Tokyo, Shinjuku Ward.
Outside a Lawson convenience store.
Sawamura Haruno folded up his umbrella and frowned slightly as he glanced at the rain-soaked hems of his pants.
Weather that changed on a whim was never pleasant.
Fortunately, he had the foresight to bring an umbrella—otherwise, he would've been completely drenched and forced to take another shower after getting home.
Who knew if it would rain again later?
Better not take chances. After grabbing what he needed, he should head back quickly.
He slid the umbrella into the rack by the entrance and pushed open the convenience store's glass door.
"Welcome—"
The clerk slumped over the counter, lazily greeting him with no enthusiasm whatsoever.
Haruno was already used to this.
It was late, and because of the rain, there were barely any customers.
When work got dull, clerks naturally became sleepy.
Still, out of ingrained social habit, they greeted customers anyway—
as if failing to do so would count as disrespect.
Island-nation stubbornness, really.
Even after living two lifetimes, Haruno still found it impressive.
"…And now I'm one of them too."
He sighed quietly.
Reincarnation wasn't something he could choose, after all.
And getting to live life again—he had no right to complain.
"The rich lament how hard the world is, shedding crocodile tears.
The poor, just to survive, make choices they may regret for a lifetime."
The sudden line of text appearing before his eyes made Haruno freeze, his hand still inside the refrigerator.
He blinked, then glanced aside at the shelf of potato chips.
The words were still floating there.
"…Is this the legendary 'cheat system'?"
The corner of his eye twitched.
Too early, too late—why now?
He had already gotten into Tokyo University through his own effort.
What was the system even for anymore?
"What one person treasures, another may treat as worthless.
Things are the same, but perception differs."
"Just as no two flowers are identical,
even those who look the same may hide unknown stories within—
such as Miyazawa Maki, who once shared an entanglement with you."
"…Miyazawa Maki?"
Haruno froze.
That name wasn't unfamiliar.
To be precise, she was his ex-girlfriend's twin sister.
Before entering university, Haruno had dated a girl named Miyazawa Mana for a long time.
Maki was her younger twin.
In his memory, Maki wore short hair completely opposite to her sister's,
rarely spoke, and almost never smiled—
a girl with an icy, distant aura.
Unlike most twins, their relationship wasn't close.
Even when the three attended the same school,
every encounter ended with Maki stiffly leaving as fast as possible—
even lunch breaks were deliberately staggered.
Eventually, Haruno assumed she simply disliked him,
and stopped paying attention.
He never expected to see her name again—
inside a system notification.
"Miyazawa Maki resembles her sister closely,
yet their fates diverged sharply.
Growing up under the shadow of an outstanding sister,
she endured constant invisible pressure."
"After long-term accumulation, she finally chose self-destruction and withdrawal."
"She abandoned her studies, shut herself away at home,
and was eventually driven out by her parents today."
"With no skills and no way to survive alone,
Miyazawa Maki now faces a situation with nowhere to go."
"Coincidentally, you have learned of her fate.
Coincidentally, only a wall separates you.
(Reward: 50,000 yen)"
"…Only fifty thousand yen? That's cheap."
No—wrong focus.
Haruno's head throbbed.
How did things end up like this?
Dropping out was one thing—but being kicked out of home?
What was he supposed to do now?
Could he really leave her wandering alone on the streets at night?
Even ignoring the danger,
the fact that she looked exactly like his ex-girlfriend made it impossible to ignore.
"Did I owe the Miyazawa family something in a past life…?"
He sighed and shut the refrigerator door.
Drinks could wait.
First, he needed to step outside and see
whether Miyazawa Maki was really still nearby.
According to the system, only one wall separated them.
Behind the convenience store lay the edge of Kabukicho—
the infamous "crazy district" of Shinjuku.
A place crowded with homeless
girls, drunks, and delinquent youths.
If Maki was really there… she was in danger.
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