little bit of SOL is fine right?
"So, guys, what did you get?"
Kaoru chose to overlook the fact that he would now become even more beautiful. He preferred chatting with his friends rather than dwelling on what had happened and was impossible to repeat.
Upon hearing Kaoru's question, the other guild members didn't hesitate to share what they had obtained.
Chopper got the 'thou shalt not die' skill, which belonged to Yosano Akiko from the Bungou Stray Dogs series. He also received a Doraemon's four-dimensional pocket from the gift box given by F.A.A.
Upon hearing that Chopper obtained Akiko's ability, Kaoru was slightly unsure if Chopper would be cruel enough to make his patients almost die. However, considering Luffy often ended up in near-death conditions after battles, Kaoru thought that the ability might suit Chopper.
Next was Shirou, who received 'Asora' and a set of legendary Harvest Moon cooking equipment. This cooking set could be used to cook thousands or even millions of dishes without any damage. Additionally, the set of seasonings had an unlimited quantity.
If someone else had obtained Asora, they would undoubtedly create a large base. However, since Shirou got it, Kaoru could already imagine the place being filled with ingredients that he would collect and nurture, especially with the super cooking tools from Harvest Moon. Kaoru was confident that Shirou could easily take the top spot at Tootsuki if he joined that elite school.
Lastly, Chifuyu received super regeneration, although Kaoru didn't know where that skill originated from due to the numerous series with regeneration powers. After experimenting a few times, Kaoru concluded that Chifuyu's regeneration was slightly higher than Ban's from the Nanatsu No Taizai series, but Kaoru theorized that Chifuyu would still die if her body was completely destroyed. Additionally, Chifuyu got a fifth-generation IS core, which was undoubtedly more powerful and advanced than the one in Chifuyu's original world.
Knowing everyone's rewards, Kaoru felt that the skill reward he received was entirely worthless. If only he were ugly, maybe the skill would be meaningful, but with his already handsome face and now becoming beautiful, he couldn't help but feel annoyed.
"At least this Herrscher core can be compensation for that damn skill."
Kaoru and the other members rested and familiarized themselves with their new abilities. Regarding age issues, right after they returned to the guild, their appearances were restored to the form they had when they set out for the mission.
Moreover, time in another world would stop as long as no guild members originated or were present in that world. So, Kaoru and his friends didn't need to worry about returning to the ninja world only to find ruins.
During their break, Hibari also informed Kaoru that his authority as guild master had been upgraded. Now, Kaoru had the right to invite one person to join the guild every year. Additionally, whenever Kaoru used his right to invite someone into the guild, the guild system would send five invitations to various universes. The number would increase with the growth of Kaoru's authority.
-----
Some time later, after the guild members returned to their respective worlds, Kaoru was currently examining the Herrscher core given to him by F.A.A.
Before reincarnating, Kaoru had played the game Honkai Impact, and he was very familiar with the forms of each Herrscher core that had appeared or at least been shown. However, this core was very different; he had a feeling that this core wasn't just a regular Herrscher core like Sirin's or Kiana's.
While Kaoru was still focused on the core, Hibari approached him and offered some advice.
"Kaoru-sama, instead of drowning without knowing its meaning, wouldn't it be better to just use or activate it? If Featherine-sama wanted to kill you, she wouldn't need to use an item like that; she could erase our existence just by thinking about it."
Kaoru, awakening from his thoughts, responded to Hibari.
"That's true, but with her unusual nature, I'm sure there's something dangerous hidden behind the secret of this Herrscher core. And she'll surely be delighted to see her observation target suffer!"
Seeing Kaoru starting to act paranoid, Hibari smiled and replied.
"At least, you'll become stronger, right? Besides, isn't it normal for entities like them to enjoy the journey of their observation targets? I'm sure they'd dislike it more if you died too quickly. So, growing stronger and striving to reach their location is better than being silent without direction due to fear, right?"
Kaoru was surprised to see Hibari seemingly understanding the mindset of those crazy entities.
"Hibari, how long have you been alone in the guild hall?"
Hibari didn't answer and just smiled, indicating that she didn't want to answer for now. It was also a sign that Kaoru's guess was probably far from reality.
Without getting a response, Kaoru chose to say goodbye and returned to his world, preparing to use the Herrscher core.
-----
When back in his room, Kaoru decided to take a shower immediately, as mentally he was very tired even though there was no physical issue. After that, without much thought, Kaoru went out to find something to eat. However, he didn't expect to find a woman standing in front of his room.
"Hmm? What are you doing here, Ichika?"
At this moment, Kaoru was still unaware that he was topless in front of Ichika.
Meanwhile, Ichika, seeing Kaoru like this, couldn't do anything but blush. Her face turned red because it was the first time she saw a boy's body.
However, Ichika, who always considered herself an older sister, tried not to show an exaggerated expression.
"Ara! Is this your way to tease your big sister, Kaoru-kun!"
Kaoru, who was not a naive and unaware protagonist, realized the time and remembered that Raku, Chitoge, and the others were also in his house.
This time, Kaoru was genuinely sure that he had returned and hoped that there would be no emergency missions in the near future.
"Well! A little touch of SOL (Slice of Life) won't hurt, right?"
Kaoru looked at Ichika and then smiled gently. He then went back to his room to change clothes and, after that, headed to the living room with Ichika.
-------
When Kaoru and Ichika arrived in the living room, he didn't expect it to be filled with snacks and drinks.
Kaoru saw Chitoge playing fighting games with Raku and the others. Just by looking at Raku and Shu's expressions, Kaoru could guess that they had been beaten badly by Chitoge.
Although the house became a bit messy, Kaoru honestly preferred this atmosphere than being alone or fighting against powerful individuals like Madara.
For him, a comfortable life without mystical things around, being able to gather and joke with some friends, was an ideal life.
"Hahaha! Looks like you guys got beaten by Chitoge!"
The ones who lost to Chitoge immediately turned to Kaoru with gloomy and slightly annoyed faces because they were teased by Kaoru.
"Ohhh! not fair, Kaoru, you also have to play against Chitoge!" Shu shouted because he also wanted Kaoru to lose against Chitoge.
Meanwhile, Kaoru, who understood Shu's intentions, wouldn't give him the chance.
"Well, no need for that. I know Chitoge will win because we've been playing together since a long time ago!"
"Ehehe! That's right! Although big brother Kaoru taught me how to play, not long after that, big brother Kaoru could never win against me again. I'm amazing, right!" Chitoge, hearing Kaoru's acknowledgment, felt happy and slightly boasted about her greatness.
"Chitoge-chan, sorry for asking, but why do you always call Makoto-kun with the big brother title?"
On the other side, Onodera, curious about this, asked.
"Oh? Did I not tell you? Big brother Kaoru is actually my adopted brother! When I was little, my mom adopted big brother Kaoru, and since then, we've had a sibling relationship!"
"EHHHHH!!!"
Everyone in the room was shocked to hear this, except for Kaoru and Chitoge.
"I also remember, back then, big brother Kaoru, Tsugumi, and I used to play together a lot. But for some reason, big brother Kaoru really liked calling Tsugumi 'little cat,' which made them often fight."
Chitoge continued to talk about her childhood, and every time they heard what Kaoru did when he was little from Chitoge, their assessment of Kaoru kept changing. From being a good big brother to perfect, to superhuman, and now they regarded Kaoru as an alien because Chitoge exaggerated her stories.
Raku, who was often helped by Kaoru, also agreed with Chitoge's story. He also knew that the reason his father no longer pressured him to become the family business heir was because of Kaoru's advice, which successfully convinced his father.
"Okay, that's enough of the story. Now it's time to play! Don't worry about dinner; I've already ordered it!"
Kaoru, without hesitation, took out all kinds of game consoles he owned and invited everyone to continue playing.
Their game continued until late, and Kaoru couldn't help but think, 'Developing VR might not be a bad idea. Support from old man Ichijou and Adelt-san seems sufficient to fend off people from that side. And with support from Hana-san, it should be enough to deal with greedy businessmen. It seems I need support from high-ranking government officials!'