Chapter 5: Today's Wind is Quite Boisterous
After all, the Tokyo subway system is one of the busiest urban rail transit systems in the world.
In his previous life, he had also squeezed onto the subway and buses in Tiantongyuan.
After finally getting out of the station, Ryusei Kiryu straightened his wrinkled uniform and thought he should really buy a bicycle.
Leaving the station, on the last stretch of road to the school, Ryusei saw many boys and girls in the same uniform.
They walked in twos and threes, chatting and laughing.
On both sides of the road, blooming cherry blossoms drifted down with the wind.
Ryusei couldn't help but be stunned.
Only then did he finally feel the reality of "being ten years younger."
When he was working, he occasionally wondered what would happen if he went back to high school and tried a little harder, but after thinking about it, he still had to face reality.
Now, he had truly returned to a high school campus once again.
Although it was a foreign country in another world, it didn't matter.
"How nice."
Ryusei lowered his head and saw an ant crawling at his feet.
Coming out to forage so early in the morning, it must be hard work.
Ryusei lifted his foot and mercilessly sent it to the Pure Land.
"No money dropped, that's not good."
Snakes can drop coins; they are good snakes.
Ants cannot drop coins; they are bad... well, it's also possible that this particular ant simply didn't trigger the drop rate.
After all, in games, not every monster drops coins and equipment when killed.
He needed to try harder and find a few more ants to test.
Ryusei walked with his head down, mercilessly stepping on a few more early-rising, busy ants.
Still, not a single copper coin dropped.
It seems ants are not considered monsters recognized by the system.
Ryusei gave up testing and followed the crowd into the gates of Tonosaki.
The campus also had many cherry trees planted.
A light breeze blew, and falling blossoms created a picturesque scene.
Arriving at Class 1-E, Ryusei found his seat, put down his backpack, and took out his textbooks.
He glanced at a desk in the corner of the classroom.
A rather inconspicuous girl was sitting there.
In the classroom, before class started, students were chatting and playing, but she alone sat quietly at her desk, engrossed in a book, exuding an air of detachment from the world.
Kato Megumi.
Her presence was indeed very faint.
Ryusei thought that this should also count as a talent for her, but it certainly wasn't as high quality as his Death Declaration; at most, it would be considered common grade.
Class began, and the middle-aged math teacher, wearing black-rimmed glasses, walked into the classroom.
"Students, please turn to page 32. Today we will learn..."
Ryusei first listened attentively to the teacher's lecture for a while.
So this is how high school teachers in the island nation teach problems.
After satisfying his curiosity, Ryusei flipped through the entire math textbook in his hand.
For him, someone who had studied advanced mathematics in college, the content of first-year high school math was very easy to understand.
Since he had already learned it, there was no need to waste class time on textbooks anymore.
Ryusei took out a piece of paper and began to write down the information he had gathered from browsing the news last night.
Totsuki, Seigaku, Kiyosumi, Seto, Beika Town, Tonosaki, Shuchiin... Through the original plot of the anime series, Ryusei could foresee what might happen in the future.
This kind of information gap, similar to future sight, might bring him some help.
The bell for class dismissal rang. As soon as the teacher left, the classroom became noisy and lively.
Some people were complaining that they couldn't understand the math class at all, some were complaining about too much homework assigned by the teacher, and others were chatting about topics like baseball, makeup, and pretty senior girls at school.
Ryusei folded the paper full of writing and pretended to put it in his pocket, but actually stored it in his inventory.
He got up to go to the restroom, glancing at the back row of the classroom.
Kato Megumi was still sitting quietly in her seat, looking down at her textbook.
No one approached her to chat. Nor did she go to approach others to chat.
Ryusei withdrew his gaze.
Although he felt that the other party's personality was a bit solitary, he himself wasn't much better off and had no friends in class.
Besides, teenage girls are very difficult to deal with.
Ryusei just wanted to make money now.
Being friends with Kato Megumi wouldn't drop money.
Pointless.
At noon, Ryusei casually bought a bread and went to the legendary rooftop.
The sun was a bit strong, there was a lot of dust on the ground, and there were no beautiful girls.
But it was quiet.
Ryusei found a shaded spot, squatted on the ground, and finished his bread.
The bread was too dry and felt a bit choking.
Ryusei took out the cup of water he had put in his inventory last night.
It was still steaming hot.
This was good news.
The special nature of the inventory could basically be confirmed.
Ryusei put the cup back into his inventory, thinking that he would have to go to the supermarket again tonight, this time to stock up on more things like mineral water, bread, and fried chicken.
Anyway, things stored in the inventory wouldn't spoil.
Ryusei took out his phone and dialed the number for Miss Mira's Jewelry Store.
A pleasant female voice answered on the other end: "Hello, this is Miss Mira."
"Hello, I'd like to ask, can your store custom-make commemorative coins?"
"May I ask what material the guest would like to order? Gold? Silver? Or..."
"Copper."
"Copper, huh... Yes, we can. Will the guest provide the material himself, or should our store provide it?"
"You provide it."
"Alright, please send the design drawing of the commemorative coin to our store's email as soon as possible. We will then give you a quote, and if you find the price acceptable, we can begin production."
"Okay."
Hanging up the phone, Ryusei took out a copper coin from his inventory.
He placed the copper coin on the ground, ready to take a picture of it with his phone.
Something strange happened.
In Ryusei's vision, the copper coin was lying perfectly on the ground.
But in the phone's camera, the ground was empty.
Ryusei tried pinching the copper coin between his fingers and then observed it through the phone's camera.
On the screen, his index finger and thumb were slightly bent, as if pinching something.
"Can it only be observed with the naked eye?"
Ryusei pondered for a moment and opened the phone's recording mode.
He lightly tossed the copper coin.
The copper coin landed on the ground, making a crisp clinking sound.
Ryusei saved the recording and played it back.
However, there was no sound of the copper coin landing in the recording.
Ryusei vaguely had a guess in his heart.
But he still needed to find someone else to verify it.
He picked up the copper coin from the ground and walked down from the rooftop.
Back in the classroom.
Ryusei didn't see many classmates; they should still be eating in the cafeteria at this time.
But Kato Megumi was there.
She sat quietly in her seat, slowly and carefully eating the bento she had brought from home.
Ryusei looked around and then walked up to Kato Megumi.
Kato Megumi looked up at him with a slightly puzzled expression.
"Kato-san, don't you think this coin in my hand is pretty?"
Kato Megumi looked at his hand, and after two seconds, she spoke: "Ryusei-san, there's nothing in your hand."
Ryusei held the copper coin and waved it in front of her.
"Look closely again."
Kato Megumi stared at him and said softly, "That joke isn't funny at all."
Ryusei closed his hand, put the copper coin into his inventory, and then took out an ordinary coin.
He opened his hand and said with a smile, "This isn't a joke, just a small magic trick."
"Oh, it's a magic trick," Kato Megumi nodded expressionlessly. "That's impressive."
"Thank you for the compliment, Kato-san. As a thank you, I'll give this magic prop to you."
Ryusei smiled and handed over the coin.
Kato Megumi hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took the coin.
Their fingers brushed slightly.
[Ding—]
The system's notification sound suddenly rang in Ryusei's mind.
Unlike the previous notification sounds he had heard, this one sounded like the crisp clinking of many coins colliding.
"Thank you, Ryusei-san."
"No... no need to thank me."
A hint of surprise flashed in Ryusei's eyes.