In a cramped room tucked away in Kyoto's Red District, a young man sipped from a warm cup of coffee as he leaned against the wall, casually chatting with his colleague.
They were joking around about some stunning female Hunters who'd recently appeared on TV when a sudden alert blared through the room, abruptly cutting their conversation.
The moment the alarm went off, everyone in the room snapped to protocol, though some looked around, clearly puzzled.
This kind of alarm was supposed to trigger only after a Gate boss had been taken down.
But judging by the lineup of Hunters inside that Gate, unless at least 60% of them teamed up, there was no way they could've brought it down.
Something was definitely off.
Some even suspected that a team of A-rank Hunters from the Militias had slipped in, disguising themselves with low-level identities.
"Send the evacuation signal right now! We've got only two hours before the dimension collapses. And if possible, try to locate whoever's responsible for this."
A bald man in a black suit barked the orders, and everyone fell into place, moving quickly to follow them.
Not far from the Public Hunters Association monitoring room, Reisou and 2B relaxed on a bench, casually enjoying their ice cream.
An hour earlier, they had sneaked out of the Gate by blending in with a group of Hunters who decided to retreat after realizing someone had attacked the boss.
Amid all the sudden chaos, the guards were too overwhelmed to carry out proper inspections.
Reisou couldn't hide his excitement after receiving his rewards, so he took 2B out for ice cream to celebrate.
Judging by her expression, it was clear she was enjoying every single bite.
As Reisou wiped his mouth with a tissue, his eyes locked onto the floating screen showing several notifications.
[Ding! Congratulations on completing the mission "A Noob's End"!]
[20 System Points and 65 World Points have been added to your balance.]
[1000 XP have been automatically consumed.]
[Reward for Bonus Objective - 1 has already been claimed.]
[Rewards for Bonus Objective - 2 has already been claimed.]
He scanned through the messages, feeling satisfied as he saw the good amount of system points and world points earned.
Reisou opened the system store and spent 15 world points to unlock the Intermediate Archery Talent, then followed it up by using another 20 points to buy a low-tier healing spell.
Although he had planned to save his points, after that fight with the Fallen King, he knew it was wiser to be prepared.
For the time being, he left his system points alone. Since he didn't plan to enter another Gate for at least a week, there was no hurry to pick up more skills.
When 2B finished her ice cream, Reisou called a taxi to head back to Sozukusen.
As they arrived, she paid the fare using her generous "friend's" credit card.
The two passed through the academy gate and made their way straight home. As Reisou entered the spacious house, he yawned deeply, his mind exhausted from a long day of battle.
His body still had some energy left, but his mind was completely drained.
With a tired sigh, he dragged himself toward the bathroom in his room, craving a hot shower.
At the same time, 2B stepped into her own bathroom, eager to wash off the purple blood that had dried on her pale skin.
She and Reisou had swung by a store earlier to grab a change of clothes, but even that hadn't helped much.
The Centipede King's blood just wouldn't come off without a proper wash.
In the large, elegant marble tub, the alluring android girl sat hugging her knees, lost in thought as the warm water gradually eased the tension from her body.
Memories of the days since she began living with Reisou filled her thoughts. For her, these were some of the most precious moments she'd ever experienced.
There was no war against machines. Humans were still alive, and her master never treated her like a mere tool.
And for the first time, she could taste food, sleep deeply, have dreams, and actually feel emotions.
Without a doubt, everything she was going through felt like a priceless experience.
The Thing didn't lie.
The deal wasn't in vain.
She had gained everything.
"I don't regret abandoning that place," she murmured, sinking deeper into the water.
After a few minutes, she finished cleaning up and changed into simple indoor clothes.
2B wore a cozy, oversized white shirt paired with soft black cotton leggings. The look was simple, yet quietly captivating.
Especially with how the shirt softly hugged and emphasized her chest.
Once she finished drying her hair with a blow dryer, 2B headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
When she was done, she called out to Reisou, but there was no answer. Curious, she decided to walk over to his room.
She peeked inside and saw him sleeping in a slightly awkward position, wearing only shorts.
Quietly, she stepped in, watched him for a moment, then carefully adjusted his posture and pulled a blanket over him.
That night, she ate dinner alone, quietly finishing everything on her plate, and a small part of her couldn't help but miss his presence at the table.
- - -
The next morning, Reisou woke up early, feeling really hungry since he hadn't eaten anything the night before.
As he stepped out of his room, already dressed in his school uniform, the smell of food hit his nose. His stomach growled loudly in response.
He wandered into the kitchen and found 2B sitting quietly at the table, already waiting for him. Her usual calm expression remained unchanged.
Unfortunately, after breakfast, he still had to head to morning classes. Since yesterday was Sunday, taking a day off was possible, but today wasn't an option.
Upon walking into the classroom, most of his classmates, especially the guys, couldn't help but stare daggers at him.
The reason was obviously 2B.
She'd stolen the spotlight as the class beauty from day one, and to a lot of the guys disappointment, it was pretty clear she was already taken.
Who knew a single word could shatter so many hearts at once?
Even the fact that Reisou had three Innate Skills suddenly seemed irrelevant in the eyes of the other students.
'Those guys are seriously salty, huh?' Reisou thought with a sigh as he made his way to his seat.
2B followed him and took the seat right behind his.
Moments later, Sae entered the classroom and started the lesson, which lasted until midday.
During the lunch break, a few girls gathered around 2B's table, hoping to befriend her. Miura Yumiko, Yuigahama Yui, and Ebina Hina were among the group.
However, the white-haired girl didn't seem too interested in chatting. The moment Reisou stood up to grab something to eat, 2B got up as well and trailed after him without a word, leaving the others behind.
Yumiko's eye twitched slightly from being ignored. As the supposed queen of the class, being brushed off so casually didn't sit well with her.
"Tch. She's just a simple-minded, lovesick girl," Yumiko muttered, clicking her tongue in annoyance.
"Look who's talking," Ebina murmured under her breath, earning a deadly glare from the blonde.
Yui quickly stepped in to diffuse the tension before things could escalate.
With an awkward chuckle, she suggested they go eat at their usual spot, and the group reluctantly agreed.
On the rooftop, 2B and Reisou sat together, each holding a neatly wrapped luxury bento they'd grabbed from a vending machine on the way up.
Beneath the warm sunlight and gentle breeze, they ate quietly, savoring their lunch in peaceful silence.
"You're Aragaki Reisou, right?"
An unfamiliar voice broke the quiet moment, catching Reisou's attention.
He lifted his head to face the speaker.
At first, Reisou didn't recognize the guy, but when he heard his name, something clicked in his memory.
"Sorry to bother you and your girlfriend... My name's Orimura Ichika from class 2D," the boy said with a cheerful grin, sounding like a romcom protagonist.
Actually, he technically was supposed to be one.
Reisou's mind froze for a moment as he stared at the smiling boy, his expression complicated.
"I was wondering if you could spar with me after the last afternoon class," Ichika said, rubbing the back of his neck, feeling a bit embarrassed for interrupting Reisou's time with his beautiful girlfriend.
He blamed his older sister for forcing him to ask.
She'd told him to challenge Reisou to a duel, saying it would definitely help him improve.
Ichika had two innate skills, which was rare, but Reisou had three and was clearly skilled in combat, having nearly single-handedly defeated the Princess Trio from class 2C.
"Sure, I'm up for a spar. By the way, what's your Kiroku List?" Reisou asked, raising an eyebrow.
"65th place. Why?" Ichika replied with a grin, clearly more excited that Reisou had actually agreed to the match than concerned about the question.
"Instead of a simple spar, why don't we make things more interesting?" Reisou suggested with a grin. "Let's turn it into a official challenge."
Ichika's smile faltered for a moment, and he went quiet, clearly thinking it over. A few seconds passed before he finally spoke.
"...Sure," Ichika said after a short pause, though something about it felt kinda off. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he went along with it anyway.
"Great. After classes end, we'll find a teacher and make it official," Reisou replied with a smile that seemed friendly—yet somehow gave Ichika an odd, uneasy feeling.
The boy just nodded in agreement.
With a firm handshake between them, Ichika turned and walked away.
"2B, I found the perfect opportunity to run some tests."
Reisou laughed inwardly as he spent twenty world points to buy an intermediate Taijutsu talent.