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...
You who are reading this.
Yes, you, the one behind the screen.
There are two questions I'd like to ask you.
First of all, what are your thoughts on Perfection? And, have you ever sought to reach it?
From what I know, the process of evolution not only indicates that "Perfection" is a concept that humans tend to chase, but that they will never be able to reach it.
Though, I find the very thought of a human seeking to attain perfection to be rather stupid.
Not because of the thought itself, but due to the word's meaning.
Perfection refers to a static state.
An end point where improvement ceases to exist.
But life is dynamic.
Humans are ever-changing. And so too should be our understanding of perfection.
Unfortunately, people choose to bind themselves to its societal definitions and perceived standards; be it in appearance, achievements, lifestyle, or interpersonal relationships.
These archetypes, however, are arbitrary.
Perfection, in the human sense, shouldn't be about achieving a flawless state, rather, it should be the continuous pursuit of excellence and the constant drive to refine and better oneself throughout that journey.
This world is full of variables and as such, true perfection would mean adapting and responding flawlessly to every possible scenario there is.
And although it is impossible, it is this impossibility which makes the pursuit that much more enticing to those of this world.
Multiple studies have shown that those who claimed to have achieved any state of perfection were either deluding themselves, presenting a facade to mask their insecurities or simply feeding into their insatiable egos.
I, for one, have never sought perfection....Perhaps it would be more accurate to say I have no need to.
Afterall, everyone should understand that perfection is a goal that drives progress, not an achievement to be flaunted.
Humans are flawed.
And flawed beings are forever incapable of cultivating flawlessness.
Therefore, it wouldn't be wrong to say that reaching true perfection was nothing but a fool's fantasy.
An ever receding endpoint that crowned no winner.
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The vehicle's pleasant hum caressed my ears as the cool air conditioning smoothed over my exposed pale skin.
Slowly, my amber gaze diverted from the endlessly expansive azure waters and subtly shifted towards the students that were quietly situated in their seats on either side of the moving bus.
They were all clad in red blazers; with the males wearing grassy green pants. The females wore white skirts and black socks that elegantly stretched up to their lower thighs.
Like myself, they were all headed to the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing Highschool (ANHS) situated off the coast of Japan.
It's known for its 100% college entry and employment rate, figures never yet seen by any other institution-which is to be expected.
This school was created by the Japanese Government for the sole purpose of developing the younger generation into future leaders who would then go on to support the country. For this reason, outside contact was strictly prohibited so that the students would be able to focus only on developing their skills.
To some, it was the ideal place to hide away from the prying eyes of society but for others it was the cannon that would catapult them to success or even allow them to test their acquired abilities.
The bus gradually slowed to a halt and all the students made their way off the metal carrier, with me being one of the last individuals to disembark.
Stepping off the bus, I stood in place as the sun's glare dug into my bespectacled orbs, eliciting a faint squint as I adjusted to the light.
I felt my center of gravity shift slightly, ergo my head tilted downwards to meet the eyes of a short, lavender haired girl who had stumbled into my side.
Looking up at me, she smiled, maintaining her gaze whilst lowering into a partial curtsey, "My apologies."
I nodded, watching as she glanced to the side briefly before she ambled her way into the school grounds with her black cane in hand.
Seeing as this was a school centered on creating elites, the natural assumption would be that they'd only admit the best of the best from each school excluding those with physical defects and attempt to hone their capabilities. However, that doesn't seem to be the case.
If they're open to admitting the disabled, then those with low academic ability or a troubled past are also welcome. Considering my class placement, I'd most likely be seeing quite a few of them-assuming we're placed based on merit that is.
That aside, I'm sure I've seen her somewhere before.
"Hey, you."
A female voice called, drawing my gaze. She was just under average height with waist length black hair and gradient red eyes. She had a book in her hand.
Her gaze was fixated on a brown haired boy with a stoic demeanor, who seemed to be around my height.
"I noticed you staring at me in the bus earlier, why was that?"
"Well...um..."
Adjusting my glasses with a thumb thrust, I strode through the gate with my duffle bag slung over my shoulder. Seeing as her call wasn't directed at me, I had no reason to remain.
I made my way across the expansive compound, taking note of the various locations I'd be inclined to visit in the future while on my way towards the school's auditorium.
Due to the school's size, a lot of signs and road maps had been placed along certain routes so that we wouldn't be lost on our way to our destination.
Most of the people I've seen thus far have all been heading towards the direction of the school's outdoor mall with a few of them deviating towards the dorms.
They were probably skipping the ceremony.
Approaching the auditorium, I caught sight of the short haired girl from before entering the auditorium.
Entering as well, I saw that a few people had already taken up their seats. The one that stood out the most was a tall dark skinned individual who wore heavily tinted sunglasses.
I briefly wondered as to why he wore them inside an already dimly lit room but discarded the thought as him just not wanting to take them off.
I could agree as I wore tinted glasses inside the auditorium as well.
Taking a seat, I observed silently as the entirety of the first year group gradually congregated inside the huge building and took up various spots in the room.
As soon as the crowd had settled down, a purple haired girl stepped up onto the podium and addressed us. "Hello everyone, my name is Tachibana Akane, the Secretary of the Student Council. It's a pleasure to meet you all."
"We'll begin the ceremony after a few words from our Chairman, Mr. Sakayanagi and our Student Council President, Horikita Manabu."
-.-
The entrance ceremony was disappointing.
Most of the statements were redundant and time-consuming words of encouragement and congratulations from the Student Council and School Chairman.
I had even stopped listening halfway through and zoned out due to how pointless it all was.
Walking down the corridor, my eyes shifted to the four classrooms on my right as I ambled towards my own.
Class D.
From what I saw of the individuals on the bus, I'd expected the students in my class to be similarly well behaved. However, my expectations were soon to be dashed to the way side after the poor display I had seen during the entrance ceremony.
Opening the door, I took a quick look around the room, it was half empty.
As for those present, who weren't occupied with their devices were busy making conversation with others. At the front sat a rotund boy with glasses, his head lowered while stealing quick glances at me.
He seemed nervous, if his fidgeting was anything to go by. Taking a deep breath, the chubby boy opened his mouth to speak as he looked at me.
"Greetings green haired-dono. I am-"
I stepped past him, immediately shooting down any attempt he was about to make at conversation.
Resting my bag on the desk handle, I lowered into my seat. It was the second to last window seat, on it was my full name spelled out in bold "Monty Oum".
As you could probably guess from the word order, I was not born in Japan.
I merely took up citizenship. My name comes from the old french name, Montague, which means "pointed hill".
Translated to kanji, it stands for "mountain". As for my surname, it was derived from the Buddhist symbol Om which means sacred.
So, the full meaning of my name was Sacred Mountain.
Lifting my head, the classroom door slid open as another student made his way in. He was the brown haired boy from the gate. He observed the class while slowly making his way towards the seat behind me.
A few moments later, the girl that had called out to him stepped in and took her seat next to him.
Glancing at her desk, her nameplate read, "Horikita Suzune". The student council president had the same surname.
Family perhaps?
"What an annoying coincidence." She remarked, earning a sigh and a monotone reply from the boy behind me, "The feeling's mutual."
"And you," She mouthed coldly as her crimson orbs raised to meet mine, "I'd appreciate it if you'd stop staring at me. It's quite rude."
I wanted to say I was simply observing her nameplate, but that would prolong the conversation more than I'd like. And, I really couldn't be bothered with unnecessary arguments.
"Sorry." I settled on, turning my head towards the window and staring out into the blue sky.
The bell rang precisely as the classroom door slid open, revealing a beautiful woman with long black hair tied into a ponytail. She looked to be in her mid to late twenties, if I had to guess.
"Good morning to you, students. I'm the designated homeroom - and Japanese History teacher - for Class 1D. My name is Chabashira Sae. It's a pleasure to meet you." Her cool voice permeated the room just as easily her steady gaze swept over it.
"At this school, we do not change classrooms for each grade. So you will all be stuck with me for the next three years if you can't help it."
I quirked a brow.
"Now then," She lifted the stack of papers in her hand, "These written materials contain information about this school's special rules along with what's previously been provided in the admissions guide. Take one and pass it down."
Saying that, she handed a set number to the students of the front row. The paper eventually made its way to me.
It was a copy of the documents we hadd gotten along with our acceptance letter. I had memorized it long before coming here so didn't have much of a need for it.
This high school was different than most in Japan. Students were required to live in the dormitories they were provided and outside contact was strictly prohibited; except for special cases like studying abroad. Meaning, no familial contact or anything of the sort.
The campus was more than 600,000 square metres large. It came equipped with many facilities such as karaoke lounges, shopping malls, theatres, café's, and so on.
They even had their own monetary structure that they dubbed the S system.
"Here are your ID cards. With it, you can access any of the facilities on campus, purchase goods from the store, and so on. It acts like a credit card. However, it is imperative that you pay attention to the points that you spend. At this school, anything located on the school premises is available for purchase."
Resting my elbow atop my desk, my chin nestled into my open palm.
'Anything located on the school premises is available for purchase.'
From a practical perspective, her words were no less than common sense. Afterall, only what is on the school grounds is able to be bought with points that shouldn't be useful anywhere outside campus.
However, from a theoretical standpoint her words implied that we can purchase whatever is on campus so long as we had enough points to complete the transaction.
Using that logic, I could possibly exchange points for information on other students or even the school itself.
Miss Chabashira continued her long winded monologue, drawing me out of my thoughts, "Your student cards can be used by simply swiping them through a machine scanner. The process is simple, so you shouldn't get confused. Points are automatically deposited into your account on the first of every month. You should have received 100,000 points already. Keep in mind that one point is worth one yen. No further explanation should be necessary."
To say that the classroom was loud was a severe understatement. They were akin to monkeys in a zoo.
"Haha! 100k?! This school rocks!"
"You know what I can do with that much money?"
"This is the best school ever!"
I tuned out their outburst. If each student had 100,000 points then that would equate to 192million yen a year. Accounting for all 3 years — not including the seniors, stores, equipment or maintenance costs — that sum jumps up to 576million.
Even if it is a government funded institution, money like that shouldn't be thrown about so willy nilly.
Granted, Japan's current GDP was 4.445 trillion USD — convert that by 121.05 to get 538,067,250,000,000 trillion in yen — with 3.5% of that number (18,832,353,750,000 trillion) being allotted to education related matters, not to mention sponsors, that doesn't mean that they'll throw money at us just because they are able to.
There has to be a catch.
"Shocking, I know." Our teacher smirked, "This school evaluates its students talents. Everyone here has passed the entrance examination, which itself speaks to your value and potential. The amount you've received reflects the evaluation of your worth. You can use your points without restraint."
I felt my eyes narrow a tad.
"After graduation, however, all of your points return to the school. Because it's impossible to exchange your points for cash, there's no advantage to saving them. Once points have been deposited into your account it's up to you how to spend them. Do as you like."
"In the event that you don't want to spend your points, you may transfer them to someone else. However, extorting money from your peers is not allowed. This school monitors bullying very carefully."
"Any questions?" Miss Chabashira asked. No one else was even looking her way, being too preoccupied chatting and admiring their excessive allowance money.
I looked around the classroom quietly before eventually deciding to raise my hand, "Yes, Oum-kun?"
"I prefer to be called by my given name." She nodded and I continued, "Will we be getting the same amount of points every month?" I asked.
The class paused their chatter and turned their attention to the woman at the front. A few of them chuckled at my question, finding the thought stupid.
Snorting, our teacher's gaze swept over the room, "That depends on you all." She replied simply.
How vague. Are there certain things she wasn't allowed to say to us directly?
If that's the case, then, using my earlier thesis, there's a chance I could buy the information with points. But, considering how tight lipped she is, it would cost me a hefty amount, probably.
It might even bleed into my allowance next month as well if I'm not careful.
Also, I'd be wasting money on something that was already being implied so I deemed the action unnecessary.
Waiting for a while, Miss Chabashira realized that everyone had returned to whatever they were doing prior to the question and turned to the door.
"I see. I hope that you enjoy your time here as students."
With that, she promptly left the classroom, and like a dam they all erupted into ceaseless chatter.
I don't fault them for being excited, but them causing a ruckus was hardly pleasant.
Sighing, I observed my ID card before slipping it into my pocket as the rowdy bunch mouthed off to one another.
"Everyone, can you please listen to me for a moment?" A male's voice rang out from the front of the room, drawing the class' gaze as he stood.
He stood at around 5'8 with blonde hair and brown eyes.
"Starting today, we're going to be classmates. Therefore, I think it'd be good for us to introduce ourselves and become friends as soon as possible. We still have some time until the entrance ceremony. What do you say?" He smiled.
I could tell he'd be popular with the girls from the way he presented himself.
"Agreed! Afterall, we still don't know a thing about each other, not even our names." A girl shouted.
Continuing, "My name's Hirata Yousuke. Back in junior high, lots of people called me Yousuke. Feel free to use my first name! I guess my hobby is sports in general, but I especially like soccer. I'm planning on playing soccer here, too. Nice to meet you!" The boy now known as Hirata Yousuke introduced himself.
Some of the girls blushed at his introduction, proving my previous statement correct. His looks and presentation caught their fancy, however, it couldn't irk the boys more. Especially the trio across the room. They were staring daggers into his skull.
"Well, I'd like everyone to introduce themselves, starting from the front. Is that okay?"
As he said that, a girl with brown hair clambered to her feet and took a deep breath.
"M-my name is...Inogashira Ko-Ko..."
Her voice died in her throat as she seized up, most likely feeling anxious from all the attention she'd garnered, if her pale face was any indicator.
"Do your best!"
"Don't panic! It's okay!"
Some students encouraged her like that but their words only seemed to deepen her anxiety.
After an intense silence, the girls voice broke through once more, "My name is Inogashira... Kokoro. Um, my hobby is sewing a-a-and I'm also pretty good at knitting. I-its nice to meet you all." taking a seat with a mixture of embarrassment and relief plastered across her face.
A few others introduced themselves after her.
"I'm Yamauchi Haruki. I competed in table tennis during elementary school and in junior high I was the ace player on our baseball team. I was number four. I got hurt during the inter-high championships, though, I'm undergoing rehab now. Nice to meet you." He lied.
Inter-high championships are exclusively for highschools not junior highs. It's likely he was joking, but it's also possible he was trying to impress the girls with his alleged "achievements". If it was the latter, unfortunately for him, girls tend to gravitate towards good looking and more mature individuals like Hirata.
"Well then, I'm next aren't I?" A female chirped.
She stood at an average height, with gradient red eyes and beige colored hair that cascaded her cute features. That, coupled with her well endowed figure and larger bust area, would soon make her the object of desire for all the boys outside of myself.
"My name is Kushida Kikyo. None of my friends from junior high made it to this school, so I'm alone here. I'd like to get to know all your names and faces right away and become friends as soon as possible!"
She continued. "My first goal is to become friends with everyone. So, after we're finished with introductions, I'd love for you to share your contact information with me!"
"So, after school or during vacations, I want to make all sorts of memories with lots of people. Please feel free to invite me to lots and lots of events! Anyway, I've talked for a long time, so I'll end my introduction here."
People like her are who I find most difficult to deal with. They tend to stretch conversations unnecessarily instead of just getting to the point.
"Well then, next up is..." Hirata spoke. Lazily following his gaze, my bespectacled orbs fell upon a red head that fit the description of a typical delinquent, "How about you?"
"What, are you a bunch of little kids or something? I don't need to introduce myself. People who want to do that can go ahead. Just leave me out of it."
The red head finished with a scowl.
"I can't force you to introduce yourself, of course. However, I don't think that getting along with your classmates is a bad thing. If I've made you uncomfortable, I apologize."
Hirata bowed, unintentionally causing the girls to glare at the red head.
"Isn't it fine to introduce yourself?" One of them snapped at him.
"Stop acting like a jerk and just do it."
"Yeah, yeah!"
I peered out the window, eyeing the beautifully colored leaves of the Sakura tree as noise once again overtook the classroom room.
The distasteful thing about conversations was that often times than not, it was uninvited. It creeps into your space like a rat, disrupting the quietude you've carefully cultivated.
It was as if people assumed your attention was theirs for the taking without considering whether or not you were ready or even willing to engage.
Take today, for instance. Inogashira was sitting in silence, when suddenly, she had to introduce herself to the class. At a glance anyone could immediately tell that she was shy in public settings.
And yet, they still had her stand up and speak.
Did they stop to think that perhaps she was enjoying her solitude? That she didn't want to be the center of attention? Or even that maybe, she didn't want to talk?
Luckily for them, she also wished to introduce herself, however it wasn't the same for that boy. Neither was it for me.
"Shut it! I don't care. I didn't come here to make friends." He spat, slinging his bag over his shoulder and walking out the door with some other students I assumed didn't want to introduce themselves either.
Getting up, my eyes shifted to the black haired girl, Horikita, for a brief instance. She had also gotten up with the same intention it seems. Without exchanging a word, we both made our way outside of the classroom.
Stepping into the corridor, I began my trod towards the school's convenience store to stock up on daily necessities. Coincidentally, Horikita seemed to be headed in the same direction.
We walked in silence for a few minutes before Horikita decided to speak.
"What made you leave? I thought you'd have remained for sure." I curled a brow, not expecting her to initiate a conversation.
She wasn't wrong though. I wasn't planning on leaving originally. However, I never intended to introduce myself either. All that would amount to was pointless banter.
"Introducing myself would only be a hassle." I replied.
"I agree. Mine would have likely sown discord. Thus, doing nothing seemed like the most appropriate way to avoid creating more problems."
"Sow discord?"
She nodded as we turned the corner, a ways away from the convenience store, "I have no interest in making friends. So my introduction wouldn't sit well with certain people."
"I see."
That certainly was true. Quite a few others would have spoken up and made a big deal out of it. I believe some might even pity her voluntary solidarity and persistently try to befriend her simply because they don't understand why someone would willingly isolate themselves from other people.
I reckon that Kushida Kikyō would be the most persistent of them all, seeing as her goal was to befriend the entire student body. It was lofty, but not impossible to accomplish given her exceptional physical and social traits.
"That aside," Her gaze lingered for a while longer, "I suppose you found our point total questionable seeing as you inquired whether or not our amount will remain the same coming next month."
"Is that surprising?"
She shook her head, trodding by my side with crossed arms, "Given that such a large sum had been handed to us it's natural to be suspicious. In fact, I'm more surprised at the number of people that didn't question it." Horikita's sharp eyes drew narrow in emphasis.
"I feel the same."
The door to the convenience store opened with a well timed ding and a wave of cold air rushed out of the building interior as we stepped inside.
After entering, we split off without another word and went to separate sections of the store. Strolling through the isles, I observed the items atop the store shelves. For the cheap versions, prices were as high as 1,125points for a shampoo to as low as 75points for a toothbrush.
For their more expensive counterparts, prices ranged from as low as 525points for a mechanic toothbrush to as high as 3,500points for a branded shampoo.
Reaching onto the shelf, I picked up a pair of pickled plum rice balls and packed udon. "320 yen..." I muttered to myself before placing them into a black shopping bag I'd acquired earlier.
Miss Chabashira's words were still plaguing my mind. What she'd told us was contradictory. First, she said, "It is imperative to pay attention to the points that you spend." A few minutes before saying, "You can use your points without restraint."
Following the last statement, a question arose. Why would she endorse bad spending habits? It made no sense.
Conversely, it's common sense that saving points will be beneficial.
Seeing as points mimicked real life money, it wouldn't be surprising if they were using this chance to teach us how to better manage our finances.
I've always budgeted myself from a young age so this will come easier to me than most.
Walking around for a while more, I picked out an ample amount of daily necessities before quietly making my way towards the cashier at the front of the store.
On my way there, I saw Horikita standing by an isle. Next to her was the boy who sat behind me. When I was leaving class, I'd caught a glimpse of his nameplate.
I think his name was - "Ayanokoji-kun, were you thinking of something stupid just now?"
"Er-no?"
"I felt like you were acting strangely." Ayanokoji's eyes locked with mine briefly before returning to the female next to him.
Reaching the cashier, I handed him my goods and looked around in silence. Where Horikita stood seemed to be an area where you could acquire cosmetics for free while the isle immediately to the right of that featured consumables like small noodles cups, bread and canned food that were up for grabs three times a month.
I found it interesting that they were alright with giving students an exorbitant sum of money along with free food. Even with the wealthiest of investors backing them, they're far too lenient.
If someone managed to use up all 100,000 points on the first month, they wouldn't need to worry about food seeing as the next month their point total should refill.
But the likelihood of that happening, however, was mistakenly believed to be 100% when in actuality it was lower than 15%.
For the government to repeatedly churn out that much cash within such a limited time frame, they'd have to be sure that it wasn't being wasted.
Returning to Miss Chabashira's earlier exposition, she mentioned that the school gives us points based on our value and how many points we receive monthly depends on us, so it'd be right to assume that we're evaluated on a monthly basis.
That being the case, what was the criteria for evaluation? Grades? Conduct?
The former was the most plausible, however, her saying, 'That depends on you all' implies that how the class as a whole conducted itself determined whether or not our point total for the coming month will remain the same.
A beep sounded as the cashier bagged my goods, "That'll be 8,980points."
Turning my attention back to the cashier, I swiped my card in the machine scanner, moments after, the phone provided by the school dinged; indicating the successful transaction.
The cashier smiled and handed me the bag, "Have a nice day."
Picking up my goods, I promptly left the store. Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed a red head sitting on a bench with a cup noodle in hand.
It was the same guy who interrupted the class introductions.
Opening my phone, I continued my quiet trod to the dormitory as I passed by yet another redhead. Scrolling through the device, I inspected the various applications and settings.
Due to that, I discovered the point transfer and the tracking feature that allowed for desired contacts to view my location. It might be convenient in the future.
A while later, I happened upon my account balance.
[Private Points: 91,020]
Why label it Private Points? Generalization would have been alright if it were the only currency. Calling it "private" indicates that there are other types of points, such as: Public points, Club points, Academic points, Discipline points, and/or Class Points.
Class points or Public points would encapsulate all of those suggestions so they should be the most probable.
If that really was the case, there's a chance that everything down to the placement of students and the way things were worded were also deliberate. Which would explain why our teacher only gave us vague clues.
She was testing our critical thinking skills.
That aside, my gaze slowly shifted to a blurred section of my phone on the app store.
Unlike in the others applications, this was the only feature where a section had been censored with a lock. The locked section was the news and magazine.
When I refreshed it earlier, there was no visible change.
I was sure I'd be able to access it once I fulfilled certain conditions, however I was currently unaware of what exactly those conditions were due to there being no instructions or manual installed within the device.
It intrigued me, honestly, not only because they were hiding something, but because they made it so blatantly obvious that they were.
Even though it was out there for all to see, it was effectively hidden in plain sight. Afterall, what student would waste their time scrolling through the news and magazine section to even notice?
I continued browsing through the device, inspecting everything there was to see before pocketing it and continuing my trod towards the dormitory.
There was no use pondering on a problem in which I hadn't the faintest clue as to how I should progress.
Well, that was technically a lie.
I'd already an idea that might allow me access to the feature, however, I currently lacked the means to carry it out so I decided it was best to leave the issue and address it at a later date.
It's very unlikely that I will though, given what is needed.
Arriving at the reception desk, I received my key card for room 512 and a handbook detailed with information about the dorm's rules.
I flipped through the pamphlet as I boarded the elevator. It provided information on the date and time for garbage disposal, noise level, and other things we'll need to know for our day-to-day lives.
The more I learned about this school, the more suspicious I grew. Electricity and gas usage weren't restricted at all. The most surprising of all was that they allowed co-ed dormitories.
I distinctly remembered the rules detailing that there should be no illicit sexual relations between students, however, under conditions like these, a rule like that is begging to be broken.
Though I doubt anyone would actually go so far as to risk expulsion for a bout of fleeting pleasure.
Closing my eyes, I snapped the pamphlet shut. On the surface, it seemed as if everything came easily to the students, however, at its core this was still an educational institution known worldwide for its remarkable capabilities.
So while it may seem like the school was pushing the agenda of leniency and endorsing complacent behavior, that couldn't be further from the truth.
For students to become upstanding adults capable of integrating into today's society and lead Japan into a brighter future, they were expected to know how to express restraint and refrain from commiting acts that might jeopardize their lives and, in turn, hurt the Japanese socio-financial economy.
Essentially, the school was trying to say, "You're free to to do whatever you want, however you want. Whether or not that action is beneficial is entirely up to you."
The elevator dinged as it scree'd to a halt. Its iron doors slid apart, revealing a long corridor with the boys' rooms situated to the left and those for the girls lined out on the right.
This was the 8th out of 15 floors.
It was unique in not only the fact that it accommodated both boys and girls, but also that it had 20 rooms while the other floors only had 10.
With both my school and food bags in hand, I strolled out of the metal contraption at my own leisure, its doors sliding shut as I did.
Walking for a while, I stopped before room 512. Located at the very end of the corridor. Swiping my key card, the door opened and I waltzed inside.
The room was approximately 142 sq ft, it came equipped with a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen. Unpacking my stuff, I silently pondered to myself.
Unlike most, this school, Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing Highschool (ANHS), boasted a 100% college admission and employment rate. For that reason, it is the ideal place for young minds seeking success or to get away from society to come.
Everyone had a reason for attending this institution. Some wished to become politicians, others architects, scientists or even professional athletes.
But, unlike them. My raison d'être ici was much, much simpler than that.
However, despite that fact, it was almost too difficult to achieve anywhere else in the world.