Encounter on the Bus

(In this world, medical technology has made immense progress, significantly increasing the average human lifespan.

Therefore, children enter elementary school at seven, with seven years of elementary, four years of middle school, making the entry age for high school eighteen.

All characters appearing are at least eighteen years old and are considered adults.)

April 1st, the sun was shining brightly, and a gentle breeze brought a hint of coolness.

On a bus emblazoned with the Advanced Nurturing logo, Shiomiya Yo was staring blankly out the window.

"Tsk! It's happening again!"

He immediately closed his eyes to rest his mind, adjusting his breathing rhythm to let his body relax.

The reason Shiomiya Yo had to do this was mainly because his condition was acting up.

The world in his eyes was different from that of ordinary people.

The colorful world seen by others appeared only in black, white, and gray to him; this was an old ailment of his.

Shiomiya Yo had already grown accustomed to this life; as long as he adjusted himself in time, it would be fine.

Just as Shiomiya Yo had nearly finished adjusting, a voice suddenly called out from the front.

"Could you please give up your seat?"

"That is a priority seat for the elderly; wouldn't it be better to let that old lady sit?"

Shiomiya Yo looked over at the sound.

He saw a beautiful blonde girl wearing a red school uniform and a white pleated skirt speaking to a tall man in the same uniform.

Is that Kushida Kikyo? Shiomiya Yo thought.

"Oh my, oh my~, my beautiful young lady."

"Although it is a priority seat, the law doesn't stipulate anything about it."

"Young people must give up their seats? Haha, simply absurd."

The man crossed his arms, crossed his legs, and replied calmly.

The moment he heard that infuriating voice, Shiomiya Yo knew exactly who it was.

Koenji Rokusuke, an arrogant narcissist who viewed himself as the center of the universe.

The mood Shiomiya Yo had just managed to calm was ruined once again, and he felt incredibly irritated.

That's right, Shiomiya Yo knew him—he knew him well; one could say they grew up together.

This guy was truly troublesome, which was why Shiomiya Yo had transferred to a different school back in middle school.

Inhale~ exhale~

Inhale~ exhale~

Shiomiya Yo struggled to adjust his breathing rhythm to calm himself down, or else his condition would flare up again.

Before he could settle down, Koenji's voice rang out again.

"Regardless of whether I am young or not, standing consumes physical strength."

"Why must I do something that offers me no benefit?"

Kushida Kikyo revealed a gentle smile, radiating warmth like the sun.

"But doing this can contribute a little to society."

"Besides, the old lady looks like she's having a hard time."

Koenji closed his eyes and replied immediately, "I have no interest in contributing to society."

The more Shiomiya Yo listened, the more annoyed he became. Seeing that the two were about to continue their argument, he finally snapped.

"Shut up!!"

"Both of you, be quiet!"

"It's just a seat, right? I'll give mine up!"

The moment he erupted, the world in Shiomiya Yo's eyes rapidly drained of color, save for one person who still retained their hues, appearing exceptionally dazzling in this monochromatic world.

Hearing Shiomiya Yo's roar, Koenji couldn't help but turn his head.

A flicker of pleasant surprise crossed his perpetually calm face.

"Shiomiya Yo, you're not dead yet!"

Hearing Koenji's words, Shiomiya Yo was so angry he laughed.

"Koenji Rokusuke, you are a piece of work!"

Shiomiya Yo gave him a thumbs up.

Koenji didn't pay any attention to his sarcasm; he simply stood up, walked over, and pulled him into a hug.

"Long time no see, Yo. To think you can still get angry now!"

"It seems your condition has improved."

Koenji said with a smile.

"No! This is getting worse!" Shiomiya Yo retorted, "I never used to be unable to control my emotions like this."

Koenji smiled, looking a bit helpless.

For Shiomiya Yo, he could return to normal as long as he adjusted himself in time, but being interrupted during the adjustment process easily made him agitated.

Kushida Kikyo also spotted Shiomiya Yo, and the smile on her face froze instantly.

But she adjusted quickly, leading the elderly woman beside her to an empty seat.

Because Shiomiya Yo and Koenji had both stood up, two seats had opened up instantly.

"Grandma, you sit here."

After settling the elderly woman down, Kushida Kikyo remained standing and did not take a seat.

Koenji stood beside Shiomiya Yo, watching him regain control of his breathing.

Kushida Kikyo watched as well, her expression complex as she muttered to herself.

Is he having another episode? He wasn't like this before.

During his adjustment process, Shiomiya Yo pulled up his system interface.

That's right, Shiomiya Yo had a system, though it had been dormant.

He received the system at age three; after granting him a beginner's gift pack, it had remained in a deep slumber, only recently having its progress bar reach 99%.

The [Wise Puppet] talent he obtained from the beginner's gift pack granted him extraordinary learning ability, but it also brought a massive side effect.

He had gradually begun to find everything in the outside world uninteresting, and he had been driven to act solely by status and duty.

But as a child of a branch family of the Shinomiya Family, there was little he was required to do, especially after his parents died in an accident, leaving even fewer reasons for the existence of Shiomiya Yo.

It wasn't until middle school that he met the first person who interested him, but the ending was unsatisfactory, and now the only thing he cared about was this unexpectedly acquired system.

Soon, Shiomiya Yo adjusted his state.

His grayscale vision slowly warmed up, returning to normal colors.

"I'm fine now."

He looked at Koenji beside him, feeling a bit helpless.

How did I run into this guy again? Shiomiya Yo thought.

"You look much better now than before."

"When you transferred schools, I thought you had finally decided to find a graveyard to rot away in. How truly un-beautiful!"

Although Koenji said this, it was clear he was happy.

"Rot away? Still better than some self-centered guy who causes trouble everywhere."

Koenji smirked, "Still as sarcastic as ever!"

At this moment, Kushida Kikyo, who was nearby, interjected into the conversation.

"Thank you for just now, classmate!" Kushida Kikyo said with a smile, as if the two were meeting for the first time.

Shiomiya Yo nodded without saying much; the two of them simply exchanged a polite greeting.

Shiomiya Yo and Koenji chatted casually for a few moments before reaching their stop and parting ways.

Just as Shiomiya Yo stepped through the school gate, a system chime rang out!

[Welcome to the Hope's Peak Academy System]

[Host can earn points by completing tasks; points can be used for draws]

"It finally activated. Do you know how many years I've waited?!" Shiomiya Yo felt refreshed.

Let me see what kind of interesting things are in here!

After a quick look, Shiomiya Yo was somewhat disappointed; they were all talents of past students from Hope's Peak Academy.

However, Shiomiya Yo believed there wasn't a skill he couldn't learn; aside from his physical limitations, he could consider himself all-powerful.

Now, this system seemed a bit boring to Shiomiya Yo as well.

"So what am I supposed to do after this? So boring~"

"My life! It's already over~"

Perhaps the system didn't want him to end his life just yet, so it popped up a task.

[Long-term Task: Observe and record humanoid life forms. Points will be awarded based on the level of completion.]

Shiomiya Yo: Humanoid life forms?

He looked at his own reflection in the glass nearby.