"Everyone, please put on your equipment in an orderly fashion."
Following the instructor's command, the children standing upright in the white room began to put on the VR headsets placed beside them.
This was a teaching method devised by the White Room, allowing the test subjects to learn about the outside world without physically interacting with it. Conducted once or twice a month, each session lasted about half a day and simulated external environments and travel experiences through VR headsets.
Once the field of vision turned pitch black, specks of light soon signaled the start of the program. As the image gradually sharpened, the instructor's voice echoed in their ears:
"Previously, we studied domestic topics centered on Japan, including basic public transportation rules. Starting today, we'll be venturing overseas. Our destination lies across the ocean—Hawaii, United States."
"The objective of this lesson is to acquire fundamental knowledge of marine ecology and biological awareness."
The VR equipment was capable of reproducing real-world landscapes with near-authentic visual quality in a 360-degree display. The batch acquired by the White Room was particularly high-end, so for most children there, aside from those who suffered from motion sickness in 3D environments, the VR classes were considered quite novel and stimulating.
However, none of them dared to treat the course as mere play. The White Room's purpose for implementing this program was to ensure that these test subjects could seamlessly adapt to the outside world when the time came.
Though it sounded like an idealistic concept, it clearly reflected the White Room's attitude: this was, at its core, still a class—a class that required testing and evaluation.
Thus, in every VR lesson, including Kitagawa Ryo, the children were required to listen to the lectures while keeping their eyes wide open to detect any unnatural elements in the environment. This was said to be a way to train their powers of observation and insight. Failure to do so typically resulted in severe physical punishment.
Under this harsh backdrop, none of them dared to lower their guard even for a moment.
Azure skies, crystal-clear seas, and snow-white waves crashing at their feet.
Within the virtual environment, they tirelessly strained their eyes, constantly on the lookout for potential virtual traps.
So with that in mind...
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"So this must be the first time you've seen the real ocean, right, Ryo?"
Kitagawa Ryo raised his hand to shield his eyes from the sun. Standing before him at the railing was Sakayanagi Arisu, looking out at the horizon as she asked her question.
Surrounding the uninhabited island was the vast, endless ocean. But with it already being winter, the two of them obviously couldn't go near the water, let alone let the waves touch their feet—they'd just catch a cold.
"Yeah."
For this version of Ryo in the simulation, it really was the first time he had seen the sea. Yet because he had technically seen it before, it didn't feel as novel as the snow from a few days prior.
The White Room's isolated education system meant that even the most common and familiar sights to children were reduced to mere abstract concepts, manipulated and modified with adjectives. Even in VR, few kids actually noticed the ocean at all.
Because people don't perceive solely through vision, and scenery isn't truly understood just by being seen.
The sound of waves rose and fell in his ears, the wind stuck slightly to his skin, and the salty moisture in the air danced at the tip of his nose. And then there was this girl approaching him now.
"So, Ryo, how does it feel seeing the sea for the first time?"
With her hands behind her back, Sakayanagi Arisu walked slowly, as if stepping on imaginary tiles.
"It looks beautiful. And this is my first time seeing the ocean in winter."
This "first time" wasn't quite the same as what Arisu had meant. Ryo exhaled, watching the thin line where sea and sky met.
"The sea in winter is quieter than in summer. Do you like that kind of quiet, Ryo?"
Following Ryo's gaze, Arisu seemed to find something she had an advantage in and spoke with a bit of childish pride:
"I've been to the beach many times before. In spring, summer, autumn, and winter."
"Then which season's ocean do you like best, Arisu?"
"Hmm."
Caught off guard by the question, Arisu hesitated:
"I never really thought about that before. Maybe it's because when I could still visit the ocean, I didn't care about the seasons. And by the time I started noticing seasons, I couldn't go to the beach anymore."
As if she were recalling something, she spoke softly:
"After I became aware of myself, I did go to the beach many times. But honestly, I can't say any of them left a very deep impression."
"Just like how people tend to beautify or distort their memories with time, maybe it was only when I was stuck in the hospital that I started to really think about the sea again."
"Maybe it was also because I started reading more books. The sea was still the sea, and a walk on the beach was still just a walk. But when you're lying in bed, you start attaching meaning to those things."
As she spoke, Arisu gestured for them to walk down to the beach. Since it was still within the safe zone, the program staff following them didn't stop them.
Upon reaching the shore, Arisu turned around and began walking backward with her hands behind her back, her small face lifting slightly as she called to Ryo:
"Ryo, look."
Turning slightly, Ryo saw the short trail they had left in the sand—two parallel lines of footprints.
Their side-by-side tracks were especially prominent on the deserted beach, stirring something inexplicably in Ryo's heart.
"Well? Doesn't it feel kind of strange?"
Noticing the change in his expression, Arisu laughed softly:
"Footprints are just traces of walking, but when two people leave them side by side, it kind of tickles you inside. That's the power of imagery."
Her silver-white hair danced in the wind, and her steps took on a light, hopping rhythm—perhaps also because she hadn't brought her cane this time.
So Ryo simply followed behind her, listening as she talked about herself, occasionally chiming in, but not too much.
"That's why, for me back then, the meaning of the ocean changed. The wish to see the beach again just naturally arose."
"Because I knew it was impossible. My father wouldn't allow it, and I didn't have the strength myself."
"When a person becomes weak enough, even the simplest nouns, verbs, and adjectives feel dangerous."
"Like now."
"Walking along the beach in winter."
She wore a light smile, her tone relaxed:
"Winter. Beach. Walk."
"... It sounds dangerous, doesn't it? For someone who was once a patient."
"So I'm very grateful to my dad, and to the doctor who came up with the treatment."
Noticing that she might have let something slip, she quickly added:
"You probably didn't know, right, Ryo? I used to have a severe congenital heart condition. If I hadn't found that USB drive a year ago, I might not be standing here now."
"USB drive?"
"Yeah, I found it while I was still in the hospital. It was our cat, Hotaru, who led me to it. Oh, right, I guess you've never seen Hotaru before."
Talking about Hotaru seemed to brighten her mood:
"Actually, the reason we even found you back then was thanks to Hotaru. I remember clearly how she immediately took a liking to you. I'd never seen her act that way with anyone else."
Hearing the name stirred a warm smile from Ryo:
"I'm sure we'll meet someday. I like cats... and animals like her."
"Mhm."
Arisu nodded and continued:
"We adopted Hotaru because she found the USB drive. Supposedly, it contained a complete pathological analysis and treatment plan for congenital heart disease. I only recovered thanks to following its contents."
"Dad thinks the USB must have belonged to Hotaru's previous owner. But we haven't found any clues so far."
"I don't know who that person is, but if we ever find them, they'll be a great benefactor to the Sakayanagi family."
Ryo nodded silently, accepting her gratitude, though he couldn't admit it was his own work. After all, that was his goal to begin with. Since it was accomplished, the identity behind it could remain buried forever.
"Ryo, do you have any interesting stories you want to share with me?"
After finishing her story, Arisu tilted her head and looked at him.
"Of course, if you don't want to talk, that's okay too."
"Hmm... How about something related to me?"
Realizing that nearly all of Ryo's life had been spent in the White Room, Arisu quickly added a caveat. But she also felt a pang of disappointment at how little real time she had spent with him. Like staring into a dry well, she feared there wasn't much to draw from.
If it had been the old Sakayanagi Arisu, perhaps it wouldn't have mattered. But this version of Arisu wanted more than the occasional glance across a hospital room. She wanted to truly know everything about Ryo—just like she wanted to know his taste in food earlier.
So this wasn't enough. It felt far too thin.
Seeing the sudden intensity in her gaze, Ryo gave a sincere nod.
"Honestly, I've been happy spending these last few days with you."
"Whether it was chatting in the hospital, playing poker, the cultural festival, or our battle later on..."
"You were the first person I met outside the White Room."
"In a way, you were the one who saved me."
Ryo didn't lie.
At that point, he had been at the edge, hanging on only for the sake of collecting data for the next simulation. Physically and mentally breaking down, with no clear way out.
He had lost his freedom.
The turning point that allowed him to fight back against the White Room and reshape his future was precisely the actions of the Sakayanagi family.
He still wasn't sure how much that shift was related to the "engagement contract" item he had used, but the fact remained: they pulled him out and gave him the means to execute his current plans.
"So I've always been thinking about how I should face you, how I should interact with you."
Not as family. Not as opponents. Not playing pretend.
He hadn't figured it out yet, especially now that he was meeting a healthy Sakayanagi Arisu for the first time.
So he hadn't really considered her in his strategy up until now.
But today, he finally began to understand.
That human relationships are awkward at the beginning, and only by fumbling through the unfamiliar can you build true connection.
"It's okay."
Ryo heard Arisu answer gently.
"Other people might be your hell: armor made of trauma, weapons forged from suspicion, mazes built from language, traps masked with smiles. And behind all that... trembling hearts longing to connect."
Her violet eyes reflected his image as she spoke softly:
"I once heard my dad apologize:
He said everyone is doing it for the first time. He, too, was a first-time father."
"At first, I didn't know how to interact with you either. I knew you were important, but I didn't know how to say it."
"So it's okay."
She reached out and held his hand, passing her warmth to him at the edge of the winter sea.
They exchanged warmth.
"After all, geniuses are supposed to learn faster."
She smirked playfully.
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"What?! Our ship became canon? 'Daily Lives of Geniuses,' the spinoff of 'The Ultimate Genius,' premieres this week!"
"Episode 1: 'Now That I Think About It, This Is the First Time We Really Met' airs Thursday at 23:00!"
Finishing her cram school homework, Matsushita Chiaki stepped out of her room for a drink of water, only to hear her mother shout in excitement.
She twitched her mouth and seriously considered getting a paternity test.
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