It was a rather cramped hospital room, especially compared to the one Sakayanagi Arisu had once stayed in. The entire space felt more like a cage. The sterile white made up the dull background—the white bed covered in white sheets, and beneath the white blanket lay a child in a white medical gown, his face just as pale as the surroundings.
"Who is this...?"
Following his daughter, Sakayanagi Narimori looked to Ayanokouji Atsuomi with some confusion. Several guesses crossed his mind, but he wanted to hear the explanation directly.
From the child's age and clothes, it was obvious he was one of the White Room students.
"He's a fifth-generation student," Atsuomi replied, though inwardly annoyed at the cat that had led them here. "He fell ill recently and is undergoing treatment."
"Let's not disturb his rest. Why don't we head to the dining hall?" he quickly tried to steer Arisu's attention away. "I'm quite curious about your match with Kiyotaka."
But Arisu didn't respond. Instead, she walked closer, following the cat's lead. She gently lifted the sleeve of the unconscious boy's left arm.
"..."
Even someone as composed as Sakayanagi Arisu instinctively took a step back.
Revealed beneath the sleeve were rows of needle marks and injection scars—numerous, crisscrossed, and jarring.
Arisu didn't immediately recognize them for what they were, but Narimori did. His gaze sharpened, and he blurted out a question, dropping all pretense of politeness:
"Councilman Ayanokouji… what is the meaning of this?"
Normally respectful, Narimori's voice now carried an edge of confrontation. He may not have considered himself a paragon of virtue, but seeing such clear signs of abuse laid bare awakened long-buried resentment towards the White Room—and guilt over the child of the Kitagawa family.
No matter how one justified it, using addictive drugs on a six- or seven-year-old was utterly unforgivable.
Caught in a lie, Atsuomi turned to his assistant with irritation.
"Didn't you say this child had a severe acute illness?"
The assistant, cornered and unable to pass the blame further, could only awkwardly take responsibility.
"The White Room has always been about cultivating talent," Atsuomi said stiffly, trying to recover. "Our mission has always been to educate every child into a genius. There may have been… early missteps."
If even the smallest rumor about illegal drug use within the White Room leaked, it wouldn't just ruin Atsuomi's ten years of work—it would end his political career, and possibly his life's work in biology.
That said, he didn't truly believe Narimori would speak out. The Sakayanagi family was deeply entangled with the White Room as well, and it would hurt both sides.
"Hotaru seems to like him," Arisu said, ignoring the heated discussion between the adults.
What surprised her was how this aloof cat, who usually ignored everyone, now appeared unusually affectionate toward the boy in the bed.
Had she not known that White Room children had never left the facility, she might've suspected he was Hotaru's former owner.
The cat gently pawed at the boy's cheek, then licked his eyelids. Yet he remained unconscious.
Narimori, watching from Arisu's side, studied the boy's face. A strange sense of familiarity came over him.
"I'm taking this child with me," he declared. "I no longer believe the White Room is capable of raising him."
Perhaps it was guilt over the Kitagawa child he had never met—or simply the influence of Ryo himself—but Narimori turned to Atsuomi and spoke with conviction.
Atsuomi's expression shifted. He hadn't expected Narimori to stumble upon Ryo like this. In hindsight, revealing the child's identity earlier might've won him favor.
"If that's your request, then the boy is yours."
He agreed after a brief pause, considering that this might be a convenient way to push the fifth-generation plan forward.
"He currently suffers from severe bacterial endocarditis."
As they left the room, Atsuomi offered the information with a sour expression.
"That's not the real problem," Narimori replied. "The bigger issue is likely his addiction and dependency on the drugs."
Thanks to Arisu's condition in the past, the Sakayanagi family knew plenty of cardiac specialists. Bacterial endocarditis wasn't a major concern.
"Let's hope the White Room doesn't let this happen again."
"As long as your daughter keeps quiet, it won't," Atsuomi shot back before turning on his heel and walking away—his earlier hospitality gone.
Narimori didn't bother responding. After making two calls, he turned to his daughter, who was still leaning near the unconscious Ryo.
"Looks like that's all for today."
"It's fine, Papa," Arisu said, poking Ryo's cheek. "I'm satisfied with today. As for that Kiyotaka guy… I'll visit him next time."
"Alright."
Narimori nodded and instructed the staff nearby. Eager to avoid conflict, they swiftly brought in a stretcher and carefully transferred Ryo along with his IV drip.
Hotaru, lying beside him on the stretcher, visibly relaxed. At least, they had managed to get Ryo out of the White Room.
Hotaru didn't know what mess his departure would leave behind, but even if she had, she would've made the same choice.
Whether it was the White Room or the Sakayanagi family—it had never mattered. To Hotaru, only Kitagawa Ryo truly mattered.
In both timelines involving Sakayanagi Arisu, the outcome had always been unkind to Ryo.
As she curled closer to him, Hotaru wrapped her tail around his right middle finger.
-------------------------------------
On the way down the mountain, Sakayanagi Arisu showed clear interest in Kitagawa Ryo, who was resting against her side. Knowing he was a White Room student, she couldn't help but want to ask him about what life inside was like.
The multitude of visible scars on his arms stuck in her mind, and just now she'd overheard something about a heart condition. It all intrigued her.
"Hey, Papa. Is he going to live with us from now on?"
Since Arisu could remember, it had always been just her and her father at home. She leaned forward and asked.
"That depends," Sakayanagi Narimori replied, his expression somewhat grave as he gripped the steering wheel. He'd already guessed why Ayanokouji Atsuomi had so readily agreed to release the boy. A quick inspection had revealed not only standard intravenous injections, but also the far more extreme use of arterial injections.
Judging by the number of puncture marks, this boy named Ryo had been subjected to drug injections for over half a year. For a six- or seven-year-old, quitting such an addictive substance... even most adults would struggle to do it.
If the drug use continued, his body would inevitably collapse.
"If he can pull through... Arisu, you might end up with a younger brother," Narimori joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"He's a fifth-generation student, after all. Age-wise, he should be younger than you."
"Oh."
Arisu nodded, somewhat unsure, and reached over to gently pat Ryo on the head.
"I hope he makes it."
"You seem to like him, Arisu."
"He just reminds me of how you must have felt seeing me, that's all."
"...Sometimes you say things far too mature for your age."
"Well, Ryo's a patient."
With that, Arisu carefully rested her head on Ryo's chest, hoping to hear his heartbeat.
Before she could hear anything, Ryo's body shifted due to her movement and leaned into her.
His head gently fell onto her back. Startled, Arisu straightened up, only for his head to slide down onto her shoulder.
It was her first time physically supporting someone else's weight. A strange feeling bloomed inside her.
She reached out to steady him, placing her right hand over his left—and was met with a shockingly cold touch.
It felt like even his heart was trembling.
She froze.
This temperature difference hit her hard. It made her realize that, having been born in the White Room, Ryo had never received the love of a parent. The scars on his body spoke volumes about the painful journey he had endured.
From that moment onward, Arisu didn't move. She simply held his hand and let him lean on her shoulder in silence.
As if trying to warm the chill away.
As if transferring the warmth she once received from her father to him.
-------------------------------------
"...Where is this?"
The glaringly bright ceiling was the first thing Ryo saw upon opening his eyes. While the White Room's ceiling had also been white, that was a dull, matte white. This was a bright, gleaming white.
For a moment, Ryo wondered if he had died, triggering the end of the simulation and returning him to reality. But then a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.
It was a voice he recognized instantly—the chairman Sakayanagi.
"Ryo... I'll call you that for now, since it's the name the White Room gave you."
"Your surgery just finished. How do you feel? Don't be afraid. You're safe now. Just tell me honestly how you feel."
The calm, composed tone was oddly reassuring.
"I feel... pretty good. No discomfort anywhere."
Though still piecing things together, Ryo genuinely did feel better. The agonizing pain in his heart was gone.
"Good... we weren't too late."
Narimori let out a breath of relief. The White Room had never intended to perform surgery—only to prolong the boy's life. Thankfully, they'd acted in time.
"Now, let me introduce myself. You can call me Sakayanagi-san. As you can see, I took you out of the White Room."
"Thank you very much."
So Arisu really did come to the White Room... and by some twist of fate, ended up taking him away. Was it because of that engagement?
As Ryo processed his thoughts, he answered obediently.
Seeing Ryo speak coherently and clearly, Narimori felt reassured. He stepped forward and placed a firm hand on Ryo's shoulder.
"But I must tell you this: you haven't truly escaped that place yet. Not until you break free of the drugs they gave you."
"Drugs?"
Ryo feigned the appropriate level of confusion for someone his age.
"Yes."
Narimori sighed and patiently explained everything the White Room had done to him. Then he gently patted Ryo's shoulder again.
"I know none of it was your fault."
"But if you want to return to a normal life, you have to break your dependence."
"I believe you can do it."
"When that day comes... I'll be your family."
He gently ruffled Ryo's hair, then after saying a few things to the nurse nearby, turned back.
"For now, just focus on resting."
Ryo nodded and obediently closed his eyes.
If he were truly aiming to clear this scenario, this was undoubtedly the optimal path. If he could successfully break his drug dependence, he'd gain full access to the main heroine—Sakayanagi Arisu.
And yet, just as things had taken a dramatic turn in his favor... sleep eluded him.
Because even without seeing it, he knew: his departure had already begun to reshape the fate of many others left behind in the White Room.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To Read Advanced Chapters, and support this novel, please join me on [email protected]/geats2000