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Hozuki Nozomi had no intention of lingering near the psychic girl.
The primary reason was painfully obvious—she'd been so terrified by the evil spirit that she'd lost control, wetting her skirt.
Approaching her now would only make things more awkward for her, and Nozomi wasn't one to rub salt in someone's wounds. He'd already done what he could by draping his jacket over her waist, offering her some semblance of dignity.
As for meeting again? Maybe fate would make that decision.
He had no idea that behind him, Yotsuya Miko was biting her lip, tears welling up in her eyes. Her trembling hand reached out, as though silently begging him to stay.
Compared to the sheer terror she'd experienced up until now, wetting herself was hardly worth worrying about. What mattered more was that she'd finally encountered someone else who could see the terrifying spirits that haunted her.
And this person wasn't just any ordinary seer—he had the strength to shatter the teeth of a monstrous spirit and drive it away, leaving it screaming in agony.
To Miko, such a figure was nothing short of a miracle. Naturally, she didn't want to let him slip away so easily.
But before she could muster the courage to call out to him, he was already gone, disappearing into the bustling train station.
Maybe he was in a hurry? Miko tried to console herself, though her heart ached with regret. She memorized the platform he'd gotten off at. If she came here often enough, perhaps she'd bump into him again.
Her resolve firmed. She clutched the jacket he'd left her tightly around her waist and stepped off at her station. First stop: the nearest clothing store. She had no intention of walking around in her current state.
Meanwhile, Nozomi had exited the train and made his way toward Sakurasou, the apartment complex he currently called home.
The notification from Sobu High School had been clear—everything was ready for the start of the school year.
You might wonder, why didn't Nozomi attend Suimei University of the Arts High School, which was closer to Sakurasou?
Well, the answer was simple. He wasn't one to sit around and wait for opportunities to fall into his lap, even if it meant waiting for someone like the famous Shiina Mashiro to arrive and potentially cross paths with him.
Rather than passively hoping to benefit from proximity, Nozomi preferred to take the initiative. Sobu High School was the perfect choice for him—not only was it a good school, but it was also brimming with interesting people.
Characters like Yukinoshita Yukino, Yuigahama Yui, and even Miura Yumiko all attended Sobu. Nozomi couldn't help but grin at the thought of crossing paths with them.
Besides, his brief encounter with the eccentric tenants of Sakurasou had already convinced him that Suimei High wasn't for him. Despite meeting Mashiro's best friend Rita Ainsworth and the hardworking Aoyama Nanami, he hadn't triggered a single mission related to them.
No missions meant no rewards, and no rewards meant no reason to stick around.
In comparison, Sobu High felt like a goldmine waiting to be tapped.
"Two more days until the term starts…" Nozomi muttered to himself. He chuckled as another thought struck him.
Maybe he'd even witness that infamous scene—the one where a certain dead-eyed boy gets hit by a car while saving a dog.
As he walked, Nozomi began calculating his finances.
His current savings stood at around 1.2 million yen. On paper, it seemed like a lot, but reality painted a different picture.
First-year tuition at Sobu High alone cost 600,000 yen. That figure included the admission fee, school uniform, and various other expenses.
The second-year fees would drop to about 420,000 yen, but even then, the costs added up quickly.
Accommodation and food were another matter entirely. Most students either lived at home or brought homemade bento for lunch.
Living on campus? That wasn't much of an option either. Dormitory fees were steep—around 200,000 yen annually. Renting a cheap apartment outside was far more economical, with monthly rents starting at 80,000 yen.
Crunching the numbers, Nozomi realized his savings weren't as comfortable as he'd thought.
After paying the initial 600,000 yen for tuition, he'd be left with 600,000 yen. It was enough for basic living expenses, but with Sayu under his care, things would be tight.
Luckily, living at Sakurasou came with a slight advantage. The rent was 150,000 yen per month, split between five people. That left Nozomi with a bit of breathing room—around 1.35 million yen in total funds after accounting for shared rent.
Even so, it was clear he wouldn't be able to spend money frivolously.
"Looks like I'll need to be a bit more careful with my spending," he muttered. But for now, the thought of settling into Sobu High and navigating his new life brought a small smile to his face.
[Ding! The player's intent has been detected. Monetary rewards for task completions will be increased in the future.]
A familiar notification bubble from the Game Life System popped up, its cheerful chime echoing in Hozuki Nozomi's mind.
"Well, isn't this convenient?" he muttered to himself, a smirk tugging at his lips. It was like finding a pillow when you're desperately sleepy.
With this assurance, Nozomi immediately abandoned the idea of finding other ways to make money. Who needed a part-time job when you had the system? Completing tasks would be more than enough. He could just focus on living the player's dream—lying low, taking it easy, and letting rewards roll in.
Feeling much lighter, Nozomi began to make his way home.
But just as he passed by a dimly lit alley, a tense scene caught his eye.
A girl with pigtails and a modest long skirt was cornered by a group of delinquents. Their sneers and mocking laughter echoed off the alley walls, sending a chill down the otherwise calm evening.
[Ding! Task triggered: The Distress of the Girl with Pigtails.]
[Today started as a rare good day for the girl, who had ventured out to buy her favorite soy-braised pork to reward herself. But unfortunately, she must not have checked the almanac, as she was intercepted by a group of delinquents while heading home. Angered by their own misfortunes, these thugs decided to vent their frustrations on her.]
[Task Objective: Help the girl drive away the delinquents.]
[Reward: A skill or item and 1 million yen.]
Nozomi's eyes lit up as he read the notification.
"A million yen… just for teaching a bunch of idiots a lesson?" He cracked his knuckles, a grin spreading across his face. "How can I say no to that?"
As he stepped closer, the voices of the delinquents became clearer.
"Oi, pigtailed country girl! You're blocking the way, you know that?" sneered one, his shirt unbuttoned to reveal a bony chest.
"It's not your fault you're ugly," chimed another with dyed blonde hair, "but isn't it a crime to come out looking like that and scare people?"
There were five of them in total. They were the textbook image of unemployed, good-for-nothing troublemakers: scruffy, poorly dressed, and reeking of bad attitudes.
The girl shrank back, clutching her bag tightly. Her voice trembled as she muttered, "I'm sorry…"
But despite her submissive tone, her fingers were already working deftly inside her bag. She'd activated her phone to call the police and was gripping a small can of pepper spray, ready to defend herself.
Her plan was simple: play weak, strike when they least expected it, and run.
But the thugs weren't about to let her off so easily.
"Tch, what's the point of saying sorry?" one of them spat. "If sorry solved everything, we wouldn't need the cops, would we? Now, how about you give us some cash to soothe our poor hearts, scarred by your ugliness?"
"Yeah, hand over the money!" another sneered, his smile turning lecherous. "Or maybe we'll strip you down and tie you to a pole for everyone to see!"
The girl's grip on her pepper spray tightened, her body trembling with a mix of fear and determination.
But before she could act, a sharp, confident voice cut through the tension.
All heads turned to see Hozuki Nozomi striding toward them, a box of soy-braised pork in one hand and his school uniform jacket slung over his shoulder. He set both items down carefully on the ground, his expression cold and unyielding.
"What do you think you're doing, ganging up on a defenseless girl ? Don't you have any shame?"
The thugs blinked in surprise before bursting into laughter.
"Look at this guy! What are you, some kind of pretty boy trying to play hero?"
"Hero? More like an idiot who doesn't know his place!"
"Do you even know what happens to people who stick their noses where they don't belong, pretty boy?"
Nozomi didn't respond. Instead, he curled his lips into a confident smirk.
A few minutes later, the alley was quiet once more.
The five delinquents were now tied to a streetlight, stripped down to nothing but their underwear. Their own shirts and pants had been repurposed into makeshift ropes. Get full chapters from novel⦿fire.net
Nozomi dusted off his hands and pulled out his phone to call the police.
Turning back to the stunned girl, he gave her a casual wave.
"All done. You're safe now."
The girl adjusted her glasses, still struggling to process what had just happened.
Nozomi picked up his jacket and the box of soy-braised pork, flashing her a grin.
"Be careful on your way home, okay? You might not always be lucky enough to run into a hero like me."