Sato and the others were lucky.
The most convenient and at the same time busiest mode of transportation in Japan is the train. The railway network is highly developed, and most people spend their commute on trains. As a result, during morning and evening rush hours, each carriage is packed like sardines.
It is truly airtight. Once you are inside, you cannot move at all. There is even a job jokingly called "pushers."
What do they do?
As the name suggests, when the crowd becomes too dense, they stand outside the train and forcefully push people into the carriage. Otherwise, the doors might not even be able to close.
Japan has women-only carriages. Nowadays, everyone knows they exist to protect women's rights and prevent harassment.
But decades ago, their purpose was to save lives.
As society opened up, more and more women had to work, causing a surge in passenger volume across train lines. Overcrowding became the norm, and it led to many tragedies.
The cramped carriages had poor air circulation and were extremely congested. For women and children with weaker physical strength, it was like a nightmare. During that period, there were many incidents of women and children suffocating to death in the crowd.
That was the original reason for the creation of women and children's carriages.
Fortunately, Aoyama Apartments were not far from the private mixed high school. It was only about a ten-minute walk, so they did not have to become canned sardines.
…
The summer heat had not yet passed.
On the way home, the sun still hung high in the sky. The scorching rays made people sweat as if they had just been pulled out of water.
Nishimiya Shouko and Takanashi Rikka could only move carefully along the shaded areas.
"Why isn't the servant afraid of the sun?"
Sweat slid down from Takanashi Rikka's hair as she looked enviously at Sato, who was walking calmly under the sunlight.
Despite being directly exposed, not a single drop of sweat appeared on him, making him stand out.
He smiled and said nothing. After all, he was a man with a system.
[Pirate module loaded]
[Selecting the: Glint-Glint Fruit]
This blazing sunlight was the best kind of energy. The system's stored energy was increasing at a visible rate.
"Maybe it's just my constitution," he said casually.
Takanashi Rikka immediately believed him and nodded seriously, as if she had realized something.
"I see. It seems you have found your original body, servant. The bloodline of the sun has begun to flow within you."
Excellent.
Talking to someone who could fill in the gaps on their own meant there was no need to worry about revealing anything. No matter what he said, they would interpret it themselves.
Sato then glanced at Nishimiya Shouko. Her cheeks were covered in fine beads of sweat, damp strands of hair clinging to her delicate skin, giving her face a faint blush.
Noticing his gaze, she smiled like a blooming flower.
Sato returned the smile and then noticed the hearing aid in her ear.
In an era before Bluetooth earphones, such a device hanging from her ear looked especially conspicuous.
In truth, the essence of this world was not much different from feudal times. However, for ordinary people, life had indeed improved in many ways, at least in terms of food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.
The only real benefit to ordinary people was probably technology.
For example, hearing aids that restore and enhance hearing, tinted glasses that allow colorblind patients to see the world properly, and pacemakers for the heart. These were the things that truly improved people's lives.
But no matter how convenient they were, they could never match the ease of a normal body.
Sato suddenly opened the system and looked at an item it had recently captured.
---
Item Name: Panacea
Effect: Upon consumption, everything about the user returns to normal.
Scope: Includes but is not limited to congenital defects, acquired conditions, injuries, and supernatural influences.
---
This was an item the system had captured from some unknown world. It possessed extraordinary power. If people believed in it, countless individuals would probably come crying and begging to buy it.
The system captured items randomly, almost anything except living beings. Among them were useless junk and also many valuable items.
The most valuable were complete cultivation systems. In Sato's understanding, that was like capturing the "laws" or "heavenly order" of an entire world. Thinking about it, the system was actually quite powerful.
But in this world, which appeared extraordinary on the surface but was actually peaceful, the system did not seem particularly useful.
That had been his previous thought.
Now, however, it seemed that without abilities beyond ordinary people, there were many things in this world he could not change.
Sato thought to himself.
"Shouko, when is your birthday?"
Suddenly, he asked.
Nishimiya Shouko looked up at him in confusion, then gestured.
"June? It's already passed?"
Sato was a little surprised. That meant it had been over two months.
At that time, they had not known each other for long, so he had not considered it. Now that he thought about it, quite some time had already passed.
That was a bit troublesome.
Sato scratched his head. He wanted to give her the panacea right now, but without a proper reason, it might make her suspicious.
It would not matter if Shouko knew, but if this matter were exposed, it could cause serious trouble.
He was not afraid of trouble, but he found trouble troublesome.
Wait… that sounded a bit twisted.
Sato covered his forehead.
The best option had been to disguise it as a birthday gift and have her take it unknowingly. Now that plan no longer worked.
He would have to find another way to get her to take it without her realizing.
Nishimiya Shouko looked at Sato, who had fallen into deep thought, then exchanged a confused glance with Takanashi Rikka.
What… was going on?