The following week felt… unusually colorful for Oreki Houtarou—or rather, for the new "him" who carried memories from another world.
It wasn't like university itself was extraordinary. Students came and went, clubs were noisy, professors loved to speak in endless monologues, and the library smelled of worn paper and faint dust. But for Oreki, the change wasn't about the place—it was about the girl who still sat beside him, her eyes brighter than sunlight through stained glass.
Chitanda Eru.
Her presence hadn't changed since high school. Still cheerful, still endlessly curious, still able to drag him into situations he never imagined himself in. But now there was one major difference:
He wasn't alone in his own head anymore.
[Daily Task Issued: "Survive a Day Without Ignoring Chitanda"]
Reward: +5 Charisma.
Failure Penalty: You will publicly say: "I'm not lazy, I'm just energy efficient."
Oreki choked on his tea. Energy efficient? In public? That's social suicide.
"Oreki-san?" Chitanda tilted her head, noticing his cough. "Are you alright?"
"I'm… fine," he muttered, hoping she didn't catch the faint red on his face.
"Hmm?" She leaned in, her hair brushing dangerously close. "You look a little pale."
"Just the tea," he deflected, silently cursing the system.
University life had only just begun, and the system was already finding ways to embarrass him. It wasn't enough to insert itself with random comments—it actively wanted to make him a spectacle.
And yet, he couldn't deny it: every punishment, every ridiculous task, forced him to speak, to act, to move. Things the original Oreki would never have done.
---
Later that afternoon, Chitanda pulled him along to the campus literature club. Not the same as their old Classic Literature Club, but something larger, filled with students who debated everything from philosophy to obscure novels.
The moment Oreki stepped inside, he felt eyes on him. Whispers spread.
"Isn't that the guy who solved that incident last week?"
"You mean the library one?"
"Yeah, apparently he figured it out in minutes."
Oreki wanted to melt into the floor. He had simply pieced together a small misplacement of books, but Chitanda had announced it so proudly that half the club thought he was some kind of Sherlock Holmes in disguise.
[Optional Task: Accept the "Detective Aura"]
Reward: +10 Reputation, +1 Random Skill.
Penalty: If refused, Chitanda will say out loud: 'I'm curious, Oreki can definitely do it!' in front of everyone.
Oreki's eyes widened. What kind of sick game is this?
Chitanda, sitting beside him, smiled innocently. He knew it wasn't her fault—but the system had her perfectly positioned as both ally and executioner.
"Oreki-san," she whispered, "don't you think it's exciting? People are interested in your reasoning ability."
He sighed. "Exciting for you, maybe."
"Fufu~," she chuckled, clearly enjoying this more than she admitted.
Oreki weighed his options. If he refused, the embarrassment would be immediate. If he accepted, he'd be dragged deeper into unwanted attention.
…In the end, survival instincts kicked in. He reluctantly "accepted."
Almost instantly, the whispers grew louder. A senior student approached him with shining eyes.
"Excuse me, Oreki-san, right? Would you mind looking into something for us? There's been a strange series of disappearances…"
Oreki wanted to scream. Why did I pick this?!
[New Quest: Mystery of the Vanishing Journals]
Difficulty: Low.
Reward: Item – "Notebook of Infinite Scribbles".
Failure: You will loudly declare in the cafeteria: 'Curiosity is contagious, and I've caught it!'
Oreki buried his face in his hands. This system is trying to kill me.
---
The next day, he found himself standing in the library again, this time with Chitanda practically bouncing with excitement.
"Oreki-san, this is just like the old days! Doesn't it remind you of our Classics Club adventures?"
He glanced at her. Her eyes sparkled exactly the same way they had in high school. And somehow… he didn't hate it.
"Yeah," he muttered, though he'd never admit how much warmer it felt with her by his side.
They searched through stacks, interviewed a few students, and after a couple of hours, Oreki pieced the mystery together: the missing journals weren't stolen—they'd simply been misplaced due to a mislabeled cart. A trivial detail, really, but enough to stir confusion.
Chitanda clapped her hands with genuine joy. "As expected of you, Oreki-san! Amazing!"
Her smile was so radiant that for a moment, he forgot the system entirely.
[Quest Completed!]
Reward: Notebook of Infinite Scribbles acquired.
Charisma +5.
Oreki checked the notebook. Blank pages… but the moment he touched it, words appeared: You don't hate this, do you?
His breath hitched. He quickly slammed it shut.
Chitanda blinked. "Oreki-san?"
"…Nothing," he said too quickly.
But deep inside, he knew: this wasn't just about daily punishments anymore. The system was watching him, nudging him, teasing him into living a life he once thought was too troublesome to bother with.
And worst of all—he was starting to realize that maybe, just maybe, he didn't mind.
---
By the end of the week, Oreki found himself sitting with Chitanda under a tree, the campus buzzing faintly in the background. She hummed softly, flipping through her notes. He stared at the sky, wondering how in the world his life had turned into this.
"Oreki-san," Chitanda's voice broke the silence, soft yet curious. "Do you ever regret joining me back then, in high school?"
He blinked, surprised. She rarely asked something so direct.
After a pause, he looked away, hiding the smallest of smiles. "…Not once."
Chitanda's eyes widened, then softened with a glow that outshone the sunset.
The system stayed quiet this time, as if even it understood that some moments were too important to ruin.