In The Vast Cosmos

In a large bedroom, a boy was going through an intense workout. Deep and heavy breaths left his mouth in a proper manner. He was only doing pullups but his body carried extra weight in the form of a jacket with additional weights on his legs. He wore only baggy shorts that were soaked in sweat but still carried out his routine. After an undetermined amount of time, he dropped down and cleaned himself with a towel.

After a refreshing shower, Akiyama Ryuu stood in front of the mirror and looked deeply at himself. After a long time, he was quite comfortable in his body. Not like he had overtaken someone else's body but was born into this world like a normal person but unlike other people he had a secret. A secret that he never told anyone since telling someone wasn't a possibility.

This secret is his past life memories. Memories that no matter what, never left him. Their impact had dulled to a point that they never concerned him anymore. However, he now had a perfect recall and photographic memory which never did let him forget anything. He clearly remembered everything that he had studied, watched, and read.

He clearly remembered the headaches that came, when he was just a baby and his neural network was still developing. The information, as well as his new life, confused him so much that he was fussy all the time, and for a year he was just like a normal baby. Unlike the protagonists from various isekai, he could not even open his eyes just after being born and was a totally normal baby albeit very cute.

It was only after he consciously started doing memory exercises that he improved and still took time as a normal baby to learn the Japanese language because he never learned of it other than understanding some words because of watching dubbed content.

Still, he was well now since he has parents that loved him, he was also rich since his mother was a fashion designer and his father had his own business in the tech market. They never mistreated him or deprived him of love. In fact. after he discovered the world he was in they even supported his hobbies. It was only until he started attending a high school that they started leaving him alone to go on business trips and romantic vacations and that was because he was already very responsible and mature at that age.

His peace was disturbed at the age of six when Ryuu was happily living the life of his dreams and saw the name Takagi on the television. In a fit of panic, he wanted to jump out the window of his room but sadly his legs were short and he slammed into the wall. That accident also opened his eyes to the world of pain that he was in both metaphorically and physically.

After that, he started showing interest in hobbies such as swimming, archery, and kendo while improving himself with all his effort. Having such interest is normal for a child and everyone around him misunderstood that he was just a very active child. However, this was not due to wanting to win the Olympics but to survive a deadly world without cheats. So, he pushed himself to the very limit of his body but stopped just when he was sure that further training would only harm him.

Learning different sword styles from eastern and western cultures as well as his other activities kept him busy since that age. Thankfully he had developed photographic memory and by recalling his previous education he always stayed in the top 5 of his class while spending time on extracurricular activities. The memory also helped in developing and making his own techniques from fictional worlds. A sword style that was inspired by Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū, a meditation method derived from demon slayer breathing style, extreme hand-eye coordination for archery, and knife throwing.

Ryuu was proud that he had broken past the human limits a long time ago. Everything about him from strength, speed, dexterity, intelligence, vitality, and technique was long past the peak human of this world and he was only in the second year of high school. That still left him with an extra year since the main male lead was still in the first year.

All that and he still studied university-level courses that no one knew about. There was no reason to study what he already knew and his biggest asset, photographic memory, and perfect recall were being wasted. It was already in his plans to study further and in his previous life he was already an engineer so he decided to review everything once to make sure there were no changes which helped since this world was slightly more advanced. Now, he was an expert in chemistry, physics, engineering, computer science, agriculture, and survival.

11 years of blood sweat and tears taught him almost everything that he could learn. There were times when almost gave up, cried in his room alone at night, tried to inform his parents of future events, break off from everyone so that once they die he would not feel anything but he never could. He loved his parents too much to hurt them. His loved ones were the only thing that kept him going and made him push forward.

It was not like he never spent time resting or spending time with his family, went on vacations and had a few crushes, and even fell in love with his girlfriend. Obviously, there were times when the pressure got too much but he never doubted his reality.

Ryuu sighed and stopped reminiscing about the past and instead looked into the mirror while changing into his school uniform which was just loose enough not to show muscles but not make him look sloppy since people in Japan paid extra attention to these details.

Once he was ready he picked up his bag and left his room. Downstairs, his parents were already awake and already eating breakfast.

"Good morning mom, dad." With a nod to both, he sat down and devoured his portion of the meal. He chatted with his family regarding nonsensical things. Ryuu usually talked about recent happenings in his family business and give them subtle ideas through jokes and indirect conversations.

In a few minutes, he was finished with his breakfast and the garage door opened. Ryuu revved the bike and rolled down the driveway of his house. With a glance back he checked the garage door closing and went on his way. The mansion he lived in was large despite not having many people and the area around it was a garden filled with flowers. vegetables and fruits. This project was also presented to his family as a hobby but his mother loved the small farm inside the house so much that the area around it turned into a small sustainable farm that provided fresh food. Almost all of it was sold but it will definitely be useful in the future.

Speeding toward his school at a moderate pace. Ryuu observed his surroundings and checked everything, he even went past the Takagi state. It was a normal day so there were no disturbances but he was still worried about his next year. As much as he wanted everything to be normal; he was not sure if the apocalypse will really not happen. If his third year at high school passes without any problems then he would be able to live this life peacefully as he always wanted.

*sigh*

But, until that happened he would never be able to let go of his worries.

He slowed down when reaching the school since the noise of his bike might disturb others. People turned and looked at him but they could not see his face with a helmet on. Obviously, everyone knew who he was since he was the only student with a bike. He parked it and took off his leather jacket and gloves that protected his uniform from dust and dirt.

The day went by like every other since there was nothing important happening. He also went to the kendo club to spar with his peers and some of the seniors. Although they were not on his level it helped when he had to limit his reaction time, speed, and strength to someone his age. It made sparring harder and also had obvious positive effects.

Ryuu looked around the club room and found her along with a few people. A smile formed on his face when their eyes caught each other. The school was already off so only club members were present but he still did not show any kind of public display of affection. Saeko was from a traditional family while his family had a big name so both of them had to follow certain ethics while in public. He also knew that despite some of her faults that he never cared about much, she was too shy to show affection in public.

Ryuu walked towards and held her hand while hiding her body from the direct view of the students in the club room. He was 189 cm tall which easily hid half her body and their joined hands. A small blush formed on Saeko's cheeks and she looked up at him.

"Where are we going today?" She inquired while Ryuu listlessly played with her slim fingers. He thought back to any new place that they could visit and nodded.

"I know a good cafe where we can get something to drink." He started walking with her hand in his and they left the club room. Picking up their things they went to his bike and left the school. Saeko unlike other girls in his school wore a long skirt so she sat sideways while leaning against him.

It was not wasted on him on how his girlfriend was more well endowed than other girls. But, it was both a blessing and curse for Ryuu to be this close to her. Saeko herself was content to lean on her boyfriend and share his warmth.

The couple enjoyed their time and Ryuu like a dutiful boyfriend brought her home. Saeko's house was a traditional Japanese house where she invited him in for a drink. It was not his first time visiting since he had also met her father so he made himself comfortable in her room and laid down on her bed while checking his phone. he sent a text to his mother and shut it off when Saeko entered the room with changed clothes and a glass of water.

He was still drinking while leaning back against the headboard when a soft butt settled in his lap. His arms wrapped around her thin waist and pulled her close where she settled her head in the crook of his neck.

They cuddled with each other all the while Ryuu showered Saeko with kisses on her head and face. Soon their lips made contact all the while subtle movements of Saeko's made him aroused. Their relationship was a year old so no words were needed to direct their actions. He caressed her in a loving manner and controlled his arousal as best as he could.

They whispered sweet nothings to each other and just like that 30 minutes passed by. Both were flushed red, the room was filled with heavy breaths and the teenagers were aroused but their clothes stayed on although slightly wrinkled.

Ryuu checked his phone and sighed, "Looks like our time is up." He said while laying down and weaving his hands through her hair soft silky hair.

".."

It was absolutely adorable when his girlfriend in a fit of childish rage stuffed her face in his chest but Ryuu who was a sucker for his girlfriend chuckled amusedly and hugged her tightly.

"Come on, it's not like we won't meet tomorrow." he got up all the while holding her in one hand easily, and picked up his bag. He knew it got his girlfriend all hot and bothered when he showed signs of masculinity so he carried her to the door and put her down while he put his shoes on.

He stood up afterward and opened his arms when Saeko ran into him. "I'll see my wife tomorrow then." He whispered and kissed her cheek before turning around and leaving. It was one of her kinks when she called him husband a month ago during their cuddling session and from then on it was always like this when they were alone.

Ryuu looked up at the evening sky while walking toward his bike. His alone time with Saeko always left him with butterflies in his stomach and while they never took off their clothes it was still very exciting for him to spend time with her.

"I hope I can enjoy as much time as I can with the people I love." He prayed.