"Ally, it's time for school. Hurry up! My friends are waiting," Chiaki called impatiently from the doorway, checking the time on her phone while adjusting her shoulder bag.
Although Chiaki was somewhat cordial (maybe?) to Alistair under pressure from her mother (Alistair's aunt), her tone was far from friendly.
"Chiaki, watch your language!" Alistair's aunt shot a glare at Chiaki, who was putting on her shoes in the foyer.
"Yes, yes," Chiaki replied dismissively.
"I'm ready. Goodbye, Aunt," Alistair said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He greeted his aunt, grabbed a few pieces of bread and a bottle of milk, and headed to the entrance.
Alistair's vacation had been alright. While most of his favorite games from his previous life were gone, there were many similar titles to play. Games like White Soul (a twist on Dark Souls)—though the name translation was painfully awkward—and the so-called Only Dog (a reference to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice), which was heavy stuff.
Thankfully, he hadn't seen anything like Genshin Impact (Original Demon); that would have truly derailed everything.
The games in this "Sakura" (Japan-like) world were genuinely expensive and rarely went on sale. The vacation had practically emptied his pockets.
He wanted to emulate other transmigrated protagonists and debut as a light novel author—something like Sword Art Online, Overlord, or That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, or even a melancholic story like 5 Centimeters Per Second. But there's always a big "BUT." In his case, it meant: Sorry, not possible.
He didn't have a reliable system, nor a cheat-like photographic memory, and he hadn't read those masterpieces over and over. He had only watched the anime once or twice. So, that path was dead.
The world still felt eerily similar to his previous one. While the fictional works weren't identical, they were similar, and the real-world environment seemed the same, too. Although, he admitted this might be because he hadn't left the house all vacation.
The walk to the station wasn't like anime where people chat non-stop; the cousins barely exchanged a few words, even on the train.
"You know the way to the school from here, right? I'm not going with you. My friends should be on this train; I'm going to find them."
Chiaki said this without waiting for a reply, then abandoned Alistair and walked toward another carriage.
"Sigh."
Alistair sighed. This is reality, alright. Could I have just been sent to a parallel world?
But Alistair didn't stay depressed for long. He quickly recovered and began looking around listlessly. Eventually, he pulled out his PSP and started playing a game.
Ding!
The train arrived at another stop, still a ways from the school.
Alistair glanced at the open doors and, for the first time, felt like he really might be in an anime world.
A group of "big" girls walked in. Leading the way was a blonde with long hair, flanked by a black-haired bob cut and a dark-haired girl with straight long hair.
They were all wearing sailor uniforms and short blue pleated skirts—standard JK (Japanese high school girl) attire. Every single one measured around 165cm (5'5") and possessed gigantic chests. This level of development was not common in his previous world.
What? Chiaki is tall, even taller than them? But she couldn't compare to these girls. Even watermelons come in basketball-sized and fist-sized varieties. Chiaki had a model figure, perfectly proportioned, with an ideal hourglass shape. These girls... well, only one word describes them: Huge.
Alistair genuinely felt these three "big" girls could suffocate him.
While he was lost in thought, the girls surveyed the carriage and walked straight toward him.
Alistair didn't think much of it; he knew the unwritten laws of public transport, and besides, his bench was the only one with available seats nearby.
Sure enough, the girls sat on either side of him. The third one, seeing no room, simply grabbed a hanging strap and stood right in front of him.
They played on their phones, creating a three-sided human enclosure around him.
The middle-sitting Alistair felt dizzy, his mind swimming, and his whole body started to tremble. The buttons on his game console began to feel sluggish.
As Alistair grew nervously lightheaded, the black-haired girl on his left put away her phone, leaned down slightly, and whispered softly toward him:
"Little brother, you seem very nervous~"
"Hiss~" Alistair took a deep breath, trying to force himself to calm down. Okay, calm down.
As the girl on his left leaned in, his left elbow was gently enveloped by the side of something soft.
"Hmm?"
The girl on his right noticed, turning to look at Alistair.
"...Um, I'm not used to people being so close..."
Perhaps due to his new body's "Charm" attribute, his voice came out soft and gentle.
"Ah~ I see. Are you still in junior high, little brother? You're so cute."
Instead of moving away, the long-haired girl on the left smiled wickedly and leaned in even closer, increasing the pressure on Alistair.
The bob-cut girl on the right saw this and cooperated by also inching toward the center.
"I-I'm reporting to the first year of high school today..."
Alistair felt like his eyes were turning into spirals.
"Oh really? High school already? I wouldn't have guessed," the long-haired girl looked at the boyish figure with mild surprise.
"Oh? Are you still playing Pocket Monsters? That one looks pretty expensive."
This Pocket Monsters was essentially Pokémon; everything was the same except for the name. This included the relatively high price. (Note: Don't ask why it's not a Game Boy; for plot convenience, all handheld gaming is done on the PSP here.)
Both console and handheld game cartridges were not cheap, and a Super Deluxe Edition set could cost tens of thousands of Yen (for the console), which is several bank notes (Fukuzawa Yukichi bills).
Alistair was only playing older, handheld versions, which weren't too expensive—about 400 Yen, the cost of a regular lunch box.
"Say, do you like this game a lot?" the bob-cut girl asked, a sly curve on her lips, looking at the console in Alistair's hands.
"It's okay. I enjoy it, but the console cartridges are so expensive, and even the new handheld versions are pricey."
The sense of regret in Alistair's voice was acutely perceived by the girls around him.
"Well then~ Little brother, would you like to earn a lot of spending money? Enough to buy all the cartridges you want~" The bob-cut girl leaned close to Alistair's ear and asked seductively.
"Say, the big sisters have something to ask of you~ You could get loads and loads of pocket money."
The black-haired girl on the left pulled out her wallet, opening it slightly. Alistair clearly saw stacks of 10,000 Yen bills (Fukuzawa Yukichi).
"Don't worry, we won't hurt you~ It's just helping us out with a few small favors~" The long-haired girl put her wallet away and added with a smile.
"Say, let's exchange Line IDs first. You can come and 'work' when you're free~"
While the black-haired girl was displaying her wealth, the bob-cut girl had already written down their Line IDs and slipped the note into Alistair's hand.
"Think carefully~ A Pocket Monsters Deluxe Gift Set~"
The bob-cut girl whispered directly into his ear, her breath tickling him and sending a shiver down his spine.
Ding!
They had arrived at the stop.
The girls stood up and walked out. Before leaving, they turned back and glanced at Alistair.
...
On the way to school, Alistair was somewhat absent-minded. The encounter with the big girls had been a huge mental shock; he nearly lost control of himself.
However, he didn't intend to throw away the note. A Pocket Monsters Deluxe Gift Set—why turn down free money? Especially since he had finally figured out a bit about how the "Acquire" ability works during the holidays.
"Power of the Ox Talisman—Grants superhuman strength, making it easy to stop a drifting truck with one hand."
"Power of the Horse Talisman—Quickly heals any injuries or illnesses, restoring health."
To be honest, he simply drew the symbols for the Ox Talisman and the Horse Talisman, got bored, and used "Acquire" on them. He actually acquired their powers. He had practiced drawing these simple symbols when he was obsessed with Jackie Chan Adventures but could only successfully draw these two. All his attempts at the others failed. Still, having these two abilities was enough.
Unfortunately, the power from his Ox Talisman was limited. It could only operate based on Alistair's current physical condition. At his peak, he could match an average national athlete's strength, which was sufficient for self-defense.
The Horse Talisman, however, was ridiculous. He discovered that the weakness following his "self-reward" (masturbation) counted as an "injury" and could be instantly healed. That was essentially a perpetual motion machine.
The walk from the train station to the school was short, and Alistair reached his school within minutes.
It was a large school building, typical of what you'd see in anime. The paths around the campus were lined with various trees, mostly cherry blossoms. In front of the building was a small circular garden with a round pond and a small artificial fountain in the center.
Alistair saw all this from the gate. Coupled with the rumors that the school was refurbished every few years, it always looked pristine and desirable to outsiders.
Following the map in the school handbook, Alistair quickly found his classroom based on the number he recalled.
The moment he stepped inside, Alistair immediately noticed a riot of colored hair: red, orange, green, blue... practically every primary and secondary color was represented.
What was slightly strange was that most of the boys had blonde hair, and these blonde boys were generally quite muscular.
I have a bad feeling about this...
A strange uneasiness welled up in Alistair's heart.