Chapter 236: ever.

Audiobook: https://youtu.be/GKsCogNNK1g

Suupaa: Why did Rinne quit playing rough?

We had talked about this before the Rinne flashback, so this is a continuation from that point in time.

This is the shortest chapter ever.

===*

I knew that Rinne collapsed right after the WGCS.

But there was no explanation about what had happened at that time, and above all, Rinne had managed to win several world-level competitions after, albeit only as a member of a team competition.

If you are saying that she is worse than he was in his prime, that is understandable. But do you mean she has lost it? With these questions in my mind, I silently waited for Nana to continue.

"I was told that Rin-chan was born with the gift of not being able to forget memories, or rather, with a peculiar constitution."

"If I'm not mistaken, That's something called [hyperthymesia], right? I only know what I've seen and heard on the Internet, but if you can handle it well, it's a great talent, isn't it?"

"I think so. Rin-chan has been using it very well and has become incredibly smart since she was a little girl. But it's not all good. For example, don't you think it's painful not being able to forget something you don't want to remember?"

That being said, I, too, have memories that I don't want to remember and would like to forget.

Especially when I was in elementary school, that was a hard time.

However, if I were to compare it to that unbelievable constitution, I wonder if I still want the ability to not able forget a memory.

"That's true, but... it still leans toward convenience."

"Yeah, it is, isn't it? Even Rin-chan makes good of that ability too. But recently, I noticed that it is gone."

"gone...?"

According to what I read in a book, hyperthymesia is not an ability to remember everything but a side effect caused by the absence of the [forgetting function], which is supposed to exist.

The theory stems from the fact that human can store all the information they see and hear as memories in their brains, but normal people lose access to these memories by [forgetting].

If that is correct, then Rinne simply acquired the proper [forgetting function] that humans are supposed to have, rather than losing her constitution.

"When did you realize?"

"I once did a collaborative stream at an event. She almost forgot about the supporter NPCs in the character setup, and she couldn't remember the map without looking at it carefully. I'm sure the old Rin-chan would have been able to memorize such things by looking at them for a moment, and she will never forget a person's face."

"Hmmm...... if you really can't forget something you've seen at a glance, then surely, that was strange."

"right?"

It was said that the accuracy of each person's hyperthymesia also varies.

Some people never forget certain things but have a mediocre memory for everything else, while others can only clearly remember events by date and not the details.

According to Nana's story, Rinne must have had the best kind of memorization, which could literally be called [perfect memory].

Her brain records everything she sees and hears, and she is incapable of forgetting.

All she needs is to take is a fleeting glimpse. It is a dreamlike talent that would make it unnecessary to study for the rest of one's life.

"Once I noticed it, I started to understand the whole picture. I realized that Rin-chan had lost a lot of things compared to what she used to have. If I were to use an analogy... I'd say that as if my physical abilities are now comparable to those of a normal person."

"Oh, really? That means there's almost nothing left..."

"I guess so? But her five senses are still sharp, so it doesn't mean that everything is gone."

"If that happened to Nana, what will you have left?"

"My intelligence?"

"It's an absurd answer that I cannot even give a retort to that...!"

"Ha-ha-ha!"

Nana, who was smiling with a faint smile, had completely lifted my tension.

I want the serious atmosphere I had earlier back.

And because Nana said it without sounding like she's joking, I could only resign to the fact that it's hard to get angry at her dumb face.

"Anyway, I understand that Rinne is now greatly weakened, which is appropriate for the drastic decrease in the number of tournament appearances after the WGCS. Perhaps it was just the right time for a change in her approach."

"I'm glad I could convince you."

Nana said this and began to pick at the buns that had been prepared in advance in the waiting room, presumably as a gift.

As I was vaguely watching the buns disappear into Nana's mouth at a frightening speed, I recalled memories of the past.

(It means Rinne had already weakened back then.)

What I recall was the first time I met Rinne.

My decision to join HEROES was made two and a half years ago. That was even before the Zero Wars VR service was launched.

Yes, as a matter of fact, I wasn't scouted for my talent in Zero Wars VR.