Even though Ren wanted to stop and carefully think about the strange System that had just appeared before him, he quickly realized that now was not the time. If he kept standing there in shock, he would end up being late on the very first day of school. Taking a slow breath to calm himself, he decided that whatever this mysterious system was, it could wait until later.
For now, he had somewhere important to be.
Ren stood up and walked toward the bathroom. The small apartment was quiet, the morning light slipping through the window and filling the room with a soft glow. Turning on the shower, he let the warm water run over him, washing away the lingering haze of sleep and the confusion swirling in his mind. By the time he finished and stepped out of the bathroom, his thoughts had become a little clearer.
After getting dressed in his school uniform, Ren finally stood in front of the mirror.
The moment he looked at his reflection, he froze.
For a few seconds, he simply stared at the face looking back at him, almost as if he were seeing it for the first time.
His hair was a striking shade of platinum black, smooth and slightly messy in a way that somehow looked natural rather than untidy. Beneath it were eyes unlike anything he had ever seen beforegolden with a faint violet hue, as if sunlight and twilight had somehow blended together. They carried a calm brilliance that made them difficult to ignore.
Calling him handsome almost felt like an understatement.
If there was any flaw at all in his appearance, it was only that his face still carried the youthful softness of someone who had not fully grown into adulthood yet.
His school shirt fit neatly against his body, outlining a physique that, while not extraordinary, was surprisingly well-balanced for someone his age. He wasn't overly muscular, but he was far from frail either. His black jeans completed the simple look, giving him a clean and composed appearance.
Ren's height was around 172 centimeters, which was fairly average for someone his age.
The previous Ren, however, had lived a very sheltered life. His mother had been extremely protective almost overly so. She rarely allowed him to wander outside or spend much time away from home. Whenever he did go out, he occasionally noticed people looking at him, but he had always assumed it was simply because he was mixed heritage.
Because of this, the former Ren had never truly been aware of how striking his own appearance actually was.
Ren continued staring at the mirror for a few more seconds before a thought slipped through his mind almost involuntarily.
"Damn… even if I were just a normal guy, I'd still admire myself."
The moment the thought appeared, he lightly shook his head. He didn't want to start becoming overly self-admiring. There was no point in getting carried away by something like that. Sure, his appearance might be good, but life was far more than just looks.
Not wanting to waste any more time, Ren quickly grabbed his bag and left the apartment.
The place he was renting was located quite close to the city center. In fact, the previous Ren had chosen this location very deliberately. Even though the rent was slightly above average, the location alone made it worth it. Many important places in the city could be reached simply by walking especially for someone attending an elite school like Chiba Academy.
Early in the morning, the streets of Nagazora City were slowly beginning to come to life.
As Ren walked toward the school, he carefully observed the surroundings. It didn't take long for him to notice that this world was quite different from the one he had lived in during his previous life.
The most obvious difference was technology.
The technology of this world was clearly far more advanced than anything he had seen in his previous life. The vehicles moving through the streets looked more modern, and some of the buildings had designs that seemed almost futuristic. The city infrastructure, digital advertisements, and even the devices people carried felt noticeably more advanced compared to the world he once knew.
While walking, Ren quietly took in all these details of this unfamiliar world.
This truly was… a completely different world.
Ren had become so absorbed in observing the city around him that he completely failed to notice the attention he was attracting.
His eyes moved from one building to another, quietly analyzing the unfamiliar technology, the advertisements, and the overall atmosphere of Nagazora City. Compared to his previous world, everything felt slightly more advanced, slightly more refined. Lost in his own thoughts, Ren walked forward at a steady pace, completely unaware of the gazes slowly gathering around him.
Not far from the sidewalk, a small group of girls stood together near the corner of the street.
At first, they had only glanced at him casually, but the moment their eyes properly landed on him, they all froze for a second.
Their faces quickly turned red.
One of them quietly tugged on her friend's sleeve while staring at Ren with wide eyes.
"Hey… look."
Another girl leaned forward slightly, clearly trying not to be too obvious as she whispered in a hushed voice.
"…He's really handsome."
The group fell into a brief, flustered silence as they continued to watch Ren walk past them.
Completely unaware of the effect he was having, Ren simply continued walking toward Chiba Academy, his thoughts still focused on this new world rather than the attention he was unintentionally attracting.
After walking a little farther, Ren was suddenly stopped by two girls who appeared to be around eighteen or maybe twenty years old. Both of them were quite beautiful and carried themselves with a certain bold confidence, yet at this moment their faces were slightly red as they stood in front of him.
One of them gathered her courage and spoke.
"Um… excuse me… could we have your phone number?"
Ren blinked once, slightly surprised. This was the first time something like this had happened to him so directly. In his previous life, no one had ever approached him like this.
For a brief moment he considered how to respond.
Then Ren gave them a calm, gentle smile one that made his already striking appearance even more captivating.
"I'm sorry," he said politely, "but I don't use a phone."
It was obviously not the most convincing lie in the world.
Still, Ren didn't wait for their reaction. Without adding anything else, he simply nodded politely and continued walking toward the academy.
The two girls remained standing there, momentarily stunned.
Their expressions were filled with a strange mixture of disappointment… and fascination. Even though they had just been rejected, that warm smile seemed to linger in their minds.
Nearby, several boys who had witnessed the scene looked completely shocked.
Some of them had spent years trying to get a single date with those same girls, only to be rejected every time without hesitation.
And yet just now…
Those same girls had nervously asked Ren for his number only to be the ones rejected instead.
Ren ignored the stares and whispers around him and simply continued walking forward. The closer he got to the academy district, the more students he began to see on the streets. Before long, he finally reached the street where Chiba Academy was located.
Just before the entrance to the school, there was a small shop that specialized in selling healthy breakfast meals. The smell of freshly prepared food drifted into the street, and only then did Ren realize that he hadn't eaten anything yet that morning.
He stepped inside and quickly bought a simple breakfast.
However, just as he was about to pay, something unexpected happened.
The shop owner a middle-aged man with a friendly face suddenly waved his hand and refused to take the money.
"Don't worry about it," the man said with a cheerful grin. "Today it's on the house."
Ren blinked in surprise.
Before he could even ask why, the man continued.
"My only request is that you come here more often and buy breakfast from my shop."
Ren stared at him for a moment.
Honestly, refusing an offer like that would have felt a little hypocritical. After all, the man clearly meant no harm and seemed genuinely happy.
So Ren simply nodded.
"Alright. I'll come by more often."
With that, he took his breakfast and walked out of the shop, continuing toward the academy gate.
As he walked, a small amused thought appeared in his mind.
The System must be wrong.
How could my luck possibly be only eleven?
Look at this today I already got a free meal.
If I had this kind of luck in my previous life… maybe things would have turned out very differently.
The thought made him smile slightly.
Of course, Ren didn't realize that the real reason the shop owner had refused his money had very little to do with luck and far more to do with the unforgettable first impression Ren's appearance had made.