Adam stepped into the Judo hall following his dad. Rachel was tight on his heels and behind her was Mr. Morgan.
His eyes swept over the room, noting the mats, colored uniforms, and training equipment meant for larger, older students.
This will be a new experience from what I'm used to. Bar brawls at 3 a.m. ended fast back in my old life.
Adam noticed Rachel watching a pair of students running through drills out of the corner of his eye.
She seems interested at least. She did say that the movie was, in her words, 'So cool!!'
A man approached, dressed in a black uniform different from the students' white uniforms.
"Ah, are you folks wanting to enroll your children? Or just spectating?"
Dad laughed. "A little of both? We're looking to see if the kids would like it."
Mr. Morgan looked at Rachel who was still looking at students.
The man nodded. "That's alright. Would you like to sit through a lesson?"
"If that wouldn't be a problem." Dad laid a hand on Adam's shoulder, guiding him along.
Mr. Morgan took Rachel's hand and followed.
The man led the four of them to a wall, pulling out chairs from a nearby closet.
"Our lessons are child-friendly if you do decide to train here, but what you'll see here is more advanced. Our child program is on Mondays and Thursdays." He left with a polite smile.
Mr. Morgan let out a breath as the man left. "Are you sure this is what you want to do, Rae?"
"Mhm." Rachel didn't look away from the mat as a student was pinned to it.
Adam looked at their interaction then at his own dad. "This will be fine I think."
Dad just nodded. He wasn't an idiot, he recognized that his son was doing this more for his friend than himself.
"I'll let your mother know then."
As Adam refocused on observing the lesson, he heard a familiar notification.
[Host has stumbled across an Infested Martial Arts Hall! Defeat the infestation and reclaim martial arts for the human race!]
Adam had to suppress a groan of frustration.
I'm not going to be 'defeating' anyone anytime soon.
Ignoring the system, Adam actually focused on the lesson.
He could follow the sequences easily—something he had to credit to his own mental maturity.
[Host is observing Martial Arts performed at a sufficient level.]
[Skill unlocked - Hand-to-hand combat - Level 0 - 0.00%]
Adam's eyes widened. Just watching a professional can influence skills? That's game changing.
He decided to watch more closely, taking in all that he could. The rest of the room faded as his vision narrowed.
By the time he came out of his trance, he noticed his eyes burned.
Adam wiped his eyes while blinking rapidly as a small smile emerged.
"Dad. This is the one I want to do."
Rachel nodded frantically. "Me too!!"
Dad and Mr. Morgan looked at each other, shrugged and started the process of getting their children signed up.
Dad stepped aside to call Mom while Mr. Morgan went to speak with the instructor.
Rachel was practically vibrating. "Adam! We're gonna be so cool!"
"All in due time, Rae." But Adam couldn't help but chuckle at her excitement.
As long as she likes it, that's enough.
***
Weeks passed as Adam and Rachel's schedules changed to incorporate Judo practice.
Adam impressed the instructors with his calculated, efficient movements.
Rachel was the opposite.
Her natural athleticism made her a menace on the mat. Her technique was sloppy, but her strength and stamina were more than enough to outweigh it.
Even out of the lessons, Rachel's playtime with Adam gradually became more and more Judo-centered.
Adam slowed down the movements for Rachel to follow, making sure she understood what they'd been taught in class.
Even as they focused, life outside their bubble moved on.
Mr. Morgan came to pick her up less and less.
And when Adam did see him, he looked disheveled.
Rachel began spending so much time at Adam's house that his parents started decorating with her in mind.
Adam let the situation sit, then turned it over in his mind.
Mr. Morgan is most likely dealing with Rae's mother, and the mother wants something… Is it Rachel?
Adam sat on his bed, eyes closed in thought, his body tense.
No, if she wanted Rachel, would she have waited this long?
Most likely, it's something else and she's using the fact she is Rachel's mother to get it.
Adam's jaw clenched at the thought.
Money? Mr. Morgan? Stability?
Whatever it is, it's not good for Rachel.
As his thoughts continued, Adam recalled the system warnings about 'Larger Predators' targeting Rachel's 'territory'.
Maybe this was the thing that the system was warning about, Rachel's mother would qualify as a 'larger predator'.
Adam cut the thought short. He needed to actually look into the situation and not speculate endlessly.
Adam called the system window to focus elsewhere.
[Loading System Window…
Title: The Last Human, No Resource Repairer
Host: Adam Cross
Strength: 1 / 10 - progress to next level 6.4%
Agility: 1 / 10 - progress to next level 8.3%
Vitality: 1 / 10 - progress to next level 6.1%
Intelligence: 2 / 10 - progress to next level 5.2%
Perception: 2 / 10 - progress to next level 7.85%
Charisma: 1 / 10 - progress to the next level 9.7%
Skills –
Academics: 2 / 10 - progress to next level 68.4%
Cooking: 0 / 10 - progress to next level 12.6%
Fitness: 0 / 10 - progress to next level 5.1%
First Aid: 0 / 10 - progress to next level 1.1%
Repair: LOCKED
Mysticism: LOCKED
Occultism: 0 / 10 - progress to next level 0.1%
Intimidation: 1 / 10 - progress to next level 0.56%
Acting: 1 / 10 - progress to next level 1.12%
Hand-to-Hand: 0 / 10 - progress to next level 56.5%
Recommended Action: Host should focus on stat acquisition and skill management.]
Still hasn't changed the recommended action. I must really suck by the system's standards.
Adam looked at his stat progression. Charisma shot past Agility for the lead, I guess I've been more talkative.
He felt a twinge of impatience as he looked at the stats.
How long until I can do specialized training for each stat? Strength and Agility are obvious. Vitality is probably low because of my age.
I don't know how the system calculates Intelligence. It's not knowledge… Maybe it's how the brain functions? Which would be limited due to my age.
Good news is that my stats would passively grow even if I didn't do anything. Just slower.
Adam dismissed the window as he laid back.
"Only a few more months until my birthday."
And the anniversary of gaining the system.
***
Kindergarten graduation was approaching. The class was excited about finally having no more school.
I kinda forgot that this is the first year of school for all the kids here. Summer must be a surprise to them.
"Adam! Adam! Did you hear that?! No more school!"
Adam winced as Rachel screamed into his ear.
"No more school for the summer. We still have first grade, remember?"
Rachel deflated a bit at his words. "B-but.." She pouted.
Adam chuckled at her reaction and patted her head.
"Don't worry about it, kay?"
"Kay." Rachel just let Adam continue.
Adam just let out a sigh as he saw her lean into the pat. She's getting comfortable with this.
The day went on until the final bell rang.
Adam slowly put his things away, Rachel matching his pace but obviously impatient.
"Adam, why are you so slow!"
"No reason to rush. That's why."
"But our dads are waiting!"
"They can wait another fifteen seconds."
Rachel huffed as she slung her bag over her shoulder.
Adam joined her a few seconds later, walking out of the classroom.
"Rachel! Over here."
Both Adam and Rachel stopped at the woman's voice.
That's her. The woman Mr. Morgan argues with.
"Rachel, stay close." Adam grasped her hand.
The woman looked at Adam with surprise as he grabbed Rachel's hand, noticing the suspicion in his gaze.
"Hey, little boy, that's my daughter."
"And she's my friend, lady."
Adam saw the woman's brow twitch.
"And?" she said. "As her mother, you don't trust me?"
"No." Adam didn't even hesitate.
The woman took a deep breath and reached for Rachel's other hand.
Adam pulled Rachel out of the way behind him.
"Listen here, little boy!"
"I'm listening. You just don't seem very trustworthy."
The commotion started to draw attention from surrounding teachers and parents.
The woman's expression changed rapidly, shifting from frustration to anger before finally settling into a mask of nonchalance.
"Fine, little boy–"
"It's Adam. His name is Adam!" Rachel yelled from behind him.
The woman seemed to freeze at Rachel's yell, the brief pause allowing a nearby teacher to come up beside the children.
"Is there an issue here?"
The woman flashed a forced smile at the teacher. "No. No issue here, just trying to get my daughter. Her friend is just being overprotective."
Adam scoffed at her explanation. "I don't know you, lady. And Rachel doesn't either."
The teacher looked between Adam and the woman. "Ma'am, if I can ask for your name?"
The woman smiled and brought out her wallet, taking out what Adam assumed was an I.D. "I'm Selena Ward."
The teacher took the I.D. and checked it over, grabbing the radio off his hip. "Receptionist, is a Miss Selena Ward on file for a–"
The teacher looked at Rachel but Adam spoke first. "Rachel Morgan, Kindergartener."
The teacher nodded and continued into the radio. "–For a Rachel Morgan, she would be a kindergartener."
Several seconds of silence passed as everyone waited for the radio to respond.
Then the radio crackled. "There is no Selena Ward on file for Rachel Morgan."
The teacher's gaze hardened as he handed the I.D. back to Selena. "Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
Selena bristled at the authoritative tone as she snatched the I.D. "Fine!"
She turned and stormed away, out of sight.
"You did a good job, kid. Are you waiting for your parents?"
Adam shook his head. "No, they're usually already here." He pointed to the parking lot.
"Good, I'll take you. I want to talk to Rachel's dad."
"He might not be here today, Rachel usually rides home with us."
"Got it. Then I'll talk to your dad to relay it to Rachel's."
Adam nodded, holding Rachel's hand as he walked to his usual pickup spot.
[Host has helped defend Juvenile Mutant Brute's territory. Due to repeated actions, Host has unlocked [Binding Protocol].]
[Available Bindings-
Juvenile Mutant Brute]
[Host must gain Juvenile Mutant Brute's sincerity for successful binding.]