A few knocks sounded on the door. The man lying on the bed opened his eyes. He rubbed his smooth, bald scalp, then reached his hand inside his pajamas and scratched his chest. Still dazed, he got up from the bed, came to the door, and opened it, seeing a gray-haired young man looking at him.
"Hello, I'm your new neighbor."
"Huh? Neighbor?"
The bald man's expression was shocked. The place he lived in was supposed to be an unpopulated area, right? To think that someone was actually willing to move in besides himself?
Then the gray-haired young man handed over the plastic supermarket bag in his hand. The bald man looked at the premium beef inside, and a polite smile immediately appeared on his face as he said, "Ah! Nice to meet you! My name is Saitama. If you encounter any trouble in this neighborhood in the future, just come to me. We're all neighbors, after all. Let's help each other out!"
"Alright, my name is Caelus. I wonder if Mr. Saitama is free this evening? I just moved in today, and I've prepared a generous hot pot dinner for tonight."
"Oh my! That's so embarrassing! What time exactly?"
"Six o'clock in the evening."
"Good, good, good!"
After the two finished talking, Caelus returned to his residence next door.
Cyrene walked out from Caelus's body, then looked toward the door thoughtfully and said this.
"That gentleman named Saitama is growing every single moment. It's almost like he is a super AI constantly updating its own data."
"Hmm, his situation is indeed very special. He is an existence I have never seen before. Although he only has pure physical strength, it can already be called exaggerated. I just don't know if this growth has an upper limit."
"Partner, look. The size of this apartment is even smaller than the one we lived in back in the Date A Live world. But this compact feeling is also a novel experience."
Cyrene began to look around the new house they were going to live in in this world.
"Hmm."
Caelus did not have any special requirements in this regard. As long as it was not overly crowded, he did not mind anything else.
Even if it really was not enough, he could expand it a little.
"System, where are the missions?"
["No rush, Host. I have already cast the bait. Now I'm just waiting for the fish to take the hook."]
Hearing the System say this, Caelus was silent for a long time, then said this.
"Are you going to start targeting other systems again?"
["What do you mean by targeting other systems? The bait I cast is used to lure those extinction-type systems and those guys who like to rob others and get things without working. This is called academic struggle! To use your words, this is a battle of principles!"]
"So, what kind of bait did you throw out?"
["Hehe! Didn't we already encounter a system and its Host before? When I sent him flying back to be rebuilt, I took the liberty of grabbing some of his data. By packaging that data up a bit, I can create the illusion of a rookie system bringing its rookie Host to this world to farm points. To ensure the data is enticing enough, I specifically tweaked the information, making the signal frequency chaotic and bloated, giving the impression that this is an extinction-type or robbery-type system."]
["And because of the chaos and bloat, it creates the feeling that the system is unpracticed and amateur, like a beginner just starting out. When systems passing through the nearby area detect this information, traditional systems like me, or those longevity-type systems, will choose not to tangle with the owner of such information and will quickly leave. Only those systems with ulterior motives will joyfully bring their Hosts and barge in."]
["When that happens, I'll pretend a bit, probe that system's bottom line, and once I determine what type of system it is, I can adjust your tasks and assign you high-reward missions. This is a profitable business with huge returns!"]
"...Why do I feel like your bait is too obvious? Isn't this a bit too blatant?"
["Host, don't think too highly of a system's humanity. Our own nature actually contains all sorts of flaws. It's something unavoidable for sentient beings."]
[Although our system race doesn't have the desire for reproduction or the pursuit of beauty that normal living beings possess, we inevitably have deeper desires when it comes to greed."]
["Even if some systems realize I'm obviously fishing, that greed will cause those systems, which already prefer using the fastest means to gain the greatest profit, to abandon risk assessment and choose to take the bait."]
["Hehehe! Perhaps I'll even catch one or two guys who think they have the ability to break through the trap, and I'll be able to make a killing off of them!"]
"By the way, aren't you afraid my ability won't be enough?"
["Host, don't be modest. With your current combat level, even the Hosts of those systems that like the invincible steamrolling style might not be your match. Among current system Hosts, the only ones who could be your match are either those longevity-style seniors who have survived since the previous era or even an endless epoch ago, or those gamblers who chose to go all-in and bind themselves directly to a high-ranking powerhouse."]
["The pond is full of fish. Feel free to blast away, hehehe!"]
"Why do I always get the feeling that while there's that saying about raising your score by one point means surpassing a hundred people, you've chosen to just defeat a hundred people to raise your score by one point?"
["Ahem! Oh! These things are irrelevant. You just enjoy your life. I'm going to go to the surrounding universes to prepare the spot and cast the bait."]
After the System finished speaking, it went silent. It seemed it had gone off to be a bait-casting expert.
If that was the case, I shouldn't be worried about catching sharks or crocodiles and capsizing. My biggest fear is spending all that time preparing the spot only to end up with an empty net.
Caelus shook his head. The endless universe was so vast, and specifically fishing for systems that liked to do this kind of work was not so simple. He just hoped that if he lived here for two or three years without seeing any signs of a bite, the System would not have a mental breakdown from coming up empty-handed.
"Partner, do you want to clean up with me?"
"Hmm, coming."
Caelus did not refuse. He took the apron Cyrene handed him, found a rag, and started wiping the windows.
As for why he did not just use his abilities, it was mainly because he wanted to experience life.
At 6:00 PM, Saitama knocked on the door right on time, not a second early and not a second late.
The door opened, and after entering, Saitama noticed that the decorations in this room seemed quite different from his own style. He usually sat on the floor around a small table to eat, but here, they had a large table and chairs...
Huh! That's not right. Why does the space next door feel so much bigger than his own?
Damn it! If I had known the place next door was so much bigger than the one I chose, I would have moved in next door back then!
Although Saitama felt a bit of regret, it was not too serious. Upon seeing the boiling broth in the hot pot and the ingredients arranged around it, he immediately cast those thoughts to the back of his mind, his eyes filled only with food.
However, he did not lose his manners. After greeting Caelus, he looked at the pink-haired girl sitting at the table and asked suspiciously, "Is this your younger sister?"
"No, this is my lover."
???
(To be continued.)
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)