After they finished their breakfast, Komachi cleared the table, placed the dishes in the dishwasher, and stretched. She glanced back and saw Hachiman lounging on the sofa like a limp fish, feeling a bit helpless.
"Today marks the beginning of spring break, Onii-chan. Is it really okay for you to be like this?"
Japanese holidays are categorized into three types: spring vacation, summer vacation, and winter vacation. The new semester begins at the conclusion of spring break each year. Usually, schools start in April and continue until March of the following year.
"And Onii-chan, have you thought about how you'll spend your time? Since you don't have any homework this holiday, you can do whatever you want. I'm so jealous!" Komachi added at the end, unable to contain her envy.
"Huh? What's so great about going out? Staying home is the most comfortable option. There's a sofa, Wi-Fi, my phone, and my adorable sister – I'm perfectly content."
Hachiman's response to Komachi's words was nonchalant; he remained sprawled on the sofa like a listless fish. But don't let his appearance fool you; he had actually been exploring how to use his system. Since it hadn't responded to his previous attempts, he was determined to figure it out on his own.
"While it's nice to hear that, Onii-chan, the truth is, you don't have any friends," Komachi complained despite being pleased with Hachiman's words.
Komachi's remark left Hachiman feeling a bit embarrassed because she was right – he truly didn't have any friends.
"I'm perfectly fine having you around during the holidays, and if need be, I can go out with you in a few days." Flipping over on the sofa, Hachiman continued to lie down.
"Ah..." Seeing Hachiman's attitude, Komachi shook her head and sighed. She was genuinely concerned about her Onii-chan.
Initially, Hachiman could communicate with people fairly normally, but at some point, he had grown increasingly isolated. By the time he graduated from junior high, he didn't have a single friend.
"Sometimes, Onii-chan is really in a pitiable state! But luckily, Komachi can keep you company." Komachi said with a triumphant grin.
Lying on the sofa, Hachiman rolled his eyes and stayed quiet. However, in this moment, he noticed a change: the cooking progress bar on the mental display shifted from (100/1000) to (110/1000).
Hachiman did a quick calculation and realized about an hour had gone by.
If he were to estimate, his cheat seemed to automatically increase his experience – around 10 points per hour. This development seemed pretty favorable; it allowed him to improve his skills without any extra effort, which suited him quite well.
However, what weighed more on Hachiman's mind was whether he could activate a new module in the same way he did with the cooking module.
With this thought in mind, Hachiman decided to give it a shot. He rose from the sofa, greeted Komachi, and headed back to his room.
Komachi found this a bit odd. In her experience, her Onii-chan would lounge on the sofa the entire day. So, why the change in behavior today?
Once he was back in his room, Hachiman initiated his experiment. He began by taking out his usual textbook, and after studying for a while, a system prompt appeared.
[Learning module loading...]
[Loading complete.]
As the familiar mechanical synthesized sound echoed once more, a certain expression appeared on Hachiman's face. It seemed that simply engaging in self-study or activities triggered the natural loading of new modules.
Next came the matter of proficiency. Through experimentation, he discovered that besides proficiency increasing naturally, it could also be gained through repeated practice.
For instance, each hour of study boosts the learning module's proficiency by 100. Likewise, considering the data from the cooking module, it could be deduced that every successfully completed cooking task raises the proficiency by 100.
Even though this system lacked intelligence and a manual, its ease of use and overall mechanics were commendable.
With this realization, Hachiman's eyes brightened. His current goal was to load as many modules as possible. As the saying goes, proficiency would automatically increase anyway, so there was no need to worry about being bad at learning.
Hachiman thought for a moment, his mind made up. He scanned the room, his gaze settling on a corner where he unearthed a storage box. From within, he retrieved a wooden sword and a kendo teaching CD.
In his recollections, he had taken a fleeting interest in kendo as a child. He had spent all his pocket money on it, but his enthusiasm waned quickly, leaving the items unused until now.
Brushing off the dust from the CD as he pulled it out, Hachiman smiled. Luckily, he hadn't thrown it away back then, and now it had found a purpose.
Unfortunately, the old-fashioned computer at his home couldn't read CDs, so he would have to borrow the DVD player from the living room.
"Onii-chan, what are you up to?" Komachi tilted her head, perplexed as she observed Hachiman fixated on the kendo CD. She couldn't fathom why he was suddenly interested in kendo.
"Oh, this is a kendo CD I impulsively bought as a kid. Remember, Komachi? I stumbled upon it while tidying up the house today. Since I have some free time during the summer vacation, I thought I'd take a look at it." To address Komachi's confusion, Hachiman casually crafted an excuse to deflect her suspicions.
The instructional video wasn't particularly long, spanning less than two hours. After watching it, the kendo module was automatically loaded into Hachiman's system.
"Onii-chan, there's no ingredients in the fridge. Let's head to the supermarket together," Komachi suggested as she saw Hachiman stow away the CD.
Checking the time, it was already past ten o'clock, which meant it was time to start preparing lunch. After a moment's consideration, he nodded and agreed to Komachi's proposal.
The siblings set off to a nearby supermarket. Hachiman pushed a shopping cart casually, and Komachi's eyes lit up. "Onii-chan, can I ride in the cart?"
14-years-old Komachi was petite, so sitting in the cart didn't look awkward for her.
Lifting Komachi into the cart, Hachiman pushed it through the supermarket aisles.
"Komachi, anything specific you'd like for lunch?" Hachiman inquired casually while perusing the shelves.
"Anything works, as long as it's made by Onii-chan, I'm happy," Komachi replied without any particular requests. Her main wish was for Hachiman to step out more.
Since Komachi had no particular preferences, Hachiman randomly selected a few ingredients. After paying at the checkout, he looked at his slightly diminished wallet and couldn't help but sigh. It seemed that he was approaching the time when he'd need to start earning money. Naturally, achieving financial independence was the first step.
Back at home, Hachiman set about preparing lunch. Noticing he had gained 100 proficiency once again, he felt reassured. Even if he didn't actively do anything, his proficiency would increase by 10 points every hour. He believed that over time, his cooking skills would advance significantly.
After finishing lunch, Hachiman turned his thoughts toward earning money.
After contemplating various options, he came to the realization that he had no straightforward means of making money. Ultimately, he was considering resorting the many experienced dimension travelers took: becoming a copywriter and crafting light novels honestly.