The final bell rang, and with the usual chatter filling the hallways, Rito packed his bag a little slower than the rest. His thoughts were still heavy, bouncing between the morning's strange encounter with Mahiru, the surprise appearance of the Nakano sisters, and of course, the "accident" during PE.
'Characters from other worlds… all mixing into this one. It's like someone took a bunch of anime and just… stitched them together.'
He sighed quietly as he walked down the corridor, the sunlight from the windows spilling over him in that warm, late-afternoon glow. By the time he reached the school gates, though, the noise of his classmates and the bustle of students heading home washed away those worries. The city outside was the same as ever, with cars humming past, students laughing, and the faint smell of street food drifting in the air.
And just like that, his nerves calmed. 'Maybe I'm overthinking it. Maybe it's just coincidence… or maybe this world really is just a chaotic crossover mess. Either way, I'll just deal with what's in front of me.'
Still, as he walked past the gate, a small flicker of light caught his attention. He blinked.
The system screen had appeared again, hovering faintly in his vision like a semi-transparent hologram. This time, however, the Quest Tab wasn't completely sealed. Instead, it was dimly glowing, pulsing as if something was trying to break through.
Rito frowned. "Huh…?"
He tapped at it mentally, but the window only expanded to reveal—nothing. Blank space. No text. No instructions. Just the hollow frame of what should have been a list.
The glow flickered once, twice, then dimmed again, leaving only the words:
Quest Tab: [No Active Quests]
Rito stared for a long moment, lips pressed into a thin line.
"…That's even creepier than before." He muttered under his breath. "Like a TV channel with static. Guess the system wants me to wait for… something."
He shook his head, forcing a laugh. "Yeah, no thanks. The last thing I need is a weird RPG mission spawning in this world. Please… just let me have some peace."
Even so, the faint unease wouldn't leave his chest.
Rito's footsteps slowed as he strolled down the familiar street, the late-afternoon glow painting everything in warm hues. His mind was still tangled in the strange thoughts of the day—Mahiru's glare, Yotsuba's accident, the quintuplets, and that empty quest tab.
Then, at the corner of the crosswalk, his eyes caught the sight of an old woman struggling. She was hunched over, her arms trembling as she tried to balance two large grocery bags while waiting for the light to change. Every now and then, one of the bags slipped slightly, and she paused to adjust it with clear strain.
Rito stopped dead. … This is straight out of a cliché manga panel.
Normally, he would've sighed, maybe even pretended not to notice—especially since he was barely over his fever, his body still feeling a little weak. 'It's not like I can just run up and lift that much right now. My body's not at full strength…'
But before he could turn away, the system screen blinked sharply in front of his eyes.
A notification shimmered into existence:
[New Quest Generated!]
Help the old lady cross the road safely.
Reward: 100 Shop Points
Failure: -10 Reputation
Rito froze. His heart thumped.
"One hundred points…?" His mouth went dry. Until now, the shop had been grayed out, sealed like the quest tab. He hadn't even seen what it contained. But now… 100 points felt like something big.
His gaze flicked back to the old woman, who shifted uneasily on her feet.
"…Damn it." Rito muttered under his breath, shoulders slumping. "This system… seriously knows how to bait me."
He clenched his fist, torn between laziness, weakness, and the undeniable lure of that glowing "Reward."
Rito's arms felt like jelly as he carefully set the old lady's groceries down at the other side of the crosswalk. She thanked him softly, her wrinkled hands pressing something into his palm.
It was a small, bright-orange tangerine.
"A little gift for a kind boy," she said with a gentle smile.
Rito blinked, stunned at how warm such a simple gesture could feel. He managed a tired grin, bowing lightly. "Thank you, obaa-san… I'll treasure it."
By the time she disappeared down the street, Rito was slouching, shoulders aching from the unexpected weight. His fever might be gone, but his stamina wasn't what it used to be.
"…Man, this system's gonna kill me faster than the anime plot ever could," he muttered, pressing the tangerine into his pocket before heading toward the nearby park.
There was a food van parked at the entrance, the warm smell of yakisoba wafting through the air. His stomach growled loudly, reminding him he hadn't eaten since lunch. Without thinking much, he bought a portion and sat down on a bench under the trees. The moment he held his chopsticks, ready to dig in—
[New Quest Generated!]
Feed the hungry.
Objective: Share your food with those in need.
Reward: 200 Shop Points + Minor Reputation increase.
Failure: -20 Reputation.
"…Oh, come on." Rito groaned, looking up.
That was when he noticed them—a small group of kids, their clothes ragged, their cheeks a little sunken. They weren't doing anything, just lingering near the edge of the park, but their eyes kept darting toward the food in his hands.
For a second, Rito froze. His modern sensibilities screamed at him that this scene was wrong. This wasn't the kind of world To Love-Ru had been, nor the romcom anime he recognized. Yet here it was, and his system had pinned it squarely on him.
He sighed, his lips tugging into a faint smile. "Tch… fine, I get it."
Standing, he walked over and crouched slightly, offering the meal with a sheepish look. "You guys… hungry? Here, take this. Eat it while it's warm."
The children's eyes widened, disbelief flickering across their faces before one of them reached out timidly. Soon, the others gathered around, their expressions brightening as if he had handed them treasure.
"…But this isn't enough," Rito muttered under his breath.
So he went back to the van, ignoring the ache in his wallet as he bought enough for each of them. By the time the kids were happily sitting on the grass, slurping noodles with messy grins, his pockets were nearly empty.
Rito turned away, wiping at the corner of his eye with his sleeve. "…Damn it. I'm broke, I'm starving, and I'm crying. This system's making me into some kind of charity hero, huh?"
But even if he was thinking so, Rito felt nice inside. After all, something like this was just a luxury for his past self, but now, being a child again, he had a lot of potential and most of all, he believed that helping others always comes back to oneself at last.
Although it might just be a belief that was passed down in the old world of his so that humans will help other humans for it. Even so, he at least wanted to believe in it. Or else, even the animal also tends to live for themself, and he believes that this is what makes humans different from animals.
Yet as he walked away, the faint chime of the system rang in his ears.
[Quest Complete!]
Reward Claimed: 200 Shop Points.
New Title Earned: Softhearted.
The scene at the park, which Rito thought no one else would pay attention to, had turned into an unexpected stage.
On the other side of the park, Mikan had just arrived with her friends Sachie and Mami. They were laughing and chatting casually, bags in hand, when their eyes fell on Rito handing over his food to a group of hungry kids.
"Eh, Rito..." Mikan muttered when she saw him.
Sachie blinked first, nudging Mami. "Eh? Is that your brother, Mikan-chan?"
Mami leaned forward, squinting, then broke into a small laugh. "Really. Look at him; he just gave all his food away. What's he going to eat now?"
Sachie tilted her head, her smile soft. "Still, that's… really kind. He didn't even hesitate." Little girl, musing, looking at Rito act.
Mami agreed with a nod. "Yeah, not many people would do that. Your brother's surprisingly cool when he wants to be." With cute looks on their faces, they chattered.
Beside them, Mikan froze, her lips twitching as though caught between pride and irritation. 'That idiot…' she thought. He was always like that—helping her carry things without complaint, stepping in quietly whenever she had trouble, and never really expecting thanks. She had seen it countless times at home, but now, hearing others point it out, it hit differently. She folded her arms and tried to look uninterested, though her cheeks warmed faintly. "He's… just reckless, that's all."
At the same time, a little further back, three figures peeked from behind a tree—Miku, Nino, and Yotsuba.
They hadn't followed him with kind intentions. After all that had happened to Yotsuba, they heard it from someone else. They were angry at that moment, but not now.
Yotsuba felt embarrassed and awkward from earlier in the day, and Nino especially had dragged her along, determined to "make sure that idiot doesn't come sniffing around again." But when they watched him, head hanging, stomach empty, giving away even his last bite to those kids, they found themselves exchanging glances.
Miku pressed her scarf against her lips to hide the small chuckle escaping. "He really is… an idiot."
Yotsuba puffed her cheeks, trying to stay annoyed but failing as her lips twitched upward. "Yeah, an idiot… too kind for his own good."
Even Nino, who usually had the sharpest tongue, had trouble masking her smirk. "What a fool… starving himself like that. Who does that anymore?" Her voice was mocking, but her eyes lingered a little longer than she'd like, softer than she intended.
Rito, completely unaware that he had just created an impression in front of multiple sets of eyes, dragged his tired legs out of the park, muttering about being broke and hungry.
Behind him, laughter and whispers followed, each girl holding onto her own impression of him—an idiot, yes, but an idiot whose kindness was impossible to ignore.