On the rooftop of his building, Asahi appeared.

‘If I understand correctly, while under Sensorial Concealment, if I equip something from my inventory, it’ll already be concealed as it manifests, right?’

[ Correct. ]

‘Okay, then please buy the things that I’ll be selling, and with the leftover points, buy whatever learning boosts that will be helping me today.’

[ Done. ]

He took a deep breath. ‘Can you somehow guide me through the optimal flight path?’

A thick purple line appeared in the air, showing a path like in a video game.

Smiling with amusement, he started to levitate, making his clothes disappear and the suit completely cover him.

‘The ring and bracelet together will prevent any flight collisions, right?’

[ Yes. ]

He nodded, making the ring appear on his thumb. Concealing himself, he started flying.

With a slow start, he incrementally increased the speed as he felt comfortable.

The suit was intriguing to him. If someone was to touch it, he would feel it like a second skin, but he couldn’t feel the wind at all, like the suit knew that it would be distracting.

He did a few maneuvers here and there, just to get used to the mobility.

The freedom in the air, it felt incredible, exhilarating.

 Soon, he passed the 600Km/h mark.

He didn’t push it further mostly to not tire himself out, which would be detrimental in many ways.

Looking at the land far beneath him, it was new for him, since he had never been on an airplane before.

‘I’m so glad that I was never particularly afraid of heights.’

 

Less than two hours after he started flying, he was floating above the Tenjin downtown area, in Chūō-ku, a ward in Fukuoka.

He was looking at a modern and luxurious 300m-tall skyscraper.

Igarashi Finance Center

‘Holy shit, that thing has more sources of magical protection than I have strands of hair on my head. Will my detection abilities and the suit’s Personal Teleportation pierce through that?’

[ Yes. ]

‘Praised be your overpoweredness.’

[ Thank you. ]

‘Can you please direct me to a rooftop where I can sit down without needing the concealment, and wait until it’s time?’

A green line appeared, directing him. Arriving at the rooftop of a building, he made his spare office chair appear, and sat down.

 

6:55pm, inside a luxurious office, on the top floor of the Igarashi Finance center, a 1.72m-tall man sat behind a large desk made of ebony. He seemed to be in his late thirties, and was fairly handsome, despite his stern expression. With long hair, tied in a ponytail, he wore an expensive and beautiful dark-blue suit.

He was reviewing and signing papers, while glancing at the two monitors on his desk.

At 7pm sharp, Asahi appeared in the middle of the office, wearing jeans and a hoodie.

Without changing his expression, the man looked at Asahi. “Welcome Kinoshita-san, please, have a seat. I hope you understand why I had to test your capabilities by suggesting such a stringent meeting time.”

Asahi smiled as he sat down on one of the comfy chairs in front of the man’s desk. “I’d probably feel a little dejected if you didn’t, given who you are.”

A little before Asahi teleported inside, when he felt Igarashi Kazuya’s presence for the first time, the System gave him a warning similar to the one regarding Nagamine Kagome, the Minister. After all, the man in front of Asahi was not only a genius in many ways, but was also over two centuries old, had an Arcana value of 8, and a ludicrous amount of highly refined mana for Earth’s standards.

Kazuya straightened himself in his chair. “I am not a person for small talk or social pleasantries, especially when dealing with another powered person, so I will be direct; what have you brought for this trade?”

Suddenly, three black boxes appeared on the desk. Two were 13cm cubes, while the other one was a meter long, half a meter wide, and 20cm-tall.

Kazuya looked at them for a few seconds, before opening one of the smaller ones. Inside there was a spherical diamond, with a diameter of 7cm. The cut was not only perfect, but optimal for being used as a catalyst, to a degree that he had never seen before, especially one five to seven times the size of the ones they usually used.

Opening the other smaller box, he found a perfect clone of the other diamond, then nodded. “How much for each diamond?”

“Five billion dollars.”

Kazuya rubbed his chin. “Do you have access to more of these for future trades?”

“I do, but they will happen at my pace.”

Kazuya nodded. “That is fair, I will not press the issue.”

He then opened the large box.

It had two layers, each containing dozens of cylindrical prism-like quartzes, with a vibrant blue color, and a faint glow.

Kazuya’s eyes widened, slightly. “Exquisite.”

“Fifteen billion dollars for the entire box, and I won’t sell them separately.”

Kazuya took a slightly deeper breath. “Just give me a minute to contact someone. Do you mind if the payment comes in two simultaneous wire transfers from different accounts?”

A piece of paper with the account details appeared on the desk. “Not at all.”

After looking at it, Kazuya closed his eyes, focusing.

As he did so, Asahi contemplated. ‘Aurora, can you get all the data from their severs without getting caught? If so, please do it.’

A minute passed.

Aurora’s voice appeared in his mind. < It has been done. >

‘Thank you.’

Another minute passed.

Kazuya opened his eyes, then started typing on his computer.

After another minute or so, he spoke. “Both transfers have been done.”

[ He is telling the truth, the money is already yours. ]

‘It’s so much simpler when both sides own their respective banks.’

Asahi smiled. “It seems that the money is already in my account. Should I call you when I have more goods to trade then? It might take several months though.”

Kazuya nodded. “Please do. I will talk to my colleagues in order to set up a proper budget for it.”

Asahi chortled. “You guys have way too much money. But then again, being a mage is expensive as hell. Before I go, I’d like to give you guys a piece of very long-term advice. We know that you are working hard in order to increase the planet’s mana density, but please, do not go over a 700% increase from where it’s at right now. Above that, is where the risks of dooming the planet start.”

Kazuya pondered for a few seconds, before speaking. “I understand, we will take the advice seriously.”

Asahi nodded, stood up, then disappeared.

Outside the building, Asahi floated, completely concealed.

‘As expected, there was barely any surprise in his face, nor did he try to probe me for information, since Minister Nagamine is his daughter. She only told him to expect the unexpected, and that I’d have unbelievable items, but he still got to the ‘aliens’ conclusion by himself. What a scary father-daughter combo. At least their bond is not due to anything nefarious, he just fell in love with someone from the TS and had a daughter.’

He removed his clothes, made the suit completely envelop his body, then flew off.

 

An hour and a half later, he was entering his apartment, feeling Fumiko and Mayumi in the living room.

They both came to him at a brisk pace. Both were wearing pajamas and had their hair tied in a bun.

He hugged them both at the same time. “Everything went well, no fights or hostility.”

He couldn’t bring himself to say for them not to worry, for many different reasons.

Fumiko smiled, tugging on his hoodie. “Since you are fine and things went well, aren’t you going to take of those clothes and show us the goods?”

Mayumi nodded. “Yeah, I wanna see it.”

He chuckled. “Sure, let’s go to the living room.”

As they walked there, he made his clothes disappear. The suit was extremely form-fitting, making the girls smile.

He then stopped in the open space between the living room and the kitchen. “Okay, the suit greatly enhances my flight and personal protection capabilities with Psychokinesis, but also grants me the ability to teleport up to a distance of 50m, and the ability to conceal myself against all senses.”

Their eyes widened.

He then teleported half a meter in the opposite direction from the girls, startling them. “No whiplash whatsoever. Now, the concealment.”

Suddenly, he disappeared.

Mayumi displayed an excited smile.

Fumiko displayed a pensive expression.

Ten seconds later, he reappeared. “So, why did I buy the suit? The dude’s office was in Fukuoka, so I flew there. He was testing me by setting our meeting to 7pm, but I thought it was a good thing to show off a bit, at least in that circumstance.”

Mayumi blinked. “You went to Fukuoka and came back in less than four hours?”

He nodded. “I can comfortably maintain 600Km/h with the suit. Oh, one more detail.” He made the suit form the helmet and cover his hands. “With this, I didn’t even feel the wind.”

Fumiko stayed silent, analyzing the suit.

Mayumi touched the helmet, then his chest. “Oh, the fabric part feels so good.”

He nodded, making the helmet completely recede. “When you’re touching me, I feel like if you were touching my skin, but if it’s something harmful or distracting, I don’t feel it at all.”

Fumiko caressed his chest. “Interesting. Is it a type of nanotechnology with some sort of pseudo sentience?”

Asahi chortled. “I have to read texts from the System to even begin to understand this stuff, and you get it just by looking at it.”

Mayumi lightly slapped Fumiko’s butt. “Yeah, she’s way too smart.”

Fumiko’s cheeks gained a tinge of red as she poked the suit. “How much was it?”

“A million points.”

Fumiko pondered. “Are the increases that the suit grant percentage-based?”

“Yeah. There are some diminishing returns, but I’m far from even getting near them.”

Fumiko nodded. “That’s quite cheap then, since it is going to be useful for a long time.”

He nodded, then looked at Mayumi. “Is there still stuff to do for today? I kind of left you without assistance there, since Ryota already started doing audio stuff.”

She smiled. “I sent you a list.”

“Okay, I’ll get it done before I go to bed. How about we have dinner and hang out for a bit?”

Fumiko caressed her belly. “I’m all for it, my stomach is not happy right now.”

With that, Asahi put on shorts and a tank top, receding his suit to be underneath his clothes, and they sat down to eat.

Hanging out in the living room after their meal, he showed them the footage of him flying, and his conversation with Kazuya.

After some brief sexual activities, he went to his room to work.

 

Later that night, before he went to sleep, lying on his bed, he started thinking. ‘What should I sell to the TS?’

[ Supplements to enhance the progress of their training. ]

He raised his right eyebrow. ‘Why am I not taking those?’

[ Because you have not been focusing on actively training yourself. They are not magic pills that make you stronger. ]

‘Your polite ‘fuck off bitch’ responses have been improving at a rapid pace.’

[ I took a boost for it. ]

He chortled. ‘Right. Is there a passive to enhance the effect of those supplements?’

[ Perfect Intake (Passive) – Doubles the effect and duration of beneficial consumables that are absorbed by your body in any way. Cost: 300,000P ]

‘I’m gonna assume that boosts are not included.’

[ You wish. ]

‘I do indeed. Is there a passive that reduces my need to sleep? Show me the best feasible one.’

[ Vigorous (Passive) – Reduces the accumulation of physical and mental fatigue by 80%, and doubles their recovery speed. Cost: 500,000P ]

‘Okay, that’s fucking busted. With everything I already have, I’ll barely have to sleep, even if I train every day, right?’

[ Correct. ]

‘Those are my next two passives then. Now I actually need to sleep, good night.’

[ Good night. ]

 

Waking up in the morning, a little before 7am, he stretched. ‘Will I have enough points to buy the things to sell to the TS by this afternoon?’

[ Yes. ]

‘I wanna get this over with.’

He then called Lìshǐ Fen.

“Hello Kinoshita-sama, how can I help you?”

“I can do the trade this afternoon, is that alright?”

“Of course, you can come in at any time this afternoon.”

“Oh, one more thing. I want to buy the apartment I live in, four other apartments on my floor, five on the floor above mine, and the property itself. How do I go about it to make it quick?”

“I can easily expedite that for you. After I finish the paperwork, all you will need to do is sign them and do the wire transfers.”

“I’ll pay a 40% mark up for them to move immediately. As for the one I’m living in, and the other one occupied by Tokyo U students, I’ll pay whatever is needed to buy them. Also, is there a way to keep my name out of it? Publicly I mean.”

“Yes, you just need to create a shell company.”

“Is that something you can do as well?”

“Of course, paperwork like this is easily expedited by us.”

“Thank you. I’ll send you the details right away.”

“I’ll have everything done by the end of the week. Anything else?”

“No, that’s all. Again, thank you.”

After hanging up, he sat in front of his computer.

‘Aurora, compile and send her all the details that she needs, please.’

< It has been done. >

‘Thanks. Now, it’s your turn System, is there something that can connect my properties, like a teleporting pad or a portal? I want me or anyone I want to be able to teleport between them. Obviously, with a range encompassing the entirety of earth.’

[ Yes. Each will cost 400,000P, already taking into account the 80% discount for bound items. ]

He smiled. ‘I guess I know what I’ll be asking as payment for the training enhancers then.’

[ That is a good decision. ]

 

2pm, 51^st floor of the Opus Scientific Research building.

Asahi appeared wearing jeans and a hoodie, five meters away from Lìshǐ Fen’s desk.

Without changing her expression whatsoever, Lìshǐ Fen spoke. “You may enter, Kinoshita-sama.”

He nodded and entered the office, keeping in mind something that the System told him.

[ As you are aware, you can benefit from the 80% discount if you bind the consumables and other objects to your property. You should mention that it is 400% more expensive to buy those things for sale purposes. Don’t worry, she will not probe you on it. ]

Inside the office, like during his previous visit, Kagome was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt with a mascot on it.

She looked at him quizzically. “It seems that the surprises coming from you are boundless.”

“I’m glad you and your father are getting along. And thank you for not telling him about our conversation. He still did arrive at a conclusion similar to yours, but I appreciate it nonetheless.”

She smiled. “You are welcome. Please, have a seat. What have you brought for me today?”

He sat down, making four dark-brown wooden boxes of diverse sizes appear on her desk.

With an excited smile, she started to open the boxes. Within them, she found potions, pills, balms and serums.

Suddenly, a translucent folder with several sheets of paper inside appeared on her desk as well.

Asahi nodded at the folder. “There are instructions of use, and what each of them do. They’re all things that speed up training involving ki, and to an extent physical training as well. They also have several healing properties. What I want for them, is five hundred million dollars’ worth of properties around the world.”

She opened the folder, going through the papers in a span of seconds, displaying a slight frown at the end. “Assuming that what is written here is true, we obviously welcome the trade. However, what do you need those properties for?”

He smiled. “Easy travel and security. Teleportation is much faster than planes, and you won’t be tracked so easily. You know how filthy rich people have houses in multiple countries for them to stay when they visit? I’ll just be a step above that.”

She stared at the papers for a couple minutes. “It will take several months to get that done. Is that okay?”

He nodded. “That’s alright, I already expected that. Besides, it’ll give you time to test the goods. Another detail, Lìshǐ-san is setting up a shell company for me, so I’d like for the properties to be in that company’s name, not mine.”

“Not a problem. Now, about the teleportation that you mentioned. Is that something that you could sell to us in the future?”

He sighed. “Before I answer that, you do understand that in a sense, I have to earn these things, right?”

She nodded. “Of course.”

“Okay, then I’ll start by saying that I’m willing to do it, but probably in a year from now, at the very least. Also, you would need one device in each of the two locations, a control station, and neither are exactly portable. By the way, I’m not trying to pretend that I’m not the one benefiting the most from the trades, because I am.”

He then paused for a few seconds to ponder, before speaking again. “The main thing is, stuff like the bracelet, it’s totally fine, but the things that I sold to your father, and the ones I’m selling you now, or even the teleportation devices, they have an issue. When I get them to sell, they become 400% more expensive than it would be if I was buying them for myself.”

She looked at him, filled with curiosity, with her mind at full speed forming hypothesis. “Interesting.”

“It’s not like I’m gonna wait that long to trade other stuff, it’s just that the teleportation devices are particularly expensive. The other stuff, I can trade every couple of months.”

She smiled. “That is good to know.”

“Is there anything else you’d like to ask? Unfortunately, my schedule has been pretty tight these days.”

She shook her head. “Nothing that you would acquiesce.”

He got up. “I’ll be taking my leave then.”

After saying that, he vanished.

 

He appeared on the rooftop of a building, taking a deep breath.

‘So, how did it go.’

[ Quite well. ]

‘Alright, that side of things has been taken care of, at least for the foreseeable future. Fuck, my anxiety is palpable right now. I’m surprised that I didn’t fully show it back there.’

[ Your composure is at 9, plus you have the Mind Fortress Passive. Those are the main reasons for that. ]

He blinked. ‘Oh, a stat reached 9 this soon. It makes sense though, I had two meetings in with beings that can wipe me from existence with a thought, in span of less than 24h. Considering that it was already at 8 when you came into my life, and I’m under a x50 boost at the moment, makes complete sense for sure.’

[ Correct. ]

He then sent Trish a message.

(A)- Yo, can I drop by your place before we go train? I could use some anti-anxiety hugs. It’s nothing bad, just a bit stressful.
(T)- Of course, anytime.
(A)- Can I do a flashy entrance in your living room?
(T)- Now I’m super curious. Please do.
(A)- I’ll be there in a few minutes. 😚
(T)- See you soon. 😚

Looking at his phone, he smiled, already feeling a bit better.