episode_0013

[The ‘Shop’ has been unlocked as a reward!]

[You have been assigned to Class A!]

[As an additional reward, discounted items will now be added to the shop!]

A flood of messages appears before my eyes, but I can’t read a single one.

How could I possibly focus on messages when the furious protagonist is glaring daggers at me right now?

Seriously, why do these messages have to pop up at this exact moment?

That status window really has a mind of its own, huh?

This is 100% intentional.

Just as my mind was settling in this already tangled mess of a situation—

“…Human?”

She furrowed her brows slightly, tilting her head as she muttered under her breath.

For a moment, hope flickered in me.

“Yes. I’m human too. I was just about to greet you, happy to meet another human, when… a fly suddenly flew into my face and startled me. Sorry for acting weird right off the bat.”

Seizing the moment when her hostility wavered, I quickly explained away my earlier odd behavior.

“Ha, thought you were one of those for a second.”

“One of those?”

“The trash who go crazy because they can’t eat humans. Since you live in Providence, you must’ve run into them often, right?”

“Ah, yeah, those kinds of creatures.”

Seems like Karen has had her fair share of trouble with human-haters.

If I hadn’t debuted as an actor and become famous, I probably would’ve faced the same kind of disdain as her.

“Are you enrolling in Providence this time too?”

“Whether I enroll or not, why do you need to know?”

The misunderstanding seems cleared up for now, but Karen’s sharp tone toward me hasn’t softened.

Not that it bothers me.

This is just how her personality and speech are.

Having lived a rough life at the bottom of society, she can’t help but be suspicious when a stranger approaches her so familiarly.

“I’m enrolling in Providence, so I was just asking in case you were a fellow freshman.”

“Well, yeah, I’m a freshman.”

“Wow, really? If we’re lucky, we might run into each other often from now on.”

I kept the conversation going, casually playing along with her responses.

Then, after a brief pause, Karen shook her head slightly and spoke.

“Stop forcing honorifics if they don’t come naturally. I don’t care if you use them or curse at me.”

Karen saw right through my conscious use of polite speech.

Guess she’s got enough street smarts to read people like an open book.

“Was it that obvious?”

“Somewhat. But that’s just me being sensitive, not your fault. Anyway…”

Karen gave me a sidelong glance with her sharp eyes.

“If you’re done, mind leaving? I get that you’re confident in your looks, but sorry to say, I’m not interested in dating. No time for it. Wrong person to hit on.”

She drew a clear line.

Of course, I know exactly why she’s being so cold toward me.

Karen is undeniably beautiful, so she must’ve had plenty of people approach her with ulterior motives.

No one is kind without a reason.

By repeating that harsh truth in her mind, she’s managed to survive this long.

In the underworld, a single moment of carelessness could lead to irreversible disaster.

Karen’s sharp reaction is completely understandable.

Her world has always been filled with malice.

“I’ll take the compliment, but that wasn’t my intention at all.”

“Every guy who says that ends up having shady motives.”

“I’m serious. There’s something I wanted to ask you.”

“Then spit it out. Don’t drag it on.”

At her curt response, I pointed toward the ugly vegetable section.

“I happened to see you grocery shopping earlier, and you seemed really good at picking fresh produce. So, I was wondering—could you teach me how to pick good vegetables?”

“…That’s it?”

Karen’s expression twisted slightly, as if deflated.

“‘That’s it’? My dinner tonight depends on this.”

“Your ears are annoyingly sharp. I wasn’t talking to you.”

“At this point, I can’t tell if you’re complimenting or insulting me…”

As I scratched the back of my head with a wry smile, Karen spoke up.

“Sorry. No time. Got too much to do after this. Ask someone else.”

This girl just effortlessly brushed off my ultimate “Help a Noob Out” strategy.

Fine, then let’s see how she handles my second move.

“Come on, you think I’d ask for help empty-handed?”

Shrugging, I handed her a 10,000 Mir bill.

Second strategy: Slipping cash.

Given Karen’s tight financial situation, this should be especially effective.

And I saw it.

The faintest twitch at the corner of her lips.

“…Well, on second thought, maybe a little help wouldn’t hurt.”

Avoiding eye contact, Karen stared into the distance before cautiously taking the bill from my hand.

After clearing her throat, she finally looked at me.

“I’ll explain it once, so pay attention. First, onions…”

“Uh, excuse me. One second.”

Just as Karen was about to start, an elf woman approached me with a shy expression and hesitantly asked,

“Um, if it’s not too much trouble, could I take a photo with you?”

“…”

Karen’s face stiffened as she looked at me.

For some reason, her pink eyes felt even more distant than before.

“Sorry, I’m a bit busy right now.”

“Ah, I understand…”

Fortunately, the elf woman nodded in acceptance and walked away, muttering in disappointment.

“…You a celebrity? Sorry, I don’t keep up with that stuff.”

About ten seconds after the elf left, Karen tossed out the words casually.

“Hey, nothing to apologize for.”

“Just being polite, don’t overthink it. Anyway, back to the explanation. Onions—you can tell by squeezing them slightly. If they’re too soft, the inside’s probably rotten…”

For someone who’d been so cold, Karen was surprisingly thorough in her explanation.

“…That was an… interesting taste.”

As I washed the dishes from dinner, I recalled the flavor of the curry I’d made.

Maybe the seasoning was off, but it definitely wasn’t the ideal curry taste.

Something was missing by about… 2%.

No, let’s be honest.

More like 20%.

With no cooking experience, I didn’t even know where I went wrong.

‘I followed the recipe exactly…’

Was it because I stir-fried it on high heat for 5 minutes instead of simmering for 20?

Weird.

But it’s fine.

‘No one’s good at something right from the start. I’ll get better eventually.’

With that hollow reassurance, I finished the dishes and checked the time on my phone.

[7:21 PM]

‘Plenty of time for dailies.’

I quickly changed into outdoor clothes and swapped my shoes at the entryway.

Then, as I opened the front door to leave—

“…Feels like I forgot something important.”

Just as I was about to step out, an uneasy feeling made me pause, tapping the doorknob with my fingers.

A nagging sensation, like something just out of reach.

“Hmm… Oh! Right! There were some messages earlier.”

Yeah, now I remember.

A message popped up at the worst possible time, making me blurt out a curse right in front of Karen.

Even now, it’s embarrassing to recall.

‘More importantly, this is bad.’

The problem is, I was so out of it that I didn’t retain a single word from those messages.

‘Is there a way to review them?’

Muttering in frustration, I suddenly heard—

[You have officially enrolled in Providence!]

[The ‘Shop’ has been unlocked as a reward!]

[You have been assigned to Class A!]

[As an additional reward, discounted items will now be added to the shop!]

As if waiting for this moment, the messages I’d missed reappeared.

‘The shop’s unlocked, I’m in Class A, and there’s an additional reward?’

My head tilted on its own in confusion.

From what I remember, Class A was for those who excelled in both written and combat exams.

“…I definitely guessed on all the questions, though?”

For a second, I imagined a miracle where all the answers were ‘D,’ but I quickly shook my head at the absurdity.

Honestly, my performance in the combat exam was impressive.

I single-handedly took out the opposing team’s ace and two others—that says it all.

But does that one feat really make up for blindly guessing on the written test?

…Doubtful.

“Hmm… Oh, wait—”

Then it hit me: Class A’s homeroom teacher is Eirin.

During the holographic performance earlier, Eirin had watched me like she knew me.

‘Did the original owner of this body have some connection to Eirin?’

That’s the most plausible guess, but I’m still not sure.

Eirin is known for being fair to everyone.

It’s hard to imagine her deliberately placing a student she barely knows in her own class.

“Who knows.”

I’ll just ask Eirin when I see her.

‘Well, either way, being in the top class is better than the bottom. A win’s a win.’

With that optimistic thought, I turned my attention to the rewards.

Namely, the newly unlocked feature: the Shop.

Without hesitation, I opened it.

Fate Points: 1,200

[Special Offer!]

○ 2★ Random Persona Voucher (One-time purchase)

(500 Fate → 300 Fate)

○ Fresh Apple

(2 Fate → 1 Fate)

[Regular]

○ Bottled Water – 1 Fate

○ Basic Iron Dagger – 30 Fate

○ Garlic Bread – 3 Fate

…..

…

.

A translucent shop window appeared before me.

“Huh.”

A impressed sound escaped me at the decent selection.

‘Shop level: Joke… Not sure what that means, but it’s probably the lowest tier.’

Presumably, this “Joke” rank is the starting point.

Maybe clearing achievements or quests will raise it over time.

“Which means the quality of items will improve too.”

The sound of explosive growth potential rings loud and clear.

Smirking, I skimmed through the shop.

At this low level, it mostly sells groceries and mediocre equipment.

But even among those, one item caught my eye—

[2★ Random Persona Voucher – Purchase Complete]

Since it’s discounted as a reward for entering Class A, there’s no reason not to buy it.

‘The more personas, the better.’

Just today, the seemingly useless Fisherman persona helped me defeat Serena.

No persona is truly useless.

“Except the 1★ ones.”

Remembering the Cat, Dog, and Office Worker personas, I clicked my tongue.

Alright, no point delaying—let’s get this new persona.

What kind of power will join me this time?

“Here goes.”

I used the 2★ Random Persona Voucher I’d just bought.