As his consciousness returned, Takeru saw his surroundings… the same spot he had hidden in before. He glanced around to confirm no one was watching, then checked the time.
It was now 21:56. Clearly, he had spent quite a while enhancing himself earlier.
Besides the time, there were two missed calls, both from Miu, from just a few minutes ago.
Without delay, Takeru released his Observation Haki to ensure no people or surveillance were nearby.
Taking advantage of the night, he swiftly flew towards home. In just five minutes, he was near the apartment building.
Landing in a secluded spot, Takeru walked the rest of the way home...
"I'm back!" Arriving at the upstairs apartment, Takeru announced as he opened the door.
"Onii-chan!" Seeing Takeru return, Miu's face lit up with joy as she rushed towards him.
"What's wrong?" Catching Miu, Takeru looked at her curiously.
"Nothing... I just missed you, Onii-chan." Hearing his question, Miu simply buried her face in his chest and spoke softly.
Seeing Miu like this, Takeru's expression softened. "I'm sorry. I'll come back earlier next time."
"It's okay. I know Onii-chan has his own things to do. I'm just being too clingy." Hearing Takeru's words, Miu said sheepishly.
"Alright, let me go wash up first. I'm all sweaty. Aren't you bothered by the smell?" Hearing Miu, Takeru cracked a smile and joked.
"Not at all! Onii-chan doesn't smell bad!" Hearing this, Miu replied earnestly.
"Okay, okay. I'll go wash up first. Time to rest, we need to get up early for school tomorrow." Gently nudging Miu aside, Takeru looked at her affectionately.
"Mhmm." Hearing Takeru, Miu reluctantly let go.
After a thorough wash, Takeru quickly dried off, put on his pajamas, and came out. Seeing him, Miu smiled happily, then turned off the TV and pulled Takeru straight into the bedroom.
Though surprised, Takeru quickly turned off the lights and followed her inside.
Soon, Takeru and Miu were lying in bed. Takeru looked at Miu curiously, wondering what was up with her today. In Miu's perception, Takeru had left around 8:40 PM, meaning he'd only been gone for about an hour and forty minutes.
"Hey, Miu, what was wrong earlier?" Takeru asked, looking at her.
"Well... it's just that Onii-chan has never left me alone at night before, so I felt a little scared earlier." Hearing Takeru, Miu hesitated before answering.
"Is that so... I'm sorry, Miu." Hearing her words, Takeru felt a pang and apologized.
"It's fine, because Onii-chan is back now!" Hearing Takeru, Miu hugged him tightly.
"Alright then, let's get some sleep." Seeing her like this, Takeru patted her head.
"Goodnight, Onii-chan!"
...
"Miu, time to get up!" The next morning, after his early workout, Takeru went to wake the still-sleeping Miu.
"I know..." Hearing Takeru, Miu drowsily opened her eyes.
Confirming she was awake, Takeru smiled and headed to the kitchen to start cooking.
Though he hadn't cooked much for a month, Takeru felt no rustiness at all, likely due to his high Spirit and physical coordination...
He quickly finished preparing breakfast. Miu, having washed up and changed, was already waiting.
Soon, they ate breakfast together and left for school.
"Morning, Ebina!" Just as they stepped out, Takeru and Miu saw Ebina waiting downstairs.
Since Takeru invited Ebina to walk to school together last time, she now waited for him almost every day.
"Takeru-kun, Miu, good morning!" Seeing them, Ebina smiled happily.
Since arriving here, Takeru and Miu were arguably her first true friends.
Naturally, Ebina cherished this deeply.
As they walked and chatted on the way to school, Takeru felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity with his surroundings. A month in that other world had acclimated him to a different life. Returning here felt slightly jarring.
Perhaps it was a minor side effect of cycling between worlds. But this was the world he'd lived in for over a decade, and that feeling would likely fade in a day or two.
Arriving at the classroom, after greeting everyone, Takeru sat at his desk and gazed out the window at the scenery.
If it wouldn't draw too much attention, Takeru honestly didn't feel like coming to school. He already knew everything being taught.
More advanced topics weren't necessary. While high intelligence could lead to strength in the Reincarnation Space, Takeru didn't need to go that route...
When the teacher arrived, Takeru entered a training state: expanding his Observation Haki and using his telekinesis to extend outside, controlling the leaves to dance according to his will.
Time flew by, and it was afternoon. Everyone gathered in the Service Club's room. Besides the original seven members, there were several others: Mio, Tsumugi, Tainaka Ritsu, and Tachibana Sylphinford.
"So many people at our school are Reincarnators?!" Ritsu, who had entered the Reincarnation Space in the same batch as Mio, exclaimed in shock as everyone arrived.
"Don't mention 'Reincarnators' or the 'Reincarnation Space' outside. We can just refer to it as 'that place'." Hearing Ritsu's words, Takeru calmly reminded her.
"Right!" Hearing this, Ritsu laughed awkwardly.
"Alright, since everyone is here, let me start with a summary." Seeing everyone assembled, Yukino spoke up.
As she did, everyone looked her way.
"I'll skip the pleasantries. We've all been chosen by 'that place', and it's clearly not a charity. So, I hope we can unite. That's what we did before."
"But yesterday, something happened. Following Takeru's suggestion, we've decided to form a team. In 'that place', we'll help each other. Also, if any problems arise in the real world, team members can ask each other for assistance."
"As for team members: besides our original club members, anyone wanting to join later will need to pass an evaluation. Of course, you four can join directly now. What does everyone think?" Yukino quickly explained the team proposal.
"I agree!" Yui quickly raised her hand and nodded.
"I agree." Hachiman followed. Though unsure what happened, he knew it couldn't have been pleasant. Plus, since forming the team was Takeru's idea, he wouldn't oppose it.
"I agree..."
Soon, everyone voted in favor. Everyone from the first batch of Reincarnators agreed, except for Taihei and Ui, who weren't school students.
After all, forming a team wasn't much different from before for them, and the main focus was on handling future members.
"Good. Now, what about you four? Will you join our team?" Yukino then looked at Mio, Sylphin, and the other two.
"Um, may I ask, what would being a team member require us to do?" Tsumugi raised her hand hesitantly.
"We won't force you to do anything. It's about mutual benefit and assistance. Of course, sometimes we might deal with supernatural events in the real world, and we hope everyone will participate actively then." Yukino shook her head calmly.
"I see. Then I'll join." Hearing Yukino, Tsumugi quickly agreed.
She had already benefited greatly from mutual assistance. In this recent mission, without Takeru, she probably wouldn't have achieved an A rating… even a B- might have been difficult...
Thinking this, she glanced at Takeru with gratitude.
"I'll join too!" Soon, Mio also chose to join. Seeing Mio agree without hesitation, Ritsu quickly voiced her agreement as well.