…
Seven o'clock in the evening.
Morikawa Yu returned home.
He stepped into the entryway, changing his shoes while absentmindedly thinking about what had happened that afternoon with the Kondo siblings.
Kondo Kiyoshi had come to challenge him for the sake of his little sister, and had even declared his reasons aloud in front of everyone.
If Yu didn't handle the matter carefully, that girl's place in the club would become very difficult.
Yu wasn't the type to be self-absorbed, but even he could sense that plenty of girls in the kendo club had some interest in him.
His silence earlier—his refusal to respond directly to Kondo Kiyoshi's words—had actually been for the girl's sake.
If he didn't accept her feelings, she might feel hurt. But at the very least, this way, he could dissolve the other girls' hostility toward her.
As a senior who had no intention of dating anyone, this was the only way he could help her.
Even if she never understood.
Yu sighed softly and pushed the thought aside.
He opened up the system interface and looked at the skill bar—two skill points sat there, unspent.
He had a system now, so of course he needed to use it.
Tonight, he decided, he'd go out and test his skills.
With that settled in his mind, Yu finished changing his shoes and called up the stairs:
"I'm home, sis!"
No response. He didn't mind.
Heading into the living room, Yu pulled a carton of milk from the fridge and set it in the microwave to warm.
The body's original owner had an older sister, Morikawa Seii, a well-known light novel author.
Two years ago, when their family had traveled to Miyagi Prefecture, an earthquake struck. Their parents had died in the disaster. Only he and Seii had survived.
Since then, they had only each other to rely on.
The thought left Yu with a faint, bittersweet ache.
After all, in that accident, the original Morikawa Yu had also perished. It was then that he had transmigrated into this world.
The trauma had devastated Seii. In his memories, she hadn't once left the house or come downstairs in the past two years.
Ding~
The microwave chimed, pulling him from his thoughts.
Yu carried the warm milk into the kitchen, then fried up three eggs and sliced two cucumbers.
It was a simple meal, but enough for him. Sitting in the living room, he ate quietly.
Beep~ beep~
His phone buzzed. Yu glanced at the screen—it was a message from his sister.
Welcome back. I was in the middle of a game just now.Did you have a good day at school?
Good day?
Yu shook his head faintly.
After dealing with Kondo Kiyoshi? No way that counted as "good."
If he hadn't been so shameless, things could have ended very differently.
It was fine. How about you, sis?Don't tell me you played games all day again?
He sent the reply and headed back into the kitchen.
He had already eaten, but Seii hadn't yet. Time to cook for her.
Another reply popped up on his phone.
Of course not!I've been working hard too!Remember what I told you before? The novel of mine that's getting an anime adaptation? It's scheduled to air this fall!You'd better watch it!
Yu set rice to steam and began preparing lemon sauce chicken.
His gaze slid back to the phone.
An anime adaptation… he remembered one of her novels had been infamously adapted, something called The Diary of Miss Ghost.
The heroine was a spirit who'd died in an accident. Unable to reincarnate due to lingering attachments, she began living among the living instead.
There had even been a character based on him. Watching that show had nearly given him secondhand embarrassment so bad he thought he might actually die.
When the meal was finished, Yu carried the tray upstairs and left it outside his sister's room.
Staring at her latest message, he felt conflicted.
Did he really have to watch it, just because she insisted?
Better not.
Last time had almost killed him with embarrassment. If he watched the broadcast, who knew—maybe he really would get isekai'd again.
Muttering to himself, Yu went back downstairs to the bathroom to shower.
After a while, the sound of a door opening drifted from upstairs.
The dinner tray lifted smoothly from the floor, floating into the room. From a dark corner, the faint rustle of garbage bags could be heard.
…
Fresh from his bath, Yu toweled himself dry with a yawn.
For some reason, he had the nagging feeling he'd forgotten something important at school today. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall it.
Forget it. If he couldn't remember, he'd think about it another time.
Right now, he had better things to do.
Sis, I'm heading out for a run tonight.Lock the door behind me and stay safe.
He sent the texts, and within moments his sister replied.
Be careful.Text me when you're back. And don't go hanging around with shady girls.
"…Huh? Girls?!"
What kind of person do you think your pure-hearted, upstanding little brother is!?I'm really just going for a run!
Snorting at her suspicion, Yu typed back quickly, then grabbed his shinai and a bag of cat food from his room.
He hesitated, then returned to his desk.
Earlier, while browsing his system's skills, he'd noticed one called Recall.
By marking a location, he could instantly teleport back to it.
Opening the system panel, Yu selected "Set Location."
A pale blue circle of light shimmered into existence beneath his feet, then sank into the floor, vanishing from sight.
That seemed to have done it.
Satisfied, he shut down the system, wheeled his bike outside, and pedaled away.
About ten minutes later, he arrived at his destination: North City Central Park, the largest public park in the 19th ward, complete with every kind of athletic facility.
But at this hour, the place was deserted.
After locking his bike, Yu slung the shinai over his shoulder, grabbed the cat food, and headed deeper into the park.
He wasn't here to run, nor to get up to anything shady.
He was here to enjoy himself.
System, open!
Experience, level up!
Skills, acquire!
The glowing status screen unfurled before him, and for the first time all day, Yu felt a genuine thrill.
Name: Morikawa YuClass: Wind SwordmasterStyle: Way of the Gale — Kendo: Secret EssenceSkills: Way of the Wanderer, Recall
[Steel-Cleaving Slash – Lv1]Accumulate gale-forged sword energy to unleash a Whirlwind Strike. Upon stacking two charges, the next attack generates a forward-rushing whirlwind. Effect scales with skill level.
[Forward Step Slash – Lv1]Dash a short distance and strike. Range and impact scale with skill level.
Available to Learn: [Wind Wall – Lv1]Unavailable (Requires three prerequisites): [Last Breath – Lv1]
Skill Points Remaining: 0Current EXP: 0/200
After upgrading, Yu had unlocked Steel-Cleaving Slash and Forward Step Slash.
The first gave him both attack power and control. The second offered rapid mobility against multiple opponents.
Even if he hadn't reached the other two skills yet, these alone were enough to let him have some fun tonight.
Closing the interface, Yu gripped the shinai at his hip and walked further into the darkened park.
The grounds were vast. Many areas were overgrown and desolate—places no one visited.
Reaching a thicket of wild grass, Yu scattered some kibble and called out softly.
"Meow~ meow~"
From the brush nearby came an immediate reply.
"Meow~"
"Mrrrow~"
One after another, cats of every color crept out from the shadows.