The world didn't just slow down. It shattered into data.
As Takeshi spent the 10 Charm Points (CP), the sunlight shifted from yellow to a cold, digital blue. The noise of the campus—the chatter, the wind, the distant traffic—dropped an octave, turning into a low, vibrating hum.
Kenta Sato, the varsity star, was mid-stride. His fist was pulled back, knuckles white, aimed directly at Takeshi's face.
In real-time, Takeshi would have been on the floor by now.
But in [PLAYER MODE], Kenta looked like a statue made of molasses.
Takeshi blinked. A translucent grid overlaid Kenta's body. Red dots pulsed on his joints. Text boxes popped up like price tags in a supermarket.
[ TARGET: KENTA SATO ][ STRENGTH: 18 (Athlete) ][ INTELLIGENCE: 4 (Rock) ][ AGILITY: 12 ][ CURRENT STATUS: ANGRY / INSECURE ]
Takeshi took a breath. The air tasted metallic, like ozone. He stepped to the left. Just one step.
It felt effortless.
He looked closer at Kenta's floating data. The System wasn't just showing physical stats. It was digging deeper. It was reading the metadata of Kenta's soul.
A glowing yellow box hovered near Kenta's expensive white sneakers.
[ EQUIPMENT DETECTED ]Item: "Height-Boosting Insoles (Cheap)" Effect: +5cm Height, -10 Balance. Durability: 2/10 (Critical Condition).
Takeshi's eyes widened. He's wearing lifts? The guy who mocks everyone for being short is wearing lifts?
He looked up at Kenta's chest. Another box.
[ SECRET DETECTED ]Content: Rejected by Yuki yesterday via text. Message: "Ew, no. You smell like an ashtray." Psychological Weakness: Fragile Ego.
A savage grin tore across Takeshi's face.
"System," Takeshi thought, "Deactivate."
SNAP.
Time rushed back in with a roar.
"Die, trash!" Kenta screamed, swinging his fist.
It was a haymaker. A sloppy, arrogant punch meant to intimidate, not injure.
Takeshi didn't flinch. He didn't cower. He simply leaned back.
Whoosh.
Kenta's fist cut through the air where Takeshi's nose had been a millisecond ago.
The momentum was too much. Because Kenta was wearing unstable insoles, and because he missed his target, his balance crumbled.
Kenta stumbled forward, his arms flailing like a windmill. He barely managed to catch himself before face-planting into the pavement.
The two goons behind him gasped. "Kenta?"
Kenta spun around, his face turning a violent shade of red. "You... you little rat! You moved!"
"I walked," Takeshi said. His voice was calm. Unnaturally calm. "You tripped."
A small crowd had gathered. Students stopped on their way to class. They were waiting for the beatdown. They wanted to see the mob character get crushed.
"I didn't trip!" Kenta roared, stepping forward again. "You think because you washed your hair you're suddenly tough? You're still broke. You're still a virgin. You're still—"
"Five centimeters," Takeshi interrupted.
Kenta froze. "What?"
Takeshi looked down at Kenta's shoes, then up to his eyes. He spoke clearly, loud enough for the girls nearby to hear.
"You're off balance, Kenta. Is it because those 5cm lifts in your shoes are worn out? You really should invest in better quality if you're going to fake your height."
The silence that descended on the campus gate was absolute.
Kenta's eyes bulged. He instinctively looked down at his feet.
Guilty.
"What? No! I—" Kenta stammered.
"And maybe," Takeshi continued, twisting the knife, "that's why Yuki rejected you yesterday. She hates fake things. And she hates the smell of cigarettes."
The crowd erupted.
"Whoa! Is that true?" "Kenta got rejected?" "He wears lifts? No way, let me see!"
[ CRITICAL HIT! ][ TARGET MENTAL STATE: CRUSHED ]
Kenta looked around. The fear in his eyes was delicious. His dominance was built on perception. Takeshi had just pulled the foundation out from under him.
"You... you stalker!" Kenta shouted, but he was backing away. He covered his shoes with his other foot. "This isn't over, Yamada! Watch your back!"
He turned and pushed through the crowd, his two lackeys scrambling to follow him. He walked with a noticeable limp, trying not to put weight on his insoles.
DING!
[ MISSION COMPLETE: HOSTILE ENCOUNTER ][ RATING: S (Perfect Counter) ][ REWARD: 100 CP ][ REPUTATION: "Mysterious Student" (Unlocked) ]
Takeshi let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. His knees felt weak. The adrenaline dump was hitting him now. His hands shook slightly as he shoved them into his pockets.
He didn't stick around for the applause. He wasn't a hero yet. He was just a survivor.
He walked away, heading toward the library, leaving the whispers behind him.
Two Hours Later. Campus Library.
Takeshi sat in the corner, staring at his phone.
Bank Balance: 3,850 Yen ($25).
The high of the victory had faded, replaced by the crushing weight of reality.
"I have superpowers," Takeshi whispered to the empty desk. "And I can't afford lunch."
He opened the System Shop.
[ CURRENT CP: 190 ] (Start 100 - 50 Kit + 50 Coffee Mission + 100 Fight - 10 Eye = 190).
He scrolled through the [ WEALTH ] tab.
[ ITEM: "Lucky Lotto Number (Single)" ] - Cost: 500 CP. [ ITEM: "Stock Tip (Minor)" ] - Cost: 200 CP. [ ITEM: "Job Interview Pass (Guaranteed)" ] - Cost: 150 CP.
He could buy the Job Interview Pass. But a job meant time. He needed money now. Rent was due in three days. If he didn't pay, the landlord—a ruthless old woman who smelled of pickled radishes—would throw him out.
"Being a protagonist is expensive," he groaned.
DING!
[ NEW MISSION CHAIN: THE ROAD TO RICHES ]Objective: Secure funds for rent (40,000 Yen). Time Limit: 72 Hours. Reward: "Wealth Radar" (Passive Skill). Failure Penalty: Homelessness (Charm -50).
Takeshi rubbed his temples. "Wealth Radar? That sounds useful. But how do I get 40,000 yen in three days?"
He packed his bag. He needed to go home and think. Maybe he could sell some of his old manga.
Sunset. The Apartment Building.
The hallway was dark. The lightbulb Takeshi had asked the landlord to fix six months ago was still dead.
He trudged up the stairs, the metal steps clanging under his feet. He reached his door, fumbling for his keys.
Creak.
The door to Apartment 202—Sae's apartment—opened slowly.
Takeshi paused. "Sae-san?"
There was no answer.
He looked closer. The door wasn't just open; it was ajar, resting against the frame.
A bad feeling coiled in his stomach. The System remained silent. No mission. No warning. Just gut instinct.
He stepped toward her door. "Sae-san? Is everything okay?"
He pushed the door gently.
The apartment was chaos.
Not a robbery chaos—there were no overturned drawers. It was work chaos. Papers were scattered everywhere like snow. Blueprints, marketing graphs, stacks of bound reports covered every inch of the floor.
In the center of the paper storm sat Sae Kirigaya.
She was wearing a silk robe, her hair tied up in a messy bun. She was sitting on the floor, her head buried in her hands. Her shoulders were shaking.
She was crying.
Takeshi froze. The confident, elegant woman from yesterday... the "Elite"... looked broken.
He should leave. He should close the door and pretend he saw nothing. That was the polite, Japanese thing to do.
But then he saw the text box hovering over her head.
[ TARGET: SAE KIRIGAYA ][ MOOD: DESPAIR ][ AFFECTION: 5 ][ STATUS: CAREER CRISIS ]
And above that, a timer.
[ CRITICAL TURNING POINT: 00:04:59 ]
Takeshi didn't know what the timer meant. But he knew one thing.
The "Mob Character" would close the door. The "Player" would walk in.
He knocked on the open door frame. Three sharp raps.
Sae jumped. She looked up, her eyes red and puffy, mascara running down her cheeks. She looked horrifyingly beautiful even in her misery.
"Takeshi-kun?" she sniffled, wiping her eyes frantically. "I... I didn't close the door? Please, don't look. It's a mess."
"I'm not looking at the mess," Takeshi said, stepping inside. He kept his voice low, steady. "I'm looking at you."
He knelt down, picking up a piece of paper that had drifted near his foot. It was a marketing proposal for a luxury cosmetic brand. It was covered in red ink. Rejection stamps.
"Bad day at the office?" Takeshi asked.
Sae let out a bitter laugh. "Bad life, Takeshi-kun. I have until tomorrow morning to come up with a campaign that saves my department. If I don't..." She gestured to the boxes she had just unpacked. "I'll be packing them again. I'll be fired."
DING!
[ EMERGENCY MISSION: THE CONSULTANT ]Objective: Help Sae Kirigaya solve her crisis. Reward: 500 CP + Large Affection Boost. Cost to Accept: 0 CP.
Takeshi looked at the reward. 500 CP.
With 500 CP, he could buy the [ Lucky Lotto Number ]. He could pay his rent. He could save himself.
But looking at Sae, shivering in her silk robe, he realized something.
He didn't want to do it for the points.
"Show me," Takeshi said, sitting down on the floor amidst the sea of paper.
Sae blinked. "What? You're a student. What do you know about high-end cosmetic marketing?"
Takeshi smiled. He pointed to his eyes.
"You'd be surprised what I can see."
He activated the System Shop interface in his mind. He had 190 CP.
[ SKILL: "Consumer Psychology Insight (One-Time Use)" ]Cost: 150 CP.
It was risky. It would leave him with almost nothing. If this failed, he was broke, homeless, and an idiot.
"Takeshi-kun?" Sae asked, tilting her head.
Takeshi bought the skill.
[ PURCHASE COMPLETE. ]
Knowledge flooded his brain. Colors. Demographics. Emotional triggers. The psychology of "Want".
He looked at the failed proposal in her hand. Suddenly, he didn't see a paper. He saw a mistake. A glaring, obvious mistake.
"Your focus is wrong," Takeshi said, his voice changing. It wasn't the voice of a student anymore. It was the voice of an authority. "You're selling 'Luxury'. You should be selling 'Revenge'."
Sae stopped crying. She stared at him. The air in the room shifted.
"Revenge?" she whispered.
"Yes," Takeshi leaned in, his eyes locking with hers. "Make them feel that buying this lipstick is the best way to say 'Screw you' to everyone who doubted them."
Sae's lips parted. The Affection meter above her head glowed.
[ AFFECTION: 5 ] -> [ AFFECTION: 10 (Intrigued) ]
"Tell me more," she breathed.
Takeshi grinned. "Get a pen, Sae-san. We have work to do."