Chapter 1083 - Re: Outer Brain
Tominari Komei. A former neurosurgeon who had been active both domestically and internationally since he was young. He was also the uncle of Alicia White. He was married to Dorothy White, the younger sister of Ashe's father. Ashe had known him since she was a child, a relationship spanning over ten years. No wonder they were so close.
I had heard other things about him, like how he was like a light novel protagonist or how he had a personality that fit the White Family even though he wasn't born into it. But in this room, his most important title was different.
He claimed to be a former neurosurgeon, though it was likely hard to actually quit that profession. He continued to work in medicine, but his current specialty was as an Outer Brain researcher.
"...Well, let's put these stiff props aside."
"Wait..."
He was always so casual. He was supposedly a world-famous Sensei, but he just tossed the important-looking file onto a shelf by the door. It was like a tired salaryman throwing his bag onto the sofa. He had zero dignity. No presence at all. Compared to Sora's father, Teigo Yotsuya, he was the complete opposite type.
I felt bad for having such disrespectful thoughts, but I figured it was okay as long as I didn't say them out loud. He walked over and pulled up a chair.
"Oof, there we go."
Up close, he was actually quite tall. And his eyes... when I looked into them, I could sense a strange pressure.
"Come on, Iris-kun, you sit down too. Listen to this together."
"Mh."
He didn't call her Ashe; that was something we'd already gone over three days ago. Komei-shi took a seat by the bed, and Ashe sat in the chair by the window. I was sitting on the bed in my hospital clothes, feeling perfectly fine. It was a situation that should have been tense, but Komei-shi's relaxed expression told us that wasn't necessary. So, we relaxed. He started,
"Let's get straight to the conclusion. None of you have any abnormalities. Not even a little. All five of you are healthy, even enough to make me jealous. You have nothing to worry about."
He laughed as if it were nothing. I was about to say that was good to hear, but...
"Wait, wait, I know you're still worried."
"I haven't said anything yet."
He cut me off before I could ask for details. I was used to his pace by now, so I figured it was best to just let him talk.
"...No abnormalities at all? Even after experiencing that massive time acceleration?" Ashe asked.
"None. There was no sign of burden or damage anywhere in your brains. I can guarantee that as a doctor."
He spoke with the confidence of someone who knew what they were doing.
"Now, let me give you my opinion as an Outer Brain researcher."
"Mm... please."
Komei-shi gave a nod. "First, let's review what we know. The virtual reality console [Arcadia] creates a temporary brain for each player when they log in. That's the Outer Brain, a head that thinks on your behalf."
He spoke very quickly. It was easier to understand than English listening practice, but still...
"Some people have scary ideas about it because it handles your thoughts, wondering if the person in the virtual world is just a copy of the player. But that's not it. The person in the virtual world is definitely the player themselves. It's not like the Outer Brain is just feeding a fake personality's feedback back to the player after they log out."
He was moving fast...
"It's simply a brain that handles information in place of yours. Every action you take in the virtual world starts from your own Synapses. So, you are only yourself. But here's the interesting part. The Outer Brain achieves a miraculous feat by giving information reversibility and creating a unique loop structure that disperses excessive information transmission energy. We call this the Möbius Strip and laugh about how it sounds like something from a fantasy novel, but basically, that impossible technology allows your real brain to experience time and thought acceleration that would normally fry your nerves. It makes it so the load is zero, allowing you to enjoy your heroics in a dream world. It's truly like magic..."
"Uncle."
"...Oh, right. Sorry."
Thank goodness Ashe stopped him. I might have had to cover my ears otherwise.
"Haru and I... we both know what an Outer Brain is."
Ashe gave me a glance. To be honest, I didn't care about the technical details, but I nodded for her to continue.
"We understand enough. That's plenty of background."
"Ah ha ha... right. Sorry about that."
Komei-shi gave a wry smile. "So, the Möbius Strip. That impossible function... it's a bit much to say 'theoretically' about technology that hasn't been theoretically proven, but I'll say it anyway because I can't think of a better way to put it."
He still looked relaxed. "Because that exists, it's impossible for events in the virtual world to cause a load on your real brain. That's my theory as an Outer Brain researcher."
He said he couldn't 'guarantee' that part as a doctor, but he spoke with a certain level of confidence.
"Memory confusion, forced sleep, and the sudden blackout that only happened to Kasuga-kun... surprisingly, I can make a guess about all of them based on the Outer Brain. Want to hear?"
His theory continued. Ashe and I looked at each other and then nodded together.
"Excellent. Let's start with the memory confusion. This one is the simplest and easiest. The memories... the data... were deleted before the Outer Brain could transfer the information to your real brain."
...Of course.
I hadn't expected to hear such a terrifying theory right after nodding. Ashe and I looked at each other again.
Komei-shi laughed. "There's naturally a lag between the Outer Brain and your real brain."
"...That's..."
"I see..."
"However, [Arcadia] can control that lag however it wants. It has the ultimate cheat of time acceleration. It can expand the tiny amount of time needed for data processing into an infinite amount of time."
"...So..."
"Wait... what?"
"And the reverse is also true. Or rather, a different side of the same coin. I'll say it again: in the virtual world, [Arcadia] toys with time. It can take a tiny moment, expand it into something nearly infinite, and then shrink it back down again... Do you understand? It's a terrifying thing."
"...Haru?"
"...Sorry, I'm lost."
"Mm... It's okay if you don't get it. He's saying something truly scary."
Ashe gave me a comforting pat on the head while I admitted defeat. "During the raid, we experienced dozens of hours. But in that time, not even a single second had passed in the real world. That's the expansion."
"Exactly."
"But the one observing that expanded time is the virtual brain created by [Arcadia], not our own. So, even if massive information processing occurs due to that huge time acceleration... the magic of the Möbius Strip disperses the energy before the load reaches our brains."
"Precisely. So?"
"...That means... we..."
Ashe hesitated for a moment, appearing slightly frightened. She reached out from my head and gripped my hand.
"In that moment, were we essentially... existing in the past and the future at the same time?"
"Wait, what?"
I was completely left behind, but Ashe's answer seemed to please her uncle, who was the only one in the room who understood what she meant. "As expected of the Princess of the White Family. You're much smarter than I am."