◇◇◇◇◇The 257th Element◇◇◇◇◇

SYNOPSIS

A time not too far from now. To find a solution for the food problem caused by a growing population, every country has been investing huge budgets into scientific research to increase every single mass with as limited time and energy as possible. As a result, new elements the 119th and beyond were discovered and created one after another, and finally, a genius scientist in Tokyo named Hikojuro Araki succeeded in creating the 256th element, Araraginium, which is a dreamy element that creates every being out of nothingness.
However, at the very moment when the first experiment in the world to create Araraginium just began, by an unexpected accident, it diffused all over Tokyo and disappeared.
A few days later, appalling incidents started happening all of a sudden, all-over Tokyo; people who were thought to be dead started emerging back to life as if they had never been dead, not even once. They all had a memory before their death, and actually, were those who passed away during the time period between the accident and 72 hours before that.
Due to their relevance with the accident, those people were called Araragi Human.
This story takes place several years after this in Tokyo…



＞＞＞Tokipedia

◇Shinsei Shonogamigakuen High School
The school where Tokimune and his friends go to. It has a conspicuous interior with contemporary and futuristic designs. There are classrooms, cafeteria, and rooftop where students can go. The rooftop is covered with futuristic invisible walls to prevent anyone from falling out, and a lot of students come and hang out there during lunch break.


◇The Island Where Dreams Come True
An island that has emerged in the Pacific Ocean out of nowhere after the Araraginium experiment and accident. It has become a tourist attraction as a miracle island. There are forests that look like mangrove jungles on this island, which offers a scenery that you rarely or never find in the coastal waters of Tokyo. Besides resort facilities, it also has camping facilities for students.


◇Cafe CHIENYAROU
A cafe where Tokimune and his friends go very often. You can play all the retro games and read all the manga books as much as you would like. It even has a space with a bowling alley. There is a Japanese-style space in this cafe, where you can enjoy its Japanese afternoon tea.


◇Araragi Human
People who passed away during the time period between the accident and 72 hours before the Araraginium experiment. They are just the same as normal human beings, except that they will disappear if no one (besides Araragi Humans) recognizes them. In other words, if no one sees them, they will disappear instantly.
Therefore, the government has installed and placed a small, invisible camera device for observation, so called “Invisible Watcher” on the majority of Araragi Humans. They are monitors 24x7 by the government’s monitoring organization (the Araragi Watcher) through footages sent from the device. This prevents Araragi Humans from disappearing.

◇“Elements” in this story
When we talk about “elements” in this story, it doesn’t mean an atom. “Element” is used as an abstract concept that contain properties. For example, Araraginium is not an atom that has 256 protons. Elements beyond the 200th are something completely different from atoms which are described by the number of protons and neutrons. Many of them are constituted by minuscule elements smaller than protons and invisible elements. To sum it up, those elements are called the Gaia elements. Detailed explanation about the Gaia elements is too hard to comprehend for high school students, so we will not touch on that in this story. Yet, it seems like Hamakado has got most of the idea. Therefore, if you are ever interested, we would recommend you ask her.