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The address of the new home was still in the suburbs, and led by Ganju and Kin'en, the group arrived at another suburban area.
Because he often traveled around Rukongai West, Ishikawa Katori was extremely familiar with it. If he wasn't mistaken, this should be the wilderness between the west and north, roughly in the area between sections 3-5 horizontally.
Is it for peace and quiet?
Ishikawa Katori couldn't help but complain internally. It's important to know that there was very little interaction between the four parts of Rukongai—east, south, west, and north. Places between two areas were even less populated. Living here felt like living in a suburban villa, where even buying groceries would require a half-hour drive...
"Hey, it's just ahead," Ganju, who was leading the way, suddenly pointed forward.
Ishikawa Katori looked in the direction he pointed, seeing the familiar giant chimney and familiar low-rise house, which looked almost identical to the previous one.
However, on both sides of the front of the house, there were two arms taller than the house, holding a banner with the four large characters 'Shiba Kūkaku' written on it!
"So it's here."
Although he had seen it a few times through a cold screen, when this building with an overwhelming presence appeared in reality, it still made Ishikawa Katori's eyebrows twitch, and a sense of admiration spontaneously arose.
"Unique."
After much thought, Ishikawa Katori could only use this word to describe the overflowing admiration in his heart.
"Right? I thought about this for a long time before I came up with it," a woman's voice said. Looking in the direction of the voice, a black-haired beauty walked over from a nearby house.
From her appearance alone, she looked to be in her twenties. Her right arm was severed at the elbow, wrapped in bandages, and her left arm, tattooed with the character 'Kū,' held a pipe. Her face was beautiful, her figure graceful, and the revealing nature of her attire, along with her pectorals, gave Ishikawa Katori the feeling that she could roll over at any moment and slap him with a fan... The colors of her clothes were almost identical.
The moment he saw her, information about her flooded Ishikawa Katori's mind.
Shiba Kūkaku, the current head of the Shiba clan.
The foremost fireworks master in Rukongai. Although not a Shinigami, her strength was extraordinary, and she was exceptionally skilled in Kido.
"Are you Ishikawa Katori?"
Kukaku came before them, sized up Ishikawa Katori, and laughed heartily, "The owner of the tobacco shop in District 3 that I frequent often mentions you to me. She says you're helpful, and even after your shop's business improved, you still help her out in your free time. My ears are practically calloused from hearing about it."
The tobacco shop owner in District 3?
A kind-faced old woman immediately came to Ishikawa Katori's mind—Granny Yuzu. She was one of the few people whose favorability towards Ishikawa Katori exceeded 50. She was gentle and often entrusted Ishikawa Katori with harvesting tobacco leaves for her.
"Granny Yuzu is too kind," Ishikawa Katori said earnestly. "If anything, I'm the one who often receives her care. She's introduced many tobacco shop customers to me."
This was truly from his heart. The reason Everything Store could acquire so many customers in such a short time was due to the spontaneous help from Rukongai residents who had a good impression of him.
This also allowed Ishikawa Katori to experience a warmth he had never felt before, further solidifying his belief that his idea of 'exchanging sincerity for sincerity' was not wrong.
Compared to methods of deceiving others for favorability, approaching people with the mindset of 'making friends with sincerity' allowed Ishikawa Katori to feel his own transformation more profoundly.
Perhaps...
This was the so-called 'only after dying can one change.' Although Ishikawa Katori didn't even know how he died, or why he inexplicably ended up in Rukongai.
Kukaku looked at the genuine expression on Ishikawa Katori's face, laughed heartily, and patted Ishikawa Katori's shoulder: "You're a good kid, much more sensible than my Ganju."
Ishikawa Katori suppressed his instinct to dodge and couldn't help but sigh. It seemed both siblings really liked patting people's shoulders.
Perhaps it was the condescending nature of such actions that made people uncomfortable, or perhaps his 'semi-social phobia' nature made him unaccustomed to such intimate contact. In any case, Ishikawa Katori didn't like people patting his shoulder, nor did he like patting others' shoulders.
['Shiba Kūkaku' Favorability +1, gained 300 experience points]
Huh?
Ishikawa Katori was stunned, staring blankly at Kukaku in front of him.
A favorability increase from 0 to 1 actually yielded 300 experience points. Didn't that mean if Kukaku's favorability towards him reached 9 points, he would gain 2700 experience points?
This was equivalent to the total experience points provided by 6 or 7 Rukongai residents with 60 favorability towards Ishikawa Katori.
And this was just the experience gained from 1-9. It was important to note that for every ten points of favorability gained, the experience points would double.
Kukaku looked at the dazed Ishikawa Katori and waved her hand in front of his eyes: "Hey, kid, what's wrong?"
"Ah, nothing."
Ishikawa Katori quickly shook his head, a signature gentle smile appearing on his face, ready to continue getting closer to Kukaku.
However...
Kukaku didn't give him the chance. After greeting Ishikawa Katori, she stretched and walked towards the small house, saying as she went, "I haven't finished building downstairs yet. You can just leave the things you moved outside. Kin'en, stay here and watch them."
...The smile on Ishikawa Katori's face stiffened.
Indeed, making friends wasn't that simple.
1 point of favorability was basically the same as having none, roughly equivalent to a stranger you've met once and have a slight impression of.
And to be fair, Kukaku was the employer, and Ishikawa Katori was the one working for money. For Kukaku, as the head of a noble family, to even converse with Ishikawa Katori for a few sentences could be considered giving him a lot of face.
However, Ishikawa Katori wasn't discouraged. Instead, he looked at Ganju beside him and reached out to pat his shoulder.
"???" Ganju.
"How about I be your underling when you don't have a request? No charge!" Ishikawa Katori said with a serious expression.
Although Ishikawa Katori's policy was to make friends with sincerity, he still needed an opportunity. And since the other party was someone as powerful and high-status as Shiba Kūkaku, why would she, a noble family head, be friends with Ishikawa Katori, a mere resident of Rukongai?
Previously, Ishikawa Katori's chosen targets relied on opportunity. In short, when the other party was in need, he would proactively step forward to help. After getting acquainted, he would then continuously interact to increase favorability.
So, he had never deliberately approached anyone; he had always met and befriended people through serendipitous encounters.
Now that he wanted to proactively make friends, he naturally couldn't rely on this method.
Moreover, even if the Shiba family had fallen, they still possessed a rich foundation. They weren't short on money or manpower, and Shiba Kūkaku herself was terrifyingly strong. It would be almost impossible to find an opportunity to increase favorability by helping Kukaku.
This left Ishikawa Katori with only one path: first, build a good relationship with Ganju, and then work hard to increase his presence in front of Kukaku.
Normally, even neighbors who see each other often will gradually become familiar. If he built enough presence, he should be able to increase her favorability by a few points, right?
"Really?"
Although he was puzzled why Ishikawa Katori suddenly became more enthusiastic, when he heard that Ishikawa Katori could be his underling and wouldn't charge, he immediately cast aside his doubts and patted his chest, saying:
"This choice is definitely the wisest one you've ever made in your life. From now on, if you encounter any trouble, just mention my name, 'Shiba Ganju,' and I guarantee I'll help you resolve all your problems!"
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