...
'I'm sorry, Oliva; I know you want to help me, but I need to get stronger, and if I were to return to society, it would make it harder for me to complete quests.'
.
'I have no money and need to get more information somehow. I do have the memories of the body's previous owner, but he didn't really participate in society.'
"I need a smartphone."
...
I'm in downtown Asta now; from what I can see, technology on Gaia has advanced compared to Earth.
'I'm curious to see what features the smartphones have.'
...
I was worried about getting robbed by thugs in the dark, but the police station is close to the city center, and unlike the neighborhood I was in earlier, the area is very clean and modern. Huge skyscrapers tower into the sky beside me, and there are still a fair number of people out on the streets.
'I can get information without money or a smartphone too, but sooner or later I'll need one anyway...'
'Wait... but where am I going to sleep? I don't have any money, I can't think of any way to get money right now.'
...
But to be honest, I don't feel tired and I can stay up all night, but at some point I have to sleep.
"Maybe I should have accepted Olivia's offer after all."
I stay awake through the night and use the time to look around the city; the later it gets, the fewer people I see, and I notice more and more greedy gazes fixed on me.
I'm worryed that every woman I see wants to do something bad to me. I don't know exactly how strong women are in this world yet, but I think that with my current strength, I could be one-shotted by any woman.
I try to skillfully avoid everyone I see, and somehow I manage to make it through the night. During my scouting trip around the city, I spotted a phone store; it's located just outside the city center but still in a decent neighborhood.
'Why buy a smartphone... when you can just steal it?'
This is the brilliant plan I've come up with—specifically, just this moment, but I'm happy with the idea. If I could see my face, I'm sure I'd be wearing a happy expression.
'I don't have any money right now, and I need to get hold of some information. And my brilliant plan is justified, too; I have to think about myself for a change.'
'I feel like I'm getting too excited, considering I'm planning to do something illegal.'
It's still early in the morning and the phone store isn't open yet; I do want to steal it, but I don't want to break into the shop—that's too big a risk.
.
I don't feel like waiting outside the shop for it to open; instead, I'm heading back toward the city center. The streets are slowly filling up with people again, and daily life is returning.
...
"Um, excuse me..."
Suddenly, a girl about my age appears in front of me.
.
"C–can I have your number?"
'Am I getting hit on? It sure looks a lot like it.'
I never could have imagined being in a relationship, but in this world, things are different, I have the opportunity to do so.
And on top of that, she's beautiful. She has a great body, she hast with shoulder-length Hair—bob with soft waves, and a cute face.
Ah, I'm a bit lost in thought and only just realized I've been staring at her the whole time without saying anything. I don't really mind, but the girl in front of me looks like she's about to die Form awkwardness, She is visibly trembling, and her face is as red as a tomato. She looks like she really needs to go to the bathroom; I find that thought funny, and it makes her look even cuter.
.
"I-I'm sorry! I-I just wanted to..."
"What is your name?"
"huh?"
"I asked you what your name is, mine is Jin, what's yours?
"Ah! Um... I"
"Do you understand my question or do you really need to go to the toilet that badly?"
"Eeek!"
M-my n-name is-is S-Sylvia!"
'Hmm, I thought I could lighten the awkward mood a bit with that little joke, but it looks like I just made it worse. Maybe I shouldn't have said it without any emotions?'
"sorry, I didn't mean it the way it sounded. But I still can't give you your number—I don't have a phone."
Sylvia bites her lower lip, making it look as though she is about to start crying.
"I-iunderstand–bye!"
.
"Anyway, it was nice meeting y-"
'...Oh, she's already gone. Did I handle the situation well? I don't know, I don't have any experience. It's a shame I don't have a phone... yet..., otherwise, I might have gotten a date. It was about the phone, right?
Sylvia ran over to two other girls I hadn't seen before; the other two, who were also around my age, were laughing and placing their hands on Sylvias shoulder, who looked quite distressed.
'Anyway, the phone store should be opening by now...'
...
...
I'm waiting outside the phone store on the opposite side of the street and planning an escape route. Well, actually, there isn't really much of a plan. Plan A is simply to walk out of the store normally with the phone in my pocket; Plan B is to run toward the suburbs as fast as possible if I get spotted. But it's not like I'm just going to walk in and slip a smartphone straight into my pocket, I have to wait for the right moment.
...
...
"Good morning, how can I help you?"
The cashier greets me with a friendly smile, yet I get the feeling she's looking at me a bit strangely.
She is relatively tall and looks like she knows what she's doing. She also has a lovely face and red hair in a modern pixie cut. Still, she doesn't have as good a figure as Sylvia.
"I'm looking for a mobile phone, I just want to have a look around for now."
"Feel free to look around. Just let me know if you have any questions."
"All right, thanks."
I didn't really pay attention to the conversation with the cashier; instead, I was already looking around for a spot where she wouldn't see me slip a phone into my pocket. There aren't any other customers in the shop, and there are plenty of unmonitored areas. Still, I find it a bit odd that a small shop like this sells smartphones and other tech items—I don't even recognize some of the things they're selling.
Smartphones are an essential part of life in this world, and this wasn't the only store of its kind I'd seen.
.
'looks like the store's main focus is repairing phones; anyway, there are plenty available for sale.'
I keep picking up phones and pretending to inspect them while waiting for the right moment.
Sometimes my hands shake a bit, I've never stolen anything. But I calm down quickly.
'even if I get caught, the consequences shouldn't be too bad since I'm not an adult yet. And if I do, at least I've found a place to sleep... I think.'
I might not be good at making plans, but I'm not afraid of the consequences either.
I'm the only customer in the shop, so the cashier's focus is entirely on me—which makes me a bit nervous. She keeps glancing down at her hands beneath the counter, where she's doing something I can't quite make out.
Even though she isn't looking at me the whole time, I hesitate to slip my phone into my pocket.
.
I'm focusing on the smartphones again.
'Why should I pretend to just be looking at the phones? If I can actually take a look at them, I can see what features the smartphones have and how advanced the technology in this world ist.
.
*Ring...Ring...Ring...Ring*
!
Suddenly, the employee receives a call on her own mobile phone.
'Now or never!'
With a quick glance, I make sure the employee is distracted; I take a deep breath and inconspicuously slip a phone into my trouser pocket.
My gaze immediately shifts back to the employee, who is still paying attention to her phone. Now that the employee is busy, it's the perfect moment to leave.
I'll wait a little longer; leaving almost immediately after she gets the call would be too conspicuous. So I'll wait a bit before finally heading toward the exit.
'Phew. Looks like everything went well.'
.
"Are you leaving already?"
!
The employee briefly interrupts the phone call to ask me a question.
.
'Damn, apparently it's not an important call; I allmost had an heart attack when she called me.'
"Yeah, I didn't keep track of the time, I have to go now."
"That's a shame... but boy, you know you have to pay for the phone, right?"
.