News and Hanging out

[28 March 2023, 07:00 AM]

I did my daily routine first thing in the morning.

My training routine consisted of 300 push-ups, 300 sit-ups before going on a run for around 30 KM, and some movement training in the forest.

Since I got my bow already, I added some light archery training with [Arash Bow] to increase my accuracy.

For Mana Breathing, it was done at night, before I went to sleep. I was now used to such a daily routine.

Making a Magic Bowstring was easier than Enhancing an item. All I needed to do was infuse my Mana into the bow, and the Magic Bowstring appeared with a pale blue glow.

To train my archery, I used Magic Arrow from the effect of my bow. I could adjust its power by controlling my Mana.

The Magic Arrow that I made for training was only strong enough to pierce the bark of a tree. What I lacked the most right now was experience, so I focused on hitting a target instead of destroying it.

I only needed to add more Mana to my arrow to destroy a target. However, accuracy had to be trained manually.

My usual training started at 5:00 AM and continued until 6:30 AM.

Today, I made a promise to hang out with Zaiden. So he asked me to meet him at Santa Monica Pier at 7:00 AM, but…

"He's late…" I grumbled in displeasure as I watched people walking on the pier.

Opening my smartphone, I tried to see any news on what was happening in the world right now.

The news about the Awakeners always became a sensation, so it was not too hard to find some news.

[Sacred Relic has conquered the Hollywood Dungeon! It's recorded as E-Rank Dungeon!]

[Street Road has a new member?! Welcome Paul Marino, an Awakener with B-Rank Gunmanship Talent!]

[Mysterious Awakener named Rai with S-Rank Sharpshooting Talent?!]

[Wood Essence offered a Billion USD for Rai, but they got refused!]

Well, the news was interesting. There were some hoaxes here and there.

"Tsk! What is this shit about a Billion USD? I got no such offer."

They used my name to get an audience.

This Wood Essence guild was ranked 9th among the other guilds in the world. They always made up such fake news to attract new members to their guild.

Although there were some hoaxes in the news, there was also real news.

"So the dungeon is named Hollywood Dungeon? Talk about simple naming sense."

The news was about the guild Sacred Relic conquering a newbie dungeon. They worked fast, as expected from the Rank 1 guild.

The competition between guilds was fierce. They compete with each other to get sponsors and raise their stock values.

"Should I invest some in stocks?"

Some guilds would be on the rise in the future. Investing some of my money in stocks would benefit me in the long run.

This novel would last for eight years. It would be a long journey.

I had no plan to stay for that long, but there should be a clue for me to go back to my world after the story ended.

At least I should think about the future for a little while. Preparing for the worst in case I wouldn't be able to return to my original world was not wrong.

I pressed the news about the Sacred Relic and read the news. However, not long after I read the news on my phone, a familiar voice shouted at me.

"Why is he here?!"

I raised my head and saw Mirana in her casual clothes pointing her index finger at me.

When I saw her, I was confused for a moment. I tried to analyze the situation, then I saw Zaiden and the other heroines, including Lily, walking toward me in the distance.

Lily waved her hand at me while the other girls, excluding Lisa, who smiled at me, were confused.

Zaiden smiled wryly in the middle of them and moved his lips, saying, "Sorry!"

I let out a sigh before putting my phone back in my pocket.

Mirana gnashed her teeth and pouted at me. Her actions reminded me of a hamster that had its food stolen. She was kind of cute to be honest.

I ignored her for now and looked at Zaiden.

"You are late. And, you bring a lot of people with you…"

"Ha-hahaha. I already made a promise to them too, so… I think it will be no problem if we hang out together?" Zaiden laughed wryly as she scratched his cheek.

"Don't ask me. Ask the girls."

"Hanging out with him?" Asked Mirana. "Zaiden, what are you thinking? He's a delinquent!"

"Mirana… Vincent is a good guy, you know? The rumors about him are false. If you know him better, then you will know that he is a good guy." Zaiden explained to Mirana.

This was a bit troublesome. The looks that the girls were giving me were also strange.

Ao looked at me with a small smile. Shina looked at me shyly. Lisa looked at me with a grateful gaze, and Mirana sent a death stare at me.

The strangest one came from Lily. When I looked at her, she smiled at me with a strange gaze. She seemed to be interested in me.

'Troublesome indeed… I should just leave and train myself rather than waste my time watching them argue with each other.'

As I was thinking about leaving this place, Lily suddenly spoke.

"Well, I don't mind, you know? He doesn't look like a bad boy to me. It seems the rumors about him are all wrong."

I was a bit surprised when she said that. The Lily I knew was someone cold, because of her experience in the past.

This Lily, however… She was friendly, much like Zaiden. Of course, Zaiden's personality might influence her, but I didn't think that was the case.

This was her personality if she was saved from her horrible past. The real Lily.

"I agree with Lily. I don't believe a single rumor in the Academy. A lot of people are jealous of each other, so the rumors might be false." Added Ao.

Because of her personality as well as her Trait, she wouldn't believe any rumors unless she saw them by herself.

She was the strictest character in my novel, as well as the future Vice-Master of the Sacred Relic guild.

Although she had a japanese name, in truth, she was the daughter of Thomas Evan, the guild master of the Sacred Relic guild.

No one knew it right now, but it would be revealed when she Awakened in the future.

"I also don't mind hanging out with Vincent. I mean, all he did was sleep in the class. I don't know why he's called a delinquent."

"I-I also don't mind. I-I think Vincent is a good guy too."

Lisa and Shina expressed their opinions.

This was really strange. I knew that the heroines were good girls, but they wouldn't be this kind. Especially Ao, she was supposed to be strict.

Did she perhaps know my identity as Rai and was asked to bring me to Sacred Relic? No, that shouldn't be possible.

"Are you guys for real?" Asked Mirana, with a bit of anger in her tone.

The conversation had gone on for too long. I only planned to hang out with Zaiden to be closer to him. I could always do it in the future.

Mirana still had some problems with delinquents. I, who was branded as a delinquent, was bad in her eyes. Unfortunately, this was not the time for me to talk to her yet.

Slowly, I need to make a good impression on her.

So that I could make use of her when she was successful in the future.

"If you have a problem with me being here, I will leave then. Please enjoy your day."

So I chose to back away. I was about to walk away to leave the Pier, but Lily's voice stopped me.

"How about we do it like this? Let's just hang out for an hour, and you will decide for yourself whether Vincent is a good man or a delinquent. I believe an hour is not a problem for you, Mirana?"

"Eh?" Mirana let out a yelp.

When I turned to Lily, she had a sly smile struck on her face. She was definitely planning something.

Did Zaiden know about it?

I glanced at Zaiden, only to see a bright smile.

"That's a good idea!" Like any protagonist in a story, he put his hands on Mirana's shoulder. "I promise you, Mirana! Vincent is a good guy! I even told you about it two days ago, right?"

"But…" Mirana was about to refute Zaiden, but she stopped when she saw his bright smile. "Fine! Let's hang out for an hour!"

She then turned to me and pointed her index finger again. "You!"

"Me?" I instinctively answered her as I pointed at myself.

"I will make sure to break away your mask! I know that you are a delinquent!"

Mirana smiled smugly as she declared.

This girl…

I was wrong by thinking that she was cute, like a hamster. She was not a hamster; she was a rat.

However, this was also my chance. Despite my intention not to interact with them in order to maintain my delinquent persona in the Academy, I too should maintain their positive impression of me.

'It couldn't be helped. I need to slightly change my plan. Having a good relationship with them will only benefit me after all.'

They would all become influential figures in the future, so having a good relationship with them this early would benefit me greatly.

So I answered Mirana with a confident smile.

"Fine. Just see it for yourself."

"Alright! Then it's decided!" Shouted Zaiden happily.

Come to think of it, I didn't know where we would hang out today. I looked at Zaiden and asked.

"So, where are we going?"

Zaiden smiled at me and said, "We will play some bowling and darts."