Years like 1987 and 2042 are technically mathematically possible, but they are far too disconnected from the setting. A high school operating in the late eighties lacks the cultural environment shown in the series, while the mid-forties stretches into hard science fiction. That makes 1998, 2009, 2020, and 2031 the most logical candidate years.
Now comes the lore integration.
In this universe, the technology is already vastly improved. Students use modern smartphones. They utilize instantaneous digital fund transfer technology to send private points. And most importantly, do not forget the White Room education.
If we choose the year 2009, we hit a big snag. At that time, many apps and technological infrastructures were simply not available yet. Just think about the huge, high-definition digital screens that replace the chalkboards in Year 2. In 2009, a lot of that technology had not yet been manufactured for mass commercial use.
And if Ayanokouji is fifteen years old today, that implies something terrifying about the timeline. Volume 0 confirmed that there were several previous generations of test subjects before he was even born. The White Room has been operating for decades.
If the present year is 2009, Ayanokouji was born in 1994. That means the White Room was running its earlier generations in the 1980s.
In the 1980s, there is simply no technology capable of running the White Room. A facility of that magnitude requires advanced biometric tracking, massive genetic data processing, and highly sophisticated psychological evaluation networks. You cannot run the White Room on bulky desktop computers with floppy disks.
So that is why we have to cancel the year 1998 and the year 2009. They violently contradict the technological advances required by the plot.
That leaves only Year 2020 and Year 2031.
So, the year in the present day of April 1st must be between these two candidate years.
A big NO!
Choosing 2020 or 2031 creates a catastrophic, unfixable contradiction with a direct quote from the protagonist.
In Year 2, Volume 4.5, the students are relaxing on the luxury cruise ship. They are second years at this time.
If the first year is 2020, then the second-year cruise ship vacation happens in the year 2021.
Let's review the internal monologue of Ayanokouji on that cruise ship. He specifically says: "Smartphone adoption rates among teens and twenty-somethings were expected to exceed 99 percent sometime around 2020."
Those are the exact words he uses.
If we assume the year 2020 as the first year, making 2021 the second year, that creates a huge logical leap. Ayanokouji uses the phrase "...were expected to exceed 99 percent sometime around 2020."
If the year that moment he is standing on the cruise ship is 2021, it wouldn't make any sense for him to use the words "were expected to."
If the year 2020 already happened one year ago, you don't talk about it as a future expectation. You say, "Adoption rates exceeded ninety-nine percent last year."
He says this dialogue because the year 2020 has not happened yet.
That is why the year 2020 and the year 2031 are mathematically impossible. You cannot project a milestone for 2020 if you are living in the 2030s.
I let out a frustrated groan, running a hand through my hair.
Wait.
If I debunk the year 2020 and 2031 based on the quote, there is literally nothing left.
The years 2009 and 1998 were debunked because of the technology advancement contradiction. But wait. Let me review that logic carefully.
The years 2015, 2020, and 2031 are mathematically impossible within the written narrative. They break the calendar dates or the direct quotes.
But the year 2009 and 1998 were not mathematically impossible. They align perfectly with Monday, March 8th and Friday, July 16th.
The only contradiction destroying them is the timeline of technological advancement. And that timeline is a fact based purely on my previous life on Earth.
But if we assume that the timeline of technological advancement in this universe is not synchronized with the Earth in my previous life, the entire puzzle changes.
If the government in this universe developed biometric tracking, smartphones, and the White Room a decade earlier than my reality, that means year 1998 and 2009 will be totally cleared from all contradictions. A faster tech evolution is a standard trope.
I should pick one.