Only then did he see that this time, the system had actually not screwed him over. Instead, it had given him a grand prize no less impressive than the Seven Nights Assassination Technique.
Reinforcement Magic
Unlike the Seven Nights Assassination Technique, this ability could use Mana to strengthen his body and weapons.
Though he did not know how powerful the enhancement would be, Ishiu figured it would not be bad. And along with Reinforcement Magic came a method for cultivating Mana!
One had to know that in this world, only girls with constitutions compatible with Honkai Energy could manipulate that miraculous energy to a certain extent.
Ishiu had always envied Bronya and the others. He had never expected that one day, he too would obtain a strange energy no less remarkable than Honkai Energy.
Ishiu could feel that this power known as Mana was extremely strong. Combined with Reinforcement Magic, his strength should increase even further.
Compared to before he entered the world dungeon, he was practically a different person now.
Ishiu was really looking forward to seeing the shocked expressions Bronya, Seele, and the others would make. Just thinking about it was enough to get him hyped.
After once again refusing some older sister's request for his phone number, Ishiu checked the time. It was almost time for his shift to end. Today's part-time job was nearly over.
Just then, the bell by the shop door rang crisply, and a graceful figure in a school uniform walked in.
Ishiu subconsciously looked over.
She was an extremely beautiful girl. Tall and slender, she looked even slightly taller than Ishiu. The standard school uniform could not conceal her proud figure, and beneath her short skirt were two round, shapely legs wrapped in black stockings, long and straight enough to play with for a year.
But what made Ishiu look at her a few more times was not her face or figure, but the elegant temperament she carried herself with, like that of an aristocratic princess.
That sort of bearing was rare, especially in a beautiful girl. Ishiu guessed that even if she was not the daughter of some prominent family, she had to be the heiress of some financial conglomerate.
However, there was a deep melancholy on the waist-length black-haired girl's face. Though she tried to hide it, Ishiu's sharp eyes spotted it immediately.
Looks like she's someone with a story.
Ishiu thought to himself, but he had no intention of asking. They were strangers, after all. She was just a little prettier than usual; he was not some creep who could not walk straight after seeing a beautiful girl. If they were talking about beauty, Ishiu still thought his own mom was prettier.
And then there was Seele, the cutest in the world!
Bronya came a little behind her, but she was cute too.
"Excuse me."
The black-haired girl took a ready-made bento and a bottle of milk from the convenience store, then walked up to the register.
"That'll be 920 yen. Thank you for shopping with us."
Ishiu quickly counted out the change and handed it to the girl.
The girl nodded and smiled at Ishiu before carrying her plastic bag away.
"Hey, Ishiu, do you know who she is?" At that moment, the other cashier on the same shift spoke up.
He was a young man in his twenties. There was no need to mention his name; he was just a background character anyway.
"Who is she?" Ishiu asked casually.
"Heh, she's a celebrity at Senba Academy. Raiden Mei, a second-year high school student there," the young cashier said dreamily. "Raiden Mei is one of Senba Academy's most famous students. People call her the Queen of Raiden because she's turned down so many confessions from boys, and she does it so firmly, so that nickname stuck.
"But her personality is actually very gentle and polite. She likes taking care of others, and whenever she sees someone in trouble, she'll help without hesitation. And that's not all. Do you know her family background? Her father is Raiden Ryoma, the famous president of ME Company. She's his only daughter. Someone like her is basically the protagonist chosen by fate."
ME Company?
Ishiu's eyes immediately lit up. He knew ME Company all too well, because the organization Cocolia belonged to, Anti-Entropy, used ME Company as its front company!
Did that mean that if he found Raiden Ryoma, he could get in touch with Mom?
As Ishiu was thinking about that, the young cashier continued.
"But it's a shame. Maybe heaven thought she had it too good and decided to give her some hardship. Her father, that company president, was exposed some time ago for being connected to an economic fraud case, and he was arrested. Her status and reputation plummeted too. She went from being a rich young lady to someone everyone avoided like the plague. All those friends she used to have are terrified of being associated with her now."
"How do you know so much?" Ishiu looked at the young cashier in surprise.
"Heh, our convenience store is pretty close to Senba Academy. Those students come here to buy things all the time, so naturally, you pick things up."
Oh, I see.
After chatting casually for a while longer, Ishiu's shift ended. Once he handed over to the coworker replacing him, he bought some bread and milk, eating as he followed the direction Raiden Mei had gone.
He still wanted to give it a try. If he could somehow contact Cocolia through this girl, he could go back sooner and avoid making Mom, Seele, and the others worry.
He wondered how much pain his sudden disappearance had caused them...
He had thought he would need to walk for a while longer, but after only a hundred meters, Ishiu spotted the black-haired girl sitting on a bench in the nearby park, her head lowered as she seemed lost in thought.
"Not bad luck." Ishiu raised an eyebrow. Just as he was about to go over and speak to her, someone beat him to it.
"Yo, aren't you a student from Senba Academy? You're pretty cute. What's wrong, little beauty? Why aren't you going home at night? Sitting here alone eating a bento?"
Three tattooed young men with dyed hair suddenly appeared in front of Raiden Mei. One of them, Blond Guy, seemed interested in her. Standing before her, he spoke in a frivolous tone.
"Hey, boss, I know this girl. She seems to be a famous student at Senba Academy. Her name is... Raiden Mei." Another young man with red hair studied Raiden Mei's face under the streetlights and moonlight before recognizing her.
"Raiden Mei? Oh, yeah, I think I've heard that name. But I heard her company president dad got arrested recently over an economic fraud case. Looks like rich people really aren't good people."
"Shut up! My father... My father isn't that kind of person! He was framed!"
At first, Raiden Mei had not wanted to pay these people any attention. But when one of them mentioned her father, Raiden Ryoma, she could no longer hold back. The refined composure she had struggled to maintain shattered in an instant. Her eyes reddened slightly, but her voice was forceful and resolute, leaving no room for doubt.
"Look at the things you're saying." Blond Guy gave a signal, then smacked the head of the man who had insulted Raiden Ryoma. He immediately turned back to Raiden Mei with a grin. "Don't be angry, Miss. I already taught him a lesson for you. But really, how can a beauty like you eat this kind of instant bento? Isn't that beneath your status?"
As he spoke, he reached out and, while Raiden Mei was not paying attention, snatched the lunchbox from her hand and casually tossed it into the nearby trash can.
But his aim was poor. It missed, and most of the rice scattered outside the trash can.
"Heh heh, Miss Mei, you must be bored sitting here alone, right? How about coming out singing with us? I'll treat you to a big meal."
Blond Guy kept rambling, but Raiden Mei's expression had already turned cold.
She was a patient person. Since childhood, she had received an aristocratic education in manners and conduct. Those teachings had made her someone praised by everyone, and she had taken pride in that.
But half a month ago, all of it had been destroyed.
Her father had been framed and imprisoned, and her life had fallen from the clouds into the depths in an instant. Clearly, she herself had not changed, yet the classmates and friends who had usually been warm and friendly all chose to distance themselves from her. Even when she tried to speak to them, they avoided her as if she were contagious.
Only then did she understand that what had attracted those "friends" and classmates was not her charm as a person, but her family background.
Once she fell into hardship, they feared being dragged down with her. Even those she had once helped were unwilling to say another word to her.
Those boys who had previously confessed to her from time to time had vanished without a trace as well.
People said true feelings were revealed in adversity. Raiden Mei now understood why. This incident had made her grow up overnight. She did not resent anyone, but she had closed off her heart.
However, if someone insisted on causing trouble for her now, she would instead thank them for giving her a chance to vent, just like now.
"You want to pick me up?" Raiden Mei rose from the bench. Her icy gaze swept across every face present, and an invisible pressure made the delinquent youths unconsciously take a step back.
But they quickly came to their senses, and embarrassment turned into anger.
Three grown men had actually been scared by a little girl?
Blond Guy stepped forward and stared fixedly at Raiden Mei's face, making no effort to hide the greedy desire in his eyes. Licking his lips, he said, "Beauty, I didn't expect you to be so direct. Looks like you know what's what. That makes things easy. How about it? Come with your big brother here, and I guarantee I'll make you feel so good you'll fly."
"Sure." Raiden Mei's lips curved slightly, and a meaningful smile appeared on her face. "That depends on whether you can last until then."
As she spoke, she unzipped the bag she carried with her and pulled out a Wooden Sword over 1.2 meters long.
"Hokushin Itto-ryu. Please advise."
Less than three minutes later, the three delinquents ran away crying for their mothers. Their bodies were covered in bruises, and the marks left by the Wooden Sword were especially clear on their faces. Blond Guy, their leader, even had several large bumps on his head. They probably would not go down for days.
"Ha..." Raiden Mei silently put away her Wooden Sword. Though she had just beaten up a group of thugs, she did not feel even the slightest bit relieved. Instead, her heart felt even more stifled.
"Hey, want some?"
Just then, a somewhat youthful voice sounded beside Raiden Mei. Though the tone was mature, she could tell that the owner of the voice was probably a very young boy.
She turned toward the voice and saw Ishiu, who had somehow already come within three meters of her.
Ishiu held out the bread he had bought at the store, a gentle smile on his face.
"You're... the cashier from earlier?" Raiden Mei blinked and quickly recalled who Ishiu was.
After all, she had only just met him, and Ishiu was handsome enough to leave an impression. At least, she was not about to forget him after only a dozen minutes.
"Yep. Let me introduce myself. My name is Ishiu." Ishiu smiled with pursed lips and casually tossed the bread toward Raiden Mei. She caught it instinctively.
"You did pretty well just now. Impressive. I admire that."
When Ishiu saw the three delinquents preparing to make a move on Raiden Mei, he had been ready to play the hero and save the beauty. But seeing how calm she seemed, he had not rushed in right away.
That might have earned him some goodwill, but in Ishiu's view, if playing the hero was not helping someone in their darkest hour, there was no need to do it.
If someone could handle it themselves, forcing your way in just to earn favor was really pointless.
And influenced by Bronya, Ishiu admired capable girls like that. Girls like them were much better than those who only cried whenever something happened.
Oh, of course, Seele was an exception.
Because Seele was the cutest in the world!
"My name is Raiden Mei... No, thank you for your kindness, but I can't accept your bread." Raiden Mei instinctively began introducing herself too, but halfway through, she realized what she was doing and hurriedly offered the bread back to Ishiu.
"It's fine, it's just bread." Ishiu did not take it. Instead, he waved the other piece of bread in his hand. "I still have this one. I can't finish two anyway, so if you don't want it, just throw it in the trash."
"Th-then, thank you."
Perhaps because of Ishiu's face, Raiden Mei was not overly wary of him. Ishiu looked younger than she was, after all, and women always seemed to have a bit of maternal affection toward members of the opposite sex younger than themselves. Probably.
But Raiden Mei did not sit down and eat the bread immediately. First, she used a tissue to pick up the rice Blond Guy had thrown beside the trash can and properly tossed it into the bin.
Only after doing all that did she sit back down on the bench. She smiled at Ishiu somewhat apologetically. "Did you see all of that just now? I'm really sorry. I'm not usually that short-tempered. I was just in a bad mood."
"Yeah, I know. Anyone would get angry if someone insulted their father." Ishiu nodded and said naturally.
Raiden Mei's hand involuntarily clenched, then relaxed. With a bitter smile, she said, "You know about what happened to me too? Of course you do. Who told me to be so famous..."
Ishiu shrugged noncommittally. In truth, if the young cashier had not explained it to him earlier, he would never have followed her here.
"Do you... think my father is a bad person too? That economic fraud case..." Raiden Mei asked hesitantly. Her eyes turned toward Ishiu, and in those azure eyes, the same color as Seele's, lay countless emotions that could neither be counted nor described.
There seemed to be a little expectation, a little longing, and... the numbness of someone who had already seen through everything.
Ishiu saw all of it. In response, he merely smiled faintly and shook his head. "Whether your father is a bad person or not, what does that have to do with me?"
"Huh?" Raiden Mei froze. She had imagined Ishiu's answer, but she had never expected him to say something like that. Was this person one of those legendary men of steel?
It was fortunate Miss Mei had such a good temper. If it had been someone else, she probably would have turned around and left immediately.
"First, I don't know your father. I know nothing about his personality or character, so I can't decide whether he's good or bad just based on one-sided things other people say. Second, as for the economic fraud case, honestly, I think someone capable of becoming president of an international conglomerate couldn't possibly be stupid enough to do something that would ruin him completely. Even if he did, he would only do it if he was certain he wouldn't be discovered."
Ishiu's words were not particularly pleasant to hear, because he was looking at the matter entirely from an objective perspective, without mixing in any personal feelings.
If he had been taking Raiden Mei's side, he would not have put it that way.
Yet after hearing him, Raiden Mei was not angry at all. Instead, her eyes lit up with delight.
She had suffered too many grievances lately, and now she had finally heard someone speak fairly. Ishiu had not taken her side or told her what she wanted to hear, but his words felt more genuine and made her feel more at ease.
"You're right, you're absolutely right!" Raiden Mei grabbed Ishiu's hand excitedly. Her lovely face suddenly moved close to his, and she stared straight into his eyes. "Ishiu, thank you!"
Ishiu was a little stunned. What had he said? Why was this girl suddenly so excited?
Whoa, that's way too close... And she smells so nice. Like jasmine. Do girls naturally have body fragrance?
"Ah! S-sorry! I got too excited." Raiden Mei quickly realized that she was far too close to Ishiu. Her face immediately flushed crimson. She released his hand as though she had touched a hot iron, scooted to the far end of the bench, and put distance between them.
Even so, the heat in her face did not fade anytime soon.
As the daughter of ME Company's president, Raiden Mei had rarely interacted with boys since childhood. After growing up, she had followed her upbringing and never had any intimate contact with a man. She had not even held hands with anyone before.
Yet today, she had not only held hands with a boy she had just met, but gotten so close to him. It was absolutely mortifying!
"Oh, it's fine. You can get excited if you want. I'm the one benefiting anyway." Ishiu rubbed his nose and said casually.
He was the kind of person who liked to tease and make flirty remarks. He had been like that when he spent time with Bronya and the others, and he was the same way with Raiden Mei now.
What was that called?
Before you continue