Seeing how fast she was eating, Raize thoughtfully poured mineral water into the cup lid and handed it to her.
Watching Mashiro happily eat, Raize thought about her personality and asked,
"Shiina, why didn't you go to the international art class? With your talent…"
A student following the art route like Mashiro should have gone to the art class. Those students had been giving Raize dirty looks, thinking he'd held Mashiro back.
"There's nothing I want to learn in the art class. I want to learn manga from Aize."
With rice grains stuck to the corners of her mouth, Mashiro squinted contentedly while sipping the water Raize gave her. When she mentioned manga, she looked at him very seriously.
This child was extremely fixated on manga. Despite her extraordinary talent in painting, she wanted to pursue something she found more interesting.
What other artists spent a lifetime trying to reach—or only reached after death—wasn't what Mashiro wanted at all.
"The pursuits of artistic geniuses are hard for others to understand. I'll teach you manga storytelling."
Knowing just how talented she was, Raize sighed and said,
"Join my club later. That way I'll have plenty of time to teach you."
"Aize, thank you."
Mashiro wrapped jewel crab meat in rice and put it into her mouth, thanking him earnestly.
After finishing the bento quickly, she touched her stomach, feeling full. It was the first time in her life she'd eaten something so delicious.
She looked at the empty bento box, then raised her eyes to Raize, staring at him seriously enough to give him a bad premonition.
"Aize…"
"What?"
"Can you be my owner? I like Aize's bento."
That extremely misleading statement made Raize's head ache. He glanced around—fortunately, not many people were nearby, and no one seemed to have heard Mashiro's dangerous words.
He handed her a tissue, signaling her to wipe her mouth, and calmly refused,
"By 'owner,' you mean someone who takes care of you, right? That responsibility should be Chihiro-sensei's."
At home, he already had three mouths to feed. Counting the system inside him, he had more than enough to take care of. Adding another pet girl was out of the question.
"Chihiro only orders takeout or eats out. Those aren't as good as Aize's bento."
Mashiro wiped her mouth, her tone carrying a faint hint of disdain that Raize couldn't help but notice.
The pet girl's tastes were clearly starting to get spoiled. She had already begun to show disdain for her own cousin, Chihiro.
"Being your feeder is out of the question, but I can prepare an extra bento for you at noon every day."
"But…" Mashiro still didn't want to give up on this promising feeder candidate.
Raize wasn't going to keep indulging her. "Say one more word and you won't even get a bento at lunch."
"…Aize is a bad person."
"Bad people wouldn't make you a bento."
"…Aize is a jerk."
---
After finally shaking off the troublesome Mashiro, and finishing his daily rounds of Farming and Azur Lane, Raize started playing Sekiro and went for a full clear.
Near the afternoon, Raize went to the school rooftop. There was no one there.
He carefully shut the rooftop door behind him, looked around to make sure, then added an extra layer of barrier.
Sekiro had already been cleared. He originally thought he'd need to finish all endings, but once he reached the "Return of the Dragon" ending, it was over.
Now he just needed a deserted place to draw rewards and see what kind of power he would get this time.
[ Congratulations to the player on clearing the game!]
[ Clear rewards this time includes: Complete Dragon's Heritage, Danger Sense, and
Ashina Isshin's Template. Extract now?]
There were only three rewards this time. Not many, but the quality was terrifying.
Isshin needed no explanation. One of the souls of the Sekiro world, the legendary Sword Saint of Ashina.
A fierce warrior obsessed with swordsmanship, peerless in martial skill. Isshin spent his entire life pursuing the limits of combat technique and the way of the sword.
His sword style was fierce and seasoned, embodying both the spirit and technique of swordsmanship to their utmost peak. He had long reached perfection. The title of Sword Saint was no exaggeration.
Though in the game this old man's unscrupulous tactics drove many players who got caught off guard into furious rants.
If Isshin were placed in Raize's world, he would unquestionably be a heroic figure of legend.
"Hesitation is defeat!"
As Raize extracted and accepted the Sword Saint's legacy, both mind and body verified the truth of that statement.
All the sword techniques and ultimate insights of Isshin's life flowed into him. A familiar sensation of countless battles tempered into mastery spread throughout his body.
The last time he absorbed the legacy of a swordsman was Eason, who had reached the no-blade stage in Hero Fighter. This time, it was a Sword Saint who had fought and killed his entire life on the battlefield.
As for who was stronger in swordsmanship, Raize couldn't say. It wasn't something age alone could determine.
[Danger Sense]
『Quality』: A+
『Type』: Passive Skill
Effect: When the host encounters a lethal threat, the character "危" (Danger) will appear in the host's mind and vision in advance.
Note: Even dangers not yet within sight will trigger a warning. Whether the host can evade them depends on the host's own abilities.
The usefulness of this ability didn't need explanation. Its true value lay in guarding against assassinations, ambushes, or unseen imminent threats.
With this passive skill, anyone attempting long-range sniping or covert attacks would be detected early, allowing Raize to dodge or counter.
Even in frontal combat, it could be used to avoid an enemy's lethal finishing move.
[Complete Dragon's Heritage]
『Quality』: EX
『Type』: Passive Skill
『Effect』: Greatly enhances the inheritor's stamina and life regeneration. After receiving fatal damage, revival occurs based on the degree of bodily damage. Revivals are unlimited. During recovery, all surrounding life force will be drained.
The inheritor may share Dragon's Heritage with any living being, granting rapid regeneration and infinite resurrection.
Note: Complete blessing of the Divine Dragon. Those unable to withstand it will twist into monsters. Use with caution.
Dragon's Heritage was the immortality power from the Sekiro world, essentially granting infinite resurrection along with rapid self-healing.
In Sekiro, the total mutation of the Fountainhead Palace was caused by directly receiving the Divine Dragon's power. Unable to bear it, they lost human form and became monsters.
This power was extremely strong, but its side effects couldn't be ignored. However, the system had said earlier…
[You possess Kirby's ability. Your body's tolerance and adaptability are extraordinary. As for Dragon's Heritage's side effects, don't forget you also possess the power of the biblical God of this world.]
That was the foundation of Raize's fearlessness toward Dragon's Heritage's drawbacks. With primordial sacred radiance within him, he now had unparalleled resistance against curses, poisons, and dark-type negative buffs.
『Name』: Raize Yotsuki
『Race』: Human
『Strength』: 250 (Physical Power) [+70]
『Constitution』: 500 (Vitality, Defense, Endurance, Status Resistance, etc.) [+70]
『Agility』: 270 (Movement Speed, Attack Speed) [+70]
『Spirit』: 500 (Mental Activity, Willpower, Neural Reflexes, Perception) [+70]
『Energy』: 700 Chaos Energy (A positive-aligned energy infused through self-training and external factors. Enhances physical attributes and has lethal suppression against dark and corrupted beings.)
『Techniques』: Eightfold Thunder Annihilation, Eightfold Thunder Cataclysm
『Passive Abilities』: Dragon's Heritage, Danger Sense, All-Rounder
『Active Abilities』: Inhale and Copy, Primordial Sacred Radiance, Weapon Mastery, Chaos Acceleration: Ultra-High-Speed Movement, Lightning Manipulation, Buddhist Art: Mystic Ice Subjugation, Flame Control
---
Raize opened his eyes. His cold, sharp blue gaze was like blades forged through countless temperings. Anyone caught by that stare would feel as though a sword were pointed directly at them.
Looking at the newly added abilities on his status panel, he focused carefully on Dragon's Heritage and decided to test this sinister power from the *Sekiro* world.
"Chirp…"
A crisp birdcall drew Raize's attention. A small bird had landed on the rooftop railing, grooming its feathers.
Raize extended a hand toward it and activated the newly acquired Dragon's Heritage. A cherry-blossom-colored, brilliant energy silently wrapped around the bird on the railing.
"..."
Suddenly, the bird stopped chirping. Its feathers fell off as if stripped clean, its tiny body rapidly shriveling until it looked like nothing but skin over bones.
Raize's body gained a surge of vibrant life energy, while the bird was completely drained of vitality, its life ending in mere moments.
Dragon's Heritage allowed the user to plunder surrounding life force to replenish themselves. Calling this power sinister was entirely accurate.
And now, his swordsmanship…
Clang!
He casually pulled the pen from his pocket. In his hand, it transformed into an incomparably sharp blade. With a slow, casual swing, it pierced straight into the rooftop wall, leaving only a tiny portion exposed.
Such minimal force, like a simple flick of the wrist, yet it produced terrifying destructive power. Isshin's swordsmanship had long reached perfection. Even old and frail, he could still slaughter with ease.
Raize opened the game menu and looked at the soon-to-be-unlocked Devil May Cry icon. Once that game was cleared, the manifested rewards would certainly not disappoint.
After all, the Devil May Cry world held far more powerful artifacts than Sekiro. The power gained would naturally be immense.
---
"Please, Shiina-san!"
Along with loud shouting, a flushed and earnest figure suddenly appeared at the entrance of Raize's classroom.
The sudden noise disrupted everyone's chatter. They looked curiously at the unfamiliar bespectacled boy at the door, then shifted their gazes back and forth between him and the blank-faced Mashiro.
Mashiro didn't understand what this stranger wanted. She had been about to look for Raize when she was suddenly blocked by this odd person.
At that moment, a small, furious figure appeared at the classroom entrance.
She was petite, with twin golden ponytails.
Hair like a crafted ornament, clear blue eyes, porcelain-white skin. Any man seeing her for the first time would have his eyes instantly drawn to her.
"Tomoya, what on earth are you doing!?"
Eriri was furious seeing her secretly admired childhood friend run into another class and act so rudely in front of her idol.
Her father was British and a diplomat. She personally admired Mashiro and idolized her deeply.
In painting, a girl only a few years older had already reached world-class status. That was beyond envy.
After witnessing Mashiro's works, Eriri felt nothing but reverence. She absolutely would not allow her thoughtless childhood friend to embarrass himself in front of her idol.
And if he offended Mashiro, even a hundred Tomoyas wouldn't be enough to make up for it.
How arrogant did he have to be to ask a world-class painter to help make a game!?
She rushed over, grabbed the rude guy, and tried to drag him away. The bespectacled boy, Aki Tomoya, struggled desperately. Eriri was a girl and not very strong, so she couldn't move him.
"Let go, Eriri! If Shiina-san joins us, we can make the greatest game ever!"
Mashiro stared blankly at the two struggling, not reacting at all. To her classmates, though, it looked like she had been frightened.
Some people couldn't stand it anymore.
Yumiko's expression darkened. She gave a subtle signal to those around her and stepped forward decisively.
Hayama, the closest one, also couldn't ignore it. With a polite smile, he stepped in front of Mashiro.
"This student, could you please stop causing a scene in our classroom and pay attention to your surroundings?"
After those words, Tomoya looked around and saw every boy and girl in the class staring at him with hostile expressions. Several boys were already cracking their knuckles and approaching.
The otaku immediately shrank back.
Yumiko gently reached out, pulled Mashiro behind her, and stared at Tomoya and Eriri with a fake smile.
"I remember you. Aki Tomoya, right? In your first year, you caused a scene in the teachers' office to get permission to show anime at the school festival, even alerting the principal. You became something of a campus celebrity. What does a deadbeat otaku like you want with Shiina-san? Do you think we don't exist?"
Tomoya was indeed known around school, though not for good reasons. Yumiko, who often chatted with friends, naturally knew him and disliked him.
Making such a racket in front of Shiina-san—was he trying to scare her?
And Mashiro seemed to be very close to Raize. That meant she was Yumiko's friend now.
Her words were sharp and merciless, directly calling him a deadbeat otaku. In this country, "otaku" didn't mean a rich homebody—it meant someone socially awkward, uncool, and unpopular.
In Japan, the term "deadbeat otaku" refers to people who refuse to enter society, similar to shut-ins who live off their parents.
Japan places great importance on whether a person realizes their own social value. If you become a shut-in, it's equivalent to not fulfilling that value. Yet the compulsory education you received was funded by other taxpayers. You consumed social resources but failed to repay society by realizing your own value. If people don't despise you, who should they despise?
Moreover, this type of otaku is also considered a hidden crime group. As a result, almost all japanese strongly dislike deadbeat otaku.
The subtext of Yumiko's words was simple: what do you, this disgusting hidden criminal, want by getting close to Shiina?