Old Version? New Version? Vote?! (1/3)
Sorry for not releasing a chapter yesterday. I am busy with completing the new version of Arc I.
By the way, this chapter and the next one and the one after the next are the result of the revamp. There are 34,000 words in total, with 21 Chapters in total (1 Prologue and 20 Chapters). They are split into 3 parts for 7 chapters of new version each.
As an aside, for the first half of Chapter 20 is the second half of Chapter 17 of the old version. The rest is the first half of Chapter 18 of the old version.
My reason for releasing this triple super long chapter is to ask you to read it and then give me your vote at the end of "Old Version? New Version? Vote?! (3/3)".
The vote is whether I use this new version or keep using the old version.
I will take a break until August 2nd. If the old version wins the vote, I will publish the rest of the old version of Arc I, which are 25 chapters in total. If the new version wins, I will release all of the new version of Arc I, which are 30 chapters in total. Thus, on August 3rd, Arc I officially ends, and we move on Arc II.
Now, enjoy the new version, and don't forget to give your vote later.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
Arc_I_-_Prologue
***
From 7.30 AM to 3.30 PM, Haru attended his school, which began at 8.00 AM and ended at 3.00 PM; 30 minutes was for commuting between his apartment and his school. He was a member of 'Go Home!' Club. Therefore, he could return home immediately.
From 3.30 PM to 4.00 PM, Haru spent his time to take a bath and have dinner early.
From 4.00 PM to 9.30 PM, Haru slept.
From 10.00 PM to 6.00 AM, Haru had a part-time job; he had a late-night shift in an internet cafe nearby. He also did his homework and satisfied his hobby at the same time. The 30 minutes extra between his sleep and the start of his part-time were for preparation and other stuff.
From 6.00 AM to 7.30 AM, Haru spent his time eating breakfast and preparing his lunchbox before he went to school.
Such was Haru's daily routine. By the way, his full name was Haru Sakurai. He was a sophomore senior high school student, 17 years old, and an orphan.
There were other things such as this and that in-between of his schedules. However, that was not important.
At this time, Haru was in the middle of his part-time job. When he looked at the bottom-right corner of the monitor in front of him, he found that the time was 1.21 AM. He then turned his attention to the e-book reader application that occupied the monitor of the internet cafe administrator computer.
Haru was taking a break from reading a digital copy of one of his favorite light novels.
Regarding his taste, Haru had awakened interest for the 'Cute Little Sister' theme lately.
'My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute!' 'My Sister, My Writer!' and 'A Sister's All You Need!' were some titles that he'd finished. At this moment, he was reading through 'Eromanga Sensei.'
There were more 'Cute Little Sister'-themed titles in his backlog, but as the saying went, "One at a time!"
Because of his newly awakened interest, Haru had also developed a fetish for 'little sisters' as well as 'hair with abnormal color.' He could only blame himself because he got influenced by Japan's popular subculture.
Despite his newly awakened interest and fetish, Haru had no interest in 'real little sisters.' He had overheard his classmates' talk about the vile creatures called 'IRL Little Sisters.'
Haru didn't want them. They could hang themselves in Aokigahara Suicide Forest, and he wouldn't even miss his sleep. He was content and happy with fictional little sisters.
After all, "Fictional little sisters are the true angels!" was Haru's belief.
"Man, if only I have a little sister like Sora Kasugano, Suzuka Nagami, or Sagiri Izumi—no! If I have all of them as my little sisters, my life will be perfect~. I'm going to lewd them every day~. Huehehehe~."
While stretching his stiff body, Haru released a wretched chuckle.
Thankfully, no customer was arriving. However, if a customer saw Haru at this moment, it would surely create a great misunderstanding.
The customer would call Police or JSDF to arrest him without hesitation. Haru looked extremely dangerous at this moment, after all.
"Putting that joke aside, people rarely visit this internet cafe lately. I suppose they prefer a hotspot area where they can use Wi-Fi as they please. The regular customers of this place are those game addicts. If this trend goes on, I feel rather concerned about my future. Can I keep working here until I graduate from high school, at least? It's bad if this place gets shut down before I graduate."
Haru surrendered his body to the backrest of the swivel and released a deep sigh.
"Just one year more before my graduation, and I won't care even if this place gets burned down!"
Feeling a little tired, Haru decided to take a break. He then turned his head to the side to see the parking area through the wall of thick glass.
However—
"HUH?!"
Something absurd entered his field of vision. Haru became speechless when he saw a golden portal popped up above the parking lot, from which a familiar-looking front of an infamous vehicle came out.
*DIIIIIN!*
A loud horn echoed like a roar of a beast. Strangely enough, it didn't create an uproar as if Haru was the only one who saw and heard it. Then, there was a bright flash, robbing Haru's sight.
Everything happened so fast. Haru was unable to catch up on rapid development.
'Wait, what am I thinking?! I must get into safety first!'
But alas, such a thing was unrealistic!
Going to the left meant he would hit a wall.
Jumping to the right was impossible because of the tall and wide wooden desk.
Throwing his body backward was also useless. There was a wooden board that would stop him.
The front? What about going forward? Other than the thick glass wall, going forward would send him to his maker faster because it was where the mysterious vehicle came from!
There was no escape! He was going to die!
Finally, realization and resignation dawned upon Haru.
'Oh, shit!' was Haru's last thought before the Steel Reaper sent Haru to his next great adventure.
***
—Endless Darkness.
—A Bottomless Abyss.
Haru was sinking without a sign of stopping.
In spite of his situation, Haru was feeling calm. He never felt at peace like this.
Well, Haru had died. He remembered how he died oh so vividly.
Holy Mother-fucking Truck-kun had done it again! He was its latest victim!
How could this be?! Wasn't Truck-kun only active in fictional stories?
Regardless of the cause of his death, Haru was dead. End of discussion.
Concerning the calmness, no, the emptiness that he felt, Haru assumed that the phenomenon was caused by his nonexistent physical body. After all, the chemical reactions within one's body were the source of emotions that they felt. At the very least, it was the scientific theory behind emotions, or so the article that Haru had read said.
Haru also had noticed that the concept of time in this place—wherever it was—was a mess. He had given up to understand or keep track of time. In fact, he didn't care about how long he stayed here.
When Haru wondered if he would stay in this abyss forever, something appeared in his field of vision, breaking the monotony of his boring afterlife.
The thing that appeared in Haru's field of vision was a green-colored rectangular holographic screen with a message written in white color and tidy font, which read as follows:
———————————————
[Message]
Rejoice, puny mortal! This Godly Me has graciously compensated you because you have become a tester for the latest divine artifact crafted by yours truly!
You shall wake up in a parallel world with no supernatural elements where you will surely enjoy your new life and realize your dream! This Godly Me also added a system as a bonus!
Be grateful, little mortal, for the benevolence and mercy of this Godly Me knows no bound!
That's all!
For the mortal whose existence is meaningless in the grand scheme of things, may you be graced by my Lovely Truck-kun in your next life!
———————————————
'There is no way that I will allow that goddamned truck gets close to me in my next life!'
Haru instinctively retorted, though his mind was still in a peaceful state as always.
'Anyway, I guess this is better than staying there forever, I prefer a more lively place, thank you very much!' Haru mused, focusing more on the positive aspect of his absurd situation.
After that, Haru felt like he was getting sucked somewhere else. It was rather sudden, to be honest.
The next moment, Haru woke up in an unfamiliar room.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
Arc_I_-_Chapter_1
***
Haru quickly inspected his surroundings. White walls with some posters, a white ceiling with a square-shaped lamp, a lacquered wooden floor. A single bed, a wardrobe with a mirror attached to the door, a shelf with several framed pictures and books, a swivel, and last but not least, a study table with more books, a study lamp, a laptop, as well as a digital alarm clock.
The clock displayed '4.01 AM: April 12th, 2016.'
'Huh? The date was far back. I guess I really got reincarnated.'
After he thought that, Haru left his bed and approached the wardrobe to check his appearance in the mirror.
"I got a unique hair color in this new life. I also look better than in my past life," Haru muttered under his breath.
The reflection displayed a handsome young man with an average height, silvery-white hair with two antennae, and a pair of gray eyes. It was Haru's new appearance.
"Now, what? The owner of this body should have a family. There's no way I can impersonate whoever owned this body without obtaining his memory first. I hope I will get the memories that belonged to this body's original owner. That would be sucked if I am going blind," Haru mumbled.
Out of the blue, something surged in Haru's mind. It wasn't his memories.
Haru felt an intense headache from the mental strain, yet he gritted his teeth to endure that pain. He supported himself by leaning on the wardrobe.
Haru wanted to scream, but his fear of gathering unneeded attention had stopped him from doing so. His breath had become short and rough; sweats covered his forehead and cheeks.
It was a painful experience. Haru never felt like this in his past life. Yet, he preserved until the pain subsided, to which he unconsciously released a loud sigh out of relief.
"I-I see," Haru muttered faintly, "So, I replaced someone called Haruka Kasugano."
Haru paused for a moment. He felt that his new name was somewhat familiar. He then checked his old and new memories.
"Ah, so it's like that," Haru remarked after some time, "No wonder the name sounds familiar. I really did replace the protagonist of Sky of Connection."
Haru knew about a character called Haruka Kasugano because he had watched the anime adaptation of 'Sky of Connection.' He never played the visual novel, though. Other than the lack of time, he wasn't into eroge.
"However, this world doesn't seem to be the world of 'Sky of Connection.' In fact, this world seems like a world of many slice-of-life, rom-com, and school-life series mixed together."
In the first place, Haruka Kasugano supposed to have one sister, his fraternal twin, Sora Kasugano. However, Haru found that he had a stepsister one year younger than him. Suzuka was the name of his stepsister.
"Purple hair and eyes, I bet she's this world's version of Suzuka Nagami from 'My Sister, My Writer!'," Haru hypothesized.
"An alternate world that I will surely enjoy, huh?"
Haru unconsciously made a wry smile as he remembered the message that he received before his awakening. He felt happy to be resurrected in this kind of world, but he was also angry at the god that turned him into a test subject and killed him without his consent. In the end, Haru dismissed the matter and focused on a more relevant topic.
"That god said that I would get a system, right? How can I be sure if I really get a system? There's nothing like a boot-up screen appearing in my field of vision, well, other than that message screen. Did he lie?"
After thinking for a short time, Haru tried something according to novels and fanfiction that he'd read in his past life.
"Let's see, Status?"
Thankfully, something did appear right after Haru said the magic keyword. A rectangular green holographic screen popped up in his field of vision.
"It's really here!" Haru exclaimed in excitement before covering his mouth. He had raised his voice and remembered that he could accidentally rouse the attention of the other residents of this place.
Haru wasn't ready to meet them. He needed time to gather his courage and resolve.
Putting other matters aside, Haru began inspecting his Status Board.
———————————————
[Status Board]
Haruka Kasugano — Human — Male — 16 (February 5th)
Job: Protagonist — Level: 1/10 — EXP: 10/0
Stats — STR: 0.7 — VIT: 0.8 — DEX: 0.9 — INT: 1.2 — MAG: (Locked)
Stats Points: 5
Status Effect: Not Available
Job's Abilities: Not Available
Notable Abilities: Enhanced Memory — Mysterious Lottery — Item Box — Appraisal
—————
"This is," Haru was at a loss for words when he saw the content of his Status Board.
"Is there a help function or something that can give me an explanation about everything?" Haru wondered while holding some expectations.
In fantasy novels and fanfiction that he'd read, such systems would often explain their mechanism after the initial activation. Such was what Haru waited for.
After waiting for a while, nothing occurred. Haru felt disappointed because his expectation was betrayed. He then pondered how he could understand the system's mechanism and recalled something from 'System'-themed novels and fanfiction that he'd read in his past life.
Following his meta knowledge, Haru 'Appraised' his Status Board.
———————————————
[Status Board]
A conceptual divine artifact that merged with the possessor's existence, which displays the quantified value of the possessor's specs and other notable stuff.
———————————————
"So, I really can use it to check out my Status Board. If I appraise the attributes, then I will get the explanation, right?"
Haru pondered for a little before doing just what he'd thought.
———————————————
[General Attribute]
One of the attributes of the Status Board, which contains the System's Holder's name, race, gender, age, as well as the date of birth.
———————————————
"It really happened! Then, let's inspect the rest."
Haru became excited and went on with the rest.
———————————————
[Job & Level Attribute]
Contains the System's Holder's Job, Job's Level, and EXP.
Job is an attribute that will affect the development of the System's Holder as they raise their Level. Job's Abilities will get unlocked after the Job reached a specific level.
The Equipped Job is 'Protagonist,' which is a special and unique Job. Anyone with 'Protagonist' Job is favored by Lady Fate, loved by Lady Destiny, and spoiled by Lady Luck.
Level is an attribute that shows the development value of a specific concept; in this case, it is Job.
EXP, which is the abbreviation of Experience Points, is an attribute that gauges how far is the System's Holder from reaching the next stage of development. System's Holder will receive EXP after completing tasks, passing trials, or defeating other units.
———————————————
———————————————
[Stats]
An abbreviation of Statistics. Contains the five statistics of the System's Holder.
STR, which is the abbreviation of 'Strength,' governs over the physical power and durability.
VIT, which is the abbreviation of 'Vitality,' governs over the total stamina, the speed of stamina recovery, the rate of natural healing, and the natural lifespan.
DEX, which is the abbreviation of 'Dexterity,' governs over the hand-eye coordination, control over motor function, and reflex.
INT, which is the abbreviation of 'Intelligence,' governs over the capacity and capability of the mind, and other related specs related.
MAG, which is the abbreviation of 'Magic,' governs over the potential, capacity, reserve, and quality of the magic. The System's Holder needs equal or higher INT stats to have excellent control over the magic power. This stat is unavailable until a specific Job is equipped.
Additional Note: The value of 1 stat point is equal with the capacity and capability of an ordinary male human in his twenties.
———————————————
———————————————
[Stats Points]
Displays the free Stat Points, which can be used to increase Stats attributes.
———————————————
———————————————
[Status Effect]
Displays the active buff or debuff.
———————————————
———————————————
[Job's Abilities]
Displays the Job's Abilities owned by the System's Holder.
———————————————
———————————————
[Notable Abilities]
Displays notable abilities owned by the System's Holder.
———————————————
"Well, it's disappointing that my MAG attribute is still unavailable," Haru commented.
Haru then turned his attention to Notable Abilities. He already had four abilities listed on there. Other than Enhanced Memory, he was curious about the rest.
'I have some ideas regarding Item Box. It is the staple skills in Fantasy stories with system and RPG elements, though I don't know its limits. Then, this Mysterious Lottery, honestly, it sounds like a Gacha feature…'
Gacha or Lottery usually designated as one of the system's features. But, the Status Board displayed it as an Ability, and it piqued Haru's interest.
As Haru 'Appraised' his first ability, a new screen popped up, displaying the detail of Enhanced Memory.
———————————————
[Enhanced Memory]
It allows Ability's Holder to remember and recall experiences and events without problems.
———————————————
Haru always knew that he had a rather good memory in his past life. It's not wrong to say that he had a photographic/eidetic memory. However, he always kept it a secret.
Haru didn't want to appear standing out, which would get him bullied by jealous orphans before he moved out of the orphanage. Even after leaving the orphanage, he kept it under a wrap out of habit.
Everyone in his past life only knew that he had a good memory, no more than that.
Haru had a harsh childhood, but he had a better life after becoming a part-timer worker in an internet cafe and moving out to his apartment.
Putting Haru's past life aside, Haru dismissed the screen and then 'Appraised' his other Abilities one by one.
———————————————
[Item Box]
Gives the Ability's Holder access to an exclusive alternate dimension with limitless space. There is no weight limit. Time inside Item Box stops. Ability's Holder can even keep animate objects there in stasis.
———————————————
———————————————
[Mysterious Lottery]
Gives the Ability's Holder a random thing; from useless garbage to divine artifacts, from trash abilities to overpowered skills, and even unique, alien animate objects. It's up to the luck of the Ability's Holder. The cooldown period is 100 hours/4 days and 4 hours.
———————————————
————��——————————
[Appraisal]
Gives information about the target. It can even analyze the target's feelings and surface thoughts.
———————————————
'Well, those are good starting abilities to have… I suppose.' Haru paused for a moment and began pondering his next action.
A moment later, Haru focused his attention on the Mysterious Lottery written on his Status Board.
'Perhaps, I can try this out?'
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
Arc_I_-_Chapter_2
***
———————————————
Would you like to use Mysterious Lottery?
Warning! The ability will enter 100 hours cooldown period after being used!
Yes ←
No
———————————————
The notification popped up in Haru's field of vision right after he wanted to activate the Mysterious Lottery.
Haru carefully weighed his options for a while before choosing the 'Yes' option.
Then, another notification popped up in his field of vision.
—���—————————————
You have used Mysterious Lottery!
You have obtained A Random Prize!
A Random Prize has been stored in the Item Box!
Mysterious Lottery has entered a cooldown period: 100 hours until the cooldown ends!
———————————————
'I wonder what I have gotten,' Haru wondered and turned his attention to his Item Box.
Then, Haru realized that he didn't know how to access Item Box. Thankfully, the system sent the information into his brain directly. At the very least, this time wasn't as painful as the time he got his predecessor's memory.
After Haru's headache subsided, he closed his eyes and accessed his Item Box according to the information that he'd received.
At first, Haru's field of vision was dominated by vast darkness. But, the next moment, ever-shifting colors replaced the pitch darkness. Haru understood that he'd successfully accessed the interior of Item Box.
Haru turned his attention to the only item floating in Item Box and discovered that it was a glass vial, which contained unknown glowing white liquid.
As Haru 'Appraised' the suspicious liquid, new information appeared in his mind. The unpleasant yet bearable sensation assaulted his head, but he endured it without problems. He had adapted to the inconvenience of a sudden rush of information.
'Large-sized Liquid EXP, huh? It grants one hundred points of EXP. How many level-ups can I get with one hundred points?'
Haru felt curious. He then summoned the vial of liquified EXP into the real world.
The item disappeared from the Item Box, and Haru heard something dropped on the floor. He opened his eyes in a hurry and felt relieved when the vial wasn't broken.
Haru took the vial and raised it in front of his eyes. 'As I thought, this stuff looks like glowing semen, huh? I hope that it has a good taste, at least,' Haru thought before uncorking the vial stopper.
Haru smelled the liquid and found that the smell reminded him of regular milk. He kept his wary gaze on the glowing white liquid for some time before gathering his resolve, after which he drank the content of the vial in one gulp.
"Huh? It tastes like normal milk," Haru muttered under his breath, pleasantly surprised by the taste. He felt stupid for his misgivings.
Then, several notifications popped up in Haru's field of vision.
———————————————
Level Up! You're now Level 2! You obtained 5 Stat Points!
Level Up! You're now Level 3! You obtained 5 Stat Points!
Level Up! You're now Level 4! You obtained 5 Stat Points!
Level Up! You're now Level 5! You obtained 5 Stat Points!
———————————————
———————————————
You have unlocked a new Job's Ability!
———————————————
Haru became dumbfounded. However, he quickly snapped out of his shock-induced daze and accessed his Status Board.
———————————————
[Status Board]
Haruka Kasugano — Human — Male — 16 (February 5th)
Job: Protagonist — Level: 5/10 — EXP: 50/0
Stats — STR: 0.7 — VIT: 0.8 — DEX: 0.9 — INT: 1.2 — MAG: (Locked)
Stats Points: 25
Status Effect: Not Available
...
———————————————
Haru's attention lingered on his Level and EXP. He felt curious about the increase of EXP per Level's increment and then did quick math.
After Haru did the quick math, he found that the required EXP at Level 2 were 20 points, 30 points at Level 3, and the increment was ten with each level up. At Level 5, he needed 50 points of EXP.
Haru predicted that he would need 60 EXP at Level 6, 70 EXP at Level 7, and so on until 100 EXP at Level 10.
Haru wrapped up the matter concerning his Level and EXP and turned his attention on the next thing.
'Next, my new ability.'
———————————————
...
Job's Abilities: Plot Armor
...
———————————————
'Plot Armor, huh?'
Haru unconsciously made a wry smile when he saw the name of his new ability. He felt that the god who killed him and gave him this system was making fun of him.
After regaining his composure, Haru 'Appraised' his new ability.
———————————————
[Plot Armor]
Protagonists are creatures who have an extraordinary destiny; they always have something called Plot Armor. This ability affects the reality to increase good luck, survival chance in a life-and-death situation, and the probability of the fated encounters. However, there are always downsides to balance the upsides. There will be troubles and moments of foolishness and tunnel vision that happens at random.
———————————————
After appraising his new ability, Haru's impression of Plot Armor drastically changed. Although it had such a stupid sounding name and troublesome downsides, it actually was an overpowered ability.
Admittedly, Haru had mixed feelings about it.
Although the upsides of Plot Armor were ridiculously good, its downsides were concerning. Granted, all protagonists had their stupid moments and always got into trouble. But, Haru preferred if he had no such problems.
'Well, it is a good skill to have, in spite of its downsides. I only need to be careful in the future. Anyway, I do need that good luck since I am in a pinch now. Without luck at my side, I can't live together with Sora and Suzuka because of many things to consider! Mostly, it is money! Of course, it is always money! Either it is in my previous world or this new world, you need money to live! Goddamnit!'
Haru's mood instantly soured when he remembered his present situation.
In truth, Haru didn't only assimilate Haruka Kasugano's memory; he had also absorbed his predecessor's experiences and feelings. Due to that, he also experienced his predecessor's sadness when Mr. and Ms. Kasugano died.
In fact, their funeral happened only a few days ago. They died in a traffic accident around two weeks ago.
The memory was still fresh in Haru's mind.
Haru was an orphan in his past life. He lived alone and had no family to support him. The staff of the orphanages only fulfilled the bare minimum of their responsibility and didn't really care about their wards. They only cared about their wages.
Because of that, Haru had grown up into an extremely independent boy.
At this moment, Haru had new memories where he experienced the warmth and happiness of a family. However, he was unable to experience it directly.
Haru felt that it was very unfair!
In addition, Haru inherited Haruka's feelings for his sisters. He loved both Sora and Suzuka, and it complicated things!
"Haaah~" Haru sighed out of frustration and resignation, "Nothing changes even if I complain. What's important is how I should tackle the problem in front of me."
Haru really had it hard. Right after starting his new life, he had to deal with such troublesome matters.
"Very well, then. I will use my free time to find a way to support my family. So, the problem is money. We only have our inheritance and money from insurance. However, it won't be enough. I need money to pay our living expenses and Suzuka's school tuition fee."
Haru recalled that the monthly rent of his family apartment was ¥280,000, heat, water, cable, Wi-Fi, gas, and electric bills included. However, it might go up all of a sudden.
Then, there was Suzuka's school tuition fee. Haru discovered that Suzuka attended a prestigious all-girls school called Hakuo Academy. It was the same school that Suzuka Nagami attended in 'My Sister, My Writer!'
In fact, Sora had attended this school before the death of their parents. She had been in 10th grade, while Suzuka was still in 9th grade. Meanwhile, Haru's predecessor had once attended a public high school near his apartment.
"Sora and I have dropped out of our schools, and it helped us with our finance. However, the main problem is Suzuka's tuition fee. It's expensive."
Haru decided to think of other things. Nothing would change even if he whined and threw temper-tantrum.
"After my predecessor dropped out of school, he had a fight with Suzuka because she wanted to transfer to a cheaper school. However, my predecessor strongly opposed to it. Well, in the end, she agreed to continue attending Hakuo Academy after their fight."
Haru had to agree with his predecessor that it was a pity if Suzuka transferred to another junior high school.
Suzuka was already in her last year. She would face the national exam soon, and the stress from moving into a new environment could affect the results of her test.
Haru wanted the best result for his new precious people.
"Although Sora and I dropped out of school, I still need to make money to support our lives, huh? What kind of job I can do," Haru mused loudly while looking around his room.
Suddenly, Haru stopped his at his study table; on there was his laptop. He had an idea after he recalled his past life hobby and the plot of 'My Sister, My Writer!'
"Perhaps, I can become a Novelist?" Haru contemplated carefully.
Haru was aware that famous light novel writers were quite wealthy because of the royalty of their works. If Haru could write a good story that attracted many loyal readers and fans, he could get enough money to support his family.
"Firstly, I need to survey the ACG industry of this world. After all, this world is an alternate version of my previous world. Maybe, I will discover something interesting," Haru mused as he approached his desk.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
Arc_I_-_Chapter_3
***
'Thinking about how the famous series like Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, and Fairy Tail doesn't exist in this world, it makes me feel complicated! Those works were very famous in my previous life, but they don't exist in this world! Unbelievable! I never expected the ACG industry in this world is so backward!'
Haru was dumbfounded. He had surfed on the internet and browsed everything related to this world's ACG industry. With the Wi-Fi connection of the apartment complex, he could easily access the internet. In the end, he discovered this shocking truth.
The year of this alternate world was 2016. Yet, the development of the ACG Industry in his previous world when the year was 2016 was more advanced than this world!
By the way, Haru died in the year 2020.
Now, back to the main topic, Haru felt dissatisfied by the absence of his favorite works. However, it also presented an opportunity.
Haru couldn't miss this opportunity because the royalty from those works would make him rich!
As someone who was desperately in need of money to support his little sisters, Haru wouldn't waste this opportunity.
Haru was going to plagiarize the famous works from his past life. So, what? Haru didn't care about stranger's opinions! Well, his soon-to-be readers wouldn't know that he was plagiarizing someone else's works!
'I am not confident with my drawing skill, though I remember those famous works panel by panel. Hence, I am going to focus on the light novel industry for the time being. After I become successful in the light novel industry, I will try to move to manga, and then anime too, perhaps.'
Haru quickly made up his mind and started browsing the famous light novel chart.
After surfing on the internet for a while, Haru discovered that many famous works never got published here! Even a renowned web novel platform such as 'Shōsetsuka ni Narō,' 'Webnovel,' and others that existed in his world was nonexistent here!
'Whatever. With the low quality of light novels published in this world, I can use it to get easy money!'
Haru browsed the list of famous publishing houses in this world. He discovered that there were the parodies of the publishing company that existed in his previous world. For example, Dangoki Bunko was the parody for Dengeki Bunko, and Kodokawa Bunko was the parody for Kadokawa Bunko. Those publishing companies were related to the famous MediaWorks. They also had published some famous novels in Haru's past life, such as Kadokawa with their 'God's Blessing On This Wonderful World!' and Dengeki with their 'Sword Art Online' and 'A Certain Magical Index.'
'What kind of works I'm going to introduce to this pitiful world...'
Haru carefully contemplated his choices, but something interrupted him.
*Knock!*—*Knock!*—*Knock!*
Haru stopped his brainstorming and turned his head to the door. "Yes?" He replied warily.
"Oh. You have woken up, Onii-chan. I thought you are still sleeping."
Haru blinked his eyes after hearing the polite voice of a girl from outside. Then, he recognized the voice belong to Suzuka, his stepsister.
All of a sudden, Haru felt a great urge to see Suzuka with his own eyes. Although he had known her from the assimilated memories, he wanted to see her directly. After all, she was one of his favorite 'Cute Little Sister' type characters in his past life.
"Ano, Onii-chan," Suzuka wanted to say something, but Haru responded in a hurry as he left the swivel.
"Wait! I am going to open the door. Please wait for a moment!"
Haru finally reached his door. He then opened it, after which he met face to face with Suzuka.
When Haru saw her with his own eyes, he was stunned. The girl was so pretty. Her purple hair also made her look exotic. He swore that his heart throbbed when his eyesight landed on her.
Suzuka was wearing a pink Pajama that looked like a bunny costume. It showed her toned yet smooth thighs, giving Haru a clear, enticing view. She let her long hair loose.
Overall, the 2D animation didn't give justice to the real-life version of Suzuka.
"Um, Onii-chan?"
Haru snapped out of his shock-induced daze. When he looked at Suzuka, he saw red hue staining her fair skin.
It seemed like Haru had been gawking at Suzuka, making her self-conscious and embarrassed.
"Ah, sorry, Suzuka." Haru apologized to his new stepsister. "By the way, what's it?"
"Well, it's already past six-thirty in the morning. Usually, you are already awake and waits for breakfast in the kitchen with Nee-san. When you didn't show yourself on time, I felt concerned and wanted to check you out."
Haru wordlessly nodded, accepting Suzuka's answer. He had turned off the alarm when it rang; he didn't want any interruption when he was so focused on his task. He also ignored everything else, even when the sky got brighter. However, he never expected that he would make his stepsister worry.
"So, are you okay? Are you sick?" Suzuka inquired in worry.
When Haru received such concern, he couldn't help but feel touched. As an orphan, he rarely received genuine care from a stranger. Granted, Suzuka wasn't a stranger in his new life despite he just started a short time ago.
"No. I am not sick. Well, I have been gathering some information on the internet. I guess I have lost track of time."
"Gathering... information?" Suzuka tilted her head out of curiosity. "For what, exactly?"
"I want to be a Novelist. I hear a successful novelist have a large sum of money from royalty."
Suzuka didn't respond. Her expression darkened when she was reminded of her family's situation.
Haru didn't understand why Suzuka made a gloomy face. He wondered if it was his fault, but he was at a loss; he didn't feel like triggering anything that could make her mood plummet like that.
Haru decided to 'Appraise' her to find the truth. Information surged in his mind with a mild headache.
Haru then sorted the pieces of information in her mind. There were many interesting pieces of information, but he focused on the source of Suzuka's bad mood.
In addition, a part of him that was affected by the assimilation felt guilty and sick from disregarding Suzuka's privacy. However, he pushed that part aside. He was doing that for Suzuka's own good, after all. At the very least, he justified his action as such.
After discovering the cause of her bad mood, Haru felt awkward. He never meant to remind her of their precarious situation.
Haru was unable to see Suzuka sad. A part of him, which was affected by assimilation, and his own feelings due to his bias for 'Little Sister'-type girl couldn't allow it to happen.
"Now, now, no need to have such a gloomy face. You look cuter when you aren't in a bad mood, Suzuka," Haru petted Suzuka head and said.
Suzuka was caught off guard by Haru's action. She had a wide-eyed, dumbfounded expression. At the same time, her cheeks and ears were reddening.
Haru stiffened when he realized his mistake. His predecessor had a strained relationship with Suzuka because of an incident in their childhood. After that incident, their relationship was very awkward at best, and Haruka Kasugano never petted her head anymore since then.
"Er, sorry." Haru gave Suzuka an awkward grin and tried to pull back his hand.
However, Suzuka surprised him by holding his wrist. She then averted her eyes and muttered faintly.
"I don't mind... It has—*mumble*—*mumble*..."
Other than Suzuka's faint voice, Haru was unable to hear her words clearly because he was also in shock.
Right after Haru recovered from a shock-induced daze, he quickly averted his eyes away. He felt a fluttery sensation in his stomach. His face was also a bit hot.
Haru had received an effective surprise attack from Suzuka, who was unaware of the critical attack she had sent to him.
Although Haru knew of his predecessor's romantic feeling for his stepsister, he finally became conscious of it. Both of the assimilation and his fetish for a 'Little Sister' type made him an easy target for someone like Suzuka.
Thus, Haru couldn't help but petting the ref-faced Suzuka's head while averting his eyes. When anyone saw them, they would receive Area-of-Effect damage from how awkward it was.
Or maybe, not everyone.
***
Unbeknownst by Haru and Suzuka, someone was watching them while hiding themselves.
A girl with long hair with the same hair color as Haru's hair and the same two antennae, wearing a frilly nightgown, was watching their awkward interaction with a grim expression.
She was hiding behind a wall in a corner, hidden from Haru's and Suzuka's peripheral view, while carefully peeking on their awkward yet sweet interaction.
Her gray eyes narrowed, almost hiding the dangerous glint in those frosty eyes. Her teeth ground together as she bottled up the bitterness in her chest due to witnessing Haru's and Suzuka's interaction.
This girl was Sora Kasugano, Haru's new fraternal twin. She was in love with Haru, or rather his predecessor, just like her other version in another parallel universe where the story of 'Sky of Connection' happened.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
Arc_1_-_Chapter_4
***
Haru and Suzuka finally moved to the kitchen. When they arrived there, they found Sora already sitting one of the chairs around the dining table.
About their apartment, it was similar to the one in the 'Sky of Connection' anime, which showed a flashback about Haruka Kasugano's meeting with Sora in their childhood. It was when Sora arrived in the city to live with Haruka and their parents after living with their grandparents.
Just like in Suzuka's case, the visual novel, anime, and manga arts didn't give justice to the real-life version of Sora.
When Haru saw Sora, his breath was taken away by her beauty. Sora had a different charm from Suzuka, but it didn't mean she was less beautiful than Suzuka. In fact, Haru would be hard-pressed to answer who's prettier.
Sora was a fair-skinned girl who possessed a doll-like appearance that gave off a fragile impression. She had long silver hair tied in twin tails with black ribbons; the color of her irises was gray, and her height was 152 cm.
At this moment, she was wearing a white-colored nightgown that was supported by laces on her thin shoulders. That was the same nightgown that her other version in 'Sky of Connection' usually wore.
However, Haru immediately sensed that Sora was in a bad mood. She gave off an aura that was clearly screaming, "Fuck off!"
Haru was at a loss for words. He knew that from his predecessor's memory, Sora had become more troublesome to deal with after the death of their parents. But, the impression that Sora gave off was too much when he was sitting across her.
After Suzuka took the seat next to Haru, the breakfast began. Haru, Sora, and Suzuka were eating their breakfast in silence. It was an oppressive silence.
Haru also sensed a strange tension between Sora and Suzuka.
After searching his predecessor's memory, Haru realized that his sisters were incompatible with each other. They were like oil and water, unable to coexist.
Suddenly, Haru felt a great urge to release a sigh out of frustration. He felt vexed by their animosity toward each other. He could guess the reason for their petty rivalry.
Both Sora and Suzuka loved him. Not as sisters to their twin brother/stepbrother. They loved him as a woman to a man.
Apparently, they were aware of their feelings for Haru. Thus, their animosity toward each other.
It was like a saying, "Two tigers (or tigresses in this case) cannot coexist in the same mountain."
Haru felt a budding headache. He wanted them to live in harmony, but it wouldn't be easy unless a miracle happens.
In the end, Haru put this problem aside, at least for the time being, and then focused on his meal.
"Onii-chan."
Suzuka suddenly called Haru, attracting the attention of both Haru and Sora. However, Suzuka ignored Sora and turned her head to Haru.
"You said that you are going to write a novel, yes? Do you have an idea about what you're going to write?"
Haru's hands stopped as he began mulling over his plan to become a novelist. From his information gathering, many masterpieces didn't exist here. Thanks to his Enhanced Memory, Haru could remember all novels that he'd read in his past life, a word by a word.
"I have some ideas, but I have yet to finalize it."
"I see. Well, then. I hope Onii-chan will succeed in your endeavor. You have my full support, Onii-chan. If you need something, and I can help with it, you can ask my help anytime."
Haru turned his head to Suzuka and saw her small, pretty smile. When he saw her encouraging smile, Haru unconsciously formed a content smile. He felt happy from Suzuka's encouragement.
At the same time, Haru wondered if Suzuka would also become a novelist like her counterpart in 'My Sister, My Writer!'
As Haru and Suzuka exchanged a smile, it seemed like they were in their little world. However, a certain someone wasn't happy when she saw that.
*Plak!*
Haru and Suzuka came out of their little world. They turned their heads to the source of that sound and saw Sora raising her body from her chair. It looked like Sora had slammed her palm as well as her chopsticks on the table.
"I'm finished," Sora muttered while scowling. Then, she left the dining table without waiting for Haru's or Suzuka's reply. She walked to her room.
"Geez, what's wrong with her," Suzuka grumbled under her breath after Sora was out of hearing range. Her mood had soured because of Sora's action.
On the other hand, Haru was silent. His eyes were closed as he endured a mild headache from 'Appraising' Sora.
"An intense jealousy, huh?"
Haru mumbled after discovering the source of Sora's bad mood. He had found that Sora had seen his awkward interaction with Suzuka before they went to the kitchen.
Knowing Sora's propensity in peeking and eavesdropping from the anime, Haru believed in the result of his appraisal.
"Huh? Did you say something, Onii-chan?"
Haru snapped out of his musing when he heard Suzuka's voice. He turned his head to her and saw her confused expression.
"Nothing. Don't mind it."
"If you say so," Suzuka said, though she had a doubtful expression. After Haru gave her a reassuring smile, she dismissed the matter and continued eating her breakfast in silence.
Haru and Suzuka soon finished their breakfast.
"I'll wash the dishes. Just be ready to go to school," Haru said, stopping Suzuka from collecting the dishes.
"Very well, then. I appreciate your help, Onii-chan." Suzuka gave Haru a charming smile before leaving the kitchen.
Haru watched Suzuka's back until she disappeared in the corridor that connected the four rooms in their apartment.
Just like Haru, Sora and Suzuka had their own bedrooms. The last bedroom belonged to their late parents, but it had become a sore spot in his new family. It reminded them of their deceased parents.
Haru moved the dishes to the sink after storing Sora's unfinished breakfast in the refrigerator. There was no reason for wasting food.
After finishing his chore, Haru went to his room. He stopped in front of Sora's bedroom for a short time. He wanted to call her but changed his mind.
'I can talk with her after I escorted Suzuka to her school.'
Then, Haru entered his bedroom and prepared himself for going out.
***
Inside Sora's bedroom, Sora was curling in her bed; her head was pushing into a pillow.
Sora's bedroom had a wooden wardrobe, a swivel, and a desk with some books and a laptop on it. There was a black rabbit doll, a gift from her stepmother in the past, on the bedstand.
"Emmm~ Haru! Haru! Haru!"
Sora released a sweet, seductive moan, which was muffled by her pillow. Her hands, which slipped into her nightgown, were moving with unrivaled enthusiasm. Her left hand was busy with her chest, twisting her sensitive nipple, while her right hand was staying in-between of her thighs, fingering her soaked pussy.
It was clear what she was doing.
Sora was releasing her frustration after witnessing Haru's interaction with Suzuka before breakfast. She was jealous when she saw it.
Deep down, Sora was aware that her love for her twin brother was forbidden. Society frowned incest, and it was for a good reason. However, Sora didn't care about society's opinion.
She wanted to be together with Haru, to love each other, and to find happiness together. However, there was a problem with it.
Suzuka Kasugano. A strong rival for her twin's love.
Although Suzuka presented herself as a proper and refined girl in front of everyone else, Sora knew that Suzuka was rotten inside. Sora knew about Suzuka's fantasy that was written in her diary. She named it "Onii-chan Diary," and Sora had found it accidentally in the past.
That book was extremely irritating. Whenever Sora recalled that diary and Suzuka's syrupy delusions, which were written in it, she wanted to burn it and scatter the ash in the wind. However, she stopped the urge because Suzuka would know that she was the culprit, and a fight would break out.
Although Sora and Suzuka were treating each other in a passive-aggressive manner, they never fought seriously after what happened in the past.
Sora had fought against Suzuka seriously in the past: clawing each other's face, pulling each other's hair, kicking, and punching. They had done all the above in that fight. However, they had made their beloved brother upset and sad; he had even cried at that time.
Since then, Sora and Suzuka had an unspoken agreement to never repeat it. As much as they hated each other, they loved their beloved brother more.
"Kiss... Haru. Kiss me!" Sora moaned and moved her left hand to her mouth. She then put her index and middle fingers into her mouth. Her tongue immediately swirled around her digits. At the same time, her other hand sped up its movement.
"Yes. Harder. Haru, I love you. I love you so much, Haru! Impregnate me, Haru! My Haru! Cu-Cumming! Ahnn~!"
As Sora was extremely close to her climax, she lost the filter in her mind and said her deepest wish. She imagined her brother thrusting his dick in and out of her pussy, then sprouting his seed inside her womb as she reached her sweet, blissful orgasm.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
Arc_1_-_Chapter_5
***
"I guess I am looking good enough," Haru remarked as he inspected his appearance reflected in the mirror.
At this moment, Haru had adapted to his new appearance. Well, somewhat.
Perhaps, the assimilation helped Haru with this matter. After all, it wouldn't be easy for you to see someone else's face instead of your own face in a mirror when you wanted to see your reflection.
That aside, Haru was wearing a black jacket over his blue T-shirt and a pair of jeans. He had pocketed his wallet and flip-phone.
Haru was finally ready to escort Suzuka to Hakuo Academy.
After entertaining his narcissism, Haru exited his bedroom. He was about to move to the living room to meet Suzuka, but he stopped in front of Sora's bedroom. He had a contemplative expression as he watched the door of Sora's bedroom. A moment later, he made his decision.
*Knock!*—*Knock!*—*Knock!*
Haru knocked on the door of Sora's bedroom and waited for a short time.
"Who?"
Haru heard Sora's muffled voice from inside and responded.
"This is I. Haru. Anyway, I'm going to escort Suzuka to her school."
There were a few seconds of silence before Haru received the answer.
"I don't care! Just go away!"
This time, Sora's voice was clear. Even the anger lacing her voice was discernible.
Haru had a helpless expression after hearing Sora's angry tone. He added "Talking with Sora after returning back" in his mental to-do list.
Ultimately, Haru needed to have a talk with Sora a bit. Although the assimilation had helped him to deal with Sora, even if only a tiny bit, Haru felt like his patience was running thin. He would lose his patience soon if he didn't address this problem.
Additionally, Haru had no patience in dealing with a troublesome kid. Blame his bad experience when he lived in the orphanage in his past life for his lack of patience.
Haru preferred to have a peaceful, stress-free life, thank you very much.
Then, Haru went to the living room and found Suzuka already there, waiting for him.
Suzuka, sitting on the sofa while reading her schoolbook, was already in the Hakuo Academy's uniform. Which consisted of a long-sleeved white top with a red butterfly ribbon under the light blue colored pinafore. Her exotic purple hair was tied in a high ponytail with a red-and-black ribbon. Lastly, her dark blue bag was resting on the table in front of her.
"Oh? Onii-chan, you are ready. Are we going out now?" Suzuka, who had sensed his entrance, turned her head around and remarked after giving Haru a once-over. Then, she closed her book, stored it into her bag, and stood up. After hanging her school bag on her right shoulder, she was ready to leave.
"Shall we?" Haru asked.
"Yes," Suzuka responded with a calm, assured smile.
Then, Haru and Suzuka left their apartment.
***
Right after Haru moved away from the door of Sora's room, inside the room, Sora was punching her pillow. She had an outraged expression like an angsty teenager, who she actually was.
Sora felt like the world was picking a fight with her today. Not only she saw Haru and Suzuka acting so close with each other that made her jealous. Now, she got frustrated and angry again right after relieving herself.
It was so unfair!
"Haru, you idiot! Stupid! Moron!" Sora grumbled as she pushed her face into her pillow. At the same time, she slipped her right hand into her nightgown and began fingering herself furiously.
"Suzuka, you harlot! Skank! Bitch!" She cursed her rival in love while stimulating her erogenous spot. Simultaneously, she moved her other hand to her chest and began twisting her nipples.
"Uuuuuh~ Haru, you idiot! Moron! Pervert! Stupid! Degenerate! Asshole! Idiot! Ah!" Sora stopped insulting her twin brother as a toe-curling pleasant jolt of electricity spread from her head to toe. "Uuu~ Haru! Yes. There! Lick me there~."
And just like that, the pleasure was slowly taking over her mind, eroding her anger and frustration.
Sora had no experience in make-up sex. However, if someone asked her to honestly answer whether pleasuring oneself could calm anger and frustration, she would reply with "Yes" without hesitation.
After all, Sora was quite skilled and well experienced in this matter.
***
After leaving their apartment complex, Haru escorted Suzuka to the nearby bus stop. Because of the distance between their apartment complex and Hakuo Academy, they must commute via bus. The travel time was around 20 minutes.
Haru and Suzuka left at seven-eleven in the morning. Substracting the walking time and the travel time via bus, they would arrive at their destination in the 30s, in minutes. Since Suzuka's first homeroom started at eight in the morning, Suzuka could come with some extra time.
Unfortunately, the bus was quite packed with passengers. Haru and Suzuka must stand until they arrived at the bus stop near Hakuo Academy.
Haru made Suzuka stand in the corner while he protected her with his body. It was what usually happened when they got a packed bus, a means to defend Suzuka from some perverts who shamelessly took advantage of the situation.
Haru's predecessor was a bit overprotective of his sisters. More so after the death of their parents. However, Haru must agree with his predecessor's protectiveness.
Although the city they lived in had a low crime rate, 'low' didn't mean 'zero.' Petty crimes like pickpocketing and sexual harassment often happened. There was a snowball chance in hell Haru would let his cute stepsister become a victim of sexual harassment.
To be honest, thinking such a scenario was almost making his rage come out. After all, Haru was a control freak and overprotective of what he considered as his. This facet of his complicated personality was because of his harsh childhood as an orphan in his past life. He had little personal belongings, and he was very protective of them.
Putting Haru's past aside, let's return to Haru and Suzuka. While waiting until their bus arrived at their destination, Haru entertained Suzuka with small talk.
However, Haru lost his self-control when he heard Suzuka's next words.
"Ne, Onii-chan. You seem very different today. How should I put it? Well, you have changed, somewhat."
"...really?" Haru was nervous despite he showed an unperturbed expression.
"Yes. I always look at you, so I know when something changed about Onii-chan."
"What do you think of this change? Is it good? Or is it bad?"
"I wonder..." Suzuka smiled mysteriously and never gave Haru a clear answer. In return, Haru made a wry smile.
Inwardly, Haru was thinking about something important.
Haru contemplated telling his sisters about his reincarnation and power or not. After a while passed, he made up his mind; he was going to give them a white lie.
Haru wouldn't tell them that he was actually a body poacher who indirectly killed their beloved brother. That's just stupid! A direct route to Bad End!
Haru's decision was backed up by his knowledge from reading self-insert, wish-fulfillment fanfiction. More often than most, the protagonist who stole the body of a character hid the truth from the family of the guy whose body got taken over. Those authors often forgot that those background characters were also sentience, intelligent lifeforms, and they could perceive the change.
Just like Suzuka a moment ago!
Haru didn't care if his present life got written as a crappy fanfiction in an alternate world. However, he didn't want to disregard that pitfall and got bitten on the ass later. He believed that he should tell Sora and Suzuka some bullshits while omitting the truth to cut off all chances of future misunderstanding.
Haru didn't feel confident in keeping the secret of his reincarnation and system forever. He was still a human, after all. He would involuntarily slip off. It could create a disastrous misunderstanding if he didn't prepare a countermeasure beforehand.
Another reason behind Haru's decision was Haruka's feelings for Sora and Suzuka that he had assimilated. It had affected Haru, deeply. In other words, Haru was in love with both Sora and Suzuka.
Furthermore, it was Haru's first time falling in love!
Haru didn't want them to hate him. He swore to carry the grim truth behind his reincarnation into his grave. If only he never got affected like this, he wouldn't think twice to leave them be and choose to live his second life freely. It isn't like Sora and Suzuka were the only interesting girls in this alternate world.
In truth, according to his assimilated memories, some of Haruka's female friends were female characters from some famous series Haru had watched and read. He could chase them if he wanted.
Suddenly, Haru snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the bus' announcement. He and Suzuka were almost reaching their destination. Soon, they exited the bus together after they arrived. Haru immediately inspected the tall wall with barbed wires on top of it behind the bus stop. That wall stretched out far because it surrounded the whole junior high school division of Hakuo Academy.
Haru felt amazed by the grandness of this prestigious all-girls academy. He had never closely seen such a prestigious academy in his past life.
"All right. We are almost here," Haru offered his open left palm to Suzuka and said.
Suzuka looked at Haru's hand for a moment before putting her right fist on it. Then, her cheeks reddened.
"W-Well, it's not like I'm happy with holding Onii-chan's hand, okay? Onii-chan was offering your hand, and it would be rude if I didn't accept it." Suzuka felt like she needed to point out to maintain her dignity.
Haru was at a loss for words for a short while before he recovered. "What's with that Tsundere reply?"
Suzuka puffed her cheeks and cutely glared at Haru as if offended. "Who's Tsundere! I'm not a Tsundere! Humph!"
Haru shook his head in exasperation after witnessing another typical Tsundere reaction coming from Suzuka so naturally. He was aware that Suzuka couldn't be honest with herself regarding a specific thing. Yet, he couldn't deny that she was adorable when she acted like that.
At the very least, Suzuka was more of Dere than Tsun. He wouldn't have the patience if Suzuka was a total Tsun like Kirino from Oreimo. Heck, he would likely throw Kirino into Mount Fuji's crater if that irritating girl became his little sister instead.
Haru then led Suzuka to the entrance gate of Hakuo Academy while holding on her small and soft hand. He missed a blissful smile on Suzuka's face as he led her there.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
Arc_I_-_Chapter_6
***
After separating from Suzuka, Haru immediately returned to the same bus stop. He waited for a while until his bus arrived to take him back home.
At this moment, Haru was sitting alone. Surprisingly enough, the bus was rather empty.
Haru wished the bus that carried him and Suzuka before was this empty. But of course, it was only his wishful thinking.
To kill his free time, Haru accessed his Status Board. He'd noticed that he'd gotten some EXP from completing menial tasks.
His EXP was filled by 0.3 points; 0.1 EXP after gathering information on the net this morning, another 0.1 from washing dishes, and the last 0.1 from escorting Suzuka. Still, he needed 49.7 EXP to level up.
If completing a chore/task rewards him with 0.1 EXP, he must complete almost 500 chores to achieve Level 6!
It was inefficient!
'I wonder how much defeating what the system considers as units will reward me with EXP. Too bad I can't just beat up random people for EXP. There is also no Quest Function there.'
Haru dismissed his Status Board and took out his flip-phone from his pocket, after which he surfed on the internet to pass the time.
Before long, the bus arrived at the stop near Haru's apartment. Haru then went to his apartment after exiting his bus.
"I'm home!" Haru announced his arrival after unlocking the door. He'd locked it when he left to escort Suzuka to Hakuo Academy.
Haru had no worry about Sora getting trapped here. After all, Sora also carried a duplicate key with her. Therefore, she could get off to safety if an earthquake or other disaster ever occurred.
Just like Japan in his past life, Japan in this alternate world often got hit by an earthquake. So, it was good to be more careful.
"Welcome home, Haru." Sora suddenly came from the direction of the kitchen and greeted him. She was still in her nightgown.
When Haru heard Sora's greeting, he felt warmth in his chest. He never received such a welcome in his past life because he lived alone, nor he had a family to welcome his arrival.
Haru quickly snapped out of his bliss-induced daze and looked at Sora. He noticed that her mood had improved after his departure. Simultaneously, he discovered that Sora had been eating before his arrival. Likely, she had been consuming her leftover breakfast. Her glistening slick lips and the smell of their breakfast were telling.
Haru's gaze lingered on Sora's glistening lips a bit longer than necessary. Then, his heart throbbed when he saw those enticing lips.
It had been years since their last kiss, or so the memory from assimilation told Haru. His body was longing for another intimate contact with Sora. It became a great urge that was hard to endure.
"Haru?"
Sora's call jolted Haru out of his daze. He then shook his head to clear his muddled mind and responded.
"Ah. Never mind that."
Sora gave Haru a doubtful gaze, apparently not entirely convinced by his answer.
Haru gave Sora a deadpan in return, and they started a staring contest. It continued for a short time until Haru's eyesight unconsciously trailed down to her luscious lips. Then, his gaze lowered to her beautiful neck and continued on until it arrived at her shallow yet still enticing cleavage.
Haru felt his throat become dry and unconsciously swallowed, creating a loud gulping sound.
In his past life, Haru never experienced sexual intimacy with his opposite sex. He had no time for it because his mental energy and stamina were poured to create a stable future. After all, it wasn't easy for orphans to build a stable future because of their stigma.
However, it didn't mean that Haru lacked interest in his opposite sex. He'd sampled JAV, watched Hentai, read Dounji, and did left hand aerobic. Thus, he could control his carnal urge and didn't fall into the temptation to be a sexual deviant.
Even so, Haru was still curious about the real thing.
In this new life, Haru had assimilated his predecessor's experience. And his predecessor was no virgin. What a surprise, or not!
Anyway, Haruka Kasugano had lost his virginity five years ago; his partner was Nao Yorihime. Therefore, Haru also had the memory and experience of having sex with Nao Yorihime.
But of course, it wasn't satisfying because Haru didn't experience it firsthand. It was only a secondhand experience, after all.
Because Haru was transfixed by Sora's enticing figure, he missed the glint of realization and then a sly gleam in Sora's eyes.
"Haru? Are you okay? Your face is red. Do you get a fever?"
Haru snapped out of his lust-induced daze when he heard Sora's concerned voice. When he looked up, he found that Sora's face had gotten so close in front of him. His body became stiff when Sora put her forehead on his. Their lips were so near that he could feel her warm breath on his face.
Sora stayed like that for a while, her eyes eager for something, and Haru wasn't dense enough to be oblivious of her want.
'Ugh... What should I do? Do it? Don't do it?'
Haru mentally struggled as he carefully weighed his options. In the end, he succumbed to the temptation.
'You know what? Fuck it!'
Haru suddenly grabbed Sora's face, lowered his face, and pressed his lips on hers. As if she was waiting for this, Sora immediately wrapped her slender arms around Haru's neck.
"Hrmmmgh~" Sora's chest rumbled as she purred in satisfaction. Simultaneously, Haru felt as if he had fallen into a trance after sensing a pleasant electric jolt spreading from his head to his toes.
Their lips overlapped. At first, it was a chaste kiss. But, soon, Sora licked Haru's lips, asking permission to access his mouth, and Haru unconsciously parted his lips. They began involving tongues in their kiss, wrestling for dominance as they pushed each other tongue to invade their kissing partner's mouth.
"Mmmmph~" Sora's moan was muffled by Haru's mouth; she unconsciously made that alluring voice when Haru's tongue brushed her sensitive palate.
At the same time, Sora tightened her embrace and pulled Haru's body closer. In return, Haru wrapped his arms around Sora's slender waist. He possessively held her in his embrace.
They immersed in their passionate kiss for a while before they finally pulled their heads back, breaking up their kiss.
"Hah! Hah! Ha-Haru..." With short and rough breath, Sora called out Haru's name with a coquettish voice. Her eyes were glazed over.
"Sora..." Haru called her, breathless.
"Haru. Let's do it... Let's become one..." Sora said without hesitation.
It was when Haru snapped out of his lust-induced daze. He was almost pushing off Sora's body but stopped himself at the last moment.
Haru stared into Sora's needy, glazed eyes. His eyes were regretful.
Although Haru also wanted to do it with Sora, he wasn't ready. No! That's not it!
Haru was always ready for discarding his V-Card. But, he wasn't prepared for the repercussion after the deed was done.
If Haru ever pushed Sora down, the fragile balance and harmony in his new family would surely crumble. He was aware of Suzuka's affection for him. It was so deep that he was uncertain of how she would react if she ever found out about him and Sora having sex.
But, Haru was sure of one thing: Suzuka would surely become devastated.
Haru wouldn't allow it. He wouldn't let either Sora and Suzuka become upset and sad. And he was aware of how unreasonable and unrealistic it was, but he couldn't accept other results.
It was a "do or die" situation.
Either Sora and Suzuka became his women, agreeing to share him. Or they kept the status quo that was preserved until this moment.
If you ask Haru's honest opinion, he preferred the former. But, let's put the digression aside.
"Sorry. Let's stop for now."
Sora was stunned. She looked at Haru with a wide-eyed, disbelieving expression. All traces of lust and passion evaporated from her lovely face.
"...Why?" Sora asked in an uncomprehending tone.
Haru opened his mouth, planning to answer Sora's inquiry. However, Sora overtook him after coming into a "realization."
"Suzuka, isn't it? You want to stop because of that little bitch, right?"
Haru was stunned when Sora insulted Suzuka. A part of him was outraged, but he was at a loss for words because the one who insulted Suzuka was Sora.
"I hate you!" Sora raised her voice and tried to push Haru away. Her face contorted in hatred and grief.
However, Haru unconsciously tightened his arms around her slender waist. When he saw her expression, he felt like he shouldn't let her away.
"Release me, you asshole! I say, release me!"
Haru watched Sora struggling her way out of his embrace. Then, he pushed his lips on hers.
"Hmpft!" Sora tried to protect her lips by shaking her head to left and right, but she was unsuccessful in the end.
Haru successfully sealed her lips. He poured his love and passion for Sora in that kiss.
Although Sora struggled to break up their kiss, she succumbed in the end. She returned the kiss with a fiery passion, and at the same time, she vented out her grievance to Haru.
They stayed like that for some time, pouring their true feelings for each other, uncaring of what they were doing was a taboo.