"...[Healer's Optimization]?"
Kitahara Makoto's expression was strange.
Getting a drop was certainly something to be happy about, but this ability sounded a bit... improper?
It couldn't be that Healer from the anime he watched in his previous life, could it?
With a subtle sense of anticipation, Kitahara Makoto quickly checked the detailed description.
[Ability: Healer's Optimization]
[Category: Active]
[Description: You can consume vitality to optimize and upgrade optimizable objects. Optimized objects will randomly gain special attributes.]
[Note: Not all objects can be optimized. You can easily identify objects that can be optimized.]
"Is this how the Blade Hero's optimization ability works?"
Kitahara Makoto hesitated: "Why do I remember it as Setsuna grasping the future?"
After a moment of hesitation, Kitahara Makoto quickly cast aside his doubts.
"Alright, I can't remember clearly."
After all, it was something he had seen a long time ago, so it was normal for his memory to be blurry.
As for the effect of the ability, he would only know after using it.
By now, Kitahara Makoto would no longer easily complain about abilities being useless. Even very weak abilities might come in handy at special moments.
"As for how to identify optimizable existences..."
Kitahara Makoto looked around but found nothing until his gaze fell on Takamatsu Tomori.
"What's going on?"
Kitahara Makoto's gaze instantly froze, and he looked at Takamatsu Tomori's legs in surprise... To be precise, it was the black over-the-knee socks on the girl's legs.
Tomori-chan's attire was very ordinary, standard for high school girls: round-toe leather shoes + black over-the-knee socks. Between the skirt and the stockings, there was a faint, elusive absolute territory of snow-white skin. The over-the-knee socks even created a faintly indented sock mark on the girl's thigh, giving it a strangely suggestive allure...
Of course, none of that mattered.
What mattered was that, in Kitahara Makoto's eyes, the black over-the-knee socks on Takamatsu Tomori's legs were clearly glowing.
Just like interactive items in many games, they were emitting a faint light.
Looking at those glowing stockings, Kitahara Makoto suddenly had a realization:
"Tomori-chan's stockings can be optimized."
No wonder it said he could easily identify optimizable items; anyone who wasn't blind could see it!
Chihaya Anon darted in front of Takamatsu Tomori, her left hand on her hip, her right hand extended forward:
"Tomori-chan is indeed very cute, but staring at a girl's legs is very rude, you know."
"My sincerest apologies." Kitahara Makoto recovered, coughing twice. "I was lost in thought just now."
"Hmmph~"
Chihaya Anon turned her head and asked, "What does Tomori-chan say?"
Takamatsu Tomori covered her skirt with both hands, her pretty face slightly turned away, her voice seeming to have a bit more fluctuation than usual:
"Kitahara-kun... it's fine."
"..."
Kitahara Makoto composed himself and couldn't help but look at the over-the-knee socks on Takamatsu Tomori's legs again.
In the large food court, he hadn't seen any other glowing objects for the time being. In other words, objects that could be [optimized] were actually very rare, not something found everywhere.
Given this, the over-the-knee socks on Takamatsu Tomori's legs seemed quite precious.
The problem was, suddenly asking a girl for her stockings, even an eccentric girl, would surely lead to shy refusal, right?
The two girls had already finished eating. Checking the time, it was still a little before five o'clock.
"Should we go to a nearby Shopping Center to buy some things first?" Chihaya Anon suggested. "We just ate, so we definitely won't be able to eat hotpot now."
Takamatsu Tomori looked up at Kitahara Makoto: "What do you say, Kitahara-kun?"
Kitahara Makoto said casually, "I'm fine with anything."
It was already late May, and evening wouldn't arrive until around 6:30 PM, so there was no rush.
He would spend a little more time with the two girls. If he couldn't find any other optimizable items, he would find a way to get the over-the-knee socks from Takamatsu Tomori's legs... Having gained a new ability, he naturally wanted to experience its effects.
The three temporarily left the food court and headed to a nearby Shopping Center.
Upon arriving at the Shopping Center, the two girls huddled together, whispering animatedly, likely buying some personal items. Kitahara Makoto naturally didn't get close, following the two girls at a distance, carefully searching for optimizable items.
Hard work pays off.
A moment later.
Kitahara Makoto suddenly saw a strangely shaped key chain on a shelf in the accessories section, emitting a faint glow.
"Finally, a discovery."
Kitahara Makoto's eyes lit up, and he stepped forward to pick up the key chain.
This key chain was shaped like a small piano, with several tiny buttons on it, seemingly for people to fiddle with when bored.
The System quickly popped up a notification:
[You have obtained an optimizable item. Do you want to optimize it now?]
"No."
Kitahara Makoto silently refused in his mind.
There were many people in the Shopping Center, and he hadn't used the optimization ability before. Who knew if there would be exaggerated sound and light effects when optimizing an item? All in all, it was better to be cautious.
Kitahara Makoto put away the small piano key chain, feeling much better, and continued to look for other optimizable items.
Unfortunately, his luck seemed to have run out. In the time that followed, he didn't see any other items glowing.
Half an hour later.
Takamatsu Tomori and Chihaya Anon finally finished shopping. Kitahara Makoto followed the two girls to the cashier and bought the key chain directly.
Immediately after, the three returned to the food court, ready to eat an authentic Sichuan hotpot.
"You two go ahead and sit." Kitahara Makoto casually made an excuse and temporarily left. "I'm going to the Toilet."
Entering the cubicle, Kitahara Makoto closed the door, then took out the newly bought piano key chain, and curiously pressed a few buttons on it, finding that it really could make sounds.
"...Optimize it!"
The next second.
Kitahara Makoto felt as if something was being drawn from his body, a faint weariness surged into his heart, and then the piano keychain in his hand emitted a hazy glow. Fortunately, it didn't last long and quickly returned to normal.
"Optimization successful?"
Kitahara Makoto looked at the keychain in his hand with curiosity, surprised to find text similar to game text appearing on it.
"Item: Piano Keychain"
"Current Status: Optimized"
"New Entry: Absolute Pitch. When you carry this item with you, you will gain the talent bonus of absolute pitch."
"New Entry: Symphony of Destiny. When you carry this item with you, your piano music will be more likely to evoke emotional resonance. This effect also applies to yourself."
"Good!"
After reading the new entries, Kitahara Makoto's eyes immediately lit up.
Regardless of which entry, their value was quite high, definitely a rare good thing.
"Wait…" Kitahara Makoto quickly noticed something, "This thing didn't say it would be bound, so does that mean anyone can get the attribute bonus from the entry?"