Hayato wasn't familiar with Japan's internet, much less the relevant websites. So he could only go at it slowly, using a browser to search for Chiba-related news and then trying to find suitable users in the comments section to DM and ask for information.
The efficiency was pretty low, and not all users were willing to reply. Some ignored him completely, and others sent hostile responses.
A few hours later.
Hayato stood up to stretch his limbs and loosen his body. His joints popped satisfyingly.
"Work out to improve physical fitness, learn combat skills to increase fighting ability, and... firearms."
Guns and ammo might not necessarily work on anomalies, but they could definitely make potentially hostile humans calm down and actually listen to reason.
Thinking back to that middle-aged man at the love hotel, Hayato figured there'd be plenty more people reacting like that in the future. Fear made people dangerous.
"Second priority is money."
Hayato needed money for daily life and school. And to deal with the Death Game, he also needed money to buy specialized tools and equipment to improve his survival rate.
After eating and taking a quick shower, Hayato changed into his school uniform and headed to school.
Walking down the tree-lined path to Sobu High, Hayato gazed at the energetic female high school students ahead, feeling light and cheerful. Their laughter was infectious.
This was a completely different feeling from high school life in his previous world.
After entering the school gates and climbing the stairs, Hayato reached the floor where Class J was located. Just then, a cool, distant girl with long black hair walked toward him from the right side of the hallway with light, graceful steps. Her footsteps were almost silent.
Hayato didn't greet her. He figured even if he did say hello, she wouldn't respond anyway. Better to just say nothing. Save the awkwardness.
Soon enough, the bell rang for class to start.
The whole day passed without any special incidents. Just lectures, notes, and the quiet rhythm of school life.
Hayato left school, changed clothes, and headed to today's investigation target. Chiba Park.
"Around 9 PM, someone was taking a walk in the park and heard a mysterious female voice. Someone gathered the courage to search for it but found nothing. This happened three days in a row."
Hayato staked out from 8 PM until 10 PM without hearing any mysterious female voice. And naturally, there was no notification from the game either. Just silence and darkness.
"Hmm...."
Next up.
Hayato conducted on-site investigations based on other strange reports he'd found online. "Corpse moving at the crematorium" and "shrine statue that walks around."
The former supposedly involved a crematorium worker on night shift who saw a corpse stand upright and walk around. The worker got so scared that they ran away, but the next morning during the day, the body was lying right back in its original position.
The latter involved a shrine maiden who'd forgotten something and returned to the shrine after dinner to look for it, only to see a statue come to life and smile at her. The shrine maiden fainted on the spot and woke up in the middle of the night freezing, then fled the shrine.
But both investigations came up empty. No missions triggered whatsoever. Just dead ends.
Friday afternoon after school.
Hayato was once again invited to Hiratsuka's guidance counselor's office.
Hiratsuka, still in her signature white lab coat, looked at Hayato with exasperation. Dark circles under her eyes suggested she'd been up late grading papers.
"Haa, what have you been doing at night lately? You look exhausted, like you're not getting enough sleep."
"Well, about that..."
"Speak."
She cracked her knuckles, making a threatening sound.
Pop! pop! pop!
"Sensei, you know how it is. High school boys have those days..."
"The truth. Tell me the damn truth, kid, or you're getting my fist of justice."
"You won't hit me anyway, sensei."
"Oh?"
Hiratsuka supported herself with one hand as she stood up. Her eyes fixed on him, the corner of her mouth curving into a smile as she spoke slowly.
"Want to test that? See if I can actually hit you or not?"
"I'll pass. If you can't hit me, wouldn't that be embarrassing for you?"
Whoosh!
A fist cut through the air with surprising speed.
"Whoa! It's dangerous sensei!"
But it missed. Hiratsuka was genuinely shocked. Even though she'd consciously held back at the last second, he still dodged it? When did he get that fast?
"Aghhhh..."
Hayato immediately grabbed his stomach, his face turning pale as he made pained sounds. Overdramatic groaning.
"Hiratsuka-sensei... assaulting a student! Help... someone help!"
Hiratsuka: ???
"Don't you dare lie..."
She couldn't help but panic. She'd seen troublemaking students before, but never one who caused trouble like Hayato.
"Stop yelling, stop yelling. Fine, fine. Whatever you want, just say it. I'll grant it."
"I need a girlfriend."
"Find one yourself."
"I want the right to take a day off whenever I need to."
"..."
So that was his real objective. The whole act had been leading to this.
"Impossible."
But Hiratsuka didn't shut him down completely.
"If you have a proper reason, I can approve it."
Swoosh! Hayato dusted off his clothes like nothing had happened. Back to normal instantly.
"Sensei, thank you so much. I'll definitely study hard and aim high. I'll get first in our grade just for you to see."
"Hehe, if you can actually get first in the grade—no, top three! Then sure, I'll give you that privilege."
It wasn't that she didn't believe in Hayato. It was just that the gap between him and first place wasn't just a little bit. It was several tiers of difference.
After all, Yukinoshita Yukino had held the first-place position since enrollment, and even second place was fifteen points behind her in the most recent exam. That wasn't something just anyone could casually surpass.
"It's a promise then."
That's exactly what I was waiting for you to say!
Hayato extended his hand toward Hiratsuka. This made Hiratsuka wonder if she'd just been played by her student.
Could he... actually make it to the top three?
"It's a promise."
In the end, Hiratsuka figured she was overthinking it. No way he could jump that high.
Hayato left completely satisfied, a spring in his step.
Haha, what a delightful youth!