Um...
"Where am I? Who am I?"
......
Yeah, I knew I'd regret that. I had a feeling before I even said it. Must've been some kind of forbidden phrase or something.
But seriously, where is this place, and who exactly am I?
A few minutes ago, I woke up here.
A spacious room built from stone with the color and luster of marble. Maybe about ten tatami mats wide? No furniture, no pillars—just a rectangular room. Combined with all that white, it's surprisingly oppressive despite the openness.
Now, I don't remember falling asleep anywhere like this. More to the point, I don't remember a place like this at all. And even more to the point, I don't actually have any memories to begin with.
Nothing about myself. Not my parents' names. Not even my childhood friend, the braided class rep, that cheeky underclassman, the gentle beauty of a senior, or the cool beauty teacher.
Maybe I wasn't even a student. I mean, I'm wearing a school uniform, but still. Because otherwise, there's no way I'd forget all that.
Today was supposed to be:
Woken up by my childhood friend (ponytail) first thing in the morning.
Get scolded by the braided class rep (glasses-wearing pretty girl) for being late.
Look after my cheeky underclassman (a small animal that awakens protective instincts).
Get looked after in turn by the gentle beauty senior (student council president).
Have some forbidden after-school time with the cool beauty teacher (who's secretly a clingy type?).
......Yeah, sorry. I made that up.
But I do have knowledge.
I can calculate the area of a triangle, but I don't know who came up with the theorem. I have some vague sense of "Fantaisie-Impromptu" as a piece of music, but I haven't the faintest idea who composed it. I understand Fleming's left-hand rule, but I don't know who came up with it.
That's how it is.
......No, really! I'm serious about having no memories!
But here's the problem. There doesn't seem to be any kind of entrance or exit in this room, and since I have no memories, I don't even know where I should go. Also, how did I even get in here?
'You didn't come into this place. You were born here. Just a moment ago.'
A voice suddenly rang out.
A voice of great authority echoed through the room like a tremor. My knowledge prompted me to check the ceiling and walls for speakers—but as I'd already confirmed, this is just a stone room, pure white all around. If there were anything like that, I'd have noticed immediately.
'Ah, I've startled you after all. My apologies. Well, in any case, I had to reach out to you eventually—so it was simply a matter of sooner or later.'
The owner of the voice apologized with what sounded like a wry chuckle.
"No, I was at a loss myself, so this is actually perfect timing. Are you someone who can explain this situation?"
'Yes, after all—I'm the one who brought you here.'
The voice announced this with clear amusement. Hearing that, I asked about what it had said earlier.
"About what you said—that I was just born. What exactly did you mean by that?"
'Hm? Exactly what I said. You were just born here, in this place.'
"But from what I know, my body seems to have already grown to early or mid-adolescence. I'm even wearing clothes. There's no mother in sight. Doesn't it seem unnatural to say I'm newborn?"
'Hmm. Indeed, the body already grown, the things you're wearing, the absence of a mother nearby—all of that might feel unnatural. By the standards of Earth, where you used to live.'
I remember the planet called "Earth." I vaguely recall the general world map and, dimly, the international situations of various countries. ...Vaguely. I-it's true, I swear!
But listen to how this voice talks! It's practically saying this isn't Earth.
And my knowledge pushes me forward.
Organize this situation. Synthesize it. Eliminate all impossible possibilities. And arrive at the impossible truth!
"I understand..."
Yes, it all makes sense now.
This—this situation is the classic "template you see all the time in stories."
When you think about it, it's elementary, my dear Watson.
...Who's Watson?
Anyway. That means—the true identity of this transcendent voice speaking to me is—
"—You're an alien, aren't you!?"
'...No, I'm not, though...'
I could have sworn I heard some cynical detective laughing at me under his breath.
Summary:
The protagonist awakens in a stone room with no personal memories but retains general knowledge. A transcendent voice claims he was born there moments ago, and the protagonist attempts to deduce the voice's identity. He concludes the voice must be an alien, only to have his dramatic deduction immediately dismissed.
Trivia:
The protagonist wears a school uniform (学ラン) despite being uncertain if he is actually a student
He can recall factual knowledge like Fleming's left-hand rule and Fantaisie-Impromptu but cannot remember the people associated with those discoveries
The god-voice explicitly states the protagonist was "born here" rather than transported or summoned
The protagonist's "forbidden phrase" (禁句) is revealed to be the classic amnesia trope questioning "Where am I? Who am I?"
The voice calls the room "Earth" standards as a reference point, implying this location is not Earth
Notes:
• Watson - A figure referenced by the protagonist during his deduction. The name is invoked as part of a classic detective reference, though the protagonist immediately questions who Watson actually is.