Year: 2018 – Early Spring
Ren Akihara (Age 12) – 6th Grade Graduation Day
Haruto Akihara (Age 13) – 1st Year Junior High
The sky was overcast on the morning of Ren Akihara's graduation.
No cherry blossoms fell.
No sun broke through the clouds.
But the schoolyard was filled with voices—parents, teachers, students. Laughter and tears mixed in the air, tangled with the sound of camera shutters and farewell speeches.
Ren stood at the back of the gymnasium, wearing his uniform neatly. His name had been called. He had bowed properly. Taken his certificate with perfect posture.
Everything was… expected.
Haruto waited near the gate, holding a plastic bag with Ren's favorite melon bread inside.
When their eyes met, Haruto gave a grin.
"Congrats, Ren. You're officially free now."
Ren blinked. "Free?"
Haruto nodded. "No more 'elementary school genius' talk. No more weird stares. You can just… be normal now. In junior high."
Ren smiled slightly. "Is that how it works?"
"I hope so," Haruto laughed, scratching his neck. "But… I guess you'll still be the smartest in the entire school."
Ren didn't answer.
He looked around—the parents hugging their kids, the teachers wiping their eyes, the students clinging to each other.
It felt distant.
Not because he was cold.
But because none of it belonged to him.
---
Later that evening, Ren stood alone in the park near their home. The wind was soft. Children's laughter echoed in the distance.
He sat on the swing. Slow, gentle creaks filled the air as he swayed.
> "I've completed Phase One."
He said it under his breath, without emotion.
> "Observation complete. Variables stable.
Emotion simulation… 76% success rate."
His fingers gripped the chain of the swing tighter.
> "The world still accepts me."
A pause.
> "But I still don't understand why I'm here."
And as the sun dipped below the hills, Ren Akihara smiled quietly—
A child who looked like any other.
But was never truly one of them.