My head hurts. Opening my eyes, I found myself in a completely white room. Ye Qiu groaned, holding his head, and slowly sat up.
"Where is this? I only just fell asleep at my desk."
After a short while, a dazzling white light shone forth.
"Ta-da~! O chosen... chosen hero, I am the Goddess-sama. Hear the prayers of the weak, and I summon... you to a world that needs to be saved."
"..."
Is this person, who has to half-read and half-recite her entrance lines from a cheat sheet, really a goddess?
"N-no, it's not because I just took office!"
The unfamiliar goddess, blushing, stuffed the small card in her hand into her chest.
Hmm? Not only can she read minds, but she's also an outdated tsundere.
"Of course! After all, I am the Goddess-sama! Hmph hmph~?"
It's the real deal. So, at the age of 30, is my life finally going to begin its main quest in another world?
"That's right~! Before you go, first, here's the beginner's gift pack..." Her slender, jade-like fingers pointed at Ye Qiu, and a magical light shone from her fingertip. "First, there's Language Mastery, Appraisal, Body Reinforcement, and the Item Box, a four-piece set. Alright, confirmed delivered~"
I didn't feel any changes at all...
"Next, it's time to draw your initial talent."
The goddess held her hands out, then slowly spread them apart. Five rectangular cards, like tarot cards, floated between them.
"So, let me see your initial talent is... Eh, a skill I've never seen before?!" The goddess drew one of the cards and held it up to her eyes.
By the way, shouldn't I be the one to draw my talent? Just as Ye Qiu was about to complain, another strong light flashed beside him.
"Nimi-chan, you got it wrong! This person isn't the chosen hero!"
Huh? Is my journey to another world going to end before it even begins?
"The chosen hero is Mr. Ogiwara Akihito, not Mr. Ye Qiu."
Strange, it seems some important information was blocked out.
"Eh heh~? Did I make a mistake?" The goddess waved her hand, collecting the cards floating in mid-air, and tapped her own head. "Then, I'll send you back right away!"
Faint light began to emanate from beneath his feet, feeling like the prelude to some kind of teleportation magic starting.
"Wait a moment..."
It was too late. In the time it took to speak, he could already feel the tug of space.
Ye Qiu lunged forward, feeling his face hit something incredibly soft. The very last image before his consciousness faded was the goddess's expression, a mix of anger and shyness.
"W-wait, Nimi-chan, the beginner's gift pack hasn't been taken back yet..."
"Eh?! This quarter's beginner's gift packs are all used up. What should we do?"
"Then, what about Mr. Ogiwara Akihito's beginner's gift pack?"
"...W-well, since he's the legitimate hero, it shouldn't matter if he's missing one or two skills, right...?"
A completely unconvincing defense.
...
An unfamiliar ceiling, an unfamiliar bed and futon. Ye Qiu blankly stretched out his hand, slender and fair, untouched by any hardships of society, completely unlike his 27-year-old palm.
"The Baka Goddess seems to have done something incredible... Or am I in a lucid dream?"
By the way, there seemed to be something like a beginner's gift pack, right? Was it just talk? Immediately, a light blue panel suddenly appeared before his eyes.
Kitahara Sosuke???
182cm. 72kg
Private Toyonosaki Academy, 2nd Year
Strength 59
Stamina 61
Intelligence 82
Agility 51
Skills: Appraisal, Body Reinforcement Lv1, Language Mastery, Item Box
Interests:????
Appraisal Result: Soul and body severely mismatched, currently assimilating...
"Eh, it really appeared?"
He tried to touch the skill panel in front of him. Suddenly, a massive flood of memories surged from an unknown place, like a heavy hammer smashing down on Kitahara Sosuke's head. His vision went black, and he knew nothing more.
...
"My name is Kitahara Sosuke. I'm a transmigrator. The reason for my transmigration was being summoned by a careless goddess I didn't know, and then being confusedly sent back to a world I didn't come from.
Thanks to the beginner's gift pack, the first time I used the Appraisal skill on myself, it triggered a peculiar phenomenon. Now, the original owner's memories are constantly surging forth. At this point, I can no longer tell if I am Zhuang Zhou or the butterfly.
Communication is also not a problem. Thanks to Language Mastery, all the Japanese in the room can be easily understood and read.
Next is the skill Body Reinforcement Lv1. Its usage scenario is quite subtle. After activation, all four stats except Intelligence are directly x2. Hmm, probably like a Kaioken x2...
The amplification level has probably reached the peak of human ability. As it should be, after all, you can't send a hero from another world directly to the battlefield with a weak body, can you?
Speaking of which, for every beginner's gift pack given to a completely unrelated person, will there be a hero who doesn't receive a beginner's gift pack and is cruelly sent directly to the battlefield?
All in all, let's give a round of applause for the sudden turn in my nearly 30 years of bland life."
Kitahara Sosuke sat on the bed, muttering to himself as if suffering from a split personality, sometimes lowering his head in thought, then suddenly applauding.
"So noisy! Baka Sosuke, since you're awake, hurry up and get up for breakfast!"
The room door was kicked open by a small foot wrapped in pink and black over-the-knee socks. Golden, shoulder-length hair swayed behind her due to her movements. A girl with emerald green eyes walked into the room with a look of disdain.
Kitahara Airi
158cm. 42kg
Seifu Academy, Junior High 2nd Year B Class
Strength 32
Stamina 54
Intelligence 67
Agility 43
Hobbies: Shopping, sweets
Appraisal Result: Often confessed to but rejects them all. Her recent worry is that her single mother seems to be dating an uncle she doesn't like.
The Appraisal skill activated unconsciously, and the girl's information appeared vividly before him.
"Airi, you shouldn't speak to your brother so rudely."
Supporting the girl's slender shoulders, a girl with smooth black long hair peeked out from behind Kitahara Airi, her expression gentle.
"Good morning, Ni-san."
"Ah, good morning, Marina."
The Appraisal skill seemed to have no cooldown. Next to Kitahara Airi's data, an identical light blue panel popped up.
Kitahara Marina
162cm. 47kg
Seifu Academy, Junior High 3rd Year A Class
Strength 36
Stamina 57
Intelligence 79
Agility 38
Hobbies: Reading, delicate small goods
Appraisal Result: Gentle and approachable personality. Finds great satisfaction in taking care of her useless older brother and tsundere younger sister.
"Even though it's the weekend, older brother, you need to get up quickly!"
Even though she was only a junior high student, Marina made a request with a Yamato Nadeshiko-like smile that was hard to refuse.
Glancing at Kitahara Airi, who was pouting with puffed cheeks like a hamster, Marina smiled and smoothed down the uncombed hair on her head.
"Mom said she's bringing guests home today."