Perfect Elegance

Chapter 1 - The Masterpiece

White floors, white walls, white ceilings…

The White Room…

I stood there, my gaze fixed upon the motionless figure sprawled on the sterile white tiles. The girl, who had been standing beside me moments ago, now knelt on the floor, struggling to catch her breath. Gasping for air, she fought against an invisible force that seemed to rob her of oxygen. It was a pitiful sight, but I remained detached, devoid of any emotional response.

While I remained stoic and unaffected by the scene, the others around me reacted with a surge of panic. It was as if their collective composure had been shattered, unable to withstand yet another instance of failure.

In the midst of the hushed atmosphere, a wave of anxious murmurs rippled through the room. The air crackled with unease, as if the weight of the girl's collapse had unearthed a buried fear within each person present.

Nonetheless, the others, albeit consumed by panic, were acutely aware of the repercussions that could arise from intervening, hence they didn't bother to help

As the girl finally succumbed to her body's exhaustion and collapsed, I felt nothing. No surge of concern, no flicker of empathy. She was just another failure, another disappointment.

Her unconscious body lay before me, vulnerable and defenseless. I should have cared, but I couldn't summon even a shred of emotion. It was as if a thick veil had enveloped my heart, shielding it.

She has failed, huh?

That was to be expected.

It was no surprise.

I had seen signs of this happening.

As I was reflecting that certain moment, my memory then shifted into another period of time.

I found myself in the usual sterile room.

"Student Ayanokōji Kiyotaka, proceed to the headmaster's office immediately."

I turned my attention toward the intercom, my expression impassive. The voice reverberated through the sterile environment, its tone devoid of any emotion. The headmaster's office, a place I had visited countless times before, beckoned me once again.

Without hesitation, I began to make my way toward the assigned place. The hallways stretched before me, pristine and immaculate. The sound of my footsteps echoed against the walls, amplifying the solitude that enveloped the facility. It was a stark contrast to the chaos that often unfolded within these walls.

As I approached the office, I reached the door and raised my hand to knock, but before my knuckles could make contact, the door swung open, revealing the headmaster's study. The room was lit, the source of illumination emanating from the four cool lights stuck at the ceiling.

The headmaster, an enigmatic figure who held the reins of power within this institution, seemed to take a particular interest in my progress.

That was natural. After all, I was this place's greatest creation.

Adding further information, I was also his biological son. But I didn't deem that as a reason for his attentiveness upon me.

He was a cruel father—at least, that'd be the case in the eyes of others, but I didn't despise nor love him for a few reasons. To be precise, I simply didn't care.

If I were to somehow die in this place, he wouldn't feel a single emotion. He wouldn't care. I would merely be regarded as another failure.

The headmaster, a man with brunette hair and golden eyes, alongside an emotionless expression—same features as I had—sat behind the desk, his gaze fixed on a stack of papers before him. He motioned for me to enter, his eyes never leaving the documents.