Time passed quickly as the school day finally came to an end after a couple of classes.
Hiroshi found it hard to concentrate in the class, as he was now in one of his favorite animes.
So, when the final bell rang, he packed his bag, and headed out of the classroom.
The streets outside were familiar yet different, everything around him was Japanese styled. He wandered through the bustling crowd, making his way towards the supermarket.
The store was busy, filled with the mundane sounds of everyday life. Hiroshi walked through the aisles. And finally grabbed an onigiri.
He always wanted to try one of these, as he saw them a lot in animes. But he never had the chance.
He then approached the cashier.
"Good afternoon," the cashier said with a polite smile. She was a middle-aged woman with a warm demeanor, her apron a little frayed at the edges.
"Afternoon," Hiroshi replied, placing the onigiri on the counter. As she rang up the item, he fished out some yen from his pocket.
"That'll be 140 yen," she said, her smile never wavering.
Hiroshi handed over the money and received his change. "Thanks," he said, taking the onigiri and giving a small nod.
"You're welcome. Have a nice day!" the cashier replied cheerfully.
Hiroshi exited the store, unwrapping the onigiri as he walked. He took a bite, the taste of rice and seaweed made their way into his mouth.
As he chewed on the food, he nodded approvingly.
It was quite good.
While continuing his walk, Hiroshi thought about the past of his current body. His parents had died in a car accident a few years ago, leaving him a substantial amount of money and a house.
Looking through the memories, he had to admit it was kinda sad. But it was nothing compared to his past life.
He then finally arrived at the street where his house was located. And as he approached his house he spotted a black cat with piercing yellow eyes. In the entrance of an dark alley beside his house.
From his memories, this cat had always been around, the previous owner of the body had interacted with it many before.
Seeing its rather odd appearance, he linked the dots together and an idea of who it really was came to his mind.
With a sly smile, he knelt down to pet the cat's head. Which lead to the cat purred, rubbing it's body on Hiroshi's body and her tail raised and waving enjoying the attention it was being given.
"Come here, kitty." He then said softly, reaching out to scoop it into his arm.
But the cat was too quick. With a graceful leap, it escaped his grasp and went into the dark alley.
Hiroshi looked at the alley where the cat left, and a small smile formed on his lips.
And then he turned back towards his house, excited to rest after the long day at school.
...
Unlocking the door with his key, Hiroshi stepped inside his home. It was a modest house, but he still had to admit It had a special charm to it.
Seeing this as an opportunity he checked the template system.
...
Template: Uchiha Madara.
Progress: 1%
Teleportation:
Training ground.
...
Seeing this Hiroshi a question came to his mind, How was he supposed to increase his progress?
Then as if the system read his mind, the blue screen changed and words were dispalled on it.
Progress is achieved by training, or rewarded by the system by doing quests.
"I see, you seem quite smart. Are you a sentient system? Are you self-aware?" Hiroshi asked.
Of course, I am smart. And to answer your
second question. No, I am not self-aware or
sentient, at least not completely but I can
feel emotions though very muted as they
are very foreign to me.
I am simply programmed by my creator to
follow my user's orders and help them with
any questions they might have regarding
the system. Think of me as a very advanced
chatbot but with long term memory.
In addition to that, you can communicate with me through the use of your thoughts.
''Mhm, so you're somewhat like Jarvis, an AI
which doesn't have a sense of self (ego) but
can care for their users and follow the
commands of its user'. Hiroshi thought with his chin resting on his thumb.
This made him nod, and then he asked another question.
'What is the training ground?'
Which resulted in the system interface to appear again.
The training ground a miniature world, where the user can train and increase the template progress. This world includes training dummies, materials, and environments tailored to enhance your skills.
Looking at the explanation the system provided, he smile a satisfied grin, and then Hiroshi headed to the kitchen to grab a cup of water.
As he took a sip of water, and released a deep breath.
He had a lot to learn and a lot to prepare for. But for the first time in a long time, after his sorry excuse of a past life. He felt a sense of purpose and excitement about what the future might hold.