So why would a hotel bathroom be fitted with electronically controlled smart glass on the outside?
And why would they put the remote control for it out here!
Mori Shinra rubbed his reddened cheeks, sitting on the sofa looking utterly dejected. He was watching a rather boring and unpopular street interview show on TV—and it was a rerun!
The sound of trickling water came from the bathroom, proof that Mai had already started her shower. As for that evil remote, it had been confiscated by her and placed where it should have been all along—on the dedicated shelf next to the bathroom light switch.
Yes, this remote was supposed to be in the bathroom.
Who! Who was it that put the remote in his hands just now?!
"Hello, may I ask you a few questions?"
On the TV, the host was walking down the street with a microphone, randomly stopping a poor soul who, judging by his attire, was a Minegahara High School student on his way home from cram school.
Faced with the interview, the student looked a little shy, but since it was a live broadcast, he couldn't very well refuse. He had no choice but to stop and make awkward small talk with the host.
When asked who the most famous person at his school was, he answered without a second thought, giving a name that was all too familiar to Mori Shinra.
—Sakurajima Mai.
To be honest, when he heard this name spoken by someone else, he didn't quite react at first.
After all, he and Mai had been busy all day just to find one person who recognized her. They had gone all the way to a city in another prefecture without finding their target, yet he had heard her name in a rerun of a street interview on the hotel TV.
And both the host and the student seemed to know who she was.
Their conversation flowed smoothly.
This couldn't help but make him think of the new quest in his request log.
[Sakurajima Mai's 'Existence' Dilemma] (Rainbow) (Time-limited)
Request Content:
The school life of the once-famous star, Sakurajima Mai, is not as wonderful as imagined. Although she has announced the suspension of her acting activities for two years, her past fame, instead of giving her an advantage in school social life, has become an obstacle to her integration into the campus social circle.
In Japanese schools, once you fail to integrate into a certain circle, you will be treated as a 'weirdo' by others. In this atmosphere, a series of problems such as 'ostracism,' 'being ignored,' and 'rejection' will follow.
Sakurajima Mai had tried to integrate, but due to her worldview, which was far more mature than her peers, she ultimately failed, which even led to the further deterioration of her situation. After being ignored by her classmates for a long time, she also began to habitually play the role of 'air.'
But what she didn't expect was that this atmosphere, under the influence of an unknown force, actually began to spread outside the campus and seriously threatened her 'existence.' This situation forced her to start looking for a solution.
And in this process, your appearance has given her hope. In the course of your interactions, you have successfully won her trust, and some indescribable feelings have been born.
She has placed her hopes in you, hoping that you can lead her out of this predicament...
Note 1: This is a special quest with a certain degree of uncontrollability, which may cause irreversible losses. The host is advised to act with discretion.
Note 2: Minegahara High School is the source of Sakurajima Mai's problem. Perhaps you can find a solution here, but you must be quick to avoid complications.
Request Reward: One Leaf Obscures the Eye (Ability), The Maiden's Heart, a certain amount of Wish Points...
The above was the Wish Request he had obtained from Sakurajima Mai, and it was also the most rewarding one he had encountered so far.
Setting aside the unpredictable 'Maiden's Heart,' the ability named 'One Leaf Obscures the Eye' alone was enough to make him give it his all.
Shinra looked up information on the program he had just watched and found that this live street interview had taken place at around five o'clock this afternoon. That was exactly the time she had arranged to meet her mother. At the same point in time, a student from her school still remembered her, while her own mother had completely forgotten her.
This stark contrast was enough to prove the correctness of the hint given in the quest.
Thinking of this, he paid no mind to the fact that it was already close to midnight and dialed Uncle Li's number.
The call was answered quickly, and a familiar voice came from the other end.
"Young Master Shinra?"
"It's me, Uncle Li."
"Calling at this hour... What do you need me to do?" Uncle Li didn't waste any time and got straight to the point.
"I've run into some trouble. It's important. Uncle Li, is there any way to quickly make the students of a school recall their impression of a certain person?"
Although the question was strange, Uncle Li was very professional. He didn't ask why he was asking such a strange question, but immediately began to think and propose solutions.
"First, the quickest solution is to have that person return to campus and do something extraordinary."
"Rule that out. Her current state is not suitable for that."
"Secondly, have her win some well-known awards and ask the school to publicize it."
"That's still a bit difficult at the moment. Is there any way that doesn't require her to show up in person, and that I can do?"
"Is it urgent?"
"Very urgent."
The request information for Mai was marked with 'Time-limited,' and it even specifically reminded him in the notes section to be quick.
This was enough to show the urgency of the current situation.
"Then the only way is to throw money at it," Uncle Li said in a deep voice.
"Throw money at it?" Shinra vaguely understood what he meant. The ability of money is also an ability.
"Establish a scholarship or a school building in that person's name, organize a large-scale publicity campaign, or simply buy the school and change its name to that person's name."
The solutions he gave were quite simple and crude. Apart from being a bit expensive, the effects would be immediate, and there were many successful cases in the world as a reference.
"Buying the school is out of the question; it's a public school. As for the first few, they have a certain degree of feasibility."
So now there was only one question before him.
"Do I have that much money?"
Uncle Li on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment, as if confirming something.
"The family can lend it to you. Whether it's establishing a scholarship or donating a school building, the family has corresponding funds and contingency plans. There are also fast tracks for implementation. In the fastest case, we can contact the school and start the activities in just one or two days."
"The only question is, are you sure you want to do this?"