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[Character entry detection in progress…]
[This simulation has retained the following talents for you: Master Wordsmith, Power Release, Daughter of Destiny]
[Daughter of Destiny: When you encounter a crisis, a girl will definitely appear to help you escape the predicament.]
Hmm? Why is only this entry specifically repeated?
Kiyono frowned, feeling things were not so simple. Fortunately, this simulation inherited the previous guaranteed talents. At worst, he could still achieve the "Literary Giant" achievement.
[Another worldline's talent entries have been deduced for you.]
[Photographic Memory (Pseudo): The resilience of your soul grants you an excellent memory. You can easily memorize knowledge and text from books.
Additionally: You can recall excellent works from another world that you have seen, such as music and film.]
[Master Painter: You possess a certain talent in painting, and you can improve your skill level through practice. When honed to its limit, perhaps you will become a master who leads an era.
Additionally: Dexterous hands give you unique insights into making dolls.]
After carefully reading the new entries, Kiyono's eyes lit up.
Why is the system so generous this time? Both memory and painting are excellent talents. Although a painter's works are jokingly called "art only after death," the upper limit is extremely high. This is clearly a skill that can be continuously upgraded with practice!
Photographic Memory would save him a great deal of study time, letting him get into the best universities.
So the goal for this simulation was crystal clear.
The main quest: aim for the "Literary Giant" achievement. In his free time, he would continually raise painting skill points, memorize books, and drill practice problems.
—As for heroines? My simulated world has no heroine! I'm here to refine myself, not to conquer girls!
Cultivate diligently.
Stay away from heroines.
Kiyono repeated this to himself, then nodded in satisfaction.
[Would you like to start a new, wonderful life?]
"Confirm."
Kiyono closed his eyes.
In a daze, his spirit seemed to detach from his body. What a wondrous feeling—his perception of the world gradually sublimated to a higher plane. Dust in the air, space, and energy seemed to materialize… He even had the illusion that he could reach out and touch time; beautiful spacetime and particles appeared before his eyes.
[Second simulation officially begins.]
[Warm, golden sunlight streams through the emerald climbing ivy, passing through the window and shining on you.]
[You know that a heavy truck collision will occur today, but you still leave your home.]
[You are going to save her once again.]
[You confidently thought that, although you were hit last time, this time, as long as you leave early and make the little loli deviate from her original route, you can reverse both of your fates.]
[You succeeded. You painstakingly spent an hour playing with the little loli until the iced-tea–colored truck disappeared at the end of the road.]
[After saying goodbye to the little loli, you walked excitedly along the deserted path, unable to resist singing: "My fate is up to me, not to heaven!"]
[But just then, you suddenly heard a sharp buzzing above your head. You looked up and saw a yellow helicopter with a "Boss" meme pasted on it, its rotors spinning wildly.]
["MAN!" The Boss gave you a familiar smile, piloting the helicopter straight toward you.]
[You once again painlessly transmigrated into the two-dimensional world.]
He opened his eyes.
He blinked twice—hard—and his vision gradually cleared, like a mirror shedding mist, reflecting countless scenes in his pupils.
He was standing on a street, colorful signs and advertisements everywhere, dazzling. People and vehicles flowed endlessly. When he looked up, a tram rattled along an elevated track, its clanging stirring a flurry of cherry blossoms.
Click-clack, rumble-thump. People's footsteps weren't as hurried and heavy as in Tokyo; there was a sense of leisure and liveliness.
Kiyono gazed at the scenery, nostalgia filling his eyes. It had been a long time since he'd felt this way.
But something was very strange—everyone else was so tall! Or rather… too tall!
He stared at the pedestrians by the roadside in shock. From his perspective, they were at least two meters tall! Had he transmigrated to a land of giants?
No, that wasn't it. It wasn't that others had grown taller, but rather…
Rather…
Kiyono slowly turned his head. To his right, the transparent display window of a fashion store reflected a face with soft lines and youthful features. The boy in the glass was indeed him—his ten-year-old self.
Yanami's azure eyes shimmered faintly in the dark.
She stared at the system panel with a serious expression.
[Please note! Your protagonist has started a new simulation!]
Trying to make secret progress while I'm not looking, huh? The blue-haired girl snorted. She didn't even need to think to know that other girls would definitely appear in Kiyono's simulation this time. She had to launch an attack in her War God form!
"How do I enter the simulation?"
Yanami asked expectantly. She actually really liked simulations; she could reset her weight and eat to her heart's content—and she could continue interacting with Kiyono. Perfect!
[You currently have simulation cat coins: 10]
[Actively entering a new simulation requires consuming 5 points. After consumption, the system will grant you one year of duration for free. After that, every real year spent in the simulated life will consume 1 cat coin.]
This… one simulation would wipe out all her cat coins. When would she be able to start a special simulation of married life?
Yanami couldn't help mumbling.
[Friendly reminder: You can only enter the simulation after the protagonist reaches sixteen years old, and your character this time will start in the third year of high school.]
So she'd be one or two years older than Kiyono this time? Now she was really a Big Sister!
She mused that, according to the system's description, this wasn't a different worldline—just a delayed appearance for her…
That was fine—only a year or two. With that guy's "Strategy" difficulty, there was nothing to worry about!
Everyone else was just a mortal born in an era without her.
Once this young lady appeared, everything would be fine!
"It's just… mmm, mmm, mmm—what a pity."
The blue-haired girl rolled back and forth on the bed like a tumble dryer, her cute face puffed out.
Not picking up Kiyono at the start of the last simulation was her biggest regret. She'd planned to act earlier this time, but the system mercilessly rejected her.
She had a premonition this would be a crucial turning point!
And starting directly in the third year of high school—wasn't that too much!?
Thinking of the suffocating pressure from the last simulation, Yanami's breath hitched—she didn't even know if she'd gotten into her desired university last time. Honestly, the chances were slim. This time was a chance to keep raising her scores.
Yanami exhaled softly, closed her eyes, and a confident smile slowly formed on her lips.
Thus, she declared:
"You are the challengers."
"Alright… what should I do now?"
The child-version Kiyono sat on a park bench, finally grasping his situation, and let out a long sigh.
As expected, he had transmigrated into his ten-year-old self. Money and identification reset—only his adult intellect remained.
"Why is this system so mean?"
Kiyono couldn't help complaining. He'd thought the last starting point was miserable enough; he hadn't expected this one to be worse.
Actually, in the long run, starting from childhood was good. He'd have more years to accumulate. With three entries in hand, reaching a god-tier ending was no problem—but this beginning was terrible! Before, he could at least get through the early stage by working part-time and going to internet cafés. This time, the path to success was completely blocked!
Even in this simulated world, the heroine he'd bonded with wasn't present. He couldn't even get a bite of soft food.
I miss you, Anna.
I miss you, Yukino.
Anyone will do—please come and let me have some soft food.
However, only one option remained before him.
"It's time to start begging again."
Kiyono sighed. If it came down to it, he could wait for the "Daughter of Destiny" entry to trigger, or go to the police station and then an orphanage until adulthood. But that would waste precious early development time. He wouldn't consider it unless he was on the brink of starvation.
The only good news: after age regression, the odds of getting money had risen significantly.
His stomach growled. Kiyono clicked his tongue lightly—time to act.
First, find a broken bowl and wash it clean. Second, select a good piece of cardboard and tear it off. Then, borrow a pen and write some cute, auspicious words.
Heh, heh-heh— with survival experience this rich, how could I still go hungry!?
Setting up a spot for an afternoon brought in 2,500 yen. Most of it came from wealthy women and Big Sisters. With this "huge sum," Kiyono happily went to a convenience store and ordered a mixed meal—there was even enough left to buy a small blanket and a drink!
"If this keeps up, maybe I can complete the initial resource accumulation outright," he began to fantasize.
But the real test was yet to come.
Night fell. Shops closed one by one. The hustle and bustle dimmed; only neon and streetlights carved the shadows.
And in the places light didn't reach, some people lay on the ground, sketching stick figures with old pencils, practicing handwriting. Others, homeless, curled into balls on chairs.
For a ten-year-old boy, the city at night wasn't safe—he had to guard against both peers and ill-intentioned adults. However, Kiyono's early wandering had already maxed out his danger perception, and he'd found a hidden bridge underpass few would notice.
A paper mat laid down, a blanket over him—set for the night.
[Survival Diary]
[Day Two: Your income dropped. You only ate two meals today. There are too few rich women in this area, you thought, deciding to move on to the next district.]
[Day Three: You only ate one rice ball today. Fortunately, a kind little girl treated you to eel rice and gave you a thousand yen—she only had that much. You secretly noted her name, planning to repay her in the future.]
[Day Five: Dark clouds. It looks like rain for the next two days. You can't help worrying; rainy weather is the worst for a homeless boy.]
[You're afraid of getting sick in the rain, so you don't dare continue setting out your bowl.]
[Today's income is zero.]
[But you still push forward. The worse the situation, the more your fighting spirit rises.]
[You firmly believe your true Daughter of Destiny will come to save you!]
[If anyone comes to help you, you'll repay her with your entire life!]
It was raining.
Drip-drop, splish-splash.
Kiyono looked up. He was sitting under the eaves of a closed shop. Everything ahead was pitch black. Tonight the clouds swallowed the moon. The street was utterly silent—only streetlights, lit windows, and the neon glare of a department store. The lights blurred in the rain, as if he were the only one left in the world.
"So hungry…"
He rubbed his stomach, dejected. It had rained continuously for two days, and he'd had no choice but to hide. Tonight, he had only half a rice ball left from yesterday.
If the Daughter of Destiny didn't trigger soon, he'd be in real despair. Even last time hadn't been this hard—being a child was simply too inconvenient; optimism was useless.
Although he knew no one would come in this weather, he still set the cardboard sign in front of him: "[3,000 (crossed out), I'll do anything for just 1,000 yen]," then leaned against the wall and stared at the ground.
Just like that time. Vivid memories surfaced.
Just then—
"Get up."
A clear, cold voice cut through the rain.
Kiyono looked up in a daze.
It was as if he saw a serene, bright moon.
Under the dim sky, with unbroken clouds and a rain-slicked, silent street, a cold, elegant girl in a white dress stood calmly, holding an umbrella, looking down at him from above.