Over the next three days, Eishi moved busily. He went into the hardware stores, antique collection shops, and real-estate offices. For the hardware stores, he used the same method of stealing things as the supermarket. He took five generators alone, each running on gasoline. There are also essential power tools, batteries, flashlights, and so on.
The antique collection shops held ancient weapons. He tried buying them above-board, only to be met by the dozens of requirements needed to buy sharp swords. The silver lining was his status as a high school student. They are like chains that bound Eishi. Driver's license, weapon permits… even the real-estate portion required a legal guardian signing on his behalf. In his case, it can only be his homeroom teacher.'
Fortunately, the 'robbery' at several pharmacies worked. The static nature of the spatial backpack perfectly preserved these medicines. In return, the notoriety of 'warehouse robbers' increased. Had he not been cautious, he would have been caught already.
Having been slapped hard by society, Eishi went home in a low mood.
He was about to take the staircase when he saw Mahiru returning from school. She took the initiative to greet him.
"Good evening."
"Good evening."
The interaction between the two was just that. A translucent panel appeared on Eishi's sight.
[Mahiru Shiina]
Innate Talent: Healing Grace (SS, Unawakened)
Non-exclusive Talent: None
Life Level: Zero-order/Unawakened
Strength: 14
Agility: 15
Constitution: 14
Spirit: 12
When he saw this status panel a few days ago, he was dumbfounded. She was beyond him in all physical aspects.
Clicking on her Innate Talent made him sigh.
[Healing Grace (SS, Unawakened)]
Details: The girl blessed by the grace of heavens. Her light can heal injuries, increase physical strengths, augment spiritual power, restore lost power, and add specific enhancements for a period of time.
'A godly support player…'
He 'swiped' through the next page.
[Mahiru Shiina]
Appearance: 98
Figure: 96
Temperament: 97
Purity: Intact, Can be bound
Overall Rating: SSS
The [Confidante System] used crass words and objective evaluations to examine every single girl. While Eishi feels it is too materialistic, its evaluations are too damn accurate.
The score of 50 is average. Below 50 are 'ugly', while those above 50 are 'beautiful'. The higher their scores, the better-looking they are; the more they stand out of the crowd.
Mahiru's angel-like temperament makes her the center of attention on every occasion. The hormones in Eishi's body kept pointing out her attractiveness. Hence, he accommodated Mahiru's morning greetings, which soon turned into small talks.
"I heard Hiraoka-san studies at Toyogasaki High?"
"Yes. I took several absences because I got sick."
"Ah?! And you still move out… Do you need help?"
Eishi saw her concerned look. It felt so different with an "angel" doing it. His heart skipped a beat, completely disregarding his prior withdrawn nature.
"No, no. I'm fine now."
By the time they reached Mahiru's doorsteps, she pursed her lips before giving him one last reminder.
"If Hiraoka-san needs help, feel free to tell me."
"Got it."
Hearing Eishi close his door, the tension in Mahiru's heart dissipated. Unbeknownst to him, it wasn't just him who was attracted to good looks. Eishi's current appearance is way beyond anything Mahiru had seen. Add to that his cold temperament born out of his withdrawn nature, it was the perfect combination to hit on young girls.
But that wasn't the reason why he piqued her interest.
Mahiru's background was that of a child who was abandoned by her parents. She was raised by her caretaker. It led to her being independent early on. It was also because of this that she developed a withdrawn personality. She could not truly connect with someone.
It was different for Eishi. His background paralleled hers. In her eyes, he was the "male version" of her. Orphaned at a young age, he grew independent and took care of his matters prudently. His withdrawn personality also paralleled hers.
Who can resist being interested at a kindred soul?
"Tomorrow. He's attending school…"
*****
The physique equalling ten times of a human's strength was exaggerated. Eishi slept for three hours at most before waking up refreshed. It has been like this since the past few days.
He habitually checked his panel. Nothing changed. The backpack came next.
[Spatial Backpack (9,908/10,000)]
Eishi saw its internal area upon closing his eyes. It is filled to the brim with all sorts of supplies. Food, clothing, tools, and meat took the majority of them. There are also several 'stolen' sharp blades from the antique collection shop. One of them is a katana. The other one is a wakizashi. Then there's a dual-edged Tang Blade sheathed in an old wooden casing.
The only thing remaining was his future base. He racked his brains and still could not find a way through it.
The completion of his preliminary plans made him attend school. No matter what, he already has the supplies hidden in his spatial backpack.
He buttoned his long sleeves one by one. He had bought brand new long sleeves to accommodate his sudden growth. The matter of tying a tie came naturally to him.
Once the blazer was layered atop everything, he glanced at the mirror. He is 50% similar to the Eishi of three days ago. The sharp look, naturally contoured nose, and smooth face set him apart from his past self. Not to mention the renewed gait and taller build.
"Ugh, whatever. The apocalypse might come at the next moment. Why would this matter?"
The growing smile in his face betrayed his thoughts. Eishi had read enough novels to see what would happen next. The shocked looks of the crowd and the sudden change in treatment happens a lot in wish-fulfillment novels—more so to fat guys having a magical transformation after a single day.
It was a pity the 'bullies' are missing, otherwise it is the perfect recipe for showing off.
Eishi left the apartment while deluded in these thoughts.
"Good morning, Hiraoki-san."
Mahiru's voice startled him out of his thoughts.
"Good morning, Shiina-san. Going to school today? I recall you study at Seijo High."
"Mn. Can I come along?"
"Sure…"
The settings of every anime in this world are jumbled. In this world, Seijo High comes first before Toyogasaki High. Eishi has an additional angel walking along with him.
As expected, it was Mahiru who initiated the conversation.
"Which year are you in, Hiraoki-san?"
"Third year."
The mention of his year level surprised her. She was two years younger than him.
"You will be graduating soon." She commented.
"Yes. It's a pain to choose which university to attend."
"Hiraoki-san seems confident in his exam results."
"I have been preparing for it since three years ago."
"No wonder…"
The more they talked, the more she found out about him. This conversation alone made up for their days' worth of small talks.
Smart, responsible, hard-working…
More and more positive adjectives are piled up on Eishi's head.
Their arrival at Seijo High ended their conversation.
"Then… Keep safe, Hiraoki-san."
"You too."
He watched as she stepped inside the school premises. He pulled out his phone and he saw he was running late. It is already 7:12.
Everyone who goes beyond 7:15 will be given a tardy violation thru the guard's built-in reporting system.
Swoosh-!
Eishi sprinted. His figure turned into a blur. The shoulder bag he carried bore no weight at all. His somewhat heavy blazer had zero effect on his running speed. He hadn't reached his limits when he arrived in front of the school gates. The security guard in charge of the school gates looked at him with a stunned look.
'Was this young man the reincarnation of Usain Bolt?!'
*****
"Ahem. You made it in time."
"Got it."
With a smile, Eishi went straight to the shoe lockers. He looked at the in-door shoes inside the locker. He sneakily stored it inside his spatial backpack, replacing it with a brand-new one. He took it out of the locker and changed into it.
7:14 AM.
'One minute.'
His walking pace became faster. He ascended three flights of stairs and reached the fourth floor. At the rightmost room is his classroom. A signboard with "3C" written on it was placed above.
With a gentle force, he pulled the sliding door open. The messy chatter at the back resounded loudly. Some of the students who saw Eishi sported confused looks. By the time he sat on his usual seat, nearly half of the classroom looked at him in intrigue.
"Isn't it Eishi?"
"Eishi? Him? Now that you said it…"
"Why does he look different today..?"
Eishi sighed inwardly.
'At least I am still recognizable.'
Nonetheless, even if rumors of him getting plastic surgery spreads, he wouldn't care. The 'apocalypse' can come at any second. The best he can do is to enjoy this 'normal' life.
The 'goddess' of 3C entered his sight. Her long black hair was set freely. Her white headband parted her bangs, revealing more of her elegant face. Her maroon-colored eyes sported curiosity the moment she met his gaze.
[Utaha Kasumigaoka]
Innate Talent: Absolute Zero (SS, Unawakened)
Non-exclusive Talent: None
Life Level: Zero-order/Unawakened
Strength: 9
Agility: 8
Constitution: 7
Spirit: 15
As usual, he checked her Innate Talent.
[Absolute Zero (SS, Unawakened)]
Details: The controller of temperature's one extreme. She can easily disperse heat and control everything affected therein.
'Her physical attributes are lacking, but she's a mage build. It's Shiina-san who's abnormal.'
The next page determined everything.
[Utaha Kasumigaoka]
Appearance: 97
Figure: 95
Temperament: 95
Purity: Intact, Can be bound
Overall Rating: SSS
The system's cold evaluation followed his thoughts. His confusion was on her Figure.
'Why is she three points higher?'
This confusion lasted until the door opened up. The tall figure halted the noise at the back. The somewhat-disheveled hair only added to her charm. Her grey-colored eyes scanned the room. It momentarily stopped on Eishi, to which the latter greeted her with a smile.
[Shizuka Hiratsuka]
Innate Talent: Martial God (SS, Unawakened)
Non-exclusive Talent: None
Life Level: Zero-order/Unawakened
Strength: 17
Agility: 20
Constitution: 16
Spirit: 15
[Martial God (SS, Unawakened)]
Details: The one with deeply hidden aspirations. She can easily grasp any concept of the martial way. Her blood boils, in complete unity of her mind.
'...'
For a moment, Eishi had nothing to say. His homeroom teacher is a stat monster. Even her Innate Talent pushes her to be a stat monster.
'I forgot she's a martial artist…'
The next page revealed more things.
[Shizuka Hiratsuka]
Appearance: 94
Figure: 97
Temperament: 88
Purity: Intact, Can be bound
Overall Rating: SSS
The glaring "97" made him choke on his saliva. It just so happened that Shizuka's 'discussion' began.
"The final exam week is next week. The schedule has been released. Modern Japan, Science, and Mathematics are on the first day…"
The mention of exams made the students groan. The devious schedule of the first day brought many to their knees. In contrast, the second day with Social Studies, English, and Home Economics are more lenient.
Eishi did not worry about it. His words earlier weren't for show. He advance-studied since the start of high school. Taking a University Entrance Exam is a trifle for him. His 100 Spirit also gave him a photographic memory, atop all.
His weakest point, English, was made up with his past life's knowledge.
The homeroom lasted for twenty minutes. Shizuka left the room as the Mathematics teacher, an old man, entered. The real classes had begun. Unfortunately, it served no purpose for Eishi.
He looked at the blackboard, but in his lap, he was writing plans in his little notebook. The 'no-look' writing soon gathered the admiring gazes of the ones beside him. It happened that the teacher caught onto Eishi's tricks.
A trace of bewilderment appeared in his eyes, and then realization.
'My old eyes are fooling me…'
"Hiraoka."
"Ah. Yes!"
"Find the integral of this equation."
Eishi looked at the equation on the board. It was an integral of 1/1+sinx.
'It's not that bad.'
He stepped up, took the chalk, and wrote three lines of equation. Multiplying the conjugate of 1+sinx, which is 1-sinx, simplifies the equation. After letting u, the answer becomes evident: tanx - secx + C.
"...That is the right answer. You may sit, Hiraoka."
The devious integral did not shake Eishi. The mathematics teacher did not bother with his stuff again. That was the perk of this teacher. As long as you can prove that you know this lesson, he won't care about anything else.
Of course, only a few can go past through his devious board works. Eishi is one of them.
Ring-!
The mathematics period ended. English came next. Then Social Studies. Before he knew it, the lunch break came. His little notebook is filled with ideas, maps, and to-do lists.
'Confidante. I need to find one as soon as possible.'
The system was vague about the process of "binding". He thought it was about kissing at first, but when he thought of the term 'Purity', he felt it was more likely to mean sexual intercourse; with virgins, that is.
To unlock that multiplier and talent replication, he has to find more confidantes.
'This is pushing me to become a scum. It's the apocalypse, anyways…'
Little by little, his bottom line lowered. He could not tolerate breaking the law when he came to this world. Four days later, he stole from a supermarket, warehouse, and an antique shop. Instead of studying, he wanted to bind more girls as his confidantes.
Truly, a scumbag.
While he was eating a pork floss bread, his phone vibrated. He saw it was Shizuka who messaged him.
He promptly stood up, swallowed the bread in two bites, and headed for the faculty on the second floor. Shizuka stood in front of its door.
"...Did you go abroad during your absence?"
"No. I am sick, really."
She did a double take on Eishi's flat face. She could barely believe it was Eishi after three days of absence. This "glow up" goes beyond common sense.
"Maybe I had my second growth. Or what about a radioactive spider biting me?" He continued on his rhetorics. "I promise. I didn't do anything unusual, Hiratsuka-sensei."
An urge to slam her fist on his head grew.
'This kid… He wasn't this talkative before.'
"Yes, yes. That's it. Remember not to have unannounced absences next time. At least, notify me within that day."
"Got it."
She went back to the faculty room. Eishi relished her concern. This was the only time he felt dependence towards someone else, at least the Eishi of this world.
'People like her and Mahiru… shouldn't suffer from the apocalypse.'
Caring about them is one thing. They are also the top-notch 'confidantes' pointed by the system. For practical and emotional reasons, Eishi felt compelled to help them.
'The apocalypse… How good would it be if it doesn't come?'