Just another COTE one shot book

An Angel in a white hell

Pov Hiyori

I love going to the school library. It's my favorite place in the whole school. The library is so peaceful and quiet, it's like a sanctuary. The shelves are lined with books of all kinds, I even found some I haven't read. The soft lighting and comfortable chairs make it the perfect place to relax and read. Sometimes, I'll just sit and daydream for a while, enjoying the stillness. I'm so grateful that ANHS has such a wonderful library. It's my little slice of heaven.

As I meander down the aisle, I eagerly scan the shelves in search of the newest book that captured my attention. "Stranger In A Strange Land". Deemed a modern classic by many, it's a book I'm compelled to read, if only to claim that I did.

However, as I contemplate this, I cannot help but reflect on my past in "That Place," where access to most modern classics was readily available. Recalling that time now feels like an enigma, an uncomputable puzzle that exists only in the recesses of my memory.

"Ah, I found it."

I attempted to reach the book positioned on the uppermost row, but my height proved to be a limiting factor. Amid my struggle, a helping hand swiftly grasped my attention, retrieving the book from my grasp and gently returning it to me. However, as I turned to express my gratitude, I found myself frozen in place, unable to move.

As I stand here, My heart is racing, my palms are sweaty, and I feel like I'm going to faint. I can't move, I can't speak, I can't even think straight. It's like my mind has completely shut down, leaving me trapped in this state of terror.

My mind is flooded with all sorts of terrifying thoughts. As I stare into a window of my past. A person I knew from back then. Kiyotaka.

"Hiyori?"

"...You."

"Are you ok? You don't look so-"

That is the last thing I could discern as my vision gradually faded.

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3rd person POV

Atsuomi Ayanokoji utilized diverse methods to obtain children for the White Room project, ensuring a steady supply of candidates for his experiments. Rather it would be buying the children from parents who didn't want them, finding already abandoned children, or in Shiina Hiyori's case the black market.

Similar to most children in the white room, Hiyori's life was arduous. Not driven by a desire for growth, she battled daily to yield results. Her motivation stemmed from the fear of what would happened to the dropouts.The uncertainty surrounding the destiny of those who left troubled her, as no one had any concrete knowledge about them.

In the realm of mental exercises, Hiyori exhibited remarkable proficiency. However, in the domain of physical activities, she encountered challenges in keeping pace with her peers. The children have little to no free time. The only moments they weren't working were when they were attending to basic needs, such as eating, showering, or sleeping. Amidst the harsh environment, finding an escape was crucial for her survival, and books provided the perfect refuge.

Despite the absence of control over her reading material and schedule, any form of reading provided an escape for her.

The amount of white room students slowly dwindled until there were only 26 left. The white room staff intended to cut that number in half. The students were placed in a competitive environment, despite being informed that the groupings were random, they were actually strategically arranged. For instance, the student ranked 26th was placed against the student ranked 1st, and the student ranked 25th was placed against the student ranked 2nd, and so on.