Akira didn't know when he acquired this talent.
Did it imprint when they just shook hands?
In any case, Akira now has talent.
At this moment, he also understood what it felt like to have talent.
First, his memory improved; he could not only recall things he had seen before but also remember some details.
Now, things that previously required repeated memorization several times could probably be firmly remembered after just one read-through.
Moreover, his concentration was more than just a little stronger than before; he wouldn't get distracted by idle thoughts.
His comprehension ability also increased significantly; even without someone explaining things to him, he could quickly summarize and clarify the main points.
Finally, he was full of confidence, always feeling that many things he couldn't do before he could now do.
Or rather, he had an urge to try them.
Although there was no change in his appearance, the internal impact of the talent could be described as a complete transformation.
He recalled a theory called the '10,000-hour rule,' which essentially states that the reason people consider geniuses extraordinary is not due to superior innate talent, but rather continuous effort; anyone can go from ordinary to extraordinary after 10,000 hours of training.
Akira wanted to say: Pure BS!
Geniuses exist, and they will reach the top in much less than 10,000 hours.
However, after the cheat went online, Akira found himself in a dilemma.
Now that he had talent, he could achieve success in various fields; as long as he stood out, he could avoid being worked to death like a beast of burden as in his previous life, right? So, should he give up living off others?
No, he couldn't be sure how long this replicated talent would last, so he couldn't bet his future on something so uncertain.
Maybe if I go home and wash my hands, the words on them will disappear.
Akira trusted his cautious self more than his talent.
Thinking about these random things all the way, Akira was finally almost home.
Walking along the riverbank where he usually jogged, near the residential area, Akira saw a cat under a street light.
"Meow!"
After seeing Akira, Kuroo meowed at him.
"Oh, Kuroo… are you waiting for me?"
"Meow meow~" It seemed to say, 'Yes, I am'.
Kuroo was the stray cat with an all-white body and only a black tail that Akira encountered on his first day after transmigrating.
Despite being called a stray cat, Kuroo's fur was remarkably clean, and even her paw pads were pink, completely unlike a cat with a history of homelessness.
Moreover, Kuroo often ran to Granny Kobayashi's house to scrounge for food, so Akira had become familiar with this cat.
However, Kuroo never allowed anyone to pet her; reaching out would result in a scratch, and Akira had paid the price in blood several times for this.
At first, Akira even felt that this cat might have spiritual intelligence, especially since Mr. Kobayashi's last words mentioned 'the person brought back by Kuroo', suggesting that this cat might indeed have something special.
Of course, whether in his previous life or this one, Akira was a staunch materialist; he believed that everything in the world that could not be explained by science was merely something that had not yet been explored to that level.
So, since transmigration had already happened, a cat demon didn't seem strange either.
But later, he found that Kuroo, no matter how he looked at her, was just a somewhat clever cat, not like the cat in Team Rocket that could speak human language.
Therefore, being led by her might just be a coincidence.
Perhaps this area was Kuroo's territory, so when she encountered a strange intruder, she would lead them to a trustworthy human, which was Granny Kobayashi.
So, it's better not to fantasize about a cat transforming into a cute girl…
Beast-eared cat girls… don't exist! (Sad)
"Meow meow meow! Meow meow meow!"
Kuroo jumped off the low wall of someone else's yard and meowed at Akira's feet.
Following the little cat's gaze, Akira realized she was looking at the milk in his hand.
"What… are you eyeing the milk in my hand?"
"Meow~" It seemed to say, 'Yes'.
What a gluttonous cat, she's not a kitten anymore, why does she still like to drink milk?
Although Akira didn't want to drink this bottle of hot milk that had already cooled down, giving it to Kuroo was fine, but he still bickered with a cat.
"No, this was given to me by the class monitor."
"Meow?!"
Kuroo showed a look of shock, her tail even stood up.
"Do you think cuteness can be eaten? Little cat, today I will teach you that this world is cruel; if you want something delicious, you have to exchange it for other benefits."
"Meow meow meow meow meow!"
He felt like she was saying some very unpleasant words, expressing her dissatisfaction, but Akira didn't understand cat language.
"Meow meow…" Finally, Kuroo's meow became low, as if saying, 'Alright'.
Then Kuroo patted Akira's foot, turned and walked a few steps forward, then looked back at Akira.
Having had previous experience, Akira knew that Kuroo was telling him to follow her.
"Oh ho? Is there really a benefit?"
What kind of benefit could a little cat offer? A dead mouse?
But then he remembered that on his first day transmigrating into this world, Akira had followed Kuroo and met Granny Kobayashi, who had a sharp tongue but a kind heart, thus avoiding sleeping on the streets.
So, this time, he decided to follow her and see; what if there was a surprise?
Having tasted sweetness once, Akira was not in a hurry to go home, but decided to take a slight detour.
Following Kuroo, he bypassed the residential area and entered a grove of trees, where Akira saw the entrance to a shrine.
Akira had lived in this vicinity for almost half a year and had never been to this place.
So there was a shrine nearby after all…
However, judging by the faded and chipped torii gate, this shrine might have been abandoned for a long time.
Kuroo continued to walk forward, passing through the torii gate and entering the shrine, and Akira, as a materialist, was not afraid of darkness, let alone ghosts, and followed without hesitation.
Walking up the stone steps, past the sando, the dilapidated worship hall appeared before him.
Then, on the offertory box, Akira saw a figure.
Tonight, the sky was cloudless, and the moonlight was still bright.
The moonlight fell upon her, as if a misty aura surrounded her.
Was she a fairy or a deity from the abandoned shrine?
Or… just a High School girl who ran away from home.
After all, she was still wearing a sailor uniform.
And the real reason Akira stared at her without blinking was…
She was too beautiful.
Looking at her reminded Akira of the exaggerated descriptions from his previous life in Japan, like a 'once-in-a-millennium beauty', though most of them were overrated.
But at this moment, he seemed to have truly encountered a beautiful girl who deserved that description.
Her clean, fair face held no smile, her hair and eyes were as black as the night sky, her nose bridge was delicate and upturned, and her lips, the color of cherry blossoms, were captivatingly beautiful, yet lifelessly cold.
She sat there quietly, like a waveless ocean, without a single ripple, blending into the dilapidated shrine background, giving one the feeling of a fairy descending to the mortal world.
So beautiful it made one forget to breathe…
"Meow meow, meow meow meow?"
Kuroo's meow brought Akira back from his daze.
He looked down to see Kuroo's smug little face, seemingly saying, 'How about it? Is this benefit good enough?'
Yes, very good… but, not enough.
Reviewing the pick-up lines he had just recalled in his mind, Akira walked forward.
Then he opened his mouth and said…
"Beautiful lady, want to come home with me?"
He used the worst possible pick-up line.