After the exam, Kamio Tatsuya finished packing his things and saw Sakayanagi at the door of class C's classroom. However, her expression wasn't very good at the moment.
"Good job, Sakayanagi. Are you in such a hurry to fulfill our bet?"
Since Sakayanagi was here now, it proved she knew that class C had gotten information about the exam paper before the test.
Therefore, the fact that she came to find him herself instead of sending a message through Kamuro meant she was here to concede defeat.
Seeing Kamio Tatsuya looking down at her with a faint smile on his face, Sakayanagi immediately understood.
This guy did it on purpose, he definitely did it on purpose!
He must have been confident he would win before making the bet with her, which was why he agreed to it.
Thinking back to the situation at the time, all his actions were likely just an act.
And from the beginning, he knew she wouldn't, or rather, couldn't, bet the class's only 20 million points, which was why he settled for asking her to explain about Ayanokouji.
This feeling of being bullied made Sakayanagi almost go mad, but it also excited her.
Because she had never been bullied like this since she was born, she was frustrated, but meeting such an opponent, how could she not be excited?
In reality, Kamio Tatsuya had simply exploited a weakness in human nature.
People subconsciously suspect collaborations or bets that come to them too easily, but if they worked hard to get them, they wouldn't doubt them at all and might even try to speed up the process.
Intelligence doesn't matter much; many people who fall for phone scams are actually quite smart Akito.
Kamio Tatsuya had seized on this point, and it was easy for him to trap Sakayanagi.
This was a typical thought trap.
Kamio Tatsuya saw Sakayanagi's frustration and excitement and, for a moment, felt like running away.
Does this person have some kind of psychological disorder?
"Kamio-kun, let's talk while we walk."
Kamio Tatsuya nodded. After all, he still needed to ask Sakayanagi about Ayanokouji.
Sakayanagi let out a sigh, watching the students surpass her one by one, forming white mist in the slightly cold air.
"Sorry, I'm walking slowly."
"It's fine, I'm not in a hurry anyway," Kamio Tatsuya said calmly. "So you can take your time to think about where to start."
Sakayanagi glanced at Kamio Tatsuya, and then the two walked silently toward the dorms.
"Kamio-kun, before we get to business, let me ask you a question," Sakayanagi said after a long pause. "What do you think a genius is?"
What is a genius?
Kamio Tatsuya thought the question was a bit strange.
"A genius usually refers to someone with talent in a certain area who can make outstanding contributions in that field."
Note that Kamio Tatsuya said "can make contributions," not "has already made contributions."
For example, in the eyes of the school's sports teacher, Kamio Tatsuya, despite not having undergone any systematic training, could reach the level of a world-class athlete in sprinting.
This was a typical case of a sprinting prodigy.
"And do you think geniuses can be artificially created?"
Artificially created geniuses?
Although he didn't understand the deeper meaning of Sakayanagi's words, Kamio Tatsuya shook his head without hesitation.
"Of course not. Although I don't know if there's scientific evidence, I believe a person's potential is set when they are born.
As for artificial creation, to put it bluntly, it's about定向 (dìngxiàng) modifying humans through controlled upbringing and education.
While this can raise a person's baseline, it's hard to reach their upper limits."
Kamio Tatsuya's words made Sakayanagi nod in satisfaction.
She believed that from the moment of birth, when life is given, potential abilities are predetermined, and humans cannot do anything beyond what is inscribed in their DNA.
Someone born as an ordinary person, no matter where they go, cannot escape the realm of the ordinary.
No matter how good the living environment, if the learner themselves is not outstanding, they will not become a genius.
"Although we always disagree, we've reached a rare agreement this time."
"Does this have anything to do with Ayanokouji?"
"Of course," Sakayanagi nodded. "Ayanokouji-kun comes from an artificial genius workshop."
Artificial genius workshop?
"Elaborate."
"That was almost nine years ago," Sakayanagi said, her face showing a look of remembrance. "My father took me to visit a facility.
The facility, both outside and inside, was entirely white."
"I see, so that's why it's called the White Room?"
Kamio Tatsuya rubbed his chin. He wasn't interested in the facility itself, but in the people living inside it.
Wouldn't looking at white things for a long time strain their eyes?
"That's right, it was an experimental institution for artificially creating geniuses," Sakayanagi Arisu nodded. "Many children were sent to the White Room for education shortly after birth.
They said that as long as they followed the curriculum there, everyone would undoubtedly be educated to be outstanding."
An educational institution?
Kamio Tatsuya started to think that if children were given specific education from a young age, perhaps it could indeed mass-produce talent.
Yes, talent, not genius.
"That institution would educate a large number of children together and then eliminate those who couldn't keep up. Children who couldn't complete the corresponding tasks would be eliminated, and sometimes, an entire batch would be wiped out."
"Wait a minute..." Kamio Tatsuya interrupted Sakayanagi. "You just said the White Room is an artificial genius workshop, right?"
"That's right."
Kamio Tatsuya found it incredibly funny.
"A place that eliminates participants, can it still be called an artificial genius workshop? I think 'genius screening workshop' would be more fitting."
In Kamio Tatsuya's opinion, if it truly claimed to be an artificial genius workshop, it should be helping the lagging children complete their tasks and improve their performance, not eliminating them.
Even if the students in the same batch had varying levels of ability, as long as the weakest could reach the minimum standard for being considered talented, the experiment could be considered a success.
But what was this elimination system?
Wasn't it just selecting excellent children who could continuously complete increasingly difficult tasks?
Artificial genius workshop?
What a joke!
Sakayanagi reached this point, and Kamio Tatsuya could basically understand that Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was likely one of the ones left until the end from that batch.
And he wasn't stumped by the increasingly difficult tasks; instead, he kept breaking through the challenges.
"Just as you imagined, Ayanokouji was a student in the fourth batch of this institution and the first to complete all the White Room's tasks.
Ayanokouji-kun lived in the White Room since birth until last year, when the curriculum concluded, and he was allowed to leave."
I see, no wonder I sometimes found Ayanokouji's behavior strange.
So, he had an immense amount of knowledge that ordinary people couldn't reach, but almost zero social experience.
"I understand about Ayanokouji, but why are you so fixated on him?"
"Because I want to prove that genius isn't determined by education, but by the moment of birth."
Sakayanagi's words left Kamio Tatsuya speechless.
"What are you talking about, you idiot? According to your theory, since Ayanokouji was able to stand out, it means he was already a genius, and defeating him means nothing.
Speaking of which, this institution itself is problematic. If it could train everyone to Ayanokouji's level, it would be one thing.
But after more than ten years, only one Ayanokouji emerged. How dare they call themselves an artificial genius workshop?
In my opinion, it's at best a heartless educational institution."
Exactly, this is just a supercharged version of an extreme cram school.
"Indeed. Although I think so too, some things can't be done without defeating this artificially created product, Ayanokouji."
"Then good luck."
Understanding Ayanokouji's background, apart from making Kamio Tatsuya more wary of him, didn't pique his interest.
He thought Ayanokouji had something special.
Turns out, it's just this.
"Will you help me then?"
"We'll see," Kamio Tatsuya said casually. "I can only say I won't interfere with your duel.
By the way, the White Room's tasks should be diverse, right? Can you tell me more about them?"
"I don't know much about this place, but based on speculation, the tasks should be diverse.
From what I know, besides normal academic education, there are also things like chess, piano, calligraphy, and combat."
Combat, huh...
Kamio Tatsuya curled his lips. If Ryuen were to get rough with Ayanokouji, he might actually get severely beaten.
Sigh, not only do I not feel sad, I even feel a little happy, hahahaha!
I hope he's okay at that time.
Next, Kamio Tatsuya and Sakayanagi continued to walk towards the dorms, talking about the White Room.
The more he heard, the more disgusting it felt. A place like the White Room, so inhumane, actually received a lot of support from politicians.
Tsk, if this continues, the country will be doomed sooner or later.
"By the way, I remember the school investigates students before admitting them, meaning the school knew about Ayanokouji's background?"
Kamio Tatsuya suddenly remembered this.
"That's right, but the specific results of the investigation are not disclosed. Only high-ranking school officials can know," Sakayanagi replied affirmatively.
"I asked my father about this yesterday, and he said he personally allowed Ayanokouji to enroll because he wanted to give Ayanokouji a chance to change."
A chance to change, huh. Is he sympathetic to his situation?
But can people who have undergone such an education for over ten years really change easily?
Moreover, this school and that place are actually similar; they both eliminate those who can't keep up.
The only difference is probably that this school's elimination rate isn't as terrifying.
"So my father asked me to tell you, please don't be hostile towards Ayanokouji-kun."
"I'm not hostile towards him, nor do I plan to do anything to him," Kamio Tatsuya said with a pout. "As long as he doesn't bother me first."
Hearing this, Sakayanagi smiled and continued talking about the White Room.
The next day, Kamio Tatsuya went to school as usual, but as soon as he left his room, he ran into Ayanokouji Kiyotaka on the same floor.
This guy...
Is he deliberately blocking me?
"Good morning, Kamio."
Looking at Ayanokouji's deadpan expression, Kamio Tatsuya remembered that this guy seemed to have never smiled, whether a genuine smile or a fake one.
Moreover, all indications suggested that Ayanokouji genuinely lacked some human emotions.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look at Ayanokouji with a tinge of pity.
"Oh, good morning."
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Ayanokouji asked, sounding confused. "I shouldn't have done anything that warrants sympathy, right?"
Oh dear, this scoundrel is really sharp. I need to find an excuse to get past this... Got it.
"You were the one who framed Ichinose using Ryuen's name before, right?"
After a slight pause, Ayanokouji nodded.
Since Kamio Tatsuya dared to bring it up, he felt there was no point in denying it, so he readily admitted it.
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