Unexpectedly, this [Stimulant] was not an item but a Skill. At first glance at the description, Alistair thought it was a one-time consumable item, but it turned out to be a permanent ability.
The comprehensive physical boost means it covers every aspect of his body. This suggests that even seemingly innate traits like nerve reflexes can be improved by thirty-five percent. However, the cost... twenty percent of his HP? Sacrificing a quarter of his life for this junk? That's pure nonsense... wait, is it not Life Force (longevity) but HP (Health Points)?
Alistair initially thought it consumed a quarter of his life and was about to complain about receiving useless garbage, when he suddenly noticed the subtle difference.
HP (Health Points) and Life Force (longevity)... they shouldn't be the same thing, right?
Alistair opened his personal interface again and confirmed that the HP mentioned in the description was indeed different from his Life Force (longevity) stat.
So what is this...? A health bar?
Alistair conveniently had one remaining trial use of [Acquire]. He decided to use his last chance of the day on this skill, since he wasn't expecting to get anything else anyway. He might as well use it to gain detailed information about the skill.
Everything else remained the same, but the term [Health Points] changed, gaining a detailed explanation:
[Health Points]: The sum total of the vitality of all cells in the body, specifically represented as a numerical value. Behaviors that overdraw cellular vitality, such as excessive fatigue, are represented as a reduction in this value. It can recover slowly, but long-term overdrawing will reduce the maximum HP limit, thereby affecting Life Force (longevity). (Note: Certain drugs can also reduce the maximum HP limit.)
Cellular vitality? So, reducing HP just means becoming "unhealthy," right? That's simple enough. Just activate the Horse Talisman, and recovery is instantaneous. This means the skill can be used as a routine ability, and since the increase is percentage-based, it becomes more useful the stronger he gets. Thirty-five percent is more than one-third. With the same base physique, that's enough to completely dominate any enemy.
This was excellent! Not only could he use it in a fight, but he could also use it for sports competitions or similar events, though Alistair had no intention of engaging in those; they were too much trouble.
Ding—Ding—Ding—
The sound of his phone vibrating rang out. Although not loud, it was quite noticeable in the quiet room.
"Moshi Moshi (Hello), this is Koan, who is this?" Alistair looked at the unfamiliar number on his phone. It felt a little strange—it might be a wrong number, but it could also be someone looking for him. Perhaps someone he knew but hadn't bothered to save the contact for. He had a few numbers he was too lazy to save, later forgetting who they belonged to, so he just ignored them until they called.
"Koan-kun, where are you right now? Do you have time to return to school? Regarding that exchange student matter we discussed before... well, we submitted your application tentatively... and surprisingly, it was approved in the end."
A slightly cool female voice came through the phone. It sounded somewhat hesitant and rambling due to the apparent confusion in her tone, but it felt familiar.
"Uh, who is this? Your voice sounds a little unfamiliar over the phone." Alistair thought for a moment, feeling he didn't seem to know a girl with a slightly cool, hesitant voice.
"Sayuri Takamine. We met this morning, Koan the accountant." On the other end, Sayuri Takamine, sitting in the Student Council room with the newly received document in her hand, was filled with various speculations about Alistair Vance.
"Then how did you get my phone number?" Alistair asked curiously. He wasn't surprised that Sayuri Takamine could get his number. She was practically in charge of the council's operations and held significant power. The most tedious method would be to flip through the roster records, which contained the phone numbers of all students, though whether they belonged to the students themselves was another matter. Alistair's was genuine.
There was also a simpler way: asking Anna Shinomiya. Anna had his phone number, and it wouldn't raise suspicion. The Vice President sometimes needed to coordinate personnel and having the phone numbers of all members wasn't unusual, was it?
"I got it from Vice President Shinomiya." Sayuri Takamine's voice became much more direct now, taking on the tone Alistair was familiar with.
"That doesn't surprise me. Speaking of which, are you calling me just to deliver good news?" Alistair held the phone to his ear with one hand, while the other remained on Rimono Momoki's soft, fair, proud twin peaks, kneading them into various sensual shapes.
"That's part of it. I also wanted to ask if you have any relatives who serve as a director at this school? The proposal was submitted this morning, and the approval came down this afternoon—a complete affirmative. You know, no one else's proposal came down. Yours is the only one." Sayuri Takamine asked with a hint of curiosity, though a deeper, hidden meaning seemed to lurk beneath her words.
"Huh? Mine is the only one? And it was approved?" Alistair was slightly surprised, raising an eyebrow. Even his kneading hands paused.
"That's right," Sayuri Takamine confirmed.
"...Well, I'm not really sure about that. You should be able to check the family information students fill out, right? Both of my parents passed away in an accident. I currently live with relatives (non-blood related). None of those relatives hold such a high position."
Alistair was quite confused. Did he really have a relative serving as a director here? He genuinely didn't think so. Didn't he know his own relatives? The first thing he did after transmigrating was to look for all relevant relatives. This was necessary to ensure they didn't notice any difference. If necessary, he could use running away from home as an excuse for his changes. He roughly knew the relationship with all his relatives. Relations with the Chiaki family were by acknowledgment; Alistair's mother recognized Chiaki's mother as a sister, so they were barely considered "relatives."
Other than that, there were only direct blood relatives, which was just his grandfather. He didn't know where his grandmother went. Only his grandfather maintained contact. Currently, the method Alistair was using to elevate his life form was the "key" his grandfather sent—the magical ring on his finger.
And that was it. Nothing more. At least, Alistair couldn't find any more through his channels, so he really didn't know about this.
"Is that so? Hmm, I understand. One more thing: I hope you can come back today. I need you to look over the document. Also, you need to discuss the specific details of the exchange student program. Furthermore, if you have some free time these next few days, you can go inspect the clubs beforehand. Everyone knows about the observation period; it's a public timeframe. Many clubs will put on a show to appease the Student Council's inspection, so you can go check them out early. And since we haven't publicly announced your accountant status yet, you can get a more authentic sense of the actual situation." Sayuri Takamine's tone carried a slight hint of regret, but she quickly composed herself and spoke to Alistair about the serious business.
"Well, I do have time this afternoon. Club activities usually start around three or four, right? It shouldn't be a problem if I go a little later." Alistair was indeed free this afternoon. He had just finished playing... instructing Rimono Momoki, and didn't have much desire to go after girls right now. Or rather, Alistair, with his multiple battle experiences, wouldn't be tempted by a simple provocation. At least for now, unless it was highly stimulating, Alistair couldn't muster up any feeling. After all, he had been at it from almost eleven o'clock to past one—over an hour. It was fun, but once you repeat similar actions too much, you crave something more stimulating.
"Haah~~" Alistair stretched, having rested enough after a short while. He wasn't sleepy now, so he got up.
"I'll take a shower first, then make her some lunch." Alistair moved his body, picked up his clothes, and walked out the door. Although the environment was very dim, almost like evening, Alistair had night vision, so it didn't affect his movements at all.
Alistair felt sticky all over. He would be uncomfortable if he didn't take a shower. Plus, neither of them had eaten lunch, so making some food was convenient.
"Phew~ That feels great. I feel much better after a shower."
Alistair finished his shower, got dressed, and walked around the kitchen, familiarizing himself with the utensils. It had been a long time since Alistair had cooked for himself. Before transmigrating, as a shut-in whose parents were master chefs, he had picked up a thing or two. He could cook decent food, not necessarily gourmet, but certainly good. However, he hadn't touched a stove in so long that he was bound to be rusty.
Clang.
"There's still a cake? And it's purple?" Alistair opened the refrigerator and found half of a leftover cake, a somewhat rare cake that was entirely purple.
"Which shop made this? It's weird. What's the pattern on top? A triangle? A circle?" Alistair took the purple cake out, placed it on the dining table, and examined it closely. He confirmed that the cake was indeed predominantly dark purple. The presentation was truly hideous; it looked like he was about to eat some unknown object. Never mind the cream and everything on top, even the inside was a pure, dark purple. It was utterly bizarre.
Why would Rimono Momoki buy and eat a cake like this? The question popped into Alistair's mind.