In Hiroaki's mind materialized a two-story house, corresponding to his memories.

Entering inside, it seemed as if he didn't exist at all. His parents merely glanced at him, treating him like a stranger before diverting their attention elsewhere.

This pleased Hiroaki immensely.

As he passed by, he ascended to the second floor, reaching his room.

Before him lay an ordinary room, and contemplating why his parents treated him this way, Hiroaki considered two possibilities: either he wasn't their biological child, or he failed to meet their expectations.

"Well, no need to dwell on that now. The most sensible thing to do is explore the internet. Luckily, this era seems to be similar to the previous world."

Upon launching the computer, he immediately opened the browser and began examining global history.

"There's a notable difference here. Unlike my world, the landmass is significantly larger, about two to three times more. Additionally, there are still dangers in the wild threatening people."

Furthermore, in this world, four world wars had already occurred, leading to the establishment of a global government at present.

No distinctions based on borders or nations remained; ten continents formed the global government.

However, technologies were still at the earthly level, except for hidden advancements.

Hiroaki pondered, then shifted his focus. Searching for programming lessons, he delved into reading and testing modifications for enhancing intelligence characteristics.

But the more he read, the greater his astonishment grew. He absorbed knowledge like a sponge, or rather, at an accelerated pace.

After two or three hours, he finally ceased absorbing knowledge, sensing his body wearying. There was no mental or spiritual decline, only a physical exhaustion setting in.

"If you think about it, the human brain utilizes roughly 20% of energy. Considering the time I spend reading and simultaneously assimilating knowledge, the efficiency coefficient is exceptionally high. However, the expended energy is also excessively high."

It seems that the brain is already organizing the body to obtain more energy through stimulation?

It appears necessary to carefully consider everything so that next time it benefits me rather than harms. Well, for now, I need to have a snack..."

When he rose from his seat, his body seemed to have expended too much energy, causing him to almost fall.

"Yes... excessive."

Exiting the room, he began descending, and the door near his room was also ajar. A girl of roughly the same age as Hiroyuki peeked out from inside. She glanced after him and then exited the room, descending as well.

Hiroyuki descended and headed to the kitchen. Checking the fridge, he realized he couldn't cook anything except one thing. Taking eggs, he started cooking.

"What are you doing?"

A voice came from the side. Upon hearing it, Hiroyuki looked at the girl standing near the kitchen door but then ignored her, continuing his task.

"Hmph..."

The girl snorted, then walked into the kitchen and sat at the table. She was dressed in a T-shirt and jeans that accentuated her figure. Unlike Hiroyuki, she had long light-colored hair, and her eyes were a bright blue. Her name was Akiko, but Hiroyuki hadn't addressed her by name since they grew up.

This indirectly reflected Hiroyuki's thoughts. Since he clearly didn't resemble his parents, even in hair color. There were no people with black hair in their family except for him.

The girl continued to observe him, making Hiroyuki feel her abnormality. Because in recent years, it hadn't been common for them to stay in the same room for such a long time.

"Judging by her actions, something is definitely off here... Well, whatever it is, it doesn't concern me."

After a few minutes, he finally prepared his lunch and sat down to eat.

"...."

The girl continued to gaze at him; Hiroaki thought he might sense embarrassment, but it never surfaced. His mind remained clear, empty, in a perpetual state of calm. Consequently, he felt nothing out of the ordinary while sitting alone, eating in front of her. The girl, in her own way, seemed to react to this.

Throughout the meal, she observed him. Hiroaki finished eating, tidied up, and organized the kitchen before leaving for his room. Soon, Akiko heard the door to the upper room open and close. At this moment, her fist clenched tightly, and her face took on a slightly sorrowful expression.

================

Replenishing some energy, instead of continuing to absorb knowledge, Hiroaki began to review what he had learned. As expected, it wasn't a mistaken feeling; he clearly understood everything he had read, word by word. He stopped repeating and lay on the bed. Numbers, codes, and words came and went in his mind as he stared at the ceiling.

"Well, I need to sleep to restore energy..."

================

Waking up in the morning, he was momentarily stunned. However, moments later, his brain resumed functioning, recalling everything that happened yesterday in detail and clarity.

"It seems it's time for school..."

As before, like a ghost leaving the house with money in hand, he headed to school. Along the way, he observed the landscapes around him: towering buildings, diverse people, and a bus passing by.

While sitting on the bus, he gazed out the window. However, his brain was already rapidly planning future actions. If he elevated his programming skills, he could earn money and leave home. But there were also several aspects to consider: the body and the mind. To engage the mind, a strong body and a substantial amount of energy were necessary. The former was currently unavailable, but energy could be replenished simply by consuming food, and as a last resort, other things.

Concerning my dream, I can begin its realization after leaving home, of course. As for the body, should I invest energy in physical training, or perhaps channel it into acquiring new knowledge? What holds greater promise?

I still don't feel the limit of my mental capabilities. Can I process information even faster?

As he contemplated this, the landscapes rushing by quickly began to slow down. However, just like the scenery, Hiroaki's body also slowed down significantly.

"It seems I can perceive information faster... much faster. I feel like I can... however, the body can't keep up. Mind and body exist on different planes. Moreover, I distinctly feel increased energy expenditure."

Everything returned to normal as he wished. However, various thoughts began to invade his mind.

He also noticed that he could think about two different things at once without entanglement.

"Even with this brain of mine, I am still unable to understand the limits of possibilities... I don't feel a boundary."

Finally, after some time, he reached the school. Clearing his mind, he mimicked Hiroaki's actions and went to school.

The students had already gathered, entering the school in groups. Only a few students, including Hiroaki, were alone. Reaching the classroom, he sat at his desk and fell asleep. That's what his predecessor did.

But unlike him, he was only pretending and waited for classes to start to avoid drawing attention to himself.

The students gradually entered and took their seats. Soon, a girl entered, attracting everyone's attention. Everyone greeted her, and she nodded in response, heading towards the back seats where Hiroaki supposedly slept.

That's why the previous owner of the body always did this; he didn't want to attract attention. Besides, Ayumi Hanasaki, the girl who had just entered the class, was very popular. The problem was that she sat next to Hiroaki.

Thus, he had to feign sleep until the excitement in the class subsided, repeating the act until the bell rang, after which everyone began to take their seats.

After some time, they finally settled down, and at the same time, the teacher entered the class. Hiroaki raised his head and focused his attention on the class.

Soon, the class began, and the teacher took charge. Hiroki effortlessly absorbed the knowledge. Another bell rang, creating chaos in the class, and Hiroki rested his head on the desk, mimicking the previous owner's actions.

Lunchtime arrived, a necessary break for him. In contrast to the former owner, who avoided the cafeteria with light snacks, Hiroki needed to consume energy. Standing up, he slowly left the empty classroom.

Walking through the corridor, he descended and eventually reached the school cafeteria. Upon entering, he grabbed food and settled in a quiet corner. Despite not entering the cafeteria all these years, his presence attracted attention.

When he used to come here, he thought there was a high chance of being poisoned or subjected to other malicious acts. Now, sitting alone, several people suddenly joined him.

"Hey... is this not Hiroki?"

The speaker, a boy slightly taller than Hiroki, sat close and spoke with his face near Hiroki's.

"Heh-heh... didn't you say you'd never set foot in the cafeteria?"

Another group member, sitting opposite, also leaned in and spoke. Their loud voices gradually drew everyone's attention in the cafeteria.

"It seems some things have been lost to memory," Hiroki muttered to himself, not recalling those words.

"So... why did you come here?"

Hiroki felt the tall boy's hand on his shoulder, drawing closer.

"There's a high probability this will continue until the end, or eventually turn into physical harassment. Considering my physical characteristics, I'm unlikely to withstand them. It seems the only option is to leave... spare the food."

After careful thought, Hiroki looked at the tall boy and said, "Sorry, I forgot. I'll leave now."

As he spoke, he rose, grabbing his food to take it back. However, a troublemaker intercepted the tray with the meal.

"Seems like you haven't eaten yet, so leave this for me."

Hiruyoki shrugged and complied. Leaving the cafeteria, he pondered and headed towards the exit since he couldn't snack there without issues; he needed to spend money.

Fortunately, near the school, there was a small establishment where he decided to grab a bite. Yet, finishing quickly, he realized he still wasn't satiated; it seemed his body instantly absorbed the consumed food.

"It appears I need to optimize the amount of incoming energy. A better option, less volume and more density..."

After the snack, he returned to school, and that's how his first day unfolded—aside from a few stares, everything else was normal.

Entering the house, finding no one, he ascended, then settled back behind the computer, delving into knowledge. This time, he grabbed a bunch of sweets and snacks.

As time passed, he briskly flipped through pages, shifting from one programming aspect to another. Five more hours passed, and his mind held countless pieces of information about systems.

Leaning back, he stretched, still gazing at the computer.

"Perhaps I can try making some money... the key is the source."

As he spoke, he took a snack, opened it, and began chewing. His other hand was already downloading the necessary tools.

When everything was ready, he took a flash drive, prepared it, then turned off the lights in his room and lay on the bed, waiting.

An hour later, he heard his parents entering and leaving; it was already night, time to sleep.

After waiting a bit longer, the house finally fell silent. He quietly left the room, dressed in black with a hood.

Carefully stepping down, he exited the house without disturbing anyone. Wandering through various streets, he eventually reached the metro. An hour later, he found himself on the outskirts of the city, where towering buildings and dazzling neon lights assaulted his eyes. Disregarding it all, he entered a nearby internet club.

Upon entering, he paid for a private room and discreetly plugged in a flash drive to start up the computer on the side. The computer screen remained unchanged, yet where visibility lacked, a program silently commenced its operation.

After a while, the computer screen finally came to life on its own. Hirohuki opened the necessary programs from the flash drive and began his work. Codes flickered on the screen, and suddenly, data appeared.

Launching another program, a multitude of surveillance cameras came into view. These were all the cameras inside the computer club. Pressing a few buttons, he closed that program, opening another.

After a while, new camera recordings appeared before him, now covering the entire street where the computer club was situated. Starting from simple shops, it extended to other computer clubs.

Finally, he initiated the last program. Motion began; he started closing and cleaning up after himself, regaining control over the computer.

Exiting the computer club, he pulled out his phone and logged into somewhere. Soon, the loading completed, revealing several addresses. However, as time passed, the addresses gradually increased.

It was a small and simple program he had created himself. Operating like viruses, it was harmless. Yet, what mattered to him was obtaining addresses for the further execution of his earning plan.