[XVI - The Tower
Elite Item
Tarot Card, Releases a wave of uncontrollable ruinous energy that can destroy entire city blocks, partially ignores durability and disorients enemies. 120 Hour Cooldown]
'And so… what use is it to destroy entire city blocks in my daily life?'
[…]
[Defense?]
'Defense against the chaos you yourself attract?'
[Host, it seems your class teacher has already arrived. You should focus]
'Whatever.'
Sure enough, when Yuuji lifted his head, he saw that not only the teacher but all the students had already arrived.
He turned to the side when he felt a tap on his shoulder and saw Lala waving at him.
"Yuuji, good morning!"
"Good morning… You seem excited" Yuuji replied.
"Do you want to know why? Look" she said, pointing toward the window.
Yuuji followed her gaze and saw Zastin, accompanied by a small black puppy.
"Isn't it cute? It's woof-woof puppy-kun! I made it myself."
Yuuji looked at the dog, and at that moment Zastin also seemed curious, reaching a finger toward it, which the dog bit, and Zastin waved his hand trying to get free without success.
'Hehe, serves you right for not giving me a salary' Yuuji teased in his mind.
Zastin seemed to notice his thoughts because he looked at him, forcing Yuuji to immediately look away and avoid his gaze.
"Yuuji?" Lala asked, confused by his reaction.
"Ah! Sorry, I got distracted for a moment… it is very cute" Yuuji praised, "Speaking of which, you seem good at creating things?"
"I am the second best in the entire galaxy" Lala said proudly.
"…And if I asked you to create an AI for me, could you do it?" Yuuji asked, after thinking of an idea.
[Host, you cannot be thinking…]
"Of course I can" Lala replied with a smile, "But, why do you want an AI?"
"I want to start a business, but handling everything by myself is complicated" Yuuji explained.
[Host, please handle your own path to success]
'Or else? Will you just give me bronze tickets?'
[…]
"It is a good idea. Even if the AI cannot do everything, at least it can optimize the work a lot" Lala nodded, finding something new and fun to do, "So, how about…?"
"Yuuji, Satalin, this is the second day I have to silence you" the voice of the same teacher from yesterday interrupted.
"Sorry."
"Sorry"
They both said at the same time, falling silent.
As soon as the teacher turned away, Lala covered her mouth, hiding a small laugh, before looking back at Yuuji.
"We will talk later" she whispered.
The rest of the day went quite normally. Yuuji could understand all the classes with ease thanks to Master Management. Although it did not make him smarter, it allowed him to analyze patterns, reinforce memory, and correctly apply what he learned, skipping basic mistakes. Basically, it increased his comprehension several levels.
'If I did not already have enough money to live my whole life without doing anything, this would be very useful' Yuuji thought with irony, 'Most people would probably want these abilities.'
While reflecting, he observed Rito and Haruna; from their expressions, yesterday's misunderstanding seemed resolved and they were no longer tense.
It made sense: Haruna was angry because she did not know if Rito loved her or Lala. But after saving her from that situation, it was clear he also cared for her.
'Rather…' Yuuji looked at Lala, who seemed completely normal, and sighed, 'She is too kind.'
Anyone else would have been angry that her fiancé chose to save another before her. Although there was a possibility that Rito would have tried to save both if Yuuji had not interrupted, the fact that he went for Haruna first would have annoyed anyone else.
'Although maybe on her planet, where harems exist, being more open-minded is natural.'
While daydreaming, not paying attention to class, the morning passed without major incidents.
Some teachers called him out for lack of concentration, making him solve problems. But once completed, they left him alone. The advantage of having good grades: as long as you are smart, a little indulgence is allowed.
Finally, noon arrived, and this time Yuuji proudly took out a bento.
"Yuuji, you brought bento today" Lala said.
"Yes, I forgot yesterday. Sorry for the trouble" Yuuji apologized.
"It is fine, more than that, come with us to the cafeteria, I will introduce you to my friends."
Yuuji's eyes lit up at the word "friends."
'Friends = named characters = bronze tickets.'
"Of course!" Yuuji stood up, infecting Lala with his enthusiasm.
"Good, let's go" she said, pulling a whole group forward with her personality, "Rito, Haruna; Yuuji will eat with us."
"Sure" Rito nodded without much opinion, while Haruna looked at him suspiciously.
---
In the cafeteria, Yuuji sat in a corner. Next to him was Lala, beside her Rito, and next to him Saruyama Kenichi. Across from Lala was Kotegawa Yui, across from Rito was Haruna, and in the far corners, Momioka Risa and Sawada Mio, Haruna's friends.
"Then, let's start the introduction!" Lala said, "This is Yuuji Rito, my new friend."
"Pleasure to meet you" Yuuji added.
"So you are friends… I guessed it when they were scolded for talking in class two days in a row" Risa teased with a mischievous smile.
Yuuji smiled, not at the joke, but at the notification sound that came at the same time.
"We met a week ago" Lala explained, beginning to tell how they met.
"So, do you have powers? Are you an alien too?" Mio asked.
"I am human, but with powers" Yuuji replied. Luckily, in this strange world, no one found it odd that someone had special abilities.
When Lala explained how they met, Yuuji tried to stop her, but he was too slow. Luckily, no one reacted oddly. Strange, but acceptable.
"However" Kotegawa Yui said, "I think leaving Lala without saying anything is horrible."
Before Yuuji could explain, Lala defended him.
"It is fine, at that moment we were not friends yet, so it makes sense that he left. Besides, yesterday he saved me when I was in danger, so it is all good" she explained, and Yui nodded.
"I suppose risking your life for a stranger is not natural after all."
"That reminds me" Yuuji said, taking something from his D-Dial, "Here."
"Ah, okay!" Lala responded, putting it in her own D-Dial.
"What is that?" Saruyama asked, surprised.
"It is a D-Dial, high-tech from Deviluke. Although I am a bit surprised Yuuji has one" she said, confused.
"Umm… I have some connections with outer space and got one because they are very useful. I did not know it was from your planet, they are amazing" Yuuji tried to divert the topic. And it worked.
"Right? It is amazing, and…"
"Stop!" Saruyama interrupted, drawing the attention of the whole table, "I was not talking about that!"
"Then?"
"I am talking about the bento. Do you have a Lala bento box?"
"Oh! I was hungry yesterday and did not bring bento or money, so Lala had an extra and gave it to me" Yuuji explained.
"Rito!" Saruyama immediately turned to his best friend.
"W-what happened?" Rito said, startled.
"What do you mean, what happened? Your fiancée gave a homemade bento to another man, you should show your dominance and move him away" Saruyama declared as if obvious.
"D-dominance?" Rito asked, confused.
"What is dominance?" Lala asked, equally confused.
"She did not make it specifically for me. She made several because she was practicing and only gave me one because I helped. Lala is not that kind of person, so do not say such things" Yuuji said, looking him in the eyes.
Saruyama shrank slightly as if instinctively afraid, and Yuuji was surprised to notice it.
'System, do I have something like an aura?'
[You do not, but if you dislike someone I recommend focusing your left eye on them for a while]
'So it is the Feng Shui Engine.'
"Lala Satalin Deviluke" a female voice echoed across the cafeteria, capturing everyone's attention, especially the mentioned one.
"Hello? Who are you?" Lala asked, confused, seeing the girl standing proudly in front of them.
"Who am I? Tenjoin Saki. Your Robot Dog destroyed our lunch" said the blonde girl, with drill-like hair at the end, while radiating a noble aura that made others instinctively look at her with reverence.
"Woof-woof puppy-kun?" Lala asked.
"I do not know its name, but what matters is that you apologize" Saki said angrily.
"We did not know that happened, I am sorry" Lala immediately apologized, with both hands in a gesture of apology and a sincere expression.
"Ah?… that easily?" Saki said, confused, expecting a drama where she would show she was better than Lala, who had recently stolen her place as the most popular girl at school.
"As expected of Lala"
"An angel"
"She is perfect"
"We should declare her the Saint of Sainan"
Saki heard the murmurs around her praising Lala and huffed angrily: "Whatever" before turning and leaving with her two followers behind.