Having finalized the plan for his adventure in the otherworld, Ryu did not set off immediately, as there were many preparations to be made.
Furthermore, having just returned from Cyberpunk, he needed to live a normal life for a while to adjust his body and mind—for instance, going to school. To him, attending school was simply a hobby.
However, to be honest, he was actually quite looking forward to Delicious in Dungeon. After all, it featured an orthodox Western fantasy worldview, with a setting that was exceptionally rigorous and royal—classic—among Japanese works.
(The humor comes from Laios, who, much like Kazuma, dilutes the work's heavy atmosphere with his eccentric train of thought.)
If nothing else, relying on his [All-Attribute] talent, he could learn magic once he got there!
This was also why he only selected two top-tier talents this time, rather than taking the more practical basic spells—if he could learn them on his own, there was no need to spend money buying them.
The combat power levels in Delicious in Dungeon weren't particularly high, but the intrinsic value of the magic within it was certainly not low.
"Lord Ryu, I will take my leave here then."
"You've worked hard with all the field duty these past few days. For the next month, aside from establishing the [Blue Dream Group], there shouldn't be much to do. That is a long-term project, so there's no need to rush. Take a good rest and just take it slow."
"I understand." Ruri smiled beautifully. "I hope you will be considerate of yourself as well."
Ryu waved his hand nonchalantly. The two parted ways at the shoe lockers, each heading to their respective classrooms.
There wasn't much to say about the classes themselves, though the teachers and classmates were somewhat surprised to see Ryu, who had come for a rare, symbolic appearance after a long absence.
Setting aside the awe inspired by the name "Kuse" and Ryu himself, he was actually something of a campus legend here. First, he frequently skipped class; second, he disliked participating in collective activities and almost never went to the cafeteria. Many first-year students knew he was enrolled at Shuchiin Academy but had never actually seen him with their own eyes.
However, Ryu's presence was intense, and legends he left behind were everywhere:
Juniors in the sports clubs only needed to look at the trophy case to find Kuse Ryu's name or photograph. During his first year of high school, he had successively joined nine clubs and led his teammates to conquer various tournaments within a single year, achieving dazzling results in both individual and team events.
Seven national-level tournament trophies and medals: four gold, three silver;
Reaching the summit of Koshien and seizing the Crimson Banner;
Thirteen various honors at the World School Sport Games, though few were championships; most ended in the finals;
That year, his life consisted of preparing for battle after battle and rushing to the next venue, even giving people the impression that "he never actually went home." He led the club members to victory after victory, yet once obtained, he discarded the awards into the trophy case like worn-out shoes, as if he were only enjoying the process of the challenge and had no interest in the fruits of victory.
If not for scheduling conflicts between the various events, his record would have been even more astonishing!
It seemed there was nothing he couldn't do. With what could be called infinite stamina and a physique that almost never suffered injury, he completed high-intensity schedules that even professional athletes couldn't sustain. That perfect, superhuman figure was simply like the great hero Heracles from Greek mythology!
—Then, right when his popularity was at its peak, he withdrew from all clubs. No matter how much others lamented or tried to persuade him, he remained unmoved, acting as if he simply didn't care at all.
Without a doubt, he became a legend!
Many in the school feared his "notoriety," but an even greater number admired or even worshipped his retreating figure—and these two groups overlapped significantly.
People's perceptions of him were truly complex, but one thing was certain:
His prestige and rallying power were unparalleled!
Even if he truly were a greedy and vicious villain or an ambitious warlord, if he wanted to do something—such as running for Student Council President—many would still support him, even if they didn't really understand Ryu.
For the Japanese, while gekokujo might be second nature, following the strong is a matter of course, especially after Ryu displayed such dominating ability and spirit.
The current Student Council President, Shirogane Miyuki, as a plain-folk external student, had to adopt the same method to win the crowd—using ability and actual achievements to silence others.
It was just that his dominance lay in academics (firmly standing in the national top three or even taking first place), and wasn't quite as outrageous as Ryu's~
By the way, Ryu himself didn't care much about things like national mock exams. If there was a time conflict with other matters, he would simply skip the exam, and he had things to do almost every day...
In fact, Ryu didn't care about honor, just as he didn't care about money. The reason he went so crazy was actually to find "sports anime characters."
He didn't pay much attention to sports anime. Aside from the famous Slam Dunk, "Murder Tennis", and Hanebado!, he hadn't seriously watched any (and hadn't even finished the latter two), so he didn't know much about the characters.
In order not to miss out on these treasures and to increase the probability of meeting characters, Ryu chose the most direct method:
Participating in competitions!
...But the results were minimal.
He went on a rampage in the arena, yet his wallet rarely saw any income.
First, the settings of many sports anime are limited to within a prefecture or region. Those aiming for nationals might not necessarily make it, and even if they go, they might not reach the finals.
Second, sports anime characters are concentrated in high school age. The period when their "destiny power" is strongest is only a year or two; if they are slightly older or younger, it is very easy for Ryu to miss them.
Third, sports anime focuses on "Friendship, Effort, Victory"—even more hot-blooded than shonen battle anime!
The characters within are practically all the type to quit the team and then achieve enlightenment in adversity, maximizing their mental attributes. One or two wins or losses are common in their careers of struggle; even if they lose, they will continue on their life trajectories just the same.
Of course, if Ryu really went in aiming to beat people to death like in a certain tennis anime, more gold coins might have dropped...
Today's P.E. class involved physical fitness tests. Ryu, as usual, did not participate on the grounds of "not feeling well." The teacher had no objections, feeling that there was truly no need for Ryu to waste time on such things.
He walked out of the gymnasium and wandered around. Since going to the playground would easily attract the gazes of admirers, he strolled over to the warehouse area, where he unexpectedly saw an acquaintance.
It was a girl wearing the Shuchiin Middle School uniform, holding a stack of cardboard boxes that just peeked over the top of her head. She was moving forward gingerly. Although only a slender back was visible, that unique hair color was enough for Ryu to recognize her.
"...Kei-chan? What are you doing?"
"Eh?"
The silver-haired girl in the white sailor suit turned her head in surprise at the sound. As a result of this movement, her balance was somehow disrupted. The cardboard boxes, which weren't very stable to begin with, began to totter, taking her down backwards with them.
"Wah, wait!"
"Careful!"
Kei leaned back against a soft yet solid chest. One large hand reached over the girl's head to press down on the topmost box, while the other wound around her waist to support the back of Kei's hand. With these three points of support—top, bottom, and rear—both the person and the boxes were stabilized.
Still in shock, Kei looked up. Because she was leaning too close, she couldn't see the other person's face clearly, but she could feel the body warmth coming from her hand and behind her. For some reason, it gave her a sense of reassurance, especially after hearing that familiar voice.
"Are you alright?"
"...Mn," the girl hurriedly lowered her head, her fair skin flushing slightly red. "I'm fine, Kuse-senpai."
________________________________________
Get rewarded for helping with our community goals!
🎯 Reward for all: +1 bonus chapter at 50 Powerstones.
🚀 Tier Reward: Help us reach 20 members for +5 chapters on all stories!
👻 Join the crew by searching Ms. Medusa on (P). You know the spot! 😉