Sometimes, you hear something that changes your life forever.

I’m Akira Kumagawa, I’m six years old and I like to help people.

When I say help people, I don’t mean help someone’s grandma push a trolley into the collection bay and carry their bags to their car; I mean the type that saves people when they have nothing else to grab ahold of. I want to be the shining star in their life, curing their illness and winning everyone’s praise.

Aha, maybe my true intentions leaked a little there. I guess I really like it when people praise me—I’m a people pleaser, I suppose.

My big brother also wants to be a doctor, although his reason is different from mine. He says something about solving puzzles and whatnot; I don’t really get it. Can’t he just play on Mathletics™ or with the wooden block thing that Mom gave him? I don’t really understand him that much. He doesn’t like to talk to me.

Oh yeah, my favourite person in the whole wide world is Tia. I think her full name is Tiana which is a weird name. My therapist asked me if my parents were my favourite people but I said no. I don’t think they like me very much so they’re mean to me a lot. It doesn’t matter though, I really like playing with Tia, so as long as she’s here, I’m happy.

We went to the park yesterday. I pushed her on the swings and she was saying something like she was flying. I think she’s a little dumb sometimes but I still like her. She gave me a flower before she went home and then said that I needed to get her one next time. I’m pretty sure she just picked hers up from the ground—I guess I can do the same.

Actually, she’s the main reason I want to be a doctor. She told me that she has something in her tummy that causes her to get sick sometimes. I thought I could help since I was learning some medical stuff, but she said that even the doctors didn’t know what was wrong with her. I asked my brother if he knew what was wrong but he didn’t seem to know either.

I promised her that I’d become a doctor and find out what was wrong when I grew up.

When I said that, she smiled really brightly and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I think that means we’re boyfriend and girlfriend, right?

Anyway, that’s all I wanted to say.

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Hm? How much would I sacrifice for her?

I’m not sure what that means, but I’d definitely do a lot. I’d even give up my piggy bank that my brother bought me. I really like the piggy bank, but she’s definitely more important to me.

Er, I think that’s it, right? Are there any more questions?

Do I say goodbye or something?

Oh yeah, the date today is XX/XX/XXXX.

The Most Important Special Exam For Humanity’s Future? What does that mean?

I should have heard of it? That’s impossible, I never forget things.

‘It’s normal to forget things’?

No, maybe for you it is.

…

You were so cute back then, Akira.

It was a cold rainy night.

I found myself following the only man who still seemed to care about me. He was wearing a long, white lab coat. His strides were so long that I almost had to run just to keep up. I could feel the rain on my skin, but I’d been sitting outside for so long that I don’t think I really felt the cold.

We had only gotten off the e-train a little while ago, but now I was walking into some facility with the name—Centre for the Development of Ideal Humans.

I don’t know anything… anymore.

“Akira, this will be your new home. Make yourself comfortable.”

The man smiled at me.

All the stress suddenly left my body. It was like I was floating on a cloud, high in the sky.

There was something about his smile, it looked like Tia’s. I couldn’t explain it.

“Y-yes, sir.”

“Also, there’s no need to call me sir,” he placed his hand on my shoulder, “this place is yours to rule.”

What?

He was called over by some man in a black suit. I couldn’t really tell, water was still dripping from my hair into my eyes, but I assumed that it was someone higher up than the lab coat guy.

I slowly walked inside until another scientist made his way over to me.

“Here, follow me. I’ll show you to your room.”

We walked past the two men. I could hear part of their conversation.

“…after all those years, you only brought back a single child?”

“…I’m a risk-taker. Do you want to bet that he’ll be better than all of your lab rats?”

“…you’re as confident as always. At this rate, we won’t have enough subjects for the second generation.”

“…we can always try something different. There are only so many perfect subjects in this universe. We place the best ones in the first generation, then we figure it out from there.”

“…the first generation will be a complete slaughterhouse if…”

“…maybe… that’s for the…”

I couldn’t really hear them any more.

The scientist showed me to my room. It was completely white, with only a single bed and a small tray of water and what appeared to be nutrition bars.

“We’ll call you out later. You’ll be joining the rest of the subjects for orientation. Have something to eat and dry yourself off.”

“What is this place?”

“Just think of it as your school. That’s basically what it is.”

My school? This didn’t really look like a school. It looked like a laboratory if anything.

Still, it was a warm place to stay and there was food on the table—I guess that was all I could ask for at the moment.

“One last thing, your name here is Subject One.”