Chapter 18: Strive to go to school.
A year after they said they would go to high school together, Morofushi Sora'aki really started preparing.
After all, in his own world, his mother had also required him to attend high school, and he didn't need to specifically check the procedures, as they were all roughly the same.
So in the other world, he lacked only two things: the necessary paperwork for his identity and money.
The tuition for high school is different from the expenses for arcades and dessert shops.
Money is easy to solve, the problem is indeed with identity.
So Morofushi Sora'aki went to consult his two policeman brothers.
Since Taka'aki-nii was in Nagano, they could only communicate by phone. So, Morofushi Sora'aki asked on the phone, "Brother, what should a student do if they want to attend high school without identification?"
Since Morofushi Sora'aki himself could not possibly be the subject of this question, Morofushi Taka'aki didn't think too much about it. Although he was a little confused, he still answered his younger brother's somewhat strange question seriously.
Morofushi Taka'aki's answer, simply put, was to call the police.
Morofushi Sora'aki nodded, then asked his second brother, "Brother, who should I contact if I need to get a fake document?"
Having finally finished training temporarily, Morofushi Hiromitsu returned home on his day off, only to choke on his food at the dinner table, leaving his parents looking bewildered.
Although shocked and puzzled, Mother Morofushi instinctively poured a glass of water for her second son. Morofushi Hiromitsu took the water and gulped down several mouthfuls. As soon as he calmed his breathing, he immediately asked, "Why are you suddenly asking this question?"
Morofushi Sora'aki didn't want to lie to his family, and it was indeed difficult to explain, so he thought for a moment and said, "I saw it in a book."
Coincidentally, he had previously read teen romance/gangster melodrama novels about undercover agents, which included strange three-way undercover agents, faked deaths and identity swaps, and many other bizarre plots.
Recalling the diversity of his younger brother's reading list, Morofushi Hiromitsu: "..."
Recalling the days when he was surrounded by books like "Postpartum Care of Sows": "..."
Suddenly curious about what books his son had read this time, Father Morofushi asked, "...Hmm? Has Morofushi Sora'aki bought another new book?"
"I didn't buy it; I saw it in the library." Morofushi Sora'aki thought for a moment and gave the exact time: "The time my older brother took me there when I was in college."
Morofushi Hiromitsu: ...So it was all my fault after all?!
Morofushi Hiromitsu gave a genuine, yet subtly bittersweet smile: "Well... as for that, since my brother is still a student, I don't really know much about it."
Even if I knew, I couldn't possibly tell you! Morofushi Hiromitsu wailed inwardly, raising a younger brother is really hard.
Morofushi Hiromitsu decided to once again pass the question to his absent older brother: "Did you ask Taka'aki-nii?"
Morofushi Sora'aki nodded: "I asked, and Taka'aki-nii said to find the police."
As expected of you, Taka'aki-nii! Morofushi Hiromitsu breathed a sigh of relief, and the smile on his face became much more natural: "Generally speaking, normal people don't need fake identities. If there are any problems with identity... then the police should be the ones to handle it."
So his two older brothers told him that he needed to find the police, and Morofushi Sora'aki nodded thoughtfully.
Seeing his younger brother's expression, Morofushi Hiromitsu asked again, "Is it just curiosity?"
"Hmm." Morofushi Sora'aki picked up a piece of rice with his chopsticks, then suddenly asked, "Brother said before that I could only play with guns after I turned 18, but I went to the arcade with my friends earlier, and I kind of want to play too. Is that still not allowed?"
Morofushi Hiromitsu paused, then thought carefully before recalling a conversation he had had with his younger brother about dangerous items. Given that his brother had just mentioned the strange keyword "false identity", Morofushi Hiromitsu decided it was best not to give a direct affirmative answer.
"As for the arcade... how about when I turn 16?" Morofushi Hiromitsu asked.
Morofushi Sora'aki didn't refute, and after finishing his meal, he ran back to his room on the second floor.
Meanwhile, Morofushi Hiromitsu sat in front of the sofa, still pondering the relevant issues.
"Still thinking about your younger brother?" Mother Morofushi placed a glass of milk in front of Morofushi Hiromitsu and sat down opposite him.
"…Hmm." Morofushi Hiromitsu thought for a moment and asked, "Sora'aki's friend…I haven't paid much attention to that. Does Mom remember?"
"Once, Sora'aki went to the arcade." Mother Morofushi replied with a smile. "But he didn't seem very happy when he came back. I asked him about it, and he said the equipment wasn't what he expected."
So there are indeed friends I can go out with. Even after confirming this, Morofushi Hiromitsu's brow remained furrowed. Noticing his mother's worried gaze, he didn't hide anything, saying, "...As for university, it's been almost half a year since then."
"But Sora'aki's tone makes it sound like it happened just yesterday." Morofushi Hiromitsu said in a low voice. "Although I've known for a long time that Sora'aki has a good memory, and I've even had him checked at the hospital."
"But how should I put it... I still feel it's a bit too good?" Morofushi Hiromitsu said hesitantly.
While Morofushi Hiromitsu was talking to Mother Morofushi, Morofushi Sora'aki had already covered himself with a small blanket and was lying in bed.
This time, after closing and reopening his eyes, Morofushi Sora'aki did not appear in the small park as he had in the previous two years.
The system, which hadn't sent any messages for years, released a task message again, and as before, it was a job that left people feeling baffled.
Looking at his reflection in the glass doors of the shops on the street, Morofushi Sora'aki looked like he had changed his appearance again.
This time, his mission is... to defuse the bomb.
Morofushi Sora'aki: "..."
Having been dragged along by his two friends to learn a lot about disassembly, but having never actually learned how to defuse a bomb, Morofushi Sora'aki decided to learn on the spot, just like he had with the sniper rifle before.
Morofushi Sora'aki picked up the phone that came with his body and found the relevant information in the photo album.
It was just like a walkthrough in a game. Having memorized the relevant explanations, Morofushi Sora'aki now had to figure out how to get to the target location on his own.
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The problem is that the system is completely failing to tell him where the bomb is.
Then Morofushi Sora'aki saw the system's small text notification, which meant that even if you don't know how to defuse a bomb, you can still detonate it directly.
Morofushi Sora'aki hadn't yet understood the meaning of that sentence when, while looking down, he bumped into a man.
The man had an unpleasant face. It wasn't until he was pulled away by his companion that Morofushi Sora'aki noticed a remote control lying at his feet.
Morofushi Sora'aki suddenly realized that this was what "detonating it directly if it can't be dismantled" meant.
Unaware of where the bomb was planted, Morofushi Sora'aki pressed the button directly.
So, in an apartment building, the police officers who had just finished evacuating all the residents and were about to go upstairs to defuse the bomb saw the high-rise suddenly explode. Their pupils contracted, they fell to the ground, and after confirming that no one was injured, they immediately contacted their superiors: "The bomber did not cancel the bomb after receiving the 1 billion yuan as they claimed, but instead suddenly detonated the bomb!"
Completely unaware of what had happened on the other side, Morofushi Sora'aki ended the mission with a bewildered expression, and the system didn't even say whether it was successful or not.
Morofushi Sora'aki didn't pay much attention to what was happening here. As a result, he still didn't appear in the small park the next evening and had a new, inexplicable mission.
Morofushi Sora'aki, who had absolutely no desire to do any missions and only wanted to play with his friends: "..."
This situation continued for a week, and Morofushi Sora'aki became somewhat unhappy. Even Morofushi Hiromitsu, who had returned home once again, noticed his younger brother's mood.
"Sora'aki? What's wrong?"
"The game has a forced single-player mission." Morofushi Sora'aki lowered his eyes: "But I want to play with my friends."
Relieved, Morofushi Hiromitsu smiled and patted his younger brother's head: "Can the mission be canceled? If not, then try your best to clear the game, and then play with your friends."
Morofushi Sora'aki responded with a wronged tone.
After working non-stop for a month, Morofushi Sora'aki didn't appear at the small park after falling asleep again, which didn't surprise him. However, the frustration in his heart continued to fester.
However, this time was different from the previous month. This time it wasn't outdoors, and the system hadn't given him any related tasks.
Morofushi Sora'aki glanced around the room and was surprised to find that it was very similar to his own, although many details were different.
He continued to observe and immediately noticed a stack of documents on the desk next to the bed. Morofushi Sora'aki walked over, picked up the stack of documents, and was slightly taken aback.
That was a complete set of documents needed for high school, including his identification, related applications, and even a middle school graduation certificate from a school he had never seen before.
The places for parents and family members were blank, but the home address was filled in, still an unfamiliar place... no, not entirely unfamiliar. Apart from the chome (street) being different, the address in front was the same as Matsuda and Hagiwara's house.
Morofushi Sora'aki's eyes widened slightly. He put the relevant documents back on the table and, before leaving the room, noticed the shoulder bag hanging on the chair, where the homemade amulet containing small stones hung quietly.
The house wasn't very big, at least half the size of his own, but the decor was very similar. Morofushi Sora saw the key on the shoe rack by the door, picked it up, and walked out, glancing at the "Morofushi" sign on the door.
He memorized the addresses around him, his steps were steady but without any hesitation—then he saw two friends leaning against the horizontal bar in the park, talking to each other.
Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji quickly noticed him as well. Hagiwara Kenji immediately smiled and waved happily, "Long time no see! I thought you weren't coming!"
"Seriously, leave your contact number next time..." Matsuda Jinpei hadn't finished speaking when Hagiwara Kenji elbowed him in the stomach, interrupting his next words.
Hagiwara Kenji smiled and said, "It's always you waiting for us, Sora'aki-chan, but this time it's our turn to wait for you. It feels quite novel—"
Morofushi Sora'aki chatted with his two friends, feeling utterly lost, and the gloom in his heart gradually dissipated.
It was already quite late, so Hagiwara Kenji and Matsuda Jinpei didn't stay long. They said goodbye to Morofushi Sora'aki and left before dark.
Then, after his friend left, the system, which had rarely appeared except for missions, gave him non-mission information for the first time.
What was once a small surplus of assets has now shrunk to tens of figures.
—It was negative, or rather, it was highlighted in red and bold, right in front of you.
In that instant, Morofushi Sora'aki realized something: even including tuition fees and real estate, it could never be worth ten figures.
The meaning of a short stay is different from that of a long stay in another world, and there will inevitably be a price to pay.
Although he had sensed the system's behavior before and now a long time ago, ... the system's existence and everything it did seemed to be fulfilling his own wishes.
It's just that the system's capabilities are insufficient, so he needs to perform tasks to fulfill this wish.
Just like there isn't such a magical wish-granting machine.
After realizing this, he did another task the next day, and after the loan amount did indeed decrease, Morofushi Sora'aki became even more certain of the answer.
Then, Morofushi Sora'aki, a 15-year-old middle school student who had dropped out of school, entered the life of a corporate slave ahead of schedule.
He has less time to play with friends, but he is guaranteed a free weekend and regular rest. If he becomes too stressed, the system will not send him to another world after he falls asleep, but will let him get a good night's sleep.
Maintaining this daily routine, Morofushi Sora'aki finally managed to clear all his debts before starting high school at the age of 16.
Recalling the past year in the arcade, Morofushi Sora'aki's gaze toward his two friends became extremely deep.
You can't imagine what I went through to be able to go to school with you all. Morofushi Sora'aki thought to himself.
"...Why do I suddenly feel that Sora'aki-chan's eyes are filled with murderous intent?"
"What a coincidence, I thought so too." Matsuda Jinpei frowned. "You didn't provoke him, did you?"
Hagiwara Kenji immediately protested his innocence: "I didn't!!"