[Novel: Venus Syndrome] (2) Venus Lane

Prologue: "A Small Miracle"

A scenic region between the Hokuriku and Kansai areas, known as "Nuclear Power Ginza."

A maternity clinic bathed in midsummer sunlight. At 11:26 AM, a healthy cry echoed through the air.
Yet, everyone present held their breath.
The baby girl who had been born—had no arms.

The doctor said in a heavy tone, "It is a congenital absence of both upper limbs..."
In the silent delivery room, only the baby's crying could be heard.

However, the mother looked at that small life and smiled slowly.
Because the child's eyes were strangely clear, looking straight at the light.

"This child's name is... Rin. May you be a strong child who can withstand even the coldest water."

Rin—
That was the name of a girl who would later surprise the world.
The story of a girl born without arms, carving out her own "lane," begins here.

Chapter 1: "Rin in the Water"

For young Rin, the world was filled with things she couldn't reach.
Pressing buttons, holding a cup, drawing pictures—
Things that children her age did naturally, Rin could not do.

"Why don't I have arms?"

When she was four years old and still struggling to speak, Rin asked her mother that.
Her mother was surprised, paused for a moment, and replied,

"That's because, Rin, you are a child who can do things that 'no one else' can."

It would be a long time before she understood the meaning of those words.

One summer day.
At a public pool the family visited, Rin touched the world of "water" for the first time.

When she entered the water using a float, a strange sensation enveloped her.
Her body felt light, and she could move of her own will without anyone's help.

"Rin, try kicking with your legs!"

Urged by her father's voice, she kicked the water with her small feet.
The water splashed, and her body moved forward.

In that moment—a smile spread across Rin's face.
She, who had no arms, had moved forward under her own power.
It was the first moment she felt she had "done it" herself.

Her mother whispered softly, "This child, it's as if she has wings in the water."

—

Even after getting out of the pool, Rin begged her father again and again, "I want to swim again."
Only in the water did she find freedom.

From this day on, a small flame was lit in Rin's heart.
It was the beginning of a "lane" leading to a future that no one knew yet.

Chapter 2: "Venus Children"

The year Rin was born, strange coincidences were reported across Japan.
"Girls without arms" had been confirmed at multiple maternity clinics.

The number grew to 10, then 20, and headlines like "A new drug-induced deformity?" and "Curse of Venus" appeared in newspapers.
In the place where Rin was born, rumors like "Could it be radiation leakage from the nuclear plant?" were reported even to the electric power company's headquarters in Osaka, leading all power companies with nuclear plants to begin investigations, which left the management relieved.
Eventually, experts began calling this deformity by a certain characteristic:

—"Venus Children."

They had well-defined features, were all girls, and shared the common trait of missing both upper limbs.
The phenomenon, reminiscent of the thalidomide children of the past, remained unexplained and was gradually treated by society as "deformed angels."

—

Rin's parents were devastated at first, but gradually began to connect with families in similar circumstances.
An association for families of "Venus Children" from all over the country was established, and from a young age, Rin began meeting other girls without arms several times a year.

There were children who laughed brightly and innocently, and others who hung their heads in fear of the eyes of those around them.
But they were definitely "friends."

"Why do you think it's just us who ended up like this?"

When Rin entered elementary school, Aoi, a Venus child of the same age, asked.
No one could answer. But—

"But, don't you think it's like we were chosen by God?"

The words of Aoi, who laughed as she said that, remained quietly in Rin's heart.

—

School life was not smooth.
At first, the children in her class came over out of curiosity, but soon they began to keep their distance.
"Scary," "How do you change clothes without hands?"
Rin was hurt by such voices.

But she could swim.
Only in the water was she freer than anyone else.

"Rin, teach me how to swim!"
One day, a boy in her class called out to her.

Eyes filled with a mix of surprise and respect were turned toward Rin as she moved quietly, kicking the water with only her legs without using arms.
That changed her world just a little.

—

Eventually, Rin became captivated by a piece of news.
The Paralympics—
The sight of athletes moving dynamically on the world stage while using prosthetics or wheelchairs just like her.

Among them was a Japanese athlete who won a silver medal in swimming.
The country name written on her back: "JAPAN."
Rin's heart stirred.

"Can I go there too...?"

No one laughed.
Her parents, and even Aoi, looked straight at her and said,

"You can. Because, Rin, you're already swimming in your own 'lane.'"

Chapter 3: "Only in the Water Can I Be Normal"

Rin started swimming in earnest in the winter of her fifth year of elementary school.
It started when she visited a city sports center for the disabled.

"This child can swim. It's amazing that she can propel herself with both legs."

The person who called out to her was a female coach who was a former Paralympic representative—Takada.
She had experienced the world as a track athlete with a prosthetic leg and was involved in training disabled athletes after retiring.

"But, Rin's swimming is unique. I can't call it freestyle... We'll have to build a style together."

Rin smiled and nodded.
She felt like someone had told her, "It's fine the way you are."

—

At the same time, Rin was being drawn into the world of medicine.
Researchers at a university hospital who were investigating cases of Venus children births showed interest in her.

"There was an unknown synthetic ingredient in the nutritional supplements taken at the time of birth..."
"There is a possibility that specific genetic factors and environmental factors overlapped."

Her mother fell silent while reading copies of medical papers, and her father continued to refuse to respond to interviews.

Rin thought while having her body 3D scanned in a room that looked like a laboratory.
—I am a research subject.

But in the water, it was different.
There were no labels of "disease" or "abnormality" there.
Just move, or stop. That was all.

—

When Rin entered junior high school, she began attending both special needs classes and regular classes.
That was where she met Sota, a boy with a prosthetic leg.

He had lost his right leg to childhood cancer, but he swam beautifully with the crawl.
"You're fast even without arms, Rin. I don't want to lose to you."
Those words lifted Rin to a new stage.

The two competed in records and honed their skills while being conscious of each other.
Sota said jokingly,

"Hey, if we become Japanese representatives together in the future, what will we do when taking pictures? I'll wave my hand, but Rin..."

"I'll answer with a flutter kick."

The two laughed together. In the water, they were completely equal.

—

But the world was not kind.

When she was featured on TV, words written on an anonymous bulletin board:

"Is she a spectacle?"
"It's creepy that she doesn't even wear prosthetic arms."
"It's off-putting that she's smiling even though it's pitiful."

Rin cried at home for the first time.

"Only in the water can I be normal..."
Her mother hugged her back and said,

"You don't have to be normal. Rin, you are 'special.'"

That night, Rin decided.
—I will reach the world while remaining "special."

Chapter 4 (Revised): "Each Lane"

It was the summer of her second year of junior high when Rin decided to aim for the national para-swimming tournament.
After achieving good results at a city disability sports tournament, she received a recommendation for intensive training.

Coach Takada said,

"Rin, from now on there will be 'classification.' Your category in the race will be decided according to the type and degree of your disability. It's a rule to compete fairly."

Rin's class was "S6."
A severe class for athletes who have no arms and whose core is somewhat weak.
In the race, other athletes also cut through the water with only their own bodies, without using any prosthetics.

"I'm not the only one who is special."
Realizing that, Rin began to meet her rivals.

—

Sota was also swimming in a different class.
He was an athlete with a prosthetic leg, but naturally, he swam with bare feet during the race.
Everyone was fighting as they were, without compensating for what they had lost.

"Rin, your flutter kick is seriously fast. Or rather, it's scary. It even appeared in my dreams."

Rin laughed at his banter.

But the battle was harsh.

It was difficult even to maintain her posture on the starting block, and she couldn't fix her goggles if they slipped.
There were many times when she missed kicking the wall during underwater turns and lost time.

Every time she raced, there were moments she thought, "If only I had arms."

—

At home, conversations between her parents had decreased.

"Is it okay to let her continue like this?"
"What's ahead of the competition in the future? Honestly, I'm worried."

Voices heard through the wall of the room.
Rin knew.
That she was no longer at an age where her swimming could be dismissed as just a "dream."

Among the Venus children of her generation, some were beginning to distance themselves from society.
Asuka quit art school and became a shut-in.
Aoi launched an NPO to preserve the history of Venus children, but donations did not gather as expected.

And Ai—

What reached Rin was a small letter from the hospital where she was admitted.

"I couldn't live in the water. But I believe Rin is a 'child who will keep swimming.'"

—

Rin cried on her bed.
And the next morning, she entered the pool earlier than anyone else.

"I don't have arms. But precisely because of that, I will move forward as if to embrace this water."

Flutter kick, core, rhythm, breathing—
There wasn't a single thing she had honed that relied on hands.

Coach Takada said,

"Rin, you have a 'swimming style that no one can imitate.' It's the only style in the world. All that's left is to believe."

Rin nodded quietly.

Not as a substitute for someone else, not an imitation of anyone, but her own lane.

Chapter 5 (Final Draft): "Venus Lane"

Paralympic selection meet.
Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center. Amidst the tension of top domestic para-athletes gathered together, there was a girl looking at the pool particularly quietly.

Rin Hikida, 15 years old.

The girl without arms sat down after being helped to the starting area by assistant staff.

Leaving the gazes of the audience and the lenses of the cameras behind the water surface, Rin just stared at her lane.

(This is my place)

"S2 Women's 50-meter freestyle, heat 2, starting soon."

The announcement echoed.
An official gently pushed her back. Rin slid quietly into the water.

—

Immediately after the start, Rin fell slightly behind.
There were athletes in the S2 class who had one arm left.
Against those who could stroke the water, Rin challenged with only her legs.

But that was the battle she had chosen.
In every situation until now, Rin had moved forward with only her own body.

(I will do my swimming)

The timing of her breath, the rhythm of her feet, the power she put into her abs.
Honing everything, Rin moved forward.

30 meters. The moment the silence and tension in the water reached its peak—
Her head touched the goal sensor.

The poolside buzzed.

"Time, 35.42 seconds... Athlete Hikida, 1st place finish! Paralympic representative, confirmed!"

The expression on Rin's face as she lifted her head from the water was straight.
Her parents and coach in the cheering section looked blurred.
But their voices reached her ears clearly.

—

20XX, N'Djamena Paralympics.

What gathered at the athlete's village were forms of "strength" collected from all over the world.
A runner jumping on one leg, a martial artist who didn't rely on vision, a wheelchair fencer—
Everyone was talking not about what they were "lacking," but about what they "had."

Opening ceremony.
Carrying the name HIKIDA, Rin - JAPAN, Rin walked proudly.

—

Morning of the finals.
50-meter freestyle, S2 class final.

Rin's lane was number 3.

The announcement echoed.

"Lane 3 - HIKIDA, Rin - Japan"

The audience fell silent at the sight of Rin projected on the large monitor.
The eyes of the slender girl without arms were looking only at the water surface.

Start sound.
She threw herself into the water. Her flutter kick kicked the water sharply.

25 meters, still in 3rd place.
35 meters, catching up.
Remaining 10 meters, passing.

Goal. Touch with her head.

The ranking is displayed on the electronic scoreboard.

1st place - HIKIDA, Rin - JAPAN - Gold medal!

A great cheer erupted from the audience.

—

Award ceremony.
Before putting the medal around her neck, Rin asked,

"Could you please place it on my legs?"

The official gently placed the gold medal on her knees.

Her legs were the proof that she had grasped this medal.

—

Speech.

"I grew up being called a 'Venus child.'
I was always afraid of standing in front of people.
But in the water, I could become free.
Precisely because I 'don't have' them, I was able to swim in my own lane."

The stadium fell silent, and eventually, it was wrapped in warm, powerful applause.

—

Rin Hikida became a gold medalist.
But that was just one beginning.

Even now, she continues to swim on some water surface.

When her name is called, as "Rin Hikida."
But in the water, as the freest—Rin.

And even now, her own path—

Venus Lane.

Epilogue: "Each of the Venuses"

Aoi—"The Person of Records"

Aoiis a Venus child of the same age as Rin.
Without arms, she found it difficult to write, so she learned "words" instead of letters from an early age. She listened with her ears, remembered with her heart, and spoke by assembling them in her head.

She majored in psychology and sociology at university. After graduating, she interviewed the families of Venus children and the individuals themselves, compiling them as oral records.

That collection of records, titled "Memories of Venus," attracted quiet attention and is now used as teaching material at universities.

She wrote this at the end of her letter:

"Our lives were not statistics, but stories.
They were stories that each one of us asked the world."

Asuka—"The Person Who Draws"

Asuka is a Venus child who went on to art university.

She held a brush with both legs and drew pictures.
She doesn't use prosthetic arms. Her painting style had an overwhelming stillness and power, as if she were speaking about not having arms through the paintings themselves.

The title of her graduation exhibition was "My Outline Is Not Here."
Her work is displayed in a gallery and still quietly welcomes many people today.

"Maybe I'm drawing because I don't have 'hands.'
If I had hands, I don't think I would have tried to draw this seriously."

Asuka continues to speak through her paintings.

Ai—"The Person Who Is Gone"

Ai was once the brightest and most friendly child in the group.

However, after junior high, she stopped going to school and eventually became mentally ill and entered a life of recuperation.
"Being seen" was a burden for her.

Shortly before Rin participated in the Paralympics, Ai sent a letter.

"I couldn't live in the water.
But the sight of Rin swimming felt like she was breathing for me."

Ai still lives in a quiet facility.
Though her words have become few, it is said that she smiled faintly when she saw Rin's gold medal on TV.

What everyone had in common

They were "born at the same time, with similar bodies."
Yet, their paths forward were completely different.

Some chose water, some chose words, some chose color, and some chose silence.

However, none of these lives were ever "lost."

They were questions posed to the world,
and at times quiet, at times powerful, they were the answers of the Venus children.

—

And Rin carries all of that on her back, continuing to swim.

Not for the sake of one person.
Not as a "replacement" for anyone else.

Simply, in the water,
carving the proof that she is truly alive
into the world—

along her own Venus Lane.