Nothing eventful happened in the school. Eishi had zero friends; a well-known loner. Everyone was still digesting his changes.
The 4:00 PM dismissal is shared across all high schools in Yokohama. No matter where Eishi looked, there were students. The moment these students saw him, they paused momentarily.
Temperament is influenced by facial proportion, build, and eyes. The cold temperament he brought was akin to sharks swimming amidst the school of fishes. Noticing Eishi meant one could never forget about his existence.
Inevitably, it struck the hearts of many female students. Some had already made up their minds when an angel walked beside him.
"Hiraoka-san..!"
"You told me about your dismissal. It coincided with mine. I hope I didn't bother you."
"No, no. It's fine."
The angel of Seijo High was distant and unapproachable. Her momentary acts of kindness won over the students' hearts, both male and female, but nobody was able to close the gap.
Not until now.
The two talked about nothing special, mainly about their future aspirations and the likes.
Eishi stared at the closing anti-theft door before sighing.
'Apocalypse, apocalypse. What a mind game…'
The 'uncertainty' held by it and the single hint dropped off by his system messed with Eishi's mind a lot. Though he came to the decision of treating it as if it were real. There is no harm in preparing.
He went head-first to his bedroom. Pulling out a head-sized box at its bottom, he unpacked it. A high-tech looking visor appeared in his hand. Its body is made of silver, with its glasses tinted in black.
Click.
The visor separated into two metallic rings. Eishi lay himself on the bed. He wore it on his head.
Making sure it was turned on, he muttered:
"Link, Start."
Everything turned into a vast expanse of white. Rows upon rows of colorful lights swept past him.
First was the language panel. He didn't make it hard for himself and chose Japanese. Then the panel for creating an account.
'A good username…'
He resolutely chose a good in-game name.
[Name: Shroud]
[Password: *********]
[Account creation complete. Redirecting to the creation page…]
Numerous panels popped up. There are games to select from. The most popular ones are [Alfheim Online], a copycat of Sword Art Online. In the canon, its data was scrapped from Sword Art Online's abandoned database.
Eishi did not choose that game. He flicked around the screen until he saw the one.
[Selected Gun Game Online. Entry…]
The world around him changed. A huge black pyramid stood tall. Four holographic screens were present. They repeatedly played the leaderboards of various gamemodes. The recent notification for a brand new Battle Royale Mode, Bullets of Bullets, flashed on the screens.
'August 2… It's still quite far.'
Eishi wandered around the lobby for a while. He did not bother changing his virtual character's appearance. Not many people paid attention to him, too. The online world is just as deceptive as he can remember.
His interest was piqued by the Bullets of Bullets tournament. He read its rules one by one. The more he read, the deeper his frown became.
By the end, he could not help but curse:
'Who the hell made this abomination?!'
Eishi played shooter games in his previous life. He instantly saw numerous flaws in this gamemode.
First, the map. Thirty people are distributed at a one kilometer gap. They do not get to choose their map; the game randomly deploys them.
Second, the meta. There are only two metas Eishi saw. One is an agility-focused perk focusing on closing the distance and avoiding sniper shots. The other one is the bush campers. The vast differences of environment makes hiding a lot easier.
Third, the barrier.
…
There is no barrier!
This circles around the first and second problem. The camping meta will remain prevalent. Either that, or agility-based perks. There is no third meta that can be played out. With the main objective being survival, many would choose to camp. Even if there are satellite scans, players can move away from their hiding places rather easily; the distance of a map is 10 x 10 kilometers.
Lastly, players can team up. It is a tournament with money on the line. Having this 'loophole' makes it meaningless, as some players might just team up and split the reward money afterwards.
His enthusiasm towards the game dampened. Still, Eishi began customizing his loadouts. His level one account lacks a lot of things, be it guns or attachments.
He settled with the typical M-16 and M9 as the secondary.
Zoom-!
As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw a shooting ground. The UI in his lower right indicated he was unequipped. The next second, the M16 appeared in his hand. Its cold touch weighed on his grip.
Bang-!
Bang-!
Bang-!
Three bullets shot out of it under the Burst Mode. Eishi looked at the targets. He hit all three on their bodies.
'Their heads. I need to aim at their heads.'
Bang-!
Bang-!
Bang-!
…
Click-!
The realism in this game is top-notch. He had to switch the modes and reload by himself. The recoil is also similar to its real counterpart.
'I bet right. Everyone who plays these virtual games has an advantage in the apocalypse.'
The greatest disadvantage in relying on in-game knowledge was their real-life bodies. Though they can react as fast as in the game, their bodies get exhausted.
Eishi suffers from the exact opposite. His physical body is stronger than his in-game character. All he has to do is to pile up battle experience.
'This is fun…'
*****
'It's not as unpleasant as expected…'
His yawn lasted longer. The English teacher's words began to turn into a lullaby. Pulling an all-nighter playing Gun Gale Online yielded a lot of benefits. It was enough to go through a gun once. His photographic memory and insane body coordination handled his learning experience. His strong power and firm body can take care of the recoil.
He spent almost twelve hours playing the game, only stopping at 6 AM. His all-nighter did not affect his body's activity aside from slight fatigue.
That was how insane his current physique is.
The three subjects passed by in a flash. Lunch break came. The chattering of his classmates reached his ears.
His eyes narrowed into slits. Words such as "Eishi" and "Angel Goddess" are in the same sentence.
'People are really bored to death…'
Shaking his head, he continued jotting his plans in his precious notebook. Its pages are about to be emptied out.
'Should I cut classes again? Search for other potential confidantes..?'
Unbeknownst to him, someone is very interested in his little notebook.
*****
Eishi placed down the notebook beneath his desk's drawer. He left the classroom and walked leisurely.
'I should try better to abuse this system of mine…'
Part of the problem stemmed from the current world. The single line "Purity: Intact, Can be bound" explained everything. Girls who qualify as 'Confidantes' are not as casual as other girls. Eishi scanned many girls and women. Those without "purity" cannot be bound. They exist in shockingly huge numbers, to boot.
The SSS-rated "Confidantes" are the exact opposite. They value it extremely well, opting for long-term and sincere romantic relationships.
He also knows better than to recklessly attempt it, not to mention his bottom line made him unable to act as a scumbag.
'I wonder if there are characters from R18 ACGs who fit into this criteria...'
After circling around the entire school building, he saw some women rated 'A', but their "purity" is not intact. Without any good finds, he was about to go back to the classroom when he spotted someone.
Eishi did a double take.
'Strange. I didn't notice her..?'
She walked along the hallway. Her shoulder-length black hair swayed with each step. The cold and pragmatic system spat out its most honest evaluation.
[Megumi Kato]
Innate Talent: Forgotten One (SSS, Semi-awakened)
Non-exclusive Talent: None
Life Level: Zero-order/Unawakened
Strength: 7
Agility: 9
Constitution: 5
Spirit: 13
The mere mention of triple S in her Innate Talent section made him lock in.
[Forgotten One (SSS, Semi-awakened)]
Details: The girl forgotten by the world itself. Her existence remains thin without external interference. She possesses a natural disposition to conceal oneself, down to her very personality.
His intense gaze was met by her confused look. The evaluation on the next page shook him more.
[Megumi Kato]
Appearance: 95
Figure: 98
Temperament: 80
Purity: Intact, Can be bound
Overall Rating: SSS
He barely regained his composure and smiled at her. Eishi did not linger further, afraid of being seen as a 'creep'. He did not see Megumi's growing confusion.
'Triple S. That figure, too. What the heck…'
He thought Mahiru is the ceiling of 'Figure'. Athleticism has a lot to do with improving one's body shape. Megumi's "plain looks" contradicted that belief.
Moreover, it was also his first time seeing a 'semi-awakened' Innate Talent—a triple S rated talent, above all.
'There should be one more… That tsundere. Is she not in this school?'
He attributed it to the messy 'fusion' of various ACGs. Shizuka was supposed to become the Club Advisor of Hachiman's Service Club. Yet, she's teaching here. The information he possesses is not entirely accurate. It could still be used as references, though.
One thing's certain. Every single heroine he met possessed strong Innate Talents and good system ratings. He must focus his attention on these heroines. Establishing a connection with them is a must.
By the time the apocalypse strikes, it is easier to develop romantic relationships by rescuing and giving them a good place to live.
Eishi made his choice. His current mindset now does not suffice against the dangers about to come.
'I cannot be too passive. I need to change this… even if it means being a playboy.'
*****
Eishi hopped on Gun Gale Online right after coming home. Walking together with Mahiru had become an everyday habit. The more they talked, the more he saw himself in her. Her tricks on buying discounted items at the supermarket's closing earned his approval. His favorability shot up.
'She's just like me, no..?'
He relished these giddy thoughts for a while. It took a while to log in to the game. This time, he has a clear goal: earn 'credits' and unlock more guns.
As to how, Eishi stumbled upon a 'mini-game' called 'Untouchable'. It is the very minigame the protagonist went through.
A 'gunman' is standing at the end. All he has to do is to dodge these bullets through the game's mechanism, 'Bullet Lines'. These are red lines that show the bullet's trajectory. Once he touches the gunman, he earns whatever credits the previous players lost to it.
'I recall a bit of cheating in this game… but it's not that bad.'
Eishi became interested. His ten times agility hasn't found a match yet.
'More than 100,000. Alright, alright.'
He placed his hand atop a chopped wooden log. A deduction of 500 credits appeared on his account. The chattering of nearby players halted as they saw another 'poor guy'.
"This entire game is a scam."
"Another poor bastard is about to be robbed."
"Don't talk as if we haven't gone through it."
Their schadenfreude is strong in this one. They all thought it was easy money, only to be scammed by the minigame.
A running timer appeared in his sight.
3.
2.
1.
…
Bam-!
The saloon doors bursted open. The cowboy at the end spat out a pre-programmed line:
"I'll kill you!"
Eishi started sprinting. The disparity of his in-game and real life body was adapted to long ago. His speed was slower compared to his typical running times.
Nonetheless…
'Too slow.'
Before the Bullet Lines could touch him, he already avoided it by positioning sideways.
Bang-!
Bang-!
Bang-!
He narrowly dodged the three bullets. He did not lose his balance. Eishi did not run on zigzag, opting to run straight.
"Die!"
Once again, the Bullet Lines could not touch his clothes. He did not even turn sideways. All he did was tilt his arms and head slightly.
"Ten meters…"
"No shit. How did he do that?"
"Damn…"
Reaching the ten meter line, Eishi faced five Bullet Lines this time. This time, he opted to slide to the front. None of the five bullets hit his clothes. His right arm exerted enough force for him to stand up.
'It's reloading… No.'
He keenly noticed the cowboy choosing not to reload. The fragments of his memories about this flashed.
Before anyone could react, the unloaded gun shot six bullets in a row. The Bullet Lines it spat out appeared instantly.
Eishi chose to do the same as Kirito. He simply leaped up, dodging all six bullets. He landed right next to the cowboy before touching his arm.
Instantly, a white panel popped up, showing his credits shoot up to a hundred thousand.
'I can't buy unrealistic guns…'
He hopped off the wooden fence and started to walk away. He was lost in thought, not minding the baffled looks of the other players.
'Hm? Hm?!'
Someone caught his sight. The iconic cyan hair and sharp blue eyes are unmistakable.
Eishi had a ridiculous thought of calling the system out… and so he did. To his surprise, it worked.
[Shino Asada]
Innate Talent: Sky Eye (S, Unawakened)
Non-exclusive Talent: None
Life Level: Zero-order/Unawakened
Strength: 10
Agility: 15
Constitution: 8
Spirit: 18
He was surprised to see an S rated talent. The SS and SSS rated talents are limited to the four girls he met over five days.
[Sky Eye (S, Unawakened)]
Details: Possesses an eye as sharp as a divine eagle. Everything within a certain range could not escape her sight, granting her a god's perspective.
'And this is S rated..?!'
Eishi felt there was something he did not see on Shino's Innate Talent. Nonetheless, the god's eye perspective is a broken skill.
As usual, he scrolled to the next page.
[Shino Asada]
Appearance: 90
Figure: 94
Temperament: 90
Purity: Intact, Can be bound
Overall Rating: SSS
'This… Another one?'
*****
A/N: Sinon is one of my og waifus. Of course she'll have a place in the future harem :>