The next morning, Sora got up at 5:30.
Among his current attributes, only Luck and Charm were at the standard value of 5.
Every other physical attribute was one point below the average adult level.
That meant his body was still developing.
All of his physical stats had room for improvement.
Normally, all he had to do was maintain a healthy lifestyle—eat when he should eat, drink when he should drink, exercise when he should exercise.
By the time he reached adulthood, those attributes would naturally increase by one point and reach 5.
But that would only make him average.
Sora wanted to become stronger.
With proper training and nutrition, he could easily surpass the standard adult level just like athletes did, raising his Strength and Agility from 5 to 6 or even 7.
Having been given a second chance, Sora had no intention of wasting it.
He had prepared a kettle of cooled water the previous night.
After storing it in his inventory, he headed out.
Once he finished warming up, he began his morning run.
The early summer sky was already beginning to brighten.
The wind was gentle.
Drops of dew clung to the roadside grass.
Running felt wonderful.
Sora didn’t venture too far.
After all, this was Beika Town.
A certain level of caution and respect was still necessary.
He simply jogged around the apartment district.
While spreading the snake-repellent powder the previous night, he had asked Miyuri about the neighborhood.
According to her, there hadn’t been any incidents nearby, so it was relatively safe.
Twenty minutes later, Sora passed by a convenience store.
A vehicle was parked outside, apparently delivering goods.
He couldn’t help stopping.
Because the vehicle wasn’t an ordinary delivery truck.
It was an AE86 with the words “Fujiwara Tofu Shop” painted on the side.
A boy about Sora’s age stepped out while yawning and began unloading tofu with practiced movements.
“Takumi Fujiwara?” [TL: From the anime Initial D] After thinking for a moment, Sora called out.
The boy turned around and looked at him curiously.
“Do I know you?” Sora answered with complete sincerity.
“I’ve eaten your family’s tofu before.
It’s really delicious.” So he was a customer.
Takumi nodded.
“Thank you.” Sora smiled.
“Need a hand carrying those?” Takumi shook his head.
“No need.
I’ve already finished unloading here.
The rest are for other stores.” “I see.” Sora slipped a hand into his pocket, took a piece of chewing gum from his inventory, and handed it over.
“Have some gum.” Takumi felt that Sora was surprisingly friendly.
He accepted the gum and thanked him again.
Sora waved and resumed jogging.
Inside, however, he felt somewhat disappointed.
The system’s money notification hadn’t sounded.
As expected.
Guys simply didn’t generate money.
Forget it.
Better to focus on those upperclassmen at Toyogasaki.
An hour later, Sora returned to the apartment building and took another shower.
He boiled two eggs and paired them with bread and milk.
A simple but nutritious breakfast.
After finishing his meal, he slung his school bag over his shoulder and headed to school.
While going downstairs, he didn’t run into Mifuyu.
Since he still hadn’t bought a bicycle, he had no choice but to take the subway again.
Stuffed inside the stuffy metal can with a crowd of exhausted office workers staring blankly around them, Sora’s good mood from getting up early began to fade.
He decided that after school today, he absolutely had to buy a bicycle.
The subway wasn’t filled exclusively with office workers.
There were students heading to school as well.
Among them were girls dressed in sailor uniforms, pleated skirts, knee-high socks, and leather shoes.
JKs.
Sora appreciated beauty in a perfectly healthy manner and glanced at a nearby JK a couple of times.
Then he noticed her slowly moving toward him.
Sora: ???
Wait, miss!
I only looked a couple of times!
I wasn’t secretly taking photos!
Just as he was preparing to turn away and pretend nothing had happened, he noticed the girl’s expression.
She looked flustered.
Looking past her, Sora spotted a balding middle-aged man slowly inching closer from behind.
Hmm?
Looks like she’s dealing with a creep.
Over the past few nights, Sora had seen similar stories while browsing the news.
Most train molesters took advantage of crowded conditions to commit their crimes.
If that was what was happening, he couldn’t simply ignore it.
Sora raised a hand and gestured for her to come over.
The JK hesitated.
However, after noticing his Toyogasaki Academy uniform, she moved toward him.
Standing beside the train window, Sora waited for her to approach.
Then he shifted position, giving her the safer spot by the window while placing both arms on either side of her.
Effectively, he used his own body to create a protected space around her.
Seeing that his opportunity had vanished, the balding man glared resentfully at Sora before moving elsewhere.
“Thank you.” The JK spoke softly from within the space he had created.
Sora smiled.
“You’re welcome.” The girl had long hair.
When she noticed him looking at her, she lowered her head shyly.
She probably couldn’t see her own toes.
Seeing that she seemed rather introverted, Sora didn’t try to force a conversation.
Instead, he quietly maintained his position and continued protecting her.
As the train neared the next station, he finally spoke.
“Do you want me to find a railway officer and report him?” The JK looked up and quietly replied, “No.
He never actually touched me.” “That’s good.” Sora said nothing more.
The train stopped.
Another wave of passengers squeezed inside.
Sora’s physical attributes were still slightly below adult standards.
A strong shove from behind nearly overwhelmed him.
His arms faltered, causing his body to lean forward.
Some unavoidable contact occurred between him and the JK.
Sora quickly tried to pull back.
“Sorry.
I didn’t mean to…” The girl’s cheeks reddened slightly.
“I-It’s okay.” She turned her head away and lifted a hand to brush some hair behind her ear.
In the process, the back of her hand lightly brushed against Sora’s arm.
[Ding—] The crisp sound of coins dropping into a pouch suddenly rang out inside Sora’s mind.
He froze.
This well-developed, soft-spoken JK was actually a female character from some anime series as well?
He immediately checked his wallet.
[0 Gold Coins, 0 Silver Coins, 34 Copper Coins] Another ten copper coins.
Who would’ve thought that one crowded subway ride would be worth more than killing five fish?
Closing the system panel, Sora felt his mood improve considerably.
JKs really were wonderful.
If he could earn money every day by protecting JKs, maybe buying a bicycle wasn’t actually necessary after all.