[RELATIONSHIP UPDATED: KAITO (NEUTRAL->DISTASTE)]
'Great. So much for befriending a potential powerhouse.' He thought with a sigh.
Hiro wasn't about to lose sleep over upsetting a trust-fund baby, but he also didn't want to be on the hit list of a guy who could probably pay to make him disappear.
They walked in silence to his second class. Before he could step through the door, Hanako stopped and bowed her head.
"I'm sorry for putting you in that position," she said softly. "I just... I can't stand people like him. The kind who think the world is a vending machine and treat women like items he could choose from. Plus, he treats everyone else like dirt."
"Forget it," Hiro said, leaning against the doorframe. "I had him figured out the second I saw the fan club."
"Haaa-naaaa-koooo!"
Before Hiro could react, a girl with short, messy pink hair and thick-rimmed glasses practically tackled Hanako into a hug. She had a mischievous smirk that practically screamed "perverted sidekick trope." She blocked the doorway, her eyes scanning Hiro with predatory curiosity.
"Oh? And who's the new boy toy?" she asked, winking at Hanako.
"He's the new transfer, Sora," Hanako answered, trying to regain her dignity. "I'm just showing him around."
"And he's your new neighbor, right? The one you mentioned?"
The girl, Sora, let out a low whistle. She held out a hand to Hiro. "I'm Sora. Nice to meet the guy brave enough to walk next to our resident angel."
"Hiro," he said, shaking her hand. He triggered his analyze skill.
[RELATIONSHIP UPDATED: SORA (STRANGER->FRIENDLY). NOTE: HANAKO'S INFLUENCE APPLIED BOOST.]
[NAME: SORA
LEVEL: 8
TYPE: UNPREDICTABLE
RELATIONSHIP: FRIENDLY / FLIRTY
HP: 100%
MP: 100%
STATS: INSUFFICIENT RELATIONSHIP
[SKILLS: SEE ABOVE. DUMBASS.]
Sora stepped aside, poking Hiro's chest as she passed. "If you ever need 'help' with anything, don't be a stranger. I love answering stupid questions." She trotted off with a giggle.
"She's... a lot," Hiro noted.
"She's my best friend," Hanako admitted with a shrug. "Anyway, I'll see you after class."
[CLASS IN SESSION: ROMANCE LITERATURE 1.
NOTE: IF YOU HAD 'STREAM-LEARN' YOU COULD NAP THROUGH THIS. PAY ATTENTION, BIRD BRAIN.]
The professor was another young, stunning woman who spent an hour discussing "ideal date locations" and assigned a short essay on the nature of love. Hiro spent the time wondering if the "End" he had to fight was currently sitting in a classroom nearby or lurking in the shadows of Sato City.
As he left the room, the professor tapped him on the shoulder, holding out a sealed envelope. "Hiro, could you drop this at the Dean's office? I have another lecture starting across campus."
[QUEST: DELIVER THE PROFESSOR'S LETTER. REWARD: 20 EXP / $20. ACCEPT: YES/NO?]
Hiro selected YES. Who'd say no to free money? He used his mental map to navigate the administrative wing, finishing the errand in minutes.
Without any delay, as soon as he handed the letter to the Dean, a couple of system prompts popped up.
[QUEST COMPLETED. REWARDS GRANTED.]
[CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE REACHED LEVEL 2. STATS INCREASED.]
His phone buzzed with a text notification.
Hanako: Lunch? I'm at the cafeteria!
He might as well since he had nothing better to do. On his way, he spotted a discarded book near the entrance. No one was looking, so he willed it into his inventory.
The grid appeared in his mind, the book taking up a single slot. He'd deal with it later.
He soon saw Hanako at a table, grabbed some food a, and took a seat across from her. Sora joined them for lunch, peppering Hiro with questions until she realized she had finished her dessert.
"Noooo," she moaned dramatically, looking at Hiro with a sly pout. "I'm out of sugar."
"You don't need more," Hanako chided. "You'll ruin your figure."
Sora's smile dropped instantly. She looked at Hiro. "Am I fat?"
"No," Hiro said flatly, finishing his two-dollar burger. "In fact, I'm jealous of your metabolism. Eating that much sugar and staying in that kind of shape is basically a superpower. It's unfair."
Sora's face turned bright red, her eyes widening as she let out a small, embarrassed gasp.
[RELATIONSHIP UPDATED: SORA (FRIENDLY->CURIOUS)]
Hiro didn't like the look in her eye, so he stood up. "I'm heading out. See ya."
His afternoon classes which were Sciences and Crafting were just brief introductions. By the time the final bell rang, he was ready to head home, but a text from Rin changed his plans.
'Damnit, I forgot about this tutoring thing.'
She wanted to meet in the library now instead of the evening. The library was eerie, mostly empty except for a student assistant who was too busy on her phone to care about them.
Rin led him into a private study room, shut the door, and slammed her history book onto the table.
The "tutoring" was less than professional. Rin leaned over his shoulder to point at the text, her very pale, almost white-blue hair brushing against his face. He found that it smelled quite good, like fresh fruits and honey. The physical proximity was clearly a distraction that she seemed to be using as a weapon.
"I'm only doing this once," she whispered, her breath warm against his ear. "Keep your eyes on the page."
"Hard to do when you're leaning on me and whispering in my ear as if trying to give me ASMR," Hiro countered, a bit flustered. The whisper was quite thorough in making his spine tingle.
Suddenly, she blew softly on the back of his neck, causing his spine to stiffen.
[RELATIONSHIP UPDATED: RIN (CLASSMATE->CURIOUS)]
"Is that a weapon in your pocket, or are you just enjoying the lesson?" she teased, her voice dropping to a sultry hum.
Hiro glared at her. "So, you are doing this on purpose!"
Rin shrugged, her innocent act paper-thin. "I'm bored, you're cute, and you're easy to rattle."
She suddenly reached down, her hand brushing against his leg. "Nobody's looking. Want to see if the rumors about me are true?"
Hiro's eyes widened. "What?"
"Kidding." She let go and slumped into the chair next to him, her bravado vanishing. "It's wrong to cheat on an arranged marriage anyway, right? Not like my father cares. To him, I'm just a bargaining chip he can sell to the highest bidder to close a real estate deal."
Hiro stayed silent as she wiped a stray tear from her eye.
"Sorry," she muttered. "Forget I said that."
"It's fine," Hiro said, closing the book. He almost put it in his inventory before remembering he couldn't exactly explain how he could make physical objects vanish into thin air.
Rin stood up, her jaw set tight.
"Don't tell a soul about this," she said, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and shame.
"I don't need anyone's pity. It's bad enough that I'd rather throw myself at a stranger like you just to spite that prick." She slammed a fist onto the table, the sound echoing in the small room. "He thinks he can just own me. I can't stand his touch." She exhaled a shaky breath. "Maybe I'm no better. I touched you without asking just for some pathetic sense of revenge."
Hiro looked at her. He could have played the "silver tongue" card right then or even taken advantage of her vulnerability for an easy score. Fortunately, he wasn't that kind of guy.
Still, a few choice words could fix a broken heart; it was the one thing his grandmother always insisted on.
"First of all," Hiro started, "don't pull that stunt with anyone else. I'm letting it slide because I was caught off guard, but someone else might not be so 'gentle'." He paused to let his words sink in. Then continued.
"Second, you need to draw a line. Talk to your father. If he actually gives a damn about you, he'll listen when you tell him that Kaito is a predator. If he doesn't listen, find someone who will like your mother, aunt, or anyone. And if all else fails? Pack your bags. Move in with a friend. Hell, you can stay at my place if it comes to that. Just don't let them treat you like a line item on a balance sheet. Don't let your fate be something that just happens to you."
Rin stared at him, her dark eyes intense and unblinking. For a long moment, the silence in the library was heavy. Then, she nodded slowly.
"Nobody... nobody has ever talked to me like that," she whispered, looking down at her hands. She took a deep breath, composed herself, and met his eyes again with newfound steel. "Thank you. I'm ending this tonight."
She stood up, smoothing out her skirt. "Study session is over. Text me if you need anything. You're actually not bad, Hiro."
She walked out the door, tossing a "see you tomorrow" over her shoulder.
[QUEST COMPLETED. REWARD: 20 EXP. BONUS: 30 EXP FOR 'MOVING RIN'S HEART'.]
[RELATIONSHIP UPDATED: RIN (CURIOUS->FRIENDLY/ASSOCIATE)]
[CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE REACHED LEVEL 3. STATS INCREASED.]
[NEW PASSIVE LEARNED: HEART PROTECTION (LVL 1)]
Hiro leaned back, a small smirk playing on his lips. He was eager to see the full stat breakdown, but first, he had to deal with the book he'd swiped. He pulled it from his inventory, and the title made his heart skip.
[ITEM FOUND: TOME OF THE ARCANE LINE, ENERGY.
VALUE: MYSTERIOUS.
DESCRIPTION: OPENING THIS BOOK WILL TEACH THE MAGIC ATTACK: ENERGY SPHERE.
WARNING: THE BOOK WILL CONSUME ITSELF UPON USE.]
'Finally. A way to fight back that doesn't involve just swinging my fists like a dumbass.'
He opened the cover of the book. The pages shimmered, dissolving into golden particles that looked like glowing snowflakes before sinking into his skin.
Contents of the book immediately flooded his brain. All the knowledge in how to feel the energy, the mentally trigger it, and the somatic movement. He wanted to blast a hole in the wall right then and there but restrained himself.
No need to alert the student aide to his destruction of school property on his first day. He tucked his things away and headed back to the apartment, making sure to avoid any jet-black ambushes on the way.
Once he was safely locked inside Room 102, he showered and collapsed onto the sofa to check his progress.
[NAME: HIRO LARSON
LEVEL: 3]
CLASS: THE OUTSIDER / SALVATION]
ATTRIBUTES:
• HP: 100%
• MP: 100%
• STRENGTH: 8
• ENDURANCE: 6
• AGILITY: 10
• INTELLIGENCE: 13
• LUCK: 5
• WILLPOWER: 8
• FORM: 0
SPECIAL: ???
SPECIAL SKILLS: NONE
SKILLS:
• STREET BRAWLER (LVL 1): +10% UNARMED DAMAGE.
• IRON MIND (PASSIVE): HIGH FEAR RESISTANCE.
• HOSTILE DETECTION (LVL 1): SENSE THREATS WITHIN RANGE.
• HEART PROTECTION (LVL 1): 25% RESISTANCE TO MENTAL MAGIC. +10% BONUS TO PERSUASION WHEN PROTECTING OTHERS.
[MAGIC]
• ENERGY SPHERE. TYPE: SPIRITUAL. [CAST]. COOLDOWN: 2 MINUTES.
TALENT: PROTAGONIST AURA
INVENTORY: $133, SATO CITY MAP, SMARTPHONE, KEY.]
His Intelligence was spiking, and he finally had a ranged skill. If he kept this pace up, he'd be a match for the End in no time. He could potentially skip the school routine altogether and go hunting... or maybe use the internet to draw the bastard out.
He sent a quick "goodnight" text back to Hanako and laid back, staring at the ceiling.
The world was insane, the tropes were thick, but for the first time since he got here, Hiro felt like he actually had a fighting chance.