Was her statement a lie?
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka received the vibration from the Pinocchio Bracelet and instantly understood—the "Anna Kinomiya" in front of him was not Anna Kinomiya.
This sentence sounds a bit convoluted, but it is actually easy to understand.
The Anna Kinomiya in front of him was not the Anna Kinomiya from the "anime" that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka knew, but someone who had impersonated her name.
When Ayanokoji Kiyotaka first saw her, he once thought that this girl in front of him was a character from an anime, and for a time, he thought he had transmigrated into a two-dimensional world, arriving in the world of some comprehensive anime.
But it didn't seem to be the case.
However... it's hard to say. What if he transmigrated into an anime he hadn't seen?
He wasn't some otaku who had watched countless films in his previous life; there were countless anime he hadn't seen, so he couldn't simply define it that way.
There's no need to think too much about such inconclusive matters for now. What Ayanokoji Kiyotaka cares about most right now is, where did she learn the name "Anna Kinomiya"?
The character Anna Kinomiya comes from the anime "Shimoneta: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn't Exist," a work that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had watched in his previous life but does not exist in this current world.
When he first met Anna Kinomiya, he saw her dressed exactly like the character in the anime, which made Ayanokoji think for a moment that she had truly broken through the dimensional wall and entered reality.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka even specifically reconfirmed that this work had not been created.
Moreover, what concerned Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was that her character design was also the same as in the anime, and her mother's name, which she just mentioned, was also Sophia.
This indicates that they were talking about the same character, and it wasn't just a coincidence like most girls named Alice having blonde hair.
Logically... this name should only be known to him in this world, so how did this girl in front of him know it?
Did she meet a fellow transmigrator like himself?
Or... did he know her, and he was the one who told her about this?
This speculation flashed through Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's mind, and he said calmly, "Miss Anna, the reason I asked about your identity just now is because I always feel like I've seen you before."
"When I look at you, I always have a sense of familiarity... Have we met before?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka noticed a hint of joy flash across her face, but it was well hidden, and she quickly composed herself, smiling and shaking her head in denial.
"Ayanokoji, you must be mistaken. I only met you a few days ago. We haven't met before."
Anna Kinomiya denied having known Ayanokoji Kiyotaka before, but at the same time, the Pinocchio Bracelet on Ayanokoji's wrist vibrated, telling him the answer.
—This statement is a lie.
Indeed, he had seen "Anna Kinomiya" before; she was deliberately using this name to approach him!
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka verified his conjecture, and besides excitement, he also felt a faint unease.
In his memory, he had never interacted with this girl, nor had he ever told her anything related to "Anna Kinomiya"...
So, why would this girl know him, and even deliberately disguise herself with this identity, known only to him, to approach him?
...There is only one answer.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka could only guess this one answer—he had amnesia.
Only if he had "amnesia" could this problem be explained.
Before he woke up in the hospital four or five years ago, he had already transmigrated into this world, and then... lost a period of memory of living in this world.
The memories he once believed to be from Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's predecessor might, perhaps, partially belong to him.
Perhaps... all those memories belong to him.
Just like physicists who committed suicide after learning that physics was not real physics, this sudden "truth" that entered Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's mind made him feel as if his long-held worldview had suddenly collapsed.
Of course, while it wasn't to the extent of becoming obsessed to the point of "suicide," Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was still somewhat unable to accept this answer for a time.
All this time, he had believed his memories were "complete," merely not inheriting the original body's memories after transmigrating.
He diligently sought these memories simply because he knew they were extremely important, crucial information that would be "useful" to him if obtained, helping him to understand his situation.
Yet, he had never considered that perhaps this information was his "lost" past.
His memory was too complete; after being struck by a dump truck and dying on the spot, his memory instantly connected to the hospital scene, allowing him to see his father and brother without any interruption.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka subconsciously thought he was "soul transmigrated," and never considered the possibility of "reincarnation."
He had never thought about this point.
Imagine playing a life simulation role-playing game where you skip the opening prologue and jump directly to the protagonist's adulthood, beginning to control the protagonist's interactions.
But then suddenly one day someone tells you that those "prologues" you skipped were also under your control, and furthermore, they were carried out entirely according to your way of thinking... Would you suddenly be stunned?
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was stunned right now.
What he originally thought was "story background" was actually his past experiences, where he personally controlled this character through the main storyline...
What did he do before he lost his memory, that caused him to be covered in injuries, with a severe head injury, lying in the hospital?
Which part involved his conscious participation?
The part in the White Room laboratory, or the part where the experiment was conducted a second time?
Or were both parts personally experienced by him?
In an instant, countless question marks flooded Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's mind. He had completely forgotten his surroundings, racking his brain to ponder these questions.
He was trying hard to recall, hoping to find answers through the fragments of memory in the corner of his mind...
"Ayanokoji, Ayanokoji...?" Ikishima Midari shook Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's shoulder: "Hey, are you alright?"
When Ayanokoji Kiyotaka came to his senses, he found Ikishima Midari and "Anna Kinomiya" both looking at him with concern.
"What's wrong with me? Why are you all looking at me?"
"After you spoke a few words to me just now, your face suddenly turned very pale, you lowered your head, and your pupils seemed a bit unfocused. Ikishima and I called out to you several times, but you didn't respond..."
Ririka looked at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka worriedly, "What's suddenly wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"
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