章 4: Chapter 4 - Tutorials?
Author Note (Important, please read): Hey guys, I changed a couple things in the last couple chapters for clarity's sake. I'll specify them here so nobody has to go back to read it again.
One, I updated a description of the Platinum Lottery ticket.
Two, I added a section about Jin's military service in his past life visions caused by his Geass. This was supposed to be in the last chapter already, but I didn't realize I pasted over an older version of the chapter. Sorry about that.
Three, I updated the contract section since somebody's comment made me realize it wasn't written as well as I could have otherwise done. Tried to make Jin seem a bit more willing to stand up for himself regarding the Geass contract.
Fourth, here's a picture of Jin, courtesy of an AI Art Generator I don't know the name of because I can't read Kanji.
Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter. TrashHeap out until further notice. o7
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Still reeling from the weird experience caused by the new power embedded in his eye, Jin held his head and plopped down on his bed. A tired groan rumbled in his throat. He laid atop his bed covers in silence for a few minutes while processing what he just experienced.
"Well… seems like this definitely isn't just a roleplay group. Still, this is such a weird Geass. Also dangerous. Need to figure out its ins and outs ASAP," Jin mumbled to himself.
Sighing, he picked up his phone and looked at the red '1' bubble above the inventory icon. He pressed it and looked at the image of the other sign-in gift he had received. Clicking on the nervous-system-esque image, a description appeared.
{Power Veins: A requirement for Chat Group Admins to fully perform mission duties. Allows for the flow of many power types within the body such as mana, qi, or similar ethereal substances and combines them into a single usable form upon learning a new type. Requires practice to strengthen, similar to physical or mental traits like muscle growth or knowledge to facilitate safety and prevent damage to the Admin's body.}
{Initiate engrafting of Power Veins?}
{Yes/No}
After reading the description, Jin blinked a few times and scratched his temple.
"Sounds super useful, but it makes me anxious about the mission duties if I'm going to need something like this. No point rejecting something so useful, though."
Thinking such, he pressed 'Yes'. Instantly, a warm current similar to a static shock launched from his phone, through his arm, and throughout the rest of his body. Although it didn't hurt too much, he grimaced since it felt like ants crawling under his skin. Over the next few minutes, a comforting warmth steadily replaced the uncomfortable itchiness. By the end, he felt more energetic than he ever had in his past two lives. The urge to jump up and start swinging his bokken again overwhelmed him. Sitting up, he set his feet on the floor and tapped them uncontrollably.
Lips curving downward slightly, Jin joked to himself, "I wonder if this is what makes so many fictional characters so energetic."
Standing up, he picked up his phone and bokken and headed outside. Along the way, he opened the chat group and mused, 'No point mentioning the Power Veins, but I should tell them about the Geass. Might cause issues if I don't.'
Right when he was about to inform the other members about his Geass, a small alert bell rang. A notification popped up on the screen, garnering his full attention.
{All initial sign-in rewards have been used. Tutorial missions will start in 24 hours. Please discuss what order to do the tutorial missions in, and the Group Admin will then decide the final order. If no order has been decided by mission start, then it will be randomly decided.}
{Tutorial Missions: Group Admin will be sent to each other member's world to accomplish a task with that member. Time dilation for Admin's world will slow to 1/5th normal time during mission duration. Tutorial details will be given upon Admin's arrival in each world. Note: Hostile attacks against other members are forbidden and will result in severe punishment.}
Halting in his tracks, Jin's abundant energy instantly cooled upon realizing he would need to meet the other members already.
Railgun: [Tutorial missions? What is this about?]
Wizard of Regret and Redemption: [Interesting. What are your thoughts on this, Sage-san?]
The other two members showed up as active but didn't type anything. Jin pinched the bridge of his nose and wondered how to go about this. Before anything else, though, he updated his username. Then, he got right to speaking about his biggest worry despite his love for these characters.
Jin: [Guess I'll be meeting all of you soon if this is to be believed. I won't blame anyone for being wary, but please don't attack me if this thing teleports me right in front of you. Also, I recommend finding a safe place outside watchful eyes before this thing sends me places. I don't particularly enjoy dying, you see.]
Wizard of Regret and Redemption: [No problem. I'll warn my group beforehand.]
Railgun: [Hehe. No promises.]
Directionless First Mate: [Fne with me.]
A few seconds passed, and Jin started to sweat after seeing nothing from the final member right away. She was the main member he worried about meeting in person, especially since it sounded like he would be sent there alone. In the other worlds, the other members also felt slightly anxious about the lack of messages from Origami Master. Eventually, a message popped up, easing the others' worries to some extent.
Origami Master: [*Thumbs Up Emote*]
'She still makes me anxious with that hesitation. The notification said it would punish hostile attacks, so I'll put her last and hope for the best.'
Jin: [Alright, I'll suggest this order: Wizard, Railgun, First-Mate, Origami Master. Does that work for everyone?]
Wizard of Regret and Redemption: [Yes. I'll look forward to meeting you, Jin-san.]
Railgun: [I still don't like having to meet an old man, but fine.]
Directionless First Mate: [Yes.]
Origami Master: [*Thumbs Up Emote*]
* * *
The following morning, Jin took the shinkansen to the nearby prefecture where his school was located. Since his family in this life was fairly well-off, he greatly appreciated the opportunity to attend a highly affluent school despite the long trip.
While walking from the station toward the school, he consistently checked the chat group after doing his daily sign-in, but none of the others showed up online each time he checked. A sigh slipped from his lips since he realized he might not find more chances to ease his concerns about the upcoming tutorial missions.
About two blocks away from the school gate, a boy's voice called out right behind him, distracting him from the lack of messages in the group chat.
"Hey! Watch where you're going. Don't use your phone while walking."
Jin raised his head and turned around to face the owner of the voice. A boy of similar age but perhaps a year or two younger than his current body stood there adjusting the straps of his overfilled backpack. A mostly passive yet somehow intense expression stared back at Jin. Neatly-combed black hair gave the boy a studious appearance aside from a few strands sticking up in the back. His school uniform was also the same as Jin's, meaning they were schoolmates even though they never met before.
'It's still early in the school year, so maybe he's a freshman? I don't pay much attention to others, though, so I could be wrong.'
Nodding politely despite his musings, Jin slid his phone into his pocket and said, "You're right. That was rude of me. Thanks for the reminder."
"Mhm. No problem."
The two then resumed walking toward the school. Although neither of them minded the silence, Jin couldn't shake the feeling that the boy looked familiar for some reason even though he did not recall meeting him before. Because of that, he asked, "What's your name?"
Without missing a beat, the young man replied, "Uesugi Fuutarou. First year."
"Uesugi Fuutarou? That sounds familiar," Jin quietly replied with brows wrinkled. Moments later, Jin halted mid-step, which also prompted Uesugi Fuutarou to also stop and look at him with a confused expression.
'No way.'
"Are you tutoring five sisters?" Jin asked, his brows furrowed in contemplation.
"Haaah… Don't remind me. I just started a few days ago, and they've been the most stressful days of my life."
To Uesugi Fuutarou's surprise, Jin showed a variety of rapidly morphing expressions before placing a hand on his shoulder, shooting him a look of unadulterated pity, and saying, "Do your best."
Shocked, Uesugi Fuutarou stared blankly at Jin for a few moments before sighing and replying, "Finally, somebody who understands my pain… Thanks, um, senpai."
"No problem. Also, my name's Hideyoshi Jin, Third Year."
Uesugi nodded in response.
After some brief pleasantries, the two didn't say anything else and resumed walking to school, but the moment they stepped through the gates, an energetic-looking girl noticed them and ran toward them. Jin raised a brow upon seeing the green ribbon tying up the girl's shoulder-length light brown hair.
"Fuutarou-kun! Good morning!"
Jin heard a tired sigh from beside him and decided to make this absolutely none of his business. As such, he nodded at Fuutarou and said, "See you around, kouhai-kun."
"Eh? Please don't leave me alone, Hideyoshi-senpai."
"Sorry, but I can't handle her type very well."
Before Uesugi Fuutarou knew it, the upperclassman who seemed to understand his hardships disappeared into the crowd of students. He scratched his head and turned to face the inevitable.
"Good morning," He tiredly greeted the girl.
"Fuutarou-kun, that was Hideyoshi-senpai, right? Do you know each other?"
"We met this morning by coincidence."
"Oh, I see. Well, anyway, I'll be late tomorrow since the Kendo team needs a fill-in member for their competition."
"Is that so…" Fuutarou quietly replied while shooting a piercing gaze toward the girl.
Fidgeting under his stern gaze, the girl stammered, "I- I'll make up the work later."
Meanwhile, Jin entered the school building, his mind deeply occupied and disturbed. Within his mind, he speculated on the totally unexpected meeting with yet another character he knew yet never thought he would meet.
'What is happening right now? Have I always been in a world with real-life equivalents to anime characters without realizing it? Or did it start after I joined the chat group? Haven't paid much attention to other students because of how old I was in my last life, but maybe I should start paying a bit more attention. If something magical or dangerous popped up, I'd be screwed.'
While pondering about how to approach his life in his current world in the future, he went about his day without realizing a certain pair of yellow eyes watching him from atop a light pole for most of his first class.
Throughout the day, he also considered testing his Geass on some of his classmates, but then he changed his mind since he worried someone might notice some anomalies. Instead, he settled on testing it again in the other chat group members' worlds.
After passing the day without talking to a single person or finding any other characters he recognized, he returned home and anxiously ate dinner while watching the timer tick down second by agonizing second in the chat group.
"Let's see what happens, I guess."
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