Many times, Shin truly felt that the System was full of malice towards him.
Take Kotohana 's bento, for example. That peculiar taste, as if seasoned with nuclear waste, seemed to be something only Shin could detect. Similarly, when Kokoro tasted the dishes, her evaluation was merely "not very good."
But Shin had to force himself to eat a portion of Kotohana 's cooking every meal these past few days.
For no other reason than to pay off his debt early. The System had said that his crude tax evasion would incur an equivalent price, meaning he absolutely had to eat the nuclear waste cuisine; there was no escaping it.
Since he was definitely going to suffer, he might as well finish his debt sooner. Moreover, while Kotohana 's cooking tasted indescribably awful in human language, its nutritional value was extremely high.
He didn't know why, but her dishes always quickly restored Shin's physical strength. So, eating this stuff like medicine seemed somewhat acceptable...
At the dining table, Shin and the two Katsura sisters sat like a family of three having a meal. Shin silently endured the pain, forcing Kotohana 's cooking into his mouth to train his mental fortitude. Kokoro looked conflicted at the delicious hamburger steak and a pile of boiled green peppers in front of her, then obediently ate it under her sister's gentle and nagging persuasion.
By the way, Shin did most of the cooking. After all, staying at someone else's house and doing nothing gave him an uncomfortable feeling, like being a kept man, so he simply took over the household chores.
Shin hadn't gone to school these past few days. On one hand, it was to recuperate better; on the other hand, it was because he wasn't really suitable for school right now.
Taking leave due to injury, taking a few extra days, would make it seem like his injury was serious. Chairman Nakano also intended for him to rest more, giving him a better reason to confront the school board. His presence at school wasn't appropriate at the moment.
"By the way, Shin-kun, something big happened at school these past few days."
Kotohana elegantly cut her hamburger steak while softly talking about school matters.
"The chairman was furious about that Sakakino boy trespassing and assaulting someone with a weapon. It's said they're planning to withdraw the branch campus and restore the original school grounds."
"That's good," Shin said, struggling to swallow a piece of broccoli that tasted like an NS game cartridge.
"Students from the two schools shouldn't have been mixed in the first place. Sakakino students and Mineoka students were never meant to get along. Rather than creating bigger trouble later, it's better to separate them now."
Kotohana didn't agree with Shin's words; her expression was simply a bit regretful and helpless.
She didn't discriminate against Sakakino students. Even though she was nearly bludgeoned to death by that scumbag Taisuke, she held no resentment.
But what she regretted was the departure of Saionji Sekai, a friend she had just made at Sakakino. Although their motives might not have been pure, Sekai was one of the few people she could truly call a friend.
"Pursue excellence. Better people deserve better companions."
Shin noticed the regret on Kotohana 's face and said indifferently,
"You should be more confident. In that school, you are undeniably at the top of the pyramid. Others should seek your friendship, not the other way around."
"It's a wonder someone with your attitude, brother, even has friends," Kokoro, who was still battling her bell peppers, retorted.
"A lion doesn't need to be friends with hyenas," Shin said confidently.
"A lion only has a mate and cubs, and new lions to challenge him. A lion's friends should also be lions. It's not commendable to lower yourself by seeking warmth from hyenas."
"...Aren't you embarrassed saying that?" Kokoro retorted with a sideways glance.
Shin didn't reply, just silently added another portion of green peppers to Kokoro's bowl. As the little girl made a pained expression, his gaze swept over Kotohana .
He wanted to try to transform this silent and insecure girl, who was like a dodder vine, into a queen. After all, she possessed the capital of a queen, and shouldn't sink into self-abasement through people-pleasing.
He couldn't stay here forever. In fact, he wasn't even sure if he would remain in this country after returning from the One Piece world seven days later.
Building Kotohana 's confidence from scratch and shaping her into a truly self-reliant woman – Shin certainly had his work cut out for him.
As for love... that wasn't something he could yearn for right now.
It didn't just mean impulsive actions when hormones were surging; it also meant bearing another kind of responsibility.
After dinner, Shin washed the dishes, then spent some time playing with Kokoro before heading to Kotohana 's room to tutor her.
He didn't know the specifics of the tutoring job for a school board member's daughter that Chairman Nakano had mentioned, but since it was an option, he didn't mind gaining some experience.
Kotohana 's grades were excellent across the board. For Mineoka's own curriculum, she didn't need his tutoring at all. So these past few days, Shin specifically went online, downloaded, and printed several test collections that were beyond the high school syllabus for her.
The room was quiet. Under the slightly ambiguous glow of the desk lamp, there was only the rustle of a ballpoint pen on paper. Whenever Kotohana encountered something she didn't understand, Shin would lean in close and explain it in detail.
They were very close, but Kotohana 's expression remained very serious. She was following Shin's advice, trying to become a better version of herself.
Time passed minute by minute, the focused tutoring slowly flowing with it.
"Shin-kun, is your only ambition Tokyo University?" Kotohana suddenly asked softly.
"I guess you could say it's one of them," Shin said casually.
"And I might not even get in. A place like Tokyo University isn't somewhere you can get into just by studying well."
With his current knowledge base, combined with the sharp mind he gained from the Coordinator surgery, he was confident he could achieve top scores in any country's college entrance exams.
If it weren't for the system and all these troubles, he might actually have gone to a good university. Tokyo University, ironically, would be a lower priority among all his choices.
If he were to seriously talk about career planning, getting out of this university quickly and studying abroad in America would be more reliable. Staying at Tokyo University? Was he planning to go into politics after graduating?
"Oh..." Kotohana replied softly, gripping her ballpoint pen tighter.
"Alright, that's enough studying for today." Shin patted Kotohana 's shoulder and smiled.
"You studied very well, very seriously. You truly deserve a better future."
It was only around nine in the evening, a healthy time for sleep, but Shin still decided to hit the weights for a bit longer.
He had been feeling a strange restlessness all day, and couldn't quite pinpoint why. It was a feeling like daggers in his back, and as night fell, this peculiar sensation grew stronger.
He continued to lift weights distractedly in the gym, then heard the door open.
"Mommy~~~~"
Kokoro's surprised, sweet voice drifted from the direction of the door. Shin froze for a moment, then immediately put down the barbell and put on his clothes.
Walking out of the gym, a short-haired beautiful woman came from the doorway. She looked like a mature and sexy version of Kotohana . Although she wore slightly mature makeup, it didn't look vulgar. Especially the black women's business suit she was wearing, her slender waist, long beautiful legs encased in black stockings, and her delicate feet in a pair of high heels, made her appear sexy and mature.
But what made it even more certain that she was Kotohana 's mother was undoubtedly the prominent, almost Mount Everest-like fullness of her chest.
Wearing a pair of earrings, Manami Katsuru's expression was somewhat fatigued and haggard, her slightly stern but beautiful face still managed a smile upon seeing her younger daughter.
"Hmm, Mommy's home. Has Kokoro been a good girl at home? Have you listened to your sister?"
"Mm, Kokoro's been very good~~~ Not only listening to sister but also listening to Brother Shin and studying hard."
Kokoro, her small body nestled in her mother's embrace, closed her eyes and pleaded sweetly.
"Shin..." A flicker of light passed through Manami's eyes, but just then, Shin walked over.
"Hello, Auntie, my name is Shin. I've been a bother to your household these past few days."
Shin bowed slightly to the mature and sexy beautiful woman. Manami's discerning gaze swept over Shin, and she gently nodded.
She had, of course, heard about this 'friend' from her daughter. Although busy with work and estranged from her husband for a long time, Manami couldn't help but view men with some resentment. Yet, this young man's behavior, she truly couldn't find any fault with.
He actively helped her daughter, never overstepped his bounds, was handsome, had excellent grades, worked hard, and most importantly, saved her introverted daughter twice.
"It's nothing, on the contrary, I should thank you for saving my Kotohana twice." Manami returned the polite greeting. However, when she looked up, her gaze locked onto Shin's sweat-soaked shirt.
His eight-pack abs and perfectly sculpted muscles were perfectly accentuated by the sweat-wicking shirt. The handsome and heroic young man exuded a mature masculine charm and the effect of hormones.
"Mmph~"
Manami's mature and beautiful face flushed crimson, her eyes moist. Her hand, with its red fingernails, unconsciously moved downwards towards her waist, her thighs clenched. Her long-parched body seemed to feel a slight dampness and longing...
"Mom."
Just then, Kotohana scurried out of the room, interrupting Manami's strange state. She immediately turned her head and embraced Kotohana , asking about her well-being while avoiding Shin's gaze.
Shin's eyes twitched slightly, and he tactfully retreated.
What was that just now? Had this mature, beautiful rich woman... taken an interest in him?
Shin looked down at his soaked clothes and quickly went back to his guest room on the second floor to wash up and change into dry, clean clothes. When he came downstairs again, the three of them—mother and daughters—were already chatting merrily and harmoniously.
Shin felt there was no need for him to insert himself into such a family environment. Moreover, the rich woman's gaze just now made him incredibly uncomfortable. So, he silently returned to his room, turned off the light, and went to sleep.
After an unknown amount of time, Shin suddenly opened his eyes in his sleep.
He shifted uncomfortably, then got out of bed and walked out of the room, his eyes quickly adjusting to the dark environment as he groped his way to the bathroom.
After taking care of his physiological needs, Shin looked at himself in the mirror, pulled down his lower eyelid, his expression still quite poor. He turned on the faucet, letting the icy tap water flow over his cheeks.
That strange feeling was growing stronger and stronger, like a pair of eyes peering at him in the darkness.
"You seem to be in trouble."
In the darkness, the System suddenly spoke.
Shin, who had just splashed water on his face, frowned slightly. The needle-like sensation that had just startled him awake already made him feel uneasy, and now the System said this.
"What kind of trouble?" Shin asked calmly, wiping his face.
"Parallel Universe 0013 is not a simple 'ordinary' world," the System stated directly.
"In fact, the world you came from isn't ordinary either. You just couldn't see the part of the iceberg hidden beneath the lake. If you delve deeper, your world is also very complicated."
"While I'm a bit curious about what's in my world—can you just tell me what the hell is after me?"
Shin's tensed body felt increasingly cold, his bare upper body exposed to a subtle malice. An inexplicable sixth sense made him feel like he had daggers in his back; the feeling of being watched by something grew stronger.
"...Something not quite scientific," the System said vaguely.
"But it's not something unimaginable. Strictly speaking, it's just something with slightly stronger physical abilities, slightly stronger reaction capabilities, and slightly unscientific abilities."
"With all those combined, you're not telling me a Super Saiyan is trying to kill me, are you?"
Shin made a joke he himself didn't find funny. The System remained silent, like a mute.
"Tsk." Shin narrowed his eyes. He now had a rough idea of the source of this trouble. The biggest thing he had caused in this world so far—it had to be that 'Mr. Hiragami.'
A casual indirect interference could earn him twenty evaluation points; the other party must be an extraordinary figure, seemingly a gangster, but probably much more powerful than a gangster.
Considering the other party's surname, he couldn't have accidentally provoked some ridiculous Onmyoji family, could he?
He turned off the bathroom light. The time was – 10:15 PM.
It would take less than ten minutes to walk home from here, but it would pass through a long, secluded area, a reconstructed neighborhood.
Even if nothing were wrong, walking that path would make him feel a chill down his spine, let alone in the current uncertain situation where an indescribable entity was watching him.
He had to leave here, no matter what, he couldn't involve this family.
Actually, even without this incident, he would have said his goodbyes first thing in the morning tomorrow. Kotohana 's mother's gaze earlier was practically devouring him. If that beautiful rich woman really made a move on him, it would be incredibly awkward.
But he also didn't plan to walk into a deserted area alone. Since the entity was watching him but chose to observe, it meant that the other party was also wary of something and dared not act recklessly.
Shin pondered for a moment and decided to head towards the station.
Although it was 10:15 PM, there was still over an hour until the last train. At this hour, there were quite a few office workers in Chiyoda Ward forced to work overtime and those who went out drinking and socializing taking the train home. Moreover, today was Friday, which meant tomorrow was not a workday or school day, so there would definitely be many people out having fun.
Taking the train, from Fujimi Station, passing Kitano-Maru Park, Hibiya Station, Uchisaiwaicho, and then heading straight for Kasumigaseki, where the Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters was located.
Shin figured that since the entity watching him didn't dare to cause trouble in the affluent area of Chiyoda Ward, it probably wouldn't be bold enough to create a scene in front of the police headquarters.
However, this possibility was also highly unreliable. In short, everything still depended on himself; he could only maximize the chances of success.
Trouble had arrived, yet Shin strangely felt no anger or discomfort, even a sense of relief, as if saying, "Finally, it's here."
"Alright... I suppose I need to prepare myself for a real death match."
Putting on his clothes, leaving a note, and silently closing the door, Shin took a deep breath, looking at the dark sky outside, and put on the Lord of Dawn suit.
His consciousness, in an instant, became incredibly cold.
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