Chapter 8 - Objective X

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Lying on the living room rug, Rei remains still for a few minutes.

He stares at the ceiling, lost in thought.

"I'm just living on autopilot… no goal in life… To be honest, I haven't even had time to think about it."

"So much has happened in less than a day… I wonder if all of this is even real."

He lets out a weary sigh, contemplating what to do next.

...

— Of course, it is! — he declares, lightly slapping his cheeks with the palms of his hands.

"I want to feel that adrenaline again, that thrill of being alive… I want to get back into fights and smash their faces in..."

"The school brawls were the best… Those gangs that bullied the weak? I loved punching them in the face, watching them bleed while they cried. That shit fueled me."

"At first, I did it just to help others, but over time, it kept escalating… and it became something I genuinely enjoyed. From that moment on, I stopped giving a damn about what people thought."

"I still remember the way the teachers and the principal looked at me with contempt. They never did a damn thing about the injustices… but they were great at judging me. What a bunch of hypocrites."

His furious gaze burns upward.

"Just like before, I bet this place is full of people like that. The kind I'd love to beat the crap out of."

A chuckle escapes him.

Rei starts to feel excited, restless. His desire had only grown after listening to Kazuki's story.

"I can't just sit around here."

With that, Rei gets up from the rug and walks toward the hallway, where he spots a maid standing ahead.

She wears a black uniform with delicate white embroidery along the edges, giving it an elegant yet professional look.

She is gently dusting some paintings in the hallway, moving a feather duster in slow, rhythmic motions.

Rei approaches her quietly, and as he gets closer, he asks—still from a distance—where the back area of the house is.

At first, she flinches slightly, surprised by his unusual clothing… but she quickly composes herself and hurriedly leads him to his requested destination, pointing out the various hallways and rooms along the way.

(...)

Upon arrival, the maid introduces the area to him and then takes her leave, offering a small gesture of courtesy.

Once she's gone, Rei opens his status window and walks toward some trees and rocks nearby.

He immediately begins testing his abilities, determined to understand their functions, details, and limitations.

(...)

꧁ 4 hours later ꧂

Exhausted and breathless after training for hours, Rei decides to return inside the house.

He walks down the corridor for a few minutes until he reaches the living room.

A maid, standing nearby, notices his exhausted state and promptly hurries off toward the kitchen.

Too tired to care, Rei throws himself onto the couch near the wall, right beside the soft fabric rug.

He closes his eyes for a moment, letting his thoughts drift, his head tilted slightly upward.

At that exact moment, the maid returns, now holding a glass filled to the brim with water, placed neatly on a small iron tray.

She steps closer and leans forward, offering him the glass.

Rei thanks her, takes the glass, and immediately drinks.

Just as he finishes, he hears the sound of a door opening.

Turning his head, he spots Kazuki stepping inside.

He had just returned… Most likely from spending hours speaking with the villagers.

Kazuki removes his shoes at the entrance, then looks ahead—his gaze landing on Rei, who is sitting on the couch, staring straight at him.

Without hesitation, Kazuki walks toward him.

(...)

— Rei, do you want to take a tour around the village?

— I was thinking about it this afternoon… Would you like to check out some places and visit the local market?

— Hell yeah — Rei replies enthusiastically, jumping up from the couch and stepping toward him.

— Before that, could you wear these? — Kazuki hands him a set of silk garments. — Your clothes stand out way too much. If you go out like that, people will stare at you everywhere you go.

— O-okay.

Rei heads upstairs to his guest room and quickly changes.

After putting on the white silk outfit—which contrasts against his skin tone—he heads back downstairs and, alongside Kazuki, steps out of the house.

To be continued…