Capítulo 3: Chapter 3 : The Past
After finishing the meeting with Ryuen, it was already late at night as I walked back to the dormitory along the darkened streets.
"I didn't expect you to follow me this far, Suzune."
Wait... isn't that student council president, Horikita Manabu? And the other person, the one with black hair who argued with the brown-haired guy before the entrance ceremony. I'm not sure why things turned out like this, but the atmosphere seems tense.
"Really... I'm not the same useless person I used to be when my brother knew me. I came to catch up."
Weakly, lacking confidence, Horikita's sister said. She must be talking about her brother.
"To catch up, huh. Seems like you haven't changed at all."
"I'll... I'll move up to Class A soon. Just watch!"
"Impossible."
Horikita's brother immediately dismissed her strained declaration.
"...I will definitely reach there."
"Such an disobedient little sister."
I've been observing quietly for a while, but the situation seems serious. I don't know much about these siblings, but even I can tell they're not your ordinary brother and sister.
With a cold look directed at his sister, Horikita's brother slammed her wrist against the wall.
"You have neither the strength nor the qualifications to aim higher."
Whoa, hold on. That's going too far.
With one hand grabbing his sister's wrist, Horikita's brother attempted to throw her using his free hand.
Just as I leaped forward, someone else leaped out from the opposite side. They had noticed my presence but seemed slightly surprised, yet their movement didn't falter. I couldn't tell who it was, but they helped restrain the student council president.
"You were serious about striking just now. Let her go."
"Even siblings have things they can and can't do."
This one is the brown-haired guy from the entrance ceremony.
I restrained Horikita's sister's left hand while he was attempting to strike with his right.
...But what's with this strange feeling?
I didn't notice it during the entrance ceremony.
Why does he have the same aura as me?
"Ah, Ayanokouji-kun!?"
At that moment, every cell in my body stirred.
Ayanokoji?
No way.
Why is he here?
How did he get here?
"Why are you here?"
As I pondered these questions, it seemed Ayanokoji also finally recognized my presence. His expressionless face couldn't hide his surprise. Suddenly, he directed a sharp gaze at me, filled with a suffocating sense of killing intent.
––––––Ah.
This killing intent is real.
I never expected to meet again.
White Room masterpiece, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji
......
"What are you guys?"
At that question, we snapped back to our senses and released our hold on Horikita's brother. As soon as we released him, Horikita's brother turned towards us, looked at our faces, and his expression turned slightly surprised.
"...I can't believe it's you two. Ayanokouji Kiyotaka from Class 1-D, and Hachiman Hikigaya from Class 1-C."
"...Hikigaya?"
Rather than wondering how he knew our names, Ayanokoji seemed more curious about my surname. With a suspicious glance, Ayanokoji stared at me.
"I have the privilege as student council president to view the data of incoming freshmen. If I say this, you should have some idea."
"In this year's entrance exams, there were freshmen who scored 50 and 60 in all subjects out of 100. I couldn't forget students who did something as remarkable as that."
Horikita's brother explained to answer our questions. So the student council has such privileges.
"Coincidences are scary, aren't they?"
"It's just a coincidence."
Ayanokoji and I denied it, but Horikita's brother still eyed us with suspicion.
"You two seem quite unique."
Saying that, Horikita's brother turned around to look at his sister.
"...But still, Suzune, you had friends?"
Horikita looked astonished as she observed us, but her brother's words seemed to bring her back to her senses.
"...They're not friends of mine... They're just classmates and people I don't know."
I shrugged, but Ayanokoji remained calm.
Horikita's brother sighed at his sister's words.
"You still seem to misunderstand the meaning of solitude and aloofness."
His tone was more of disappointment than surprise.
"If you want to move up to a higher class, strive for it with all your might."
With that final remark, Horikita's brother turned and walked away. We watched him leave without saying another word.
…..
After Horikita Manabu left, we bought drinks from a nearby vending machine and started drinking.
"...We were seen in a weird situation."
"Well, I guess it's good that we found out Horikita is just a normal girl... I mean, never mind."
When Ayanokoji said that, Horikita gave him a glare that silenced him.
We continued the conversation for a while.
"Isn't that kind of thinking the reason why you ended up in Class D?"
"I-I..."
I was about to say something , but Horikita turned and headed back towards the dormitory. At the same time, Ayanokoji kept staring at me, his gaze firm. I met Ayanokoji's eyes as well.
"Now then, there are a few things I want to ask."
He asked me, as usual with his impassive expression, no, while intimidating me.
"That's fine, but you'd better answer my question. A masterpiece. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka."
"It's fine, but answer my questions too. The Lost Masterpiece."
….
Ayanokoji stared at me with eyes that exuded darkness.
"Understood."
I figured if I didn't speak up, Ayanokoji wouldn't either. So, I began recounting what had happened leading up to this moment.
I, or rather, Ayanokoji and I grew up in a facility known as the White Room, designed artificially to cultivate geniuses.
I don't know how long we were there.
Even when I try to trace back my memories, all I can recall is the pure white, entirely blank room.
There, I followed a curriculum aimed at turning me into a genius.
I never questioned anything.
Because nothing else was taught to me.
Like a machine, I proceeded methodically, without a single thought, simply carrying out what was instructed.
There were many others like me.
But very few could handle the tasks as impassively and routinely as I did.
Ayanokoji and I, initially, though we might lose at times, ultimately always achieved victory. That's why we survived as part of the generation known as the "Devil's Fourth Generation."
When the Fourth Generation dwindled down to just the two of us, Ayanokoji and I engaged in serious combat training only once.
The result was a draw, which is why Ayanokoji remembers it so vividly.
I don't remember what the trigger was.
I had been considering escaping from that facility.
I observed various things: the number of children here, the times when the curriculum starts and ends, the number of surveillance cameras in this facility, the number of staff members, and the facility's layout. I tried to gather all the information.
Without anyone noticing, I pretended as usual.
And then, a year before coming to this school, a perfect opportunity presented itself.
That facility declared a one-year hiatus.
I pushed aside any questions as to why.
I could assert that leaving this facility was the only option in my life.
I collected information about this facility.
It was easy to head towards the exit amidst the chaos within the facility. I had the facility's layout memorized.
And I came out to what is called the outside.
I don't know where this is.
Countless trees were growing, making it seem like I was in the mountains.
I didn't bother to look at the scenery or feel impressed.
I just ran.
Not knowing where I was heading.
Just wanting to go far away.
I don't know how long I had been running.
And then, when I was tired and about to collapse from running,
I met someone.
"That person was Sakayanagi. He's the director here."
When I finished telling this much, Ayanokoji showed a bit of caution.
"Well, a lot happened, but since then, I've been under Sakayanagi's care for a year, and he enrolled me in this school where I could protect myself better. I also changed my last name to make it harder for them to find out about my existence. Roughly speaking, that's about it."
If it hadn't been for Sakayanagi being there, I would have been caught and taken back to that facility. It seems Sakayanagi was also fleeing, so I was really lucky.
"I see, I understand the story now. It seems I can trust you after all."
Lies. Well, I don't trust this guy either, so it's mutual.
"Well then, it's your turn. Why are you here?"
From there, Ayanokoji began to talk about his own past.
What Ayanokoji was saying was the same as what I had heard from Sakayanagi a little while ago.
The attack a year ago was done by someone who didn't like Ayanokoji's father. Because I ran away, I was called the best masterpiece lost in the White Room. The White Room was on hiatus for a year due to the attack. A person named Matsuo enrolled Ayanokoji in this school. These were exactly the same as what I had heard.
... But there are two things that don't quite add up.
Why didn't Sakayanagi tell me that Ayanokoji would be enrolling in this high school?
Well, I can ask Sakayanagi about this later...
"Is it true? I have a younger brother?"
"Yeah, I heard it from Matsuo. His name is Takuya Yagami, and apparently he's considered highly."
This is new information to me. Sakayanagi probably didn't know about this either, so he didn't hide it.
"... Huh, never thought we'd meet in a place like this."
"Yeah, no kidding."
A sigh escaped us both at this truly unexpected reunion. Ayanokoji seemed to be thinking the same thing, responding with a slightly bewildered expression.
"I thought there wouldn't be anyone worth dealing with at this school, but it seems I was wrong when you showed up."
"That's my line. Well, it's late today, so I'm heading back first."
Saying that, I turned my back on Ayanokoji and started walking away.
But...
"Oh, right, there's something I want to ask you."
With an appalling amount of intimidation directed at me, Ayanokoji's expression remained unchanged, but his voice seemed somehow uplifted.
"... There's something I want to ask you too."
I turned around, meeting Ayanokoji's gaze while exerting the maximum intimidation I could muster.
The air distorted around us. Under the moonlight, we shared the same thoughts.
"Can I bury you?"
Our words didn't reach anyone else, and as if in response to our words, the moon hid itself.
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Regarding today's topic, I'm sure there are many questions you have about Hachiman's past. Particularly about the relationship between Sakayanagi Arisu and Hachiman, as well as the meaning of Hachiman's existence , I think there are things that you're curious about. I plan to discuss these matters when I have the chance to connect with Sakayanagi Arisu and her father.
Also, I'd like to explore the emotions Ayanokoji felt when he tied with Hachiman, and the meaning behind his final words.
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ShirooYuki
ShirooYuki Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
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