Bathing in the golden sunlight and enjoying the tender kiss of the spring breeze, Kasumigaoka Touji and Kasumigaoka Utaha walked hand in hand for about seven or eight minutes, eventually arriving at Wako City Station.
Their destination? Toyosaki Private Academy—located in the heart of Toshima Ward, one of Tokyo's bustling 23 wards. To get there, they needed to board the Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line.
Luckily, Wako City Station was a starting point. Despite the morning rush, they easily found seats near the train door and settled in side by side.
As the train pulled out of the station with a rhythmic "clack-clack" sound, Touji glanced at the scenery flashing past the windows.
"..."
"Two more stops," Utaha suddenly said.
The car had gradually filled with people, packed tighter than a can of sardines, but with the two safely seated, the discomfort was minimal.
"Ugh, rush hour really sucks," Touji muttered with a furrowed brow.
"Rainy days are worse," Utaha replied coolly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "You either poke someone with your umbrella or get poked. One way or another, you end up drenched."
Touji gave a small nod. "There's no 'most annoying,' only 'more annoying.'"
A few minutes later—
The train arrived at Ikebukuro Station. The two stepped out, blending into the stream of students all heading in the same direction.
As they walked toward Toyosaki Private Academy, the atmosphere was like something straight out of a slice-of-life anime.
The sidewalks were dotted with students in matching uniforms, chatting and laughing. Some rode bikes, others walked under the soft cascade of pink and white cherry blossom petals drifting down from the trees lining the road. Overhead, the sky was a brilliant blue, clouds lazily floating by.
Suddenly, Utaha let go of Touji's hand.
Before he could wonder why, she looped her arm around his, pulling him closer.
Touji raised an eyebrow. "Eh? What's this, Utaha-chan? Declaring your territorial rights? That's sneaky~."
Utaha smirked slightly. His elbow happened to brush against her chest, and she immediately clamped down on his arm.
"Be quiet," she said, her tone flat, but her eyes glittering with amusement. "I'm doing you a favor. You'll be the most talked-about boy at Toyosaki today."
As Toyosaki's queen—top of her class and beauty unmatched—Utaha could say that with absolute confidence.
"Pfft, so you're branding me as 'taken', huh?"
Touji laughed and played along. "But I've always been low-key, you know?"
Utaha lifted her chin and let the breeze play through her hair.
"Touji-kun," she said, looking ahead at the school gates, "you can't hide forever. Gold always shines. I'm just helping you get used to it early."
Her tone was confident, almost regal, and filled with a subtle sense of pride.
Touji stared at her for two seconds, then broke into a grin.
"You're really good at twisting your intentions into noble-sounding phrases. You sure you're not a lawyer, Utaha-chan?"
Utaha didn't miss a beat.
"When did you get so good at tearing others down? You've changed."
"You raised me that way."
"I object! I never taught you that! That's slander!"
"Heh~."
The two bickered playfully as they stepped through the grand gates of Toyosaki Private Academy, their banter still lingering in the air.
Just then— A light blue digital interface suddenly popped up in front of Kasumigaoka Touji's eyes.
[System Initialization Complete — Dream Master System Loaded!]
In the next instant, a surge of information rushed into his brain. The gist of it was simple yet astonishing:
『Help others achieve their dreams, and you'll be able to fulfill your own.』
By taking part in others' dream quests, he could earn Dream Points—an all-purpose currency exchangeable for anything within the Dream Shop.
A basic interface followed:
———————————————
[Dream Master System]
Bound Host: Kasumigaoka Touji
Dream Level: Apprentice (0/100)
(Level Tiers: Apprentice → 3rd-class → 2nd-class → 1st-class → Special-class → Dream Master)
Accepted Dreams: 0/5 (Apprentice-level limit: 5 active dream quests)
Dream Points: 0
Dream Shop: Locked (Requires cumulative 10,000 Dream Points to unlock) ———————————————
"...Whoa."
Touji blinked. Was this real?
"What's wrong?"
Noticing him freezing mid-step, Kasumigaoka Utaha looked over with mild confusion.
His expression had shifted—he looked almost dazed with joy. She followed his gaze, but found nothing unusual.
"Ah... it's nothing," Touji replied quickly, plastering on a smile. "Just remembered something happy."
That wasn't a total lie. After years of transmigrating into this world without a cheat, he had long given up on ever receiving a "Golden Finger." Yet here it was, delivered dramatically on his very first day of high school. It was so cliché it almost brought tears to his eyes!
He couldn't help the excitement swirling in his chest. And just then, his eyes landed on something even more peculiar—
Floating above Kasumigaoka Utaha's head was a small golden exclamation mark.
"Eh...?"
Curious, Touji focused on it. A screen opened immediately before him:
———————————————
[Dream Detected: Kasumigaoka Utaha]
Dream #1: Become Otouto-kun's Bride!
Dream Level: ★★★★★
Description: Wishes to become the official bride of her beloved Otouto-kun Kasumigaoka Touji. Hopes to hold a magnificent wedding and raise a family with one son and one daughter.
Note: This dream quest has three progressive stages. Completing each will reward Dream Points based on satisfaction level.
Stage One: Receive a love confession from Kasumigaoka Touji. Reward: Partial reward based on quality (up to 1/3 of total) Total Dream Reward: 100,000 Dream Points
[Accept] [Decline]
———————————————
Touji froze. "...This is her actual dream?"
He glanced at her sideways—Kasumigaoka Utaha was calmly adjusting her hair in the reflection of a nearby window, unaware that her deepest desires were being read like an open book.
With a complicated expression, Touji selected [Accept].
Immediately, the button vanished and was replaced by a single glowing word: 『Accepted』. Below it were two small dots, the first of which was now lit.
He tapped the second dot. The interface changed again—
———————————————
[Dream #2: Become a Light Novel Master!]
Dream Level: ★★★★☆
Description: Desires to become a top-tier light novel author in Japan, recognized by the public and the industry alike.
Note: Also divided into three stages.
Stage One: Sell 1 million copies of her novel. Stage One Reward: 16,000 Dream Points Total Dream Reward: 80,000 Dream Points
[Accept] [Decline]
——————————————
This time, there was no hesitation at all.
Touji hit [Accept].
"...Looks like my peaceful school life might be over before it even starts," he muttered to himself with a wry smile.
But at the same time, his heart burned with anticipation.
A Dream Master, huh? Sounds like fun.