Shin, nearly twenty years old, had never seen the kind of aesthetically perfect scenes often depicted in anime and movies.
He had never seen a night sky filled with stars like a silver river, a lake reflecting the moonlight like a mirror, or a hillside blooming with cherry trees.
In highly industrialized and densely populated cities, hoping to see such natural scenery is extremely difficult. Even if such a scene existed, it would likely be ruined by swarms of tourists.
Beautiful things exist only in the fantasy of the "two-dimensional" world. Compared to those beautiful but ephemeral dreams, adults must always read the heavy reality of the "two words."
Which is why Shin found the scene before him to be very "two-dimensional."
A gentle breeze swept through the cherry trees at the top of the slope, scattering pink blossoms that drifted down the path where students walked.
"Shin-kun, this is the beautiful scenery of our Mineoka Academy during the start of the school year. The cherry trees in front of the school gate are said to be a hundred years old, and they cover the slope with blossoms when school begins," Kotonoha Katsura explained with a light laugh as she walked beside Shin.
Shin picked up a pink petal, sniffed it, and commented, "No, I just think your school's sanitation workers must be desperate enough to burn that tree down every year."
"Uh..." Kotonoha was momentarily speechless.
"Honestly, it is quite pretty, though," Shin said, dropping the petal and shrugging. "I just don't know if the person who chose this location was brain-damaged or hit by a truck, putting such a steep, long slope right at the school entrance."
Indeed, the slope leading to the entrance of Mineoka Academy was long and steep, approaching a 40-degree incline. It was so long and steep, like a runway acceleration ramp on an aircraft carrier, that it wouldn't look out of place if they just built a long staircase instead.
"Shin-kun really doesn't appreciate elegance," Kotonoha muttered softly, only to herself.
"No, I understand elegance," Shin shrugged. "But I prioritize practicality over elegance. This place is fine for a Shinkai Makoto film location, but it's terrible for a school with thousands of students daily."
Just as he finished speaking, a large, round object spun off the top of the slope and floated down.
A slender, bespectacled boy riding a bicycle behind Shin tilted his head up, watching the object—a hat—fall to the ground and roll down the slope, followed by a frantic cry from a girl in school uniform at the bottom,
"My hat!"
"A scene of a boy and girl meeting. A fleeting glance ignites hormones and dopamine, creating the strange illusion of love at first sight. That's elegance, right?"
Shin glanced at the bespectacled boy behind him, whose eyes were wide and who was clearly radiating hormones. He shook his head.
"But it just confirms that the person who designed this school was brain-damaged. If the slope were slightly less steep, that hat wouldn't have rolled so far like a tire."
"I think that boy is... Aki Tomoya?" Kotonoha frowned, looking at the bespectacled otaku.
"Oh? A classmate?"
"No... I just heard of him in my first year,"
Kotonoha shook her head, speaking softly. "I was a class representative in my first year, and I heard that boy's name. He's apparently an... 'anime enthusiast.' I heard he even argued with the guidance counselor about something."
"Oh..." Shin nodded knowingly. An otaku, then? At the bottom of the social hierarchy in Japan. But why should he care?
If this otaku were wearing a tracksuit and was named Kazuma Satou or Subaru Natsuki, maybe Shin would pay attention. Aki Tomoya? Who was he?
He didn't know him, and he didn't want to.
"Alright, let's head into the school," Shin said, looking around. Although the rush hour for school had passed, many students were still struggling up the steep slope.
Shin was certainly conspicuous here. His attire stood out, and his looks were undeniably handsome.
"Okay, let's go." Kotonoha nodded, following closely by Shin's side.
...
"Although your application and credentials are in order, Shin-kun, our school uses a system of class placement based on grades and academic focus. We would like you to take a placement exam here so we can assess your scores," Principal Nakano, a man with frizzy, gray-streaked hair, said softly, his hands crossed, to a formally seated Shin.
"Don't be nervous. This exam won't affect your enrollment. As we discussed earlier, we just want to see your academic strengths. During the study abroad exam, we only tested foreign language, math, science, and physics."
"No problem," Shin replied decisively. He didn't know when this "discussion" had happened, but he would just go along with it.
The secretary next to the principal placed several test papers and a pen in front of Shin. His eyes scanned the papers: English, Math, Japanese, Geography/History, Biology, Physics, and Chemistry—seven papers in total.
There weren't many questions, mostly multiple choice, plus two or three application problems. But the questions were difficult—many exceeded the high school curriculum.
"The time limit is one hour," Principal Nakano smiled. "With your reputation as a 'genius,' I'm sure you can do it."
Genius? When did I get that title? Shin thought and complained internally, squinting at the papers.
No problem. Although difficult for high school students, he had endured the hellish senior year of high school and had the enhanced memory of a Coordinator to quickly review knowledge. These papers were easy. Getting a perfect score was unlikely, but scoring 90 out of 100 would be simple.
"Of course, no problem," Shin said confidently, then popped a round piece of chewing gum into his mouth.
Even though he could do it himself, he wanted to test out his new treasure.
The next moment, his pen began to move like a god possessed.
"Computer Pencil (Chewing Gum
Version)?" Shin frowned, looking at the third item displayed on the screen.
The exchange price was 50 Evaluation Points, which meant the original, non-defective version of this item likely cost at least 500 points.
It was a significant price, and if he bought it, he might not have enough Evaluation Points to pay the fee in twenty days.
"Although the System's rules prevent me from disclosing the specific use of related products, this System strongly recommends you purchase it," the System said softly.
"After all, this is from the 'Twenty-Second Century.'"
"The Twenty-Second Century?" Shin was stunned, his eyes slightly narrowed. "You're not talking about... that Twenty-Second Century, are you?"
"Of course. The Twenty-Second Century where even childcare robots are allowed to possess galaxy-destroying bombs," the System chuckled. "This item originates from there."
Shin's mind instantly recalled what a Computer Pencil was: a pen that could automatically fill in answers. It was one of the "Blue Raccoon Dog" (Doraemon)'s divine tools that Shin dreamed of owning as a child!
"I'll take it!"
He didn't hesitate, immediately spending 50 Evaluation Points to exchange for the item. This was a one-time opportunity. Even a defective product from that terrifying
Twenty-Second Century couldn't be bad!
Product Name: Computer Pencil (Chewing Gum Version)
Product Level: None (Defective product, cannot be graded, cannot be purchased)
Product Description: From the world of Doraemon, a prototype developed by the All-Knower Company. The product's purpose was to replace the original "Computer Pencil," offering users a more efficient and covert way to answer questions. Chewing the gum can briefly transmit information into the brain.
Due to significant flaws in the finished product, it was designed to connect directly to the thought network to transmit information. If equipped with a miniature quantum computer like the original Computer Pencil, the massive information flow from the network would cause personality damage.
Therefore, a compromise was made: the miniature computer and quantum network connection functions were severed, and it was modified to function as a simple information storage and processor.
Product Price: None
(Click to view detailed data)
In Shin's palm was a round piece of chewing gum wrapped in colorful foil, similar to the watermelon gum he ate as a child.
"Store and process information? How do I use this?"
Shin held up the chewing gum, pondered for a moment, and put it in his mouth. He opened the computer, loaded the application problems, and chewed while looking at them.
The gum tasted great—a sweet flavor he couldn't quite place—but nothing else happened. No incredible knowledge flooded his mind.
He spat the gum out. The chewed lump of gum quickly reverted to its original shape in his palm.
Alright, it's reusable. Shin swore he would never let anyone else use this.
"Information storage and processor, meaning I need to load information into it. So, this thing perhaps has the function of a USB drive..."
The moment the thought crossed Shin's mind, the round gum ball transformed in his palm like flowing mercury, reshaping itself into a silver USB drive.
"...Future technology is truly mind-blowing," Shin marveled, inserting the USB drive into his computer. Instantly, a silver frame appeared on the screen with Japanese text that read:
'Data retrieval loading... 1%, 100%!
The data downloaded almost
instantaneously. The speed was astounding, a testament to alien technology. Shin immediately took out the Computer Gum and put it in his mouth. As he chewed, he looked at the exam questions again.
The moment his eyes met the complex math problems, all the answers immediately appeared in his mind, complete with the solution steps.
A test that would have taken half an hour was completed in less than five minutes!
"If I had this during my college entrance exams, getting into Peking world class University would have been effortless."
Shin took out the gum, holding it in his palm like a treasure, clicking his tongue in wonder.
However, using such a treasure purely for exam cheating was a true waste. Japanese high school level questions were already easy for Shin. This gum had a more suitable purpose for him.
With it, he essentially carried a modern information and knowledge database. If he wanted to, he could act as a person who was almost "omnipotent."
"It's not that convenient. This product is defective and significantly different from the original version," the System suddenly appeared, speaking lazily. "The original Computer Pencil, although it required manual writing, contained the knowledge base of the entire 'Twenty-Second Century.' Theoretically, if you exchanged for a Computer Pencil, you would have the ability to replicate a complete set of Twenty-Second Century technology."
"The one you have is strictly just an internal chip. It can record and transmit knowledge, but it only records 'existing' knowledge. It cannot grant you advanced knowledge; it can only give you current knowledge."
"That's enough!" Shin gripped the Computer Gum confidently. "With this, I can activate many of my plans. At the very least, I don't have to worry about work... I won't have to worry about starving!"
While using such a device just to make money was a bit pathetic, eating well was the most important thing. He would proceed steadily, one step at a time.
"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you something," the System suddenly said with malicious glee.
"The data charges incurred when this thing downloads data from the internet will not be waived. Which means..."
Ding dong. Shin opened his phone. A message informed him that his data plan for the month was completely used up, and he had accumulated a maximum debt of 50,000 yen.
"WTF!"
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