Prologue

Chains rattle around me, I can feel them chaffing my wrists and ankles. I know it's a dream, but the dread that encompasses my body causes me to shake violently. I've never been more scared than when I was in this room. The darkness here was my only sanctuary, and the light illuminated by the slightly ajar door caused me to panic.

"He" entered. My father, Hakutora Wren. I was five around this time of my life. My father approached me, setting the tray of food down. He posed a series of varying questions. The quadratic formula, calculating angles and probability. Getting even one of these wrong would forfeit my dinner and subject me to a 25-minute ice bath and isolation in the "dark room".'

'I wasn't an active participant in the memory, merely watching it play out like some kind of sick movie. A twisted fantasy that I shouldn't remember. Such a painful series of events. This specific memory had me answering the questions flawlessly, the light in my eyes long gone. The dinner wasn't even good, just some white rice and bottled water.'

'It's a wonder I even survived this kind of torment, albeit with my memories in shambles. Seeing a therapist later in life was probably the worst mistake I made in that regard. Having them return so suddenly when she dug just a tad bit too deep was jarring.'

'Well, at least this one played out uneventfully. One of the few times, to say the least.'

"Mizune?"

I awoke with a start. The name I had chosen to cover up my past was "Mizune". My body felt heavy, tired perhaps. Someone was calling my name? 'Ah, I fell asleep in class.'

I looked up at my teacher, she seemed slightly annoyed but spoke nothing more. I brushed my long unnaturally white hair out of my eyes and sat back up, focusing on the lesson. Not that I actually cared about it. Having the teacher be frustrated with me was a minor nuisance I didn't want to deal with.

The lesson was on advanced calculus, or so I assumed. It looked like it, anyway. I already knew most of our coursework. My father had made sure of that much. These people, my "classmates" were learning it now, at age 16-18. Meanwhile, I was probably seven or eight when I learned this. It was ensured, through sheer torture, that I wouldn't forget anything. Not that I actually could if I wanted to. Hyperthymesia is a cruel mistress.

My eyes wandered around the classroom. Most of the students seemed carefree. Of course, this was the school my father had intended for me to enroll in. I was groomed for it my entire life, in fact. I didn't attend because I want to. How is a person who never had any personal freedom supposed to suddenly do what they want? I had no goals, no ambitions and, reluctantly, I enrolled here.

I stared out the window, as the bell rang. Class had ended, and I didn't hear a single word. Maybe something about sine, cosine and tangent?

The teachers wouldn't intervene. This was Seishun High, an Academy for gifted students. They would give their lessons and teach you if you asked. If you didn't show any interest in learning, why should they bother trying to force you?

A girl approached me, Suzumi. She seemed somewhat fidgety. "H.Hi..Your hair is so pretty, how did you get it that color?"

I didn't turn to look at her. The view from up here was honestly quite pretty. The campus garden was out back, and I had a full view of the sprawling flowerbeds. I just spoke in a listless, uncaring tone. I don't bother to hide it anymore, it was too tiring. "It wasn't my choice."

She was obviously flustered, although I wasn't entirely sure why. "O..oh. Well, some of the girls and I are going to do karaoke, do you want to come with?"

I sighed and stood up. "No." Perhaps I should visit the library. They might have a few interesting books. I left the classroom, and I could faintly hear the girls talking and comforting Suzumi. If it was a past me, I might have gone. Nowadays, there wasn't much that could interest me.

.....

I entered the library. It was relatively small, and a mere ten-minute walk from my classroom. A nice walking distance to stretch my legs after sitting in a dull class all day.

I strolled through various sections. I've read all manner of books. Manga, mystery novels, teen romance, light novels. Recently, a lot of the ones I have been focused on lately were philosophical texts. I quickly picked one out, Laches. Written by the Greek Philosopher Plato. The librarian seemed slightly surprised at my choice, but he didn't say anything. He merely scanned the book, and I moved on.

The dorm room I was assigned had no roommate, thankfully. I sat the book down on the bed and moved towards my desk.

I opened the journal I've been keeping and looked at my cynical writings. I thumbed through the pages, pondering the events that led me here.

.....

"Seishun High is a meritocracy. Your achievements in this school will be rewarded, and those that underperform will be punished. Expulsion is normal, and class ranks fluctuate. The tests you take in the future will determine your placement. I suggest each and every one of you perform to the best of your ability."

This was the student council president speaking. Earlier, he had introduced himself as Takura Seido. According to him, the teachers would merely teach, and not interfere. The morals of this school were different from the rest of the world. Not that I cared so much, my moral compass was completely askew at this point.

Of course, this specific speech happened during the assembly yesterday, today was the first actual day of class. I didn't bomb the tests that day, but I did just arbitrarily decide on a score to get. I only answered 65% of the questions on each test and left the rest blank. For my transgressions, they placed me in class C, not that it mattered a whole lot right now.

I thumbed through the journal, feeling the blood thumbprints on each page. A shiver ran up my spine. Doing this always relaxed me. I climbed into bed and began reading Laches.