"Oh? I don't really understand why you're so motivated, but good luck!"
As our conversation blossomed, it was time to head to school. I gathered my things and stepped out of the house with Hannah. Wow, what is this feeling? It feels like I'm walking to school with a girl I had a crush on in elementary school. Am I really this happy?
"Ah, good morning!"
Hannah? Wait, that's a spirit!
"Good morning! Yes, I'm with this person."
Hannah, that old man is a ghost too.
"Yes, good morning!"
Hannah casually greets the wandering spirits and restless spirits along our route, making the ghosts nod back at me as well. Are we considered acquaintances now? I can't make out their voices, but I join Hannah in greeting them.
"Good morning! Oh?"
Did that one just ignore Hannah's greeting?! Also, Hannah, that's not a ghost!
A small, translucent, fluffy creature perked up at our greeting and began to waddle towards us.
"That's a 'suneater.' It's not a ghost; it's a yokai. Low-level yokai can't talk, so be careful, Henry. If you think it can't communicate, either fight or run—it's weak."
Level one, huh?
"Will-o'-the-wisp, here!"
Hannah raised her palm to shoulder height and announced it. A blue fireball appeared, and with a flick of her wrist, she tossed it at the suneater.
As the shin-high creature approached, it was suddenly struck by a will-o'-the-wisp, bursting into flames.
"Wow, that's incredible!?"
"If you get tangled up with a shin-high creature, you'll trip and take damage. Depending on how you fall, you could even die. It's a hassle when walking, so let's actively take them down when we spot them for the experience points."
"Oh, I leveled up!"
I was surprised that even though Hannah defeated it, I still received experience points. The defeated shin-high creature rolled over and vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving behind an item.
"Ooh, an item!"
What appeared was… well, what is this?
"Can't you identify it?"
"I think you need an identification skill. From what I see, it's meat of ??? and a ??? card?"
"A card?"
Hannah was astonished as I picked up the item and stored it in my inventory.
"Isn't that a yokai card?"
"What's a yokai card?"
"Huh? You don't know? There was a time when those yokai medal games were all the rage."
Even if she said it was a trend, it didn't exist in the era I lived through.
"If I recall correctly, that was during the Showa or Reiwa periods…"
Hannah, while this game is set in that timeframe, it's actually many generations behind in the real world.
"In short, it's like a parody of that, and you can play a card game in this world. Those cards drop with a certain probability when you defeat enemies."
"Is Hannah here too?"
"Yes. I'm an NPC boss now, but maybe you'll get something if you defeat me?"
"I'm hesitant to take you down, even though I kind of want to. Defeating you seems impossible."
Besides, the level difference is just too great for me to even think about it.
We cross the school gate and head toward the building.
Yesterday I just sneaked in, so today marks my first official entrance.
"By the way, where's my classroom?"
"I think your spot was blinking at the shoe cubby."
Blinking? Oh, it really is! One of the lockers is flashing. With my name, Henry, no doubt about it.
"This is—Class 1-2, right?"
Got it, so I can find out my class from the shoe cubby locker.
After switching to my indoor shoes, the destination marker for my classroom appeared.
As I walk through the corridor, students greet me with "Good morning," and I return their greetings.
Hannah also greets the ghostly figures wandering the hall.
"Still around during the day, huh!?"
"This is Classroom 1-2."
"Just wondering, but there aren't any events where terrorists burst into the classroom, right?"
"Well, there might be."
"Wouldn't that drag the casual players into chaos?"
"They're on a different server, so you probably won't meet them. On this server, you'll only come across NPCs or Masters with combat skills."
I see, so there's a clear separation after all. Players who want to experience the Japan of old without combat or spiritual skills seem to be enjoying a cozy daily life on a different server. It appears that I'm on a harsh daily life server filled with battles and paranormal phenomena.
"Oh? I don't recognize your face!"
"Uh, morning. I wasn't here yesterday."
"I see. I'm Ray, the guide. Nice to meet you."
He was a full-on NPC. Probably a support character meant to help newcomers like me, who missed the entrance ceremony yesterday.
"If you have any questions about school, feel free to ask. I'm happy to help if I can."
Ray, the boy who seemed like a pampered rich kid, said this before turning back to his seat. I stopped him.
"Since we're at it, could you tell me where my seat is?"
"Um, Henry, yours is right over here."
"Wait a second, he just said my name without me mentioning it."
I'll let that slide since he's an NPC and a guide character. He must have a special ability to know people's names. I took a seat in the indicated spot.
Huh? Do I feel like I'm being watched?
"Is it Henry they're staring at, or could it be me? Probably someone with spiritual sensitivity or sight."
I get it now. Either Hannah, or perhaps a spirit, is surprised because they've decided to follow me.
But since Hannah didn't react much, it seems that what they picked up on wasn't clairvoyance but rather just a sense of the spirit. Apparently, with that kind of sensitivity, you can only tell that a spirit is present at a basic level.
"Alright, let's start homeroom!"
An NPC with a refreshingly handsome face walked into the classroom. He seemed to be the teacher for this class. It was a shame he wasn't a woman; that would have been even better.
Attendance was taken. At the middle school level, attendance days are a concern, but apparently, you can graduate from elementary school without needing to attend every class. So technically, I didn't need to show up for class, but since I'm here, I might as well stick around for the first hour of math.
Homeroom ended, and my first class began.
Wait a minute. Talking about addition now feels awfully boring, doesn't it? Then again, I'm treated as a first-year student, so the classes do start from the basics. They were probably going to begin with number writing, but here, it seems they dive straight into addition.
Did they think everyone knows how to write numbers?
Forty-five minutes passed until the bell rang. I was fighting off drowsiness, but the sound of the bell jolted me awake. Yeah, this class is incredibly dull. If I forced myself to stay any longer, I'd feel like I was wasting my time.
"Uh, is it already over?" Hannah said, her expression one of dismay.
"I can't help it! I'm just an ordinary person who's already graduated from college, you know? If I could, I'd love to relive my elementary school days, but then again, I realize how tough it is to sit through classes learning things I already know."
During the second period, I ditched my class and made a break for the hallway. To avoid running into any teachers, I hid out in the restroom until I could slip away, walking further down the hallway as the lesson began.
"Well, that's fine, but what are you planning to do next?" I asked.
"I was thinking I would just attend classes without a care and then hang out after school. But it seems like I could graduate without actually attending here, so maybe I'll explore the school today. Have you been everywhere inside this place, Hannah?"
"Not really. The only places I know are the haunted girls' bathroom and the gym. I think this might be my first time in the other areas. Since we're here, could you show me around?"
I wasn't sure how much I could guide her since it would be my first time as well. But since Hannah asked, I decided to start our exploration on the first floor.
There's a map of the whole school, so I can see what classrooms are where, but since we're already here, let's start from the left side and go in order.
So, off we went toward the purchasing office on the left end of the hallway. Here, they sold everything from erasers and uniforms to weapons—just about anything you'd need for student life.
If you talk to the person at the counter, a selection menu pops up where you can choose what you want to buy and pay for it. If you're short on cash, it seems you can even get a part-time job. It's a little weird that even elementary school kids can work, but then again, this is a game, right?
"Do you have any money?"
"Um, I've got 50 yen from all the creatures I've taken down."
The only things that seem affordable at the shop are anpan and milk. If I buy both, I'll be down to zero.
"At least the prices are cheaper than in the real world."
"That's because you need to accumulate money by defeating weaker creatures. Essentials are priced lower for that reason. But it's a hassle when you don't have money to buy what you need. Want to get a part-time job?"
"700 yen an hour, huh? Well, I guess I can always come back to buy something if I'm really in a pinch. Luckily, it doesn't seem like I'll die from starvation or anything, at least not immediately."
"Doing that in this world would be a huge hassle, I bet. It would probably lead to a storm of complaints, so they've apparently removed the hunger meter for meals."
"Removed" is one way to put it; they never really implemented it at all. Once it's established, saying it was removed might be a different matter. That's a behind-the-scenes detail that shouldn't be mentioned to ordinary folks, right?
"Anyway, next is the art room."
With a loud creak, I opened the door to the art room.
Three pairs of eyes suddenly turned towards me.
They were sitting in a crouched position in front of a Milo sculpture, glaring at me with their beady eyes.
"…I'm sorry for intruding."
I quickly closed the door and turned around, heading towards the next classroom.
"Hey, wait up, dude!"
With a loud bang, the door swung open, revealing three elementary school kids.
One had a pompadour hairstyle and a cigarette in his mouth—oh wait, that's a cocoa-flavored cigarette. The second wore a crow mask and had a two-block haircut, casually hoisting a wooden sword over his shoulder. The third was a girl with red hair in twin tails, her nose covered in freckles, sporting a pair of sky blue gloves on her right hand, holding a single yo-yo.
Just when I thought I could keep my distance, the pompadour guy came up from behind and threw his arm around me.
"I know this one. So you got tangled up with some delinquents?"
"Isn't that right? You showed up to class, but it was so childish that you couldn't stick around, huh, you delinquent?"
That's really about you guys.
"We were just trying to play a game, but it ended up being such a drag. I wanted a more exciting school life."
Well, even if you say that…
"Oh, and I thought about going back to elementary school to play again, but I just can't shake off the feeling from my gang days. I couldn't even listen to the teacher!"
Wow, that sounds rough. Well, I think I'll be heading out now.
"We're all in this together, right? Let's be friends, brother!"
"By the way, I tried playing a girl character, but honestly, I prefer being a guy looking at girls rather than being a girl myself. You feel the same way, right?"