Chapter 308
As for tea ceremony, she didn't really aspire to become a Yamato Nadeshiko who was exceptionally skilled in it.
She reads every day, and her current reading method is the most comfortable one for her.
The same applies to reasoning; if it's elevated to the point where a single glance at a clue reveals the answer...
Then, mystery novels become less enjoyable to read.
If you really want to max out your deduction skills, all you can do is become a detective. If you're an amateur, you're a detective; if you're not an amateur, you can join the police criminal investigation team to investigate cases.
This way, it can shine brighter and generate more heat.
But.
These are all fighting styles based on a normal worldview.
Normal schooling, normal graduation, normal further education, normal employment.
Society functions smoothly and moves in the direction one desires.
Choosing this path is perfectly understandable.
But the world has changed now.
Who still uses traditional methods of reasoning?
Do you even know what a cursed spirit is? Do you know what a sorcerer is? Have you ever watched "The Magician Commits a Crime"?
If you really follow the reasoning, the conclusion is that it's all caused by ghosts or monsters—it couldn't be more bizarre.
She didn't want to think about that feeling.
Therefore, I tossed and turned, hesitating again and again.
It's still only possible to mark this NPC.
Then, the numbers started to jump.
But that wonderful feeling... didn't seem to appear.
Wings didn't burst from her clothes, nor did the power of her arduous training surge within her body, and she didn't instantly transform into a magical girl.
"...?"
Instead, something even more extraordinary unfolded.
[NPC: 10 (A qualified NPC should start from the starting village, but you are not in the starting village, so you are not qualified)]
--These are the changes in the text on the Diary.
[Name: Shiina Hiyori]
[Template: NPC]
[Level: 1]
[Experience: 0]
[Main Occupation: Student]
[Personal Attribute: Not Selected]
[Free attribute points: 0]
[Health: 9/10 (Menstrual period ongoing)]
[Specialty: None]
[Skill: None]
[This month's reward pool: 100 experience points, 10,000,000 Private Points (limited to Advanced Nurturing)]
--This is unfolding right before our eyes at this very moment.
A crystal-clear, ethereal, sci-fi-inspired, deep blue panel.
'Panel'.
It's a very clever trick, most often seen in games, used to help players understand more clearly what kind of character they are controlling. It also appears in a few isekai (another world) light novels, and is said to appear most frequently in web novels.
But Shiina Hiyori never imagined that one day she would see such a panel unfold before her eyes.
It really is...
It will greatly change your worldview.
The girl couldn't help but sigh.
The Advanced Nurturing, which features Angel, ascetics, magical girls, and NPCs, hasn't actually changed much.
Firstly, the second graders were already completely dominated, and even though Asakusa Toru voluntarily dropped out, the score gap was still there.
Moreover, Sakayanagi Arisu, the original leader of Class B, transferred to Class A, Shiina Hiyori, the female leader of Class C, although she didn't transfer, was basically a member of Class A. Not to mention the group in Class D that had been completely destroyed.
If we had to pinpoint any significant changes, it would probably be the arrival of first-year students. Compared to last year when everyone was a first-year student, this year's Special Exam have clearly undergone many changes due to the presence of a certain individual. At least, they have begun to frequently involve other grades, reducing the possibility of manipulating the entire grade to achieve high scores.
Sakayanagi Arisu had no objections because her father was the chairman of the board. Although he hadn't returned to his position yet, she didn't question the school's decisions. Whether or not she boosted her grades was also a very indifferent matter to her.
Kushida Kikyo was researching her healing powers, and incidentally, she also had to straighten her feathers. They would absorb someone's fluids and become scented, and since feathers couldn't be folded like clothes, they were actually quite difficult to clean. It wasn't that she disliked the feeling of bathing in his favor, it's just...
Smell.
People will smell it.
She wouldn't have minded if it were before Asakusa Toru dropped out of school; in a sense, it was a subtle way of asserting her dominance.
But Asakusa Toru had officially dropped out of school, even though he would occasionally wander back in ways the school couldn't detect to help satisfy the girls' pent-up desires, reward them, and enjoy their tenderness.
But others don't know that.
In their eyes, Asakusa Toru out of school and run away.
The attitude already indicated a rejection of all other people's kindness; if they went to class with that smell...
It's easy to imagine what kind of rumors those idiots in Class D would spread.
Let's not even talk about whether it's disgusting or not; it's about how to deal with it afterwards.
It's better to let her handle it; it's really gotten to the point where Asakusa Toru to deal with it.
It's not just about dropping out of school.
Horikita Suzune began her arduous training.
Although I don't know what exactly constitutes rigorous training, if I want to increase my growth points without using Reading Points, then rigorous training is probably what I need to do, right?
Although she may not be particularly talented in other areas, Horikita Suzune believes she is second to none when it comes to sticking to one thing.
After all, this was a talent he had personally pointed out, a talent that belonged to him.
Compared to the three of them, the only one who is still diligently maintaining class order, arranging grade-level affairs, and actively participating in every Special Exam is...
That would Ichinose Honami.
That's quite diligent.
Extremely diligent.
In comparison...
Shiina Hiyori is also studying this new panel that has unfolded within herself.
However, she was still a little unsure. Although she had roughly figured out some things, she chose to wait for Asakusa Toru to return and ask for his opinion.
Then.
She received a casual suggestion.
"Just give Dragon Boy a task first; doesn't he have an 800 million points plan?"
It's not because Ryuen Kakeru's ambition is praiseworthy, nor because Ryuen Kakeru's kindness has finally been rewarded.
It's simply because, looking at the entire school, it seems to meet the standards, and there's a strong motivation and drive to take action.
Only Ryuen Kakeru.
That's right, it's related to the NPC template mechanics.
I won't go into the other data-driven displays; those who know, know—it's basically the same old stuff.
For NPC templates, the most crucial element is indeed the 'reward pool'.
Based on the current change in identity, the reward pool, which can be expanded and upgraded, can only be "distributed" to others in the form of "task rewards".
It seems to be just pure charity and helping others?
Since it's limited to 'only being sent to others,' and can't be used for personal purposes, expanding it wouldn't make much sense, right?
If it were a younger sister, if it were Horikita Suzune, that would be the first thought that would come to mind.
However, anyone with a bit of a flexible mind will understand how terrifying it is to make a 'costless' investment.
It's just that I can't give it to myself; what difference does it make who I give it to?
Whether used to train subordinates or for exchanging favors, it is a very effective method.
... That's what I said, but I'll leave out the idea of exchanging favors.
Because what Shiina Hiyori has to do is not just to devise a simple task to empty the prize pool and give it to others.
She also needs to find a way to increase the size of the prize pool.
The means is...
Post a task.
The rewards for posted tasks are not set arbitrarily; only rewards that reduce expenditures can be set, and rewards exceeding the allowed limit cannot be added.
As for how to judge this upper limit.
That's the 'difficulty'.
The panel will have its own set of logic to judge this standard.
Moreover, it seems to be influenced by environment and occupation.
If we were to say who in this Advanced Nurturing group has a reason to undertake tasks that can clear the prize pool, and who would accept tasks that meet the corresponding difficulty standards...
That would probably be Ryuen Kakeru.
The rest of the second-graders were basically lying flat.
And so.
Ryuen Kakeru stared wide-eyed at the blue text that appeared in front of him.
[Task Name: "Ryuen Kakeru's 800 Million Points Plan 1"]
[Task Description: Ryuen Kakeru in Class 2-C, had an idea shortly after enrolling—to accumulate 800 million Private Points to elevate the entire class to immortality, with everyone following his leadership and him rewarding them. However, 800 million points is far too difficult for an individual to achieve; even 20 million points is an astronomical figure. He needs a more gradual and achievable phased goal. For example, to achieve first place in the Uninhabited Island Special Exam in May, without external interference.]
[Mission Requirements: Achieve first place in the Uninhabited Island Special Exam in May, without excessive manipulation of the race.]
[Task Rewards: 100 Experience Points, 10,000,000 Private Points.]
[Current overall progress of the task chain: 1/39 (Number of students transferred to Class A / Total number of students in the class)]
Ryuen Kakeru: "What the hell is this?!"
Am I hallucinating?
Side Story: Natsuki Subaru, I'm Your Father
"--First, confront your past."
This is the sound that resounded throughout the Sanctuary.
Natsuki Subaru.
Time traveler.
Wearing sportswear, I was in a convenience store when, in the blink of an eye, I found myself in another world.
The experiences in the other world were insignificant, consisting of repeated deaths, repeated saves, repeated confrontations with various difficulties and tribulations, and repeated encounters with what could be described as malice from a higher narrative level.
It's no big deal.