"It feels like you're a completely different person today, Shin-chan."
As Shin entered the classroom and took his usual seat, gumi Kato, who was sitting in front of him, turned around and smiled at him.
They had exchanged a few texts over the weekend, so although they hadn't seen each other for a couple of days, their conversation remained familiar, almost as if they'd been together the entire ti.
"Really? How so? What's different?"
Shin chuckled lightly, feeling that he hadn't changed much—if anything, he thought his combat strength had improved. But theoretically, this increase in power shouldn't cause any noticeable change in his appearance.
After all, Shin's control over his "ki" was already quite refined, and with the techniques of the Turtle School, he avoided unintentionally releasing too much energy.
"Hmm… You seem more confident, maybe? Did sothing happen over the weekend?"
gumi Kato gave him a once-over, seemingly unconcerned about any social propriety between genders—a stark contrast to how people might react if a male student were to look a female student up and down.
Shin didn't mind her curious gaze; after all, gumi was quite cute.
"Did you get so effective training at the kendo dojo over the weekend?"
"Kendo dojo, huh..."
At her words, Shin recalled the kendo dojo he'd visited with Yukino Yukinoshita two days prior. Spending an afternoon training in swordsmanship there had given him so experience with weaponry, though it was quickly overshadowed by his Turtle School training.
He hadn't expected to master Turtle School techniques so quickly. He initially thought it would take a lot of ti, either by using a spaceship to visit other planets in search of Shenron or going to Earth to study under the Turtle School directly.
However, he hadn't anticipated that Zuno had an Angel's cube spaceship, allowing him to fulfill his wish and acquire powerful Turtle School martial arts in a single day.
The Turtle School's techniques, based on a philosophy of splitting mountains and breaking stones, were skills that could remain useful even in later stages. Compared to that, real-world kendo was easily outclassed.
Nonetheless, the kendo dojo visit wasn't entirely fruitless—at least he t Saeko Busujima, realizing that this world had elents from unexpected series.
"Though it has little to do with the kendo dojo, I suppose my training did yield results."
Shin guessed that the "confidence" gumi noticed was a result of his boosted combat strength. Previously, with a power level of 40, he had to worry about withstanding heavy firepower; now, he no longer had to, which made him appear naturally more self-assured.
"Boys really do love physical training, huh."
gumi remarked, looking thoughtfully at Shin, who appeared no different outwardly. Since she lived in a mundane world, it was impossible for her to imagine that Shin's "results" referred to withstanding bullets and now, possibly, even nuclear bombs.
"A strong guy is probably more appealing, right?"
Shin pulled out his textbook and placed it on the desk, giving her a teasing smile.
"Does gumi hope her future boyfriend will be the scrawny type?"
"If any other girl heard you, they'd think you were confessing—easy to misinterpret, Shin-chan."
Her voice was calm, betraying no obvious emotion, yet Shin could sense a hint of sothing else in her tone, though she wasn't annoyed.
"That said, a boyfriend like you would be reassuring, Shin-chan."
"Your words could also be easily misunderstood, gumi."
Shin laughed, realizing that when it ca to making ambiguous comnts, gumi was no slouch either. Or… perhaps there was no misunderstanding at all?
"Where did the pendant on your neck co from? Was it a gift?"
gumi's cheeks turned slightly red as she awkwardly changed the topic, clearly not entirely prepared for where the conversation was heading. Though she often displayed boldness, she was still a young girl at heart. From her deanor, Shin figured her shyness wouldn't last long.
He wasn't in a hurry; he wasn't the kind of guy who needed everything instantly. Watching a young girl's budding emotions was one way of savoring life's pleasures.
"This? It wasn't a gift. I bought it myself," Shin said, fingering the pendant on his neck with a smile.
(T/N: Ayo)
—It was from Enya, so technically, he wasn't lying.
The pendant hanging around his neck was a black-and-gold teorite arrowhead that let him check for anyone with Stand potential. Unfortunately, from his house to school, the arrowhead hadn't reacted to anyone.
Only when he encountered Hitori Gotou did it respond, confirming again that she indeed had Stand potential. After confirming this yesterday, he'd wondered if all main characters in different series had Stand potential. But today, when he tested it on gumi, the arrow showed no reaction, suggesting that Stand potential wasn't that simple to categorize.
…
The morning classes quickly passed.
"Shin, let's have lunch!"
As always, Akagi showed up with his lunch, ready to eat together.
"Ah, sorry, I already made plans with soone else."
Shin smiled at him—during class, he'd texted gumi, who ntioned that she had brought an extra lunch. Shin usually ate convenience store bread for lunch, so he gladly accepted her offer.
A girl's kindness wasn't sothing he'd turn down, so today, he wasn't planning to eat with Akagi.
"Oh? I see. I was going to tell you about my progress from the weekend."
Hearing Shin's words, Akagi looked disappointed; it seed he had wanted to brag about his weekend gains.
"Who wants to hear about a guy's achievents?"
Shin jokingly kicked Akagi on the back—using the sa strength as usual, rely pushing him away from his seat.
"Shall we eat here?" gumi, holding two lunchboxes, quietly appeared beside him. Akagi, though right there, hadn't even noticed her take out the lunches.
gumi's ability to suppress her presence would make her a pri candidate for an Assassin in the Type-Moon universe, wouldn't it?
"Let's find sowhere private."
Shin thought it over and decided to find a more secluded spot. While gumi typically kept a low profile, her constant presence around him would surely make the class notice her eventually. To avoid unnecessary gossip and attention, he decided to relocate with her for lunch.
To be continued…
Hoi Ningen, FBI is after you after going through your search history. Hand over your Power Stones to so I can bribe them for you winks.
Advance 50 chapters are up on my Patreon.
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