The cocktail he'd originally meant to drink had been completely gulped down by Miyazawa Maki. Feeling a little stifled, Sawamura Haruno decided not to bother mixing another one.
After tidying up the living room, he returned to his bedroom.
His meeting with Miyazawa Mana was set for the evening, which meant he still had a long stretch of free time in the afternoon.
For someone like Haruno, whose schedule was usually packed tight with classes, this kind of leisure time was actually quite rare. That said, he had a habit: before relaxing, he always made sure to confirm what tasks were still unfinished—or what he needed to deal with in the near future.
In other words, he liked to draw up a fairly detailed to-do list.
And the mysterious "system" that had appeared recently was clearly something he needed to factor into those plans as well.
"Most of the current tasks are related to the Miyazawa sisters…"
Sitting down in his chair, Haruno pulled a notebook out of the drawer. After flipping it open, he thought for a moment and began recording the recent events.
Naturally, anything related to the system itself couldn't be written down directly. He simply left that part vague, only noting his reunion with the Miyazawa sisters.
At present, he still couldn't tell what the system's true purpose was. It seemed to react to events happening around him, but the rewards were fairly limited. The largest sum he'd received so far was only a hundred thousand yen.
The only thing that truly interested him was the physical enhancement that could be obtained by continuing to uncover the so-called "truth."
That was far more valuable than money.
After all, there were many ways to earn money—but improving one's physical abilities required long-term training and effort.
From that perspective alone, it seemed worthwhile to continue following the system's tasks. Not to mention, he was genuinely curious about what this "truth" actually was.
"For now, I'll just follow the system's prompts. Spend more time around the Miyazawa sisters, see what this 'truth' really is, and try to earn more rewards… see where the system's limits lie."
He summarized these goals in brief notes in his notebook.
These were his short-term objectives.
As for long-term plans—those mostly revolved around figuring out how to avoid getting scolded by his parents the next time he went home. That, however, was still far off. Japan was a country with frequent holidays, but each one was short; the next long break would likely be after winter set in.
Short-term plus long-term tasks—altogether, only two major items.
Staring at the notebook, which still had plenty of blank space left, Haruno fell into thought.
"Maybe… it's time to try making money through other means."
Relying entirely on the system wasn't a good idea. He couldn't be sure it wouldn't disappear one day, and the cash rewards were far too small to cover his current expenses.
To be safe, it was better to activate the money-making plan he'd prepared long ago.
As someone who carried over experience and lessons from a previous life—and who had a very clear understanding of his own goals—Haruno had already planned out how he intended to earn money in this lifetime.
Like many reincarnators before him, the idea was simple: use the knowledge stored in his mind to create something.
This was a parallel world, after all. While there were differences in certain cultural aspects compared to his previous life, the general route of "creative copying" was still viable—reproducing outstanding works from memory.
He'd actually begun preparing for this a long time ago. From high school onward—and even choosing a humanities major in university—had all been part of laying the groundwork.
The reason he hadn't started earlier was simple: he was naturally lazy. Unless it was something crucial, like getting into university, he tended to procrastinate.
After all—what was the point of starting a second life only to work himself to death again?
But now things were different.
University was already halfway into society. The next few years might seem long, but they would pass in the blink of an eye. He had no intention of pursuing further education; after graduation, he'd most likely go straight to work.
If he didn't want to become someone else's employee, then the best option was to start laying the groundwork for future income now.
"Let's list it out first."
After some thought, Haruno temporarily placed the "creative copying" plan into the long-term task category.
He needed more time to observe. As the saying went, sharpening the blade doesn't delay the chopping of firewood. More importantly, he hadn't yet decided what type of work to adapt.
Music was an immediate no. Even in his previous life, he'd never had much interest in that area. On top of that, copying songs involved high difficulty—both in production and distribution—and Japan's entertainment industry was notoriously murky. He preferred something easier.
That left literature.
At first glance, adapting literary works seemed the simplest option. But that came with its own problems. Most of the famous works he remembered were foreign, and he didn't have many strong impressions of Japanese originals.
And when it came to literature, missing even a small plot point or getting a description slightly wrong could make the whole thing feel off—like a poor imitation.
Even setting that aside, modern entertainment was dominated by smartphones and short-form content. Adapting something like The Forest of Norway might gain attention, but how much money it would actually make was hard to predict. There were simply too many variables.
"This is such a headache…"
Haruno wrote everything down under the long-term section, then tossed his pen aside and let out a tired sigh.
What worried him most was his inability to perfectly reproduce the originals. Back in his previous life, he'd read novels in a rush, skimming quickly. After all this time, forgetting details was inevitable.
If other authors noticed the "East-Shi imitation effect" and demanded to know the original source, what would he do? He had no confidence in handling that situation.
"If only the system could boost my memory…"
He thought that if the system could enhance physical abilities, then improving cognitive functions shouldn't be impossible either.
—It seemed he needed to pay closer attention to system tasks going forward.
He picked up his phone and glanced at the time.
It was already around 2:30 in the afternoon.
Scratching his head, he stuffed the notebook back into the drawer, stood up, and walked toward the soft bed behind him.
Sleep!
Haruno flopped down onto the bed, adjusted the air conditioner to a comfortable temperature, pulled up the blanket, and smiled in satisfaction.
If something didn't need to be done, then don't do it. If something had to be done, then do it slowly.
There was no need to rush long-term plans. Whether he could even get this whole thing on track before graduating was still an open question.
For now, all he needed to do was rest up—
And then go meet Miyazawa Mana in the evening.
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