my father had only come home a handful of times.
But whenever he did, he treated me like the most precious thing in the world.
He'd do whatever I wanted with me, or grant me some little wish.
Sometimes, he'd even surprise me out of the blue.
In short, I'd always been a spoiled child.
I might not usually act this way, but when it came to my parents, I was always happy and dependent on them.
Even when my father had work to do, he'd take care of it after spending time with me.
Anything could happen, no matter how unexpected. I'd always scoffed at that idea.
Because in my heart, no matter what happened, my father would always put me first.
After all, time with him was precious. When I was little, I got to see him fairly often, since I could visit his workplace.
But ever since he became the chairman of Advanced Nurturing High School, he'd been coming home less and less.
Even during winter and summer breaks, he'd only stay a few extra days before rushing back.
My father had only come home recently. He shouldn't have suddenly returned today.
Could it be that he'd missed me again?
I happily waved at him, about to say something.
But the shrill ring of his phone cut me off.
That annoying ringtone.
But...
It could only delay things by two or three minutes. I'd always been sure of that.
"...Did you find out what I asked you to look into on the phone?"
There was a hint of excitement in my father's voice.
"Fine, I understand. You can't approach the Supreme Masterpiece. I'll come over myself."
Hm? Had he come home today just to rush back out for someone else?
And I was apparently just someone he'd dropped by to see on the way.
The so-called Supreme Masterpiece my father mentioned piqued my interest a little.
"Arisu, Dad has to go out for a bit. I'll come back and spend time with you tonight."
I gave him a pure, cheerful smile.
After watching my father leave, I picked up the cane beside me and tapped it against the floor.
The butler hurried over, bending forward respectfully.
"Make the arrangements. I want to see where Father is going."
"Supreme Masterpiece."
It brought back some unpleasant memories.
Without thinking, I dragged my cane across the floor, making a harsh scraping sound.
My father had shown me nothing but love and indulgence.
Because for a very long time, it seemed the ceiling of ability had already been raised by another child.
The boy behind the one-way glass never tired of being praised.
From that moment on, I wanted my parents to recognize how exceptional I was, and what I could do.
But when I tried to show them, what I got didn't seem to be recognition.
They just became even more affectionate toward me.
Why did they always turn a blind eye to my abilities?
The artificial geniuses in the White House were nothing but frauds...
I was the only one suited to bury those frauds!