Rewards:
Soul Exchange (Newcomer Reward, all trophy rewards in this game have been automatically replaced with higher-tier reward items):
Bronze Trophy — Three Nine Secret Lodgings Ono Note (Lodging Star Master basic cultivation method)
Silver Trophy — Soul-Storing Umbrella (Locust wood for bones, white paper for skin, nurtures lonely souls, summons wild ghosts)
Gold Trophy — Transcendence Pill (Third Rank, Upper Grade, peak of mortal items)
Platinum Trophy — spiritual fire eyes (Discerns evil and breaks illusions, tracks and traces)
Achievement: Possessed Paper Figures * 5 (Dot eyes with blood, can possess them, strength unknown, will not get stronger even against stronger opponents)
These were all the rewards Higashiyama Shin had received so far through the Soul Exchange game.
Among them, Three Nine Secret Lodgings and spiritual fire eyes were automatically infused into his body upon acquisition.
The so-called Three Nine Secret Lodgings is a unique technique from the Sutra of Lodgings, where 'Three Nine' refers to the twenty-seven constellations, one less than the traditionally recognized twenty-eight, omitting the Ox Lodging.
It was introduced to Japan along with Buddhism around the Tang Dynasty, and subsequently, the profession of Lodging Star Master formed in Japan. At its peak, it was on par with Onmyoji, competing for the right to establish and interpret the calendar.
It can be simply understood as an astrology and fortune-telling profession. Later, it lost in the struggle against Onmyoji, split into several factions, and gradually faded from the stage of history.
The Ono Note signifies that this is a secret transmission of the Ono-ryu branch of the Shingon sect, belonging to Esoteric Buddhism, also known as To-mitsu.
The ranking system for Lodging Star Master can be summarized as 'Five Stars Illuminating the Moon, Full Moon Entering Yang.'
And Higashiyama Shin, having received the knowledge infusion, directly started as a Five-Star Lodging Star Master. He could accurately judge the auspiciousness and misfortune of fortunes, change minor fortunes without cost, and subtly sense when misfortune was approaching.
The spiritual fire eyes were exactly as described: they could tell if a person was lying, detect extremely subtle traces for tracking, and even see through illusions and ghosts. However, he hadn't yet found a place to verify this.
When Three Nine Secret Lodgings and spiritual fire eyes combined, a marvelous reaction occurred. Even if he didn't know the other person's birthdate, he could still discern their recent, more obvious fortunes, though not as detailed as calculations made with a known birthdate.
He had swallowed the Transcendence Pill yesterday, but there didn't seem to be any significant change, only that his spirit became very full. He could be full of energy sleeping only five hours a day, and his strength also seemed to have increased slightly.
Higashiyama Shin estimated that this pill was slowly working within his body, rather than taking effect all at once.
At least he could feel his body had gained some strength when he woke up this morning.
He glanced at the game's countdown on the screen; there were still over forty hours, roughly two days, until the next free game rotated in.
The game store and 'invite players' options were still grayed out and inaccessible, likely waiting for the new game to rotate in the day after tomorrow.
Even if the 'invite players' function became available, he wasn't planning to touch it for now. He couldn't predict what trouble or benefit this function might bring him, unless the obvious benefits outweighed the trouble. He would have to wait and see the game and its instructions.
The appearance of the game system completely overturned Higashiyama Shin's future plans, but he felt no anger, only amusement.
That's right, what's the point of a tranquil Tokyo?
Let him witness what unknown, lost secrets might be hidden in the dark side of this world.
...
The next morning.
When Dongshan Du woke up with dark circles under his eyes and walked out of his room, his older brother had already almost finished making breakfast and lunch bentos.
“Good morning, Ge.”
“Wash your hair quickly. Don’t be late on the first day of school.”
Higashiyama Shin didn't turn his head, frying eggs.
Dongshan Du quickly washed up, then dried his hair, and sat down at the dining table with renewed spirit.
Today's breakfast was homemade sandwiches, soy milk, and a salmon rice ball.
A complete mix of Western, Chinese, and Japanese.
“Ge, why are you up so early?” Dongshan Du asked, taking a break from devouring his food.
“If you go to bed early, you naturally wake up early,” Higashiyama Shin glanced at his dark circles, implying something.
In reality, he had woken up completely refreshed at five o'clock. He then went to the apartment's 24-hour gym, exercised for an hour, and got a preliminary assessment of his physical strength.
Then he came back, took a shower, and made bentos and breakfast. It was only just past seven o'clock now.
“I go to bed early but I can’t wake up early,” Dongshan Du complained. “Spring break is still too short. It would be great if it were a month long.”
Their school's spring break was fourteen days, with school starting today, April 4th, which was not short compared to most schools.
Halfway through eating, Dongshan Du suddenly slapped his forehead: “Isn’t Chiba Shion coming over today?”
“She went to her father’s place for spring break and hasn’t returned yet.”
“Chiba Shion is almost as busy as our dad. She’s truly a strong woman. But I definitely want to marry a wife who can wait for me at home, and who can cook. Someone who cooks… well, half as good as you, Ge, would be fine,” Dongshan Du sighed wistfully.
“Didn’t you say before you wanted to be a kept man? It would be great if your wife was a strong woman who earned money and you were a househusband,” Higashiyama Shin mercilessly exposed him.
“Th-that was last year! After much thought, I decided that a gentle girl is better. I can work hard to support the family in the future!” Dongshan Du argued.
What 'after much thought'? He's just shooting the arrow then drawing the target. This kid definitely went out on a date with his girlfriend last night.
Little fledglings whose 'little head' controls their 'big head' are like this.
When they break up someday, they'll cry and shout that love is a lie, and then they'll want to be kept men.
Young and unaware of the good life of being a kept man, mistaking cute girls for treasures.
After breakfast, the two brothers left the apartment.
Stepping out of the elevator, the first floor of the apartment building was a luxurious lobby, like a high-end hotel.
“...Eh, cookies have that kind of trick?”
“Of course! My best friend, who owns a bakery, told me… Oh dear, I got so caught up in chatting. I’m off to work now. Otsuka Natsuki, you can try the method I just mentioned when you have time.”
“Haha, I’ll try it tonight. Be careful on your way, Mrs. Ito~”
Otsuka Natsuki, the apartment manager, impeccably dressed in professional attire and with exquisite makeup, waved goodbye to the previous departing resident.
Then she turned around and happened to spot the Dongshan brothers. Her eyes lit up as if she had seen prey, and she jogged over, pinching Dongshan Du’s cheek.
“Dongshan-kun, are you going to school today? Be careful on your way. I heard there’s been a perverted molester on the subway recently, and he especially likes delicate young boys like you.”
“Otsuka Natsuki!” Dongshan Du struggled to break free, hiding behind Higashiyama Shin. “I’m in second year of junior high this year! Don’t pinch my face like I’m a little kid anymore.”
“Oh my, oh my, you were calling me ‘onee-san’ just a few days ago, and now I’m ‘obaa-san’. Dongshan Du really isn’t cute at all anymore,” Otsuka Natsuki put on a pitiful expression and looked at Higashiyama Shin. “Higashiyama Shin is still so handsome today. You must be very popular with girls at school, right? Such a wonderful youth...”
As she spoke, her hand began to reach out, but Higashiyama Shin politely and subtly dodged it.
“Ge! Let’s go, let’s go!” Dongshan Du dragged Higashiyama Shin and ran out of the apartment, otherwise Otsuka Natsuki would go crazy again.
Otsuka Natsuki dropped her pitiful expression and smiled as she watched the two brothers disappear into the distance, then retracted her gaze and turned to continue greeting and conversing with other departing residents.
Not far from the apartment was a subway entrance. From Komagome Station, they would take the subway to the next station, Hon-Komagome Station. After getting off, they would walk two or three hundred meters to Komagome Academy. This was an academy with both a junior high and a high school division on the same campus, and both Higashiyama Shin and Dongshan Du studied there.
Higashiyama Shin was in his first year of high school, and Dongshan Du was in his second year of junior high.
“Yo, Dongshan-kun!”
“Good morning, Dongshan-kun.”
“Ah, can you keep a bit of distance? Don’t call me ‘-chan’!”
“D-Dongshan-kun! Good morning!”
Higashiyama Shin greeted a few classmates he knew, then parted ways with Dongshan Du and walked towards the high school building.
After changing into his indoor shoes at the shoe locker, he passed several classrooms and arrived in front of his own class.
“First Year, Class Three...”
Before Higashiyama Shin even walked in, he felt the atmosphere was strange. Why was his class so quiet compared to the others?
Today was the first day of reporting. Students would gather in their classrooms first, and then, when the time came, they would go to the gymnasium for the opening ceremony. After that, they would receive their textbooks.
It meant there were no classes in the morning. Plus, with a new environment, students, whether they knew each other or not, would usually chat, so the atmosphere should have been relaxed and full of playful noise.
However, when his gaze fell upon the podium, he instantly understood everything.
Standing behind the podium was a fierce-looking man who looked less like a teacher and more like a relentless killer. Sunlight streamed in through the window, and his shadow was so large it almost completely covered the doorway.
Even his slightly loose formal wear couldn't conceal his robust, broad muscles. He held a document in his hand, likely the student roster, but he held it with the intimidating aura of someone preparing to rally troops for a war against a rival gang.
On the blackboard behind him was written: 【Homeroom Teacher Ikeda Rui】 【Email ***@yahoo.co.jp】 【Phone...】
Clearly, this was their class's 'homeroom teacher,' and he was a bit too tough.
The students who had arrived below were as silent as quails. Even when they spoke, they only dared to whisper, completely avoiding any eye contact with this Ikeda Rui, who resembled a yakuza boss.
“Ikeda Rui, do we need to sign in?” Higashiyama Shin asked as he approached the podium.
“Mm.” Ikeda Rui expressionlessly handed him the roster.
Higashiyama Shin took out his pen, found his spot, and signed his name. The roster was arranged according to seating, so he could also figure out where he was sitting.
Unfortunately, it wasn't the 'king's homeland,' but rather the front row by the window, practically right under the teacher's nose.
“It’s a pity, isn’t it?”
Behind Higashiyama Shin’s seat, Chiba Shion, who had been resting her chin on her hand and gazing out the window, looked at him. A faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on her naturally aloof and world-weary face.
“A little bit.”
However, Higashiyama Shin's spiritual fire eyes could see it.