Eishi moved through the manor. With his Advanced Body Control and newly acquired Niten Ichi-ryū Mastery, he used it's dual hand skills at 10% efficiency not to strain his body.
He didn't just clean; he conducted a symphony of domestic restoration. Though If Mushashi Miyamoto was alve, he might died out of frustration seeing his prized technique in household cleaning.
His hands were a blur—one hand polishing mahogany with surgical precision while the other reset displaced ornaments, his dual-wielding hands treating the cleaning supplies like the twin blades of Musashi.
Just as he reached the third-floor balcony, his phone vibrated. The caller ID displayed a name that carried the weight of an empire: Isshin Arima.
Eishi picked up. He didn't say hello. In the world of the Great Zaibatsus, silence was a fortress.
"Eishi," the voice on the other end was dry, ancient, and sharp as a diamond-tipped needle. This was the man who sat atop the Arima Conglomerate, Japan's undisputed No. 1.
"Grandfather," Eishi replied, looking out over the Chiba skyline toward the twinkling lights of Tokyo.
"I heard Issei Ichijou went to see you. That old hound still smells of gunpowder and cheap sake," Isshin remarked, his disdain for the Yakuza world evident.
"He wants to pull you into the mud. But remember, Eishi, you are an Arima. You don't fight for scraps. You own the table."
Isshin's tone shifted, becoming cold and calculated. "The balance is shifting. Your mother's death left a crack in our armor, and the other conglomerates are beginning to circle. You are at Tōtsuki now—a neutral ground, supposedly—but do not be fooled. The other heirs are watching you, and they aren't just children."
Isshin laid out the hierarchy of the threats currently eyeing the Arima throne:
> No. 1. Arima: Current Heir is Eishi Tsukasa. The Crown is currently under siege.
> No. 2. Shinomiya Zaibatsu: Kaguya Shinomiya. Daughter with a mistress. Cold, genius-level intellect as she views everything as a war of attrition.
> No. 3. Suzuki: Sonoko Suzuki, Heir of Suzuki Conglomerate. Wealthy and loud, but backed by a massive infrastructure that shouldn't be ignored.
> No. 4. Momobami: Current Ruler Kirari Momobami. She is a chaotic predator. She uses her twin, Ririka, as a tool to mask her true moves.
"The Shinomiya girl is a machine of logic; she will try to outmaneuver you financially and socially," Isshin warned.
"The Suzuki girl could also be left alone. She is the lively type, didn't want to meddle in family business unnecessarily."
"But it is Kirari Momobami you must watch. She doesn't want to buy you out; she wants to turn your life into a gamble. She's already deployed Ririka—that masked shadow of hers—to gather data on you. They see your 'White Knight' purity as a challenge to be corrupted."
"Let them watch," Eishi said, his voice carrying the weight of the Asura's Intent he had displayed at the diner. "If Kaguya wants a war of logic, I'll give her a flavor she can't calculate. If Kirari wants a gamble, I'll make the stakes her own soul. They think because I cook, I am a servant. They forget that the one who feeds the world also has the power to starve it."
A rare, dry chuckle came from the phone. "Good. Use that Ichijou blood for the hunt, but keep the Arima mind for the kill. The Momobami twins are already whispering your name in the Student Council halls. Stay sharp."
[System Update: The Great Game]
[New Passive Quest: Zaibatsu Cold War]
* Objective: Maintain Arima dominance at Tōtsuki.
* Warning: Interaction with Kaguya, Sonoko, or the Momobami twins will trigger "High-Stakes" scenarios.
Eishi tucked the phone away. He looked at his hands—the hands of a chef, a swordsman, and an heir. He went to the kitchen and drew two knives, his Niten Ichi-ryū stance naturally aligning his body.
"Kaguya, Sonoko, Kirari and Ririka," he whispered, the silver in his eyes flashing. "The kitchen is open. Try not to choke on the first course."
After dinner Eishi stood in the center of the moonlight-drenched kitchen, his eyes scanning the blue holographic interface of the System.
The weight of the Arima legacy and the Ichijou blood demanded more than just "talent." They demanded a perfect vessel.
"System," Eishi commanded, his voice cold and steady. "Allocate the points. Bring the foundation to its peak."
[System Transaction: Total Calibration]
Eishi looked at his current, lopsided distribution. He was a genius and a leader, but his body was a fragile instrument that couldn't keep up with the Asura's Intent.
> Total FP Available: 3,500
> FP Expenditure: 1,900 (100 FP = 1Stat Point)
> Strength: 5+5= 10. Crushing Grip: Effortless control over heavy pans/blades
> Stamina: 4+6= 10. Limitless Flow: Can cook/fight for 24 hours without fatigue.
> Agility: 3+7= 10. Phantom Step: Complements Niten Ichi-ryū speed.
> Luck: 7+3= 10.Fate's Shield: Protection against "Unforeseen Variables."
> Intelligence: 14. Grand Strategist: (Stat already exceeded baseline).
> Charisma: 14. Sovereign Aura: (Stat already exceeded baseline).
[Remaining FP: 1,600]
The Trigger: Gin Dōjima's Sign-In reward
As the stats settled, a second notification flashed in blood-red light, overriding the menu.
> [Inventory Item Detected: Divine Physique (Essence of the Living God)]
> [Source: Gift from Gin Dōjima]
> [Requirement Met: All Physical Stats ≥ 10]
> [Commencing Integration... Warning: Process is extremely invasive.]
Eishi's eyes widened as a sudden, white-hot heat ignited in his bone marrow. He tried to reach for the counter, but his legs gave out.
It started in his chest. Eishi felt as if millions of microscopic worms were burrowing through his flesh, knitting together his muscle fibers and reinforcing his skeletal structure.
His skin rippled and heaved. Every tendon was being unspooled and re-wound with the strength of steel cables.
He didn't scream—his throat was paralyzed by the sheer intensity of the "remodeling"—but his vision fractured into a thousand shards of light.
The "Divine Physique" was purging every impurity, every "Arima weakness" that had made him delicate.
Then, the world went blank. Eishi's eyes snapped open exactly two hours later. He was lying on the cold kitchen floor, but he didn't feel the chill. He felt... complete.
He stood up in one fluid, silent motion. His clothes, once a perfect fit, now felt tight across his shoulders and chest. He walked to the darkened window to look at his reflection.
* The Build: The "thin, fragile chef" was gone. In his place was a physique similar to Satoshi Isshiki—deceptively lean, but packed with "functional" muscle that seemed to ripple with hidden power. He wasn't a mountain of meat like Gin Dōjima, but a finely tuned blade of a man.
* The Result: His movements were no longer just precise; they were lethal. The "frailty" that had plagued him since childhood—the paleness and the tendency to tire after a long service—had vanished forever.
[System Update: Evolution Complete]
[Trait Unlocked: Divine Physique]
* Effect: 100% resistance to physical exhaustion.
* Effect: Natural "Aura of Dominance" now physically pressures those with lower Stamina.
* Hidden Bonus: Your body is now a "Master Tool." Any culinary or combat technique is performed at +20% efficiency.
Eishi clenched his fist. The air in the room seemed to vibrate. "The foundation is set," Eishi whispered, his voice deeper, resonant with his new power. "Grandfather warned me about the other Zaibatsus... but he forgot to mention that I'm the one they should be afraid of."