Shinji never dreams.
He has this extraordinary condition where he never dreams, just like in his previous life. He's forever dreamless.
When the system first told him about this, Shinji didn't think much of it. However, after doing some research, he discovered that it's impossible for someone to never dream. Even those who claim they don't dream actually do while sleeping.
This phenomenon is linked to the cerebral cortex and brain nerves. In simple terms, it's a human instinct. If someone truly doesn't dream, it indicates brain damage or a defect in brain activity, implying a physical problem.
But Shinji's brain and body are perfectly fine; he simply doesn't dream, as if he's missing a basic human instinct.
The system couldn't explain it either, but Shinji didn't care. He couldn't dream, but that didn't stop him from daydreaming while awake.
Over the past two and a half years, there have been some changes to the system interface. The ordinary tasks and the points mall were unlocked.
As the name suggests, ordinary tasks are mundane assignments, randomly generated, such as:
"Even the original would dare to confess, why wouldn't my grandson? Confess your feelings to Tohsaka Rin at xxx High School on the first day of school."
Or:
"Old people should focus on health. Go wake up the old worm at 6 AM and practice Tai Chi together."
And:
"Although you're reincarnated, you owe your birth. Catch your father in the act at the hotel and kick that woman out!"
Completing ordinary tasks earns points, which can be used to purchase items from the points mall. The mall has a wide array of items.
If categorized, the selection is incredibly diverse. In essence, it has everything you could possibly need!
Some items are even adjusted to fit this world, like a brick that can break any magical barrier (one-time use), an ice lolly that can remove Crest Worms from the body (one-time use), and smart pills that make you smarter (useful when you feel dumb!).
The most impressive items are the red and blue gemstones, though they are so expensive that Shinji doesn't even dare to think about buying them.
Looking at the cheapest item, the "Quick Jian Pill," which costs 500 points and doubles cultivation speed for a month (limited to the Condensation Realm), Shinji couldn't help but gulp.
But it's useless; he couldn't afford it. Despite completing so many ordinary tasks, he had only accumulated less than 200 points, enough to buy just two bottles of "smart pills"—a real bargain for anyone feeling brainless.
Descending to the first floor, Shinji closed the system interface, still lost in thought.
Over the past two years, some ordinary tasks (like practicing Tai Chi with the old worm) had somewhat improved his relationship with Zouken. Occasionally, Zouken would even show a gentle side, like a typical grandfather.
But for Zouken, Shinji's attempts to bond were merely clumsy efforts to gain his support in becoming a mage and the head of the Matou family. However, Zouken knew it was futile. He had checked and found Shinji's magic circuits hopelessly blocked. The path of a mage was forever closed to him.
Despite this, Zouken noticed that Shinji was physically fit, smart, and had good social skills, though his inherent mage pride remained. This led Zouken to slightly revise his opinion of Shinji over the years.
Occasionally, Zouken would even let Shinji handle some stock transactions, bypassing his own son. It seemed he was grooming Shinji to manage the non-magical affairs of the Matou family in the future.
Whenever Shinji looked at Sakura with jealous eyes, Zouken took it as a sign that Shinji hadn't completely given up on magic. For some reason, this amused him.
For Zouken, Shinji, though useless in magic, was no longer a completely worthless grandson and had some minor utility.
This situation fostered a complex psychology in Shinji. Could he really bring himself to mercilessly kill this old man?
"I'm your only true grandpa," the system interjected.
Shinji retorted, "Pay up?"
"..."
Just then, Shinji stopped in front of a half-open door to a lit activity room. Inside was a familiar classmate, Shirou Emiya, the protagonist of FSN, the harem king, and a champion of justice.
"Yo, Emiya," Shinji greeted, leaning against the door.
Shirou, who was adjusting a festival sign, looked up and responded, "Shinji, you're still here?"
Shinji shrugged and walked into the room, "Just finished enduring Yukiko's post-breakup bitterness."
"You really should stop teasing Yukiko-sensei," Shirou sighed. "Isn't she mad because you keep skipping classes?"
Indeed, fate seemed to have its way. Despite being reincarnated, Shinji had become friends with Shirou earlier than in the original timeline, starting in their first months of middle school.
After getting to know him, Shinji realized how genuinely pure and precious Shirou's qualities were: his honesty, earnestness, dedication, and idealistic naivety.
"Were you asked to help again?"
"Yeah, I need to finish this by dawn."
"You never change, do you? Always agreeing to these unreasonable requests," Shinji remarked with a touch of helplessness. "Need any help?"
"No, I can manage on my own."
"Emiya," Shinji said, scratching his chin and furrowing his brow. "What kind of AV do you like? [BEEP] or [BEEP]?"
"Pfft!" Shirou couldn't help but spit out. "Why are you suddenly asking something like that?"
"No, I just felt we're too distant as friends. One way to build friendship is to share awkward secrets. Don't you know that?"
"What kind of common sense is that?" Shirou retorted, then added with some appreciation, "I appreciate the thought, but don't you need to be somewhere? Your sister waits at the school gate whenever you're here."
"Her?" Shinji replied indifferently, "She's probably gone home by now. It's pretty late."
"You should be more considerate of your sister," Shirou sighed.
"Don't worry about that," Shinji said, pulling up a chair and sitting down with an interested expression. "So, what's the answer? Which type do you prefer? Or is it something else?"
"Shouldn't you ask more appropriate questions for middle schoolers?"
"What's the harm? We're all guys here. Or are you saying you've never watched one?"