"What's going on? Did I buy a fake product?"
After redeeming [Sword Mastery], Takashi didn't experience any kind of enlightening realization.
His mind remained blank, without any sudden influx of sword techniques.
His first thought was that this damn system had scammed his hard-earned points!
However, he quickly dismissed that idea.
Because in front of [Sword Mastery], he saw the words "Passive."
That meant it required certain conditions to activate.
As for what those conditions were, he had no clue for now.
But he trusted the system.
(System: Just a moment ago, you weren't calling me "Brother System.")
Closing the system panel, Takashi pulled up the [Pintus Training Plan] (Version 1.0).
Several thin sheets of paper appeared out of thin air. The cover featured a bald man with a caption below:
"In a clash of narrow paths, the one who can run wins!" — Antonio Pintus
Seeing this familiar bald head, Takashi felt a bad premonition.
He flipped to the first page.
"It feels like he's trying to kill us every day!" — Karim Benzema
Confirming his worst fears, Takashi decisively tossed the training plan aside.
No fun at all.
He worked out to attract the opposite sex, not to meet his ancestors early.
Even professional athletes struggled under Pintus' training—how could a sixteen-year-old kid like him follow this plan?
If they wanted his life, they could just say so.
Feeling uninterested, Takashi got up from the bathtub, casually wiped the water off his body, put on a pair of floral-patterned shorts, and walked out.
Passing by the full-length mirror in the living room, he glanced at the reflection of the young man in the mirror.
No need to comment on his looks—he was Tokyo-level handsome.
What he really focused on was his physique.
His bone structure was on the larger side, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His limbs had clearly defined muscles.
Despite his inconsistent visits to the gym—three days of diligence followed by two days of laziness—he still worked out at home with push-ups and pull-ups at school.
Even his chest muscles had developed nicely. Not only did they look better than the average guy's, but they were also bigger than Yukinoshita Yukino's
If he followed Pintus' plan to the end... Takashi pictured himself with Cristiano Ronaldo's body—only with his own head instead.
He quickly turned back, rushed into the bathroom, and picked up the training plan.
Good thing it only got a little wet.
Lying in bed, Takashi flipped through it and realized the training intensity wasn't as brutal as he had imagined.
It seemed specifically designed for normal people like him.
No wonder it was only Version 1.0.
As he read, his eyelids grew heavy.
Accompanying women on shopping trips was defying nature itself.
Studies showed that very few creatures could endure a full shopping trip with a woman.
Even dogs couldn't do it.
No, wait—maybe simps could.
And Takashi wasn't just accompanying one girl—he had two.
"Goodnight, Little Ha."
He cast a final glance at Kuro before peacefully falling asleep.
…
Chiba, Japan.
Inside a luxurious mansion with over 400 square meters of land and 200 square meters of living space, Utaha sat at her desk wearing a black silk nightgown, fingers rapidly typing on a laptop keyboard.
But if someone looked closer, they would notice that no matter how many words she typed, she immediately deleted them.
Type. Delete. Type. Delete.
For half an hour, this genius writer—who had been in the spotlight since her debut—left her document completely blank.
Moreover, during that short half-hour, she constantly glanced at the phone beside her right hand.
Every time a notification or call came in, she would pick up her phone like a stressed-out corporate worker waiting for a boss's orders.
But the moment she saw the sender's name, her face darkened, and she tossed the phone aside.
"What is his problem?!"
Frustrated, Utaha yanked the hairband off her head and tossed it onto the bed.
She picked up her phone again and opened her chat with Takashi.
Their last conversation ended with the message she had sent.
What Takashi didn't realize was that not long after he sent [Senpai, you know I'm not in it for the money.], Utaha had replied.
[Today was my fault. I'll make it up to you next time.]
Then she had sent a few more messages:
[Tomorrow, I can clear my schedule.]
[Takashi, are you mad at me?]
...
But because there were too many messages at the time, hers got buried.
And don't ask why he didn't pin the chat!
He did!
It was just that the number of pinned chats was… a bit high.
Nakano Yotsuba, Shijo Maki, Sawamura Eriri, Hiratsuka Shizuka, Kashiwagi Nagisa, Kato Megumi—plus her, a total of eight people.
You see, when there are too many people, pinned chats become meaningless.
Your pinned chat: Her.
Takashi's pinned chats: Them.
But Utaha didn't know any of this.
She thought Takashi was sulking.
"You think I'll comfort you?"
Utaha stared at Takashi's profile picture and muttered to herself.
"Hah, dream on."
"You're just a substitute for him."
"You think I'll spoil you like I spoiled him?"
"Get your facts straight—you like me, not the other way around!"
"You really think I'll be the one to reach out first?"
Finishing her self-monologue, Utaha slammed her phone onto the bed, threw herself onto the mattress, and pulled the blanket over her.
She wanted to see how long Takashi could hold out.
She refused to believe he could keep ignoring her.
"Maybe he'll cool down by tomorrow," she thought under the covers.
"When that happens, I'll make sure to ignore him!"
Even if Takashi showed up at her doorstep tomorrow, asking her out on a date, she wouldn't agree so easily.
…
At 11:59 PM, Takashi abruptly woke up from his sleep, sitting up straight.
"Shit!"
He knew he had forgotten something.
Nagisa hadn't contacted him.
Panicking, he frantically searched for his phone amidst his messy bed.
After tossing his blankets around, he finally found it.
Using the number Shinomiya Maki had sent him, he hastily dialed Nagisa.
"Wait… it's already this late. Why am I calling her now?"
Takashi gave himself a light slap.
Was he still half-asleep?
Would calling now make any difference compared to calling tomorrow?
Did he seriously think Nagisa would still be awake?
"Forget it, I'll sleep."
He lay back down.
The situation had already happened—what was the point of worrying?
Right now, sleep is more important.
"Hello~"
Just as he assumed she wouldn't answer, the call connected.
A drowsy, slightly hoarse voice came from the other end.
"Who is this?"
Then, another voice sounded.
A very familiar one.
Even with his half-awake brain, Takashi instantly recognized it.
He blankly asked, "Maki's with you?"
"Yeah," Nagisa chuckled, her voice now clearer. "She came over to my place for a sleepover. Didn't you know?"
"Then why did you make me call you?!"
Takashi was completely speechless.
Seriously, was she afraid Maki wouldn't recognize his voice?
"If you're going for excitement, you should go all the way," Nagisa teased.
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