Hiro stared at the glowing blue text until it burned into his retinas. One hundred bucks. That was all that he saw in the money section of his system.
The divine assholes who yoinked him out of his life and threatened to turn his family into wet confetti couldn't even spring for a decent starting salary.
"Kidnapping, extortion, and now being a cheapskate," Hiro muttered, swiping the menu away with a flick of his wrist. "Real class acts, Malphas."
"Don't get your-self in a twist, Hiro," the creature's voice hissed in his ear, though the air remained empty. "You're the Salvation, aren't you? Go save some shit and get paid. Or don't, and watch the world end. Speaking of which, I've marked your map. Your new school, Oakhaven Academy is there. And your alarm is set, so don't be late. Oh, and use your head. You have the ability to analyze people. Knowledge is power here. Or everywhere."
With a final, mocking cackle, the presence vanished. Time, which had felt viscous and slow, snapped back to full speed.
Hiro started walking toward the residential district of Sato City. It was a bizarre, high-definition fever dream. Everything looked like it had been hand-drawn by a god with a knack for vibrant colors and definition and lighting.
He checked his phone, a sleek, black device that felt familiar but lacked any of his old photos from home. It was a clean slate.
He rounded a corner and saw something glittering on the pavement. It was a delicate, silver-chained bracelet with some pink stones Hiro had no idea of what kind.
A few feet away from it, a girl was walking briskly, her long, jet-black hair swaying like silk with every step. She was dressed in a crisp blue-and-white uniform with gold trimming along its edges. Most likely Oakhaven Academy.
'Great, my first cliché,' Hiro thought.
[ QUEST TRIGGERED: RETURN THE LOST BRACELET TO HANAKO. ACCEPT: YES / NO.
NOTE: IF YOU DO NOT ACCEPT, YOU WILL BE SUSPECTED FOR THEFT.
REWARD: 5 EXP / $5 ]
"F*cking railroading," Hiro growled under his breath, but he tapped YES. He wasn't about to start his first day in Yamatsuka with a criminal record.
So, he quickly scooped up the bracelet and jogged a few paces to catch up.
"Yo, excuse me, Miss. I saw you— Uh, you dropped your bracelet."
The girl stopped and spun around. She gasped, her hands flying to her cheeks as she blushed. "Oh! My bracelet! Thank you so much!" She gave him a quick, polite bow. "I didn't even realize it had slipped off. I would have been devastated. It was my grandmother's."
[ QUEST COMPLETED AND REWARD RECEIVED: 5 EXP / $5 ]
[ RELATIONSHIP UPDATED: HANAKO (STRANGER -> FRIENDLY) ]
[ EVALUATION: RETURNING PERSONAL PROPERTY WITHOUT STEALING SHOWS YOUR CHARACTER. IN A COLD WORLD, YOU ARE A WARM LIGHT. ]
"It's no problem. Just be careful next time," Hiro said, already turning to leave.
"Wait!" she called out, scurrying to keep pace with him. "It looks like we're heading in the same direction. I'm Hanako."
Hiro slowed down, giving her a nod. "Hiro. I'm new in town and heading to my apartment."
Hanako's eyes lit up. "Wait! You must be the new neighbor I heard about! They just finished the furnishings for the vacant apartment next to mine today."
Hiro kept his face neutral, but inside, he was very much over it. He didn't want to deal with any annoying tropes, yet right off the bat there was one already sticking to him like a leech.
If he got sucked into some weird shit, he'd never get home. He had to be careful with his relationship stats. Neighbor girls in this world were probably a wildcard.
"Let me buy you lunch before we head back," Hanako insisted. "Since you saved my jewelry, it's the least I can do."
As if on cue, Hiro's stomach let out a roar so loud it felt like an earthquake. He sighed as the hunger flooded him. He couldn't ignore basic needs.
"If... you don't mind," he said with a sheepish shrug.
[ SECRET QUEST COMPLETED . REWARDING 10 EXP / $5 / 5% BOOST TO RELATIONSHIP GAIN WITH HANAKO AND HER FRIENDS ]
[ EVALUATION: MAKING FRIENDS IS AN IMPORTANT STEP IN ADAPTING TO YOUR NEW LIFE. ]
They ate at a small ramen shop, and Hiro unintentionally got to know her. It turned out the uniform she wore belonged to the very academy he'd be attending. He just knew she'd be in his class. The system had him by the throat.
They reached the apartments and Hiro headed for his door.
"Do you need any help settling in?" Hanako asked.
Hiro felt a little bad for his cynical thoughts earlier. She was just being a gentle spirit.
"That's okay, you've helped me a lot already. See you around."
He accessed his inventory, willed the key to appear in his pocket, and unlocked his door.
The apartment was incredibly luxurious. It was fully furnishe with marble floors, a stainless steel fridge, and a fifty-inch smart TV.
It looked like a high-budget production, every detail sharpened to perfection that one wouldn't be able to tell it from reality. The only being from the real world was what kept the illusion at bay.
In the bedroom, he found school supplies and a paper revealing that Oakhaven Academy was a college, though run like a high school. His eyes widened when he saw a note that said all earned credits would transfer to his record on Earth.
'At least my time isn't being totally wasted,' hiro thought.
[ CLASS SCHEDULE ]
* YAMATSUKA HISTORY 1
* ROMANCE LITERATURE 1
* SCIENCES 1
* CRAFTING 1
Hiro rushed to the bathroom and stared at his reflection. He saw a hyper-realistic anime version of himself. He flinched, then focused.
To his relief, the illusion went transparent, revealing his true face in the glass.
He was a beautiful split of two ethnicities. Hiro had his mother's narrow, deep-set eyes and sharp bone structure, but they were paired with a dense crown of faded curls. His skin was a honey-toned bronze that was definitely more on the lighter side, but with a warm glow that made the "anime" version of himself look dull by comparison.
Just then, there was a knock at his door. He opened it to find Hanako smiling. Hiro quickly inspected her.
[NAME: HANAKO
LEVEL: 1
TYPE: GENTLE SPIRIT
RELATIONSHIP: FRIENDLY / NEIGHBORLY
HP: 100%
MP: 100%
STATS: RELATIONSHIP INSUFFICIENT TO VIEW.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: RELATIONSHIP INSUFFICIENT TO VIEW.
SKILLS: DAWG, HOW MANY TIMES YOU GONNA READ? RELATIONSHIP ISN'T HIGH ENOUGH, DUMB AHH. ]
Hiro blinked at the snarky system prompt. That was a bit concerning. He felt as though Malphas was right there watching him.
He made sure the floor was clear because he didn't want the "tripping into the love interest" cliché to proc[1] today and pocketed his hands just in case he inappropriately touches her somehow.
She wouldn't take no for an answer on cooking him a "welcome home" meal. He felt a little awkward, but she was simply being nice.
He watched her move around his kitchen and noticed the physics of the world were... intense. He almost choked on the tea she made him while she cooked when his gaze drifted—unintentionally, he swore—to the way her blouse hugged her figure.
'Holy shit, those have to be E-cups or F-cups at least. They're so full and round, squishing against her top with jiggles that defies logic with every shift of her body,' he thought as his mind blanked for a second, heat rushing to his face as he forced his eyes back up, but the image stayed.
How did she even move without back pain? The physics in this world were bullshit, making them look impossibly perky, like something out of a fantasy mod.
Hiro cleared his throat, pretending to focus on the cup, but his pulse kicked up a notch. Was this another trope? The big titty anime girl trope was hitting hard. He had a feeling of guilt and a spark of lust as he shoved those thoughts down quickly.
No time for distractions, but hell, it was tough not to stare. He tried to keep his thoughts in check. This was real. Sort of.
After the meal, Hanako offered to walk with him in the morning to school. Hiro decided to break the trope right there.
"It's okay. I workout in the mornings and am quite sweaty anyway. So, don't worry about waiting up for me," Hiro said, his tone firm but not unnecessarily cold.
Hanako looked crestfallen for a split second, a flicker of disappointment crossing her features, but she quickly masked it with a natural neighborly smile.
They were brand new neighbors, after all; she'd likely try again with her character. She bid him a soft goodnight and headed back to unit 103.
Hiro's face fell the moment the door clicked shut. Why did he have to deal with this shit? He'd feel like the scum of the earth if he took advantage of her kindness, but he also didn't want her getting sucked into his orbit as some "heroine" archetype.
That reminded him to check his status. He was the Salvation. If there was going to be a heroine in this story, he'd prefer someone with a higher level. Particularly, someone who could actually help him put The End in the ground. He just hoped this opponent wasn't another poor bastard kidnapped from Earth and forced into the same meat grinder. That would be a bummer.
Hiro tossed a detergent pod into the dishwasher, started the cycle, and listened to the hum of the machine as he headed for the shower.
Once he was clean and the adrenaline of the day had faded into a dull ache, he sat on the edge of the bed and called up his vitals.
***
NAME: HIRO LARSON
LEVEL: 1
CLASS: THE OUTSIDER / SALVATION
[ ATTRIBUTES: ]
* HP: 150/150
* MP: 80/80
* STRENGTH: 7
* ENDURANCE: 6
* AGILITY: 5
* INTELLIGENCE: 8
* LUCK: 2
* WILLPOWER: 12
[ ACTIVE BUFFS / DEBUFFS: ]
* DISPLACED SOUL: +50% RESISTANCE TO MENTAL MANIPULATION.
* MARK OF MALPHAS: -5 LUCK. YOU ARE BEING WATCHED BY A HIGHER ENTITY.
[ SKILLS: ]
* STREET BRAWLER (LVL 1): INCREASES UNARMED DAMAGE BY 10%.
* IRON MIND (PASSIVE): HIGH RESISTANCE TO FEAR-BASED STATUS EFFECTS.
[ TALENT: ]
* PROTAGONIST AURA
[ INVENTORY: ]
* $110
* MAP OF SATO CITY, YAMATSUKA
* SMARTPHONE
* KEY
***
He stared at the Intelligence and Willpower stats. At least his brain and his grit were his highest assets; he'd be insulted if he'd been sent here as a total meathead.
The most annoying part was the Talent section. "Protagonist Aura." He tried to tap the text, hoping for a description or a breakdown of what that actually meant.
Nothing.
The screen just hung there, glowing in the dim room. Did it mean he had plot armor? Or did it just mean the world would go out of its way to ruin his life for the sake of a "narrative"?
As Hiro drifted off to sleep, his mind jumped between stats, tropes, and the faces of his family. He decided that if Hanako was going to be his neighbor, he'd be civil, but he couldn't get too close. He couldn't risk her triggering some "Yandere" flag or becoming a liability he couldn't protect. He shook off the douchebag thoughts before the darkness took him.
'If someone's just trying to be nice, don't be an ass, Hiro.' He'd remember that.
Even in a world built on clichés, he had to keep some part of himself human.
[1] Is used as both a noun and a verb to describe when a special ability or effect activates, usually triggered by a random event or specific condition. It originates from "spec_proc" (special procedure) or "programmed random occurrence". Hence the abbreviation, proc.