Honestly? I wish I could've said the famous line "That's an unfamiliar ceiling." But no, I fell right on my face with my head still spinning from whatever magic bullshit the Entertainer did.
"Fuck..." was all I could say as I stumbled to my feet, now checking my surroundings. What was seen was a standard 1-bedroom apartment; it seems my new identity lived alone.
Speaking of my new identity, my name didn't change, nor did my physical appearance. Searching my new magically implanted memories, it seems I got the standard transmigration package.
Orphaned at a young age for unknown reasons, but here's the kicker: I'm in fucking Japan as a foreigner, or at least foreign-looking, so here I've been ostracized forever.
It got better when puberty hit, as my body seemed slightly bigger and more robust than the average Japanese dude, so girls were all about the "foreigner."
Holy shit, who made these memories?!?
Old Sam had the idea to enroll in an all-girls school that was recently made co-ed to become a "trophy husband."
I swear... The Entertainer is trolling me. Luckily, Old Sam hasn't gone to school yet, so my reputation is saved.
But speaking of school, it sounds familiar... Kuoh Academy... Given that I'm in Japan, the odds I'm in an anime have skyrocketed; I just don't know which...
Japan + Academy, what immediately comes to mind is a rom-com, but it could also be one of those animes that have the student council above the government for some reason.
The Academy is most likely my gateway into whatever shenanigans this world has to offer, so I should make the best impression possible! Not because I'm going to a female-dominated school!
But first, I should get my new items and companion in check. I quickly search for the stuff from the Gacha, and to my utter horror, I can't find a single thing.
"What the hell?!?! Where are my items?!" As I panicked and desperately pleaded for them to appear, the air shimmered, and a scroll and a finger-sized vial of red appeared in the air in front of me.
"Huh? Wait... Do I have an inventory?"
[The Gacha System is equipped with an inventory for Gacha-related items.]
As those words appeared in the air in front of me, they dampened my possible reality-cheating thoughts from growing further.
"Well, first up is the vial. This stuff is supposed to make me feel... better? Bottoms up!" Popping open the cork from the vial and downing the thing in a single gulp.
"Eugh... Strong blood taste..." I say as I wipe my mouth with my sleeve before feeling my entire body heat up to the extreme!
"Oh shit, what's happening!" Hindsight is 20/20; the magical vial of "become better" probably has side effects.
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You have gained an uncommon trait from the rare item, Vial of Lifeblood!
[Uncommon—Enhanced Vitality]
Your vitality is beyond the norm; you recover from ailments and wounds faster than what most consider normal. In addition, your life force has been enhanced, giving you an increased lifespan.
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'Ah, shit... That's it?' I know it did exactly as it said it would, but getting an Uncommon from a Rare seems unfair. I'm now lying on the floor again. This time I'm soaked in my sweat, and it stinks.
On the plus side, I feel healthier than ever! I swear I even seem taller and more in shape, but that's probably my imagination.
I slowly drag my tired ass into my new bathroom to take a quick shower, and to my surprise, all my acne and scars seem to have disappeared; it must be because of my new trait. I had a peculiar thing about hygiene, so acne and the like never were an issue, but my new clear skin looked fantastic. Previously I'd give myself a 7 or maybe a 7.5 on the attractiveness scale, but now I'm a 7.5!
As I finished my shower, my thoughts turned to inspecting my body further. My muscles were ever so slightly more defined and downstairs became more impressive than before, but the details are for me only.
Returning to the living room, I noticed the damp spot from my little experiment. Sighing, I looked around the apartment for cleaning equipment, and when I found some, I quickly went to work.
After that, I turned to my second item, the Familiar Contract. Given the world is leaning into the modern academy genre, this thing is probably useless, so I returned it to my system inventory.
Now the last thing to check is a magical familiar from Elden Ring—given the world I'm in, I'm probably nearly untouchable! My life's only worry now is getting past homework and exams with a side of romance, hopefully.
Ah, shit... I just remembered I have to go to schoolagain. I graduated like a month ago in my past life. What kind of bullshit is this!
After an untold amount of time brooding over going to school again, I turned my attention to summoning my familiar. Taking note of wishing for it in my heart, Tiche quickly appeared.
As she appeared, she was tall; she wasn't towering over me, as I was also tall for my age. She has black hair down to her shoulders and a conventionally attractive face, but most of her body seems to be hidden under her cloak and armor.
"My lord, it is great to be summoned by you."
Her voice scared me; it was like a whisper directly in my ear. I quickly tried to hide the embarrassment rising. "It's great to meet you as well, Tiche."
Then there was an awkward silence. I thought she would say something else, but now she's just staring at me. "Is there something wrong, Tiche?"
"It just seems my lord is weak despite his overflowing vitality."
'Ah, I just got dissed by my own summon.' "Well, Tiche, my original world was quite peaceful, so general combat skills weren't as sought after as much as yours."
"My lord knows of my world?"
"Well, only some. I'm no expert, but I know a little." I didn't know much, and even when I did play Elden Ring, it wasn't for the lore, but it seems my answer had inadvertently gathered respect from my familiar.
"The Lord is wise to know of other worlds like mine."
'Shit, the embarrassment of being misunderstood... I should correct it, but... 'seeing the look in Tiche's eyes, I couldn't bring myself to correct her.
*Cough cough* "Anyway, Tiche, I will be relying on you for the time being, so I'll be in your care. If you need anything, please let me know."
"My lord is kind, but I do not need much." She seemed touched that a stranger who was her new lord seemed to care about her well-being.
"Regardless, Tiche, I only have two commands: the first is to only draw your weapon when I say to, and the second is to make sure you do not die." Given the stereotypes of familiars from anime and novels, some seem overly protective or sacrificial, so I had to nip it in the bud.
"The Lord jests. I am no greenhorn eager to prove myself; I am my Lord's hidden dagger in the dark to be used and discarded when needed."
Oh boy, this may take a while to fix, but we have time; after all, this is a peaceful world!
------The next day------
Sudden Quest! Due to your overflowing vitality, you have drawn the attention of a nearby stray devil!
Objective: Survive for 10 minutes. 1x Silver Ability Ticket
Optional Objective: Defeat the Stray Devil within 10 minutes! 1x Advantage Silver Ability Ticket
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This is what popped in front of my face as soon as I took a step outside.
"What the shit."