A man rushed into the house and asked, "Where is he? What's going on?"
Upon seeing Haruka there, he regained his composure. "Ahem, Ruka-chan, you're here too?" He whispered to his wife, "Why didn't you tell me she was here?"
"She arrived after I called you."
"Why are you in such a hurry, Uncle?" Haruka inquired.
"Son, what's going on? Why are you acting so strangely?" Akira's father asked, bewildered.
His father's reaction amused Akira inwardly, though he kept a serious demeanor. "Pipe down, old man. We don't have time for this drama."
He rudely swatted away his father's hand, secretly glad to see his father again.
"My wealthy friend informed me that the real estate market is about to crash in three days," Akira stated firmly. "The largest real estate company in the world will declare bankruptcy in two days, causing land values to plummet. We need to sell our commercial building quickly."
His father, Akihiko, calmly touched Akira's forehead. "You don't have a fever."
Akira firmly grasped his father's hand, his expression serious. "We don't have time for jokes. We need to sell the building and get at least half the cash within two days."
Observing Akira's determination, Akihiko began to take his request seriously, though he was not easily fooled by lies.
"Darling, are you seriously considering this?" Akira's mother, Makiko, asked.
"I've never seen him this serious," said Akihiko, using Akira's full name for the first time. "But Akira, if this turns out to be false, you'll have to accept the career path I choose for you."
Akira nodded. "You need to give me half the money and not question my actions for the next three days."
This side of Akira was entirely unknown to his family.
Akihiko promptly contacted a broker, and they agreed to sell the building at 70% of its market value for full payment within a day. The deal was struck with a real estate company, and the money was now in Akira's hands.
Two days before the game's descent, Akira went to a warehouse and purchased a large quantity of rice and salt. He arranged for it to be delivered to a remote mountain location devoid of buildings.
"Who is this guy? He wanted all this stuff delivered here?"
"Who cares, he paid an extra 10%. Our job's done; let's head back."
Hearing the conversation, Akira thought to himself, 'After the game descends, food won't be produced for a year, and prices will skyrocket the following year.
I can't afford to waste time searching for food during such a crucial period. Though it might be a bit excessive, I can always sell it at a higher price later, especially the salt.'
A hologram panel appeared before Akira labeled "Inventory," displaying empty square shapes. 'I still have the system, although it is same as the beginner level. I acquired it three days before the game's descent. I can store food in the inventory.
If I had too much food delivered to my house, my family might become prime suspects when organizations investigate the cause of the game's descent. I also need to dispose of the sales evidence; it's undoubtedly suspicious. I can deal with it right after the tutorial.'
Akira and Haruka worked together to transfer all the rice and salt into the inventory. Haruka was amazed to see them vanish into thin air, but she refrained from asking questions.
Later, Akira visited a blacksmith. "Excuse me, could you craft ten kitchen knives with Damascus steel? They need to be extremely sharp."
"If you need kitchen knives, you can find them at the supermarket," the blacksmith retorted.
Akira emptied his bag, placing stacks of cash on the table. "Here's one million yen. I need them by tomorrow morning."
The blacksmith placed his hand on the cash and nodded solemnly. "You'll have them by 3 AM."
'The first stage is the tutorial after the game descends. During the tutorial, any category of items inaccessible to civilians cannot be used to defeat monsters. Guns, swords, katanas, spears, and other weapons not typically available won't work.
With this, I'm ready. I'll spend the remaining time training Haruka to adapt to combat and share some truths.'
In Akira's backyard:
"So you dreamt that a game-like system would descend on our world, and monsters would come?" Haruka asked, trying to wrap her head around Akira's claims.
"Yes, the rice and salt we stored in the system serve as evidence. I don't know much, but I do know that monsters will come, and we can gain superpowers by leveling up through killing them. While we fight, our parents will hide in the basement."
"Can't they get stronger too?"
"No, in my dream, we fought while they hid, so I believe only certain people will acquire this system's power, and our parents aren't among them. From now on, we'll all have to stick together for safety. So let's stay in your house."
Haruka blushed with embarrassment. "I usually forget to lock the door when I'm bathing."
"If anyone overhears you, they might think you're inviting me to join you, even though we used to do that until we were 12."
"Do you have to bring that up? Forget it if you ever want a girlfriend. I intended to say don't enter the bathroom while I am bathing."
Akira felt happy seeing her embarrassed face, although it was her who mentioned it. 'In my previous life, I was a bit dense, never considering her as a girl. Now I'm seeing another side of her. I'll make up for my past negligence this time.'
Later, Akira stressed the importance of Haruka being prepared to fight monsters, providing details about potential tutorial monsters to prevent any surprises during critical moments.