After returning to the weathered apartment building, Jack's first order of business was to establish a sense of domestic order. He headed straight into the compact kitchen, meticulously organizing his new groceries into the small, humming refrigerator. He placed the milk and eggs in their designated spots and stacked the frozen meals with the precision of a man who had spent too many years organizing spreadsheets.
By the time he finished, he had a kettle of water whistling on the stove. While he waited, he retreated to the bedroom to inspect his wardrobe. The system-provided identity had been thorough, the closet was filled with a versatile range of clothing, from casual tees and denim to a crisp, dark blazer for school. None of it was designer, but the quality was high, and the cut was perfect for his newly regressed fifteen-year-old frame.
"A fresh start in every sense of the word," Jack murmured, grabbing a set of clean pajamas.
The apartment building might have looked like a relic of the Shōwa era from the outside, but the plumbing was surprisingly efficient. A hot shower helped wash away the lingering cognitive dissonance of his "revival." As the steam filled the small bathroom, Jack allowed himself to relax, feeling the tension of a lifetime of corporate stress finally dissolving into the drain.
Stepping out and drying his hair, he returned to the kitchen. The kettle was rattling now, a plume of white steam dancing from the spout. He took two ceramic mugs from the shelf. He filled the first with plain boiling water and immediately commanded his system to store it.
Item stored: Mug of Boiling Water.
Into the second mug, he stirred a packet of instant coffee. Carrying the steaming brew back to his desk, he pulled out his smartphone to begin his research. He needed to test the limits of his system's economy, and he had a very specific plan in mind.
A quick search for "Gold and Silver Jewelry" in the Beika district brought up several results. One stood out: Miss Mira's Jewelry Store. The reviews were glowing, praising the shop's artisan-level precision and their willingness to take on unique, custom commissions.
"This looks like the place," Jack noted, jotting down the contact information. He planned to call them tomorrow to see if they could custom-mint copper coins based on his specific design. He wanted to see if he could "trick" the system by depositing counterfeit coins. It was a long shot, most systems were far too intelligent to be fooled by a simple physical imitation but as a former salaryman, he knew that exploring every potential loophole was the only way to maximize his ROI.
He spent the next several hours scrolling through trending news. He needed to map out the geopolitical and cultural landscape of this "Multiverse." The headlines were a surreal blend of familiar franchises.
Totsuki Academy's Autumn Election was the lead story in the culinary world, with gourmet critics debating the merits of various high school chefs. The national high school tennis circuit was currently dominated by a powerhouse named Seigaku. Even the mahjong news mentioned a rising prodigy from Kiyosumi High.
"It's a patchwork world," Jack mused, taking a sip of his coffee. "Mostly slice-of-life on the surface, but with things like the Seto family's 'Marine Products'... there's definitely a supernatural undercurrent."
He looked up a photo of the CEO of Seto Marine Products. The man on the screen was terrifying, rugged, massive, and bearing a distinct cross-shaped scar on his face. It was Gozaburo Seto, the legendary "Rock" of the Seto Inland Sea. If he was real, then mermaids were real.
"If a common snake drops copper, what does a mermaid or a vampire drop?" Jack wondered. "Probably enough to fund a private island. But with my current stats, I'd be lucky to survive an encounter with a stray dog, let alone a mythical creature. I'll stick to the basics for now."
Before turning in, he decided to check the mug of water he'd stored in his inventory. He pulled it out, and the air was immediately filled with fresh steam. It was still boiling hot, exactly as it had been hours ago. Meanwhile, the coffee on his desk had turned into a cold, bitter sludge.
"Stasis," Jack whispered, a satisfied smirk forming on his face. "The inventory doesn't just store items; it locks their state perfectly. No heat loss, no decay, no spoilage. This is more than just storage; it's a preservation field."
The next morning, his alarm chirped at 6:30 AM. Jack dressed in his new Tonosaki Academy uniform, the crisp fabric and structured shoulders giving him an air of youthful authority, grabbed a quick piece of toast, and headed for the door.
As he descended the creaking stairs, he encountered a neighbor. She was a silver-haired woman with delicate, cold features and an expression of profound, weary indifference. She looked like she was returning from a grueling graveyard shift. Jack's memory bank provided a name: Yukino Mifuyu.
"Good morning, Mifuyu-san," Jack said politely as they met on the landing.
She glanced at him, her eyes as pale and cold as a winter morning. She gave a curt, almost imperceptible nod. "Morning."
As they passed, Jack felt a literal chill, as if a block of dry ice had just moved through the corridor. He paused for a moment, looking back. From his lower vantage point, his neighbor was strikingly beautiful, like a perfectly ripened, frozen fruit but his eyes were drawn to the plastic bag she was carrying. It was full of beer cans and instant noodles.
What caught his attention was the frost. The beer cans were covered in a thick, crystalline layer of hoarfrost, far colder than anything a standard convenience store refrigerator could produce in this weather. It looked as though she had been carrying them through a blizzard.
Jack watched her disappear into her room, his mind racing. In Beika Town, even the beautiful neighbors aren't exactly what they seem. I'll have to keep an eye on Room 201.
He adjusted his schoolbag and stepped out into the crisp morning air, heading toward the subway station. It was time for his first real day as a high school student.