Chapter Four: Baldy, Have You Grown Tired of Living?

“Oh-ho” is an onomatopoeic exclamation. When people are confronted by an indescribable member of the opposite sex, they can’t help but utter an “oh-ho”—just as someone who has never tasted a soft drink takes their first sip of ice-cold cola on a sweltering summer day and can’t suppress a gasp of delight. It is an irrepressible human instinct, a reaction rooted deep within the soul, as intrinsic to existence as the truth that death follows killing.

Though this truth is not widely known, Kokyo Shinmi firmly believes that truths are the domain of the select few—and among them, she is the goddess presiding over this particular one.

From the moment she became aware of her own allure, there had not been a single man who, upon seeing her, could refrain from letting out an involuntary “oh-ho.” After all, she was nothing less than the most dazzling beauty Japan had seen in five thousand years.

The bald boy in front of her must be nearsighted, unable to see her face clearly. Kokyo Shinmi clung to this conviction, twining her fingers together, sneaking glances at Tsukasa Aoki, who seemed utterly absorbed in his textbook, as if it contained some hidden treasure.

Suddenly, a thought struck her: Could it be... could it be that upon seeing me, the shock was so overwhelming that he’s been rendered speechless? Why else would a delinquent look so earnest while reading? That must be it. I’ll wait until study period ends, then approach him and give him his well-deserved “oh-ho” moment!

With this in mind, Kokyo Shinmi couldn’t help but look at Tsukasa Aoki and flashed him a confident smile. The boy sitting beside her, who had been stealing glances her way, couldn’t suppress a quiet “oh-ho” himself and quickly clapped a hand over his mouth in embarrassment.

Meanwhile, Tsukasa Aoki remained oblivious to the labyrinthine workings of Kokyo Shinmi’s mind. He was currently staring at the skill interface before him, deep in thought.

[Learning LV.1: You have mastered the basic knowledge up to elementary school level. Bonus: Intelligence +1 (Experience: 62/100).]

Judging by the fact that the skill already contained sixty-two experience points upon acquisition, Tsukasa could be certain that his own prior knowledge had contributed.

But—

What exactly does “basic knowledge up to elementary school” mean? In my previous life, I was a top student! Outraged, Tsukasa called out to the system in his mind.

[Do you remember what was on the university entrance exam math section?]

Tsukasa’s expression froze. After graduating and muddling through the workforce for years, he could barely recall anything about math, not to mention his once-strongest subject, language arts—he couldn’t even remember the content of two essays.

Still, isn’t elementary school a bit too much of a downgrade...? He hadn’t finished grumbling inwardly before he decisively clamped his mental mouth shut.

[66x + 17y = 3967, 25x + y = 1200. Find the values of x and y. This is a problem you encountered in junior high, buried deep in your memory.]

How did I even graduate from junior high? Tsukasa fell into profound self-doubt.

Absentmindedly flipping through his Japanese language textbook, he noticed the experience bar creeping upwards, slow but steady. A spark of hope lit up in his eyes. He turned back to the first page and began reading the lesson in earnest.

Thanks to the memories in his mind, the Japanese in the textbook wasn’t wholly incomprehensible. Many of the subtleties escaped him, but he could grasp the general meaning.

One page, two pages, three pages...

He finished the entire textbook at a pace akin to reading a novel. Checking his experience points, he saw they’d increased by twenty, reaching eighty-two.

He tried reviewing earlier sections, but the growth slowed to a crawl. By the time the bell rang, cutting through the classroom’s din, he’d barely read half the book again and gained only four more points.

What’s going on?

[To level up the learning skill, you must read appropriate textbooks that match your comprehension level. In other words, only materials you can understand will grant experience, and the more advanced or relevant the book, the better. Re-reading the same content reduces the efficiency of experience gained.]

Tsukasa raised an eyebrow. At this rate, catching up to the average high schooler in this world would be a breeze! He was just about to pull out another textbook and grind some more experience when a gentle, pleasant fragrance wafted by.

Looking up, he saw that the beautiful girl—apparently named Kokyo Shinmi—was standing before him, her smile radiant.

“Do you need something?” Tsukasa asked, puzzled. He noticed her pupils contract and then dilate, her smile unwavering yet as if startled. “Is there something you need from me?”

At his second inquiry, the lovely girl finally spoke in a sweet, gentle tone: “Aoki-kun, since you’re new here, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me. It’s the class president’s duty to look after everyone, after all.”

Tsukasa nodded, his expression calm, brow slightly furrowed. “And?”

Kokyo Shinmi’s eyelids flickered almost imperceptibly, her dazzling smile revealing exactly eight pearly teeth as she tilted her head, sunlight illuminating her like an angel descended to earth. “Nothing, really. My name is Kokyo Shinmi. Would you like to be friends?”

She extended her hand, slender and fair, almost translucent in the light.

Heh, kids these days. Tsukasa sneered inwardly. This girl looked like an idol, and judging by the reactions around her, she was extremely popular. Yet here she was, eager to befriend him. And he was bald... Tsk. Sure, he was handsome, but still!

No one showers kindness unprovoked—if they do, they have motives.

He had no idea what game the girl was playing, whether she was genuinely outgoing or a real goddess, but Tsukasa’s internal alarm bells were clanging. Being bald already drew enough attention; the last thing he needed was to get entangled with someone like her. All he wanted was to quietly survive the three years under the system’s thumb and then soar as he pleased.

In his previous career, Tsukasa had met more than his share of cunning vixens—people with a thousand faces, truly terrifying. And normal people didn’t have blue hair and eyes; best to avoid trouble with someone like this.

On the surface, Kokyo Shinmi’s smile remained sweet and gentle, but her mind was racing. Has his nearsightedness really gotten this bad? That must be it—his vision is so poor that even at this distance, I probably look like a mosaic! I’ll just get closer!

She abruptly leaned in, peering at Tsukasa’s textbook. “Are you studying, Aoki-kun?”

Her face was now so close to his that it startled Tsukasa. With practiced ease, he snapped his book shut, slid his chair back a meter, stood up, and tapped his forehead. “Ah, I just remembered something I forgot to do.”

Kokyo Shinmi’s eyes narrowed, and inwardly, she was nearly roaring: Is he avoiding me? Is he actually rejecting me? Not only did he not say “oh-ho,” but he’s backing away from me!?

Before she could process what was happening, a rough, irritable male voice rang out from the back of the classroom, loud enough for all to hear: “Hey, baldy over there! Are you tired of living or what?”