In this world, being an ordinary person is undeniably miserable.
Absolute power is in the hands of ninjas.
Civilians exist solely to support society through labor.
Food, livestock, goods...
And even then, they still face the risk of being caught in the wars between ninja villages.
Even a daimyo—
A ruler of a nation—can do nothing more than maintain a fragile, superficial sense of dignity in the face of powerful ninjas.
But now—
This dynamic might be starting to change.
Kitahara Yūki had clearly seen that possibility in the jars. That's why he resolutely decided to bet everything—for his own ambition.
Takuya, meanwhile, hadn't realized just how much impact he was already having.
After a good sleep in a soft bed, he bought a "heartfelt breakfast made by Erina Nakiri" from the system. Cost: 300 Trade Points.
Crazy expensive!
Even the now rich and smug Takuya had to complain.
Still—
It was stupidly delicious!
Now he finally understood why people say, "The happiness of the rich is unimaginable"—and if you've got a system? That's on a whole other level.
As the saying goes: when your belly's full, your mind starts wandering...
While enjoying his luxurious breakfast, Takuya suddenly had a flash of inspiration—could this "all-purpose system" sell him a top-tier anime chef?
He'd already looked up Ikaros from Heaven's Lost Property before.
The price? Ridiculous.
But what about someone like Erina Nakiri, just a normal chef?
Or other fictional characters?
Takuya dove into the system store.
Sure enough—she was there!
But just as he was getting excited, he noticed a little tag behind Erina's name: (Replica)
Description: Replica of the main heroine from Shokugeki no Soma, Erina Nakiri. Possesses all original memories, abilities, personality, and self-awareness. 100% loyalty.
So... buying a character doesn't mean pulling them from their world—it means the system creates a replica?
Takuya narrowed his eyes.
He distinctly remembered that Ikaros didn't have this tag.
He searched again.
And sure enough:
Description: Main heroine from Heaven's Lost Property, original version. Upon purchase, she will disappear from her original world. Automatically bonds with the buyer. Initial loyalty: 90%. Abilities include...
So Ikaros is the real deal—not a replica?
Why the difference?
Takuya ran a rapid-fire search through other familiar characters:
Misaka Mikoto, Kurumi Tokisaki, Asuna, Daisy Johnson (Quake), Black Widow, Jean Grey...
All replicas.
What was the pattern?
Curiosity flaring, Takuya seriously started thinking about what separates Ikaros from the others and listed the potential variables.
He came up with a theory.
To test it, he searched for one more character:
Violet Evergarden.
Two results popped up:
Violet (Child Version)
Violet (Adult Replica)
"So that's it…"
Takuya murmured, his eyes gleaming. He'd figured it out.
Violet's origins as a child are unclear—used as a weapon on the battlefield, she obeyed orders and bonded with whoever commanded her. But as an adult, after meeting the male lead, she developed self-awareness.
Exactly.
The key difference is: whether or not the character can "form a master bond."
Only characters that can bond with a master can be brought over in original form. Those who can't—or who have too much independent will—can only be purchased as replicas.
This also suggested—
The system probably can't directly control someone's mind.
Takuya tried commissioning a custom item.
Sure enough—
You could buy Professor X's abilities. You could buy "Kotoamatsukami" (Shisui's brainwashing genjutsu). But you couldn't directly create an item that strips someone of free will.
"As expected of an 'all-purpose' system… not an 'omnipotent' one."
Takuya popped the last piece of cake into his mouth, stretching out in his seat.
Clearly, this system had a lot of hidden rules.
But there was no need to rush to figure them all out.
Right now—
He wanted to buy a pet. Something cute to keep him company.
Since he was alone in this "nonexistent room," Takuya let out an unrestrained, mischievous laugh and quickly found the perfect "product" in the system.
Price: 3.3 million Trade Points. And it's the original!
Bought!
A flash of light—and a figure appeared on his table.
"Meow~"
A soft, almost sultry purr.
"Whoa, insanely cute." Takuya couldn't help but reach out and gently stroke her soft little body.
"Meow." Another delicate, gentle sound.
The little fluffball rubbed her head against Takuya's arm, affectionate and cozy.
That's right—
Takuya had bought a real, proper pet: a snow-white baby kitten.
Glittering amethyst eyes, flawless white fur with not a speck of dirt, silky and smooth, little pink toe beans, and a round, squishy belly. Easily the kind of kitten that could explode online with just one cute video.
Her name: Himari.
From Omamori Himari, the cat-demon heroine.
Of course, this was her childhood form—before meeting the male lead.
Thanks to her yokai lineage, she inherited extreme loyalty, making her capable of forming a master bond even in her original state. So she could be purchased as a non-replica.
Takuya had always wanted to raise a cute little kitten, but never had the time.
Now, finally—wish granted.
And...
He remembered a meme he'd seen online and couldn't help laughing again.
Too bad he couldn't post it anywhere now.
Otherwise, he'd totally flex:
"My cat can literally evolve into a catgirl waifu. Can yours?"
"Alright, Himari. Let's go make some money so I can buy you the best dried fish."
Takuya stood up, suddenly full of energy again.
"Meow~!"
Himari didn't quite understand what he said—but she knew her master was going somewhere.
With a flurry of little paws, she climbed up his sleeve and curled up on his shoulder like a little ball of fluff, gently rubbing her face against his neck, all warm and snuggly.
Still just a kitten—
But way stronger than a normal cat. No risk of her falling off.