"I didn't expect you to be surprisingly easy to talk to..."
After receiving the letter from the old man, Jaden ran into Erina on his way back.
Erina then brought him to meet Ohya Ken.
And Ryo Himuro as well.
By the time they arrived, Ryo Himuro had already fully recovered. The one-hour buff duration had long since passed.
Originally, Jaden thought this would be a hostile reunion between enemies.
But the reality was very different.
"That's only natural," Ohya Ken said, burping as he spoke, then laughing heartily. "One less problem is always better than one more. And besides, offending a powerful fighter like you, young man, wouldn't do me any good. Hahaha."
Jaden listened quietly.
With the experience and judgment inherited from Jack Hanma's template, he could tell that Ohya Ken was being completely sincere.
The man wasn't trying to recruit him.
Nor did he have any intention of gaining direct benefits from him.
As for indirect or hidden benefits-
If they didn't significantly affect Jaden, he didn't care.
More importantly, Ohya Ken genuinely wanted to make friends with him.
That alone made the man impressive in Jaden's eyes.
"If you ever need anything, feel free to come to me for help," Ohya Ken continued cheerfully. "Of course, if you're asking to be our representative fighter, forget it. Having Himuro is enough for me."
Ohya Ken clearly understood that Jaden had no interest in becoming his representative fighter, so he immediately took a step back.
That attitude visibly moved Ryo Himuro.
And Jaden also felt extremely comfortable talking to someone intelligent.
After saying that, Ohya Ken left his private phone number with Jaden.
Then he stood up, holding his drink.
"I'll leave this place to you young folks. I'm heading over there to drink~"
With that, he staggered away.
Ryo Himuro watched Ohya Ken's back, then rolled his shoulders slightly and glanced at Jaden.
"Jaden," he said, "your previous attack was aimed at the nervous system. Similar to acupressure points in the martial arts next door, right?"
He paused briefly.
"To be honest, when I was learning Jeet Kune Do, I heard about things like that. I always thought they only existed in those martial arts novels next door. I never expected such a miraculous fighting technique to actually exist."
He let out a short breath.
"My knowledge really is too limited."
After saying this, Ryo Himuro stood up as well.
Just like Ohya Ken, he didn't give Jaden any chance to explain.
Instead, he looked at both Jaden and Erina.
"I'll leave this place to you two lovebirds. I'm going to drink with President Ohya."
After saying that, Ryo Himuro turned and walked away without looking back.
Acupressure, huh...
Jaden raised an eyebrow.
-Even if I used acupressure, I wouldn't aim for your temple.
When he turned to look at Erina, he noticed her ears had turned red.
"What lovebirds!? We're just collaborators!"
She shouted toward Ryo Himuro's retreating back.
Then she immediately turned to Jaden, flustered, and explained nervously.
"Y-you too, don't overthink things!"
Jaden sighed.
"...With a reaction like that, even someone who wasn't overthinking would start to."
"I-I'm not!"
Jaden knew very well that he and Erina had only known each other for a short time.
She was probably just overly sensitive and shy.
After all, she read far too many shojo manga.
It wasn't likely that she liked him.
So he waved his hand casually.
"Whatever. Nakiri, although I think you should've prepared a long time ago, I'll still ask-"
He looked at her calmly.
"You're ready for tomorrow morning, right?"
Hearing this, Erina let out a small Hmph.
Her composure barely returned to its usual level.
"Who do you think I am... Of course everything is prepared for something like this."
As she spoke, Erina suddenly remembered something.
She pulled out a numbered ticket and handed it to Jaden.
"Consider it a thank-you gift for your help these past few days. I've also reserved a spot for you. Just bring the numbered ticket when you come."
Jaden looked down at the ticket.
The number "1" was clearly printed on it.
He blinked.
"Speaking of which... Nakiri," he said slowly, "you were supposed to cook for me for a year after losing the Shokugeki, right?"
He continued casually.
"And you were supposed to wear a maid outfit too. Since you're opening a restaurant, I'll let the maid outfit slide."
He glanced at the ticket again.
"But reserving a spot for me feels like something you should've done anyway."
"Ha?!"
Erina instantly exploded like an angered cat.
She reached out and tried to snatch the ticket from Jaden's hand.
But Jaden lifted his arm high above his head.
With the height difference between them, it was almost impossible for Erina to grab it, even when she pressed herself against him.
In the distance, Ohya Ken and Ryo Himuro watched the scene with faint smiles.
Ryo Himuro took a sip of his drink and shook his head.
"Still saying they're not a couple..." he muttered. "Sigh. Young people these days are open about strange things and shy about other strange things. I really don't understand them."
Originally, Ryo Himuro thought Erina and Jaden-especially Jaden-only looked young.
He assumed they were probably already in their twenties.
It wasn't until after the fight that he realized the truth.
They were still underage.
While marveling at how monstrous the other party was, Ryo Himuro couldn't help but feel like he was getting old.
Hearing this, Ohya Ken showed the kind of silly smile only a drunkard could make.
"Don't say that, Himuro," he said cheerfully. "You're still a young man too, aren't you? If you keep complaining like this, your heart will age first. Then you'll really become old."
"I understand, President Ohya."
Ryo Himuro clinked his glass against Ohya Ken's.
Even without any appetizers, watching Jaden and Erina in the distance felt strangely satisfying.
Like having something delicious with their drinks.
Perhaps-
This was youth.
...
Both Jaden and Erina were underage.
So neither of them drank alcohol.
Compared to Ohya Ken and Ryo Himuro, who continued drinking, they quickly found two empty rooms in the O-uchu.
Erina was clearly planning to stay up late.
She still had to prepare for the next morning's operations, promotions, and menu arrangements.
With the staff provided by Ohya Ken, Jaden-who wasn't skilled at cooking-went straight back to his room.
He didn't waste any time.
He went to sleep.
When he was awakened by the check-in notification, he immediately clicked on the third day's check-in.
[Check-in Reward: The Light Novel A Certain Magical Index]
The moment the reward was confirmed, an overwhelming amount of information flooded into Jaden's mind.
Every word.
Every illustration.
Everything.
He remembered it all clearly.
And it wasn't just the Old Testament.
It included the New Testament.
And even the Genesis Testament.
At the same time, a USB flash drive appeared in his hand.
According to the system's explanation, it contained all the content, all the illustrations, and all the covers for the three parts of A Certain Magical Index.
Strong.
This was strong.
This was what a modern system looked like.
If the system had only given him abilities, he would still have to write everything himself.
But giving him a ready-made light novel-
One that could run for more than ten years-
That meant he was basically set.
Moreover, this light novel also brought additional benefits.
After the memory infusion finished, Jaden could clearly feel it.
His ability to write novels had improved significantly.
His story plotting ability had improved.
Even his illustration and drawing skills had risen sharply.
With this level of improvement, he could genuinely write it himself now.
But since the system had already provided a complete version-
There was no reason not to use it.
This reward was extremely powerful.
"It looks like I can directly submit this once I settle down..."
As he muttered this, Jaden's gaze fell on a business card resting on the table.
Ohya Ken's business card.
The president of Ginokuniya Bookstore.
Ginokuniya Bookstore...
Jaden hadn't paid much attention to that name before.
But now that he thought about it-
He seemed to recall seeing it while searching for light novels earlier.
If he remembered correctly-
Ginokuniya Bookstore was a giant in the publishing industry.
In that case...
Jaden leaned back slightly.
"After I settle down..."
"Maybe I should talk to him about it."
More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 250 power stones = Bonus Chapter