Kaedehara Tōru did not return to the dormitory immediately.
His previous life as a corporate slave had instilled in him the habit of relieving stress immediately, and shopping was undoubtedly a good choice.
He followed the dispersing crowd out of the gymnasium and headed straight for the Keyaki Mall in the center of the campus.
The Keyaki Mall was bustling with people, likely all new students buying daily necessities.
Kaedehara Tōru entered a convenience store and skillfully navigated the aisles.
Toothbrushes, toothpaste, towels, body wash, shampoo…
He chose brands with high cost-performance ratios.
The habit of being frugal, developed in his previous life, was deeply ingrained.
Just as he reached the aisle stocked with various snacks and instant food products, his steps suddenly halted.
His gaze was firmly drawn to a familiar figure not far away.
Long purple hair was casually tied into a low ponytail.
Her fitted school uniform gave off the vibe of a delinquent girl; the hem of her skirt seemed slightly shorter than standard, revealing a pair of well-proportioned, slender, and toned calves.
Kamuro Masumi.
The loyal “right-hand” of Sakayanagi Arisu in the future.
At this moment, she had her back to Kaedehara Tōru, standing in front of an open shelf stocked with various imported cosmetics and fashion accessories.
She wasn’t carrying a shopping basket; instead, her hands were tucked into the pockets of her school uniform skirt as she slowly and aimlessly moved between the shelves.
Kamuro Masumi’s purpose flashed through Kaedehara Tōru’s mind instantly: a secret habit—shoplifting.
I have to say, Kamuro Masumi certainly knew how to pick a spot; the surveillance in this convenience store was rudimentary.
Besides one camera at the front counter, there was only a single rotating camera in the very center.
However, since shelves surrounded it, it couldn’t cover a very large area, leaving many blind spots.
Kaedehara Tōru’s brain was already starting to work.
A perfect opportunity, delivered right to his doorstep.
Controlling Kamuro Masumi.
He made his decision immediately, almost without hesitation.
He placed the shopping basket he was holding down in an inconspicuous corner by his feet, then slowly retreated behind a tall row of adjacent shelves.
Through the gaps between the items on the shelves, he gained an excellent, concealed vantage point.
He took out his phone, made no sound, unlocked the screen, and switched the mode to video recording.
Kamuro Masumi didn’t seem to have made up her mind yet.
She repeatedly picked up and put down several items, occasionally glancing toward the checkout counter and the surveillance camera on the ceiling.
Kaedehara Tōru waited with extreme patience.
Kamuro Masumi’s profile in the camera frame was tense.
Her gaze finally settled on an exquisitely packaged silver tube—a brand-name lipstick.
She picked up the lipstick, examined it in her palm for a long time, and then put it back.
The hand holding the lipstick appeared to be returning it to its original spot, but the moment it touched the shelf, her hand retracted, and the lipstick vanished from her palm.
Immediately afterward, her other hand, which was in her pocket, was withdrawn to casually brush aside the stray hairs near her ear.
When the previously empty hand returned to the pocket, the lipstick in her palm had already slid into the depths of the pocket.
The entire process was fluid and seamless, executed so quickly that it would be impossible to notice without deliberate observation.
Her face maintained its indifferent expression, but through the lens, Kaedehara Tōru captured a fleeting look of satisfaction in her eyes.
She didn’t linger, turning and heading toward the convenience store exit, looking no different from a customer who hadn’t bought anything.
Only then did Kaedehara Tōru press the stop recording button.
He opened his photo album, and the video clip, which was less than ten seconds long, was right there.
He dragged the video progress bar to the crucial second, where the footage clearly documented the entire process of the lipstick sliding from her palm into her pocket.
A perfect piece of evidence.
He walked back to his shopping basket and picked it up again, acting as if nothing had happened.
He continued selecting the daily necessities he needed, even indulging himself by picking out a can of expensive imported coffee beans.
While checking out, he stood in line and saw that Kamuro Masumi’s figure had already disappeared into the crowds of the shopping center.
He watched as the cashier briefly scanned his items with the terminal, and over ten thousand points instantly disappeared from his student terminal.
Carrying two large shopping bags, Kaedehara Tōru returned to the student dormitory he had just been assigned.
His room was on the third floor, a standard single room.
It wasn’t large, but it was fully equipped, featuring a private bathroom, a single bed, a desk, a wardrobe, and even a small kitchen.
He put the shopping bags on the floor, then threw himself heavily onto the bed, spread out in the shape of the character “big.”
The mattress was new and highly elastic, catching his body securely.
He closed his eyes.
In that moment, his mind was completely blank.
After a long time—perhaps five minutes, perhaps ten—he slowly opened his eyes.
The ceiling was pure white, fitted with a simple ceiling lamp, devoid of any unnecessary decoration.
A brand new life, a blank beginning.
He sat up and stretched, his joints emitting a series of crisp cracking sounds.
Most of the physical fatigue had faded, replaced by a hunger-like excitement.
He ignored the two large shopping bags and first pulled his phone out of his pants pocket.
At the same time, he communicated with the system in his mind, constantly searching through the store.
Inside the store, he was looking for a specific item, one that was very important to him.
Finally, two and a half minutes later, his eyes suddenly lit up—he had found what he wanted.
A hidden account worth 100 points.
When Kaedehara Tōru entered the Academy, the Academy’s Terminal System was forcibly installed on his phone.
This meant the Academy could view all sorts of student information at any time, including their consumption records, social circles, and so on.
For Kaedehara Tōru, this was undoubtedly a huge threat, as his future might involve some unknown plans and actions, all of which could be exposed by the Academy’s surveillance, potentially pushing him into an abyss of eternal damnation.
After settling that matter, he immediately opened his photo album.
The video was played over and over again.
He repeatedly dragged the progress bar, constantly editing the video, even leaving behind some editing marks that could be discovered if one looked closely.
After editing, Kaedehara Tōru uploaded both the original and the edited videos to the Hidden Account and then bought a 10-point formatting system from the store, ensuring the Academy wouldn’t be able to view the modified content.
Only after completing all this did he feel truly secure.
This “asset” now completely belonged to him and could be used whenever needed.
He stood up and started looking for something to eat in the two shopping bags.
He pulled out a package of cheap instant udon noodles.
Although he had received Culinary Mastery in the Newbie Gift Pack, Kaedehara Tōru was a lazy dog and couldn’t be bothered to cook.
“Ah…
time is passing so slowly!
It’s only the first day…”
Kaedehara Tōru muttered, watching the udon noodles in the hot water.