Yesterday after Aoi went to sleep, I slung the bag over my shoulder and stepped outside.
The convenience store lights buzzed softly as I passed, the smell of asphalt still warm from the day's heat but I didn't hesitate.
The manga weren't memories anymore. They were currency.
A secondhand shop near the station took them. The clerk barely looked at me, flipping through the volumes with practiced indifference.
When I left my pockets felt fuller not by much but enough.
Enough to buy the first real tool I needed.
"Why did you sell them?"
Aoi's voice stopped me as I set my shoes down by the door.
She was sitting at the small table, wrapped in her cardigan despite the heat, eyes fixed on the empty shelf in my room. The manga had been there as long as she could remember.
"I want a guitar," I said simply.
She blinked. "A… guitar?"
"Mm."
She looked uncertain. "But… weren't those important to you?"
I shook my head. "I already read them. They're just taking up space."
That wasn't a lie.
They weren't mine anymore.
Aoi studied my face for a long moment, then nodded slowly
"Okay"
No lectures but definitely confused
We left together the next day, walking toward the station as the morning crowd surged around us.
Salarymen, students, the rhythmic announcement of incoming trains echoing overhead.
The instrument shop was small tucked beneath the tracks. Old wood, dust, the faint smell of metal strings.
I asked for the cheapest acoustic they had.
The clerk brought out a faded brown guitar, scuffed at the edges but intact. The price tag made Aoi wince so I decided to negotiate
'Still gotta feed us' i justified myself bullying a 40-year-old pensioner with word logic
By the time we left, the guitar was slung across my back, along with new strings and a cheap capo.
[Negotiator Lv 4]
I didn't comment on it but i certainly liked it
The moment we got home, Aoi hovered nearby as I sat on the bed and adjusted the strings.
'Let's see.'
I strummed once.
Then again.
The sound wasn't perfect, but it was clean.
'I haven't lost too much touch I suppose'
The moment my fingers moved across the strings
[Guitar Lv 14]
Effect:• +14% efficiency when practicing guitar• +14% chance listeners will enjoy your playing
Aoi froze.
"…You can play?"
I answered by playing again.
A simple riff
Her eyes widened, pupils dilating as she watched my hands move.
"Ren," she whispered, "when did you learn this?"
"The shop clerk let me test it," I said casually.
She stared at me like I'd just performed magic but after hearing what I said she just rolled her eyes and went back to staring.
I played a little longer, then stopped before my technique slipped.
She clapped softly, like she was afraid to break the moment which warmed my heart
I took a deep breath to calm my racing thoughts about our current predicament
'One step at a time'
I already knew my plan.
'Guitar Lv20 and Singing Lv20. Then I upload.'
MeTube wasn't forgiving. First impressions mattered.
I practiced in my room, door closed, humming quietly while playing. The system smoothed out mistakes I should've made.
Within an hour-
[Guitar Lv 15]
[Singing Lv 6]
'damn, call me the Einstein of music with my talent ' I cringed at my own thoughts as I fully know that without my system this ridiculous progress isn't happening
'gotta work this body first'
I opened my phone and started searching for beginner workouts.
If I was going to push this body, I needed to do it deliberately.
Then I saw it.
A stupidly simple routine.
100 pushups
100 sit-ups
100 squats
I stared at the screen.
'…You've got to be kidding me'
Still.
I changed clothes and stepped out into the narrow concrete space behind the building. Cicadas screamed in the distance. A passing train rattled the air.
Pushups came first
Wall-assisted and Slow
'I'm so gonna break this wall' I winced with pain
Pain crept in early.
Sit-ups burned
'Fat bastard I so wish I could blame you but I know it's not your fault'
Squats made my legs tremble
After cursing him for a long time for not taking care of his body
I collapsed against the wall, lungs burning.
Then-
[Workout Condition Met]
[Recovery Potion Acquired]
Effect:
• repairs muscle strain
• Removes post-exercise fatigue
Warmth spread through my body.
The pain vanished.
I stood up slowly, stunned.
'So that's how you're meant to do it.' I grinned
When I went back inside as Aoi looked up from her book.
"You're not tired?"
"…A little."
She narrowed her eyes but said nothing.
Later, as I lay in bed with my newly bought guitar resting against the wall the system interface flickered faintly.
Skills rising. Stats adjusting.
No soreness.
No backlash.
Just progress.
Tomorrow, I'd practice again.
'Why am I looking forward to exercising?' I shuddered at the thought but I couldn't help but grin
Soon-
Lv20.
Then the world would hear me, but before that I still need to continue the works my previous body used to keep us afloat.
The screen flickered on, illuminating the cramped space with a pale glow.
This machine was old.
Fan rattling, Keys slightly worn from too much typing but it certainly worked.
And more importantly, it was how Ren had survived.
While managing school Ren had done two things consistently: writing web novels and taking small coding commissions.