'System, did you see that? He just cut down four monsters I couldn't even touch with a single slash, and meanwhile I turn into a shark. Can't you pull out some divine ability or something like that out of nowhere?'
[The quality of the rewards depends on the quality of the ticket.]
'Whatever' Yuuji thought, not even mildly bothered.
"It looks like it's settled. Let's head down" he said, lowering Lala back into the cooking room.
"Okay, I'll go find Rito" Lala replied, immediately running off without paying attention to anything else.
"Wait! Change first" Yuuji added, reminding her of her current outfit.
Lala glanced down at herself and instantly realized the issue.
With a light tap on the brooch at her chest, her body shimmered. A soft glow wrapped around her form, and in the next second her school uniform reappeared, neatly covering her from head to toe.
'I need one of those' Yuuji thought, watching how absurdly convenient it was.
"Ah, um… I'm sorry. Did I bother you?"
Yuuji tilted his head, confused, prompting Lala to explain.
"One time I was walking around naked at home, but Mikan told me being naked in front of other people is impossible unless you're married. She looked very serious, so I stopped wearing very little in front of others. Apparently, Earthlings don't like seeing too much skin, right?" she asked innocently.
Yuuji vividly remembered the moment he had held her in midair, how she had clung to him, how her soft chest had pressed against him through the thin fabric, how her body heat had seeped into his skin.
Obviously the answer is no. But he cannot just say that, can he?
'How the hell am I supposed to answer that' Yuuji wondered.
Fortunately, salvation arrived at the perfect moment.
"Your Highness, I am relieved to see you unharmed."
"Zastin, well done!" Lala said cheerfully, giving him a thumbs up before dashing off again to search for Rito.
Zastin simply watched her leave without attempting to stop her. Then his gaze shifted toward Yuuji.
"Well done. You protected the princess. Continue like this" he said before disappearing without another word.
'That's it? Just a 'well done'? Where's my reward?' Yuuji thought, though he kept it to himself.
He looked around.
The cooking room was nearly destroyed. Walls had been torn open, exposing the outside. Food was scattered across the floor. Most of the tables were overturned or shattered into splinters.
He found an intact chair lying on its side in a corner, set it beside the only table still standing, and sat down quietly. Resting his cheek against his palm, he considered slipping away before the bell rang. He had already worked far more than he had planned for today.
As he was contemplating his escape, the door suddenly opened again.
Yuuji looked up and saw the pink haired princess who had just left, breathing slightly hard, clear proof she had been running.
"Yuuji, you're still here! Perfect!" she exclaimed as she walked to one of the refrigerators and pulled out a bento from the lower shelf.
"You haven't eaten yet, right? Here."
Yuuji accepted the box with curiosity.
"Where did you get this?"
"I practiced a lot until I finally made the perfect bento for Rito. Once I succeeded and confirmed it was perfect, I decided to cook Rito's in front of him instead," Lala explained proudly.
"Then you should give this one to Rito. Didn't you say it contains all your love?"
"Well, Rito still has the bento Mikan made for him, and you don't have anything, right? You helped me earlier, so you can consider this a reward. Also, from now on, you are officially my friend," she declared with satisfaction.
Without waiting for a reply, she ran off again, as energetic as ever.
Yuuji chuckled softly before opening the bento.
At the sight of octopus and lobster inside, he felt a faint shiver, but the overall presentation quickly dispelled it.
There was no elaborate design, nothing flashy. Clearly the work of a beginner. Yet everything was neatly arranged, well balanced between meat, vegetables, and rice. It had obviously been prepared with care.
Yuuji picked up his chopsticks and brought a piece of meat to his mouth, chewing slowly.
"As expected… it's delicious."
He finished everything in no time and set the empty box down in front of him before standing up.
At that moment, an announcement echoed through the school speakers.
"Students, due to certain incidents, classes are canceled for the remainder of the day. Please leave in an orderly and calm manner."
"I'll wash this and return it tomorrow," Yuuji murmured as he exited the room.
The school hallways were eerily silent. Most students had already fled before the announcement, driven away by fear. Only a few figures occasionally ran past, eager to put as much distance between themselves and the building as possible.
Yuuji walked out calmly. Behind him stood the same school he had seen that morning, now with part of a corner and even a section of the rooftop heavily damaged.
He turned into an alley and extended his hand toward a wall.
After a minute, the surface began to ripple in a spiraling pattern, forming a circular opening large enough for several people to pass through comfortably.
Stepping across, Yuuji appeared directly inside his bedroom. The Gate vanished as if it had never existed.
Within seconds he changed clothes and collapsed onto his bed.
[Host, you have some tickets.]
"Tomorrow. I'm going to sleep."
[But Host, it is still midday.]
"Perfect. More time to sleep."
[Since you have half a day free, why not begin the main mission?]
"Tomorrow. Today was exhausting."
[Tomorrow you will be studying all day, Host. Today is a special opportunity.]
"Then the weekend. It's Wednesday. Not long now."
[In that case…]
"Be quiet and let me sleep."
---
The day passed, then night fell...and then the entire night passed as well.
The next morning, Yuuji woke up completely refreshed, yet slightly confused.
"System, wasn't I extremely tired? Even for me, sleeping that long is excessive."
[It is likely the Feng Shui Engine. At the moment it places considerable strain on your body. Once you grow stronger, the side effects will be minimal.]
"I see" Yuuji replied while finishing up in the bathroom and heading downstairs.
"Yuuji, did you sleep well?" Clara asked with concern.
They had not heard him return the previous day, but since the rooms were cleaned regularly, they had discovered him soon enough. After learning what had happened, they decided to let him rest and recover from what they assumed was mental trauma.
Yuuji could not tell whether such events were simply normal in this world, or if the world was so absurd that nothing truly surprised anyone anymore. Either way, he was grateful not to be interrogated.
After finishing a few more things at home, he said goodbye to his mother, making sure to take the lunch she had prepared for him.
Then, ensuring no one was watching, he slipped into a nearby alley and repeated the previous day's process, opening a Gate toward the school.
Once through, he immediately closed it. Even though he could maintain up to ten Gates simultaneously at his current level, there was no need when reopening them was so effortless.
Fortunately, Gates did not function like traditional portals. There was no need to set both ends beforehand. As long as he opened the entrance, the exit would automatically manifest at the designated destination.
The only requirement was knowing the exit location. The entrance required nothing.
Thanks to his shortcut, he was among the first to arrive at the classroom. He took his seat quietly and rested his head on his folded arms.
'By the way, System, did I earn any tickets yesterday?'
[Congratulations…]
'Summarize' Yuuji interrupted.
[You have obtained two Bronze tickets for minimal interaction with Sairenji Haruna and Kotegawa Yui. One Bronze ticket for completing your first work assignment. And one Gold ticket for close interaction with Lala Satalin Deviluke, as well as officially becoming her friend.]
'Use them.'
Yuuji was not particularly excited about the Bronze tickets. If even Silver ones had given him questionable abilities, how bad could these be? The Gold ticket, however, might be interesting.
Still, he felt no urgent need to become stronger. He preferred a slow, comfortable life.
Ignoring the standard notifications, he directly reviewed the reward details.
[Cool
Trash Ability
Allows you to decrease the temperature of objects through touch. Does not decrease it particularly fast and it's certainly not enough to freeze them, but it will keep your drink or ice cream cool.]
[Third Arm Sash
Common Item
Xiaolin Showdown - A Shen Gong Wu in the form of a sash that can act as a third arm under your control. It is long and flexible while also being considerably stronger than a grown man.]
[2008 Menu #4 Cheese and Vegetable Omelette
Trash Item
The infamous MRE nicknamed "Vomelette" by the troops. It may not be palatable, but it is food, and it is digestible. Restock Timer: 10 minutes]
When he finished reading, his eyes widened, unable to hide his surprise.
"In fact… this is pretty good."
"Setting aside the Vomelette, the Third Arm Sash and Cool are actually useful."
"System, aren't Bronze rewards supposed to be the worst? Why do these seem better than the others?"
[They are not better. They are simply not combat oriented. They are more practical for everyday situations. Given your… energy conserving personality, it makes sense that you prefer them.]
"Then maybe I should stop doing complicated tasks and stick to simple ones" Yuuji analyzed silently.
[No!]
[Host, you should 'continue' striving. High tier tickets can also grant highly useful abilities. Consider Gate Creation, it saves you significant walking time. There are others, such as telekinesis, which could prevent you from even needing to stand up to reach things.]
"System, do you really think I'm that easy to fool? And that 'continue' sounded suspicious. Are you implying I haven't been trying?"
[Of course not, Host. Why not use the Gold ticket and allow me to demonstrate my point?]