Rito and Quest

In the next morning!

Rito woke up as he usually does, but as he looked at the quest in front of him, a rush of motivation started to emerge from within his chest.

The strange system note that appears below the quest claims that during its active period, the rate at which one can assign mastery points to all of the available skills will increase dramatically.

Rito will therefore receive results from the system that are more than 10 times what he would receive from it on an average day, provided he works hard during this time.

"I'll be back soon, Mikan." Saying that Rito finally dashed out of his home and thought of running double the amount than normal to see the result of that boosted period, plus, there was also Haruna who might be waiting for him like usual.

Rito felt a surge of energy as he jogged as quickly as he could toward the park. As he approached, he saw many familiar faces who nodded at him as usual. Rito then continued to jog faster to increase the strain on his body by going beyond its normal limits.

Dash (37/400) + Level 1

Jog (29/400) + Level 1

After a short while, Rito, who was beyond exhausted, finally found a place to stop when he noticed a recognizable figure waiting for him on the bench.

He could not help but wipe the perspiration from his brow, exhale deeply, putting his tired muscles at ease, and observe how much his proficiency had increased simply by running—and that too without using any of those free mastery points.

"Wow!" When Rito finally touched the + button to increase the mastery points and saw them increasing at a visible rate, he was pleasantly surprised to see that both of them had increased by a significant amount.

Dash (67/400) + Level 1

Jog (59/400) + Level 1

Regarding the quest, Rito speculated that he might have to raise their proficiency to the maximum level 1 before he could combine the two to produce that skill.

After all, Rito was certain that he needed a strong foundation in terms of leg muscles and a thorough understanding of the leg muscles and built in order to release the burst of speed from the leg.

"Sorry, Sairenji-san, I am late today!" Even though Rito was extremely exhausted, he felt quite happy as he watched the girl wait for him patiently and wondered if he might have the opportunity to date her in the future.

Although Lala existed, he was unsure of her arrival date and whether this world resembled the one he had seen in the anime.

However, given that he had seen Mashiro-chan from yesterday, he was certain that there were other anime girls in this world as well.

"No! It is alright, Yuki-kun." Sairenji blushed as she considered how waiting for him might give him the wrong impression of her.

However, as she observed Rito's carefree smile, she quickly dismissed the notion, reasoning that Yuki was not the kind of person and that he had that gentle side to him.

Rito took a position in front of her as she also observed Rito's profuse perspiration. She then asked while standing up to retrieve a pack of bento from her side and maintaining her charming smile.

"Here, Yuki-kun can have them. As a friend, I thought I could at least make something for your daily exercise routine, if you want."

Rito, on the other hand, felt really good and held that smile as he held the bento and looked at her. Haruna, meanwhile, had a blush on her face as she tried to hide it from him.

"Umm, Thank you, Sairenji-san, but since we have become friends, I would like to refer to you by your given name, Haruna."

"In the meantime, please call me Rito instead, as that is how all of my friends refer to me and it is also how I prefer to be addressed."

Hearing her name called for the first time by Rito was a little much for Sairenji, but looking at him, who was looking at her with that hopeful gaze, she could not shake her head at such a trivial thing and even felt that it was the best time, that she could close the gap between them.

"It's alright! After all, that is how friends tend to be, right?" As they both took their seats and Rito opened the bento to reveal some sandwiches and a juice pack beside it, Haruna nodded and did not object, getting carried away by Rito's enthusiasm.

He had the impression that Haruna was waiting for him today and that, when she realized he was running late, she was contemplating giving him the bento so he could leave.

However, Rito arrived just in time, allowing him to converse with her while enjoying the delectable sandwich.

However, because of that, he was able to sense the looks of the boys in his immediate vicinity and wondered if this is how a boy would feel after receiving breakfast from a pretty girl.

So, after a short while, Rito hurried back, covering the same double distance to return to the house, and by the time he got there, he was completely exhausted.

"Rito, are you back?" As if she had some sort of sixth sense telling her when Rito was back, Mikan always sensed him when he entered and called him out.

"Yeah, I am back." Rito responded and then returned to his room to change into fresh clothing and take a thorough shower to remove all of the sweat and odor from this morning's exercise.

Rito opened the bathroom gate, removed his clothes, arranged other items in the washing machine, and started the appliance.

He noticed when he looked in the mirror that his body had grown exponentially over the past few days, suggesting that he was cultivating his muscles rather than just exercising them.

But it was also due to this that his shape and straight body were starting to appear to stand out among all of his classmates, which is a good thing for Rito and his future.

'Good looks!' While taking a shower and thoroughly cleaning his body before drying it off, coming out to put on a fresh set of clothes, and getting ready for school, Rito felt the urge to make a comment about his body.

Rito was walking toward the dining table when Mikan, who was also prepared with breakfast, saw him and grinned.

He walked right up to her and motioned for her to take the first seat as he left the room with a fresh look on his face.

"Rito!" When she heard Rito worry that she would be late for her duty period and that he would wash the other dishes for her, she realized it was the first time he was being so pushy to let her eat first.

"I will handle things here; you should rest and eat before heading out for school, since you had some kind of duty today, right?"

Mikan's eyes calm down after receiving the pat on the head, and she smiles and nods happily, acting her actual age for the first time in a while.

"Okay!" With that said, she finished her breakfast and counted on her devoted brother to leave ahead of time, leaving Rito to finish the cleaning and other tasks. Rito handled these tasks in an instant, thanks to his quick hands and organized mind.

After that, he decided to rest for a moment before he left for the school with a quick dash and jog all the way to the school, which was still empty for the time being, and decided to go and read some books in the library before the class starts' for them.

Acquired Knowledge-Based Skills: Mathematics (50/50) + Level 1, Social Studies (50/50) + Level 1, Science (50/50) + Level 1, English (90/200) + Level 4, Japanese (79/100) + Level 2, Hairdresser (45/200) + Level 1, Dash (33/400) + Level 1, Jog (25/400) + Level 1;

++++++++++++++++++++++

At the end of the class.

Mathematics (22/50) + Level 1 ↦ Mathematics (50/50) + Level 1

Social Studies (23/50) + Level 1 ↦ Social Studies (50/50) + Level 1

Science (35/50) + Level 1 ↦ Science (50/50) + Level 1

English (47/200) + Level 4 ↦ English (90/200) + Level 4

Japanese (49/100) + Level 2 ↦ Japanese (79/100) + Level 2

Rito's face broke into a huge smile as he realized that his days as the protagonist were finally approaching and that his knowledge-related stats were beginning to increase dramatically, though he still needed to find more skills in order to make the most effective use of the current circumstances.

'Should I start practicing some kendo at home or something, or maybe I can pick up boxing and other martial arts by travelling in the city today.'

As Rito was unsure of whether or not this world was actually safe, he made the decision to pursue the martial arts because even he admires their quick action movements and cool moments. Not to mention, he might need to use his skills to defend someone in the future, so it was not a bad idea to expand his arsenal with a few more skills for actual combat.

'Let's look around the clubs first!'

Rito considered how many of the students at this school were involved in some sort of club activity and that he might be the only one without one as he walked out of his class and observed the empty gallery of the school.

With nothing to do, he watched basketball practice while appearing somewhat confused.

He then moved toward the badminton practice area and saw the familiar figure of Haruna playing inside her court, who was wearing a really serious and assured expression.

He felt drawn toward it, but he kept it silent as he watched the match. It was completely different from the one he remembered when talking with him.

'She is good!' Rito thought. Even though he was just learning the game of badminton and had no prior experience, he was still impressed by Haruna's serving form. Just by watching her hit the ball at the highest point possible, he could tell that she was very skilled.

"Yu-Rito-kun..." Before he knew it, Rito had drawn Haruna's attention as she walked toward him with a surprise smile on her face, attracting the attention of the other girls as they all turned to look at Rito, who was smiling wryly at Haruna.

"What are you doing here? Rito-kun." She was a little nervous because this was the first time Rito had come to see her in this way, but she quickly regained her composure and smiled at Rito.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to disturb you girls, just that I was looking at the clubs since I had yet to join any club around."

He scratched his head as he looked at the boy who seemed to be the captain of the badminton club looking at Rito, as he thought how Haruna was calling Rito by his first name and felt something weird.

"Then here, it is for you; I will go and check out other clubs then; see you in the morning."

Rito handed the tea bottle to Haruna and gave the club captain a polite smile before he left the area because the captain was really sending him the wrong vibe.

Not to mention, Rito already knew in his heart that Haruna was a detached individual; however, if it were not for the middle school incident, which caused Haruna to view Rito in a different light, Rito would never have had the opportunity to speak with a girl who was so detached.

"Yeah! See you then, Rito-kun." She also cheerfully replied as she watched Rito disappear from her sight and smiled. Rito finally left the school and walked around the city, where he was able to create four more skills.

Kendo (3/50) + Level 1

Mix-Martial Art (6/50) + Level 1

Boxing (1/50) + Level 1

Pianist (4/50) + Level 1

Rito was able to push them with 10 points of mastery after using the free mastery points without even moving a muscle, and he experienced for the first time the knowledge he had never had before fusing with his body and mind.

Kendo (13/50) + Level 1

Mix-Martial Art (16/50) + Level 1

Boxing (11/50) + Level 1

Pianist (14/50) + Level 1

When Rito returned, Mikan was back but today she had that serious look on her face: "Mikan, I am back home."

He purposefully shouted from the side, causing Mikan to jerk away from Rito as she turned to face him with the same smile on her face and felt Rito pat her on the head as he gazed at her gravely.

"Is there something that I need to know?" He smiled and questioned Mikan, who simply shook her head and blasted how the girls in her class could be so problematic and so headstrong about a few things.

She grumbled next to Rito, acting like her little sister, and Rito sat to the side and listened to her complaints in silence, which made her smile even more.

Rito listened to them and judged them based on his own life experiences and his observations of how one of the students in the other class was being bullied for defending the girl from the bullies.

"Hmm! Mikan, then there is one solution to it! She had to tell the other girl to stop herself, and I think that the girl, who can stand for others, could definitely stand for herself, so just give her a pat on the back."

Rito's words were a revelation to Mikan, who had been sitting in silence the entire time. Mikan realized that Rito was correct and that she might need to act on her own.

'After all, she is also my friend.' Mikan mutters within her mind.

"If that does not work and you feel bad about it, then tell me about it anytime." Rito had never acted so coolly and collectedly about anything before. Mikan, on the other hand, had never before witnessed Rito acting so composed and collected.

But she does feel protected by her brother's kind side in a real way. 'Thank you, Onii-chan.' Mikan muttered under her breath as she rested her head on Rito's shoulder and turned to face him.