《Shonen Hero System》


 Weird magazine

    It is a lovely sunny morning.


    The gentle wind is blowing to my face.


    I can smell the distant forest.


    Currently, I am sitting on a roof of a school. There is a tall fence in front of me. Through it, I can see the backyard.


    There are many children walking there. And many of them have hair of different colors. Some are green, some blue, some red and some white...


    ''Just like in anime...''


    The school that I am in right now is situated atop a hill.


    To get here, you have to ascend a steep road.


    I have come here earlier than everyone else.


    Because of that, I have nothing to do now than to kill time.


    Well.


    Let''s get on with it already.


    What exactly am I doing here? Before a scenery fitting to be on the first page of some manga... You know, the colorful one.


    To answer that question, I have to go back to a week or so.


    Once upon a time, I was just wandering the street in the morning. Sun was yet low, and there weren''t many people around.


    Suddenly, I saw a strange thing lying below my feet.


    It was a magazine.


    It was a colorful magazine with large letters and a picture of a clown in a baseball suit printed on its cover.


    It looked interesting, so I picked it up.


    Then, I felt surprised.


    This strange thing turned out to be a weekly manga magazine. Just like Sh¨­nen J*mp. Even the name of it was similar.


    It was titled Sh¨­nen BOOM!


    Now, to make things clear, I haven''t read a lot of manga in my life.


    I remember watching some anime as a kid, and that''s it.


    Either way, I tried reading the magazine and then¡­ Then I found the first strange thing about it.


    There was nothing inside of it.


    Only forty completely blank pages.


    On some of them, there were small letters: ''To be continued'' printed on the lower-left corner.


    I took the magazine home.


    On the evening of the very same day, I suddenly remembered about it.


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    I decided to look through it again. The second inspection revealed one more strange thing. The magazine had a publication timestamp.


    12.04.2021


    I checked the current date using my phone.


    03.04.2021 (I''m not American, by the way)


    Yep.


    Turns out, the magazine was from the future.


    Just what is going on here?


    Either way, there was nothing else that I could do. I placed the magazine on that shelf of my table where all useless things go to.


    However, on the very next day, strange things began to happen...


    I received a call early in the morning. The voice from the phone told me that I''ve ''won a lottery, a million dollars and a trip to a tropical paradise''¡­


    I hate tropical climate and all of that sounded like some obvious fraud, so I politely refused.


    The person on the phone insisted.


    I hung up.


    Then, at noon, a courier came to my house. He told me that he had come to ''deliver my tickets''. I refused to take them. He just stood there in front of my door for a minute or so and only then left. After that, I found a blue ticked laying next to my door. I threw it in a dumpster.


    But it wasn''t over yet.


    Several days after I got a message from my landlord. He was driving me off.


    Well, I thought, time to search for a new house. First thing first, I had to check my bank account.


    It was blocked.


    Feeling terrified, I made a call to the bank. They told me that there had been a problem on their side and that they will fix everything as soon as possible, in a month or so¡­ And then, while I was trying to think of the right word to curse them, my printer suddenly started working...


    It printed a blue ticked.


    I froze.


    And for a good reason.


    My printer couldn''t print in color.


    Even a very skeptical person will start having doubts were he to be punched by a ghost.


    I felt pressed by reality itself to accept that ticket.


    Several days after, when I was gathering my stuff in preparation for the flight, once again I stumbled upon that magazine.


    I looked at it and froze.


    The clown on the cover was smiling. There was a red line drawn below his cap.


    Did he have that smile before? I couldn''t remember, and neither could I stop shivering.


    I took the magazine with me.


    The destination of my flight was a country that I have never heard of before. It was named Aozora. This country was to Japan akin to what Taiwan had been to China in my previous world, and I was sure that just several days before this country didn''t exist.


    What exactly was that place? I didn''t know. I felt like I was placed into a hellish nightmare.


    I was picked up at the airport by car.  I was so worried at that time that I could barely look at the city passing by in the window. It was a large, shiny Megalopolis. Just like Tokyo.


    And just like in Tokyo, all advertisements were written in Japanese.


    For some reason, I could read them all, even though I had never studied that language.


    I was placed in a hotel and told that I will get a room in a dorm on the first day of school.


    It was tomorrow.


    12 of April.


    And yes, the first day of ''school''. I had to go to school for some reason. Because I was an exchange student or something. Even my age in my passport has changed. I became a 15 years old boy.


    I had a sleepless night¡­


    Early in the morning, at 5.30, following instructions written on the note I was left with, I left my hotel and walked to a bus stop.


    Everything around me was passing by without attracting my attention. In the window of the bus, I could see little private houses passing one after another, showing off their trimmed lawns. Seems like that school of mine was located in the suburbs.


    The bus dropped me at the foot of a large hill. It has been tiring to ascend it, and that is why I''m feeling so exhausted right now. What''s more, after that I had to go to the roof of the school.


    I hoped that wind and sky would help me clear my mind...


    So.


    I''m tired, I had a sleepless night, and despite all of that, I felt wide awake.


    My heart was beating like crazy in my chest.


    I did try reading the magazine right at 00.00 on the 12th. Yet, I only saw the same blank pages.


    Horrible frustration washed over me back then.


    However, in the morning while I was standing at the bus stop I noticed a bookstall nearby.


    There were magazines quite like that one of mine behind the display. But what attracted my attention was a sign:


    ''Opening at 7.00''


    I suddenly had a wild guess.


    It was crazy, and yet I felt that there was some logic to it.


    Anyway, I had no other choice.


    Once again I looked at the blue of the sky.


    Then I checked the time on my phone.


    6.59¡­


    7.


    I took a deep breath.


    And opened the magazine on the first page¡­

 Clown

    Here we go¡­


    I took a deep breath and opened the magazine.


    I did it with a swift movement as if I was tearing off a medical plaster.


    The next second, I froze. Then, a bitter sense of disappointment engulfed me.


    Nothing has changed.


    The first page was as blank as ever.


    I tried looking at other pages, but all of them were the same.


    For the next minute, I was just staring into the void. Then, I suddenly felt tired. I haven''t slept for a day. My hope was the only thing keeping me on my feet. Now it has vanished, and so did all my remaining strength. Even the wind blowing in my face could not keep me awake anymore. Its silent whisper was nursing me into a dream.


    "...Whatever."


    I laid down on the concrete roof. It was a bit cold early in the morning, so I placed the magazine under the back of my head.


    I had been lying like that for some time when suddenly, I heard a voice ring by my ear:


    ''Hey, hey, I may be a 2D character, but that doesn''t mean that you use me as a pillow.''


    I stood up, anxiously searching for the talking person.


    There was no one on the roof.


    I clicked my tongue. I knew what had been the source of this voice. I just... could not believe that it was possible.


    ''I''m here, I''me here¡­''


    The voice was coming from the magazine... Carefully, I turned it to the front page. At first glance, it was looking the same. I wasn''t relaxing, however. I was ready for any sudden development.


    Suddenly, the clown dressed as a basketball player came to life. IT adjusted its cap and smiled at me. This thing had neither eyes nor face. Only wide white mouth with big red lips.


    ''Oh, thank you very pretty much! Almost died there, ya know? Not that it was actually possible. I am flat, after all! Glory to the 2D world!''


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    I was speechless. I could only stare at that... thing.


    ''Well-well. Keep your calm, boy. Being nervous is bad for your health. The main character is ought to be healthy. Oh, by the way, do you know what else the main character should do, in case he encounters some supernatural stuff? He will ask questions, of course! What is your first question? Make it a fastball!''


    It took me some time to calm down. Then, carefully, I tried to take a closer look at that Thing. The clown was smiling and rhythmically clapping his bat against the page of the magazine.


    I gulped and asked:


    "What are you?"


    Suddenly, the smile of the clown turned upside down. The corners of his lips were pointing downwards now. I felt cold inside of me. It lasted only for a second or so, though.


    ''Not a ''what'''', and once again he was smiling. ''But who! My name is Yuji, nice to make you an acquaintance¡­ As for my profession¡­''


    His smile became brighter.


    ''I am a simple mascot. Part-time a guide. Oh, and of course, I am but a humble slave of The Magazine, just like you are for the entire foreseeable future.''


    "The magazine?"


    ''Yes. THE MAGAZINE. This one,'' he said and pointed his bat at the title of the magazine above his head.


    He read it aloud:


    ''Shonen Booom! Does it ring any bells? The editor really had no shame making such a blunt copy!''


    "Editor?"


    ''Editor. Not gonna say anything about that guy. You''ll get to know him if you''ll ever be able to get to the last page¡­ I mean, if you''ll be able to survive until that moment, he-he-he¡­ It''s not so simple, boy!''


    I see.


    Well, with all the funny jokes this thing insists on inserting in every sentence, it''s quite a bother to keep asking him one question after another. So, I decided to ask him only one thing¡­


    ''Can you just tell me what the hell is going on?''


    ''Oh¡­ Finally, you think like you should, boy. And here I was desperate for you to already ask me for a full lengthy exposition¡­''


    The clown placed the bat on his shoulder and started swaying from right to left.


    ''Well¡­ From where we should begin¡­ The beginning is very important, you know? It is to hook the reader. So¡­ Have you ever read That king of magazines? With manga, about heroes? Once upon a time, there was one such magazine¡­


    It was quite shitty, and because of that, it was closed just after several issues. However, then ''something'' happened. Something unique. Something unimaginable. Oh, what exactly it was? Maybe some strange and powerful cosmic entity was among the avid readers of that magazine? Or maybe the big old G himself took a pity at this poor little thing. Whatever it was¡­ The magazine is anything but normal now. It''s alive, it''s a mad, crazy spirit, and you just happened to pick it up¡­ Haven''t anime taught you that picking up strange books is the definition of bad practice?


    Because of that, now you are the Main character. What does it mean? Well, turn it on the first page, carefully, and you will see...''


    The clown finished his speech. I, meanwhile, was still trying to comprehend all the information he gave me. Then, trying to be as careful as possible, I really did open the magazine on the first page.


    And for the first time, there was something besides whiteness on it.


    I saw nine blank lines.


    ''See the first line? We will have our first ''title'' here. The first story of yours. You are the main character, you know? The main character of the magazine and of all the stories inside of it. Got it?''


    ''Yeah¡­ I guess.''


    ''Not good. The main character is supposed to be an idiot''.


    ''¡­''


    ''Whatever. You''ll get there. As you can see, the world around you is not like it was before. Now it''s our setting, and that means¡­''

 Classroom

    ''Our setting, yes... Do you know what setting is? Well, in a way, It is an environment to cultivate stories. A greenhouse with its own set of rules, boy. And these rules are needed for stories in different genres to sprout. Oh, what genres you may ask? For our little world, the genres with mostly shonen readership. You know: romcom, adventure, sci-fi, giant robots, and fantasy¡­ Ever read something like that?''


    ''Maybe.''


    ''Good. And now you are the main character of such a story. I mean, of all the stories that we will have in this magazine. So, let me tell you some details about your task. First, you will have to throw a dice¡­


    That way you will choose the genre. Once it has been chosen, you will have to act accordingly. Like the main character of a story of that genre. If it will be a detective, you will have to do some crime-solving. Adventure? Buy a ticket and get on the plane: ancient ruins are waiting for you. The setting, the world around you has everything you will ever need for any kind of story. You will just have to dig into it. Gods, fantastic creatures, giant monsters, everything is to be found here. Your task is to simply: act.


    Again, solve crimes, if you are a detective. Or get into brawls, were it to be a story about fighting. Peek at girls in changing room. He-he! That one you will have to do regardless of what kind of story it is. Ecchi! Fanservice!


    ''I see¡­''


    ''You better do. From now on, you are an actor. If you will do everything the way a good main character should, you will earn points. You will be able to use them to buy stuff in The Shop¡­ Oh, about the shop¡­ Guess I''ll tell you later. Still too early for you.


    But you won''t only ever need points to buy stuff. You are required by the magazine to reach a particular score every month. If you won''t be able to achieve the settled goal in the provided time limit, the story will be AXED. If more than two stories meet that sorry fate, the magazine will also be canceled...''


    ''And then I will be able to go home?'' I asked in a sarcastic voice.


    ''Yeah, sure,''


    ''Rea¡­''


    ''In a coffin, maybe. If the magazine really will be canceled, we are f8cked.''


    ''¡­''


    ''Sorry. Can''t say swear words. The magazine is for kids, after all. See what happens when I try: B*tch, F8ck, ass*ole, ****** - can you guess what that one is? He-he.


    Well, did you get it?


    ''Yeah, I did.''


    To be honest, most of that stuff sounded like some madman''s ravings. I did, however, understand, how was it supposed to work. Mostly. I still had some questions remaining, but I felt that asking them will be a waste of time. You know, it''s like in games, when you feel confused as hell while reading the tutorial, but once the game actually starts and you try clicking here and there, you get the gist of it pretty fast.


    ''Good¡­'' the clown smiled.


    ''Then we better hurry. Today is your first day in a new school. What a way to start a story! It''s time to decide upon our first genre!''


    The clown stomped and then suddenly a great wheel appeared on the page he was standing on¡­


    That wheel was divided into sections. On each such section, there was a name of a genre stated: sport, comedy, detective, mystical story, horror¡­ Wait. What the hell is horror doing here?


    ''Why horror?''


    The clown, Yuji, smiled and clicked his fingers in a rubber glove.


    ''What? Are you, by chance, afraaaaid?''


    I answered in a dry voice:


    ''You said the magazine was for children. I don''t think horror is a kid''s genre.''


    ''Well, you see, boy. Just like I have already told you, once upon a time there really had been such a magazine. It was canceled, however. And maybe for a good reason, he-he-he¡­ Maybe our chief editor was a special person... If you know what I mean.''


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Huh.


    Well, I guess I do. I mean, all you need to know about that guy is that he thought that making a clown in a baseball suit a mascot of his magazine was a good idea.


    I was trying to check, what other genres there were on the wheel, but right at that moment Yuji shouted:


    ''Okay. It''s time!''


    He smashed the red button at the foot of the wheel with his bat. Something clicked, and then the wheel started moving. A little arrow appeared just below it. After several seconds, Yuji once again pressed the button with his foot in a glossy oversized shoe. The wheel froze. Then, before I could even read what section the arrow was pointing to, it vanished.


    In the place of the wheel, a big electric cloud appeared. Usually, they use that way of portraying text in manga to highlight its importance.


    ''School Romcom''


    ''Oh, lucky you,'' said Yuji.


    Romcom¡­


    Is there a smell of flowers in the air?..


    From what I can remember, that kind of anime has the following structure:


    First, a boy meets a girl. Something happens between them, and they have to get into some sort of relationship. They are forced to interact with each other for some reason. Any reason. Prearranged marriage they parents agreed upon while being drunk many years before, a magical exchange of bodies¡­ Or even something down to earth, like, for example, them having the same hobby and going to the same club.


    Well, not so bad.


    At least it isn''t horror.


    Even Yuji said:


    ''Congratulation'', and even tried to smile. What a scary smile he has, by the way.


    ''So,'' I asked. ''What should I do now?''


    ''Act! Of course. You are in school right now, remember? In such an environment, the relevant story will appear no matter what you do. The magazine will notify you, were it to detect some potential for a story. Until then¡­ Just go with the flow!''


    Just go with the flow? Ha¡­ I sighed and once again looked at the school''s yard. No one was there anymore. I looked up the time on my phone. Already 07.17. The classes began at 7.30. Yeah, it''s really time to go.


    I picked up the magazine.


    ''You can close me. Explaining to you all that stuff was such a bother. Go now, and soon there will be some action,'' said the clown and lay down on the page. His mouth vanished, and small letters "z" appeared just beside his face.


    I put the magazine into my pocket and then walked toward the staircase. I descended into a white and spacy hallway.


    School¡­


    Now that brings back some memories. Not really pleasant ones, to be honest.


    On the left side of me, there was a row of windows. Glimpses of the blue sky. On the right: the row of doors, each marked with a tag: A23, A22¡­ I walked toward the one that was written down in my note and then froze.


    I didn''t enter the classroom immediately. First, I tried to get some intel by looking through the glass inserted into the door. There, I saw desks and people. Suddenly, one of them also noticed me, and, feeling urgent, I immediately walked it.


    Children looked at me for a second, and then returned to doing their own stuff. Strange. I thought there will be a bigger commotion.


    Wait, now I remember.


    In the local system of education, the high school was a separate entity from the middle school and so the classes were assembled anew. What''s more, the academic year began in April, so today was the first day. No one yet knew each other. For them, I was just one more kid.


    Just standing beside the front door was dangerous. I walked into the classroom, making it look like I was trying to find a free desk. And soon, I actually started to search for it.


    I walked toward the one in the middle of the room, when suddenly...


    ''Hey! Here is the first opportunity for your acting!''


    I froze.


    ''Ha! Don''t worry, no one can hear me now. I am a 2D character, remember? I don''t have a voice¡­ So, let me give you some advice. See that place, on the back row by the window? Take it.''


    ¡­Okay. I walked to the desk the clown was talking about.


    Sat down.


    ''A real shonen hero always sits right there. On the back beside the window. Got it?


    +1 Point!''


    I was silent.


    I looked at my desk. It was brand new. Nothing inside the drawer, either¡­ Suddenly, some sort of anxiety washed me inside. I forgot my textbooks¡­ The fear didn''t last long, however, very soon turning into annoyance.


    I really hated school back then.


    It was silent in the classroom. Quite a rare sight. Usually, something like that is possible only at the beginning of the year.


    From the window, I could see a sports ground at the border of a green mountain forest. There was a little road leading inside of it. I was trying to follow it with my eyes to the source when suddenly the door opened, and a balding elderly man walked into the classroom.


    ''Good morning, dear pupils,'' said the man in a relaxed voice.


    ''Your teacher, Nozomi-sensei, sadly can''t be with you today because of some personal issues, so today you will have to bear with me, young sirs¡­''


    Children were listening to him silently. No one yet knew who was that Nozome-sensei, so no one was bothered by her absence¡­


    Besides me, of course.


    ...Isn''t that strange for a teacher to skip on his first day? What if it''s the first gist of the so-called story the clown was talking about?..


    Meanwhile, the elderly teacher after his introduction started to conduct a lesson. He was calling children out, one by one. They were standing up and telling their names, where they had been studying before, their hobbies¡­ All that stuff. The man was joking from time to time.


    He was quite a positive teacher.


    My classmates had Japanese, Chinese, and even English-sounding names. One girl told that her name was Alice Qin-Amano. My turn was also coming soon, I was already rehearsing in my head what I was about to say, when suddenly¡­


    ''Hey, hey! Attention!. A character with the potential to be a heroine of the story is getting closer!''


    Told me Yuji. And the very next second the door into the classroom opened with a bang¡­

 Heroine

    The door opened with a bang, and then a shout entered the classroom


    "Sorry for being late," and, after that,


    SHE walked in.


    She was a girl. 1.7x in height, I would say, though it is a far cry from a precise measurement. She was athletic and a bit curvy. She was wearing a baggy red tracksuit, and yet you could see that she had quite a large chest. However, the first thing everyone paid attention to once she entered was her face.


    Well, not exactly A face.


    Everything everyone was seeing was the paper bag the girl had on her head, with two holes made for the eyes.


    The girl in that strange mask of hers walked into the classroom. You could see the tips of her white hair flowing down from the bag. They were shining like snow under the sun. The girl looked at the teacher and said:


    ¡°I, well, sorry for being late, ha-ha¡­¡±


    And then there was silence.


    A grave one, I might add.


    The teacher, with a visible confusion on his face, opened his mouth agape. Then, after he somewhat calmed down, he looked at the other children and said with a smile:


    ¡°I guess we can presume¡­ That it was breakfast that prevented you from being on time?¡±


    And immediately everyone in the room roared with laughter. It was because there was letter M printed on the paper bag the girl had on her head. It was from MacDo¡­


    ''He-he-he¡­ Ho-ho-ho! Actually, it is WacDonalds,'' said the clown.


    And yes, he was right, for the moment after I noticed that the bag was upside down, so actually that was letter W.


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    WacDonalds¡­


    ''It''s better not to use real brands in manga. You can get sued for that, and that''s isn''t funny at all,'' added the clown in a suddenly very serious voice.


    ''Isn''t funny either way,'' I whispered while looking at the girl. She seemed embarrassed after the teacher''s joke, but only a bit. Meanwhile, she was stealing looks at the classroom. Suddenly, our eyes met, and for a second I was fazed by the deep blue of her pupils. It didn''t last long, however, and very soon the bag turned away from me.


    ¡°Well,¡± said the teacher.


    ¡°How about you show us your face as an apology for being late?¡±


    ¡°Can I¡­ not?¡± asked the girl in a quick voice.


    ¡°We can wear today whatever, right? Right?¡±


    Yes, she was right.


    I think there was a specific school uniform, - the note told me so, - but we had yet to receive it.


    Right now, I was dressed in jeans and a light sweater.


    ¡°Well,¡± said the teacher. ¡°It¡¯s true, however, unless there is a burger in that bag of yours, I would still like to see your face,'' his smile became severe.


    The girl hesitated. Finally, she said:


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    She took off her bag.


    Immediately, it became brighter in the classroom. The girl''s white hair was beautiful and shiny. She shocked her head. Her hair was messy, and yet she was very attractive. Just by looking at her face, I had a refreshing feeling in my heart.


    Everyone in the classroom became dazed.


    Meanwhile, the opened her blue eyes.


    ¡°Now this is better,¡± said the teacher.


    ¡°You can sit.¡±


    The girl walked into the classroom. By that time, there were three ownerless desks remaining. One of them was in the first row. The guy sitting nearby immediately smiled, but his smile soon lost its soul, for the girl walked farther without even looking at that place. Neither did she pay attention to the place in the middle row. In the end, she sat down by the desk just in front of mine.


    While doing all that stuff, the girl for some reason avoided looking at my face.


    Why?


    Is it the story Yuji has been blabbering about? Or maybe the reason lies in the peculiarities of the setting? And what exactly does it mean, that the girl has the potential to be the ''heroine'' of the story?


    There was no one to answer my thoughts. Once again, children started introducing themselves. There was still half of the class remaining. Trying to be silent, I opened the drawer inside of which I had placed the magazine.


    I wanted to research it more thoroughly. Yuji told me something about the shop¡­ Now I wished to see what was it all about.


    I opened the magazine on the first page. There, I saw a table of content:


    1. RomCom


    2. _____________________


    3. _____________________


    4. _____________________


    ...


    There were nine lines in total and only the first one was taken.


    I turned to the next page.


    And I finally saw something interesting. Some stats were written on that page. They reminded me of a novel''s page on an aggregator site. I lowered my head and started reading¡­

 Profile

    I was about to read the stuff that was written in the magazine when suddenly, an elderly voice addressed me:


    ''And who will you be, young man?''


    I raised my head and saw that the teacher was looking at me. I stood up. Immediately, I felt myself being engulfed by scrutinizing attention from everyone in the classroom.


    I said:


    ''Kyle, my name is Kyle Reed, and... I have nothing more to say about myself.''


    ''Well, if there''s nothing else¡­'' the teacher nodded and for the great relief of mine didn''t bother me anymore. And yet, someone else did. I heard a whisper from the right:


    ''Fu*king gaijin.''


    I turned to the right and saw a guy with glossy black hair. He was sitting with two of his friends. The trio laughed at the insult.


    The teacher didn''t hear anything, and neither did anyone else pay attention to it.


    I sat down. I didn''t hurry to look into the magazine again. The next one to introduce herself was that girl that had been paying attention to me for some reason. The one that the magazine proclaimed to be the heroine. I looked at her back and felt surprised. Was it just my imagination? It looked like she had been slightly shaking.


    The girl was silent. The teacher was about to call her out, but suddenly she stood up on her own and turned, and looked right into my eyes. And then she said in a voice so loud that it resonated through the entire classroom:


    "Kotori! My name is Murakami Kotori!"


    Then there was silence. Everyone, including me, was confused. The children were simply staring at us. I was afraid to imagine what exactly they were thinking about our relationship.


    ''Well, a good name for sure'', said the teacher with a dry smile. ''But you don''t have to shout it. Next...''


    The girl stood for some time and only several seconds after did she sit down. Meanwhile, I looked at the reflection of her face in the window. She was blushing. A red tint appeared on the transparent white cheek.


    I felt my heart shaking.


    What is going on? Do I know her? Well, if I do, that why can''t I remember anything about it?..


    Whatever.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    I sighed and once again turned my attention to the magazine.


    There, I saw a profile:


    [Score: 00001


    Story: 1


    Title: Locked. Opening cost ¨C 1 point


    Genre: RomCom


    Genre score: 1/19. 16h 15m untill the end of "Oneshot Ark"


    Annotation: Locked. Opening cost ¨C 4 points.


    Characters:


    Main:


    Main character ¨C you


    Main heroine: ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Side:


    ???


    ???]


    Now¡­ That was some interesting stuff.


    I had 1 point right now. Was that from that first mission I had accomplished? To sit down in the back row? Seems like it is.


    But what exactly is Genre score? I remember the clown telling me something about each story being required to reach a particular score before the end of the time duration for it to be considered a success.


    Or else¡­ I''ll be F*cked.


    I lowered my head.


    So, I could earn points by acting like the main character. Like I did by sitting at this desk.


    But what if I will use my points to buy stuff? I think my score will diffidently go down if I do that, but will the same thing happen to the score of the genre?


    Guess I should ask Yuji about it.


    For now, I could buy only the title of the story. Not so bad of a deal, in my humble opinion. These days Japanese put half of the synopsis into the title. ''I was reborn in a strange world and now an insane IT parody trying to make me into a low-paid actor? Maji desu ka?''¡­ But yeah, maybe I shouldn''t waste my points untill I will see the shop.


    The next page listed all my mission.


    The first one, about the desk, was already marked as "accomplished". There was a green circle around it.


    Then there was just a blank space.


    What now?


    Should I come up with some kind of behavior typical for the main characters? Missions, as far as I can remember, are nothing more than a showcase of what different actions will bring me.


    So, what should I do?


    No, rather than that, I should ask what the main character of romantic comedy is ought to do?


    I guess...


    He should get acquitted with the girl, at least. Became her friend¡­ Peek at her while she''ls undressing, so THAT kind of readers will be happy¡­ Once I thought about all these things, words started to appear on the page:


    [Missions:


    Get acquitted with a ''Heroine'' type character ¨C 5 points


    Became friends with the heroine ¨C 6 points


    Look at the heroine in underwear ¨C 16 pints/without ¨C 8 points]


    ¡­


    No comments.


    I had a hard time suppressing the urge to immediately throw the magazine away.


    Okay.


    Breath in, breath out.


    I stole a glance at the girl before me. At¡­ Kotori. She seemingly calmed down. Meanwhile, the teacher was still speaking¡­


    ''Also, today at noon you will be able to join any club there is in the school. Your own club you will only be able to make on your second year of education, so¡­''


    Nothing important.


    Once again I started scrolling through the magazine.


    They were white up until almost the very end. On page 44 there was a profile. Not of a story, but my own.


    [Main Character:


    Name: Kyle Reed


    Age: 15


    (Yeah, I really did became younger)


    Str: E


    End: E-


    Int: B+


    Special abilities: None]


    I looked all over that page. Endurance: E-, Intellect ¨C B+¡­ Not gonna lie, I have never considered myself a sporty type, and yet isn''t that is too low? What grades there are, anyway?


    Once I thought about that question, some letters appeared on page 43:


    F


    E ¡ª You are here.


    D


    C


    B


    A


    S


    X


    ?


    I nodded to myself and then, trying to be as sneaky as possible, I turned one more page. And at last the thing the clown had been bragging about appeared before me.


    SHOP.

 SHOP

    The word SHOP was written in capital letters at the top of the page.


    And below it, I saw... a catalog.


    This catalog had various items. All of them were portrayed by a picture of a clown doing this or that activity.


    Beside every picture, there was a text bubble with the description of the item.


    Well, now that was interesting.


    I started looking through the catalog.


    The first picture depicted a clown in large glasses. The name of the item was: ''Argus-eyed''¡­


    [You will be able to see profiles of other people.


    Price: 3 Points]


    Profiles? Like my own?


    Sounds useful. I definitely should buy that stuff later.


    The next item was more expensive. Looks like they were placed in the catalog in accordance with the price.


    [Perfect Disguise


    You will receive a special mask. While wearing it, you will appear to people around you as a perfectly average person. Your acquaintances will be able to recognize you if they enter a five-meter range around you.


    Price: 5P]


    Not so bad.


    The next item was more interesting.


    There were two clowns in the picture. One of them was evil-looking. A black cloud hung above his head. The other one was smiling. There was an arrowed line between them.


    [Relationship Gauge


    You will be able to see characters''s opinions of you.


    15P]


    It was expensive, but not as much as the next thing was.


    100 points! And what it was? The picture portrayed Yuji doing various activities. He was singing, dancing, playing chess, and tennis, and all of that at the same time...


    [Great Talent


    It will make you talented in any field of your choice


    100P]


    There was a lot of interesting stuff in the shop, but I had no time to check all of it. The lesson was coming to the end.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    I read about the last thing.


    [Mystery box


    The catch depends on your luck.


    50P]


    "¡­Is that a loot box?"


    "Actually, it''s a box with a surprise."


    Yuji corrected me.


    ''¡­''


    ''Know the difference!''


    ''...''


    There''s none.


    The teacher, meanwhile, was talking:


    "Now we have to choose the person who will take up the duty to clean the classroom after the last lesson of a day¡­ So, is there anyone found of manual labor here? Or shall we use a lottery to make that decision? Two people will be enough¡­"


    Cleaning the classroom¡­ I always hated all that bothersome stuff. But wait¡­ What if I¡­


    Suddenly, I had an idea. I raised my hand and said:


    "I can do it."


    Several pairs of eyes turned to me. However, I didn''t care about that. What really was important was that the back of that Kotori-girl once again shivered.


    From the very beginning, since she entered the classroom, the girl has been paying me very strange attention. I don''t know why, but something surely was going on. It felt as if she wanted to talk to me, yet there were too many people around. But here it is: our chance.


    We could have a private talk after the end of the lesson.


    She only had to raise he hand.


    Several seconds passed by. I was feeling nervous when the hand of the girl finally rose up.


    ''I wanna do it!'' said Murakami.


    ''Well, that''s good,'' nodded the teacher.


    I lowered my hand and sighed.


    ''Then from tomorrow onwards, it will be your duty to clean the room. Do we have a watering can for the flowers here? Well, if there isn''t one, you can ask for it in the teachers'' room.''


    ''Wait, tomorrow? We don''t have to do it today?'' I asked.


    ''No, why would you? It''s not like we managed to make a mess here in just a few minutes¡­ Well, so be it. Today being your first today, now that we decided on all the duties, you are free to go¡­'' said the teacher, and right after loud noise filled the classroom as people started to stand up from their desks. I stood up to, and so did Kotori.


    ''Just don''t forget to take your uniform from the wardrobe. It is on the first floor. And one more thing¡­ Those of you who had been assigned to the old dormitory ¨C you should visit class C-1. It is the teacher''s room, by the way. You will be given your keys there.''


    Old dormitory¡­ Wait, I remember something about it being written on my note¡­ I placed all my stuff ¨C phone and magazine ¨C into my pockets and then, with everyone else from the classroom, slowly left the room for the hallway.


    Then, as one very slow and bumpy crowd, we started sliding down the stairs to the first floor.


    In the hallway to the right, there was the wardrobe. To the left ¨C toilet. Several more steps and you will enter a large free space with several lockers for the shoes and finally, behind one more glassy door - freedom.


    I crawled out of the crowd. Other classes on the first floor were still loud with teachers'' voices. I started walking toward the door at the other end of the hallway labeled with C-1 sign.


    Suddenly, I heard steeps behind my back¡­


    I turned around and saw a white-haired girl in a red tracksuit.


    Murakami.


    Kotori.


    There was a distance of two steeps between us.


    Once I turned to her, the girl lowered her gaze.


    I gulped and walked further.


    Murakami also moved forward, and soon we were walking side by side.


    In the reflection of one of the glasses inserted into the doors, I saw that she was staring at me.


    Not a pleasant sensation.


    I''m not really fond of attention.


    Finally, we approached the teacher''s room. There was no light in that part of the hallway, so Murakami''s hair lost its luster.


    ''Are you also¡­ going there?'' I asked, just because there was an urge to say something in the air.


    The girl looked at me with her blue eyes¡­ They were sparkling. Then she suddenly made a very bright smile and said:


    ''Yep, so¡­ Neighbors we are, I guess?'' she stretched her hand to me. I shocked it right away, feeling the warmth and softness of her palm. I was lost in that sensation for a moment, and the smile of the girl became even brighter¡­


    Our hands separated.


    Murakami then knocked at the door:


    ''Can we go in?''


    Meanwhile¡­


    [Ring! Ring!


    Mission accomplished!


    5 Points!]

 Teacher

    ?1+5+6!?


    I have accomplished the first mission. Which one it was? Probably the one about getting to know the heroine.


    Murakami pushed the door open.


    "I¡­ I mean WE are going in!"


    The girl shouted and entered the room. I followed right behind her.


    It was bright inside. A normal teacher''s room appeared in front of me. Chairs and desks were around. There was plenty of various papers, folders, notebooks, pens, and other stuff stuffed on them¡­ Even a boiler and a cup.


    Apart from all that stuff that you can find in any office, I also saw personal belongings of the teachers: photos, toys, and a picture made by a child depicting his parents...


    Through the window, I could see the backyard of the school and the green bushes of the forest beyond it.


    Murakami approached the desk that was standing in front of the window. A woman was resting her hands on that desk and sleeping.


    She appeared to be in her twenties. Her face was beautiful and yet looked somewhat tired. Her hair was green and she wore it as a ponytail. It reminded me of a wire. A box of tomato juice was laying on the desk beside the woman.


    Suddenly, Murakami grasped that box and made a sip from it. Her cheeks reddened. She whispered to me:


    "It''s whisky!"


    Then she sipped again and added:


    "Malt one!"


    I nodded. Now that was interesting...


    A schoolgirl turned out to be a sommelier.


    And a teacher drank herself into a stupor.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Though, is it that surprising? I am not sure what can be considered normal in this world. A lot of crazy stuff happened to me today.


    "Hey¡­ Hey! Wake up."


    Murakami tried to wake up the woman. She succeeded. The teacher opened her eyes.


    "What do you want?.."


    "Hello! We were assigned for the dormitory, the old one, I mean."


    The woman frowned. She opened the drawer of her desk and started searching for something inside of it. At last, she found a pair of keys and placed them on the table. The keys made a loud noise. The woman winced because of it.


    "Thank you," said Murakami, while taking the keys.


    "So¡­ Where should we go?"


    I asked.


    "There¡­"


    The woman pointed toward the window behind her back. I squinted and saw there a path leading into the forest.


    "Okay!"


    Said Murakami, and we left the room.


    Once we walked into the hallway, the girl said:


    "By the way, that was our teacher.


    "Wanna know how I know that?''


    "There was a plate with her name on the desk: Nozomi.''


    I answered in a dry voice.


    "Oh, so you have noticed."


    Said Murakami. Together we walked to the other end of the hallway. There was a cloakroom there.


    The queue of people waiting to receive their uniforms has been reduced by half by that time. We waited for our turn and said our names to the woman who had been distributing clothes.


    No... Rather than that, Murakami said her name and then added:


    "And Kiryu, right?"


    For some reason, she looked at me anxiously at that moment.


    I was about to correct her, but the old woman had already left. In a few minutes, she came back with two bags in her hands. One of them was signed: ''Kiryu Reed''.


    Feeling a bit confused, I said:


    "Yeah¡­ Something like that."


    Then I shook my head.


    Whatever.


    I have never bothered to correct people who mispronounce my name. Probably a psychiatrist could make something out of my character by knowing that.


    Murakami smiled.


    Then we walked out of the building to the courtyard. Other children were leaving their classrooms at that time. We managed to be just in time to avoid getting squashed by a crowd.


    "Lucky us," said Murakami. She told me something about getting her bike and left.


    I was left standing on the stairs of the school.


    Other children were passing me by. They were leaving.


    There were no more classes today. Instead of that, different clubs of the school will start drafting new members around noon.


    ''¡­''


    My gaze shifted to the sky.


    So¡­ What should I do?


    Obviously, I wanted to get back to my world. But how exactly can I do that?


    Well, I guess the first step is to avoid getting killed by the magazine¡­ I need to get some footing in this world. And to do that, I have no choice but to play the crazy game described by the clown.


    I was the main character and that girl, Murakami, was the heroine¡­ A character with the potential to become a heroine, I mean¡­


    I guess I should think about some stuff that we ought to do together. I need to come up with a story suitable for the rom-com genre¡­


    Hm...

 YOU. WILL. DIE

    "Let''s go!" said Murakami. She has returned. There was a red bicycle in her hands.


    I winced.


    To tell you the truth, I''m not good with that overly active breed of people.


    "Wanna have a ride?" the girl asked.


    "No, maybe later, I mean."


    "Okay," she said, and once again there was silence between us. We went around the school, silently. Entered the backyard ¡ª yep, still that silence. We walked through a desolate field, surrounded by a lousy fence, and entered the path leading into the depths of the forest.


    And, at last, there was some change in the air around us once we made our first steps into the shadows of the trees. It was the silence that changed. Before it felt dry and awkward; now, it became soft and relaxing. It was full of the forest now, of its smells, and the sun shining through the greenery.


    Even the soft crunch the wheels of the bike were making by their connection to the sandy road wasn''t disturbing; rather than that, it felt complementary to the serene mood around us.


    Murakami was making a soft smile. Leaves were shivering above her head. Suddenly, I found myself staring at the girl, and right at that moment she said:


    "Here it is."


    I stopped.


    A small wooden structure was in front of us. It was visibly renovated and yet still visibly old. Murakami approached the door of that house and read aloud from the plate on it:


    ''Dormitory 7''


    "Very original title," commented the girl.


    She started searching for the keys in her pockets. Meanwhile, I walked around the house.


    There was a small structure attached to it on the other side with another door leading into it. I had been staring at that door when Murakami walked over.


    "So that''s what the second key is for¡­" said the girl and opened the door.


    It was a storeroom. A lightbulb was hanging on a wire from the ceiling. I found a switch on the wall and tried turning it on ¡ª to no avail. Then, I used my phone to bring some light into that place. A great variety of instruments was lying around the room: keys, hammers, nails¡­ There was an old lawnmower in the corner.


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    "Oh, now that''s good stuff," said Murakami.


    "I can use this stuff to fix the bike."


    "Good for you..."


    We walked back to the main entrance and went into the dorm.


    Inside, the house turned out to be a long hallway with two doors on the left and two doors on the right. At the very end of the hallway, there was a hall with an old TV. Murakami tried turning it on.


    Yeah, it works.


    I checked the second room on the left side of the hallway. It was barren. A futon was the only piece of furniture inside. There wasn''t even a wardrobe to hang your clothes.


    "Same here," said Murakami while checking the other room on the left side. How do I know that? I heard her voice coming through the wall.


    "Oh, the walls are thin," added the girl and started knocking on the wall. I placed my hand on it and felt vibrations made by her fist.


    "I''m taking that room, okay?"


    She asked.


    "Sure."


    I put the bag with my uniform on the floor.


    Then, I looked through the window.


    There was a forest outside.


    I sat down on the futon and fell into thoughts.


    So¡­


    So.


    Quite a lot of stuff has happened in the span of the last¡­ Forty minutes. It wasn''t long ago that I was completely in the dark about the situation around me; now, I have made some progress...


    Even though all of it was just insane.


    I stared at the ceiling for a minute. Then, I forced myself to get up.


    I put out the magazine and checked whether anything has changed in it.


    It did.


    I have accomplished my first mission. My Score went from 1 to 6 Points. There were only two tasks remaining.


    To become friends with the girl...


    And to look at her in underwear for 16p¡­ Or without it for 8.


    I whispered:


    "Shouldn''t it be the other way around?"


    "No!" shouted Yuji in a mocking voice.


    He appeared on the page that I was looking at.


    "You''re doing well, boy. But a lill'' bit too slow."


    Yuji pointed with his bat at the Genre score.


    6/19.


    Suddenly, I remembered the question I had been wishing to ask the clown for a long time now. I asked whether my Genre Score can go down.


    Yuji reassured me that it can''t.


    To buy stuff in the shop, my General Score is used.


    The Genre Score is just a bar that I need to fill. It can''t go down.


    That''s good¡­


    "By the way, don''t forget that you only have 16 hours before the end of the One-shot ark. You have to reach the required score before the end of that time or else¡­ He-he¡­ Well, you know the drill."


    16 Hours?


    I felt worried and looked through the missions that I had. There were only three of them. The one about becoming friends will grant me 6 points. Then, I will have 12p.


    That''s still too low.


    I tried coming up with another mission.


    After all, the mission bar wasn''t static. The bar was an indicator showing how I will be rewarded for this or that action. In other words, any activity that is suitable for the main character that I can think of will appear on this page as a mission.


    So¡­


    What should characters in a Rom-Com story do? Go on a date? Should we try meeting with each other''s parents? I tried thinking of different stuff, but the magazine wasn''t reacting for some reason.


    Why?


    "That''s simple, boy. You see, right now we have a One-shot ark. That means that only activities suitable for the very first chapter of the story will do. And, to be honest, I doubt that you can think of anything else other than what you have already come up with. Good job here, by the way¡­"


    There wasn''t anything else?


    "Wait¡­ That means that if I won''t be able to look at her in underwear in 16 hours, then I will¡­"


    "Yes!"


    Clow smiled.


    "You. Will. DIE!"

 RC

    I ran out of my room into the hallway, slowing down for a bit when the door of Murakami''s room appeared to my right, and, once my foot connected with the dirt of the street, once again speeding up with all my strength.


    I went around the building and forced my way into the storeroom. There was no light, and yet I had no trouble finding the THING I was looking for.


    The hammer...


    ...To find nails was a much more difficult task, and when I finally found some, I tried to take them so carelessly that I pricked myself and all the nails fell to the ground into the darkness¡­ It wasn''t a pleasant experience trying to find them with no light at all. It took me some time, so, while running out again, the pressure of the time limit felt even stronger pressing me on my back.


    It was very hard for me to again slow down once I was in the hallway. Trying to be very stealthy, I returned to my room and sighed.


    So...


    Once again, I went over the plan I had in my head.


    We had been just given the uniform ¡ª mine was lying in the corner, still untouched. But that''s because I am a man. I don''t really care about clothes. But. What will a young girl do just after receiving a new dress? Just my assumption, of course, but I think she will be trying it on.


    I placed my ear to the wall. The was some noise coming from the other side. Yes, I was right! She was undressing right now. And maybe she is so occupied by that new dress, that she won''t notice a little bit of noise I was about to make. So¡­ Let''s go. I placed the nail on the wall and aimed for it with the hammer¡­


    But then I thought some more and slowed down. She might, after all, notice something if I will be too loud. Well... Then I have to do it quietly. Oh, there is one way I can go on about it.


    I need something soft that will absorb the sound¡­ But what? There''s nothing in that room apart from¡­


    I know.


    I have taken off my pants and placed them on the wall. Now, them being soft and all, they will absorb most of the sound and vibration, if I were to pierce a hole in the wall through them.


    At last, the moment of truth has come. I hit the nail with the hammer. Yes! It works! Almost no sound at all! Now, I just have to make a little hole and peek inside¡­ I was about to hit it again, when suddenly...


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    The door opened.


    "Hey, what do you¡­ Think¡­ ck¡­"


    I turned my eyes to the doorway.


    There was a girl standing there, staring at me with her eyes open wide.


    Well, I guess it is high time to describe the uniform Murakami had been wearing.


    It consisted of a blue jacket, a white shirt, and a blue-green checkered skirt.


    To answer her question, I thought it looked very well.


    Murakami blinked.


    I felt cold bellow my waist. Well, of course. I was in my underwear right now.


    "I¡­"


    "I''m hammering a nail. For a picture. I mean to make a hanger," I said immediately.


    Murakami closed her mouth.


    Then she smiled.


    "Great idea!"


    "Yeah¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "Good luck!" the girl shouted and immediately shut the door.


    Once again I was all alone in my room. I lowered the hammer and made a deep sigh. Had I been a smoker, I would have been smoking right now. All of that was¡­ Just¡­ I couldn''t even grasp the word that I wished to say.


    And suddenly¡­


    Ring!


    ''Mission accomplished!''


    I froze. Then, feeling surprised as hell, I opened the magazine. There I saw on the second page that I had 22 points. And my genre score also went up. Now it was 16/16. Feeling relieved and confused at the same time, I lowered the magazine and started to think.


    What the hell just happened?


    Did I accomplish the mission? But how? I could swear, Murakami was dressed when she opened the door. Maybe she was without her underwear? No. Points don''t match. Oh well, guess I just can check in the mission tab.


    And so I did¡­


    [Look at the heroine in underwear ¡ª Done


    Reward: 16 points]


    "Seriously?"


    "YES!" suddenly the clown shouted from the page. "You had been in your underwear, yes? Mission accomplished!"


    "¡­"


    "What? Have you forgotten what our genre is right now? It is romantic COMEDY!"


    ¡­Let''s just say that I wasn''t laughing.


    Instead, I put on my pants. Well, I mean I tried to, but they were nailed to the wall. Oh, whatever. My gaze shifted to the bag with the uniform. I put it out. It was colored the same way Murakami''s skirt was. Also blue and green. The trousers were quite comfortable, by the way.


    Then, after I calmed down a bit, I asked Yuji several questions. He told me, that if I actually saw the girl in her underwear ¡ª or without ¡ª I would still have accomplished my mission. It is a ROMANTIC comedy after all. Well, thinking about it now, all of it turned pretty well. It''s better to be seen as a weirdo than a creep.


    Oh, and if I could get points just for being funny, maybe I should buy a joke book?


    Now, I had 22 points. I was still quite poor, and yet it was at the very least something. Time to make a purchase.


    I put my finger on the Annotation of the story priced 4 points. Immediately, the number 22 turned into 18, and also the following line appeared:


    [Annotation will be available upon the competition of the first Ark (or One-shot)]


    ¡­


    Well. There were still about 15 hours before the end of One-shot. It''s funny how just several minutes before I wished the time to slow down, and now I couldn''t help but wish for it to hurry.


    Seems like in the evening I will be able to see what exactly kind of story I managed to get myself into. But before that, I still had 18 points. Well, time to waste them as well.


    I started turning pages until I saw the SHOP word¡­

 META-modifier

    I scrolled through the magazine until I saw the page with the SHOP word on it. The last time I was looking over the catalog, I had limited time, so I couldn''t read the description of every item on it.


    Now, however, I was about to do exactly that.


    And right away my sight fell on the picture of a clown shooting at his own face with a shotgun.


    [Edgy mod


    One minute ¨C 70p


    Three minutes ¡ª 50p


    Ten minutes ¡ª 25p]


    What a strange distribution.


    I read the description of the item.


    [Every time the Edgy-mod is activated, the mortality level around the Main Character will increase by 80%. A total bloodbath will follow. Please, be careful!]


    Oh, so that''s how it is.


    Then Yuji explained to me, why exactly the more time of mod-usage I buy, the less expensive it will be.


    "Oh, that''s very very simple. This thing works on you as well, boy. Got it? If you turn it on for a minute, to kill a bad guy, for example¡­ By the way, usually, you can''t kill anyone. That will get you a great penalty. Because main characters don''t kill¡­ However, with edgy-mod on, you can do that and more and even will be rewarded for your atrocities¡­ And yet, you can imagine what will happen, if, for 10 minutes straight, you will stay in a sure-death zone, right?"


    Yes, I can. In such a case I will be the one to surely die.


    Oh well. I hope I will never have to buy this thing. Killing someone¡­ Whatever, I don''t want to deal with it now. I don''t want to deal with it ever, to be honest.


    Apart from the edgy-mod there was one more very interesting and very tempting thing placed right at the very end of the catalog. The price of it was 500 points. Just insane. That thing was titled META-modifier and there were also several variations of it.


    Not all of them were so expensive, though. Only the first one, the META-modifier of setting was selling for 500. Meanwhile, the least expensive one, the META-modifier of items, you could buy just for a 100¡­ Well, maybe JUST isn''t the right word. I still couldn''t even dream of buying it with my current funds.


    Even though the thing surely was worth it. The picture displayed the clown with a pen in his rubbery hands. The description was following:


    [META-modifier allows the main character to change some aspects of the story, such as the world around him, the progression of the storyline, character''s characteristics, or item''s stats¡­]


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "A good main character defines the story around him! Or her!" commented the clown.


    And he was right.


    Yet this thing still was pretty far from what I could afford.


    For now¡­ I think I should buy that Argus''s-eyed stuff. Seeing profiles of other characters¡­ People I mean, it''s awkward to call them ''characters'' sounded like a very useful thing.


    So, the decision is made. How do I confirm my purchase, then? I tried pressing my finger on the picture of the item. Nothing. Touching the price tag also doesn''t do anything. Suddenly, I heard a very unpleasant laugh:


    "He-he¡­ Kids these days, you just go crazy with all these IPhones of yours!"


    I made a bitter smile and then tensed up when suddenly Yuji raised his hand and clicked his fingers. A cloud appeared above his head with a ''CLICK!'' word written on it. Then I felt like some electricity passed through my body and into my eyes.


    What a strange sensation. It was as if a new muscle, that I was free to utilize, appeared in my eyeballs.


    (22-3=19)


    Okay¡­ What''s next? Maybe I should try that new ability of mine? But there''s only Murakami around and it is awkward to see her now¡­ By the way. I should become friends with that girl. But what exactly ''friendship'' is?


    Guess there''s only one way to know. I bought the Relationship gauge.


    (19-15=3)


    This time, there were no funny feelings. Just on the page of the magazine, the one where all the characters were listed, a number appeared to the right of Murakami''s name:


    [Characters:


    Murakami Kotori: 76 (Great affection)]


    Wait, what?


    Great affection?


    Why?


    And 76¡­ Isn''t that is pretty high? But we have only just met each other¡­ Through, thinking about it now, it was strange how the girl had been staring at me in the classroom. As if she knew me somehow. But how could she? It was impossible¡­


    "Maybe if she haven''t seen me without my pants on, the number would have been even higher¡­"


    "He-he¡­"


    "What?"


    "Before she saw you WITHOUT your pants, it was 73¡­"


    "¡­"


    Okay, so to become friends with her, I should somehow raise that number.


    I''ll try.


    And, at last, there was one more thing that I wished to do.


    I scrolled the pages until the very last one. However, there was nothing after page 47¡­


    Wait, what?


    I checked the Table of Contents, and yes, I was right, there should have been 48 pages in total. But why, then, I couldn''t find page 48?


    I asked the clown about it:


    "What? The very last mysterious page? I know nothing about it!"


    ¡­He''s playing dumb, isn''t he?


    Okay, seems like for now, I have no way to solve that mystery.


    I put the magazine away and made a sigh.


    Once again I felt somewhat sleepy. Well, of course. How much sleep did I have today? Whatever, I need to rest.


    I lay down on the futon.


    From my position, I could the blue line of the sky in the window, stretching just below the green crows of the trees hanging upside down.


    Sometimes you are so tired that you just can''t make yourself fall asleep. The feeling of being tired itself distracts you from that¡­ It took me some time until the sweetness of a dream filled my brain¡­


    ¡­


    Knock! Knock!


    I woke up when someone knocked at the door of my room. Well, at least now she was knocking.


    There was Murakami standing outside of the door in her red tracksuit.


    "Hey, it''s time already? Gonna choose the club¡­ Shall we go together?" she asked in a voice so fast that my sleepy mind only ten seconds later managed to grasp the meaning of her words.


    "No, maybe later," I answered on instinct, and immediately regretted my decision. It could have been a great opportunity to become more friendly with her¡­ Oh, whatever. I''m still a bit sleepy and today''s load is already over.


    "Okay then¡­ See ya!" said the girl and left into the hallway.


    I was right about to return to my bed, when suddenly¡­


    "Ring! Ring! Time to decide on the second genre, hero!"

 Childhood Friend

    Everything happened so suddenly that I jumped just like after being hurt by fire. No, rather than that, I felt as if an electric wire was connected with my heart, and electricity came through it. The cloud of dream that was still shrouding my head was torn into pieces¡­


    Second genre¡­ Yes, of course. Because just one surely wasn''t enough to deal with.


    While I was trying to calm down, the wheel once again appeared on the page. The smiling clown stood just before it.


    "Oh, it is high time," he said. "Have you ever heard of a magazine that started publishing with just ONE story? No, that''s pathetic. We ought to diversify our lineup."


    Diversify¡­


    Ha¡­


    Guess there''s no choice for me to make there.


    Thinking about it now, it was my own mistake to believe that I had even a little bit of time before the advent of the second genre. I mean, it would have been logical that while the time limit to my first story is still going on, I should be safe, but¡­ It was quite naive of me to think that the world around me still adheres to the rules of logic.


    "Well? Shall we get on with it?" the clown said and suddenly smashed the red button on the foot of the wheel with his bat. The wheel started spinning. It was doing that for several seconds until Yuji smashed the button again and¡­ Here it is.


    I looked at the section the arrow was pointing to. Yet, I didn''t have time to read the words written inside of it before the wheel vanished and they were presented to me in a more fashionable way.


    A word was written with big letters on a blue board:


    ''SpoCon''


    ¡­Suddenly, I felt sick.


    "Hurray!" shouted Yuji.


    SpoCon is the word used for manga about sport in Japan. The most common tropes of this genre are: hopes and dreams, friends, usually presented as the main character''s teammates, and the mad strive to take first place on some very important tournament.


    So¡­ All that is alien to me.


    To be honest, I hate sport.


    Well¡­ Maybe there is a way around it? Maybe chess will do? Though it''s not like I''m a very good chess player¡­ How about checkers?


    I scrolled through the pages of the magazine and stopped on the page with the profile of the second story. Just like with the first one, the Title and Annotation were locked. The genre score was 0/9.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    My sight shifted to the empty space of the mission bar.


    Well¡­ What can I come up with? I guess I need to enter some sports club¡­ Yeah, that''s it. Once I thought about it, such a mission really did appear:


    [Join a club: 3 points + Beginner''s pack]


    Beginner''s pack?


    What''s that?


    Whatever. Just this one mission wasn''t enough to fill the required Genre Score. I tried coming up with something else, and yet, to no avail.


    Then I remembered that I should hurry and stood up. Should I take the jacket from the bag? Nah, no time for it. I put the magazine into the pocket of my trousers and ran into the hallway, and then across it into the street.


    I breathed some fresh air and ran toward the road. There, I saw Murakami walking. Good, she hasn''t gone too far away yet. The girl turned and looked at me. Her gaze was somewhat surprised, at first, but then she immediately smiled when I approached her.


    "I decided to go now," I said to her.


    "Okay," the girl simply nodded.


    And so, we started walking together, side by side. Everything around us was calm and silent. Only leaves were shivering above my head, dripping bits of the sun on the sandy road.


    Different thoughts were flickering inside my head. I looked at Murakami with the corner of my eyes. The girl was walking by my side, maybe a bit too close... Her white hair was hanging to her back, and her face was open and fresh.


    I''ve made a deep sigh and activated my new muscle. Argus-eyed.


    And right away a translucent board appeared before my eyes. As if I put on augmented reality glasses.


    Following things were written on that board:


    [Height: 1.71m


    Strength: D+


    Endurance: D+


    Intellect: A+


    Character type: Heroine


    Secondary type: Childhood friend.


    Favorite color: Sky blue


    Favorite band: Queen


    Favorite movie: La danza de la realidad


    84:57:83]


    ¡­


    ¡­Childhood friend?


    What?


    What does it mean?


    I mean¡­ I only saw Murakami today for the first time, I''m sure of it, but¡­ Maybe the magazine altered my past..? I have to investigate¡­ All of it.


    As for the other information¡­


    I won''t comment on the strength and other ''physical'' attributes. I have never been an athletic person, so the difference between me and that girl is given. But her Intellect, well¡­ It was surprising to learn that she was smarter than me. I mean, I''m not a snobbish person, I just pretend that I am from time to time to annoy people, and yet¡­ Oh, whatever. I sound like I''m really bitter about it.


    I''m not.


    ...As for these numbers:


    84:57:83


    I wasn''t sure what they meant. Wait¡­ There are some letters above them: B, W¡­ Oh, I see. That''s what it is.


    Bust, Waist, and Hips. In centimeters. I nodded to myself and the very next second Murakami suddenly started talking without turning her eyes to me:


    "It''s¡­ A bit awkward when someone stares at you while being silent¡­ Not that I mind by the way!"


    I came to my senses. Thinking about it now, I really had been staring at her for about a minute.


    How awkward.


    I turned away and tried to explain myself with the very first thing that came to my mind:


    "I¡­ Thought that I''ve seen you before. So I was just trying to remember where it was."


    The girl froze. Then she nodded, ¡ª oh, that''s how it is, ¡ª and was about to ask me something, but I answered her question in advance:


    "Just my mistake. I don''t think we have ever met before."


    "Well¡­ Everyone do mistakes," said Murakami and lowered her head.


    "Maybe you will remember later¡­ If we really did meet before, I mean," suddenly she said.


    "Maybe¡­" I nodded and then I heard a noise coming further from the road. I speed up and soon I saw the end of the road, the sports field, and the school''s yard just behind it. It wasn''t as desolate as when we were going across it for the first time. Now, there was an entire sea of children walking around and talking with each other and shouting something from behind different stands.


    We were standing on the shore of that mighty ocean.


    I breathed in and went right into it.


    It was time to make a choice.


    What sport should I choose?..

 Clubs

    "So I was thinking that maybe I should join the baseball team¡­ But you know, it''s kind of scary. I heard that the very first friendly match they have will be against one of the Galactic Lords of Baseball. Our guys are dead meat."


    "Well, still it isn''t as bad as the situation around our rugby team. In this year''s rugby championship there will be some real monsters participating. Every team is just insane. People call them the ''Silver Generation''¡­ Every team except ours, I mean. Our guys are known as the eternal losers."


    "Yeah, that''s true. There was that one rumor that Showa academy has hired American players and put them on steroids. During their first friendly match, they managed to send half of the enemy team to the hospital!"


    "I¡­ I think I gonna join the chess club¡­"


    "Don''t even think about it! In this year''s chess championship there will be ''Dark King Yama'' participating. He hasn''t lost even one piece while playing at the middle-school level. One guy even got a heart attack while playing against him. On the first turn!.."


    ¡­


    I was walking here and there, looking at stands of different clubs sprouting up in my way. And also listening to the people talking around me.


    Funny how in Asian countries people often give athletes some very insane nicknames. I mean, something like that happens in my country as well, but we usually restrain ourselves so there will be no battle of Gods happening between middle school teams.


    And yet¡­ Apart from the ridiculous names, there were also some ridiculous feats mentioned.


    They put me on guard.


    I mean, did that Yama-guy really give someone a heart attack? It would have been impossible in my previous world but in this one¡­


    Well, from what Yuji told me, I knew that the ''setting'' around me was far from normal. It was made in such a way so it will be able to generate all the stories that typically appear in anime and manga. And that means all the people around me were capable of supernatural feats. That the extent of human abilities in this world was greater here than in my own.


    And it was¡­ Really bad.


    Because despite whatever the clown was saying, this world wasn''t just a story. It was real. And what will happen if in the real world there will be monsters? If a strike of a baseball bat could send a ball into clouds?


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    What if a story, typically found and anime and manga, will happen in the real world?


    Nothing good will come out of it.


    Because in the real world there''s no plot armor to save the main character.


    I mean, there is one, but it costs 30 points.


    Plain robbery.


    Anyway, going for any "real" sport will be dangerous. Guess I really should set on either chess, checkers, shogi, Go or¡­


    "Sumo!"


    "No," I said and gazed at Murakami. We were standing outside of the crowd, our backs resting on the fence of the sports field. The white-haired girl was following me while I had been walking between the stands, like some sort of evil spirit, and now, when I decided to take a break, she joined me in the rest as well.


    "Women aren''t allowed to do Sumo," I said.


    "Then I can pretend to be a boy," she said and smiled.


    "¡­"


    "Let''s join the same club. That way we will be able to train with each other. Really convenient. Because we neighbors, I mean," she said. I noticed some red tint on the white of her cheeks. And then I suddenly imagined us doing sumo training and felt awkward as well¡­ Somewhat I was sure that the girl will be able to best me.


    "What about boxing! Jab, jab, jab!"


    Murakami made several jabs. Her fist was flashing like lighting before my eyes. So that what ''Str D+'' is¡­ This world is really dangerous.


    "Jab!"


    Suddenly, Murakami made a turn and stretched her fist toward my face. She didn''t punch me, stopping her hand several centimeters before my nose, and yet I still jumped away on the instinct¡­ Making the back of my head collide with the fence.


    "Oh¡­ S-sorry¡­" the girl lowered her head.


    "It''s okay," I said, feeling really annoyed.


    "Let''s go¡­ Time to find something already¡­"


    "Okay!"


    Once again, we entered the crowd. And right away I walked to the right, toward the stand on which a basket and a ball were drawn. There were several girls standing behind that stand. They noticed Murakami and her height and immediately their eyes started sparkling. They ran toward the girl and surrounded her.


    "Sorry, I''m not¡­ I mean¡­ I''m really¡­"


    Meanwhile, while that bunch occupied her, I started running away. Only when a tight crowd appeared between us did I allow myself to relax.


    Okay, now that I dealt with that distraction, it was time to start working on the main task.


    It might appear strange that I was avoiding the girl that I was supposed to get friendly with, but there was a reason for that.


    Apart from her being somewhat annoying.


    The problem is that she was a bit too friendly with me. I mean that''s given. We were ''childhood friends''. And yet I knew nothing about that childhood. So, to avoid being exposed as a fraud, I decided that I should be a little bit restrained with Murakami. I should appear cold, and aloof, and passive. So¡­ The way I usually am, I guess.


    What''s more, if we will become too friendly too fast, then there will be no story to develop. No Points to earn. And that also was no good.


    Yeah, that should be right¡­


    I was walking through the crowd while thinking about all that stuff when suddenly, I saw a little stand with almost no people around it. There were several onlookers, but no one of them was trying to sign up for whatever club it was.


    I walked toward that stand.


    It was just a simple table. There was a Sakura tree growing nearby, and in the shade of it, there was a boy in white clothes swinging a wooden sword¡­

 Gaijin

    So that''s what it is.


    It was a Kendo club.


    The famous sport doing which people beat each other with wooden sticks.


    But that was strange.


    Shouldn''t there be many people applying for that club?


    I mean, fighting with swords has always been popular. Why, then, no one is trying to apply?


    I was wondering about that when suddenly I noticed that there was an arm splint on the hand of the sword-wielding boy.


    ...So that''s what was the problem. I see. All the other clubs were already quite scary. And in this one, the only representative was a cripple. So of course no one was trying to get in. There couldn''t be a worse advertisement than that. What''s more, the boy himself with his head full of messy red hair looked hard to approach.


    Soon, all the onlookers started to leave.


    At that moment I saw desperation appear in the eyes of the swordsmen. He tried to swing his wooden stick even faster ¡ª it was making quite a sound ¡ª and yet it was of no use. People were leaving. I was also about to go away when suddenly¡­ I had a thought.


    All this time I was trying to find something as safe as possible. Well, of course I did. But maybe I was mistaken in that approach of mine? What if I should have been doing just the opposite?


    No matter how scary a sport can be, I doubt that it will kill me. But something else can do it. I saw fantasy, horror, and even battle-shonen on the Wheel of Genres. All of that was dangerous as hell. Maybe before I get myself into all that stuff, I should try to prepare? By training, for example.


    With a sword.


    That way I will be more ready for the future.


    Yes, that''s right. I clicked my tongue. The more I was thinking about it, the more correct this decision appeared to me.


    It was logical. Scary, but logical.


    After mulling over it some more, I breathed in and walked forward.


    A saying appeared in my mind:


    ...You should work for the sake of your future. Passivity leads to death.


    People around me gasped. They were surprised that someone finally tried to apply. They were looking at me the way you look at an insane person.


    The red-haired guy didn''t notice my approach. He was completely absorbed in swinging his sword. I coughed to attract his attention, and only then did he gaze at me.


    I asked:


    "Can I apply?"


    Once again, the people around gasped.


    The red-haired person also seemed surprised, but very soon a smile was plastered on his shocked face.


    "Yes¡­ Yes, of course, you can¡­ Wait, I¡­ Just let me¡­" he lowered the sword he was holding with one hand and placed it on the table. Then, he took an application list and passed it to me. The list turned out to be almost completely empty. I wrote down my name on the first line.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    After I gave the list back, the guy, Takeshi Toma ¨C his name also had been written there ¡ª smiled at it as if it was some sort of a treasure.


    "Welcome," he said and stretched to me his sweaty hand. I was about to shake it when suddenly, a voice full of contempt sounded behind my back:


    "What the hell are you doing here¡­ Gaijin?"


    That voice was familiar. I turned and saw the guy who had been cursing me in the classroom. His friends also were here, with him.


    The guy with shiny black hair walked toward me and Takeshi. There were two of his friends with him. Other children immediately made a way once they approached, to the great delight of that group. They smiled, visibly enjoying their power. Then the leader of that group, the only one with a height comparable to mine, looked at me and said:


    "What are you doing here, gaijin? It''s our sport. F*ck off."


    His eyes were full of contempt.


    I silently looked around. There were no teachers nearby, though I doubt any one of them could provide any help. The same could be said about other pupils. Just like back in the classroom, they were pretending that nothing bad was going on. Several of them were even smiling, enjoying the show, it seems.


    "So? Why are you still standing here?"


    "F*ck off!"


    The trio still was trying to drive me away.


    I looked at them calmly. Really now¡­ I don''t like getting into that sort of situations. Of course, I wasn''t going to just walk away. However, neither could I fight them. They were provoking me, trying to make me the first one to punch, so that way they feel free to beat me up¡­


    When people are trying to make you angry, the only right approach is to ignore them.


    I turned away and asked the red-haired guy, who also was looking somewhat tense:


    "So, where is the clubroom?"


    Once again, some surprised voices sounded from the crowd.


    The guy with glossy hair and his friends weren''t expecting me to simply ignore them. First, they were surprised. Then, they started to get angry. The leader of the group tried to put me on fire with his fiery gaze ¡ª to no success.


    Seeing that I wasn''t going to do anything, he changed his target, shifting his gaze toward the swordsmen.


    The glossy haired guy looked away and started talking, seemingly just voicing his thoughts, but actually talking to the crowd:


    "Whatever, what else could you expect from THAT club. During the last year''s competition, they were almost beaten to death. Almost everyone quit after that. Now they just letting anyone in to fill up numbers."


    Takeshi lowered his head. The guy with glossy haired went silent for a second, but then, seeing that his approach was working, started talking again:


    "I also had been thinking about joining you. But now? To hell with it. Wasn''t there an exam to apply to the club previously? What? Have you given up on that as well?"


    "Yeah, tell him, Siro," said one of the other guys.


    Seems like the leader''s name was Siro.


    Takeshi became completely dejected. Well, whatever. It wasn''t my problem anymore.


    Or at least that I thought, when suddenly¡­


    ''Join a club ¡ª mission accomplished! 3 Points and a Beginner''s package granted!''


    ''New mission detected: pass the exam to join the club. Reward ¡ª 6 Points!''


    ''New mission detected: get yourself a rival. Reward ¡ª 6 Points!''


    I froze for a second. Then, I made some calculations in my head. I got 3 Points, so now my Genre Score should be 3/9.


    Also, now I had two more missions. To get a rival... Hah, Now that''s quite a typical trope for the SpoCon genre.


    I wasn''t sure how I should get myself one, so for now, my only choice was the other mission.


    I sighed, looked at the dejected red-haired guy, and said, in a loud voice so even the crowd around would hear me:


    "What exam is that? I want to try passing it."


    Takeshi lifted his head and looked at me with a great surprise in his brown eyes. Siro had a similar reaction. At first, he was surprised. Then, suddenly, his face twisted with such anger that I felt he was about to punch me. He managed to restrain himself and said:


    "Kendo team has always been the most popular in the school before everything that happened during the last year. Usually, only one person out of forty could pass the exam. Still gonna try, gaijin?"


    Everyone in the crowd was surprised by his word. Me included. And my surprise was far from a pleasant one. All of us looked at Takeshi for confirmation. He made an awkward smile and then nodded.


    Great¡­ So the ratio was right? One out of forty?


    I''m f*¡­


    "So," I asked while trying to calm down:


    "What should I do?"


    "Well¡­ That¡­" Takeshi pondered, seemingly trying to find the right words to describe the exam. To no success, it seems, because pretty soon he just shook his head.


    "Let me show it to you¡­" he said and picked up his sword from the table¡­

 Exam

    Takeshi picked up his sword and approached the Sakura tree.


    Then, standing at the foot of that tree, he started talking:


    "The exam¡­ Well, it''s simple, you just have to smash it, like that¡­" he said and with a swing of the sword smashed at the tree trunk. A loud noise, just like after an explosion, occurred. Pink leaves started falling from the tree. Takeshi stretched his sword into the air and started moving it, just like a painter drawing with an oversized brush upon an invisible canvas. I was trying to follow his movements, but soon I felt my head hurt. The wooden sword appeared to me to be both quick and slow at the same time.


    "You should catch them¡­ Like that," said Takeshi, and when the last pink leaf fell to the ground, he lowered his sword for all of us to see.


    "Wow¡­"


    "Holy¡­"


    Surprised gasps sounded in the crowd.


    There were ten pink leaves lying on the wooden sword in a straight line.


    Takeshi caught them while they were falling down.


    He twisted his sword, and all of them fell to the ground. Then, he approached me and extended his sword for me to take.


    "Here, you can use it," he said and smiled.


    Immediately all the onlookers ¡ª there were a lot of them after the appearance of Siro and his group, people were attracted to the commotion, and almost thirty pupils gathered before the stand ¡ª all of them looked at me.


    I was in a cold sweat.


    And tense.


    Okay¡­ Now that was scary.


    Maybe I should try going for the other mission? However, won''t I be forced to leave the club were I to give up now? Seems like I had no choice but to pass that damn exam.


    Takeshi was smiling and holding his sword for me to take. I accepted it. The sword felt smooth, heavy, and warm with his touch. Seems like I was looking funny just turning it over in my hands because several smirks soon appeared in the crowd.


    Siro chuckled. His friends laughed at me aloud.


    "No, it''s not¡­ Right," suddenly said Takeshi. He tried to show me the right way to hold the sword, but then as if recalling that he had only one hand to work with he made a wry smile. It has taken him a great deal of time to show me the right way to hold the sword. My grasp became a bit less comfortable, yet more steady.


    "You don''t have to catch ten leaves. Five will be enough."


    Takeshi said while looking at the tree.


    Five¡­ Okay.


    That made it a little bit easier¡­


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    I sighed.


    People around were looking at me attentively. Some with interest, others with smiles on their faces. However, soon I wasn''t paying attention to the crowd at all. I could only see the tree in front of me.


    The trunk of it was thin, and the crow of the Sakura resembled many black bolts of lightning stretching toward the heavens.


    Suddenly, for no reason at all, I felt hungry.


    I should try getting some food after all that stuff I thought, and then I smashed the tree with all my might.


    A loud noise followed. Some of the girls in the crowd screamed. The tree trunk vibrated and my hands also vibrated. When I managed to get ahold of myself, pink dots were falling all around me.


    I tried catching them ¡ª to no success.


    The sword in my hands felt slow as if I was moving it inside a barrel of oil. It was also as slippery as that. With great effort, I managed to catch one leaf. There was one more falling nearby. I tried to catch it as well but ended up only losing the first one.


    It fell to the ground.


    The sword in my hands soon followed after.


    Zero out of five.


    ¡­


    "That''s it?"


    "Ha-ha-ha!"


    The crowd was surprised, at first, but then everyone started laughing. Siro was making a bright smile. Takeshi approached me and started speaking in a very awkward voice:


    "You have¡­ To do it slowly, gradually. Don''t give up¡­ Try to imagine the wind blowing around the edge of the sword."


    The wind? Sure. I nodded as if I knew what the hell he was talking about.


    Then, I raised the sword. The tip of it was dirty, probably because I smashed it so hard against the ground. I felt awkward.


    I switched my attention toward the tree and was about to once again swing the sword when suddenly¡­ A thought occurred to me. No, all of it was useless. I could feel that no matter how hard I will try, I won''t be able to accomplish that task. And that wooden stick in my hands was nothing more than a source of annoyance to me.


    Exactly how much time did I have? Very doubtful that I could just stand there and smash the tree well into the night. What''s more, I will get tired after several more attempts like that. I bit my lip and suddenly, I thought about the magazine. Maybe in the shop, I could find something that will help me¡­


    I lowered the sword and said:


    "I will be back soon," and then I passed the sword to Takeshi. He was surprised at first, but then a sad looked appeared in his eyes. Sad and lonely. Everyone in the crowd was snickering. All these people were sure that I was simply running away after the very first try.


    "That''s it?"


    "Ha, who could expect it. Gaijin could never be a swordsman."


    "Let''s go. I doubt he will be coming back."


    People started walking away. Siro made a proud smile. It was very annoying. I turned away from him and silently walked toward the school.


    Soon I started running toward the building. I ran into the hallway and then turned to the right. I walked through the door depicting a blue person.


    WC.


    It smelled of cleaning agents in the toilet. I entered the very last cabin, closed the door behind me, and took out the magazine.


    I will never be able to catch all these leaves with my own strength. But maybe I could buy something that will help me? I opened the magazine on the page with the Shop. However, soon I felt disappointed. I didn''t have enough points to buy anything of use¡­ I was feeling worried, when suddenly¡­


    "Hey, boy. Have you forgotten your reward already?"


    A high-pitched voice asked me.


    Reward?


    Right, I was rewarded with something for joining the club.


    Yuji was standing on the page with the mission bar. He smiled and said:


    "Here it is! The beginner''s package!"


    A red box appeared beside him.


    The clown smiled and smashed it with his bat. Two words written in capital letters appeared on the page.


    ''Great Talent!''


    "Here''s your reward. Every SpoCon hero must be talented, right?"


    At first, I felt a bit confused. But then I remembered that the so-called talent also was selling in the shop, and it was quite expensive. According to the description of that item, it will make me talented in any exercise of my choice.


    I scrolled the magazine to the page with my profile.


    [Main Character:


    Name: Kyle (Kiryu) Reed


    Age: 15


    Str: E


    End: E-


    Int: B+


    Special abilities: None]


    I had yet to acquire any special abilities.


    Now I needed one.


    "I want¡­ A swordsmen talent."


    "And your wish shall be granted, dear sir," the clown said and suddenly black ink started gathering in my ''Special abilities'' tab¡­

 Talent

    The crowd in front of the stand was much thinner when I returned from the building. All the remaining people also were looking like they were about to leave.


    "So¡­ He won''t be coming back, right?"


    "Yeah, looks like he ran away."


    "I mean, really, why the hell would you invite a gaijin to join a kendo club?"


    The last phrase made Takeshi lower his head.


    His face became pale. Though it was hard to tell, as he still was standing in the shade of the tree.


    Soon, I approached the stand and immediately asked Takeshi, who still hasn''t noticed my by than:


    "So, can I do it again?"


    The guy shivered, turning his face to me. Then, he looked at me with a gaze so amazed that it made me even feel a bit uncomfortable. Finally, a bright smile appeared on the face of Takeshi. He nodded.


    Meanwhile, I looked at Siro and his friends. They were also surprised by my return. Siro himself was at loss, but soon the look full of contempt once again appeared in his eyes once I have taken the sword.


    All ten or something people who had still been standing in front of the stand looked at me attentively. Then, several other people came back. They called their friends, the crowd was growing... And at some point, there were more onlookers than ever before¡­ I felt slightly annoyed by such attention, but there was no other way but to endure it.


    While people were gathering, I looked at Takeshi with my special eyes:


    Str: D


    End: D


    Int: D-


    Special Abilities:


    [Kendo: D (C-) Talent Grade - Low]


    Huh? What do these brackets mean? Wait, right now he can only use one arm... Probably without that injury, his grade would be C-, but currently, he''s only at D level.


    Well, it does not look too bad. If by having [Kendo: D] he managed to catch ten leaves, then I with my [Kendo: E-] wasn''t completely without a chance.


    I grasped the hilt of the sword. And right away a new feeling washed over my entire body. It was hard to describe, it reminded me of electricity. I suddenly felt an urge to do something amazing.


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    Before, the limit of my abilities resembled a thick concrete wall that I had no hope of getting through. Now, however, it was more akin to a thin foggy haze. And there was a great appeal to just tear it into pieces.


    I smashed at the tree. Several seconds after, pink snow started falling all around me. I started catching the leaves with the sword. One, two¡­ No, I can''t do more than that. I missed the third one, lost the first one, and, at last, one again the sword fell to the ground without any catch.


    The crowd was silent.


    Then everyone started laughing.


    "That''s it?"


    "Ha-ha-ha¡­"


    "Man, and he looked so sure of himself¡­"


    Friends of Siro were laughing as well, but the guy himself was strangely silent. He was looking at me attentively. Yet that state of him didn''t last long, and soon, he started mocking me as well.


    It didn''t concern me at all. I was about to give it a second try when suddenly I was approached by Takeshi. He hesitated, seemingly trying to find the right words, and then said:


    "You should¡­ Shouldn''t aim to be fast. Also, try to do it like¡­ In one move."


    Not so fast¡­ In one move¡­ His words that I felt had no meaning before now strangely were making sense in my head. I nodded to Takeshi, and he awkwardly smiled. Then, once again, I smashed the damn tree¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    My breath was heavy. My shirt was wet from sweat. Tiredness mixed with other, pleasant feeling was brewing inside of my chest.


    Half an hour.


    For half an hour straight I had been trying to pass the exam.


    And I did it.


    Five pink leaves were lying on my sword in a not so straight line. I sighed, shacked the sword of them, and, resting on it as if an old man on his stick, looked around.


    Everyone was silent. Other children were looking at me with their mouths agape.


    A hand fell on my shoulder. It was Takeshi. He was looking at me with a kind smile:


    "Welcome to the club."


    "Thanks," I said in a tired voice.


    What a relief.


    Then, with a slight smile, I turned to Siro and his gang. These three guys were red from anger. Siro himself was grinding his teeth. I was waiting for him to say something, but suddenly he just turned and started walking away. Oh well, to hell with this gu¡­


    ''Attention! Attention! A person with the potential to be a Rival detected!''


    "¡­"


    What?


    Rival?


    Don''t tell that¡­


    "Yep."


    "¡­"


    Yuji was talking about Siro.


    He was my potential rival? What the hell? Why, then, the magazine hasn''t detected it immediately, as it did with Murakami¡­


    Maybe because it was only now that he acquired the right potential?


    Well, doesn''t that mean that in theory, I can cultivate different types of characters by slowly forcing them into the roles? That''s a good idea, but I have no time to think it through now. Siro is walking away, and I doubt that I will be able to find another ''Rival'' were he to leave now.


    Curses.


    It seems like I have no choice.


    I licked my lips and shouted:


    "Wait!"


    Siro stopped. Then he turned to me and asked with an annoyed look on his face:


    "The hell do you want?"


    To be honest? Punch that dumb face of yours.


    "Are you really going to leave? Just like that?"


    "What?"


    He frowned.


    "Haven''t you said¡­ That you also wanted to join the Kendo club. Why are you leaving, then?"


    I sound like an idiot. Not that I have any choice in that matter. Siro looked at me with amazement in his eyes.


    "Just try it," I said while trying to make the dumbest smile I possibly could.


    He blinked.


    And then answered:


    "¡­Are you r**arded?"


    ¡­

 "Here We Go"

    "Just try," I told him.


    Siro winced, and I felt like punching his face.


    "Why the hell will he do that, gaijin? Let''s go," said one of his friends. However, Siro himself was silent. He was not moving at all.


    Hey, maybe it will actually work. He was talking as if he knew a lot about Kendo. Maybe he actually had been going to join the club before my appearance.


    "You will feel sorry for missing this chance¡­"


    I smiled:


    "Or are you just afraid that you won''t be able to pass the test? After I did¡­"


    "You¡­"


    Siro ground his teeth. Then, hesitation appeared on his face. He remained silent for a moment before at last, he walked toward the tree.


    The friends of Siro looked at him, confused.


    "I will be back soon," he told them,


    "You can go."


    He took the sword from my hands. I walked into the crowd. Takeshi was looking a bit lost at the moment. At last, he picked up the Application list...


    "Shirogane Toshihiro, you can write it right now," said Siro.


    Takeshi nodded his head and started searching for the pen.


    "Wait," suddenly, Siro frowned.


    "Do it after I will pass the test," he added and smashed at the tree.


    ¡­


    For the duration of the following few minutes, I was watching him trying to catch the falling leaves.


    Other people were slowly leaving. And for a good reason. Why would you watch the same show for the second time in a row? Friends of Siro had also left. He did not pay them attention.


    I was still standing.


    Fifteen minutes went by. I myself have passed the exam quicker than that, probably because of my talent.


    Shirogane was getting angry. He was stealing glances at me from time to time, fueling his anger. Soon, however, he forced himself to calm down. He even listened to Takeshi''s advice. After half an hour, he caught the second leaf. Soon after that, he caught the third. His following attempt was going very well. He caught four leaves and was about to catch the fifth one, when suddenly¡­


    A basketball smashed against Siro''s face and forced him to crash against the tree. Leaves started falling around him.


    I opened my eyes wide and looked to the side from which the ball came.


    "Ouch," said Murakami, who appeared there out of nowhere.


    "My mistake¡­"


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    She made a wry smile.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    I had been in a good mood for the first half of our walk back to the dorm; then, once again, I heard the rustle of the leaves above my head. I suddenly felt tired while listening to that sound. I was so exhausted by the time I came back to my room, that once I went in, I just crashed on the futon...


    I had been lying like that for a minute or so, listening to the sound of the wind behind the window; then, I put out the magazine.


    First, I checked my profile:


    [Main Character:


    Name: Kyle (Kiryu) Reed


    Age: 15


    Str: E


    End: E-


    Int: B+


    Special abilities: Kendo: E]


    Before passing the exam, I had [Kendo: E-]. Now there was no minus anymore. Though I wonder, why my initial grade was E- instead of F.


    There must be some explanation.


    I don''t have, though.


    As for everything else¡­


    [RomCom


    Genre Score: 16/16]


    ¡­


    [SpoCon


    Genre Score: 9/9]


    And overall¡­


    [Score: 18P]


    I guess I can buy some stuff in the SHOP. However, maybe it will be better to preserve my points until I will really need them.


    Almost all the missions I had in the Mission Bar were green, or Accomplished. There was only one yet to be done.


    [Become friends with the Heroine-type character]


    What about my relationship with Murakami, by the way? I checked and saw that the number had grown once again, and now it was 79. What was the reason for the sudden increase this time, I wonder¡­


    I just don''t know.


    Anyway, even a number this high was only in the (Great affection) category. I wasn''t sure what exactly I should do for us to become friends.


    I thought some more, shook my head, and asked the clown:


    "So, I should be free for this month?"


    "Not exactly," he answered.


    "Every month not only do you have to accumulate the required score, but you also have to do at least Two ARKS."


    "Arks?"


    "Yes, like story arks. It is a set of missions tied by the singular main objective. Just now you had "Introductory" or One-shot Arks. There can be other types of arks. A tournament ark, for example. Or "First Date" ark."


    "I see¡­"


    Seems like I was yet to be free.


    I sighed and opened the window, letting the wind into the room.


    At least the most urgent task has been dealt with, so now I have some time to think about this entire situation.


    Up until now, I have been doing everything just like the clown told me to. I was as obedient as a toy is.


    Yet I was paying attention to every word of the clown.


    There were nine lines in the Table of Content of the magazine. Maybe I need to fill them all to regain my freedom. In addition, there was that one very last page that the clown was so acting so mysterious about¡­


    For now, at least, I had no other way but to go with the flow.


    I lay for some more time, and then I heard a beeping sound. That was my phone. It was about to run out of power. I remembered that I had left the charging device with my other stuff in the hotel.


    Guess I have to go there to take my things¡­


    Even though I don''t really want to go anywhere now.


    I winced and walked outside. There, I felt a light wind. It was pleasant, and yet it made me feel hungry again. I wasn''t sure that I will be able to get to the bus stop in my current condition¡­


    "Going somewhere?" suddenly asked Murakami. The girl was standing on the sandy road holding her red bicycle.


    "I have to get something from the hotel¡­ And you?"


    "Nowhere in particular. I just wanted to have a ride¡­ By the way¡­"


    She made an awkward smile:


    "Shall I give you a lift? Neighbors ought to help each other!"


    "They do, but¡­"


    I was about to say no, but I forced myself to stay silent. It was a good proposal, after all. To become friendlier with that girl I had to spend more time with her¡­


    I signed and said:


    "Sure, let''s go."


    "Good!"


    I approached the bike. Then, I sat down on the back seat. I had to keep my hands on it so I won''t fall. That was far from comfortable.


    "You need to hold on to the driver, you know," said Murakami.


    "That''s good enough," I answered.


    "Hmm¡­"


    Murakami nodded her head and started driving. We went through the forest path, first, then through the yard. There was no one there anymore, only a pleasant desolation. At last, we stopped just in front of the steep road down the mountain.


    I felt sick just looking at it.


    To tell you the truth, I cannot drive a bike.


    "That''s gonna be exciting," said Murakami.


    "Hold tight."


    Wait, are you going to¡­


    I widened my eyes. I was about to say that maybe we better walk the mountain down on foot, but Murakami was pedaling already.


    "Here we go!"


    ¡­The bike sprinted forward. I felt my body become light. For an instant, I felt like I was flying. White hair scattered on my face. I was about to fall. I had no choice and I gripped the waist of Murakami with all my might¡­

 Last Try

    Murakami was smiling brightly and blushing.


    "That was fun!" The girl said.


    "Through my belly hurts a bit¡­"


    Silently, I stopped grasping her waist. I had been holding onto the girl through our entire dive toward the foot of the mountain. It was a pleasant experience, in some ways. However, I couldn''t pay much attention to it. It''s hard to pay attention to anything at all while driving at such a high speed.


    "Ha¡­" The girl sighed.


    I looked at the sun. It was lying low on the horizon. Not so long ago, it was blinking at me through the leaves while we had been driving down the mountain road.


    I jumped on my feet from the bike and, while somewhat shaking, walked to the bus stop. Murakami started driving behind me. Then, I sat down on the bench. The girl stopped.


    "Thanks," I told her.


    "My pleasure!"


    "I will ride a bus now."


    "Yeah."


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "Yeah" what? Why is she still here? Is she going to accompany me to the city? Why?


    On the other side of the road, there was another bus stop. A wooden house was standing behind it. Suddenly, a bus approached.


    "It''s mine."


    "Oh¡­ See you then."


    "See you too¡­"


    The bus stopped. I walked inside of it and found myself a seat.


    Soon, the bus started moving. Suburbs were passing by in the window. I found myself bored looking at them, and was about to kill some time with my phone, but then I remembered that it had been out of power. Having nothing to do, I slowly fell asleep¡­


    When I woke up, I suddenly felt afraid. Have I missed my stop? However, soon the mechanical voice pronounced the name of the street that I have been going through, and the doors of the bus opened. I walked out.


    There were many people on the street. It was evening already, and everyone was going home. Somehow, I managed to get through the crowd and entered the hotel.


    Then, five minutes after, I entered my room.


    It was dark inside.


    Curtains were drawn.


    I walked through the room and entered the balcony. The cold and yellow sky was hanging above. The mighty wind was blowing in my face. Trying to endure it, I gazed at the city below.


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    It was big. Really big.


    It resembled both Hong Kong with its oversized skyscrapers and Tokyo with its abundance of advertisements shining from everywhere no matter where you look. I could see a Ferris wheel far away¡­


    And right in the middle of the city (very far from where I was), a truly gigantic skyscraper was stretching toward the heavens. It was glassy and enormous. As I knew from the information I managed to get about the city in the meantime, that building was the headquarters of Misuragiri-corp. It was a very rich corporation, though I didn''t remember what was their trade exactly.


    Somehow, I felt that there was a potential for a story here.


    I had been just standing there, looking at the scenery until once again I felt very hungry. I walked back into the room. A small fridge was standing there. I found a pack of sausages and ketchup.


    And that was my meal.


    After that, I took the suitcase with all my stuff and left the room for good.


    Once again, I walked into the street. Then, I waited for the bus.


    It was already evening when I came back.


    I was about to walk toward the school when, suddenly, I saw a red bike near the bus stop.


    I felt surprised and then I saw a girl on the bench.


    It was Murakami.


    What is she doing here? Has she been waiting for me? Why? I was about to ask her, but then I stopped myself from doing that. I saw that the girl was sleeping. Her eyes were shut. She lowered her head, and her hair was hanging almost to her knees. Her pose seemed very unstable. As if even a slight push could make her fall.


    Carefully, I walked toward the girl and said:


    "Hey¡­ Get up."


    Silence.


    I touched her shoulder. Murakami shivered and opened her eyes. They were beautiful and blue. Then, she smiled and looked at my suitcase.


    "Can I help you? We''re¡­"


    "Neighbours¡­ Sure."


    Murakami smiled and stood up.


    "Guess we can tie it to the bike somehow¡­"


    And so we did with a wire the girl had on her for some reason.


    Then Murakami started pedaling while I was pushing the suitcase from behind.


    We were ascending the mountain.


    It was hard. I had already been very tired by that moment. However, soon, for some reason, it was becoming easier and easier. I had been confused until I noticed that it was because of the girl. Murakami was pushing harder and harder so that I will be able to relax.


    Well, that''s good. She''s in much better shape than I am, and she had been sleeping not so long ago. So she isn''t as tired as I am¡­ If that was any other day in my life, I would have left all the work to the girl.


    However:


    "Go get I rest. I will do it on my own after that," I said to her.


    For a simple reason.


    A shonen protagonist should be overprotective of women and he shouldn''t let them do any hard work even if they are stronger than he is.


    That is what I thoughts, and it turned out to be right, for soon after I was granted points for my behavior:


    (18+2=20)


    Murakami turned and looked at me.


    "No!" she said.


    ¡­


    Oh well.


    We continued our ascent. Soon, the girl started to whistle a song.


    Yellow Submarine.


    Strange, wasn''t she a fan of another famous British band? Maybe in this world, every song written by the Beatles has actually been written by Queen.


    What a cursed world it is then¡­


    "Hey, look at that cloud," said the girl all of a sudden pointed at the sky. A prolate cloud, colored in yellow by the sun, was flowing up there.


    "It looks like an eggplant," said Murakami.


    "Yeah..."


    It did.


    ¡­


    I was wet from sweat when we, at last, ascended the mountain. Murakami, on the other hand, was as active as ever. There was a great difference in our strength.


    We entered the forest path. The wind died down by then. The world was still and yellow as if it was frozen in a drop of amber.


    Soon, I saw our dorm.


    "Here we are," said Murakami with a smile on her face.


    "Will be back soon," she said and started driving her bike to the storeroom.


    Suddenly, watching her walk away, I had a thought. The day hasn''t ended yet, so maybe I still could accomplish my mission.


    It was a bit risky. And awkward, but¡­ I should at the very least try.


    "Hey."


    I called her and the girl turned to me.


    "Do you want to be friends?"

 Tsundere

    "Do you want to be friends?"


    And then there was silence.


    Murakami was looking at me with an expressionless face.


    Soon, it became awkward. Why is she so silent? Was my offer that strange? I mean, yeah, it was sudden and unnatural, but the girl seemed shocked for some reason. Once again I remembered her profile. Maybe that strange silence of her is related to us being childhood friends. Yes, maybe it is, but I am not sure¡­ Meanwhile, the girl suddenly blushed.


    "Okay!"


    (20+6=26)


    "Let''s¡­ Be friends!" She added and placed hands on her waist.


    I nodded.


    "Best friends!"


    ¡­I nodded.


    "So¡­ What do friends usually do?"


    You are free to consult a dictionary¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    It was stuffy in my room when I came back. I opened the window, looked at the trees, and took out the magazine.


    Now I really did accomplish all my missions. That''s good. Were I am a perfectionist, I would have been in great joy right now. My score reached 26 Points. I could have bought some stuff in the SHOP, but I decided to do it later when I will really need something.


    As for today¡­ That''s it, I guess.


    Murakami proposed to have dinner. She even managed to get her hands on two cups of ramen. I was still a bit hungry at that time and had no reason to refuse. After we had a meal, she started watching TV while I went back to my room.


    There, I checked my relationship with the girl.


    The number increased once again.


    [Murakami Kotori: 85 (FRIENDSHIP)]


    Now that''s progress.


    After that, just in case, I took a look at my own profile:


    [Str: E


    End: E-


    Int: B+


    Special Abilities: [Kendo - E]]


    I wonder how much I will have to train to increase my attributes. And how exactly should I train, by the way? I guess I can improve my physical attributes by going to a gym... But what about my intellect, then? Should I buy a puzzle book?


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    Doubt that it will work.


    After that, I remembered about the annotation. It should be available now that I have done all my missions and finished the One-shot ark:


    [Story: 1


    Title: Locked. Opening cost ¨C 1 Point


    Genre: RomCom.


    Genre Score: 19/19


    Annotation:


    [Just after transferring schools our main character suddenly meets a strange girl. She seems to know him, but he''s sure that he has never seen her before. What exactly is her identity? There are secrets hidden in the past, and they are about to be unraveled¡­ To be continued!]


    Hm¡­


    Well, that''s a pretty typical setup for a RomCom story, however... The secrets hidden in the past? I winced. Have we really met each other before? But how? That''s impossible. Like, actually impossible. I''m not even from this world¡­ Oh well, no point in guessing.


    I shook my head and started getting ready for sleep¡­


    ¡­


    ..Chirp.


    Chirp-Chirp


    Sparrows are chirping¡­


    Chirp-Chirp¡­ Chirp.


    "Kya?!"


    And some girl is screaming from the adjusted room...


    When the peaceful sounds of the morning became too unbearable, I opened my eyes. It was bright inside of my room. The sun was shining through the crows of the trees. Shadows of leaves were shivering on the wall. It would have been a nice morning if not for the unknown voice shouting from nearby:


    "Who are you!? What are you doing in my room?!"


    At first, the voice was nervous and afraid. Soon, however, it started to sound overly severe:


    "I¡­ Guess I live here¡­" awkwardly answered Murakami.


    "Who let you in? Are you a thief?!"


    "No!"


    "Lies!"


    "Shall we compromise with half true?"


    "Get out of my room!"


    "As you wish!"


    "Kya!! Why¡­ Why are you naked?!"


    "Well, you know, it''s actually healthy to sleep without clothes¡­ It helps to counter obesity¡­"


    "Go away!"


    "On my way!"


    "Wear something first!"


    ¡­


    I think there was a saying that if someone is having a bad time, then someone else at the same time enjoys a fortune. I felt sorry for Murakami who had happened to take that room. However, I also didn''t want to waste my own luck. I was about to return to my peaceful sleep, when suddenly¡­


    Knock-knock.


    ¡­Somebody knocked at my door.


    I opened my eyes, cursed at the sparrows chirping outside, and went out. A girl was waiting for me in the hallway. I could barely see her face through the messy white hair.


    "Hello," she said in a low voice.


    "Hello."


    "Good morning!"


    I nodded.


    "I was driven away."


    "Yes, I heard."


    "Ha-ha¡­"


    Very funny, but what am I supposed to do? I looked at Murakami carefully and noticed that her jacket wasn''t zipped well enough. Well, of course, it wasn''t. She had to dress in a hurry. The problem is, below the zipper I could see the white of her clavicle¡­ Wait¡­ If she was dressing in a hurry, doesn''t that mean that she only had time to wear the tracksuit? And nothing else under?


    I shifted my gaze away¡­


    Meanwhile, Murakami said:


    "So¡­ Maybe you could¡­"


    "Want me to explain everything to that girl?"


    "I don''t think she will listen to me¡­ She was about to throw her bag at me¡­ Well, she actually did and now my back hurts, ouch¡­"


    What a friendly new neighbor we have. I clicked my tongue and went into the hallway together with Murakami. We walked toward the door of (previously) her room. The girl hid behind my back. I knocked at the door. Angry and, at the same time, light footsteps resonated from behind it.


    The door opened and I saw a pair of shining black eyes.


    A girl was standing in front of me. She was quite short (much shorter than Murakami was) and had accurate short black hair. Her brows were thin and even. Her face seemed both childish and mature at the same time. Like the face of a very serious kid.


    The girl looked at me carefully and asked in a loud voice:


    "Who are¡­" suddenly, she started coughing.


    "You¡­ Cough¡­"


    Her face became a little bit red.


    I was about to introduce myself when suddenly, I heard a click of a clown''s glove in my head:


    ''Attention, attention. A new heroine-type character is detected. Secondary type analysis¡­ It''s a tsundere! Attention, attention, a new mission is available. For every point of damage received from a tsundere, the main character will be granted 4 Points!''


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­

 Room N3

    ''For each point of damage received from a tsundere, the main character will be granted 4 Points!''


    Clown''s words confused me. I was stunned for a moment.


    Only when the girl coughed again did I come to my senses.


    I told her:


    "My name is Kylee Reed¡­ or Kiryu. Doesn''t really matter."


    She frowned at my remark.


    "And you are..?"


    I stretched my hand to her.


    The girl looked at it with a confused gaze before finally shaking it and introducing herself:


    "My name is Aoi¡­ Lu. I''m a second-year student."


    Her palm was soft, smooth, and a little bit cold. Like that of a porcelain doll. While shaking her hand, I felt the roughness of my own. At last, our palms separated. The girl''s face flushed red.


    ...So she''s a tsundere.


    Ha¡­


    To be honest, I have never been a fan of that archetype.


    "So¡­ Do you need something? Why are you here?" Asked Aoi.


    "Well, we live in the same dorm, so I thought that I have to introduce myself," I said.


    "Oh¡­ Yeah. Sure."


    "Let''s get well with each other."


    "Yes¡­ Let''s."


    "Let''s!" all of a sudden added Murakami, looking out from behind my back.


    Aoi frowned.


    "And she is..?"


    "I''m his stand. Mura-mura-mura-mura-kami, desu~" she said while punching the air.


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    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "Ha-ha."


    "So¡­" I told myself to keep calm.


    "She didn''t know that it was your room. Can you forgive her for that?"


    "I''m very very sorry," added Murakami and bowed.


    "Ah¡­ Yes, of course¡­"


    Aoi nodded her head. Suddenly, the stern look in her eyes vanished. She was looking awkward now.


    "And... Can you give her some time to take her stuff away?"


    I asked Aoi after some time.


    "Mostly my underwear," added Murakami for no reason at all.


    "Yes, just¡­ Do it quickly," said Aoi, letting the girl into her room. I walked away. Aoi also left with me. We stood in the hallway. The girl was looking at the floor.


    After about a minute, Murakami walked out with a bag on her shoulders. She smiled brightly at me and was about the open the door of the opposite room, when¡­


    "That one is taken," said Aoi.


    "It is?"


    Murakami pulled the handle. The door refused to open. After that, the girl leaned against it with her ear, trying to hear whatever was happening inside. She even hissed at me and Aoi.


    Several moments passed by¡­


    "Silence," said Murakami.


    "Should we wake him up? Classes are about to start¡­"


    "No need to¡­" said Aoi. "It''s a she. A girl lives there, and she is¡­ She has her own schedule."


    "Is she a second-year student?"


    "Yes, but¡­ Her schedule is special. She''s not going to school."


    "Oh, that''s convenient," said Murakami.


    "Hm. What''s the point of even being here if you¡­ Doesn''t matter. I still have to unpack my stuff."


    "Okay, see you then," said Murakami.


    Aoi hesitated for a moment and then said:


    "Yes¡­ See you."


    She went into her room and closed the door.


    "So¡­ What''s for breakfast?" asked Murakami.


    "Nothing," I said and went out.


    We had to hurry to be on time for classes.


    Murakami followed me outside.


    And so, while walking down the sandy road and listening to the sparrow''s choir, I was thinking¡­ If I really am a manga character now, maybe I can skip all this boring school routine then? In anime it usually looks like characters do nothing but having fun in school, even though they actually have only forty minutes of free time out of six hours of pure boredom¡­


    I had a hope that I will be able to skip the boring stuff. Sadly, that hope was not a long-lived one. Soon, the classes began and I had no choice but to write down boring numbers in my notebook¡­


    Siro and his friends were absent today. What a happy bunch they are. I, meanwhile, was suffering. The only positive thing about the school was small talks that I had with Murakami during the breaks. They were meaningless but somewhat relaxing.


    At the end of the school day, I stood up and went out of the classroom with Murakami. We went down to the first floor, then walked out of the building and separated.


    "See you!"


    "Yeah, see you too¡­"


    She was now a member of the basketball club, while I had my sword-wielding classes.


    And so I was walking through the school ground and thinking about how little free time I had now.


    Many children were walking all around me. I have always been wondering how they could be so active after six hours of classes. Even back when I myself was a student, I was usually so tired by the end of the day, that I went straight home¡­


    Soon, I approached a small three-storied building. That was the location of the kendo club. I entered the hallway, walked to the right, and went through the door at the very end of the corridor.


    There, I saw a training room...

 Tournament

    Black tapestries painted with Japanese characters were hanging on the walls of that room. A little drum was placed in the corner. Half of the floor was shiny and clean, and right now, Takeshi was washing the other half with a mop that he was holding in his healthy hand.


    I walked into the room and knocked. Takeshi shivered and looked at me, eyes widen in surprise.


    After that, he smiled.


    "Right, we have some training today¡­"


    "We do," I nodded.


    I took off my shoes and went into the hall.


    "I have to finish washing the floor. Can you give me a moment, Ki¡­"


    "Kiryu. Or Kyle, whatever. Sure I can. Do you need my help?"


    I walked through the hall and sat down on the red gymnastics mat that was lying just below the window.


    "here''s only one mop¡­"


    "¡­Okay."


    I killed some time browsing net on my phone.


    After finishing washing the floor, Takeshi went to the stock room and walked out holding three swords in his hand.


    However, then he suddenly looked around and froze:


    "Em¡­ Where is¡­"


    "Shirogane? Don''t now. He did not attend today''s classes either."


    After yesterday''s accident, Shirogane somehow managed to stand up and pass the exam. He wrote down his name on the list ¡ª his handwriting turned out to be surprisingly refined ¨C and became not only the member of the club but also my rival.


    At least that is what I had thought before, but now doubts were brewing inside of me. Officially, our training has been going on for about five minutes already, and yet there was no sign of him.


    Is he going to show up or not?


    "Maybe¡­ He''s busy with something," said Takeshi with a very pathetic voice. "Maybe we should start without him..?"


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    Well, maybe we should. No point to waste time if my dear rival decided to play truant. However¡­ I doubt that a real main character will agree on something like that. He would rather say something like¡­


    "Let''s wait some more time."


    I shook my head.


    "I think he will show up. I''m sure of it."


    I tried to sound as clich¨¦ and na?ve as possible.


    "¡­Okay," Takeshi agreed. For some reason, there was relief in his voice.


    After five more minutes of waiting, I started feeling nervous. If that bastard really won''t be showing up, I will have some serious problems. He was the only rival-type character that I had. I was trying to make my life into something like an average SpoCon to earn points, and without a rival, that story will be crippled.


    Ten more minutes passed by. At last, the door opened and Siro walked in. He was looking very reluctant. However, his face became blank once he saw Takeshi and me, looking straight at him.


    Seems like he was surprised that we had been waiting for him so passionately.


    "Hello," said Takeshi. He sounded joyful. Siro nodded and said:


    "I had some stuff to do¡­ Why are just sitting there? Too lazy to train?"


    "We had been waiting. For you," I said.


    "Yes," added Takeshi. "I was about to start with the training, but Kiryu-kun said that you will come. And you did."


    I smiled at his confused face.


    Suddenly¡­


    ''1 Point! The real main character always believes in his friends!''


    Seems like my idea was right.


    Siro looked at me with an expression of surprise and said:


    "Are you r*tarded?"


    "¡­"


    To hell with you too, bastard.


    "Whatever. It would be humiliating if there will be only a cripple and a gaijin in the club, I have no choice but to be here¡­"


    "M-maybe¡­ So, should we start?"


    Takeshi gave wooden swords to Shirogane and me.


    Wait, should not there be¡­


    "What about armor? And everything else?"


    "Ha!" Siro suddenly laughed.


    "As expected from a gaijin. You don''t know anything, do you? The kendo that we have on Aozora is special. It''s called Shin-kendo!"


    His voice was full of pride.


    "We fight without armor, and not with dull sinai swords, but with bokken! Because of that, some coward in the government even tried to cancel the Tournament of Thousand Leaves. Stupid traitors¡­ "


    Takeshi nodded his head. Meanwhile, one of Siro''s words attracted my attention:


    "Tournament?"


    Shirogane looked at me as if I was a heathen asking about the name of God. Then, he provided me with an exposition. Not only about the tournament, but about the Shin-kendo of Aozora itself.


    He said it wasn''t just a sport. It was a tradition, honor, glory, and many other things¡­ It was the treasure of the nation and even a real military force. A true Shin-kendo master could defeat even a dinosaur.


    Sure, sure¡­


    In addition, kendo was very popular. The strongest swordsmen were celebrities. They were billionaires. Hundreds of thousands of people were watching their duels in the stadiums. Millions were watching them on TV.


    Even the high-school division was very well known.


    They were holding a tournament among high-schoolers every year. The Tournament of Thousand Leaves. More than 60 schools from all around the island were participating in it.


    There were two stages in that tournament. First, the preliminary stages among the seven or so schools in each county. It was starting in a month after the beginning of the academic year. Then there was a long summer break and finally the second stage in the authom¡­


    The winner of the tournament was rewarded not only with "eternal glory", but also with a huge amount of money. Everyone on the island¡­ No, in the entire world knew his name¡­

 Pathetic

    What''s more, the second stage of the tournament was held at the Main Stadium of the island. Hundreds of thousands of people were gathering there every year. It was a national holiday¡­


    Siro''s eyes were shinning while he was telling us all that stuff. He was very excited. You could see that the guy was really fond of kendo.


    He was so engrossed in describing all that stuff that he almost forgot that the only person listening to him was a Gaijin.


    Takeshi knew all that stuff already. He looked attentive, but that''s just him trying to be polite.


    At last, Siro came to his senses and suddenly went silent. He felt awkward because of his excited speech. He shook his head and said:


    "But nothing of that concerns you, gaijin. Do not even dream of getting through the preliminaries. No one in that club will be able to do it," he smirked.


    "Even you?" I asked.


    He froze for a second and then shook his head.


    "We''ll see... There were nine people in this Dojo during the last year and no one of them managed to win even once. Pathetic."


    Takeshi smiled awkwardly.


    I asked:


    "What do you mean by ''this Dojo''?"


    "Oh, that''s¡­" now it was Takeshi explaining stuff:


    "Every club represents an official Dojo. It''s like¡­ Dojo signs a contract with a school to make a Kendo club that will represent it on the tournament¡­"


    "Something like that," added Siro. "Both the school and the Dojo benefit from that. However, if there are no results out of that cooperation, the contract might be broken. Sometimes it''s better without a kendo club at all than with a pathetic one."


    Once again, Takeshi nodded his head.


    "Our Dojo is named ''Dancing Sakura''. It''s very old, almost 400 years old¡­ The club is named the same way¡­ Oh," suddenly, Toma remembered about something and said:


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "I need to show you to the master of our Dojo¡­ Latter, I mean, he has a very busy schedule¡­ As for now, let''s start with the training."


    Yeah¡­ About time.


    And right when I thought that¡­


    ''Attention! Beginning of the new Ark detected!


    Type: Training ark


    Genre Score: 0/30


    Mission: prepare for the Tournament of Thousand Leaves. You will receive 10P for every level of Kendo mastery.


    Time limit: 1 Month before the first stage of the tournament!''


    Once Yuji finished speaking in my head, Takeshi said:


    "First, we need to see how strong you are¡­ It''s very important for the training."


    He made a step back.


    "Try to do 100 push-ups. And ran three¡­ No, five times around the school. After that, I will measure your pulse and tell you, whether you need to train for some time before taking up the sword or not."


    Hundred times¡­ A strange look appeared on my face. I sighed and started taking off my jacket. By the time I had unbuttoned it, Shirogane had already fallen to the floor and did twenty push-ups¡­ He didn''t even break a sweat when he was done with that task.


    I placed my hand on the ground.


    "Wait¡­ You should look forward while doing push-ups," said Toma.


    I nodded, lifted my head and felt pressure in my hands. My muscles were shivering. I made one push-up, and the shiver became stronger. By the time I was doing the nine one, my face flushed red with blood. I heard Siro laugh from nearby. Trying to ignore him, I managed to do five more push-ups before falling the ground.


    After standing up, I silently looked at Toma.


    "Well¡­" he had a worried look on his face.


    "Are you alright? If you are sick right now, we can do it later."


    I signed, shook my head and said:


    "No, I''m in perfect health."


    I felt very awkward.


    "See you on the track," said Siro with a gloating smile on his face and walked out. I sat down to rest for some time.


    Suddenly¡­


    Bam!


    I heard a sound from behind the window. I turned my head to see what it was, but there was nothing there¡­ Strange. Soon, I stood up and walked out to run.


    After running one time around the school, I felt very tired. I felt that there was no way I will be able to do it even one more time (five seemed impossible) and so I came back and honestly told Takeshi about my accomplishments.


    He patted my shoulder¡­


    The training was about to end. Takeshi had some stuff to do. Shirogane left first, and I followed after him.


    Needless to tell, I was in a bad mood while walking through the hallway.


    My future was looking pretty hopeless.


    There were only thirty days before the tournament. Will I be able to accomplish anything by that time from such a pathetic starting position? My hands still were sore from the push-ups.


    I signed and walked down the stairs to the entrance of the building.


    Then, I suddenly remembered some stuff, walked around the wall to the right, and found the window of our hall just behind a green bush. I heard a strange sound from that place.


    What was it?


    I made my way through the bush.


    There, I saw small ¡ª a child''s, maybe? ¡ª fingertips on the metallic drip sill. I felt strange. Someone was spying on us? Why would anyone do that?


    Either way, there was no new Ark appearing, probably because I still didn''t have Detective among my genres, so there was no reason to bother myself with that stuff.


    I started walking back to the dormitory.

 There is one way...

    The noon was over, yet the wind was still warm and smelled of the forest. It was blowing at me while I was walking through the forest toward the dormitory.


    Toward my new home¡­


    When I had reached the doorsteps, I took off my shoes and stepped into the hallway. Everything around me was silent. Neither Murakami nor Aoi had been back yet.


    I was about to walk into my room when for some reason the first door on the right side attracted my attention.


    "¡­"


    Lu told me that there was a person living in that room. That''s strange. I had yet to hear anything from that neighbor of ours. Even if she was skipping school, shouldn''t she at least visit the toilet from time to time? Or throw away the bottles, at least¡­


    Whatever, it didn''t concern me. At least for now.


    I was about to turn away from the door, when suddenly¡­ I heard a rustling sound coming from behind it.


    Then, under my surprised gaze, a little white piece of paper slipped through the slip below the door. What''s that? I picked it up. Turned out, it was a note¡­


    "Ah! Wait!"


    I was about to read its content when a sharp woman''s voice rang from the side. I saw Aoi appear in the doorway. Her face was pale.


    Without even taking off her shoes, she rushed into the hallway and took the note from my hands.


    I fell silent.


    Soon, after Aoi calmed down, a slight flush appeared on her cheek. She seemed embarrassed for what she had done.


    "It''s¡­ personal," the girl said and lowered her head. I wasn''t sure, whether she tried to nod or to avoid my eyes ¡ª a move typical of liars.


    "Okay," I said simply.


    If something is personal, it''s personal. I wasn''t going to concern myself with that stuff.


    Lu was surprised by my short answer. She ground her teeth.


    "Thank you¡­ I¡­ I need to take off my shoes. You should always do that when entering the dorm, that''s our rule," the girl proclaimed with a stern face. For some reason, it felt like she was lecturing me and not herself.


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    Aoi went back to the doorway and took a paper bag. Seems like she had the time to go to the store after the end of the classes.


    "Ah, can I use the kitchen?" she asked me.


    "Sure," I said and entered my room.


    There, I fell to the futon and opened the magazine.


    I was trying to keep calm, but there was a crisis hanging above my head. I had to raise my physical attributes. and quickly. Otherwise, I won''t be able to even take the sword before the beginning of the tournament¡­ Or reach the required score.


    [Type: Training ark


    Genre Score: 0/30


    Mission: prepare for the tournament of thousand leaves. You will receive 10P for every level of Kendo mastery.]


    "Ha¡­"


    I sighed.


    No choice there, I opened the page with the SHOP.


    Then I froze.


    The stuff in the catalog was different from the last time.


    I was confused until I heard the voice of Yuji:


    "What, are you surprised? The stock updates after the end of every Ark¡­"


    So that is how it is. I was worried that every item was different now (there were still some that I wished to buy) however, it wasn''t the case. Most of the stuff was the same. However, some new things appeared.


    One new item was particularly interesting:


    [EXTREME Training mode


    1.  While in that mode, the endurance recovery of the MC increases by 10 times.


    2.  The MC will be immune to all injures inflected by training (expect the deadly once)


    3.  Training will have a 2x effect on characteristics growth.


    4.  Unorthodox training methods will have 2.2x.


    5.  Deadly once: from 4x to 7x depending on the level of danger¡­


    6.  Training with living things while in that mode is impossible¡­


    Suddenly, I remembered some moments from anime when the MC does something completely insane that should ruin his body and becomes stronger because of it.


    So¡­ If I use that mode, I will accelerate my growth by several times. Good. Very good. Seems like that was my only choice now.


    Trying to keep calm, I looked at the price of that item:


    [30 Points]


    While I had 27.


    ¡­


    Now that''s an unpleasant feeling.


    I was short just by 3 points


    What should I do?


    I was trying to think of something when suddenly, I felt the pleasant smell of fried rice. My stomach growled. Quite crackling was coming from the kitchen. Seems like Aoi was cooking something¡­


    Wait¡­


    Once again, I took a look at my missions.


    There was one way for me to earn the required points¡­ It''s just¡­


    I bit my lips and placed my ear to the surface of the door. Time trickled by, and soon ten minutes had passed. The sound from the kitchen quieted down. I heard Aoi walking back to her room. Then, after some more time, she walked out again and went to the other end of the hallway.


    I went out and looked at the door there.


    It was the toilet.


    There was only one bathroom in the dorm, for men and women. Thinking about it now, it was somewhat strange¡­ Just like it was very suspicious that I was the only man in a dorm with three girls. What a convenient setup¡­ Seems like I have to thank the clown for that.


    Whatever. I had something urgent to do. I approached the door of the toilet and took a deep breath.


    Really hope it works the same way in this world it does in manga¡­ And that she won''t call the police.


    I opened the door wide.


    And right away my gaze fell on the girl sitting on the white chair with her skirt (not only) down. I was fast to shift my sight to her eyes.


    Aoi was looking at me with her lips open.


    One second passed, two seconds passed¡­


    I said:


    "Sorry, so it was taken, I didn''t¡­"


    I couldn''t finish my line. A roll of toilet paper smashed against my face. I fell down and crashed on the floor.


    [Injury from a Tsundere received! Plus 4 Points!]


    (27+4=31)


    ...

 Physical education

    "You have a hematoma."


    "I know."


    "Got it during the training?"


    "Kind of," I answered Murakami. She stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind herself. Then I turned and looked at Lu who had walked out of the kitchen. The girl became awkward because of our talk.


    Ha¡­


    I went back to my room, lay down, and placed a cold compress on my forehead. It was made by Lu after the awkward feeling between us went down a bit. The girl seemed embarrassed. She was blaming herself for my injury.


    That was very good for me.


    At least she wasn''t calling the police.


    And yet I still had an unpleasant feeling inside of me because of this entire situation. I was wondering: what else will the magazine force me to do against my will? Will I be able to remain a human despite all this pressure? Or maybe one day, in the dark of the night, I will stumble upon the reflection of myself in the mirror holding a mountain of woman underwear in my hands?


    Steeling this stuff is also a typical shonen trope, after all.


    I sighed.


    ''Ring, ring!''


    My phone started ringing. It was 17.00. Time for dinner.


    I walked out into the hallway. Lu was sitting in the hall, in front of a low table without chairs. There was a plate full of pilaf on it. The girl noticed me and turned her eyes away. I approached her, feeling the pleasant aroma of the dish, placed the compress on the table, and said:


    "Thanks."


    Then I started walking away.


    However, suddenly¡­


    "Wait, are you¡­"


    "I''m going to the city. Gonna buy something for dinner."


    "I see¡­" said Aoi and lowered her head.


    I opened the door.


    "I have¡­ Made a lot, so maybe¡­ If you want to¡­"


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    I closed the door and turned to Lu. Her head was lowered and she was looking at the table.


    "How much? I mean, what should I pay you?"


    I wasn''t particularly rich.


    "Ah, nothing. I mean, my family owns a restaurant and this stuff is the remains, so¡­ I mean, remains from the kitchen, it''s fresh. I can share," said the girl in a very embarrassed voice.


    I see¡­ So that''s her way of being ''dere'' after the display of ''tsun''¡­


    I remembered what the Relationship Gauge had been showing about Lu:


    [Aoi Lu: 8 (A pleasant first impression).


    We barely knew each other¡­ Well, why not.


    Either way, I didn''t feel like going into the city.


    And maybe I will earn some Points for this.


    I nodded:


    "Okay¡­ Sure."


    Aoi sighed,


    Suddenly, the second door on the right side of the hallway opened and a head full of white hair looked out of it:


    "Me too! Me too!" said Murakami.


    Aoi winced at her.


    "You too¡­ Why?" I asked in a dry voice.


    "''cause I''m hungry."


    "¡­"


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Whether it was because of the persuasive power of her arguments, or something else, but Murakami did manage to get a place behind the table when we were having dinner. The girl got herself an entire plate of pilaf (actually, it was some similar Chinese dish, but I could not remember the name of it).


    She also was the first to finish with her plate. And right away she asked for a second. Aoi, with a stern look at her face, gave her the pan.


    After that, Murakami started looking at Lu attentively.


    Aoi asked while being visibly embarrassed:


    "What?"


    "So your family owns a restaurant, Aoi-chan?"


    "Yes¡­"


    "Do you work there?"


    "Sometimes¡­ I don''t have much time. I need to study," said Aoi.


    "Also¡­ I have a younger brother and a sister," she added after that for some reason.


    "That''s a large family," I said.


    "A very large family," added Murakami.


    Aoi nodded and started attentively chewing on the rice. It was tasty, by the way.


    I finished my dinner and stood up.


    "More?" asked Aoi.


    "No, I''m full. Thanks. It was very fresh, by the way. As if it was made just now."


    "Ah, I''ve just heated it on a pan and added a few eggs. So it won''t be dry."


    "I see. Thanks, gonna wash my plate now," I said and walked toward the kitchen. Meanwhile, the girls behind my back were still talking:


    "So¡­ When are you going to introduce us to your family, Aoi-chan?"


    "Why would I do that¡­"


    ¡­


    The kitchen was small and old.


    I started washing my plate. Meanwhile, I started wondering if there was something like a cooking manga among my genres. Now that will be pleasant. Much more so than swinging a wooden stick.


    Ha.


    I was about to go back when suddenly, I saw a little box laying nearby. The kind that is used in restaurants when you ask for take-out food.


    The box was warm, for some reason. As if Aoi had made it just now. But why?


    Whatever, it doesn''t concern me.


    At least for now.


    I walked back into the hall, thanked Lu, and went back to my room.


    There, I checked whether anything had changed in the magazine. There was only one difference:


    [Aoi Lu: 9 (A pleasant first impression).


    We are making a progress.


    I killed some time by reading on my phone and then started getting ready for sleep. It was a holiday tomorrow, and yet I still had to get up early for my training.


    I brushed my teeth and was about to lay down on my back when I heard someone knocking at the door:


    "Good night!" said a familiar voice.


    "Same to you," I answered Murakami and closed my eyes.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    On the morning of the next day, I had a shower, eat breakfast, and walked outside.


    It was a cold spring morning.


    I looked at the trees around, sighed, and opened the magazine on the page with the SHOP¡­

 Gym

    There was only one thing that I needed to buy right now. The Extreme Training Mode¡­


    "Let''s shorten it to ETM¡­"


    It was priced at 30P.


    Almost all the money that I had.


    I hesitated for some time and then put the magazine back into my pocket.


    I decided to buy the ETM later, right before the training. Just to be careful.


    When I approached the building with the Dojo, I was somewhat surprised. It was very lively around. People could be seen in every window of that building. Several guys were running around the place.


    When I was just before the door, the bushes on the left side attracted my attention. No one was hiding there right now.


    Maybe the spy will appear later.


    In the Dojo, I saw Takeshi. Dressed in a white hakama, he was standing inside a white square on the ground and swinging his sword. At first, he did not even notice me. He appeared very engaged in his training.


    I put off my shoes and sat down on the rug below the window.


    Suddenly, I frowned. There was a book lying nearby. I read the title on the cover and winced:


    ''Train, train, train! A soft training program for children aged 8-12¡­''


    Judging by the sticking-out bookmark, Takeshi has read almost a third of the book. Well, I wasn''t sure how to feel about it. I was grateful to him for being such a thoughtful master, and yet it was somewhat embarrassing¡­


    Suddenly, the door slammed.


    I shifted my gaze to Shirogane who had just walked in. Takeshi also gave him a look, and then he finally noticed me.


    Toma smiled:


    "Okay, let''s start with the training¡­"


    He went to the storeroom to take swords, leaving me alone with Shirogane. I expected that guy to start mocking me right away, yet he was being strangely obedient. He threw his keys on the rag and then started patiently waiting for Takeshi.


    When he came back, there was only one sword in his hands.


    "Here," he gave it to Shirogane. He took the sword, made a move, and then looked at me with a bright, nasty smile on his face.


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    Oh, so that''s what it is¡­ He had just been waiting for the right moment to act like a total bastard.


    "Today we will be studying the right holding position," said Takeshi.


    He looked at me with an awkward smile on his face.


    "Kiryu-kun, for you¡­ I designed a special workout routine."


    A special routine¡­ I nodded. Shirogane meanwhile was smiling as wide as Joker does.


    "Let''s go¡­ Shirogane-kun, can you wait for some time? I will be back soon."


    "Go already¡­"


    "Thanks," said Takeshi.


    We walked out into the hallway. I had several guesses where exactly Takeshi was going to take me. Maybe outside? Yet he surprised me and started ascending the stairs on the other end of the hallway. We walked for some time through the corridors of the second floor until a heavy door appeared in front of us.


    Takeshi walked in first.


    I followed right behind him.


    Immediately, I felt the smell of sweet around me and heard the tremor of steel.


    We entered a place full of training equipment and various machines.


    A gym.


    There were many people training inside. Once Takeshi and I entered, we were approached by a guy with short hair and distinct muscles. I looked at him with my special eyes:


    [Str: D


    End: D


    Int: D]


    What a well-rounded person.


    The guy started talking:


    "Who are you? The gym right now is rented by our team."


    "We are from the kendo club¡­ I booked a place yesterday, for one person."


    "Just one?" asked the guy and looked at me.


    Takeshi with his broken hand seemed like an unlikely candidate.


    "Okay, he can go in," nodded the guy and let us in. Seems like he was the captain of this team. Even when he walked away, I still felt a sharp gaze following me.


    Takeshi led me to a barbell. There were three weights attached to it on both sides. Takeshi took off the first, then the second. He was about to take off the third one when the captain of the team once again approached us:


    "Hey, is it you who is going to train? Then it''s better if you don''t. With just one hand, you won''t have the balance¡­"


    Takeshi was surprised. Then, he smiled. Meanwhile, I was in a bitter mood.


    "No, it isn''t for me¡­" answered Takeshi.


    I took off my jacket and got under the barbell. I put my hands on it. Takeshi was standing above, keeping me safe. Suddenly, the sound of steel ringing quieted down. Everyone was looking at me.


    That was unpleasant¡­


    I lifted the barbell.


    It felt somewhat light and yet it was shaking in my hands. I started lifting it up and down. I managed to do it ten times before my hands give in.


    Then, I sighed.


    For about a second, there was silence in the gym.


    Then everyone started laughing:


    "Oh, so they were both cripples!"


    "What club are you from, again? The disabled one? Ha-ha¡­"


    "Cool! Wonder if my little sister will be able to do the same¡­"


    How very funny. Everyone was having fun except for the captain of the team. He gave me one look, as if I was trash lying on the road, and didn''t pay me attention anymore.


    "Well," said Takeshi with a sincere (and that''s what hurt me the most) smile on his face.


    "Very good for the start¡­"


    I forced myself to nod.


    Then Takeshi apologized ¡ª he still had to train Siro ¡ª left me a note with my workout routine and left. He also read it aloud before leaving. Someone said that it was very good and that he could borrow it for his little sister¡­ Did he really have one?


    At last, Takeshi gave me a bottle of water and left.


    I sighed and started training. First with a barbell, then with a treadmill¡­ After ten more minutes, I sat down on the bench. I was very exhausted.


    My hands were sour, and my legs were shaking. I was sure that my body would hurt like hell tomorrow.


    Okay. Enough of waiting. Now that I know what I am usually capable of, it''s time to make things more interesting. With a slight smile on my face, I took out the magazine¡­

 Extreme Training!

    Well, it''s about time.


    I pressed my finger on the picture of ETM.


    [Purchase¡­


    Point Deduction: 31-30=1


    Purchase completed.]


    That''s it.


    I sighed and tried to feel the difference in my body. At first, there was nothing.


    Did it even work?


    I guess I should give it a try.


    I licked my lips and got under the barbell. I placed my hands on it and lifted the thing up¡­ Then down. I managed to do it ten times before my hands gave in. I placed the bar on the rack.


    No one was paying attention to me anymore in the gym.


    My hands were sore and tired.


    Strange¡­ Shouldn''t it be the other way? Does this ETM even work? Well, it should. Maybe I am no getting something.


    However, what exactly?


    "Hey, see the bench there? Switch the places, will you? I want to use the barbell," suddenly, I heard a voice from the side. I lifted my gaze and saw a guy with an egg-shaped head. The captain of the team was standing just behind him.


    Seems like they wanted to drive me away.


    I ignored them and once again placed my hands on the bar.


    "The hell. Did you hear what I said?" the guy raised his voice and lifted his fist. However, the captain stopped him and whispered:


    "Don''t bother with him¡­ He will get tired soon¡­ You can kill him if you punch¡­"


    The guy winced and walked away. Yet he still was looking at me attentively.


    I ignored them and tried to lift the bar once again without much hope of doing it even once.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    And right away a strange thing happened.


    My tired and sore hands managed to lift the steel bar high above my hand.


    It was surprising.


    I just looked at it for some time and then tried lifting it up and down. I managed to do it ten times. Then I let my hands rest for a moment and started lifting again...


    After a minute or so I heard a surprised gasp from nearby. I didn''t pay attention to it.


    Every time I needed just a few seconds to become fully rested and full of energy.


    Only the feeling of exhaustion and pain was not going away. At some point, I felt as if thousand red-hot needles were piercing the flesh of my hands. I barely managed not to scream.


    Now I knew what exactly the description of ETM meant. While in this mode, I had limitless endurance and recovery rate, and yet the pain was still there. The pain of me destroying my own hands with insane pressure.


    Once again, I rested for a few seconds and was about to continue my workout, when suddenly the captain approached me. I looked around. It was very silent in the gym. Everyone was looking at me.


    "You," he said with a complicated gaze. "You better give it a rest¡­ Or you can injure yourself. It''s enough, really."


    I felt genuine concern in his voice. He wasn''t trying to drive me away. He was giving me a piece of advice.


    "It''s okay. It can do it," I said with a smile and started lifting again.


    The captain frowned, visibly displeased with my answer, and walked away.


    Soon, I heard the following talk:


    "Is he angry? Because we were¡­"


    "He will injure himself and start crying soon¡­ Should we stop him?"


    "Doesn''t matter. He can do whatever he wants. Idiot¡­"


    Soon, however, it didn''t bother me anymore. The pain swallowed all my other feelings. I ground my teeth and closed my eyes. I was simply lifting up and down, up and down¡­ Again and again without a care in the world.


    At some points I again heard some voices:


    "How long will he last? What do you think? I bet 500 yen that no more than two more times!"


    "1000 that he will fail on his next try."


    "Deal!"


    Soon, however, these voices also went silent.


    I lost count of how many times I had lifted the damn bar.


    I felt as if I was roasting my hands on fire.


    At last, a pleasant, warm current of strength appeared in my hands out of nowhere¡­


    I opened my eye and looked at the steel bar.


    I placed it on the rack and checked the magazine which I had opened on the page with my profile:


    [Str: E+


    End: E


    Int: B+]


    I smiled, got up, and, while everyone in the gym was looking at me with eyes wide as saucers, I picked up two more 5kg weights and placed them on the bar.


    Then, I started lifting it again¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    When I came back to the Dojo, I almost crashed at Takeshi who was standing just behind the door.


    He was holding a chocolate protein bar in his hands.


    "Ah¡­ Something happened?" he looked at me with confusion. A worried expression appeared on his face.


    I returned only after twenty minutes. It was too early.


    I took the bar from his hands and gazed at Shirogane.


    He was standing in the middle of the hall, holding a wooden sword in his hands. He looked at me too. Soon, an unpleasant smile appeared on his face:


    "What, got tired already?"


    I didn''t answer him. Instead of that I bit the bar and asked Takeshi while chewing:


    "So¡­ Hundred push-ups, right?"


    He nodded with a visible confusion on his face.


    I walked toward the middle of the hall and placed my hands on the ground¡­

 Sword

    "Ninety-eight, ninety-nine¡­ One hundred."


    After doing the final push-up, I fell on the floor as if I was a ragdoll. Takeshi helped me to stand up, and after that, I sighed.


    That''s it. I did it. Now I could start the actual training with a sword.


    "Congratulations," said Takeshi and smiled. He was surprised by me becoming so strong in such a short period of time. Yet more than that, he was pleased. Soon he went to the storeroom to take my weapon.


    As he was going there, I turned to face Siro. His eyes were filled with shock. He was amazed by my accomplishment.


    And for a good reason, I doubt that something like that is possible without the Magazine.


    While I was running my first circle around the school, Shirogane was making fun of me; soon after, however, his face became pale and he couldn''t say a word.


    I was a little pleased with that, to be honest.


    By the way, my strength has only advanced by one level, but it was as different as night and day from what it had been before. I really wonder how strong I will be once, if ever, it reaches ''S''. Is it even possible? It must be. It seems that humans in this world have a much higher potential than in my previous one¡­


    Soon, Takeshi came back and gave me a wooden sword. Taking it in my hands, I suddenly remembered my glorious war against the leaves. I switched my grip to the one Takeshi had shown me back then.


    The guy smiled and nodded.


    Siro winced.


    After that, we started studying the right standing position. How you should place your legs while holding the sword¡­ All that stuff. I managed to do it on my first try. (Thanks for my great talent). Siro was slower than me, and yet still very fast.


    That was expected.


    After all¡­


    [Shirogane Toshihiro


    Str: D-


    End: D-


    Int: C-


    Special Abilities:


    Kendo: E- (Good talent)]


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    He also was talented. Somewhat.


    After that, we started studying the way you swing your sword at your enemies. There were several rules in the Aozora''s Shin-kendo concerning that matter. You can slash almost every place on your opponent''s body apart from the head and¡­ Between his legs.


    ¡­Now that''s a relief.


    Takeshi again went to the storeroom and came back with two white human-sized dolls placed on moving platforms. He also took two buckets of red-colored water and gave us the following task: we had to place our swords in that bucket and then smash right at the legs, waits, and shoulder of the dolls. On each of these places, there was a black line drawn to indicate where exactly we should aim.


    Shirogane and I stood up in front of the dolls and started smashing at them.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    By the way, the dolls were very light. They could fall down if you smash them too hard, so you had to control the strength of your swing to leave all the three required marks before them actually falling.


    At last, Takeshi told us, that we had to do these three precise swings in under¡­ Two seconds.


    Yeah¡­ To be honest, it felt even less possible than it sounds.


    The duration of ETM had been over by then. I could only really on my talent.


    It was great, so I was still doing well. Takeshi commented on my great progress and smiled. He also praised Siro. The guy was lagging just a little bit behind me¡­ And that made him very angry.


    His doll resembled a zebra.


    After half an hour, Takeshi clapped and said:


    "That''s it¡­"


    We lowered our swords and started washing the dolls. Today''s training was over. I haven''t made substantial progress with my kendo skill, and yet I could feel, that something will happen if I train like that for some more time.


    Right now, however, I was still on the E level.


    I was about to leave when I noticed that Takeshi was looking hesitant. It seemed to me that he wished to talk about something but wasn''t sure how to start.


    Usually, it would have been a great reason for me to leave right away¡­ Dealing with other people''s stuff is always a troublesome thing¡­ However, a good main character is always ought to hear his friend''s concerns ¡ª and so I had to remain.


    Sirogane was about to leave, though. He was about to step into the hallway when Takeshi finally said:


    "Wait!"


    We turned to face him.


    "We have," he started explaining.


    "¡­a tradition in our club. The seniors and younger members go out to eat together¡­ I know a good place, so¡­"


    I was about to say that I was full ¡ª to be honest, I am not really found of hanging out with other people, and yet soon I heard a voice in my head:


    ''Ring! New Mission discovered!


    Fellow club members should be friends!


    5P will be granted for every friend-like activity!''


    I sighed.


    Seems like there was no way out.


    Oh well, refusing Takeshi''s offer would have been hard anyway. He resembled a pitiful puppy there, asking to play with him. I''m not so heartless as to refuse it.


    Someone, however, is:


    "No time," said Shirogane and walked out into the hallway.


    Now that''s a problem. That guy was also a member of the club, so I couldn''t just let him go away¡­


    What a bother¡­ I sighed and shouted:


    "Hey!"


    Toma was surprised. Siro turned to face me and gave me an annoyed look:


    "The hell do you want?"


    "Traditions are important, remember?" I smiled.


    "What are¡­"


    "That''s what you''ve told me about the entrance exam. Now, this friendly dinner is also a tradition, so¡­ Don''t you think that you should stay for it?"


    Takeshi was trying to tell me that it was okay¡­ But I wasn''t paying him attention.


    "What a gaijin can know about traditions?"


    "Surely a little bit more than a guy who goes against them."


    "You¡­" he ground his teeth.


    "The hell do you want from me?"


    "Not a lot¡­" I smiled


    and said the following line:


    "I just want to be friends."


    ¡­

 Villains

    "I just want to be friends."


    ¡­


    Shirogane was stunned for a moment because of my words. That was understandable. Even Takeshi, who had been awkwardly observing our argument from the side, blinked and looked at me with surprise.


    There wasn''t anything strange with such a reaction. I would have looked at myself suspiciously as well were I to hear something like that. But what could I do? It wasn''t'' really me who was trying to be friendly with that bastard. It was the magazine, or, more precisely, the character it forced me to play.


    And being friends was the most logical choice, after all. If friend-like activities give me Points, then it was logical for me to try to get friendly with that guy¡­ Even though he''s really an annoying idiot.


    Shirogane just stood there for some time, trying to comprehend what exactly I had said. After a few moments, he answered:


    "As if I will be¡­ With a Gaijin."


    Can friends punch each other? Because I am on the edge right now.


    "But," oh, now that''s interesting.


    "If that''s the tradition¡­ Okay, I''ll go."


    It worked!


    I sighed.


    Takeshi, still being a little confused, made a wide smile.


    Suddenly, I heard some noise from the window. I turned to the glass, but there was nothing behind it. Strange¡­


    We walked out into the hallway and locked the Dojo.


    Then, as a very silent and awkward trio, we walked out of the building and went toward the schoolyard before the mountain road.


    The weather was good and warm. Summer was just around the corner. The rays of the sun were falling on my head, and my hair felt hot when I brushed them¡­


    Suddenly, when the road down the mountain appeared on the horizon, Takeshi froze. His eyes became attentive at first, then serious.


    I shifted my gaze toward where he was looking and saw a boy standing in the middle of a sunny desolate yard, dressed in all black.


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    He wasn''t from our school. I was sure of it because our uniform was green. The boy noticed us and started walking toward me and everyone else. Soon, I finally saw his face. Turned out, he wasn''t as young as I had assumed it first. Rather than that, we were about the same age. He was simply short.


    A black wooden sword was hanging on his waist.


    "The hell is he?" asked Shirogane.


    The unknown person approached us and looked at Takeshi.


    "Haven''t seen you for a long time," he said in a calm and cold voice.


    The guy had black hair and sharp eyes.


    Takeshi slowly nodded.


    "Yes¡­"


    "Are these new members?" asked the boy and swiftly gazed at Shirogane and me. Siro was very annoyed by his dismissive look, so he said:


    "Who are¡­" but he couldn''t finish his words. Suddenly, Siro stumbled away and almost fell to the ground.


    The boy in black extended his sword right toward the guy''s face. His move was so fast that I couldn''t even see him drawing his weapon.


    The boy then smirked, lowered the sword, and said:


    "Couldn''t find anyone besides this trash?"


    ¡­To tell you the truth, I''m not really fond of hearing curses directed at me. If it was any other day I would have told him off, probably by mentioning his height ¡ª short people usually very sensitive about that subject.


    Right now, however, trying to be careful I looked at him with my special eyes:


    [Str: D-


    End: E+


    Int: C+


    SA:


    Kendo: C-]


    I frowned. Almost everything about him was just a little higher than average. Apart from the kendo skill that was very high¡­ It was on the C- level. Takeshi, if his hand was not broken, would have had about the same degree of mastery.


    As expected from a villain¡­


    Yes, a VILLAIN.


    Soon after the appearance of that guy, the clown in my head shouted:


    ''Attention, attention, Villain-type characters are getting closer.''


    ...Wait. Did he say characters?


    And right away after asking that question in my mind, I heard a voice:


    "Couldn''t find anyone there¡­ hey! Here you are!"


    One more person started approaching us. It was a guy, much taller than the first one. His hair was black and long, and his face was white, and there was a smile on it. Once that person appeared, Takeshi became very tense. He gripped the hilt of his sword.


    "Long time no see," said the taller guy. Unlike his shorter counterpart, he was looking very friendly. Several seconds of awkward silence later, Takeshi somewhat relaxed and nodded.


    "Yes¡­"


    "Sorry for visiting you out of nowhere¡­ I just thought that we should greet you and congratulate with the beginning of a new year!"


    "The manager told us to check all the rivaling teams," said the shorter guy, and right away the taller person stepped on his foot.


    The shorty winced.


    "By the way, how is your injury? Is everything okay?" asked the taller guy while looking at Takeshi.


    "Ah, yes¡­ It is¡­ It should heal by the end of the month."


    "Oh, so soon? That''s good¡­ You could even make it to the tournament, then. Too bad that¡­ By the way, are these two the new members of yours?"


    He gazed at Siro, who was being strangely silent after seeing that guy, and me.


    "Not bad", said the long-haired person.


    It was a compliment, and yet, somewhat, it felt even more dismissing than the ''trash'' said by his friend. The shorty''s words were filled with genuine disdain, while this guy''s... They were hollow. Some people look at you from above; others stand so high and think so much of themselves that they virtually can''t see you down below...

 Strange

    "Oh well, it was pleasant to see you again. Our car is waiting for us, though, so I think we should go¡­" said the long-haired guy and started walking away. At that moment, Takeshi suddenly shouted:


    "We¡­ We are going to participate in this year''s tournament¡­"


    The ''villains'' stopped. The short one looked at Takeshi with a slight surprise in his eyes. The taller person, still as calm as ever, said:


    "Really? You do? But you need at least three members to participate, are you¡­ Ah," suddenly, he gazed at Shirogane and me and laughed.


    "So the first-years are going to participate? Even though there''s just a month before the first stage¡­ How very interesting. Good! That means that we can fight again!" said the guy in a very positive voice, waved his hand, and walked away.


    While he was leaving, Takeshi was attentively staring at his back.


    I did it too, reading his profile:


    [Str: D-


    End: D-


    Int: B


    SP:


    Kendo: C]


    ¡­


    For a long time after the had duo vanished on the road down the mountain, we were still standing in the same place. In silence. Various thoughts, related and unrelated to the subject matter were flashing in my head. Now I knew why the shorty was so looking so pissed. I would have been angry too, were I had to ascend a mountain just to exchange a few words.


    At last, Takeshi started speaking:


    "Sorry, but¡­ I can''t do it today¡­ I have to¡­ Maybe we''ll go later," he said and started walking back to the school building. Should I stop him for the sake of my mission? No, just by looking at him I knew, that I won''t be able to. He was looking too depressed and full of some strange determination at the same time. My words won''t affect him at all.


    Takeshi went away.


    Suddenly, Shirogane, who was still standing there said:


    "I knew these two".


    "So who they are?"


    "They are from Ryugo school ¡­ The one with long hair is Nishima Yu. In the last year''s tournament, he almost won on the first stage of our district. He''s very famous, people call him ''The Great Dragon''. He also has a hundred thousand subscribers on Instavid¡­ He''s a prodigy.


    During the last year''s tournament, he and his school eliminated our teams.


    "Hm."


    "They did it with ease. Our guys couldn''t win even one battle. Ryugo became champions, yet they weren''t allowed to participate in the second stage¡­ Nishima, their Captain, was disqualified for a year ¡ª ''cause he badly injured a guy from the opposite team¡­"


    Badly injured¡­


    An image of Takeshi with his broken hand flashed in my mind.


    Soon after, Siro said something about having the stuff to do and left.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    I was surprised.


    He even bothered to come up with an excuse.


    What a polite guy.


    ¡­


    I came back early to the dorm. No one was there, yet. Taking off my shoes, I entered the silent hallway.


    My gaze suddenly fell on the door with the number 3 on it.


    Aoi was living in the first room. Number five belonged to Murakami. There was no room number four in the dorm, probably because it was considered unlucky, and at last, in the third room lived the mysterious girl that Lu told me about¡­ I''ve yet to see her myself, but I had a feeling that we were bound to meet sooner or later.


    After returning to my room, I read the magazine. I thought that it would be a good thing to check it regularly, as a habit.


    [Score: 11


    SpoCon:


    Genre Score: 10/30]


    I had been granted 10 points for advancing my strengths and endurance. I could earn 5 more if it wasn''t for the villains who had disrupted my friendly event¡­ Either way, I still had an entire month ahead of me, so it shouldn''t be too hard to reach the required number.


    At least I hoped so.


    I thought for some time about what I''m going to do next. Then I put the magazine away and read a book on my phone. An hour later, I heard light steps from the hallway. Seems like Aoi has come back. After some time I heard a loud and always energetic voice that belonged to Murakami.


    The evening was approaching.


    I was lucky with my dinner. Once again, Aoi has brought the leftovers from her restaurant and proposed to share


    I was glad, and yet at the same time, it came to me at that moment that I had made a mistake.


    My relationship with Lu was too good. And that''s bad because I couldn''t use the ''Tsun'' side of her to earn points. Usually, in this kind of story, the MC and the tsundere girl have a rough start caused by some accident. Like when I had ''accidentally'' seen her in the toilet. But that wasn''t enough.


    Thinking about it now, I should have been the one to take her room before Lu''s appearance. It would have been by accident, and I would have given her a bad impression ¡ª so, everything would have been the way it usually is in the stories. However, instead of me, it was Murakami who did it.


    I''ve lost my chance.


    And quite a lot of Points.


    Oh well. You can''t turn back time.


    I think I should just make a note for myself to be more attentive in the future.


    The dinner turned out quite lively. At some point, a sly smile appeared on Murakami''s face. She caught my left hand and started touching it all over:


    "Ho¡­ So you have some muscles¡­"


    Aoi turned her face away. A red tint appeared on her cheeks.


    After having her fun, Murakami released me. She then placed her hand on the table and proposed for us to have an arm-wrestling match. I declined, not only because it was a bother (mostly for Lu, who was frowning), but also for the simple reason that I had no hope of winning ¡ª she had D+ in Str, after all ¡ª and yet wished to retain at least some of my male dignity.


    At last, I went back to my room, read some more, washed myself, and started getting ready for sleep. I was about to go to the toilet when I saw that the door was closed¡­ Who was there? Aoi? Should I risk it and peek at her again? Or doing it two times in a row will be too risky?


    I ground my teeth, placed my hand on the handle, and then¡­


    The door refused to open.


    It was closed from inside.


    I sighed.


    Suddenly, a robotic voice of Murakami came from the other side.


    "To enter, please fill the form R34¡­"


    "¡­"


    ¡­Maybe later.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    When I woke up the next day, it was 6:30 in the morning. The sparrows were chirping from the other side of the window. For some time, I was just staring at the ceiling. Then I forced myself to stoop up and was about to start dressing when suddenly, I heard someone knocking on my door.


    Who''s that?


    I put on my pants and opened the door. I saw Murakami standing in the hallway, dressed in her usual red tracksuit. Immediately, the girl placed a finger on her lips, telling me to stay silent.


    Then, without explaining anything at all, she started crawling through the hallway.


    After walking several steps, and turned and waved her hand, signing me to follow her.


    ¡­Just what is going on here?


    I followed the girl, also trying to be as quiet as possible.


    We went out into the street.


    Murakami started peeking from the edge of the building. I followed the suit.


    Several seconds passed by. I was about to ask just what are we doing when the girl suddenly whispered:


    "Quite!" and froze.


    I blinked and saw a girl appear from the bushed on the other side of the building. It was Lu. She carefully approached the window of one of the rooms and left on the ground below it a white box. I recognized it. It was the same food box that I saw in the kitchen a day before.


    Then Aoi quietly left.


    Murakami and I looked at each other. We were about to walk there and check what was inside that box when suddenly, the window opened. We froze once again.


    Then I saw a thread with a hook attached lower itself to the box. The hook caught the box, and then the thread pulled it inside the window...

 RomCom. First Ark

    RomCom. First Ark


    "She will be back soon," whispered Murakami.


    I nodded, and we went back into the dorm.


    Once we had stepped into the hallway, the girl said:


    "So, what do you think she was doing¡­" she couldn''t finish her words, because right at that moment Lu had walked into the hallway from the door on the other side. She looked at us, and, seeing how strangely quiet we were, the girl awkwardly coughed.


    Suddenly, Murakami said:


    "So¡­ What do we have for breakfast today?"


    "Same as yesterday¡­ I mean, the same thing that you had on dinner," immediately answered Lu.


    Murakami was about to say something else when suddenly, a sound of a song playing filled the room. It felt somewhat familiar to me. It was a song from some commercial. I gazed at the TV, but it had been turned off. Meanwhile, Lu shivered and took out her phone from the pocket of her skirt.


    Red from embarrassment, Lu answered the call:


    "I¡­ I told you not to call me while I have classes¡­ Ah¡­" she looked at us, switched to whisper, walked toward the kitchen, and then closed the door.


    I shrugged.


    Murakami was smiling.


    "Cute song," she said.


    "I guess."


    "Dango-Dango~"


    Stop it.


    We sat down behind the table. Aoi came back after about five minutes. And right away Murakami frowned. I frowned too, seeing the look on the girl''s face.


    Lu was deathly pale. Her lips were slightly open, and she was holding the phone tightly in her hands, to the point that her knuckles became white. Lu looked at Murakami and me with hollow eyes and said:


    "I¡­ I need to go back home¡­ I have something to do¡­ Say to the teachers¡­ That I will be absent today¡­"


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    And then she started walking toward the door. I had a feeling that she was about to go out just like that, without even putting on her shoes. Gladly, the girl did put the on with shivering hands and only then walked out.


    We fell silent.


    Many questions were flashing in my mind. Why was she looked so depressed? Why did she run away? Has something bad happened?


    Oh well, no point in trying to figure it out.


    "¡­Should we eat?" I proposed in an awkward voice.


    "Sure," said Murakami, and we went to the kitchen. I took a plate of rice and walked back into the hall.


    And suddenly, while I was having my breakfast, a thought occurred to me.


    Wait.


    Doesn''t it looks like a beginning¡­ Of some story ark?


    Yes, it does. And once this thought flashed in my mind, I heard a very distinct voice sound in my head:


    ''Attention! Attention! A new potential Ark (rom-com genre) is discovered! What could be bothering the heroine? The MC is ought to figure it out!''


    ''Main mission of the ark: Discover what is bothering Aoi Lu: 5P


    Solver her problem: 10P''


    I froze.


    Then, I sighed. I really don''t like dealing with other people''s stuff¡­ However, no choice for me now, right. Every month I had to complete at least one Ark in every genre. For the SpoCon, I had the training Ark.


    I still haven''t got anything like that for the RomCom.


    I was worried about that and was actually considering making an Ark myself: by inviting someone on a date, for example.


    And now this chance has appeared.


    Guess I should take it.


    I thought for some more time and went to the kitchen.


    There I saw Murakami standing with a spoon in her hand just before the stove.


    "..Are you eating from the pan?"


    "Am, nfon, I mhean yhes¡­ But I will eat everything, so it''s ok!" she gulped and said.


    "¡­Okay."


    I sighed.


    "I have¡­ A proposal."


    "I¡­ I don''t think that our relationship is at that stage yet¡­ I mean we are still in school!"


    "¡­Not that kind of proposal."


    I tried to make a worried voice:


    "I kind of¡­ Worried that Lu has run away just like that. So maybe we should go and see how she is? Maybe she needs our help."


    Let''s stalk her ¡ª I added in my head.


    Why I was trying to take Murakami with me? Well, there''s a simple reason for that. She is also a heroine, so the more time I spend with her doing various activities, the better. It will earn me points.


    I was somewhat worried that the girl will refuse, but gladly, she just smiled and nodded:


    "Okay, let''s go!"


    After that, she lowered her head, placed a hand on her chin, and started thinking:


    "But how can we find her? Guess I can catch up to her on a bike but after that¡­ Also, I don''t think that she will like to see us following her¡­ Ha-ha¡­"


    Yeah, that''s a good question. How exactly can we follow Aoi so that we will remain unseen by her? Should I try to use the Perfect Disguise item from the Store? But how, then, I will explain its functions to Murakami?


    The best way will be for us to wait for some time and go straight to her home. To do that, however, we need to know where she lives¡­


    "Bingo!" Suddenly said Murakami.


    "Do you remember that box? The one that she took from the restaurant? It belongs to her family, and there should be an address written on it."


    "Ha. That''s true¡­"


    Murakami and I immediately went through the trash bag. Sadly, we couldn''t find the box inside.


    That means that we only have one choice¡­


    I walked into the hallway and approached room N3¡­

 Search

    I knocked at the door N3 several times and then simply stood in front of it, waiting. Murakami had come from the kitchen and started waiting with me. Yet even after a minute, there was no response. I was about to try knocking again, when suddenly:


    "Hey, see that," said the girl and pointed at the slit below the door. I lowered my eyes and saw a white note sliding there.


    I picked that note up and unfolded it. Then Murakami, standing just behind me with her head above my shoulder, read its content aloud:


    "Still too early..."


    I felt her warm breath brush my cheek¡­


    I shook my head and tried to concentrate.


    What''s ''early''? What exactly is the meaning of this message?


    "Maybe there''s a vampire living there that can only go out during the night?" said Murakami in an overly carefree voice for such a ghastly assumption.


    "I doubt it."


    After all, there were no ''vampires'' among my genres.


    ...As of yet.


    "Hmm¡­"


    I tried knocking again and then raised my voice:


    "It isn''t Aoi¡­ We are your neighbors. Can you give us the food box that she had passed to you? Or maybe just read the address on it. We need to know where Lu lives¡­ We just want to give her a visit."


    ¡­Somehow that sounded really suspiciously.


    The door was at first silent. Murakami mentioned that there was some garlic in the kitchen and that we could use it to drive the inhabitant of this room out¡­ I was actually considering this proposition when suddenly I heard the phone in my pocket ring. I took it out. Turned out, I had received a message¡­ From an anonym.


    Strange¡­ I read that message and felt even more surprised. There were several letters and numbers inside of it, ¡ª an address. Meanwhile, Murakami has taken out her own phone. She also had received the very same message.


    We looked at each other and then simultaneously turned toward the closed door.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ...How exactly the girl from the other side had learned our numbers? I had many theories flashing in my mind, but there was no time to think about that stuff.


    "So¡­ I guess we should go," smiled Murakami.


    "I guess¡­"


    We walked out of the dorm. The girl went to get her bike. When I saw that red thing approach me, I suddenly remembered our previous ride¡­ I was hoping that this time Murakami will be more careful, but¡­


    "Here we go!"


    ¡­I really need to get myself insurance¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ...


    Not so long after I was walking through a tight little street, looking at the shop windows shining left and right.


    Murakami and I first descended to the foot of the hill, and then took a bus into the city. After that we had a long ride on a metro, and, at last, we have reached a rather comfortable commercial street. The buildings were short there, nothing higher than five stories, and wherever you look, you would see a shop.


    I was patiently standing in front of one such building. At last, after five minutes of waiting, Murakami has come out from it. She wore a large hat and had big blue glasses on her face. One more pair of glasses, a pink one, she tried to give me.


    "It''s for disguise," the girl said.


    "I think I''ll refrain."


    "Ha-ha. Okay. More to me, than," she smiled and placed the second pair of glasses on her nose. After that, the girl became the most suspicious character on the entire street¡­ And it was still very easy to recognize her because of the long white hair and red tracksuit.


    ¡­She''s just having fun, right?


    Once again, we started walking through the street. I mean, I was walking, while Murakami was riding her bike. My stomach felt sick whenever I was looking at that thing.


    It was still the middle of the workday, so there weren''t many people around. After walking for some time in peaceful silence, Murakami has taken a bag of candies from her pocket started chewing on them.


    Suddenly, she stretched the bag to me and said:


    "Wanna some?"


    Not really. To tell you the truth, I rarely take food from other people ¡ª one can consider that an oddity of mine. Yet right now¡­ Right now I was living in a Rom-Com, and eating from the same bag, albeit not hygienic, was kind of romantic¡­ So, after hesitating for some time, I took the candy and placed it into my mouth.


    It was sour and sweet.


    Murakami smiled and said while taking out another one:


    "We''re almost there."


    That''s true.


    According to the GPS that I had been checking on my phone from time to time, we just had to make one more turn to reach the restaurant.


    When that turn was approaching, Murakami and I slowed down and carefully looked from behind the corner.


    We saw one more street full of shop windows and small restaurants stretch before us.


    After looking for some time, I found among them the one that we needed: "Noodles and Rice".


    What a simple title. The signboard was white with red characters on it. There were also some yellow dots.


    It was the restaurant of Lu''s family.


    And just in front of it, I saw a very¡­ Strange pair.


    There was an elderly man dressed as a samurai ¡ª hair tied in a bun, a rubber sword hanging on his waist, ¡ª and before him a man in a blue uniform.


    A police officer.


    I suddenly felt an urge to run away...


    Having restrained myself, I looked over the building again and saw that the yellow dots were covering not only the signboard but the entire fa?ade. As if someone had been throwing some stuff at it.


    Then I saw that one of the windows was broken, which made my theory even more plausible.


    Someone has assaulted this place...

 Acting!

    ...


    Suddenly, while I was thinking about all that stuff, the policeman turned his head and looked in our direction. His face was round and pale. He frowned when he saw us and started approaching Murakami and me.


    Once again, I felt an urge to run away.


    It wasn''t easy to endure.


    When he approached us, the man said in a very rough voice:


    "Who are you? What are you doing here?"


    While I was trying to come us with an answer, Murakami said:


    "No one! And we aren''t doing anything suspicious!"


    "¡­"


    The frown on the man''s face became even deeper. Yeah, that sounded suspiciously as hell. No way he''s letting us go after that.


    The police officer took out a notepad and said:


    "Tell me your names¡­"


    I was about to get worried when suddenly, the elderly man in a samurai suit had also walked toward us.


    "Oh, don''t be so hard on them," he said. "They are just children. I''m sure they were just passing by," he said while looking at Murakami and me and caressing his beard. His actions were looking a bit ridiculous while in this costume.


    I was about to agree with his words, but suddenly, I came up with a better play:


    "¡­No, not really. Actually, we are studying in the same school as your granddaughter, Aoi, does¡­ We are her neighbors from the dorm. She run away early in the morning today, so we came to check on her."


    The elderly man''s eyes opened a little bit more and glittered with black shine. Soon, a shiny smile appeared on his face.


    "Oh, so you are the friends of Aoi?"


    I swiftly nodded.


    Actually, according to the magazine we had yet to become friends. We were simply [Good Acquaintances] as of now, but there''s no point in mentioning it, right?


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    I said:


    "Yes. Yes, we are."


    "Best friends!" nodded Murakami.


    "That''s good!" the elder''s smile became even brighter. "Then let''s go in, I''m sure, she will be happy to see you¡­" he said, nodded the policeman, who was still frowning at all this situation, and lead us into the restaurant.


    Inside, this building turned out to be quite comfortable. The chairs and tables were placed in three rows, with short folding screens, painted with cherry-blossom trees separating them. At the other end of the hall stood a cardboard samurai. A katana was hanging on the wall in the corner, and just to the left of it, there was a large picture of mountain Fujiyama.


    If I didn''t know that it was a Chinese restaurant, I would have thought that it was Japanese. Not an authentic one, but some very tasteless place from Texas.


    There was only one person inside. Aoi was sitting nearby the left wall. A cup full of tea, very cold by the look of it, was standing in front of her. The black-haired girl had a worried expression on her pale face. She was so deep in her thoughts that she didn''t even notice our appearance.


    "Aoi¡­ Look, your friends have come!"


    Said the elderly man with a smile on his face.


    The girl shivered and turned to face us. Then, she looked at Murakami and me with great surprise.


    "What¡­ What are you doing eyes?" she asked with her eyes wide.


    "Just wished to visit you!" answered Murakami and sat down before the same table. I followed the suit. Aoi became tense. She was looking at us carefully, like a beast caught in a trap.


    "Don''t pay me attention¡­ I will bring you something to eat. Not every day Aoi is visited by her friends¡­ Shall we postpone our talk for some time, officer?" said the elderly man and went into the kitchen, leaving us and Aoi alone in the room.


    For about of minute, the girl was simply looking at Murakami and me carefully. Then, she frowned and asked:


    "What¡­ What are you doing here?.."


    "Wanted to visit you!" answered Murakami.


    I nodded.


    "You ran away so suddenly¡­ We were afraid that something has happened to you¡­"


    Aoi opened her eyes wide.


    To be honest, I was about 50% sure that she will think that we are insane after hearing that. I could not blame her, really¡­ It was really strange for us to go to her home¡­ However, the way Aoi actually reacted was surprising. She didn''t try to make up an excuse to leave us here and then call the police. Instead, the girl lowered her head, and I saw a flush appear on her cheeks.


    "I¡­ I mean, you shouldn''t have to¡­ Everything is okay, there''s nothing¡­"


    She was blabbering excuses¡­


    I, meanwhile, was very confused. It took me some time to understand exactly what was going on there.


    Lu was blaming herself.


    She was blaming herself because she thought it was the way she had been acting that made us made us follow her¡­ Oh, I see.


    Seems like Aoi is the kind of person that has so little confidence in herself, that if some bad stuff happens, she always tries to find the fault in herself and not in the people around. I have met this kind of people before. When they see an obvious mistake in someone else''s calculation, for example, they will check it ten, maybe twenty times before voicing aloud.


    I mean, it''s good to be careful and a little bit unsure of yourself, but some people¡­ Well. They take it a little too far.


    However, looking at the girl who was avoiding my eyes, I suddenly thought that it was good that Aoi was unsure of herself. That was my chance. While she was in that state of mind, I could attempt to influence her.


    To play my act¡­


    Of the main character.


    "¡­"


    I clicked my tongue, once again, step by step, thought about what I was about to do, and started speaking¡­

 The entire Story

    "We were just worried. I mean, that''s what you do when you see your friend in trouble," I said, trying to keep a poker face.


    "Yes, but¡­" a light flush appeared on Aoi''s cheeks.


    "Just tell us what''s happened. Maybe we can help you," I said.


    [Real Hero always worries about his friends! You have been granted 2P]


    Seems like I am doing it the right way¡­


    Aoi hesitated for some time, and then slowly nodded. The girl took a breath and, while staring at the table, explained to us what exactly has happened.


    Turns out, someone has assaulted the restaurant during the night. They showered the fa?ade of the building with eggs and then broke the window by throwing a stone. What''s more, a note was tied to that projectile. It was very simple:


    "F*ck off from Aozora!"


    From the content of this message, one could easily tell that the entire operation had been done by some nationalistic group. People of Aozora weren''t exactly fond of outsiders. They could tolerate Japanese and Westerners (to a lesser extent) but hated the Chinese with passion. The reason for that is the old and bloody history all of the makers of which had already been turned to dust in their graves.


    In the morning, Lu''s grandfather called the girl and told her about what had happened. He did not really want for her to come back, because in his opinion, it was just a stupid prank, and no one was injured, but Aoi still insisted.


    Then came the police¡­


    After telling us the entire sequence of events, Lu somewhat relaxed.


    Then the door at the other end of the room opened, and the girl''s grandfather came back, carrying several plates of some rice dish. Once he placed them on the table, Murakami immediately started gulping down her portion. She resembled a hungry wolf.


    Lu, however, was still looking a little bit lost. She was silently staring at her plate.


    Suddenly, I felt that it was it.


    The most important moment.


    I took a breath, stood up, and placed my hand on Lu''s tiny shoulder.


    "Ah!" the girl shivered but didn''t try to free herself. I gazed into her black eyes and said:


    "Everything will be okay. I find the responsible people, I promise." I told her in a deep voice.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    For some reason, Murakami started coughing.


    "I¡­ I¡­ Thank¡­ you," nodded Aoi.


    She was looking embarrassed.


    [Ring! You have received 2P for giving a promise!]


    [Ring! Aoi Lu''s relationship has been improved by 10]


    [Ring! You have accomplished your mission and have been granted 5P]


    Great!


    I smiled in my mind, feeling satisfied with my progress.


    Meanwhile, Aoi lowered her head. Suddenly, I heard the sound of the door being open and then some steps approaching. Lu''s grandfather was coming back after finishing his talk with the police officer. Aoi''s face suddenly turned pale. The girl shivered and tried to free herself from my hand. She moved and accidentally threw her plate into the air¡­


    I could evade it, but¡­


    Ha¡­


    I let the plate smash right into my face.


    [Ring! You have received a light burn! 4P Granted.]


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    After I had washed myself, our sudden breakfast ended.


    Lu''s grandfather, Ming Lu, had taken a floor mop and started cleaning. Of course, his granddaughter started helping. Of course, Murakami and I started helping them too.


    Because that''s what heroes do.


    We washed the floor and fa?ade and put all the pieces of the broken glass into the trash bag. For the time being, a cardboard plate replaced the window.


    After finishing with all that stuff, it was already 12.00. There was no point in going to classes anymore. Aoi hesitated for some time, and, after being encouraged by Murakami, decided to play truant today.


    Her grandfather was very happy because of it.


    "That''s good. By the way, Lu, I have prepared a nice Yukarra for you, so maybe¡­"


    "No!"


    ...Turns out, the Japanese theme that the restaurant was following right now was not its usual look, but just the fade of the week. Lu''s grandfather was a very creative person, so every month or so his restaurant was changing its style. Right now, it was Japanese. Not so long ago, it was a maid cafe He even showed us a picture of Aoi dressed as a maid¡­


    There were many such pictures. On one of them, dated 2017, a little girl was in a suit of a blue-white droid ¡ª R2-D2.


    I felt very strange while looking at that photo. I could remember the release of Episode 7 of Star W*rs very clearly, but for Lu, who was a 16-year''s old girl, it was just a distant childhood memory¡­ That made me more aware of the actual difference in our age.


    I had a body of a zoomer high schooler.


    Nevertheless, my mind was that of a millennial¡­


    Well, maybe not entirely.


    Why does it sound like an insult, by the way?..


    Anyway, Lu was red while Ming Lu was showing Murakami and me all these pictures. That was good, though. At least she wasn''t as pale as death is anymore. The girl was had gotten so invigorated that she even scolded us for skipping school for no reason.


    After all that stuff, I peeked into the magazine and saw this:


    [Characters:


    ...


    Aoi Lu.


    Relationship: 34 (Friends)]


    ¡­


    [Score: 30]


    I''ve earned many points and almost met the Genre Score requirements for the rom-com.


    So, everything was great if not for one little thing.


    I still had one more mission to accomplish:


    [Solve Aoi''s problem: 10P]


    Not only do I have to do this mission before finishing the Ark, but I also have promised Aoi to help.


    A true main character never breaks his promises.


    I had to find the gang that assaulted the restaurant¡­ And do something with them.


    Maybe I''ll just call the police on them¡­


    Feeling a little bit lost as to where should I begin, I asked to have a look at the stone that was used to break the window. Some detective could have deduced the location from where it was taken¡­ But I''m not a detective, sadly. For me, it was just a rock.


    Then, I checked the note that was tied to the stone. It was written with a normal pen, but what really had attracted my attention wasn''t the instrument of writing, nor even the content of the message.


    It was the handwriting itself.


    I recognized it.


    And whispered:


    "That f*cking bastard¡­"

 I want to see my brother...

    It was after the last class of the day when we had finally come back to school. Murakami went to the basketball club, and I headed to my Dojo.


    I was not walking too fast because I knew that nothing fun was waiting for me at my destination.


    Because of Shirogane.


    Yes, it was his handwriting that I saw on that note. I recognized it because I had seen him write down his name on the club application form not so long ago.


    And yes, I might have made a mistake. It might be only a little bit similar, however, considering the character of that guy, I highly doubt that he is incapable of something like that.


    So¡­ The question is: what exactly should I do with him now?


    While trying to come up with an answer to that question, I entered the Dojo.


    There was only Takeshi in the room. He was sitting on the floor, staring at the wooden sword in his hand.


    The guy noticed me, smiled, and went to the storeroom to take my sword. I, meanwhile, looked out into the window.


    There were bushes growing on the other side... Swaying in the wind.


    In the end, even after Takeshi came back and we started with our training, I did not tell him anything about my suspicions.


    Not because I wished to protect that bastard Shirogane. Oh, far from it. If I was doing everything in accordance with my own will, I would have already told his name to the police.


    However, in my current position, it will be problematic¡­ Shirogane was my rival, after all. I had yet to find anyone else who could fit that role. So if that bastard will go to prison or will get expelled from school, I will have problems. The SpoCon story without a rival will Incomplete.


    The magazine will not be lenient with me in that case.


    What was annoying me the most and making me frown was that I was the one who got himself into these troubles. I shouldn''t have given Lu the promise to find the responsible people, but now that I did it, I had to follow it through¡­


    Honestly, it was pure bad luck.


    Who could have thought that an important character from one story will be a minor villain in the other one?..


    While I was thinking about all that stuff and swinging my sword, I suddenly noticed that Takeshi''s fingers were somewhat swelled and red. Then, feeling suspicious, I looked at his sword and saw several cracks on it.


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Ah.


    So that''s what''s happened yesterday after our separation¡­


    After our meeting with the villains, he went back to the Dojo and started training, and his training was so intense that he almost injured himself.


    I swiftly looked at Takeshi''s honest face, sighed, and continued beating down the wooden doll in front of me.


    I had made some considerations after yesterday''s meeting.


    Right now, I had the following stats:


    [Str: E+


    End: E


    Int: B+


    SP:


    Kendo: E]


    Meanwhile, the main villain of this Ark had a C-level of sword Mastery.


    And he was a prodigy, a genius. Maybe later on, with the progression of the story even more powerful villains will appear, but for now, he was my goal.


    I had to reach at least C- level of mastery before the tournament to have a hope of beating that guy.


    To do that, I had to utilize ETM. It was very useful, but each activation of this thing cost me a lot of points.


    However, apart from that I also had my Great Talent.


    With these trump cards, I should be able to do it¡­ I think.


    I just had to train hard.


    And so I did.


    I was slashing at the wooden doll until my hands gave in. Then, I was listening to Takeshi''s advices.


    Because of my talent, I could get the idea that he was trying to convey by listening to even a very vague description. Moreover, after I comprehended it, my moves were getting faster and stronger right away.


    Takeshi was amazed by my progress.


    Some time passed by. At last, our training has ended. Shirogane didn''t appear today. Takeshi seemed to be very sad because of it. I also was worried. What if the police caught that bastard already? What a troublesome situation.


    Seeing my thoughtful expression, Takeshi for some reason tried to comfort me:


    "I¡­ I think he''s just busy today¡­"


    Seems like he had his own thoughts about my opinion on that guy¡­ Oh well. It doesn''t matter.


    After that, Takeshi had left. He had some stuff to do at home and was very sorry about that.


    I continued with my training.


    After half an hour of beating the doll, I suddenly felt fire in my chest. I raised the sword, smashed at the legs, then at the waist of the doll. And right away, I made the final swing right at the head.


    The doll almost fell down.


    I looked into the Magazine:


    [Kendo: E+]


    Great.


    I did it¡­


    I made a tired sigh and almost fell to the floor.


    Barley, I was able to carry myself to the mat lying just below the window. I fell there and lay down for several minutes.


    However, after some time I suddenly heard a rustle coming from the window. Is it the spy? I clicked my tongue and carefully crawled toward the door into the hallway.


    Then I ran through it and stepped outside. I went around the building and saw the bushed before the window of our Dojo.


    "Stay where you are!" I shouted.


    "Ah!"


    I heard a very melodic scream and saw a head full of black hair appear in the bushed. I went there and raised my sword.


    The spy seemed to be afraid. He went silent and froze in the bushes.


    "Show yourself," I said in a severe voice.


    "Do it. And I won''t touch you."


    The bushes shivered. Seems like the person inside was considering my proposal. At last, I saw small white hands appear in the greenery. Then, shiny black eyes timidly looked at me.


    I was stunned.


    A little girl, about 11 years old, crawled out of the bushes. She was dressed in a blue school uniform.


    The girl looked at me awkwardly and said:


    "I¡­ I''m Yuki¡­ Shirogane Yuki¡­" she gulped. "I want to see my brother."

 Rivals sad Past

    "I¡­ Wanted to visit my brother," proclaimed the girl while timidly trying to look into my eyes.


    ¡­Did Shirogane have a sister?


    It was the first thought that appeared in my mind. Well, seems like he did. However¡­ That doesn''t explain what exactly she''s doing here. Isn''t it''s usually the elder siblings who visit the younger ones?


    Either way¡­ I looked around, at the bushes and the white wall of the building. There was a large spider hanging on it¡­ That wasn''t a very suitable place to have a talk, so while the girl was staring at me awkwardly, I proposed:


    "How about you go in?"


    "Ah, no, I mean¡­ If you insist."


    She nodded.


    Seems like she was a polite kid.


    Wonder if it will make it easier or harder.


    We went into the building and entered the Dojo.


    I walked to the mat and sat down on it.


    The girl froze in the middle of the hall.


    On her back, she was carrying a large backpack. It was blue, the color of her uniform.


    Once we came into the room, her awkwardness became even more obvious.


    There''s no way we can have a serious talk like that.


    "You can sit down," I said, showing to her the free space on the mat. The girl nodded and timidly approached me. Once she found a place to sit, we both turned to face each other. After that, several more moments of silence followed, and at last, Shirogane''s sister said:


    "I wanted to visit my brother; I¡­ was hoping that he will be here."


    I nodded.


    The girl was trying to sound polite, but honestly, it was a little bit ridiculous considering her age.


    "I see. Sorry, but he hasn''t joined the training today..."


    "I... I see..." the girl nodded and bit her lips.


    Once again, there was a silence between us.


    I sighed inwardly and said:


    "So... Did something happen to him?"


    "Ah, yes, but..." she seemed to be hesitating on whether she should tell me.


    I need to convince her somewhat... Hm...


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "He''s my friend, you know," I said suddenly.


    "Friend?" the girl shivered and looked at me with surprise in her eyes.


    "Yes," I said in a serious voice.


    "I had been worried about him as well, so, if something has happened... I would be glad if you told me."


    The girl stared at me with a surprised expression; then, she lowered her eyes. She stayed like that for some time before finally she made some decision on her mind and started telling me the entire story:


    "My brother, he¡­ Got himself into a bad company."


    I felt as if it was not a sister, but the mother of Shirogane who was speaking with me.


    Oh well, that was somewhat funny. In its own way.


    And so she told me the story of Toshihiro (Shirogane''s name, I think I should refer to him as such from now on so I won''t confuse him with his sister) falling into depravity.


    Turns out, Toshihiro wasn''t such a nationalistic bastard before. There was a time when he didn''t concern himself with the fate of his country but was a simple kendo-loving boy. He was honest, brave, hard-working... It was really hard to believe, to be honest, and seeing how starry-eyed became the girl while telling me all that, half of that stuff was probably just her fantasy.


    However, one could tell that Toshihiro really was a better person some time ago.


    All of it, however, has changed once he got himself into some gang.


    After that, It became rare to see him home. And when you did, there were usually some bruises on his face.


    His little sister was very worried because of that.


    It was very stressful for her to see her a little bit stupid but dear brother turn into a delinquent.


    However, with the beginning of the new academic year, Toshihiro has done something that you won''t really expect from a delinquent. He joined a Club. A Kendo club.


    Now, it needs to be mentioned that he was a real fan of that sport back in the day. While in elementary school, he amassed a great collection of trading cards with famous swordsmen that he holds dear to this day. He could name you every kendo-master since the nineteenth century. He was a real geek, basically.


    What''s more, Toshihiro was actually visiting the training sessions of the club¡­


    His sister, Yuki, was very happy because of that. She was so glad, that she started to spy on him¡­


    Yeah, you definitely can see a lip of logic at that moment of the story.


    When Yuki was talking about her reason for spying on us, she did sound very vague. Probably because it was an embarrassing topic to her.


    I''m just guessing here, but I think the reason for it is that the sister was simply fond of seeing the redemption of her brother. Or something like that.


    I''m not sure.


    Either way, seeing how the girl did not mention their parents at all while telling me this story, I could make some guesses about the state of their family. It was not very united if the mother and the father didn''t care about their son being almost a criminal.


    So, if they didn''t care about their son, they probably didn''t care about their daughter either. The girl, Yuki, was lonely. And that''s why she cares so much about her brother Siro.


    At the final portion of her tale, the girl gripped her tiny first and told me:


    "Shiro¡­ My brother¡­ He didn''t come back yesterday. At all. I thought he will be here, in his Dojo, but¡­ It seems he didn''t come here either. I''m sorry for bothering you," she said and bowed.


    "Don''t worry about that," I said slowly.


    "Thank you," said the girl and then started hesitating.


    "I¡­" she took a phone out of her backpack.


    "I tried to call him, but he didn''t answer. He doesn''t really like it when I phone him, but he always answers, but this time¡­"


    She lowered her eyes, looking at a loss.


    Well, maybe he''s just drunk after yesterday''s night assault? Or maybe he lost his phone while running away? Either way, that''s not something a little girl should concern herself with. I think it will be better to ask the authorities to help¡­ It will be logical.


    Sadly¡­ Heroes usually aren''t fond of logic.


    While I was looking at the sad face of the girl, thinking about the best way to convince her to call a police, a shrill voice rang inside my head:


    [You have discovered a new Story Ark!


    Genre: SpoCon.


    Mission: Find your rival and make him abandon his evil ways and come back to the family.


    Reward: 30P]


    ¡­F&ck.

 Quest!

    After hearing the annoying voice of the clown, I sighed. Really now¡­ Seems like I have no choice but to find that bastard. Oh well. I would have been doing it anyway, because he is my rival, and I can''t just let him go to jail. Now, at least, there was a mission tied to all that stuff, and I could earn some points.


    So¡­ Let''s get going.


    "Do you have any idea where that guy¡­ Your brother, I mean, could be?"


    Once I voiced my question, the black eyes of the girl shone with blinding light.


    "Yes, I mean¡­ I saw, accidentally, a note that his friends left him. It''s about the place where they usually gather," she put her phone out of the bag and showed me the map of the city. There was a street market there. It was not too far from Lu''s restaurant. By the way, seems like the girl was thinking about going there herself, seeing that she had marketed the place.


    "¡­Maybe we should go there and get him, then. Who do you think?" I proposed.


    She stared at me with her eyes wide open. The phone almost fell from the girl''s hands. Then she said to me in a very glad voice:


    "If¡­ If it won''t bother you¡­ Thank you¡­"


    "Good. However, I need to have some stuff done first¡­"


    I said, got up, and then went to the storeroom. When I came back, there was a wooden sword in one of my hands and the magazine in the other one.


    While walking, I activated the Extreme Training Mode.


    (30-30=0)


    Here goes my earnings¡­


    The girl, Yuki, was looking at me with a confused gaze.


    "I have to finish my training," I said to her.


    "Give me¡­ About ten minutes," I said and positioned myself before the wooden doll.


    I was about to go on an expedition to some nationalistic gang''s headquarters.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    I had to prepare for this, and the only way for me to prepare was to rise my sword mastery.


    I grasped the hilt of the sword with both of my hands and smashed at the doll¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The sun was shining through the window, showering the concrete buildings with its golden rays.


    One of these rays was falling on the black hair of a little girl that was tied into twin tails.


    Yuki was sitting in front of me, just before the window of the monorail that we were riding.


    I was standing and grasping at the handrail.


    There was no one apart from us in the carriage. There were several reasons for that. First, because it was too early. 17:44. The working day was still going on. The second reason was that the part of the city that we were entering was quite desolate. In the window, I could see a great deal of construction sites and not so many finished buildings.


    "I¡­ I''ve read about this place, by the way¡­" suddenly started talking Yuki.


    I was surprised.


    "What about it?"


    "It was a¡­ Suburbia before. But the city was growing, so at some point, someone bought all the homes and started building there a commercial street. However, the city was still growing, so it became meaningless and most places here went bankrupt.


    After that, some other person had brought everything there and started constructing a residential area¡­ But¡­ He also lost a lot of money, so the construction hasn''t been progressing for a long time now¡­"


    I see.


    Sounds like a very typical, albeit a Kafkaesque story.


    What really surprised me is that Yuki knew all that stuff.


    It''s probably because she had researched the residence of the gang of her brother. Seems like the girl really wished to go there, but could not do it, because it was too dangerous. Therefore, to find an outlet for her frustration, she started gathering information on that place...


    A very heartaching tale, isn''t it?


    I sighed inwardly and looked at the girl with my special eyes:


    [Str: F


    End: F


    Int: B+


    SP: Dishwashing: E+]


    Interesting¡­


    So she had [B+] in Intelligence. Who could expect that such a stupid brother will have a little sister so clever?


    Everything else was average for a kid of her age.


    I have been looking at different people a lot these days, making research about what these Stats actually mean in correlation to the real world.


    When it comes to Str and End, let''s call them Physical Attributes,


    [F] was an average for a kid.


    [E-] ¨C a weak grown person.


    [E] ¨C a normal grown-up.


    [E+] ¨C a sportsman.


    With a [D-], you could be very strong, and with a [D] ¨C the hero of the Olympics.


    I have not seen even one person who would have an [C] in his Physical Attributes. Even with a minus.


    However, to do some research, I went to a Zoo and used my eyes on a Gorilla.


    It had [C-] in Strength¡­


    However, that was not the true indication of one''s power. Because some specific fighting abilities, like Kendo, were much more useful than raw strength.


    A kendo master would probably be an entire level above a normal person. A man with [D] in Kendo will probably be able to beat a person (or animal) with [C] in Str¡­

 Lets be friends!

    When it comes to Intelligence, I have seen people with [C], [B]¡­ Even [A] in that attribute (though only once, and that was Murakami). Animals are usually around [F] or [F-] level¡­


    "I¡­" suddenly, the girl''s voice interrupted my thoughts.


    I looked at her.


    She was awkwardly staring at her knees.


    "Kiryu¡­ Sir¡­ I just wanted to thank you¡­ Thank you for coming with me to get my brother¡­"


    "Don''t worry about that. He''s my teammate; I can''t just let him go wild."


    Actually, I would have been happy to do just that, but oh well¡­


    "Still. Thank you¡­ I was thinking about talking about that with teachers, but I was afraid that Toshihiro will be punished then¡­"


    Yes, he will. And rightfully so.


    "He isn''t a bad person, really," said the girl.


    "I know. I believe you," I said with a slight irony in my voice. The girl, however, didn''t notice that and looked at me with sincere gratitude in her eyes.


    Soon after that, our monorail came to stop. We walked out into a desolate street. I opened GPS on my phone and, together with Yuki, entered a grey concrete labyrinth.


    As we were walking, the blue sky above our heads was slowly turning yellow. The night was crawling behind our backs.


    Each time we were making a turn, a high concrete building would appear before us. Most of the time it was unfinished, just like a skeleton.


    It was quiet and uncomfortable. The girl, Yuki, was visibly hesitating. She was trying not to lag behind too much, and yet she was afraid to walk too closely to me, probably because it would be embarrassing to her.


    At some point in time, when it was almost completely dark, we walked out into a rather wide road. Steel, red-colored fence was stretching from left to right. You could see a large construction site behind it. We started walking along that fence. Soon, graffiti started to appear on it.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Most of it was the pictures of a skull emitting sunrays.


    After ten more minutes of walking, I heard music coming from somewhere farther down the road. Then I heard voices and a commotion.


    Seems like we have finally reached the place.


    I saw a door in the fence and several men guarding it. There were seven of them, dressed in black jackets. Some of them were holding steel sticks in their hands.


    A weapon.


    I slowed down and then lead Yuki to the left, behind a corner of a large building.


    Making sure that these people haven''t noticed us, I sighed.


    So here it is. We have finally reached the headquarters of the Toshihiro''s gang. That means that he also should be somewhere on that construction site.


    However, how can we get there? By force? Maybe¡­ I placed my hand on the hilt of my sword¡­


    After the last-minute training that I had with ETM, I have reached [D-] mastery of Kendo. I think I was quite strong, but¡­ I''m not sure how much exactly. Can I beat five normal people? Maybe. But what about ten? Or twenty? There could be many people in that gang and some of them might be professional fighters¡­


    What''s more, I have yet to fight a real, breathing person¡­


    I started hesitating.


    "I¡­ sir Kiryu," suddenly, Yuki spoke to me.


    "What?"


    "I can.. go there and ask to see my brother. Maybe you won''t have to do that risky stuff," said the girl, while trying to look into my eyes.


    I could hear the fear in her voice.


    Sigh¡­


    "You don''t have to. It''s dangerous. There should be some other way."


    "Okay¡­" the girl nodded.


    I started thinking hard about what we could do.


    Should I try to infiltrate the construction site? That will be hard. I''m not a master of stealth, after all¡­ Wait. Maybe I can tell them that I wish to join their gang, and that way they will let me in. Yes, that sounds like a good idea.


    However, if I go in myself, it won''t be enough. I need to have the girl with me so that she will be able to persuade that bastard Toshihiro to come back¡­ I doubt the guards will let a little girl in.


    Unless...


    Ha.


    Yes, I know.


    THAT thing might work.


    I opened the magazine on the page with the SHOP and swiftly found the item that I need.


    [Perfect Disguise


    It will make you appear as an average person


    Price: 5P]


    An average person¡­ As far as I know, an average person would be an adult, so that thing should work. However, I''m a little bit low on points right now.


    Well, that means that I have to earn them.


    I sighed and started doing my theatrics.


    First, I looked Yuki straight into the eyes and said:


    "Don''t worry. I will make your brother come back, I promise!"


    The girl shivered and gazed at me with surprise.


    ''Main Character should give many promised. +2P!''


    "T-thank you, Kiryu-san," Yuki bowed.


    "Don''t worry. By the way, do you want to be friends?"


    "Ah, I¡­ I guess? I mean: sure if you want that!" she said with confusion on her face.


    ''+4P!''


    That should be enough. Good.


    "Okay, then we will be going, but first¡­"


    I opened the magazine.


    "I need to read for some time."


    "¡­"


    "Give me a minute."

 Infiltration

    I still wasn''t sure whether the Perfect Disguise will work on a little girl, but there is only one way to check it, right? I tapped my finger on the image of this item in the SHOP, and, soon after, I felt something appear in my pocket.


    ''Delivery is here!'' shouted the clown in my head.


    My Points were reduced by 5.


    Now, I only had 1P.


    Let''s see whether it was worth it.


    I took out the thing that appeared inside of my pocket and froze. In my hand, I saw a pair of glasses. And not just some normal glasses, but clown''s ones, with mustaches and a rubber nose attached.


    I took a breath and handed these glasses to Yuki. The girl took them into her hands and, after looking at that thing, gazed at me with a very strange look.


    Trying to keep a straight face, I told her:


    "We need to have you under disguise. Put them on."


    The girl blinked.


    "Sir Kiryu, are you sure that¡­"


    "Trust me," I said in a deep voice.


    The girl shivered. Then she gulped and at last, put the glasses on.


    I did not see her change, but that was to be expected. According to the description of the item, people who know you will be able to recognize you in the glasses if they stay within a five meters distance.


    Just to be sure that this thing actually works, I made several steps from Yuki. Once I put some distance between us, I froze. The girl really did change. I saw her turn into a tall, average grown-up man. It was so surprising, that I was lost for words for some time.


    However, there was a problem with her disguise. Even while in that form, she was still wearing her clothes.


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    So... A tall man dressed as a schoolgirl was standing in front of me.


    Yuki, seeing the surprise on my face, asked:


    "Is¡­ Is everything okay?"


    I heard the voice of a young girl come out from the grown-up man''s lips¡­


    Seems it won''t be so easy after all...


    What can I do there? I guess I should just tell her to stay silent, it was the only way, as for the clothes¡­ Well, it''s not like I can find anything else right now¡­


    Oh well, it is the year 2022. That is kind of normal in this day and age.


    "Everything is alright. The disguise is perfect. Just try to keep silent and stay behind my back, and it should work. Let''s go," I said, seeing the man (girl) grow more and more worried.


    "If¡­ You say so¡­" He (she) nodded, still being very confused, and walked forward.


    Together we started approaching the gate and the guards. Soon, they noticed us, stopped talking with each other, and turned to face our duo.


    While most of the guards were making grim faces, one of them walked forward to meet us. He had a large chin and small shiny eyes. His hair was yellow and messy.


    The guy looked at me and Yuki with a warry look in his eyes and then said:


    "Who are you? What are you doing here, close to the headquarters of Sun Skull gang?!"


    "Sun Skull gang!" shouted the other guards. One of them pointed at his forehead. There was a tattoo of a skull emitting sun rays drawn on it.


    Yuki froze.


    I answered in a calm voice:


    "We wish to join your gang."


    "Join..? Ah, you are the recruits!" nodded the guy with a large chin.


    "Well, we kind of need new guys, I think¡­ Boss said to recruit as many as we can in preparation for the¡­ Good," the person nodded, and suddenly frowned:


    "But¡­ We only need capable guys. Are you good?"


    "Yes, of course we are," I said while trying to keep a straight face.


    "Okay. But¡­ Why is this one is in a dress?" the guy pointed at Yuki. The girl shivered.


    "Is there something wrong with that?" I asked calmly.


    "Well," he scratched his neck. "No¡­ I guess?


    Okay, let''s go then. I still need to show you to the Boss. They will be the one to make the decision,"  nodded the guy and waved to the other guards to open the iron gates. Once they had opened, the guy lead us into the so-called Base of the gang. It was loud there and full of people.


    I was about to go after our guide when I noticed that the Yuki was standing still before the entrance.


    The girl''s face was full of shock.


    Well, I cannot really blame her. She didn''t know how she appeared to other people, so from her point of view, everyone around her was completely insane. It''s understandable that she was confused, yet right now, she was acting too suspicious. The guards, including our guide, started staring at her.


    "Something wrong?" he asked


    "No, just give him a moment, he''s surprised by that glorious base of yours," I answered, walked toward Yuki, and, trying to wake her up, put a hand on her shoulder¡­