"You"
Takagi Saya wanted to say something more, but Saeko's cold eyes silenced her.
With a single sentence, she shut down any further argument.
"So don't waste the lives I saved."
After speaking, Saeko turned and walked toward the only bedroom, her hips swaying with each step. She knew what she needed to do.
*Clang.*
The door shut behind her.
In the living room, Takagi Saya felt like she had a lump in her throat.
Shizuka Marikawa, worried, asked, "Saya, is there anything we can do to stop this?"
She didn't want to see a student forced to give up something so important.
Takagi Saya shook her head, her expression conflicted.
She pointed to the freezing ice crystals outside the window.
"Is that even a human out there? What could we possibly do to stop him?"
With what, their heads?
She had no doubt that if any of them said another unnecessary word, that cold, indifferent man would freeze them into ice sculptures just like the undead.
At that moment, Miyamoto Rei suddenly muttered, "Then what if we replace Saeko-senpai?"
"Huh?"
Takagi Saya looked at her in disbelief.
"!!!"
Miyamoto Rei, realizing she had voiced her strange inner thoughts, quickly lowered her head.
Shizuka Marikawa, however, clapped her hands in excitement, her ample chest bouncing wildly as she expressed her enthusiasm.
"Rei's right! We could take Saeko's place!"
""
Takagi Saya's lips twitched.
Was she the only sane person left in this group?
Chapter 8: Trade is Completed!
Nearly three hours later, Rei Ao had cleared all the undead from several streets, leveling up to 20!
He could feel a massive surge in his power at this moment. It felt as though, with a single thought, he could freeze and shatter an entire street.
If he hadn't retained some humanity and avoided senseless killing, he might have already started causing large-scale destruction without restraint.
"But now, the rate of improvement has significantly slowed down."
The higher his level, the harder it was to advance, which was something Rei Ao had expected.
"There's still an hour and a half left."
"Heh, time to return and collect my trade reward."
Three hours had passed, and none of them had died. The second trade had been successfully completed.
When Rei Ao returned, he saw three people on the couch wrapped up tightly, shivering.
He couldn't help but smile.
Although the ice crystals had protected them, they had also caused the temperature to drop significantly around them.
With a thought, there was a noticeable commotion outside. The ice crystals shifted outward, crushing the surrounding houses.
Now the temperature in the area should improve a bit.
Without paying further attention to the others, Rei Ao walked toward the only closed bedroom door.
*Creak!*
The door opened.
Takagi Saya and the other two only caught a glimpse of a pale figure lying on the bed.
*Clang!*
The door closed, leaving them unable to see anything.
The silence in the room was unnerving, and the air felt awkward.
Under the covers, the temperature was rising.
"Uh we should get some sleep and recover our strength," Takagi Saya suggested.
She closed her eyes, ready to sleep.
Miyamoto Rei and Shizuka Marikawa exchanged glances before turning their attention away as well.
An hour later.
Rei Ao let out a deep breath.
[Ding! Trade completed!]
It was, in every sense, a one-time usage right.
Rei Ao had followed the trade terms exactly.
Just as he was about to get up and return to his original world, Saeko suddenly spoke up unexpectedly:
"Rei Ao-kun, there's still time, right"
"Oh?"
Rei Ao's eyes gleamed with surprise.
"The trade has already been completed."
"Mm I know"
"Well then, as you wish."
The next morning, Rei Ao felt refreshed as he headed to school.
He was very satisfied with the boost in his power. The undead in that world had indeed been excellent sources of experience.
However, after the notification of the trade's completion, the chat group had gone strangely silent.
Rei Ao was still savoring the memories.
Without a doubt, his upgraded physical abilities were now far beyond those of an ordinary person.
Saeko might be an ordinary human, but her years of kendo training had made her body quite strong.
Thankfully, the trade had been with Saeko Busujima. If it had been someone like Takagi Saya, he might have had to hold back more.
As he walked, Rei Ao reflected on the countless times he had traveled this route to school.
The familiar streets.
The familiar traffic lights.
The familiar uphill path.
Everything was as normal as could be.
Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew past.
Cherry blossoms on the hillside were swept away, floating down.
Sensing something, Rei Ao casually extended his right hand, catching a white beret that had been blown toward him.
"This feels so familiar!"
Rei Ao looked up.
At the top of the hill stood a girl with a bob haircut, dressed in a red top and white skirt.
She held one hand down to keep her skirt in place and the other up to keep the wind from blowing her hair too wildly.
It was a beautiful scene.
Rei Ao smiled and softly called out, "Kato."
"Rei Ao-kun."
Yes, they knew each other. They were friends.
The girl was Kato Megumi, his classmate.
People in their class always seemed to unconsciously ignore or forget her name's existence.
Rei Ao had been no different.
But he had a unique way of remembering her name.
He would intentionally not write her full name, just a part of it, on his books or desk. As long as he saw the incomplete name, he'd be reminded of Kato Megumi.
Initially, he addressed her as "Kato." As their relationship grew closer, he eventually began calling her "Megumi."
But now, looking at her, he could see her more clearly than ever before, and his memory of her had become exceptionally vivid.
It was as if the fog obscuring her existence had lifted, likely due to his newly gained ability.
This was great.
Looking closely, Megumi was even cuter and more beautiful than he remembered.
Chapter 9: Bunny Girl
Rei Ao walked up to her and handed the beret back into her hands.
"Thank you."
She gratefully took the beret and put it back on, tilting her head curiously.
Her bright, lively eyes kept staring at Rei Ao.
"Hmm? Why is Kato staring at me like that? Do I have something on my face?"
"Yeah, don't move."
Surprisingly, Kato nodded seriously and reached up with her fair hand to pluck a cherry blossom petal from his hair.
"There really was something?"
Rei Ao was a bit surprised.
After tossing the petal aside, Kato asked curiously, "Why does it feel like your gaze has been focused on my face today, Rei Ao?"
Kato was very observant.
She had known since childhood about her own issue of lacking presence.
Even her parents and sister couldn't escape this phenomenon.
Rei Ao wasn't an exceptionhe would subconsciously overlook her as well.
His gaze would often lose focus when he looked at her, which was her problem.
But
To Kato, Rei Ao was still special.
Kato Megumi had seen him carve parts of her name onto desks, chairs, and every book, all to help him remember her name.
She had witnessed him pinching his own thigh to force himself to focus when his attention began to drift while talking to her.
But today, Rei Ao was even more special.
'His gaze has been fixed on my face without wavering.'
Rei Ao instinctively brushed a strand of her hair, blown in front of her face by the wind, behind her ear and smiled softly.
"It's nothing."
"It's just that today I realized how uniquely beautiful Kato is."
""
Kato's face, which was never good at expressing emotions, remained as calm as ever.
"Thank you for the compliment. Let's go to school."
Even her thanks were flat.
But the subtle blush on her earlobes and the barely visible smile at the corners of her lips revealed her true feelings.
The two of them walked side by side toward the school.
Down the hill, a boy wearing glasses stood dumbfounded, leaning on his bike, staring at their retreating figures.
He slowly lowered his hand, which had been poised to catch the beret just moments ago.
A wave of disappointment washed over him.
His name was Aki Tomoya.
A self-proclaimed "otaku."
He had just witnessed what he believed to be a fateful encounter.
That girl she was the angel he had been searching for!
The pounding in his chest told him this was a destined encounter.
But fate had cruelly passed him by.
Because of the man who was now laughing and chatting with the girl!
Aki Tomoya felt like pounding his chest in frustration.
But soon, he rallied himself, full of determination once again.
He had seen that school uniform beforeit was from his own school. He would find her!
...
Who was Aki Tomoya?
Heh, Rei Ao couldn't care less.
By mid-morning, he was called into the office by his homeroom teacher.
Hiratsuka Shizuka sighed as she looked at his grades.
"I really feel like your grades could improve more. Why do you always fall just a little short?"
Maybe it was because Rei Ao was well-liked and had the face of someone who could easily be considered the school's most handsome guy.
He had the good looks but also the sharp, manly features of starry eyes and sword-like brows.
Even Hayama Hayato, known for his good looks, couldn't surpass Rei Ao in popularity among the girls.
But unlike Hayama, Rei Ao wasn't a popular socialite.
Especially when it came to his grades.
Hiratsuka Shizuka shook her head as she looked at his test results, which always hovered just short of breaking into the school's top 100.
Rei Ao shrugged. "Nothing I can do, that's just my ability."
He hadn't cared much about his grades before, and now he cared even less.
Most people aimed for good grades to get into better universities, which would lead to better jobs and more money.
But now, he didn't seem to need money anymore.
In the space that came with the chat group, there were piles of gold bars and jewels he had casually taken from Saeko's world.
Money was still useful to him at this stage.
When he returned home today, he planned to exchange some of it and find a new place to live.
That shabby apartment was no longer suitable for him.
At the very least, he needed to find a spacious place with three bedrooms and two living rooms.
Seeing his nonchalant attitude, Hiratsuka Shizuka was a bit frustrated.
After a moment's thought, she said, "If you want to improve your grades, you could try going to the Service Club. There might be someone there who could help you."
""
The Service Club.
Rei Ao didn't misunderstand. He knew what she meant.
That was Yukinoshita Yukino's club.
He responded casually, "Sure, I'll check it out."
"If there's nothing else, I'll be heading back now."
"Mm, no other business."
After leaving the office, Rei Ao had no intention of actually visiting the Service Club.
He didn't need to.
With his current mental clarity, he didn't need anyone's help. If he took another exam, his grades would likely astonish everyone.
Rei Ao turned the corner of the hallway.
Destination: the library.
""
In the library, bunny girl Sakurajima Mai wandered aimlessly, sighing in frustration.
Her problem was getting worse.
Although in her near-invisible state, no one would notice if she took things, she still left money on the counter when buying food.
It was her moral line.
But now, she faced a big problem.
She only had enough cash left for one more meal.
To withdraw money all she had was a passbook, and with no one able to see her, she couldn't make a withdrawal.
Besides, she wasn't sure if the surveillance cameras would be able to see her.
If they couldn't, would withdrawing money make her a criminal?
At this rate, she wouldn't even be able to buy food.
She desperately wanted to find a way to fix this.
She didn't want to cross any moral lines just like her mother.
Thinking back to how she had refused her mother's immoral advertisement contracts as a child, Sakurajima Mai clenched her fists.
"Ugh!"
Suddenly, she bumped into someone.
Instinctively, she apologized, "I'm sorry!"
But the next second, she realizedshe shouldn't be able to bump into anyone!
She quickly looked up.
Standing in front of her was the familiar yet unfamiliar face of Rei Ao.
"It's it's you!!!"
Casually, he draped a jacket over her bunny girl outfit.
"Sakurajima Mai, let's talk."
Chapter 10: I do as I like
On the rooftop.
Now back in her school uniform, Sakurajima Mai still couldn't hide her surprise.
"You how are you here, and why are you wearing our school's uniform?"
She finally couldn't help but ask the question.
Rei Ao shrugged. "Is it possible that I'm just a student at this school?"
"How is that possible? Aren't you from another world?" Sakurajima Mai retorted, using the information from the chat group.
"Heh, it only says that the members are from different worlds. It doesn't mean every single person is from a different world."
Rei Ao chuckled. "If you don't believe me, you can check my records."
""
Well, she was almost convinced.
"How did you find me?" Sakurajima Mai asked, looking at him.
"Is it possible that I've seen you frequent the library before, so I naturally knew where to find you?"
"???"
Sakurajima Mai was stunned.
"You've seen me before?"
"Then why didn't you say anything?"
Rei Ao smirked.
"Because if I said something, I wouldn't have gotten the chance to see a beautiful bunny girl sitting right in front of me."
""
Sakurajima Mai's mind was already picturing it.
Her, in the bunny girl outfit, sitting on a table, while Rei Ao pretended not to see her, right in front of him.
Imagining that scene, a blush crept up her neck.
This guy really is a pervert!
Just yesterday, he had made that kind of trade with someone named Saeko Busujima.
Sakurajima Mai immediately became more cautious.
"What do you want from me?" she asked warily.
"Nothing much, just wanted to tell you to stop wandering around the library in a bunny girl outfit."
Rei Ao grabbed his jacket and headed toward the rooftop door, saying over his shoulder, "I don't want the bunny girl I've set my eyes on to be seen by anyone else. If you need help, come find me... or rather, make a trade with me. Haha."
