[Learning... Skill acquired]
A game notification popped up in front of him.
Natsuki silently opened his character panel, looking at the newly added golden skill icon, and clenched his fist with satisfaction.
A string of three Golden Skill skills: [Time Stop], [My Descendants Are The Strongest In The World], plus the newly acquired [Quantum Entanglement]. Just looking at them made him feel happy.
Indeed, everyone has a collecting habit and is an achievement hunter.
"Time to eat."
Natsuki walked out of his room and headed to the hotel restaurant.
"Good morning, Senpai!"
As soon as he arrived at the restaurant, two clear, bright, and energetic shouts came over.
Natsuki looked in the direction of the sound and saw two junior high school girls happily waving from not far away. It was Moeha and Ayaka. Next to Moeha was also secretary Chika.
"Good morning."
Natsuki stepped towards the junior high school girls, greeted them simply, and then said:
"How did you rest last night?"
Ayaka's face was flushed as she said:
"Very well! Finally, I don't have to be monitored twenty-four hours a day. Last night, I hugged Moeha-chan and slept until dawn."
Natsuki smiled and nodded, then looked at secretary Chika:
"Chika, good morning."
"Cough... Good morning, President."
Chika's gaze was slightly unfocused, and she looked elsewhere with a blush.
Last night, she had a terrible dream.
In the dream, everyone went on a trip to a small island, and then for some unknown reason, everyone on the entire island disappeared. She ran out of the room alone, searching everywhere for people, and finally found the President and Hayasaka on the beach by the sea.
Many details from that period were unclear, but some details were exceptionally clear and vivid.
For example, she took off her pajamas and sunbathed nude on the beach.
For example, she asked the President to help her apply sunscreen.
For example, while she was swimming, the President secretly taken advantage of Hayasaka.
And for example, she curiously peeked, was caught by the President, and then pressed onto Hayasaka...
It wasn't until she woke up in the morning that Chika realized it was just a dream. She then quickly slipped into the bathroom and secretly changed her underwear.
Ahhh!
Why did she have such a terrible dream?
Now she couldn't look at the President and Hayasaka directly at all!
But... was it really just an ordinary dream?
Chika was a little suspicious.
Generally speaking, dreams wouldn't be so clear, and after waking up, they would quickly be forgotten completely.
Moreover, the President has a skill that is related to dreams...
Chika wanted to ask Hayasaka for confirmation but felt too embarrassed, so she kept hesitating.
"Eh?" Moeha tilted her head and asked curiously, "Why does Senpai look so happy?"
Natsuki glanced at secretary Chika and smiled:
"Because I had a good dream last night."
"Eh? Eh? Eh?"
Chika looked up in surprise, her pretty face instantly flushing.
The President had a good dream last night?
Could it be the same dream she had?
Playing a Tetris game with herself and Hayasaka stacked together, of course the President would be happy!
Moeha asked curiously:
"Eh, what dream did Senpai say?"
Natsuki said nonchalantly:
"I'll tell you when we eat together."
"Mm-hmm." Moeha quickly nodded and chattered, "Senpai, Senpai, the tamagoyaki in the hotel tastes really good, don't miss it."
Natsuki said:
"Get me a portion."
"I'll get it." Ayaka quickly volunteered, "Heave-ho! ~"
...
As they spoke, Kaguya and Hayasaka also appeared in the restaurant.
The group simply greeted each other, then chose their breakfast together, and then walked to a corner of the restaurant to sit down.
The hotel restaurant operates on a twenty-four-hour buffet model, with everything imaginable: fruits, seafood, desserts, wagyu beef, etc. The main theme is extravagance and luxury, because in this era, food, like video games, is the cheapest way to get dopamine.
"Ai-chan." Chika thought about it more and more and felt that something was wrong. While eating, she sat directly next to Hayasaka and whispered in her ear, "There's something I want to ask you..."
Hayasaka said calmly:
"What is it?"
"It's just that..." Chika pursed her lips and whispered with a blush, "Did you... have a strange dream last night?"
Hayasaka picked up an octopus ball, put it into her mouth, her face showing no hint of abnormality:
"Last night, I felt like I had many dreams, but they were all very ordinary, and I forgot all of them as soon as I woke up... Chika-chan, why are you asking this?"
"It's nothing." Chika coughed twice and quietly breathed a sigh of relief, "Eat, eat!"
Because it was a subconscious dream, Chika only remembered being super obedient in the dream, doing almost whatever she was told. Such a shameful and terrible dream, it was fine if she knew it, but she absolutely didn't want anyone else to know!
"President, you're done for."
After fooling Chika, Hayasaka looked up at Natsuki, her eyes instantly filled with murderous intent.
Death sentence!
Even Kaguya can't save you!
If he dares to put her and Chika together in a dream today, he'll dare to put her and Kaguya together in reality tomorrow!
You want to eat a rice bowl, huh?
Let's see whose bones are harder, or whose axe is harder!
Moeha's voice was clear as she said:
"Senpai, Senpai, what dream did you have last night that makes you so happy even now?"
Hearing this, the girls all looked up.
Natsuki picked up a napkin, wiped his mouth, and then spoke nonsense with a straight face:
"Last night, I dreamed that I won the first prize in the lottery, and then I forced myself to wake up and wrote down the winning numbers on a piece of paper. When I win the first prize, I'll treat you all to a big meal at a barbecue restaurant to celebrate."
"Eh, is that all?" Moeha blinked, "The numbers in a dream aren't reliable at all, are they?"
Ayaka raised her hand and said:
"I've had a similar experience. Once, I had a dream where I seemed to learn the truth and ultimate principles of the universe. I was super sleepy at the time, but I still forced myself to wake up and record the cosmic truth I dreamed of on my phone."
"As a result, when I woke up the next morning and looked, the content on my phone was actually 'I declare that snail noodles are the best in the world.' I was speechless at the time."
"How is that possible!"
Ayaka complained:
"Snail noodles, I've never eaten that kind of thing. I've only seen others eat it on NicoNico. Many mukbangers gagged and wanted to throw up. I heard it smells super stinky, so it must be very unpalatable and horrible, right?"
"Dreams are indeed like this: illogical and fragmented." Kaguya picked up a fruit bowl, and while eating fruit, she looked up at Natsuki and said softly, "...So, why is the President happy?"
Dreaming of lottery numbers, perhaps some people might actually buy lottery tickets according to their dream the next morning, but most people quickly forget about it.
Natsuki being so happy now certainly isn't for that reason.
"The Kaguya saw through it..."
Natsuki intertwined his fingers and smiled:
"This morning, while washing my face and brushing my teeth, I casually bought a Blind Box, and then..."
Chika asked curiously:
"Did the President get something good?"
Natsuki shook his head:
"There were only two hair ties in the Blind Box, not good stuff."
Hayasaka crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow:
"And then?"
"Then…" Natsuki smiled, "Then, in the rotating mall, I found a new Golden Skill."
"Eh eh eh?" Chika's eyes lit up, and she asked expectantly, "Has the President mastered a new Golden Skill skill?"
"..."
Snap.
Natsuki raised his right hand and snapped his fingers lightly, and the skill panel appeared out of thin air.
Shinomiya, Chika, and Hayasaka all gazed over, and soon saw a new golden skill icon on the skill panel.
[Skill: Quantum Reversal]
[Level: Golden Skill]
[Type: Active Skill]
[Attribute: All things in the world exist in quantum. In the quantum realm, good and bad can be redefined. In short, whenever you are affected by a negative status, you can convert the negative status into a positive buff through quantum interference.]
[Note: I am the Quantum Entanglement Deity!]
"It really is a Golden Skill!" Chika's eyes sparkled, and she said in surprise, "The President is too lucky, isn't he?"
This is not just luck; strength is equally indispensable.
Other players have seen Golden Skill skills in the mall, but without exception, they are all sky-high prices, visible but unaffordable. If he didn't have enough game coins, even if a Golden Skill appeared, he wouldn't be able to buy it.
Hayasaka pursed her lips and said softly:
"Judging by the skill description, it seems to be a support skill?"
Kaguya thought more deeply and said softly:
"Although it's a support skill, its ability seems quite powerful... President, can it reverse negative statuses for other players?"
"I don't know." Natsuki shook his head, "I only mastered this skill when I was washing my face and brushing my teeth this morning. The specific effects need to be explored and researched."
"Let's test it now, shall we?" Chika rested her right hand on her chin, pondered for a few seconds, and then quickly said, "I've got it!"
"The President can grow Sin Mushrooms!"
"When the mushroom explodes, it's a completely negative status, isn't it?"
"..."
"Sister, sister." Chika said anxiously, "What are you talking about? Why don't I understand at all?"
Chika waved her hand and said:
"The President has mastered a Golden Skill-level skill, and we are discussing it."
Moeha clenched her fists and said:
"Senpai, I can't see."
Natsuki stretched out his right hand and subconsciously stroked Moeha's head:
"You're not a player, so of course you can't see."
During their casual chat before bed last night, Ayaka already knew about the existence of "players," so there was no need to hide anything.
The two junior high school girls looked envious: "I really want to become a 'player' too."
It was the age when they loved to fantasize the most, and once they came into contact with supernatural powers, they naturally yearned for it.
Unfortunately, the game has a lot of integrity, and so far, it has not recruited players under the age of fifteen.
Natsuki comforted them:
"You are too young. We'll talk about it when you grow up a bit."
"Where am I small?" Ayaka retorted in a low voice, "Moeha-chan is clearly already flat E."
Natsuki's gaze became subtle upon hearing this, sweeping over Moeha, and he subconsciously nodded in agreement.
I have to say.
The Fujiwara's genes are excellent. Although Moeha is only a junior high student, she already possesses a flat E chest at a young age. In time, she might even be more chesty than Chika.
"Who wants to grow Sin Mushroom?"
Chika asked.
Hayasaka and Kaguya said in unison:
"Of course, whoever suggested it grows the mushroom."
One of them often grows jealousy mushrooms, and the other is a lust mushroom, so of course they don't want to lose face in front of the junior high students.
"Then I'll do it." Chika took the initiative and turned her head, "President, plant a mushroom on me."
"Mm."
Natsuki extended his right hand and planted a mushroom on Chika's head.
"Senpai, senpai." Moeha looked over expectantly, "We want to grow Sin Mushrooms too."
Natsuki waved his hand and said:
"Children shouldn't join in the fun."
Moeha puffed out her pink cheeks and said:
"I'm not a child, I'm going to high school tomorrow!"
Natsuki said:
"Then wait until you go to high school."
"..."
Hayasaka rested her right hand on her chin and said softly beside him:
"What about the side effects of the potion, can they be reversed?"
Natsuki shook his head and said:
"I don't know, but we can experiment. The side effects of skills, the side effects of equipment, strange side effects, the side effects of potions, the side effects on other people... So many things need to be slowly verified."
After breakfast.
Because they had to verify the effect of the new skill "Quantum Entanglement," everyone did not go home but returned to the hotel room.
"President, isn't it about time?"
Chika asked eagerly.
Natsuki said:
"The mushroom isn't fully mature yet..."
"I don't want it to be fully mature!" Chika complained, "I don't know if the new skill is useful yet. If it's not, won't I gain three kilos?"
"Alright, you decide."
Natsuki raised his right hand and snapped his fingers lightly.
Snap.
The mushroom on Chika's head suddenly exploded, and the sin of gluttony began to sweep through her body.
"So, so hungry..." Chika quickly clutched her stomach, pitifully saying, "I feel like I haven't eaten for three days and then ran a marathon. My whole stomach is rebelling... Pre-President, hurry up!"
Natsuki stepped forward half a step, extended his right hand, and pressed his fingers on secretary Chika's forehead, then used "Quantum Entanglement," and quickly received good news.
"Quantum Entanglement" can not only reverse negative statuses on himself but also on others, but there are limitations.
If it is to reverse a negative status for another person, only one negative status can be reversed at a time. If it is used on oneself, then all negative statuses can be reversed.
"Hmm..."
Chika's body trembled slightly, and she quickly released her hands, looking down at her stomach in surprise:
"Eh, my stomach suddenly isn't hungry anymore."
Kaguya pondered:
"Did it just eliminate the side effect?"
"Of course not!" Chika put her hands on her hips, feeling like she was back in action, and opened her character panel, saying, "A new beneficial buff has appeared in my character status."
"What is it?"
Hayasaka looked over curiously.
"...Generosity?"
[You have gained the virtue buff 'Generosity.']
[Give a rose, and your hand retains the fragrance. One should have a generous heart. Whenever you give gifts to others, you will feel happy and quickly recover a certain amount of mental power. The recovery limit is your maximum mental power limit.]
[Current buff duration: Sixty minutes.]
Clearly, this is the power of the Golden Skill skill.
If it only relieved negative statuses, it wouldn't be particularly special; similar purification skills could also do it. But transforming negative statuses into buffs is unique.
Hayasaka folded her arms across her chest and said:
"Being able to quickly restore mental power, the buff is quite good."
Players in the instance are basically in a constant state of tension, with almost no time to relax and rest. Physical hunger is easy to alleviate, but mental fatigue is invisible and intangible, difficult to eliminate. Therefore, many players who clear instances and return to the real world use various methods to vent their stress.
Natsuki pondered:
"Virtue buff... Is this using quantum entanglement to transform the negative buffs of the Seven Deadly Sins into the Seven Heavenly Virtues?"
"I know, I know." Moeha raised her right hand and said, "The so-called Seven Heavenly Virtues are chastity, diligence, generosity, humility, kindness, temperance, and tolerance."
"Correct answer." Natsuki praised without hesitation, "One hundred points."
"Eh heh~"
Ayaka immediately became happy.
Kaguya raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and said softly:
"Generally speaking, the sin of gluttony should correspond to temperance, but Chika's buff is generosity. It seems it's not a very strict quantum reversal."
"Chika-chan~ Here you go."
Chika patted her pocket and pulled out a cherry tomato, apparently a leftover snack from breakfast, and said expectantly, "Let me try the effect of the buff."
"...Thank you."
Kaguya reached out and took the cherry tomato.
"The feeling is here." Chika's eyes lit up, and she quickly said, "I feel like my mind has suddenly cleared up a bit, but... it doesn't seem very obvious? It's not as strong as the hunger from the Seven Deadly Sins of Gluttony."
Natsuki said from the side:
"Is there a possibility... that your mental state is already very good, so the buff's effect isn't obvious?"
"What the President said makes a lot of sense." Chika subconsciously nodded, "Staying together with everyone, and eating so much delicious food together, the sun is bright outside, and the weather is good. I'm really happy today."
"..."
"In any case, it's good news." Natsuki clapped his hands and said, "Since it can be used to reverse negative statuses on other players, then the side effects of items or potions can probably also be reversed... But this might not be the correct way to use quantum reversal."
"Eh?" Chika looked over curiously, "What does the President want to do?"
Natsuki said:
"I remember people on the player forums often complained that many skills have significant side effects, right?"
"That's right." Chika nodded, "There are actually many skills with side effects. For example, that gluttony skill I've always wanted to learn: if you get injured, you can consume body fat to quickly recover from injuries, but the side effect is that you have to eat a lot of food, and you'll definitely become very fat."
Don't even mention it, after so long, you're still thinking about it. How obsessed are you girls with your weight!
Natsuki looked at Kaguya and Hayasaka, and said softly:
"Next, let's look through the skill database, specifically for skills with significant side effects, the bigger the better."
Kaguya nodded gently and said:
"What the President said makes a lot of sense."
Ordinary players only dream of hitting the jackpot and turning their bicycles into motorcycles, hoping for the blessing of the Goddess of Luck to open high-level skills from blind boxes, but experienced players can already choose for themselves, directly copying and learning any skills they fancy from other players using Replication Scrolls.
Most players register their mastered skills with the Strange Tales Management Bureau when they sign up, though, of course, some choose to hide their abilities, but they are ultimately a minority.
With Natsuki's current strength level, plus his relationship with Mitsui, checking the skill database is a breeze and he won't encounter any difficulties.
However, there's no need to rush this matter; the Lucky Coin hasn't finished charging, so he naturally can't use the Replication Scrolls haphazardly, or he might lose everything. Skill selection and communication with players all take time.
The group greeted Mitsui and then left the Strange Tales Management Bureau headquarters together, each returning home.
"The next thing to do is..."
Natsuki took out his phone and opened his to-do list notepad.
"It's to give the Skin Card to Yukino."
No sooner said than done.
Natsuki directly sent a message to Yukino:
"Yukino, are you free?"
The message quickly showed as read.
Yukino: "Is something wrong?"
Natsuki: "Can't I look for you if nothing's wrong?"
Yukino: "No."
Natsuki said righteously: "Haruno-nee officiated our wedding! Even though we don't have a marriage certificate, in the eyes of relatives and friends, we're a legitimate newlywed couple. Why can't I come to see you?"
Yukino: "I'm sorry, that dark history was too terrible and has been permanently deleted from my mind."
Natsuki: "I thought Yukino was an upright and kind person, but I didn't expect her to be an abusive woman. Emotional abuse is scarier than physical abuse."
Yukino: "..."
If it were anyone else, faced with such a persistent and frivolous boy, Yukino would absolutely not hesitate. After a barrage of venomous words, she would directly block and delete him, never to see him again.
But facing Natsuki, Yukino found herself completely unable to be so decisive.
The reason is simple.
Once her body and soul had been left with an indelible mark by a certain boy, it was no longer possible to easily let go.
Natsuki chatted with Yukino via messages while boarding the train.
The journey was uneventful.
Half an hour later.
Natsuki had already arrived outside Yukino and Haruno's apartment.
Knock, knock, knock.
Natsuki raised his hand and knocked on the door:
"Mrs. Yukino, your delivery has arrived. Please accept it."