[Please vote with the power stones; the more you vote, the more chapters will be published. Thank you.]
50 Power Stones = 1 bonus chapters.
100 Power Stones = 3 bonus chapters.
150 Power Stones = 5 bonus chapters.
------------------------
The next day.
Today was a rare day off.
Ryu had endured another night of trials in the Dream Space.
He had been in this world for over a year, and he had spent almost all his time dealing with basketball.
With nothing to do, Ryu decided to relax today—forget about training, forget about basketball, forget about everything.
His daily routine of going back and forth between home and school had accumulated a lot of pressure.
He decided to go out and explore, to appreciate the scenery of this world.
After washing up, he prepared a sumptuous breakfast.
After eating and drinking his fill, Ryu took Karupin out of the room.
The two of them wandered aimlessly through the streets.
Ryu looked at the map in his hand as he walked.
"How about we go for a walk by the beach?" Karupin didn't have any particular requests, so he suggested, "Whatever you want. This world is pretty much the same as my old one. If you want to explore, I have no objection."
Hearing Karupin's words, Ryu began searching for seaside entertainment venues on the map.
After a while, he pointed to a place on the map and said, "Ah, found it! Let's go here: Sunshine Beach Park."
In his previous life, Ryu couldn't see the sea at all.
Now that he had this opportunity, he naturally wanted to see it for himself.
"It's decided then. Let's go, Karupin." Karupin glanced at him, then leaped onto Ryu's shoulder.
Ryu carried him to the nearest subway station.
While getting his ticket checked, Ryu had Karupin sneak in while he successfully passed through.
Upon reaching the waiting area, Karupin returned to Ryu's side.
The whole operation was like that of a secret agent.
Shortly afterward, the sound of the subway arriving came from afar.
It was a weekend, so the crowd wasn't too large.
Ryu easily boarded the subway.
"Wait a minute..." Just then, a shout came from behind Ryu.
Ryu turned around.
Then he saw a blond boy rushing towards him from a distance.
His speed was no less than that of a 100-meter sprinter.
Just as the train doors were about to close and the alarm sounded, the blond boy finally dove into the train.
Looking at the figure about to bump into him, Ryu's eyelids twitched, and he quickly reached out to steady the blond-haired boy, preventing him from crashing into him.
"Thank you..." The blond-haired boy breathed a sigh of relief and quickly thanked Ryu.
Ryu looked at him with annoyance. "Can't you wait for the next train? That was dangerous!"
The blond-haired boy knew he had almost bumped into him, so he scratched his head and smiled sheepishly. "I'm so sorry, but it's almost time for work, and if I don't go, I'll be in big trouble."
Ryu raised an eyebrow. "Work? How old are you? About my age! What kind of company is so bold as to hire child labor?"
They were middle school students.
Japanese law is very strict about this; hiring child labor is a very serious matter.
"Huh? This... I think you've misunderstood," the blond-haired boy quickly explained. "The job I'm talking about isn't what you think. I'm a model."
A model? Ryu then looked the blond-haired boy up and down.
If he was a model, Ryu understood. Japanese law doesn't define the age of models; any age is acceptable. Even a newborn baby could be a model, and the government wouldn't interfere.
But why did this guy seem so familiar? A model? Blonde hair. Could this guy be Kise Ryota?! Ryu was utterly bewildered.
Who knew why he'd run into Kise Ryota—and in this way at that.
Ryu tentatively asked, "So you're a model. What's your name? You must be quite famous! I've never seen you before."
The blond boy was taken aback by Ryu's words, then explained helplessly, "My name is Kise Ryota. You can just call me Kise. I'm not a professional model; I just do it occasionally to earn some money. I'm still a student!"
'It really him,' Ryu looked at Kise Ryota meaningfully. 'What a small world.'
Kise Ryota saw the map in Ryu's hand and asked familiarly, "Friend, are you going to the beach too?"
Hearing Kise Ryota's question, Ryu nodded in reply. "Yes, I heard there's a Sunshine Beach Park there. I want to go check it out."
Hearing this, Kise Ryota's eyes lit up. "Really? What a coincidence! I'm also going there for a photoshoot. We're really destined."
Ryu's lips twitched, but he didn't say anything.
Suddenly, Kise Ryota noticed Karupin on Ryu's shoulder.
Three question marks popped up above his head.
"Huh?" Kise Ryota blinked innocently.
Karupin, on the other hand, glared at Kise Ryota with disdain.
This was the person who had startled him.
Looking at the other's face, the cat couldn't help but want to paw at him.
"Um, excuse me, is this cat your pet?"
"Yes, his name is Karupin." Ryu didn't need to hide this, so he admitted it directly.
Kise Ryota was a little confused. "Aren't pets not allowed on the subway? How did you bring him in?"
"Aren't you afraid of being discovered?"
Hearing Kise Ryota's question, Ryu looked left and right, then said nonchalantly, "No one's noticed yet, right?"
"Uh…" Kise Ryota was speechless.
He thought to himself, That's true.
Even if they were discovered now, it wouldn't matter.
However, this was the first time he had ever seen such an obedient pet, which he found quite rare.
The mention of cats reminded him of the rumor about the cat and the boy at school. "Speaking of which, there's a rumor about a cat and a boy at our school."
Ryu's eyelids twitched.
He could only sigh at this rumor.
He hadn't expected that the rumor about him would become such a well-known figure in the school.
A true legend.
Probably except for the first-string members of the basketball team, everyone would think that Ryu and Karupin were ghosts!
The two chatted back and forth the whole way.
Ryu didn't dislike people like Kise Ryota.
They lost track of time while chatting, and time seemed to fly by.
Several tens of minutes later, the train finally arrived at their destination.
The two walked out of the subway station together.
Kise Ryota, in a hurry, ran straight in one direction, waving back at Ryu as he ran. "I'm in a hurry, so I'll go ahead. Have fun!"
Ryu waved back.
He came here to have fun.
He breathed in the slightly salty air unique to the seaside.
A gentle breeze brushed against his face.
He heard the cries of seagulls and the surging waves.
Ryu felt all the fatigue and pressure accumulated over the year vanish.
He raised his hand to stroke Karupin, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Let's go, Karupin. Let's go see the ocean of this world."
Meanwhile, Kise Ryota, who had already run off, suddenly remembered something. "Oh no, I forgot to ask his name! Oh well, he's also going to Sunshine Beach Park. Maybe we'll run into him later."
----
Read 30 advanced chapters on Patreon (+ 3 chapters daily)
patreon.com/ayan41x
I hope everyone will subscribe to Patreon, your subscription is really means a lot to me.