After returning home, Kyogumichi sat at his desk, his fingertips gently tracing the virtual system panel before him. The words "Current Points: 1940 points" were exceptionally clear under the faint blue light. The recent reward meant he had enough to exchange for a new skill.
He clicked open the system store, and a dazzling array of skill icons scrolled across the panel. His gaze swept over options like "Armament Haki (lv.1)" and "Marine Six Styles Introduction," finally settling on "Six Powers: Finger Pistol (lv.1)."
The skill description read: "Concentrates all power into the fingertip, instantly bursting forth with penetrating force, capable of damaging hard objects."
"This is it," he clicked to exchange, and the points on the panel instantly decreased by 1000. A warm current surged from his arm into his fingertips, as if countless tiny energies were flowing between his finger joints. He tried to flex and extend his fingers, clearly feeling that the strength in his fingertips had become more concentrated.
Adding the "Six Powers: Shave (lv.1)" he had exchanged for previously, he now possessed two basic physical combat skills. The moonlight from outside the window streamed through the curtain gap, and he suddenly felt a strong urge to immediately test the power of these skills.
Changing into a sky-blue tracksuit, he quietly left his apartment. The streets at night were exceptionally quiet, with only the streetlights casting a dim yellow halo on the ground. He remembered there was an uninhabited forest on the mountain behind the school, perfect for testing skills.
Ten-odd minutes later, he stood at the entrance of the mountain forest. The dense trees appeared like giant silhouettes in the night, and the wind rustled through the leaves with a "shasha" sound. He took a deep breath, his feet slightly apart, and, following the system's instructions, mobilized his leg strength—the key to Shave lay in the instantaneous burst of speed, using rapid vibrations of the ankles to push off the ground.
"Hah!" he let out a soft shout, his feet pushing off forcefully. His body shot out like an arrow released from a bow, the trees before him rapidly receding, with only the whistling wind in his ears. He darted through the forest, his speed at least three times faster than usual, the fallen leaves beneath his feet not even having time to make a sound.
After using the technique several times, he stopped beneath a thick oak tree, breathing slightly heavily. Although it was only a level 1 skill, it still consumed a significant amount of stamina. He shook his slightly numb legs, his gaze falling on the tree trunk.
"Time to try Finger Pistol," he extended his right index finger, his mind focused on the tip. The warm current gathered again, and his fingertip became slightly numb, as if a hard airflow enveloped his nail. He took two steps back, then, after a short run-up, thrust his finger sharply at the tree trunk!
With a soft "puchi" sound, his fingertip penetrated about half a centimeter deep into the trunk, leaving a clear hole. He raised an eyebrow in surprise—this was an oak tree with a diameter of over half a meter; an ordinary adult, using all their strength, could only leave a shallow white mark.
He tried a few more times, gradually mastering the technique of exerting force. As his proficiency increased, the depth of penetration also grew, eventually allowing him to easily create holes up to 2.5 centimeters deep in the tree trunk.
"It's strong indeed," he flexed his slightly sore fingers, a smile involuntarily curving his lips. With these skills, he would probably be able to easily handle any dangers he encountered in the future.
Just as he was about to continue experimenting with combined techniques, a "rustling" sound suddenly came from the bushes. He immediately became alert, adopting a defensive stance—at this time of night, there shouldn't be large animals in the mountain forest.
The rustling grew closer, and a plump beckoning cat rolled out from the bushes. It had orange and white fur, a round belly almost touching the ground, a worn bell hanging from its neck, and, most strangely, a red pattern in the middle of its forehead.
The fat cat clearly hadn't expected to encounter a person. After a moment of being stunned, it immediately bristled, staring at him with wary eyes: "Who are you? What are you doing here, sneaking around?"
Kyogumichi was stunned—a talking cat?
Seeing he didn't answer, the fat cat's whiskers twitched, and its tone grew more impatient: "Hey! Human kid, I'm talking to you! Are you secretly cutting down trees?"
"I'm just exercising here," he relaxed his guard, squatting down to examine this strange fat cat, "Who are you? How can you talk?"
"Hmph, how can you casually ask the name of this great one?" The fat cat turned its head haughtily, but couldn't help but secretly glance at him out of the corner of its eye, "However, seeing as you have no ill intentions, I'll reluctantly tell you. This great one is Nyanko-sensei, the guardian of this mountain forest!"
He looked at its round, plump appearance and couldn't quite associate the title "guardian" with it. He noticed a few cherry blossoms clinging to the fat cat's paws, and there were still white milk stains at the corner of its mouth, clearly having just secretly eaten some dessert.
"Nyanko-sensei?" he suppressed a smile, "What are you doing here?"
"Strolling! This great one is patrolling his territory!" the cat said, sticking out his neck, but his belly unseasonably let out a "grumble." He awkwardly coughed twice, changing the subject, "What strange move were you using just now? Sticking your finger into the tree looked terrible."
Kyogumichi raised an eyebrow, and suddenly had an idea. He walked to a small tree and kicked the trunk with all his might—this was an ordinary kick, only leaving a shallow mark on the trunk.
"How about this?" he asked.
The cat sneered dismissively: "Weak and soft, like you haven't eaten."
He said nothing more, took a deep breath, combined the speed of Shave with an ordinary kick, and instantly appeared on the other side of the small tree, delivering a powerful kick, accompanied by the sound of wind, to the trunk!
With a crisp "crack," the tree trunk, approximately 1.5 meters in diameter, snapped!
The cat's eyes almost popped out in shock, his bell clanging incessantly: "You, what kind of sorcery is this?!"
Kyogumichi didn't explain, just smiled and looked at him. In the moonlight, the fat cat's expression was exceptionally captivating: shock, curiosity, and a hint of imperceptible wariness.
"Human kid, you're not an ordinary person, are you?" the cat cautiously took two steps back, his fur bristling again, "You have a strange aura about you, different from the yokai Natsume encounters."
"Natsume?" he caught the familiar name, "Are you talking about Natsume Takashi?"
The cat was stunned, clearly not expecting him to know that name: "You know Natsume?"
"I've heard of him," he stood up, brushing the dust from his clothes, "I should head back, Sensei, see you next time."
He turned to leave, but the cat's voice came from behind him: "Hey! Human kid, what's your name?"
"Okabara Kyogumichi."
"Hmph, Kyogumichi, huh? This great one will remember that," the cat's voice held a hint of awkwardness, "Don't go kicking trees willy-nilly on my territory anymore! If you're going to kick... you'll have to let this great one watch!"
He smiled and waved, activating the Shave skill, and his figure quickly disappeared into the depths of the forest.
Nyanko-sensei watched him go, licked the milk stains from his paws, and mumbled: "Strange human... but that speed and strength are quite interesting."
He yawned, then wobbled over to the broken sapling, nudging the trunk with his paw, when suddenly his eyes lit up—half a box of uneaten taiyaki was hidden in the tree hollow.
"Score!" The fat cat immediately forgot about the strange human and his moves, hugging the taiyaki and gnawing on it, his bell making a clear sound in the night wind.
By the time Kyogumichi returned home, the sky was already turning a fish-belly white. He took a shower, lay on his bed, and replayed the conversation in his mind. He hadn't expected to encounter a character from "Natsume's Book of Friends" here; this world indeed held more secrets.
A new prompt suddenly popped up on the system panel, and he raised an eyebrow. It seemed a new adventure was about to begin. He closed his eyes, a smile on his lips, and drifted off to sleep, his fingertips still retaining the slight tingling sensation from using Finger Pistol.
This world is getting more and more interesting.