Almost as if fleeing, Amaya Yuu rushed back into his apartment, slammed the door shut behind him, and leaned against the door panel, gasping for breath.
His heart was pounding in his chest, not from vigorous exercise, but because of the translucent light screen still hovering right in the center of his vision.
『First communication with a high-charm opposite sex completed, system activation successful.
』
That short line of text reignited the heart of the transmigrator that had been dormant for years.
“System…?” he tentatively thought to himself.
As if responding to his call, the text on the light screen rippled like water, rearranging itself into more detailed information:
『Loading…』
『Panel module…
loaded』
『Task module…
loaded』
『Shop module…
loaded』
『Life game installation complete』
『Kind reminder: Players can trigger tasks by exploring the world.
To help you live a fulfilling life, players are encouraged to actively complete tasks.
』
It was as if his panel had popped up automatically after the game’s loading screen finished.
『Player: Amaya Yuu』
『Charm: 8』 (Evaluates character appearance)
『Intelligence: 8』 (Average value of character IQ, EQ, and all talents)
『Physique: 2』 (Character’s physical endurance)
『Strength: 4』 (Character’s physical strength)
『Note: The content in the parentheses above is only displayed when the panel is opened for the first time.
』
『Skills: Insight (1 time/100 points), Cooking (Skilled)』
『Unallocated attribute points: 0』
『Points: 500』
“Low physique and strength were expected, after all, I’ve been sickly since I was a child…
But what is this ‘Insight’ skill?
Do I know this?”
As his thoughts stirred, the skill description for “Insight” immediately appeared:
『Insight: Can instantly gain Insight into the basic information of the target.
』
“So it’s a basic vision-opening type of skill.” He thought “Shop” in his mind again and called up the 『Shop』 module.
The interface switched accordingly:
『Attribute points: 1 point/10,000 points (When higher than 7 points, each increase requires 10 attribute points.) 』
『Skills: Science, Engineering, Liberal Arts, Medical, Lifestyle…』
The categories alone occupied more than half of his field of vision.
Amaya Yuu clicked on the “Lifestyle” column, and a dense list of skills instantly filled his vision.
He noticed that each skill was followed by a level.
There were four levels in total: “Basic,” “Skilled,” “Master,” and “Supernatural,” corresponding to the four price points of 10,000, 30,000, 100,000, and 300,000 points.
As it stands, Amaya Yuu really didn’t have any special talents to speak of.
The only thing worth mentioning was that since his parents were busy with their careers, he had been responsible for the meals for his family of three since he was very young.
His cooking skills were even better than some novice chefs in restaurants.
As for the final task module, it seemed that because no tasks had been issued yet, he couldn’t call it up no matter what.
Just as Amaya Yuu was carefully checking to see if this system had a manual, the doorbell suddenly rang.
“Who could it be at this hour?”
Having just moved in, Amaya Yuu was not yet accustomed to the facilities of this high-end apartment.
He did not check the peephole or the display screen and subconsciously pulled the door open.
“Misumi-san?
What is this…?” Amaya Yuu looked with some surprise at the neighbor he had just greeted.
Misumi Uika stood at the door with an apologetic look on her face, holding the gift he had just given her.
“Amaya-kun, this…
I am very sorry, I might not be able to accept it.”
“Is there something unsuitable about the gift?” Amaya Yuu noticed that the packaging had been carefully opened and then meticulously re-wrapped.
And since the gift had been prepared by his mother, he didn’t know what it was either.
“No, it’s not that!
The gift is very exquisite, it’s just…” Misumi Uika shook her head quickly, fearing a misunderstanding, and then gently pulled back a corner of the packaging, revealing the contents inside:
A bottle of exquisitely packaged olive oil and two large steaks that looked to be of excellent quality.
“I just feel that such a thoughtful gift is a bit wasted on me…”
Amaya Yuu looked at the two ingredients, his brain with an intelligence of 8 spinning rapidly, and a guess gradually formed.
He hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked:
“Misumi-san, could it be that you…
aren’t very good at cooking?”
As if her secret had been guessed, a trace of embarrassment appeared on Misumi Uika’s apologetic face.
Unable to say anything else, she just apologized repeatedly, “I am truly very sorry, I have failed to live up to your kindness!”
“There is no reason to take back a gift that has already been given.” Before Amaya Yuu could finish his sentence, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him.
“Misumi-san, have you had dinner yet?”
“Eh?
What?” The other party clearly didn’t keep up with his sudden jump in thought.
“Let me help you prepare these steaks, we’ll eat them tonight.” He smiled and took the paper bag from her hand, taking out one of the steaks and waving it in front of her.
“But hiring a chef like me isn’t cheap; I want a piece too.”
“O-okay!
Then I’ll leave it to you!”
Misumi Uika thought about it for a moment and felt that this was indeed a good way to avoid wasting the gift and solve the problem of dinner.
Just as he was about to turn around, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He had just moved in today, and there wasn’t even a decent knife in the kitchen!
The attentive Misumi Uika immediately sensed his predicament and softly suggested, “Amaya-kun just moved in, so the kitchen might not be convenient yet, right?
If you don’t mind…
you can use my kitchen.”
After speaking, she slightly curled the corners of her mouth, revealing a gentle and sincere smile.
Amaya Yuu couldn’t help but sigh inwardly; what a magnificent beauty.
“Then I’ll be bothering you.”
Misumi Uika’s kitchen was as clean as if it had just been renovated.
“No, it should be said that it hasn’t been used at all!” Amaya Yuu inwardly retorted.
The kitchenware was complete, but everything was brand new and shiny.
At most, only the knife showed signs of use, just as Amaya Yuu had expected.
Misumi Uika seemed to sense what he was thinking and, feeling a bit embarrassed, stayed back, silently sitting on a high stool by the kitchen counter.
While Amaya Yuu was focused on cooking with his side to her, she finally spoke softly, asking the question she had been hesitating to ask for a long time:
“Um…”
“Hm?” Amaya Yuu didn’t stop his hands but tilted his head slightly.
“Amaya-kun…
are you from Kagawa Prefecture?” She asked tentatively.
“More accurately, I’m from Shodoshima.” Amaya Yuu said, tapping the side of the pan with his chopsticks twice—this was a small habit he had unconsciously when cooking; although it served no practical purpose, he liked to do it when he cooked.
“I knew it…” Misumi Uika’s voice lowered.
“How did you guess?”
“Because your gift…
the olive oil and the olive beef are both specialties of Shodoshima.”
“Ah~~, your observation skills are really sharp!
Misumi-san might have the potential to be a detective!” As he said this, Amaya Yuu mimicked Conan’s classic pose towards the steak, “Shinjitsu wa itsumo hitotsu!!
(There is only one truth!)”
Misumi Uika couldn’t help but cover her mouth and laugh, waving her hands repeatedly: “That’s not true, you’re overpraising me.”
After a brief silence, as if she had made up her mind, she said softly:
“Actually…
I am also from Shodoshima, which is why I recognized them.”
“Anyway, we’re just strangers who happened to meet,” she comforted herself silently in her heart.
“No one will know.”
“Eh~?” Amaya Yuu drew out his tone with a bit of pleasant surprise.
He gently placed the cooked steak in front of Misumi Uika, then walked around the counter and sat on the high stool next to her.
“I really didn’t expect that I would meet a fellow countryman here just after arriving in Tokyo!”
Misumi Uika narrowed her eyes, the corners of her lips curving slightly: “Yes, I didn’t expect it at all before opening the gift either.”
“But anyway, now that it’s happened,” Amaya Yuu put down the cooking chopsticks, picked up his knife and fork, and said in a light tone, “Let’s eat first!”
“Mm!” Misumi Uika nodded with a smile.
The two of them put their hands together in unison and said in unison: “Let’s eat!”