Carrying three large, heavily laden bags, Takeru walked home. Thanks to his increased strength, the weight wasn't too burdensome, but to prevent the bags from tearing, he used his psychokinesis to lighten their load and his own.
"Oh my, Takeru-kun, you bought so much!" A resident of the same apartment building remarked with surprise as he entered.
"Ah, Mrs. Emi. With high school starting, I might not have as much free time later, so I stocked up on some dry goods," Takeru replied with a light smile.
"Is that so? You really do work hard," Mrs. Emi said with a sympathetic tone, knowing a bit about Takeru's family situation.
"Not at all. Well, I'll head up now," Takeru said, waving goodbye.
"See you later!"
…
Unlocking his apartment door, Takeru quickly set the bags down. He retrieved a large cardboard box he had saved and began loading it with supplies.
After packing the contents of two full bags into the box, he sealed it. Touching the box, he focused, and it instantly vanished from the room.
Checking his item slots, he saw the box resting there safely. With another thought, he summoned the box back, confirmed nothing was missing, and sighed in relief.
He stored the box away again in the item slot. Then, he took the remaining bag to the refrigerator and began organizing its contents...
This bag contained fresh ingredients that needed to be consumed over the next few days.
Checking the time, it was only 2:00 p.m. Even though it was the first day of school, Miu wouldn't be home until around 3:00 p.m. So, Takeru decided to go back to the supermarket to buy some clothes...
Since the supermarket wasn't far from the apartment, Takeru's trip out and back only took until about 3:00 p.m.
"I'm home!" Opening the door and seeing shoes in the entryway, Takeru knew Miu was already back.
"Onii-chan, you're back! What did you buy? Let me see!" Hearing Takeru's voice, Miu quickly ran out and saw the three bags in his hands.
"Huh? What's this?" The first two bags seemed normal, but when she reached for the last one, it felt unusually heavy.
"Sandbags?" Opening it, Miu saw special sandbags, clearly designed for training by strapping to arms or legs.
"Onii-chan, why did you buy these?" Miu asked, confused.
"To train, of course!" Takeru replied with an amused smile.
"Eh? But why start training all of a sudden?" Miu was even more puzzled.
"Why? To be better able to protect you in the future, of course!" Takeru answered without hesitation.
Hearing his words, Miu froze for a moment. Looking at Takeru's expression, she bit her lip and suddenly hugged him tightly...
"I just said it casually. But there are reasons I need to get stronger now," Takeru said softly, gently patting her head.
He couldn't hide his training from Miu, living together, so he never intended to keep it a secret.
He just hadn't expected his offhand remark to move her so deeply. Of course, he wasn't lying...
Soon, after calming Miu down, Takeru began training in the living room while Miu watched TV from the couch, cheering him on.
Meanwhile, in an apartment not far from Takeru's, Umaru, the moment she returned home, instantly transformed into her hamster-mode alter ego and embraced a life of leisure.
Munching on snacks, playing video games in front of the TV, and guzzling from a large bottle of cola...
"I'm home," Taihei said upon returning, sighing lightly at the sight of Umaru's state before starting to clean up her mess.
"Ah, Onii-chan, you're back!" Umaru greeted him casually.
"Umaru, now that you're a Reincarnator, shouldn't you have at least a little sense of urgency?" Taihei said helplessly.
"How rude! I am taking it very seriously!" Umaru declared.
'Really? I don't see it at all,' Taihei thought, looking at her current condition.
"Oh, right, Onii-chan. About that place, Takeru-kun shared some of his thoughts," Umaru suddenly remembered, speaking to Taihei.
"Hmm? What did he say?" Taihei's expression turned serious.
After all, matters related to that place could very well concern their lives.
"About items likely not being transferable between worlds, and that the worlds we enter might be different, or we might not be assigned together..." Umaru quickly summarized Takeru's points.
"I see. It seems your classmate is quite remarkable. No wonder he got a C-Rank evaluation right from the start," Taihei nodded thoughtfully.
"Also, Onii-chan, let's go on a big shopping trip too! I saw Takeru-kun buying a lot today," Umaru suggested excitedly.
"Hmm... okay, we can go tonight," Taihei agreed, nodding.