[Day 1]

Asahi claimed a snug spot in the bustling cafeteria. The Busujima twins gracefully took their seats opposite him and unboxed their bentos. Saeko and Shiori looked identical, but their diet was anything but that.

Saeko’s bento packed grilled chicken breasts, eggs, Greek yogurt, and a healthy portion of nuts. A perfectly healthy diet for Saeko, who vigorously trained kendo at school and home.

Shiori’s bento had some grilled chicken breasts, some brown rice, salad, and some fruits. The small quantity made it a picture perfect low-calorie diet, one he wouldn’t expect from Saeko’s sister.

Shiori caught Asahi’s curious gaze with a wry smile. “I know what you’re thinking. Why does she eat like a bird when her sister can out-eat a bear?”

Asahi chuckled. “Can you blame me for that?”

Saeko’s eyes widened, and she smacked Shiori’s head with the bento lid. “Rude. I need to eat a lot because I train a lot. My training will yield no results if I eat like a squirrel.”

Shiori pointed a finger at Saeko. “I can’t train like her, so I watch over my calorie count. I do everything in my power to keep the same figure as her.”

Their distinct approaches extended beyond their diets to their very postures as they sat; Saeko’s was disciplined and alert, while Shiori’s was relaxed yet attentive.

“You don’t have to do that,” Saeko commented, a rare hint of softness in her voice. “Doesn’t matter if you put on ten or twenty pounds.”

“But I want to! Anyway, Asahi-kun. Where is your bento? Let’s see the skills of your gorgeous Nee-san.”

He took out the impressive bento prepared by his sister, who was no less stellar in terms of culinary.

“Wow,” Shiori breathed out, her eyes lighting up before she caught herself with a nervous chuckle. “I thought Saeko’s cooking was good. This one’s on a whole nother level.”

“Nee-san is also a lot older than Saeko,” he said and casually snagged a piece of chicken from Saeko’s bento. He took a bite, immediately a strong spicy flavor exploded in his mouth. “Uhmm… It’s pretty delicious. Did you make it?”

“Yeah, I followed a recipe from the magazine.”

“You’ll make a good wife,” Asahi remarked with a nod, half-teasing, half-serious. “Scratch that. You’ll be a brilliant wife.”

Saeko’s cheeks flushed at his compliments.

[–Shiori Busujima: Affection +1]

[–Saeko Busujima: Affection +2]

Shiori narrowed her eyes. “Wow. Did I just see my sister blush?”

Saeko’s expression returned to her usual calm. “Your specs prescription needs an update.”

“Oof. I got roasted harder than this chicken, by Saeko, of all people. I might just go to Aokigahara and off myself.”

As soon as Shiori finished speaking, Saeko’s expression turned grim, and she reached out to pull at Shiori’s cheek. “Please, don’t even joke about that.”

She could tolerate everything about Shiori except a suicide joke.

Shiori gave an apologetic smile, looking genuinely regretful for her mistake. “Sorry, Saeko.”

“Just don’t say it again.”

Asahi watched the wholesome interactions between the sisters with a smile on his face. “To be honest, Saeko gives the impression of someone who gets off humiliating people. She has that sharp, cutting aura around her.”

Without prior knowledge of Saeko from the anime, Asahi might still have taken her for the sadistic type, given her air of superiority and distant demeanor towards strangers.

Saeko’s reaction was immediate and visceral, as if Asahi’s words had struck a nerve. “Y-You’re misunderstanding me. I’ve never belittled or insulted anyon.”

Shiori grinned. “Nah, Asahi-kun. Anyone who trains like her is a pure masochist.”

“Well, she won some national contests. Masochist or not, her effort is paying off.”

Saeko was the premier kendoka in Tokonosu City. Shiori might have come close, but she never took part in the competitions.

A frown of contemplation shadowed Saeko’s features. “I’d rather be a sadist than an ‘M’… How people get pleasure from being abused is beyond me…”

The conversation gently waned, returning their focus to the remnants of their meal. Shiori continued her attempts to impress Asahi with her wit and charm, while Saeko played the part of the moderating force, ensuring her sister’s enthusiasm didn’t breach the bounds of propriety.

Asahi packed everything in his backpack and smiled at the ladies. “Thanks for inviting me out. I’ll be heading to the library now.”

Shiori crossed her arms, a look of intrigue in her eyes. “To continue your Greek lessons?”

“Marikawa-kun is learning Greek?” Saeko asked with a puzzled look. “Isn’t that one of the most challenging languages in the world?”

“To écho ídi kataktísei,” he fluently spoke Greek. “It means I have already mastered it.”

Since they would accompany him on their future journeys, he thought it would be wise to acquaint them with his uncommon abilities. This way, they would be better equipped to handle the craziness that surrounded him.

Saeko looked at him like he was some kind of exotic zoo animal out of its cage. “I thought Shiori was the biggest bookworm in our region…”

(She got nothing on you.)

Asahi shrugged. “I’m a fan of Greek mythology, even if I dislike ninety percent of the Greek pantheon.”

Shiori scrunched her nose, visibly disgusted. “I hate Zeus… and every other Greek god except maybe Hades. They are all so freakin’ evil… It’s unreal how much we have in common, Asahi-kun.”

“I know, right?”

Saeko nudged Shiori, sending a secret signal with her sharp gaze. Shiori looked hesitant as she shook her head, prompting Saeko to sigh.

“Let’s just return to the class.”

“Yeah…”

…

After separating from the twins, he arrived at the school library and found a seat in the corner. He took out a stack of books he had borrowed from the library earlier and picked ‘Journey to the West’ from it.

(My love, what do you think they were discussing in secret?)

‘Aren’t you a goddess?’

He knew the implication of Shiori’s hesitation — Saeko wanted Shiori to accompany him in the library, but Shiori seemed to be against the idea of being alone with him.

(I can’t read their thoughts… and I’m not good at dealing with people.)

‘Says the goddess who manipulated me into a relationship.’

Klyscha started coughing, as if choking from the raw critical damage of his mental attack. (I-I need a moment… Water!)

The goddess fled rather than humoring his grave accusations.

‘This adorable fluff ball… Well, time to read.’

Rather than patiently reading the book, he rapidly flipped through its pages. People would skim slower than the pace of his reading, but he was deciphering every word from the book. He committed each page to his memory with one glance, then processed the information at a near-instant speed.

In less than a minute, he finished the first volume of the story that served as inspiration to the Xianxia stories. Putting the book away, he picked the second, and then the third. Every book was written in a different language and belonged to vastly different genres. The last few were simply a book of olympiad-level mathematics and advanced scientific research for the current year.

The more he indulged in the books, the faster he became at processing information. However, the enhanced capabilities came at the cost of extreme fatigue. Beads of sweat rolled down as he speedran the extremely difficult books, but he maintained his concentration through sheer willpower.

As he finished his tenth book, system prompts flashed in his mind.

[Requirements fulfilled… You have acquired a new skill: Pseudo Divine Cognition]

[Requirements fulfilled… You have acquired a new skill: Gift of Tongues]

[Qualifications met for the ‘Bibliophile’ class.]

All his speed reading and high-level calculations led to the awakening of new skills and a potential class.

(My love, you finally awakened your innate talent. Take a look at your status.)

He tossed the book aside and collapsed on the table.

“That’s one helluva skill.”

The System recognized his natural talent as a Mythic skill, surpassing his expected rank of ‘Epic’ by two full ranks.

‘Klyscha, did you enhance it with your Eldritch magic?’

(I don’t have any Eldritch magic!) Klyscha retorted. (It’s a byproduct of your exceptional compatibility with the High Human race. You have a mind comparable to a demigod but your body and soul need to be strengthened to keep up with it.)

He let out a long sigh. “I’m one step closer. Klyscha, what was that class I just unlocked?”

A Bibliophile alluded to a person with a great love for books or great knowledge of them. He tried to derive ‘Bibliophile’ class skills from every perspective but none of them seemed tempting; he could replicate them all with his Mythic-rank skill.

(High-speed reading, encyclopedic knowledge, etcetera. They are useless for you.)

‘And how many classes can I equip at a time?’

(As many as you want, but you can only unlock 3 classes at the moment. Afterwards, you’ll have to reach Level 25 level to unlock a new class. You’ll get a new opportunity to unlock a new class every 25 levels.)

‘Interesting.’