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I found myself in a rather sketchy alley, surrounded by the unmistakable aroma of a garbage dump. This wasn't the grand entrance I had envisioned – no dramatic teleportation into a cozy room or a majestic landscape. Instead, I was left pondering fate's sense of humor that landed me in this less-than-ideal location.

With a sigh, I muttered to myself, "Huh, alright, moving on. I need to find out where and when I am. I don't know how much time I have until canon starts, and why the heck am I in a garbage dump of an alley? Aren't you supposed to drop me in my room or something? That's a classic."

A quest notification popped up in my mind.

Quest Added: [Dude, Where's My Map?]

You were dropped in an alley with no memories of your counterpart's time in this world. What exactly is your role? You're the protagonist, but why are you here?

Objective:

Find out where you are. [ ]

Find out why you are here. [ ]

Rewards: Access to your counterpart's memory, Access to the mini-map, 2000 EXP.

"Ok, let's get groovy then," I mumbled, eyeing the quest details. Finding out my location and timeline seemed like a reasonable start.

I began my quest by inspecting the surroundings and navigating through the labyrinth of discarded pizza boxes and suspiciously stained cardboard boxes. Each step seemed to uncover a new layer of mystery – not the kind of adventure I had anticipated, but an adventure nonetheless.

"Damm, this place is a dump!"

I exclaimed as I stumbled upon a conveniently placed broken mirror. The stains on the mirror looked questionable at best, but I decided not to question it. My focus shifted to my appearance. Light brown hair, dark golden eyes, and a face that was surprisingly above average with a sharp and rugged look, emitting some bad boy vibes. My height seemed average for a 16-year-old Japanese dude, but my physique was above average, probably due to being a brawler.

Sure enough, now I am Issei Hyoudou.

"Well, well. This ain't as bad as I thought."

It looked like it was around evening. Was this area safe? Just where the heck am I? Okay, first, let's start with me.

In all RPG games, the player can view their stats and a menu where the details about the character must be mentioned. So, I decided to see if I could access a status bar myself, and to my surprise, I did have a status bar.

Name: Hyoudou Issei

Level: 0 [00.00%]

Current Titles: The Gamer, Pervert, Underdog

Race: Human

Rank: Mortal

Alignment: Neutral

Class: None

HP: 200/231 (92.4 per minute)

MP: 33/33 (13.2 per minute)

Strength: 17 + 1.7 = 18.7

Endurance: 21 + 2.1 = 23.1

Dexterity: 15 + 1.5 = 16.5

Intelligence: 6 + 0.6 = 6.6

Wisdom: 3 + 0.3 = 3.3

Charisma: 12 + 1.2 = 13.2

Luck: ?

Money: 10,000 Yen

Stat Points: 0

MP Regeneration: Wisdom x 2 + (100% increase due to Ophis's Blessing perk)

MP: Intelligence x 5

HP Regeneration: Endurance x 2 + (100% increase due to Ophis's Blessing perk)

HP: Endurance x 10

Walking around, I reached the main street. It seemed I was in some shopping district; the place was quite lively, with many stalls around and the aroma of fresh meat overwhelming my senses. Turning around, I saw a small restaurant.

Restaurant Yukihira.

I entered the place, It was a special-of-the-day shop, not uncommon in this type of place, but it might as well have been a fast-food restaurant with how fast people came and went. Every table was full, the line leading to the cash register growing longer by the second.

I noticed a digital clock hung on the wall. It was the 21st of December 2007, the time was 6:34 P.M.

I scratched the back of my head and began to second-guess my decision to enter this place. I was attracted by the delicious aroma, but I had a quest to complete. Then again, this would be a good place to start, and I am quite hungry too, so this checks out.

I quickly sat down when a seat by the end of the serving table became available.

"Hope you liked it." A voice cut through the crowd. It was a boy with auburn hair and golden-brown eyes.

At the head of the entire commotion, at Yukihira's front counter, was a handsome-looking middle-aged man. The man moved with such grace, skill, and swiftness that it wouldn't be uncommon if others believed that he was a master at his job. He sautéed the mix of fried vegetables and tender beef in the deep dish pan he held aloft with his right hand and promptly poured an ounce of wine with his left into the dish.

Wine, different from water, fully enhances the flavor of any meat. The smell that came from the combination of beef, vegetables, and seasonings such as thyme, salt, and pepper drove my senses to the edge.

'Is this guy an Alchemist?'

Curiously, I decided to use my [Observe] on the food he made.

Item Name: Beef Curry

Quality: Perfect

Description: A meal cooked with such passion and finesse, it provides supernatural effects to those who eat it. Along with a foodgasm that will probably burst your clothes, so please keep a spare set ready. Grants +2 Endurance +1 Strength for 2 hours.

'Shit, he is an Alchemist!'

"Order's up," the man said casually, laying the dish before the anticipating gaze of a girl.

The girl, with her dark brown hair tied back in a ponytail that cascaded down her back, had narrow hazel eyes transfixed on the spoon of food she held in front of her mouth. She blew softly, and the steam permeating from the fresh dish wafted into her nose. No sooner, a blush adorned her face that sent her body squirming in delight. Her thighs rubbed together, her breaths coming out in uneven pants, and finally, she lowered the spoon into her mouth, feeling nothing but euphoria.

Looking at the girl, I felt ludicrous. Can food make you feel like that? Speaking of which, I remembered a certain anime also related to food. It was popular, but I didn't bother to watch it as it wasn't my pick.

Now you might regret not watching it.

Yeah, yeah. Whatever.

As the restaurant emptied, I seized the opportunity and ordered the beef curry. It arrived quickly, the aroma alone whetting my appetite. The first bite was a revelation – tender beef, crisp vegetables, and a perfectly balanced curry sauce that had a surprising, almost magical depth of flavor.

I spun the chopstick around; it was still halfway to my mouth, and my eyes were met with the fiery gaze of the girl. Her familiar face sparked recognition, though I couldn't quite place it.

"Pervert?" What? Seriously, she insulted me in public out of nowhere?

"Don't just throw words like that around! And can't you see I'm trying to enjoy a delicious curry? And look, I don't know who you are."

"Don't joke with me Hyoudou Issei; you exactly know who I am."

I began, trying to keep my voice calm, "but calling me names in public won't win you any points. Just introduce yourself like a normal person, alright?"

She seemed to become frustrated and spoke, "I am Murayama, you jerk! You have some nerve to claim to not know me when you regularly keep peeking at me during the kendo classes. It seems I misunderstood you; you aren't just a pervert but shameless too."

Murayama. Yes, I remember her; she is the chick that Issei used to peek at with his friends, the Kendo girl who beats the shit out of him whenever she got a chance. But why is she this mad at me?

"Well, sorry if you hate that; I won't peek from now on, I promise," I said seriously.

"What?" She was surprised and almost anxious and sad. What the hell?

"I told you, I won't be peeking at you. Can't you understand that?" I asked with mild irritation.

"Issei, did you get into another fight with the Yakuza? You look beaten up. How long do you plan to keep this up? You can't keep getting into fights with them; one day, you might truly end up in danger," she said, abruptly changing the topic.

I paused as she mentioned that. I was indeed battered when I woke up in the alley. My HP wasn't full, but I healed thanks to my gamer's body, and my clothes were a bit ruined too. According to what she said, I'm somehow involved with the Yakuza. Well, that explains my 'underdog title' is more precise; this is a bit more serious than I thought. Being a delinquent is one thing, but being involved with Japanese gangsters is another. So, I woke up in the dump because they beat me up and threw me there!

Quest Completed: [Dude, Where's My Map?]

You were dropped in an alley with no memories of your counterpart's time in this world. What exactly is your role? You're the protagonist, but why are you here?

Objective:

Find out where you are. [x]

Find out why you are here. [x]

Rewards: Access to your counterpart's memory, Access to the mini-map, 2000 EXP.

You have leveled up by 1!

You have gained 5 stat points!

Mini-map is added.

I suddenly received an influx of memories of my counterpart.

Background Generated!

Issei Hyoudou, orphaned due to his parents' tragic car crash, grew up mostly alone, though his grandparents in Kyoto insisted on him moving to live with them. Despite their offer, Issei chose to remain in Kuoh, where he developed a rebellious and delinquent persona. Financial struggles led him to seek solace and a sense of identity with an infamous biker gang, engaging in criminal activities, street brawls, and illegal underground races. The gang recognized his potential and entrusted him with increasingly significant tasks. Issei kept his involvement a secret to the rest and usually portrayed himself as a harmless pervert but some people were aware of his secret.

I didn't know what to say; this wasn't how I imagined my life continuing as Issei, a perverted kid and a member of the "Onibaki Combi," one of the most infamous biker gangs in all of Japan, run by Eikichi Onizuka.

'So, this is what the multiverse shuffle did, huh?'

Eikichi Onizuka is a character from the anime Great Teacher Onizuka, more popularly known as GTO.

"Hey, Issei, are you listening or not?" Murayama shook my hand, pulling me back from my thoughts.

"I am; you don't need to worry about me. And why do you even care? Don't you hate me?" I asked her.

"Of course, who would like a pervert like you? I am just looking out for my classmate, that's all," she said with a snort.

"Well, whatever. I am leaving. See you later, Murayama," I said, and I left the shop. I was more interested in checking a few things out before I headed home.