Yuto Chikamori
Yuto Chikamori (近森 優斗, Chikamori Yūto) is a secondary ally featured in the short story "Censored Equation", part of the Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan: Short Story Collection.
He is a graduate student from Jingiin University who majored in mathematics. After his girlfriend mysteriously becomes comatose when trying to solve an equation that would presumably grant access to another dimension, Chikamori tries getting the help of Rohan Kishibe.
Appearance
Chikamori is a young man with messy hair that looks like he had just woken up from sleep. He wears a clean white button-down shirt and ironed khaki chino pants. His student ID card hangs around his neck.[2]
Personality
Yuto Chikamori is a reserved and helpful graduate student with a deep passion for mathematics. He approaches his work methodically, often speaking in a detached or indifferent manner about subjects that do not interest him. Rohan respects him for this, since he wasn't someone who faked being interested. However, when discussing his field of study, Chikamori becomes noticeably more engaged and articulate, showing his genuine enthusiasm for complex equations and logical analysis. He gets overly excited when being able to speak about these topics, claiming that not even his friends in the department bother to listen to him.[2]
Chikamori is diligent and dependable, carefully gathering a wide range of materials for Rohan without complaint. When Rohan is about to clean up the mess of books he made, Chikamori even offers to do it himself.[2]
Chikamori is also deeply emotional, committed to completing the mysterious equation out of love for his comatose girlfriend. He dedicates three years of his life in attempting to solve the equation, with the helplessness of his voice being enough to convince Rohan to investigate.[2]
History
Background
Chikamori was a student at Jingiin University in the Department of Mathematics and Science. At some point, he started dating one of his classmates, and took her to a fishing pond for their first date. In their third year of university, his girlfriend became devoted to solving a mysterious equation she found. She eventually became comatose two years later upon discovering the solution. Chikamori found her notebook and attempted to continue her research.
After three years, his girlfriend was still comatose and had not much longer to live according to the doctors. Chikamori had already graduated from university. During the university's summer break, he got hired at their library to assist at the service counter and act as the library's information guide.[2]
Censored Equation
When Rohan Kishibe visits the university library to research extraterrestrial life for a short story, Chikamori is assigned by the library director to assist him in gathering materials. Though initially indifferent to Rohan's project, he dutifully collects a wide range of reference books, including SETI reports, astrobiology papers, and journals on the Wow! signal. When Rohan casually questions the motivations behind the search for extraterrestrial life, Chikamori provides a logical response but does not display much personal interest in the topic. However, when the conversation shifts to mathematics, he becomes noticeably more engaged, discussing the Drake equation and its implications for estimating intelligent life in the galaxy.
After Rohan finishes his research, he notices that Chikamori has left behind a notebook. Upon inspecting it, he finds a single complex equation written repeatedly across the pages, with the first page torn in half. As Rohan examines the notebook, Chikamori suddenly returns and, in an unsettling manner, recites a multilingual warning that "permission is required to view" the contents. His eyes roll back unnaturally before he regains his composure, acting as if nothing happened. When questioned about the equation, Chikamori explains that it is an attempt to calculate a way to access another dimension. However, the equation is incomplete, and he has been struggling to fill in the missing information.
Chikamori reveals that the notebook originally belonged to his girlfriend. He believes solving the equation may fulfill her last wishes. He asks Rohan to incorporate the equation into his short story, hoping that wider exposure might lead to new insights. Rohan feigns interest and asks Chikamori for the hospital's location, but he is reluctant to tell Rohan. Rohan uses Heaven's Door to get the information from him. He then secretly alters Chikamori's memories, implanting the belief that he had been working at the library counter all day so that he would forget about Rohan, preventing him from interfering with Rohan's next course of action.
Unaware of Rohan's deception, Chikamori later arrives at the hospital in the evening to visit his girlfriend, carrying a bouquet of yellow gerbera daisies. Due to Heaven's Door, he does not recognize Rohan when they see each other at the elevator, but he gives Rohan a small bow as Rohan lets him pass by. As he enters his girlfriend's hospital room, he is met with the shocking sight of her being awake, prompting a startled gasp just as the elevator doors close behind Rohan.[2]
Chapters
Novel Appearances- Censored Equation Chapter 1
- Censored Equation Chapter 2 (Mentioned)
- Censored Equation Chapter 3
- Censored Equation Chapter 4 (Mentioned)
