"Are we really classmates? How come I didn't know?"
Tomoya Aki stared at Megumi Kato, feeling a strange sense of familiarity, yet he simply couldn't remember her.
"I'm begging you! Join my club and be my heroine! This is the request of my lifetime!"
Tomoya's blatant moral blackmail made Megumi uneasy. She was genuinely worried that if she stayed any longer, he might do something even more embarrassing.
"I'm very sorry, classmate, but I have something else to do, so I'll be leaving first."
She gave Shin Chan an apologetic look, then turned around and left without hesitation.
Tomoya immediately tried to chase after her, but his shoulder was suddenly grabbed.
"Your behavior is bordering on harassment," Shin Chan said calmly. "That's not okay."
The grip wasn't light. The sharp pain forced Tomoya to calm down.
"What are you doing?! She's my heroine!"
"…You're crazy."
Shin Chan watched Megumi disappear around the corner before releasing his grip.
He didn't want to say another word to Tomoya. Shin Chan had always disliked trouble, and he absolutely couldn't get along with someone like him.
Picking up his pace, he left directly.
Tomoya couldn't catch up and could only rage helplessly where he stood. Still, in his heart, his resolve only grew stronger.
He would make his own galgame.
Unfortunately, in that perfect encounter just now, he hadn't been the male lead.
But so what?
As long as he didn't say anything, who would know?
If he said he picked up the hat, then he picked it up!
Being an avid gamer, Tomoya easily substituted himself into Shin Chan's role. Inspiration surged through him, his creative desire reaching its peak.
—Wait, crap! He was about to be late for his part-time job!
Panicking, Tomoya immediately turned and ran off.
"Shin, why isn't he here yet?"
Toru Kazama, who had already arrived at the meeting point, glanced at his watch with a helpless expression.
It had been a long time since they last met. He'd arrived earlier than the agreed time, but Toru absolutely refused to admit that he'd missed Shin Chan—so all he could do was keep anxiously checking the time.
Suddenly, he felt a warm gust of air blow against his ear.
His whole body shuddered.
This familiar feeling—
Covering his ear, Toru spun around.
And sure enough, it was Shin Chan.
"You idiot! How many times have I told you not to blow into my ear?!"
Being treated like this in public—and at their age—Toru was both furious and deeply embarrassed.
"Hahahaha, I couldn't help it when I saw you."
Shin Chan scratched the back of his head, grinning.
"Don't look so proud!"
Toru clenched his fists, but his heart relaxed at the same time.
Shin Chan was still Shin Chan.
…But when did this guy get so tall?
Toru was only 169 cm. Boys developed later, so he still had room to grow. Besides, the average height of male high school students in Japan wasn't particularly tall, and Toru was already around average.
"Spacing out again."
At some point, A-Dai had quietly arrived beside them.
"A-Dai! You're here too! We're going to the same school again when school starts!"
"Haha, yeah. I didn't expect the schools to merge either. Too bad Nene and Masao can't attend with us."
Shuchiin Academy, Soubu High School, and Toyonosaki High School were all private schools with extremely high entry requirements. You had to be outstanding either academically or financially.
"That can't be helped. Who told them not to study harder?"
Nene's dream was to meet her destined partner and become a housewife like her mother. Masao wanted to become a manga artist.
Neither of them cared much about academics.
"You say that like your grades are any good!"
Toru covered his face.
Shin Chan's grades were terrible too—but his physical abilities were undeniably outstanding. If he worked hard in high school, getting a university recommendation wouldn't be impossible.
Shin Chan had never truly shown his full potential, but the system's character panel told the whole story.
Player: Nohara Shin Chan
Gender: Male
Strength: 9
Intelligence: 6
Spirit: 6
Agility: 7
Endurance: 8
(Note: The maximum value for a normal adult male is 5)
Passive Skills:
Natural Swordsman (You possess extraordinary talent in swordsmanship and are destined to become the strongest swordsman in history)
Driving Mastery (You can easily handle any kind of vehicle)
Pickup Artist (Your natural charm makes people lower their guard)
Musical Instrument Mastery
Calligraphy Mastery
Cooking Mastery
Boxing Mastery
Climbing Mastery (Able to scale walls like Spider-Man)
…
Active Skill:
One-Second Undress
There were so many passive skills that the system couldn't display them all at once. Meanwhile, the only active skill—One-Second Undress—was downright embarrassing.
Still, his physical stats alone proved that if Shin Chan wanted to, becoming a professional athlete—let alone entering a top university—would be easy.
These abilities were entirely his own. When he was younger, they manifested in ridiculous ways—playing the piano with his feet and butt, tap-dancing while driving—but as he grew older and awakened the system, those absurd talents transformed into proper skills.
"Shin is really good at sports. That's also a talent," A-Dai said, adjusting his glasses.
"If anyone else said that, I'd think they were calling me dumb and muscle-brained," Shin Chan replied. "But if it's A-Dai, then it's definitely praise."
While speaking, Shin Chan glanced around.
The three of them had arrived—standing around awkwardly wasn't an option.
His gaze landed on a shop behind them. He looked interested.
Toru and A-Dai followed his line of sight.
"No!" ×2
Behind them was a maid café. A woman in a maid outfit and black stockings was soliciting customers. Her face was hidden under heavy makeup, but her figure was undeniably mature—exactly Shin Chan's type.
"Isn't it a bit reckless for us to go somewhere like that right now?"
Shin Chan blinked, then pointed to the shop next to the maid café.
A large banner hung at the entrance:
Magical Girl Cute P — Limited Edition Figures Available!
"I want to check out this shop. Want to come with me?"
"…Yes."
As Toru's close friends, Shin Chan and A-Dai naturally knew about Toru's love for Magical Girl Cute P. A-Dai pretended not to notice, while Shin Chan occasionally teased him for it.
"After we're done here, should we go to that café and wait for Nene and Masao?"
"Okay."
Toru was a little surprised.
Why did Shin Chan suddenly seem… reliable?
They hadn't gone to the same middle school. Although they kept in touch, Toru had been buried in studies and cram schools for years, so they rarely met.
That was exactly why he was so excited to attend the same high school again.
Thanks to Shin Chan and A-Dai deliberately creating opportunities, Toru was able to secretly buy several Cute P figures and stuff them into his tote bag.