Chapter 16: Mission Rewards (Humbly Begging for Continued Reading)

At the National High School, the lunch break lasted only forty-five minutes, which was quite a headache for Haruhi Harano, who was accustomed to taking naps in the afternoon. The most difficult time each day was always the first class after lunch, but the good news was that Haruhi was in a regular class, where the teachers were more relaxed in their supervision.

Yawning repeatedly during class, Haruhi tried to distract himself by gazing out the window at the scenery. Nevertheless, he was caught by the biology teacher.

“What are excitable cells? Harano, why don’t you answer this question?”

If Haruhi hadn’t happened to glance at the textbook and seen that very question, he would have been stumped by the old teacher. He stood up and answered honestly.

“Mr. Tojo, excitable cells include nerve cells, muscle cells, and gland cells.”

“Mm, sit down. You should pay attention in class.”

Seeing Haruhi answer correctly, Mr. Tojo did not push further, merely offering a gentle reminder.

As soon as he sat down, Haruhi ignored the thumbs-up from Kazuta Ichinaka and Heisuke Yozawa, propped his chin on his hands, and stared blankly ahead. Perhaps admiring the beautiful silhouette of Lady Qingling from behind would help him stay awake.

Golden wavy hair was tied into a ponytail, cascading naturally over her shoulder, below which was a slender waist that could be encircled with one hand.

It was truly pleasing to the eye.

With a sigh, he remembered the reward the system gave him for completing the midday task. He had been busy flirting with Qingling Meiryu at the time and hadn’t had the chance to check it carefully—it seemed to be some kind of pill.

[Vigorous Titan Pill x3]

[Vigorous Titan Pill: Upon use, the player will gain double stamina, becoming faster, stronger, and able to drink more! The perfect choice to display a man’s prowess and win the favor of beautiful women! (Duration: 1 hour. If the host’s stamina is already high, use with caution; accidents may occur.)]

Seeing this, Haruhi was electrified. What kind of insane reward was this? Double stamina! That meant his feeble stamina score of 55 would shoot up to 110 after taking the pill! Breaking the limits of humanity!

From loser to little Superman!

With such powerful attributes, Haruhi considered applying to join the basketball team and defeating the neighboring Kanagawa High, bringing glory to the school.

He glanced at the duration and reconsidered. Although the Vigorous Titan Pill could turn him into a real man for 3,600 seconds, it was a rare commodity, best saved for a more crucial battlefield.

A battlefield where a man’s honor was at stake! Reviving the basketball team’s glory was better left to those passionate young men.

A breeze mixed with cherry blossom petals swept in as Haruhi listened to Mr. Tojo’s impassioned lecture, his gaze lingering on the girl’s exquisite silhouette, his thoughts adrift.

There were only two classes in the afternoon, and National High School’s dismissal time was set at precisely three o’clock. After class, aside from those in the “go-home club” and students assigned to clean up, the rest hurried off to their various clubs.

When Haruhi first started, he too dreamed of joining a club like the protagonists in anime. Even if he couldn’t write his own “Silver Ace” legend and lead the school to the national championships, at least he could be like the teacher in “My Youth Romantic Comedy,” joining a wealthy girl’s idle chat club and eventually marrying into money.

Unfortunately, reality struck hard. Besides his weak stamina, he had to work every day just to eat.

Thankfully, National High School had a “go-home club.” If, like Kanagawa High next door, they forced every student to join a club, he might have ended up dead in Lady Qingling’s arms.

But the original plan to work after school was ruined as well.

“Haruhi, you don’t need to come in today!” That was the message he received after school.

“Mrs. Uehara, did I do something wrong?” Haruhi was a bit anxious. Unless absolutely necessary, he didn’t want to give up this easy, well-paid job (and not just because Mrs. Uehara was beautiful).

“No, Haruhi, you’ve been doing great! But today I’m taking Meiko to the amusement park, so the convenience store will just be closed.”

“All right, Mrs. Uehara. I hope you and Meiko have a wonderful time. [Smile]”

“Oh, and Haruhi, I’ll still pay you for today!” Mrs. Uehara added.

“Thank you, Mrs. Uehara. [Smile]”

He put away his phone, sighing at how gentle Mrs. Uehara was—giving him paid leave even though business at the store was quiet.

Although he could take a paid day off, he still couldn’t leave school immediately after class—today was his turn to clean.

Haruhi and Heisuke Yozawa made up one group; the other two members were their female classmates.

The boys naturally handled the heavy work, while the girls wiped the blackboard and swept the floor.

Heisuke, eager to display his gentlemanly side, volunteered to take out the trash downstairs.

That left Haruhi alone in the classroom with a cute girl.

He mopped the floor while the girl stood on a stool, wiping the blackboard.

“Harano, you seem to have lost weight lately,” the girl, Yuriko Ogata, remarked.

“Really? Maybe it’s because I’ve been exercising recently—it’s showing results,” Haruhi replied, mop in hand.

In truth, today was the first day he started exercising, but there’s no crime in exaggerating a little.

“Hehe, I think you’ll be really handsome once you slim down!” Yuriko Ogata suddenly said.

Haruhi smiled without responding.

Yuriko thought he was shy and encouraged him, “Where do you live, Harano? If it’s close, we could exercise together. I feel like I’ve gained some weight myself!”

Haruhi turned to glance at Yuriko standing on the chair. She was under one-sixty centimeters, slender and cute, not the least bit chubby—in fact, she was often a topic of discussion among the boys in class.

“Yuriko, if you count as fat, then I might as well hide in shame,” Haruhi joked as he finished half the floor.

Unexpectedly, Yuriko hopped down adorably from the chair, turned around, and blinked her big eyes at Haruhi.

“No, no! I think you make people feel very safe,” she said softly, like a little white rabbit.

A loud bang—the classroom door was kicked open.

Qingling Meiryu stood at the doorway, her face full of displeasure.

The room fell silent, and Yuriko shrank back, a little frightened.