The lunch break bell rang.
Fujiwara Reya packed up his desk and headed towards the courtyard.
The sunshine in April was bright and gentle, reflecting his handsome figure on the corridor windows. The girls passing by couldn't keep their eyes off him.
"Good afternoon, Fujiwara!"
"Have you had lunch?"
"Want to go to the cafeteria together?"
"Thanks, but I prefer eating alone."
On the way to the courtyard, girls wearing pleated skirts and butterfly-knotted ties greeted Fujiwara Reya. After all, he was the acknowledged star student of Kitagawa Academy.
Top of his class, with a sharp mind, but not a stereotypical nerd; elegant and handsome appearance, dressed neatly, and with outstanding athletic talent.
Though excellent, he had a rather gentle personality, quite unlike boys his age who loved to stand out.
He rarely volunteered answers in class, but when called upon, his answers were flawless. His speeches in debate class were clear and convincing, and his performance in home economics class was impeccable.
Anyone who knew him would have a consensus: he's naturally gifted, and even if left to his own devices, he'd still work hard, get into the best university, and become an undeniable elite when he steps into society.
If he weren't a bit broke... the number of girls wanting to date Fujiwara Reya would double.
Kitagawa Academy's courtyard was unanimously deemed by students and teachers as lovers' paradise, always filled with the sweet scent of romance.
The vast space enclosed by four school buildings was planted with cherry, oak, and ginkgo trees. The small flowerbeds had Begonia, azalea, and hydrangea, plus a large pond and a pavilion for resting.
A strong wind blew through the gaps of Shibuya's tall buildings, ruffling Fujiwara Reya's hair.
Several crows flew overhead, hopping from tree to tree, with a few landing by the pond to drink. Out of nowhere, a large plump ginger cat jumped out, scaring the crows into a frantic flight.
One particularly large, jet-black crow noticed Fujiwara Reya and intended to fly over.
"Caw caw (Young master)!"
So the crow flew away.
Fujiwara Reya approached the plump orange cat, who showed no regret for scaring off the crows, leisurely sunbathing by the pond with its round body.
He glanced at his watch, exactly noon.
The ginger cat opened a sliver of its eyes, glanced disdainfully at Fujiwara Reya, then closed them dismissively.
This cat was the biggest stray at the school, everyone called it "Sardine," but Fujiwara Reya preferred to call it "Goldie," as the name suited its fur color.
Moreover, both Goldie and he shared a resemblance in their physical defects, one missing a limb, the other missing two... well, you get the idea, right?
"I'm calling you, chubby little one!" Fujiwara Reya squatted down, flicking its ears irritatedly.
The big orange cat opened its eyes, barking fiercely at him: "Meow."
Anyway, the coin was under it, and Fujiwara Reya wasn't in a hurry to get it, so he replied, "Meow."
He could communicate with any creature.
This fat cat was just saying "Don't come near me," and he replied, "I'm coming near you."
The big orange cat instantly became wary, wiggling its tail: "Meow?"
"Meow?" Fujiwara Reya imitated its tone.
The big orange got angry: "Meow!"
Fujiwara Reya did not back down.
The exchange of meows turned tense.
"Sardine" arched its back, and while Fujiwara Reya wasn't looking, it ripped a small tear in his pant leg with a swift claw, then made its escape.
A 500 yen coin was lying in the flattened patch of grass, reflecting the bright spring light.
This fat cat's temper is really bad... Fujiwara Reya picked up the coin, thinking there must be another victim of torn pants waiting to happen.
[Routine Task 1 Completed]
With the 500 yen coin in hand, Fujiwara Reya went to the cafeteria, bought a 500 yen pork cutlet meal, and spent extra on a 100 yen lemonade. He sat by the window in the sunlight, eating while gazing at the courtyard scenery.
The peaceful school time, where everything visible was the same spring view as always.
The sky was cloudy and unhindered, the courtyard's cherry blossoms in full bloom, a seemingly new cute girl hugging her textbooks while looking around as she walked down the path. Across the way, there was a small glass vase with hydrangeas on the classroom windowsill.
There was laughter from two tables away, from a group of seemingly mature girls looking at their phone screens and discussing their evening shopping plans.
Fujiwara Reya noticed a particularly eye-catching girl frequently glancing this way, as if especially attentive to his actions.
Her eyes were tea-colored, face exquisitely charming.
With long orange hair and clear, lively big eyes, the overall impression was incredibly cute, with such tender flawless skin that reminded Fujiwara Reya of a completely pink Dutch pig.
Though he found her attractive, Fujiwara Reya merely took note of her appearance and continued focusing on his meal.
There are so many pretty girls in the world, he couldn't keep staring at each one.
After finishing his meal, he returned to the classroom for a short nap. At 1:30, the afternoon classes began, and two sessions passed quickly, bringing him to the end of the school day.
Most schools in Japan finish early in the afternoon, with classes ending by 3:30, leaving the rest of the time for club activities.
Kitagawa Academy requires students to participate in club activities at least once a week.
Fujiwara Reya's club was the [Paranormal Research Department], meeting every Friday.
Today was Tuesday, so he could go straight home.
After the dismissal bell rang, Fujiwara Reya packed his bag, left the classroom, and headed towards the courtyard.
The baseball team members in sports uniforms, running in a tidy formation, shouted loud slogans as they passed him.
This energy-consuming lifestyle made one want to stand firm and salute, paying them high respect.
As a standard energy-saving advocate, Fujiwara Reya wouldn't engage in such physically exhausting tasks.
Performing well in PE to achieve full marks wasn't a problem, but leading the school's baseball team to dominate Koshien would be a pipe dream!
He read briefly in the courtyard, then at four o'clock, went to the vending machine inside the school building.
A girl was buying something.
Whether it malfunctioned or not, after putting in her money, no product came out, and she angrily kicked the vending machine.
The vending machine wobbled slightly, with a gray footprint on its white painted surface.
Japanese high school girls are so violent...
After she left, Fujiwara Reya checked the third row of the vending machine racks, which had four cans of Pepsi in total.
The after-tax price was 120 yen per can.
At 4:05 PM, he inserted a 500 yen coin, and four cans of cola, plus two 10 yen coins, along with a lottery ticket, fell out together.
[Routine Task 2 Completed]
He pulled the tab of a can and took a gulp of chilled cola.
After a satisfied sigh, Fujiwara Reya picked up the lottery ticket and glanced at it, showing it was redeemable for a 50,000 yen prize.
As expected of a one-in-20,000 chance prize, impressive.
Made a little bonus, mood greatly improved.
From activating the system until now, Fujiwara Reya's exorcism savings had accumulated over 8 million yen, and the money earned or saved from daily tasks had exceeded 10 million yen...
So can't there be more daily tasks?
These simple and fun tasks, Fujiwara Reya could play with them for a whole day without feeling bored!
Stuffing the remaining three cans of Pepsi into his bag, he called Ikeda Aoshu, then left the school and took the train from Shibuya Station to Kagurazaka.