Chapter 5

Well, it's me, Kousuke. Wow, a lot has happened since then, I'm already 15 years old. You think time flies too fast? No, I realized that such a fact makes trivial things feel even more insignificant! Rather, I've spent the past ten years gathering information since I was about five, when I could act on my own will. Listen, don't be surprised, but the current time in Japan, on Earth, the third planet in the solar system, is...

January 4, 2102, 10:59 AM.

I was born nearly 90 years in the future from the Japan where I lived before my reincarnation. That doesn't mean cars are flying or personal teleportation technology exists. There are some military power suits (the first time I saw them on TV, I got so excited and kept asking my mom, "Are these robots? Are these robots?") and some barely portable laser weapons.

But, did civilization really change so much in just 90 years? In my time, by 2010, the progress of civilization had largely stagnated. There was even a scholar who officially announced that it would continue to decline gradually. I must have been about three years old when I had such doubts. I secretly searched for history books when my mom took me to the library to choose picture books. She seemed to notice halfway through, but she felt that I was interested in the photos in the history books. She often put electronic books with beautiful landscapes and castles on my personal terminal. My mom is so kind! Though I don't really need them...

Now, the details are different from the Middle Ages, but let me introduce the world I lived in, starting from the point where it diverged.

1935: Outbreak of World War II - The war started four years earlier than in history but ended in just one and a half years. The reason was that the United States, Russia, Germany, and Japan all succeeded in manufacturing nuclear weapons almost simultaneously. Japan initially carried out the Pearl Harbor attack and occupied Hawaii, but it was brought within the range of nuclear weapons from the Aleutian Islands. It was a de facto defeat, but in exchange for a complete withdrawal from Hawaii, the U.S. military did not land in Japan. The military was reduced, and the constitution was revised, but there was no unconditional surrender, so national sovereignty and the majority of lives were protected. Of course, nuclear weapons were not used in Japan. The world avoided a war that would have become a quagmire with no clear winner, and used the surplus national power and production capacity to advance technology.

1950: Apollo 3 successfully lands on the moon - Humanity reached the moon over 20 years earlier. By 1948, 70% of civilian airlines were using jet aircraft.

1951: Cuban Crisis - As in history, the U.S. and Russia came to the brink of nuclear war, but the death of the Pope of Rome and the widespread war-weariness in the U.S., Russia, and the world narrowly avoided a full-scale war.

1970: World Security Treaty Conference - This is an event that did not happen in history, but based on the Cuban Crisis, all nuclear-armed countries (including Japan) limited their nuclear arsenals to 23 each.

1976: Tragedy in Europe - This is also an event that did not happen in history. A contagious disease that originated in a French village ravaged the world. The world population was 9.1 billion in 1976, but it dropped to 4.7 billion by 1984 when the WHO declared the end of the epidemic.

1990: The Miracle of Versailles - Exhausted by the Tragedy in Europe, countries made a major decision. They permanently abandoned all nuclear weapons, reduced their military forces by 80%, and established a UN standing army. This is seen as a victory for peace, but the stronger view is that it was a decision to return military personnel to civilian life to recover national strength. By the way, the Tragedy in Europe and the Miracle of Versailles are definitely on the test. I learned them too.

Now, you're probably getting bored, right? You're thinking, "What's the point of all this irrelevant talk?" But it's actually quite relevant! Because I'm involved in things that are in the textbooks... Is it long? Then I'll skip ahead a bit?

2091: Mother's Formula (91, when a Japanese person named Arakawa Miki published a formula that overturned the foundations of quantum mechanics) - This world is just one of many points in time. The formula proved that other worlds exist at other points in time. The world called Arakawa Miki, who constructed and published this incredibly complex formula alone, the "Mother of New Quantum Mechanics."

Sorry... It turns out it was my mischief that started it all!!!

---- Early Summer 2090, Arakawa Miki's Perspective ----

Seeing Kousuke grow steadily makes me feel at ease, and I can't help but smile. Thinking back, he was a very unusual child. He never cried at night and would call me immediately if his diaper was dirty. He seemed to understand what was wrong before I told him, a very smart and adorable child. I never suffered from postpartum depression.

Recently, Kousuke often watches TV and reads newspapers. Although he can't possibly understand the content, he looks very serious. His mature attitude is funny, so I couldn't help but play a prank. I switched the TV to a satellite network broadcast. Kousuke looked so happy and excited, so I smiled and went to collect the laundry.

"Oooh! Wow!"

At that moment, I heard Kousuke's voice from the living room. My usually quiet child was shouting! I dropped the laundry and rushed to the living room. There, I saw Kousuke clapping his hands while watching TV. He never reacts like this...

Surprised, I looked at the TV screen and saw the new power suit that was to be deployed in the Ground Self-Defense Force this year.

"Mom, mom! Is it a robot? A robot?"

I was surprised and felt that this child is a boy after all. I don't understand what he's saying, but he must be asking for it...

"Kousuke, we can't buy that."

When I said that, Kousuke had a strange look on his face and then fell asleep. I gently picked him up and carried him to the next room.

---- Early Summer 2090, Arakawa Kousuke ----

Shit, shit. What do I do... The mother in front of me looks like a demon. Maybe I should cry... If I can calm her down, things will return to normal.

"Waaaan! Mom, I'm scared, waaaan!"

While crying, I thought about how this all started. It probably began about two months ago when I was taken to the library for the first time. In this era, most books are electronic, like choosing DVDs in a rental shop. The only books not in electronic form were history books.

I was reading a book from the bottom shelf, but my mom came running over at an incredible speed, looking extremely worried, and scolded me for wandering off. In reality, with personal terminals, you can track someone's location, and you need a personal identification nanochip to enter and exit the library, so there's no need to worry. But I couldn't say that, so I apologized sincerely.

"Mom, sorry."

Mom smiled kindly and patted my head. She noticed the history book I was reading, which was about ancient castle architecture, and looked at me with a questioning expression...

(What? You like these dusty castles? Gross... And you want to borrow it? You're going to carry it home? I'm the one who has to carry it...)

I think that's what she was thinking. Her eyes weren't smiling... When I thought about giving up and looked down, Mom took the thick history book I had chosen, along with the picture books she had picked, to the counter. She's so kind... I know she thinks it's gross, but she's kind. After that, Mom took me to the library every day. Borrowing picture books and history books became a daily routine.

One day, one of the picture books Mom chose had simple math problems. I found them interesting and solved them all, then wrote and solved my own problems in my drawing book. I was doing that until just now, when Mom, looking like a demon, scolded me...

Now, is it time to stop crying? I need to figure out why Mom was angry. I'm eating at this house... If I upset Mom, I might be abandoned... I cautiously looked at Mom's face, and she looked flustered. Seeing this as an opportunity, I hugged her, and she patted me gently. But... why was she so angry?

---- Early Summer 2090, Arakawa Miki's Perspective ----

Today, I plan to take Kousuke to the library for the first time. He's smart, so he should be fine in a quiet place. I carried Kousuke and walked slowly through the streets. When I was a child, gasoline-powered cars were still around, but now they are electric and autonomous. The risk of traffic accidents is almost zero, unless you run into the road, which this child would never do.

When we entered the library, I left Kousuke in a chair and went to choose picture books. What kind of animals or stories does he like? The last time he saw a Japanese wolf on TV, he was very excited. Maybe I should choose a story about wolves? I was thinking about this when I realized 30 minutes had passed. I panicked and rushed to the chair where Kousuke should have been, but he wasn't there. I was in a panic.

"It's okay, he can't leave without my identification chip."

I understood this logically, but I couldn't calm down. I used my wristwatch personal terminal to locate Kousuke's terminal, and it showed F-2. That area only has old paper books and is rarely visited... What if... a pervert?

I ran to where Kousuke was. But I quickly found him, reading a book on castle architecture, covered in dust. He probably can't understand it, but he must have been interested in the castle. To hide my anxiety, I scolded him for wandering off. Kousuke thought for a moment and then said,

"Mom, sorry."

He looked like he was about to cry. In reality, he did nothing wrong; I was the one who left him alone for too long. I scolded him for reading quietly in the library. I think this smart child understood and apologized sincerely, even understanding my feelings. That's why I couldn't say anything and just patted him.

Am I smiling properly? When I looked at Kousuke's face, he avoided my gaze. It's natural; he was scolded for no reason and might be a bit sulky. Feeling uncomfortable, I took the book he was interested in and went to the counter. It was the least I could do to make it up to Kousuke.

One day, while trying to put Kousuke to sleep in the next room, I saw a piece of paper in his hand. I knew he had been writing something in his drawing book recently.

But... this...

I know what this is. And if it's real, it's a big deal.

This is... the "Proof of Quantum Mechanics."

I couldn't help but grab Kousuke and question him. What did you do with this? Did you think of it yourself? Did someone teach you? Was it in a book? On TV? Kousuke started crying, scared. I did it again, questioning him harshly even though he did nothing wrong. I was at a loss, and Kousuke wouldn't stop crying. I was worried he might hate me. But then he suddenly hugged me, burying his face in my chest. I calmed down and gently patted him, asking him again about the formula. I had to suppress my panic. Kousuke, crying, said,

"I... wrote it!"

He wrote it. My young child discovered a formula that scholars worldwide are desperately seeking. I studied quantum mechanics in university before marrying Shuichi, so I recognized the formula. If this child discovered it, it's not a coincidence. It's impossible to derive this formula by chance. If this is made public, Kousuke will become famous. But is that all? Solving such a difficult problem at such a young age is like being a demon...

Thinking about this, I remembered the moment Kousuke was born. I remembered his eyes. This child is not ordinary. A moment of fear arose, but I quickly remembered my vow.

"Even if the world denies Kousuke, I will protect him."

Yes, I am a mother. Even if he is a demon, Kousuke is my only son. I acted quickly, publishing the formula as my own to prevent it from leaking. In the future, when Kousuke grows up, he might be angry that his achievement was stolen. If that happens, I'll apologize sincerely, admitting my jealousy... I am an ugly mother, but I want to protect Kousuke.

"If this child is a demon... I will become a demon queen."

March 1, Integrated.