Su Yang fell silent as he stared at the final result of the simulation.
Seriously? Killed by Danzō again?
Figures. It had to be because simulated-him had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, which made him an immediate target.
To Danzō, Mangekyō eye techniques were exactly what he was after.
The only reason he treated Sharingan like spare batteries was because the regular three-tomoe eyes never lived up to his expectations.
Didn't he literally transplant Shisui's eye into himself?
Still, this simulation exposed a major flaw.
"So it's confirmed, Mangekyō Sharingan isn't something I can use freely. In the sim, I was only seven. No matter how advanced my development was, my body was still too weak to handle it. The backlash is huge."
Su Yang shook his head slightly, a quiet reminder to himself.
Using it in a simulation is one thing. In real life, I'd better limit how often I use the Mangekyō.
Sure, Kamui was powerful.
But he wasn't Obito, he didn't have half a body made of White Zetsu infused with Hashirama cells to help him recover from overuse.
Obito could spam Kamui all day, even just for travel. But that was only because he could regenerate.
I definitely can't.
…Wait.
Actually, maybe I can.
An idea struck Su Yang as he looked toward the simulation reward panel.
[Simulation Rank: A-]
[You may choose one of the following rewards:]
Option 1: Talent – Power Boost (Green) – Cost: 300 simulation points
Option 2: Chakra (Level 12) – Cost: 4000 points
Option 3: All ninjutsu learned in this simulation – Cost: 10,000 points
Option 4: Mangekyō Sharingan – Cost: 100,000 points
"A-?"
Su Yang almost choked.
They're handing out letter grades now, and there's a minus?!
Okay, sure. If there's a "+" grade, it makes sense for there to be a "-".
But still…
"Wait, B+ gets a bonus reward, but A- doesn't? What kind of backwards logic is this?"
Su Yang frowned.
Unless… maybe only grades with a "+" come with bonuses?
That… actually sounded plausible.
Either way, this time he only got to pick one reward.
His eyes scanned the options again, and fell into silence.
Mangekyō Sharingan costs 100,000 points?!
He had briefly considered bringing it out again to see if having a second copy could help with the side effects or vision loss.
But that price tag? Instantly dropped that idea.
Good thing I got it earlier for free, thanks to the newbie bonus and extra reward. Otherwise I'd only be able to drool at the screen.
100,000 points?
Even a Level 3 ghost only gave 100 points.
He'd have to kill 1,000 of them just to afford this once.
Even with Miko, his ghost magnet extraordinaire, tagging along, racking up 100,000 points wouldn't be fast.
Forget 100,000, I'm not even sure I can earn 1,000 in a single day.
Su Yang let out a long sigh.
Looks like the only thing I can reasonably aim for is unlocking more talents.
Well… a 10% power boost is still solid.
That was about as much as he could comfort himself with.
A New Day Begins
Su Yang had a good night's sleep, and the dark circles under his eyes were finally gone.
He casually greeted a few classmates as he walked into the classroom.
"Su Yang-kun, you look like you've recovered nicely,"
came Katō Megumi's gentle voice.
"I told you, I was never really sick."
Su Yang explained again. If he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have used the "caught a cold" excuse to skip class.
"So… karaoke is still happening today, then?"
Huh?
Su Yang blinked. "How did you know about that?"
"Please, you didn't actually think Yui-chan only invited you, did you?"
Megumi's deadpan voice cut like a knife. The way she looked at him, it was like staring at a two-timing scumbag.
"Of course not,"
Su Yang denied immediately. "I was just wondering… why would Dango invite you?"
"What, because I'm, "
"Because you have a low presence, right?"
Megumi finished for him, her face expressionless as she locked eyes with him.
"Su Yang-kun, I'm low-profile, not invisible."
"And you, being the center of attention, talking to me in front of everyone? Let's just say… some people have started noticing me."
She paused.
"Though… most of them still don't know my name."
So pitiful!
Su Yang looked at her, her cool demeanor, her calm words, and all he felt was pity.
"Su Yang-kun, you know that look in your eyes is really rude, right?"
Megumi frowned, clearly not happy with his expression.
"Don't worry, Megumi-chan. I won't forget about you."
"That's not what I meant!"
She was close to losing it.
Saint Megumi's elegant calm cracked wide open.
Every time this happened, she felt a weird illusion creeping up on her, as if she were some pet craving her master's attention.
If Su Yang ever found out what she was thinking…
He'd probably say:
"That's not an illusion. That's just how it is."
After all, what's so strange about raising a Saint Megumi?
He already had a Dango.
Adding a Saint Megumi? No big deal.
The day passed quickly.
During class, he occasionally exchanged glances with Megumi.
At lunch, he ate with both Dango and Saint Megumi.
After school, the group assembled.
And when Su Yang saw the lineup of girls in front of him…
He fell silent.
Wait a minute… I only invited Dango, didn't I?
Saint Megumi showing up was expected by now.
Kawasaki Saki and Miura Yumiko, well, they were classmates, so fine.
But Kitagawa Marin?!
What was she doing here?!
Five girls. Five!
Su Yang sighed internally. Something felt off, like he'd forgotten something important.
It wasn't until all five girls had followed him home that it finally clicked.
Oh right… I forgot about Miko.
"Eh? Su Yang-kun, who's this?"
Yui Yuigahama (Dango) blinked innocently as she looked at Miko.
But her tone? That was 100% intentional.
"This is Yotsuya Miko,"
Su Yang said, completely ignoring Dango's not-so-subtle probing.
"Due to some... circumstances, she'll be staying at my place for a while."
What kind of reason is that?!
All five girls had visible question marks floating above their heads.
Megumi, in particular, gave him a look that screamed:
"What kind of dirt do you have on her?"
But Su Yang ignored them all.
In this kind of situation, ignoring everything was the correct move.
Love triangle drama?
Doesn't exist.
Me? I'm just chilling on my mountain throne, watching the tigresses go to war.
And honestly?
Not a bad view.
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Note: If you're enjoying the story, you can read up to Chapter 56. You can read 40 chapters ahead of the current one) on my Patreon: patreon.com/Aurevynluv