CHAPTER 3:Golden Rule and Banknote Capability
After closing the simplified attribute panel hovering in midair, Suzuki Seimei casually spit out a bone from his mouth and glanced toward Suzuki Ayako and Suzuki Sonoko, both seated elegantly a short distance away.
From his perspective, Seimei could clearly see the characters "Sign In" shimmering faintly above their heads, not unlike the floating mission tags used by Observation Haki users with strong perception or even Byakugan sensory overlays—an ability only he, tethered to this peculiar system, could observe.
Seeing the glowing tag, Suzuki Seimei reached out and tugged at Suzuki Sonoko's arm. "Sister Sonoko, can you get me a steak?"
Ding! Congratulations to Suzuki Sonoko for successfully signing in. You have been rewarded with the skill: [Golden Rule]. Reward can be claimed by the host at any time.
The moment Suzuki Seimei touched Sonoko, the mechanical chime echoed in his mind like the notifications used in the Kamui dimension by Tobi. The floating sign-in characters above her faded.
"Here." Sonoko, always cheerful and unaware of the strange forces at play, handed over a steak with a bright smile.
"Thanks, Sister Sonoko." While munching the steak like any child would, Seimei's mind was elsewhere—locked onto the new reward waiting for him in the system interface.
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[Skill: Golden Rule]
Type: Passive
Grade: N/A (Non-upgradable)
Effect: The user is constantly bathed in a subtle luck domain favored by the God of Wealth. The user will not face any financial hardship throughout life.
Consumption: None
Cooldown: None
Note: "You are the chosen cub of the Wealth Deity, basking in fiscal favor."
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(￣ー￣)
Upon examining the skill properties, Suzuki Seimei fell silent for a moment.
To be honest, Golden Rule was absurdly powerful for ordinary people—akin to the passive charisma of Donquixote Doflamingo or the fortune-glamour seen in Tsunade's monstrous gambling luck that always rebounded in battle.
But for him? Suzuki Seimei didn't lack for money. The heir apparent of the Suzuki Conglomerate was never going to suffer financially. He was practically the real-world version of a World Noble with better PR.
Still, a reward was a reward. Not using it would be wasteful.
Because Golden Rule was a passive skill tied to karma or fate energy, Seimei didn't sense anything overt change—no chakra surge, no Haki bloom, no visible aura change.
After finishing his steak, Seimei tapped Ayako's arm. "Sister Ayako, can I have some ribs?"
Ding! Congratulations to Ayako Suzuki for successfully signing in. You have received: [Banknote Capability]. Reward can be claimed by the host at any time.
Suppressing his excitement, Seimei instantly pulled up the new skill properties.
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[Skill: Banknote Capability]
Type: Active
Grade: N/A (Non-upgradable)
Effect: Allows the user to imbue any object with "monetary chakra" drawn from real-world currency. The object gains temporary enhancement in power, durability, or other properties based on the amount infused. Duration and strength scale with investment.
Cost: Physical money (modern tender; collectibles, ancient coins, and art not accepted)
Cooldown: None
Remark: "Money talks. If it doesn't work, you simply didn't spend enough."
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Seimei smirked. "As expected of the eldest and second daughters of the Suzuki Zaibatsu… even the sign-in skills are dripping with yen."
After their meal, Seimei followed his usual nighttime routine—bath drawn by Kurosaki Yuka, his personal attendant, before returning to the sprawling 100-square-meter children's room.
Walking softly across the tatami floor in his bunny slippers, Seimei approached his private safe—a literal vault built into the bedroom wall.
Despite being a child, Seimei had accrued hefty festival money over the years. His family elders were absurdly generous. His vault contained a bank card with over 20 million yen and three colorful piggy banks.
The white one held 500-yen coins—daily use.
The silver one held neat stacks of 1,000-yen bills.
The golden piggy bank—reserved for emergencies—stored over 200 crisp 10,000-yen notes. It was only half full.
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"Ding ding ding…"
Seimei stared at them, then decisively chose the white piggy bank and dumped its contents—a river of thick, silver coins—onto the floor.
"Shut up!" he whispered like a villain from Punk Hazard as the coins clinked around him.
Next, he pulled two wooden blocks from his toy box and picked up a fruit knife resting beside the fruit bowl. He struck the block with effort, but the blade left only a shallow nick.
Predictable.
His strength was nothing compared to Rock Lee or even Usopp, and the knife wasn't sharpened with Chakra Flow or Seastone.
Time to test it.
He grabbed a 500-yen coin and activated Banknote Capability.
"Chi chi chi…"
The coin disintegrated into shimmering golden particles, similar to when Gild Tesoro used his Gold-Gold Fruit. This wealth-energy flowed from Seimei's hand into the blade.
"Crack!"
This time, the blade cut clean through the block. Solid wood split like brittle ice.
As the blade gleamed, Seimei observed carefully. He could sense—like Haki or Chakra—about one-third of the infused energy had been consumed in that single strike.
The blade now held residual power. But even untouched, the imbued energy began to decay slowly—fading with time.
Roughly two minutes later, the fruit knife lost its glow and returned to normal.
"Just as I thought—it's only a temporary enhancement," Seimei whispered. "Now to test… consumables."
Returning the blade to its tray, Seimei grabbed a slice of watermelon, activated Banknote Capability, and imbued the fruit with another 500 yen's worth of monetary energy.
He took a bite.
"Mmmm~~~"
It was like biting into a fruit grown in Raftel's Eden Garden.
The sweetness, juiciness, and texture—every attribute was elevated. Not just taste, but the energy felt like it was nourishing him, like a mild chakra infusion.
He smacked his lips. "Yup. Just as I guessed. Banknote Capability doesn't only increase durability or power—it amplifies the object's inherent traits. Strengthening food makes it more delicious; strengthening a blade makes it sharper."
For the next few hours, Suzuki Seimei behaved like Franky discovering cola-powered upgrades or Orochimaru testing a new cursed seal—using every tool, food, and toy in reach to experiment with Banknote Capability.
By the time he finished testing, he'd gained complete control over his new ability, its cost-efficiency, and its quirks.
It was official: Money could buy power. At least, in his hands.