Chapter 34: Alter Ego
(Haruto perspective)
February 8th, 2025
I was thirteen when I first started wondering whether people could be changed.
Not forced.
Not manipulated through fear.
Changed.
I was sitting in my room, reading, when I heard the front door open.
A few seconds later, my father entered.
"I heard about the fight at school," he said. "You want to explain?"
I closed my book.
"There's something I don't understand."
He looked at me.
"Everyone is flawed. Sometimes you can look at someone and recognize that they have potential, yet they don't even realize it themselves."
My father picked up his coffee.
"That isn't necessarily our responsibility, Haruto. Sometimes you have to let people be who they are. Focus on yourself and become a better version of yourself."
I thought about that for a moment.
"What if I could do both?"
He raised an eyebrow.
"What if I could become the best version of myself while also helping other people become the best versions of themselves?"
My father sighed.
"Some people don't want to change. Besides, you don't exactly have the skill set for something like that. You're too antisocial."
I glanced at the book beside me.
"Maybe the Phantom Bishop could."
I picked it up and showed him the cover.
The Tale of the Phantom Bishop.
My father stared at it.
"What is it with your obsession with that book?"
I smiled slightly.
"In the story, the Phantom Bishop doesn't become powerful by fighting everyone himself. He influences the people around him. He pushes his companions toward becoming better versions of themselves."
My father took another sip of coffee.
"Do you know how the story ends?"
My smile disappeared.
"Yes."
"The Phantom Bishop loses his humanity."
I didn't answer.
My father continued.
"He spends so much time manipulating and influencing other people that eventually he stops seeing them as people. They're just pieces on a board."
I frowned.
"So what are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying the Phantom Bishop shouldn't be replicated in real life."
I looked down at the book.
"But people can change, can't they?"
"Yes."
He crossed his arms.
"Through repetition. Through discipline. Sometimes even by creating an alter ego."
I looked up.
"An alter ego?"
"If you understand the psychology behind the person you want to become, you can consciously behave as though you're already that person. Eventually, if you repeat it enough, the behavior becomes natural."
I stared at him.
Then something clicked.
I snapped my fingers.
"I have an idea."
My father immediately looked concerned.
"Haruto, I know long-term planning is probably your greatest skill. Frankly, you're better at it than almost anyone I've met. But whatever you're thinking about, be careful—"
I was already walking toward my room.
"Don't worry. I've got planning to do."
For the first time, I wasn't interested in simply becoming better.
I wanted to understand whether a person could deliberately reconstruct themselves.
So I experimented.
For months, I studied.
I changed my routines.
I changed how I spoke.
I changed how I approached problems.
Whenever I encountered a situation, I asked myself a simple question:
What would the person I want to become do?
At first, it felt artificial.
Then it became easier.
Eventually, I stopped having to think about it.
My grades changed too.
A's and B's became straight A's.
Nobody understood how.
That was fine.
They didn't need to.
Eventually, I applied to the National Institute for Future Leaders.
I was accepted.
---
January 14th, 2026
One month before Purge Control: Expulsion Exams.
There was a knock on my door.
When I opened it, Principal Sobu was standing there.
He wore the same smile he always seemed to wear.
"Hello, Haruto."
I looked at him carefully.
"I've come to give you a gift."
"A gift?"
"Yes."
"What kind?"
He smiled.
"Do you know what happens when you give the right flowers enough water?"
"They bloom."
"Exactly."
He pressed something on his phone.
My own phone vibrated.
I looked at the screen.
My private-point balance had changed.
3,000,000,000 private points.
I stared at the number.
Three billion.
For several seconds, I didn't say anything.
"Why?"
Sobu's smile didn't disappear.
"Who knows?"
He turned toward the hallway.
"Perhaps I simply believe you can do something interesting with it."
He paused.
"Power is only valuable when it is placed in the correct hands."
Then he walked away.
I remained standing in the doorway.
Three billion private points.
No explanation.
No conditions.
No obvious purpose.
That was the part that bothered me most.
There was always something behind Principal Sobu's actions.
I just didn't know what.
---
February 14th, 2027 — 10:00 AM
"So that's the whole story."
The room was silent.
Kei stared at me.
Shinko and Nozomi stood nearby.
Kei finally spoke.
"Why did he give you that many private points?"
I looked at him.
"I don't know."
It was the truth.
"At least, not yet."
I glanced toward the door.
"There's always something wrong with Principal Sobu."
Then I walked away.
I didn't look back.
There were some questions that were better left unanswered.
For now.