12 Chapter 12 - Cur(s)ed Appraisal!

It was already late at noon when Mai returned to the orphanage. She had her lunch in the school cafeteria.

Mai and the three boys from the orphanage got their allowance to buy lunch food. Also, Mai had a lot of money, so she uses it to buy any food she wants, even the expensive ones. She just needs not to let those orphanages people know about it.

She ate together with her friends... If they could be called that. Usually, only a group of several people are seen walking together into the canteen. But Mai's group consisted of almost all of her classmates. They marched together toward the school cafeteria. Their class was just too unified.

They get a lot of attention from their seniors. Especially Mai, who walks at the very front. She looks like the leader of the group. Luckily today, their class was one of the first classes the teacher left behind during recess. So when they walked into the cafeteria, there were plenty of empty chairs for them to eat in the area adjacent to each other.

Mai just wants to eat peacefully. Maybe she should just be a loner and eat alone on a secluded school rooftop or something. But when she ate together with her classmates...

"Friend-san~, here, I'll give you my tofu..."

"Friend-san, I- I don't want these french fries! So... So I'll give it to you! I- It's not like I like you or anything! Hmph!"

"Friend-san, can I exchange my uneaten fried chicken with your half-eaten one? It's for your sake, I swear!"

Even though most of them are weird, Mai knew that they were just trying to be nice to her. She could just buy those foods herself, but buying that many from the counter is kind of embarrassing. Maybe eating together is not that bad after all.

Because of the increase in her physique, her stomach can digest more food. Well, being able to eat more doesn't mean you have to eat more. It's ok if she eats only a normal portion.

Also, Mai has already succeeded in convincing her classmates to call her as Friend. They somehow easily acknowledged it. Mai was glad that she didn't have to say any more nonsense to accomplish that.

After lunch, they were allowed to go home. Only the fourth grade and higher need to stay at school for more classes. But they were also allowed to go home for today because there are no learning activities.

Going back to the present, now, Mai is inquired about how the school is and if there is any problem there, by her supposed guardian, Bull Ying. Of course, Mai easily answered her question and also said that there was no problem with her school life.

After a more few questions, Mai was finally allowed to go to rest and she immediately went back to her room. She put her bag down, took a bath, changed her clothing, then lay down on her bed.

'Sorry Ai-chan~, I didn't talk to you at all at school,' Mai sadly said to the system.

[N- No, it's not your fault host. I'm... only a virtual system after all. The host needs to interact with real people. My existence here is only to help you, host!]

'I don't agree with that! Is there something that makes you happy? Please tell me! Don't worry Ai-chan, Even if you've become useless in the future, I'll make sure to take good care of you!'

[H- Host, I'm crying right now, I don't know if my future is gonna be that bleak! J- Just your concern for me is already making me happy! Alright, as for today's daily mission...]

'Ai-chan, why are you changing the topic?!'

[Daily mission: Eat someone else's food (1/1)]

[Mission Complete!]

[You have received 1 Gacha ticket]

'Oh, I've already done it? I don't think I have seen the notification before,' Mai thought.

[H- Host, I'm afraid to disturb you back at school. You look so happy eating with your friends, so instead, I'm withholding this notice until you return to the orphanage]

'Huh, what do you mean, Ai-chan? I'm happy because of the food! Also, if there's something important like this notification in the future, just say it to me directly, alright?' Mai reprimanded the system.

[B- But-]

'No, but!' Said Mai to the system, angrily.

[A- Alright host!]

'Good~'

[T- Then, host, I have something to confess to you. I... certainly didn't mean to force you to do it, but, I do have something special that I can perform to you, host]

'Hmmm?' Mai was intrigued. 'What is it, Ai-chan? Don't be afraid, just tell me.'

[T- There is one slot available for me to wield one of your abilities, host. But the drawback is that... o- once you put your ability in there, you can't take it back. I can only use it. I thought that m- maybe I can help you with multi-tasking, even a little. B- But, you didn't need to do it if you still don't trus-]

"I'll do it!" Mai was so serious that she even used her voice.

[W- What?]

'I said I'll do it! Ai-chan, why didn't you say this earlier? There's actually one ability that gave me a headache since the start.' Mai then opened up her status page, and took a look at a specific ability.

(True Appraisal)

Appraisal, an ability that was used to identified something, whether it being alive or not. But when it was at a level of the cheat-rank like this one, not only it can identify pretty much almost everything, The data shown is also vast, if not overstated.

That's what makes it troublesome for Mai. She thinks that this skill was literally made to be used by God or something, because only they can comprehend it with only one glance, that was what in her imagination, at least. There's no way she would read all the crap that was described by this ability.

Just like when she used it on Bic and a few other people at the orphanage. A giant transparent screen appeared in her vision, with thousands of words in it. There's also much random stuff like virgin or not, their ancestors' wife's name, their second-grade of high school mid-term test total score, and many more. At least it didn't put their entire life history on the page.

So, if the system can use the ability and inform Mai of just the important stuff, why not do it? That's what probably in Mai's thought right now. With the system's cognitive capacities, it was totally possible.

[S- So, it was like that... huh. Alright, I'll... send the request!]

A screen appeared in front of Mai.

[The system has requested you to bound the ability: (True Appraisal) toward the system. Do you accept?]

[Warning! You can't take the ability back if it is already bounded to the system!]

[Yes] [No]

Mai unhesitantly chooses yes.

[Your ability: (True Appraisal) has been bounded with the system!]

[You have lost your ability: (True Appraisal)!]

'Yay~, I didn't need to use that uttered profanity thing anymore!' Mai was very happy, even though her expression still looks the same. 'Ai-chan, for the starter, try to use your appraisal skill at this desk!' She said to the system while pointing at the desk in her room.

[O- Okay host!]

Another transparent screen appeared after the last one dissipated.

[Desk]

[Made out of wood. A piece of furniture like a table, that you sit at to write and work, usually with a drawer in it]

'Wow! Your the best, Ai-chan!' Mai really means it. If she was the one using appraisal, there will appear some bunch of useless stuff, such as, how old was the tree before it was cut, who's the one cutting the tree, who's the one planting the tree, etc. Now that the matter is completely over, Mai's mind is now occupied with only one thing.

'Ai-chan, Gacha!'

[A- Alright host!]

Another white light appeared in her room. Mai just nodded passively. 'Well, whatever,' she thought to herself. But when she looks at what she got...

[Congratulations! You have got 1-Star Blank Attribute Scroll!]

[Added ability: -none]

[Bonus attribute: -Attribute Point(+10)]

[Attribute Point: 10 -> 20]

↗↘↗↘↗↘↗↘↗↘

Day quickly passed. Mai is now sitting inside the bus, heading for school. Bic will not accompany them anymore, so Mai could only just make do with the three orphanage boys. It's great that there are other people on the bus.

The boys just stare at her with hatred, but Mai just won't care, and that's what makes their situation worse. But the three boys still didn't dare do anything to her. Their mentality is still childlike. They thought that Bull Ying will then emerge from their shadows and eat them all if one of them bully Mai. Though, don't know what'll happen if they've become more mature.

Mai's mind was now preoccupied with the scroll that she got from yesterday's gacha. It didn't give her any ability, but it gave her twice the amount of stats, not only that, but she can also choose what attribute she wants to increase.

Mai didn't know what was better, the scroll or character. But she prefers getting more ability. She hopes that she doesn't get anything like the scroll, but 5-stars.

Oh no, that's foreshadowing.