3.2
It was a bit noisy when I arrived at the laboratory.
Suzukake’s and the three others’ students are about to take a comprehensive test.
“Thanks for waiting. Let's get started.”
“Yes, sir.”
Tabuchi, the only neutral one in the room, moderated the session without any personal feelings.
“We divided them into three groups in an isolated manner and had them undergo thorough education for three years.”
“Among the three researchers, the one who shows the most results will be chosen as the representative, right?”
Having given a brief explanation, Sakayanagi understood the situation.
“Yes.”
“Do you already have a prediction of the outcome?”
“No. For the past three years, I've had almost nothing to do with it. I’ve only provided the necessary support without any layman's interference. I don't even know who's actually going to showcase what they've accomplished.”
For the past three years, I’ve let everything move forward without even viewing the project’s process.
I can't say that I wouldn't have interfered if I had known about it along the way.
When I answered honestly, Sakayanagi applauded in surprise.
“It must’ve taken a lot of courage to leave it completely to the field, didn't it? Most supervisors cannot trust their subordinates to do their work, and they tend to talk over them.”
Those who spend money tend to have such evil thoughts.
“After all, I’m working with other people's money. If it had been money made from my blood and sweat, I might’ve been more critical of it. The only ones who should suffer if the money goes down the drain are the investors.”
That's why I was able to sit tight and wait for three years.
“But still. If we fail, you’re likely to lose everything. It's the same for ordinary business owners. They get a big loan from the bank and fight for the company's fortune. It’s the bank's money, but it can also be said that it is the president's personal money.”
In the sense that they’re responsible for the company, they aren’t so different from a supervisor.
“You've never changed your habit of being quick to praise others, have you?”
“It's my nature. There's always good in others, and it's my job to see it.”
I answered without hesitation that what he said was a true compliment.
This is what makes this man easy to control, what I like about him, and what I don't like about him.
Children came into the room through the magic mirror glass.
The children, each with a nameplate stating their respective researcher, took their seats quietly.
“At three years old, they're just about ready for a little conversation, right?”
It's understandable that this doesn’t ring true for Sakayanagi, who doesn’t have any children of his own.
“They begin to show signs of comprehension, intelligence, ego, and even some manual dexterity. The most obvious development, at first sight, may be the motor aspect—In general, it would display in standing on one leg, walking on tiptoe, and smoothly climbing stairs.”
“I think it's great enough to be able to do that…”
With a tense look on his face, Sakayanagi looked at the children.
“Begin!”
At his command, the children turned over their papers and picked up their pens in unison.
“This… is a test?”
No one gets up from their seats, and they’re more focused and engaged than the elementary school kids running around the neighborhood.
“What are the kids testing on?”
“It's an arithmetic test. Here it is.”
I received the paper Tabuchi brought, and Sakayanagi and I took a look at it for the first time.
The problems range from addition and subtraction to multiplication and division.
“These are the kind of problems that elementary school students should be working on, right? Amazing...”
While Sakayanagi was impressed, Tabuchi calmly replied.
“The world is a big place. There are children considered gifted who can solve more difficult problems. They’re undoubtedly genetic prodigies.”
“But the children here are not gifted…”
“Indeed, they are. They aren’t special. All of the children, who show no bias in ability, have acquired the ability to problem solve.”
The children's confusion over difficult problems isn’t unlike that of the students taking the entrance exams.
The first discomfort I felt while watching the three groups was that Ishida's and Souya's groups were so similar in their attitudes and reactions to the exam that I couldn’t tell the difference by mixing them up, while Suzukake's group didn’t move an inch.
The real-time camera tracking showed that the children's answers were not rushed, upset or distraught at all, even though some of their answers were wrong.
Regardless of whether this fact is good or bad, Ishida and the others were clearly upset.
“What kind of education created such inhuman children...?”
Souya's mutterings were those of a researcher.
“My first task was to make my children develop a mature mind. I made sure that even if they couldn’t solve a problem, they could continue calmly, objectively, and without panic. I’ve punished children who could not do so without mercy.”
Far from having the reaction of a child, they were like emotionless robots.
“Corporal punishment for 3-year-olds?”
“No, it's from when they were newborns. And I don't want you to call it corporal punishment, Souya. This is my schooling.”
Hearing those words, Sakayanagi appeared more uncomfortable than anyone else.
Suzukake’s overall percentage of correct answers was clearly higher than both Ishida and Souya's children, although it would be a big problem if it were not accompanied by results.
“The concentration of those children is close to that of adults. They’re so absorbed in their work that if you were to call out to them nearby, they might not notice you right away.”
After he had a good grasp of the academic abilities of almost all the participants, Suzukake played music in the room. The loud, out-of-place sound made the children in the room stop and start looking around.
The children Suzukake was teaching, however, did not overreact to the sound, as he boasted, and continued to focus only on solving the problems.
“How is this possible?”
Ishida was also surprised by Suzukake's education.
“Education. Children are afraid of being punished in various ways. Physical pain, mental pain, whatever you deem effective. Push them to the edge of their terror, and the fears will eventually go away. Not in the metaphorical sense, but in the real sense. We're still in the process of doing that.”
“With all due respect, that is unquestionably corporal punishment. There’s no meaning to the abilities you gain by doing this. I don't think your educational policy is the right one.”
It’s certainly not possible to say that there are no problems at all. No wonder Sakayanagi is angry.
“I have no right to interfere, but you must not approve of Suzukake-san's way of doing things.”
“I'm sorry, Sakayanagi, but I don't want an outsider's opinion. Keep your mouth shut.”
“But- even with Ishida-san’s and Souya-san’s education, you’ve achieved a great deal.”
It seems that Ishida’s and Souya's groups were growing more naturally as human beings.
But will they grow up to be geniuses in the true sense of the word?
Even if they grew up and become excellent human beings to some extent, it’s doubtful whether they could compete with naturally gifted students and become geniuses in certain fields.
On the other hand, Suzukake's education seems to have both high risks and big returns.
“I only care about results. I don't care about the process.”
“That's exactly what I'm talking about. I decided to work for you because I thought you would let me be free in the true sense of the word. You said you only care about results.”
Unlike Sakayanagi, who expressed his distaste, Ishida and Souya were very smart.
They didn’t say that they had no feelings for the children, but their faces as researchers were more substantial than their feelings for them.
They were gazing at the children Suzukake had created with a twinkle in their eyes.
After the academic testing, the next step was to check their motor development.
“The three of them have very different educational philosophies, so I told them to express the abilities they’ve acquired in their own unique way unlike in the study aspect, where I’ve standardized the testing methods.”
The children Ishida educated were dexterously using their small hands to perform crafts.
Souya's students showed movement with the bars and jungle gym.
But it was Suzukake's educated children who were the most astonishing in the physical aspect as well.
It wasn’t only their dexterity and physical agility. They were also able to develop a wide variety of skills, including playing the piano.
“This is a 3-year-old playing… unbelievable.”
Of course, it was obvious to anyone's ears that their skills were far from professional.
But even an adult with little practice couldn’t play this well.
In the end, the important thing isn’t whether you can play the piano or not.
“How many things have you taught them in just three years, Suzukake-san...?”
“My education method is far above the average person's ability to learn. If you don't have the talent to learn in a short time, you’ll be punished endlessly. The brain naturally doesn’t like it and forces the child to mature early. People with brains as small as theirs have unlimited potential.”
That's the difference within three years of this education. Not to mention when it comes to 5 years, 10 years, 15 years, and 20 years.
I wonder how much of a lead we’ll have. I myself got goosebumps when I saw these results. Overall, the group educated by Suzukake was by far the best.
Ishida and Souya were staring at Suzukake's data, forgetting to hide their frustrated faces.
“You did well. You've shown what you can do.”
“Thanks. However, I don't think there was a big difference in ability between the two of them and me. I'm rather impressed with how well you've done with a straightforward education.”
“You praise people too, Suzukake.”
“Facts are facts. And as you can see, there's one thing that my children inevitably lack.”
“Emotions, right?”
“Yes. Ishida-san and Souya-san have nurtured their children with human emotions. That’s normal. But I eliminated them thoroughly. I thought that by not allowing the ability to communicate through dialogue to flourish, I could raise the level of human potential.”
Everything that was competed against was only in regards to the brains and body.
For Suzukake, victory was already in sight from the very beginning.
“If you put me as the leader, frankly speaking, there’s a danger that the first generation will become incomparable with no personality. But I believe we can create the strongest people.”
After three years of actual research, Suzukake was clearly convinced of this point.
“Ishida and Souya, what do you think about emotions?”
“There’s no denying that the inhumanity factor will increase, but... as a researcher, I felt that I would like to see the strongest human being developed by your hands, Suzukake-shi's[9].”
Souya nodded in agreement.
With Suzukake as the leader, we’ll start working on the curriculum for the second generation.
“You’ll be in charge of the curriculum for the second generation and what kind of training policy we’ll adopt.”
“Thank you.”
Suzukake bowed deeply and shook hands with Ishida and the others.
“I'm...”
Sakayanagi turned away to leave.
“I know you don't like it. But this is also a form of education.”
Sakayanagi left the room without looking back.
From now on, perhaps quite a few children will be sacrificed to the research, but that's okay. It's a small price to pay when the end result is a perfect human being. The goal is to train 100 people and make 100 people perfect.
That is the ultimate goal of the White Room. Now is the time to see how far we can go.
(TL Note: Shi : Uncommon honorific, typically used in business settings.)[9]
In this sense, it’s encouraging to have someone like Suzukake who’s capable of fearless research. And with the support of people possessing some common sense like Ishida and others, it’s also possible to prevent runaways.
It seems that we’re past the stage where we need to talk about anything else.
It’s now my job to keep this from becoming public as much as possible. I must continue to provide them with a place for them to research without hesitation.
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