Chapter:32 Bookstore

[03:30]

"Right, kids, don't forget your 'future plans surveys.' Hand it in before next Wednesday, it will be used later for a three-party interview."

Finally, the school day came to an end. Renko gathered her belongings and made her way out of the classroom, blending into the sea of students heading for the exit. She had a meeting scheduled with Kurosawa at 4:30 PM, and until then, she had an hour to kill.

With a sigh, she decided to head to a bookstore near her apartment. She needed something to wave off her boredom and all the books at her place were either on ethics or emotions. Who read that shit to pass the time!?

[04:00]

After half an hour of walking, Renko entered the 'Kibunko' Bookstore. A fitting name for a place such as this.

The old-fashioned little bookstore was quite attention-grabbing. Especially with it being nestled between a quirky maid café and the entrance to a lively arcade street. It was a simple, square building made of wood and paper. Most of its exterior was bare save for the sign that read its name and a poster about an author she had never heard of before.

As Renko entered the bookstore, she was assaulted with the scent of paper and ink. She took a deep breath before slowly exhaling and nodded towards the receptionist, who just happened to be... another buxom beauty! 

The woman, maybe in her early forties, had pinned-back brown hair, brown eyes, thick lashes, and a classical red lip tint. She was wearing a traditional dark maroon kimono that had flower patterns at the end of her sleeves, along with a purple obi sash.

A perfect, 'Traditional Japanese' milf! 

The woman returned the nod indifferently before returning to the magazine she had in her hands. 

[CATS]

'So, 'cats,' huh? Who would have thought?'

With the greetings out of the way, she noticed that the store was relatively quiet, with an elderly man and a small group of three high-school boys being the only other customers. 

Renko navigated through the densely filled aisles, scanning for an eye-catching title or cover. Her gaze fell upon a section dedicated to fiction, and she began browsing the shelves. She picked up a book with an intriguing cover depicting a broken iron pillar and a metal ship but before she could get it down, it slipped out of her hands.

*THUMP*

*PUFF*

The layer of dust on the book and the floor was so thick that the sound of the book falling was muffled down to a bare minimum.

'They don't clean this place much, do they?'

As she crouched down to pick up the book, her hand accidentally brushed against a bundle of books lying below. What followed was a flurry of system notifications,

[Skill Book: Basic Carpentry Detected]

[Skill Book: Basic Architectural Design]

[Skill Book: Basic Blacksmithing]

[Skill Book: Basic Metalwork]

[Skill Book: Basic Threadwork (Tailoring)]

.

.

.

[Skill Book: Basic Leatherworking]

[Skill Book: Basic Engineering]

[Skill Book: Basic Carving]

Renko's eyes widened in surprise as she took in all the suddenly emerging notifications. There were around a dozen of them, each pointing at a basic skill of some sort or the other. 

"Interesting."

The corners of her lips curled up in an amused smirk.

She placed the fiction book back on the shelf before picking up the two bundles of books and taking a seat on the nearest available chair. As she began to browse through the bundles, she noticed a couple of things.

The first was that the book's name was not the same as the skills, for example, the skill book with the 'Basic Carpentry' skill actually had the title of, 'DIY: Woodwork!'

'A do-it-yourself book can give out a skill!'

It wasn't as if she had never touched a book in her new life, but those were mostly boring old books on emotional and philosophical understandings. But this was a first, she never got a prompt like this one before.

As she began to browse through the diverse titles such as, 'DIY: Carving!', 'Molten Metal,' and 'How to Hide!' The last one was the 'Basic Leatherworking' skill.

'Hmm, let's see what we've got here.'

Renko decided to start with the carpentry skill book. Once again the notification popped up but instead of accepting, she clicked on the carpentry skill. 

[Basic Carpentry (1): 

Description: A fundamental skill that allows you to work with wood and create basic structures. Enables you to craft simple wooden items and understand the principles of carpentry.

- Recipe(Basic Furniture): Plain bed, table, and chairs, plain sofa, plain wardrobe/drawers.

- Chances of success: 10%]

This was an interesting enough skill. To be able to create one's own furniture meant she could probably furnish her new place at the shrine on her own. Or maybe, if she advanced the skin enough, she could rebuild the damned place from scratch. It was not like there was any shortage of wood in the forest.

Curiosity piqued, she continued to explore the other skill books she had discovered. Each one revealed its unique set of skills.

[Basic Architectural Design (1):

Description: Gain insight into creating architectural plans and designs. Understand the principles of structurally sound constructions and layouts.

Blueprint (Simple Structures): Draft blueprints for sheds, huts, and storage units.

Principles of Design: Enhance building durability by +5%.

Chances of Success: 15%]

[Basic Blacksmithing (1):

Description: Learn the basics of working with metal. Forge simple tools and weapons, and understand the art of blacksmithing.

- Recipe: Forge basic items such as crude knife, crude sword, kitchen knife, etc...

- Chances of Success: 5%

- Chances of Giving the Item a Unique Skill: 0.1%]

[Basic Metalwork (1):

Description: Master the skills of shaping and manipulating various metals. Create basic metal items and enhance your understanding of metallurgy.

- Recipe: Basic metal items such as ornaments, nails, jewelry, etc.

- Chances of Success: 8%

- Unique Skill Chance: 0.1%]

[Basic Smelting(1):

Description: Master the skill of smelting ores into ingot and creating various alloys.

- Ingot Crafting: Melt ores into molten metal and then shape them into durable ingots. 

- Chances of Success: 10%

- Alloy Synthesis: Create basic alloys by combining different metals.

- Chances of success: 1%]

[Basic Threadwork (Tailoring) (1): 

Description: Acquire the fundamental skills of tailoring and working with fabrics. Create simple clothing items and understand the art of sewing.

- Recipe: Basic clothing items, such as shirts, pants, and simple clothes.

- Chances of Success: 10%]

- Unique Skill Chance: 0.1%]

Renko continued to browse through the skill books, each one being more alluring than the one before. In fact, if she didn't suspect that the book might vanish once used, she would have already started acquiring them. 

[Basic Leatherworking (1): 

Description: Learn the techniques of crafting with leather. Create basic leather items and understand the properties of different types of leather.

- Tanning Fundamentals: The art of tanning of preparing leather for crafting, ensuring durability and flexibility.

- Chances of Success: 15%]

[Basic Engineering (1): 

Description: Gain insights into basic engineering principles. Understand the fundamentals of machinery, structures, and simple mechanisms.

- Simple Mechanisms: Knowledge of basic mechanical systems and simple mechanisms.

- Recipe: Simple Pulley System

- Chances of Success: 12%]

[Basic Carving (1): 

Description: Develop the skill of carving various materials. Create intricate designs and sculptures through the art of carving.

- Material Unlocked: Wood and Clay.

- Likeness: 1%]

[04:20]

Engrossed in her discoveries, Renko lost track of time. The clock on the wall ticked away as she continued to peruse the skill books. Her meeting with Kurosawa was drawing near, but the allure of these newfound abilities was too captivating to ignore.

With a quick glance at the clock, she realized she needed to wrap things up and head to the real estate agency. Still, she couldn't resist the temptation of buying all the books and with a sigh, she picked up the bundle and made her way to the receptionist.

"You wanna buy all these books?

the woman asked. In a tone completely opposite to her looks!

[Lv.11 Hibari Torii: First Lady of the Torii clan]

'Yakuza?'

Renko nodded politely,

"Yes, ma'am."

The woman chuckled,

"Well, that's fine by me. Let me ring up the receipt for you."

[12*Books: 12*¥500: ¥6000]

"That would be six thousand yen."

Renko frowned,

"The same price for all the books?"

The woman chuckled again,

"Cause it's in a bundle. We have a policy of selling by the bundle. The one in your hand is a '500 yen per book' bundle."

'Sure, whatever you say.'

She paid the woman and made her way to the real estate agency on the other side of the block.

[04:25]

As Renko left the bookstore with her newly acquired bundle of skill books, she made her way to the real estate agency to meet Kurosawa. The streets were bustling with people, and the fading sunlight cast long shadows across the pavement. The air was filled with a mixture of various scents from nearby restaurants and food stalls.

She wondered,

'Why didn't my school books show such a result? Maybe because these books are focused on one particular skill rather than a variety of topics."

Upon arriving at the real estate agency, Renko snapped out of her thoughts and looked up to see Kurosawa waiting for her near the entrance. He was dressed in a sharp suit, and his posture was straight and professional. As she approached, he greeted her with a slight smile and a nod,

"Good afternoon, Ms. Renko. I trust you have all your papers at hand?"

He had messaged her with the list of documents required to start the transfer process. The first was either a government-issued ID or a passport and the second was a bank statement or rather a financial proof.