บท 12: Chapter 12 - Being a popular guy isn't so cool
Even though I was at a bus stop, no one seemed to be able to see the windows of the system that I could see, as I had imagined.
The daily roulette wheel spun rapidly. When it finally stopped for the first time, I widened my eyes because on the first spin it stopped on a light colored space instead of a white one, but my face closed into an expression of boredom.
[You have received the Item Card "Fishsitck Backpack (Fortnite)"!]
"But what?" I said, immediately regretting it as the man in the suit next to me looked at me.
"Something wrong, boy?"
"Oh, sorry, it was nothing."
I took two steps to the side, away from the man. Still, my indignation hadn't gone away.
It wasn't possible. Had I been given a Fortnite backpack? How could that help me in any way? I knew better than to expect something out of the ordinary at every turn, but a backpack? That was nothing that could help me in the real world, let alone the Marvel Universe.
I swallowed my frustration and continued to spin, trying to recover. In my mind, all I had to do was be patient and persistent, but the next few spins were even worse. With each spin, my hope of getting anything really diminished until I had spent all 300 of my CPs.
Even though I had a 10% chance of getting an item, I didn't get any items for the next 14 spins.
I couldn't believe it. Fifteen spins and the only "useful" thing I got was a Fishsitck backpack, which I honestly had no idea how to use.
The system told me that the backpack could be used to store items and that it didn't take up any deck space, but that was the least you'd expect from a backpack, right?
I felt a little cheated, like my luck was laughing at me. It was as if the system was reminding me that as lucky as I had been to get the Sharingan, this wasn't going to be normal.
System, what are the odds of me getting another item like the Sharingan in the daily roulette?
[The Daily Roulette wheel gives the user a chance to win Common, Uncommon, and Rare Rank cards. These chances are 6% for a Common item or card, 3% for an Uncommon, and finally 1% for a Rare.]
[The "Sharingan" Skill Card is a Rare card, and it's only one of thousands of Rare Skill Cards, so it's highly unlikely that you'll be able to get a repeat card in the near future.]
In other words, statistically speaking, the fact that I got the Sharingan on my first ten rolls was a tremendous stroke of luck, and I don't think I'll be able to get the Sharingan again. This is hard to accept, but I can still place another ocular skill in my right eye.
I was processing my disappointment and mentally consoling myself when the bus finally arrived. I got on quickly, avoiding any eye contact with the other passengers, who seemed to be in their own worlds.
Once on the bus, I found an empty seat by the window and sat down to let my mind wander.
Looking out the window, I noticed that New York City seemed to be at its usual frenetic pace, and that it seemed a safer place during the day than at night. I also realized that compared to my universe, I seemed to be a few years in the past. If I had to guess, I'd say I was somewhere between 2010 and 2015, and I could tell by the fact that on the bus I was one of the few people who still had a cell phone with buttons, and even then the smartphones weren't as modern as the ones in my world.
Anyway, the year didn't make much difference to me, it just made me wonder how long it had been since my parents died in this world.
When the bus finally stopped in front of Midtown High School, I hurried off.
The school was identical to what I had expected - a large building with old architecture and dozens of windows. Unfortunately, I didn't have much time to appreciate the facade of the school that I'd only seen in comics, so I quickly entered and started walking quickly through the corridors.
I was already late, and considering the time, it was wise to assume that I should already be in the locker room getting ready for the game.
My legs were on automatic as I walked fast enough to get there on time, but not so fast that I'd get scolded for running.
Hurriedly, I rounded a corner and almost ran into someone, but they swerved.
"Whoa!" I stopped abruptly after the person had saved us from an embarrassing collision.
Coincidentally, the person who stepped back was Gwen Stacy.
"Sorry, I was distracted," I said, but my heart was beating fast, and not just from the near collision.
"No, it was my fault. I was a little out of it too." She tucked her blonde hair behind her ear and asked: "Did you just get here too?"
"Yes. I lost track of time... it was a busy night."
"Let me guess. Was it because of the game tonight?"
"Yes, that's right," I replied, trying to sound convincing. "I kept thinking about the game and ended up not sleeping properly."
Gwen laughed softly. "I understand completely. I missed the time too. I was busy with some things last night and ended up going to bed late."
"School stuff?"
"Not exactly," she replied, looking away. "Just... stuff. You know."
"Yeah, I can understand that." I replied, after all, if anyone understood what she'd been through the night before, it was definitely me.
Just then, the bell rang for the start of the next class, and a warning came over the loudspeaker.
"Good morning, students of Midtown High School! If you don't have a class next period, please make your way to the gym to support our basketball team in the city championship."
Basketball? That was okay. I wasn't very good at basketball, but I had watched a few games without meaning to. At least it wasn't American football, otherwise I'd be screwed.
"I think we'd better go find our friends, or rather, I should go find the girls. They have to go to the locker room to change for the game, don't they?"
"Oh yeah, that's right. See you soon, Gwen!"
"See you, and good luck in the game, Lucas!"
Arriving at the locker room, I hesitated for a second before opening the door. The locker room was full of boys changing, and of course Flash Thompson was the first to speak when I entered.
"Well, well, if it isn't our late star. I hope you had a good rest, Lucas. We're going to need you in today's game."
"Of course, I'm always ready."
"What do you think of our strategy for today?" asked one of the other boys, whom I didn't even recognize.
"Oh, the strategy... I think it's solid. We're ready to explode, right?" I just said what they wanted to hear.
Flash patted me on the back. "That's it!"
"Come on, guys! We haven't got all day!" A man who was definitely the coach, judging by his mustache and tight sweatpants, came into the locker room. "Today is the city semifinal, and we have a real chance to bring home the trophy this year. We were lucky to have this game on our field and not theirs. Let's make the most of it. I want you all on the court in five minutes, all right? Let's show them we can play basketball like nobody else in this town!"
Up until that moment, I had believed that all I had to do was survive the game without looking like a complete idiot, but, well, my plans had to change when a system message popped up.
[You have received the Side Quest "Classifying and Impressing"!]
[Side Quest: Classifying and Impressing
Description: The Midtown High School basketball team is in the semifinals of the city basketball championship. However, their opponent is one of the favorites to win the championship.
Objective: Qualify your team for the city basketball finals.
Rewards:
+200 Card Points.
+1 General Skill Card.
+ 1 Omniversal Anime Travel Ticket.]
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