Who knows how long Zuke had been waiting for this feature. Every time he encountered difficulties in other worlds, he would think, "If only my combat power were a little stronger."
Now he finally had the chance to increase the synchronization rate with the Dragon Ball world again—how could he not be excited?
Initially, he hadn't gained much from the Fate world, which left him slightly dissatisfied, but now he felt it wasn't a total loss after all since he'd unlocked this new feature.
Excitedly, Zuke immediately set the Dragon Ball world's timeline to skip forward by four days.
This meant that if he entered the Dragon Ball world again tomorrow, his spaceship should have already landed on Zuno's planet.
Then he would be able to obtain the information he wanted from Zuno, the best intelligence broker in the Dragon Ball world.
[Select a mission world to enter: 1. Dragon Ball (96 hours skipped); 2. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (main quest generating); 3. Fate/Zero (time unchanged)]
Seeing the updated timeline, Shin nodded in satisfaction.
Unfortunately, since he'd just exited the Fate/Zero world, he couldn't enter any other mission world today.
"But considering I've unlocked this feature to adjust timelines, it seems that the rewards from achievements go beyond just mission worlds."
Zuke stroked his chin, deep in thought.
"I wonder when I'll unlock the ability to enter mission worlds multiple times a day. Being limited to one mission world per day feels like a waste of time."
For example, his trip to the Matou household in the Fate/Zero world only took about an hour, and he didn't accomplish much in the remaining hours.
If only he could use those spare hours in another mission world.
From the window that had popped up when he previously tried to re-enter other worlds, he knew there was a way to increase the number of entries per day; he just didn't know how to unlock it yet.
"No use overthinking it; I'll just take things as they come."
Shaking his head, Zuke chose to exit the dream—he couldn't see the achievement goals anyway, so he'd have to progress step by step and see when he could unlock new achievements.
{Transitioning to Shin)
"How does it taste, Shin?"
"Hmm… not bad."
At the dining table, Shin tried the miso soup Sayu Hagiwara had made—it tasted quite good.
Since he lived alone, the kitchen in Shin's house hadn't been used in ages. Most of the utensils were dusty, and Sayu had cleaned everything up yesterday.
"Hehe… glad you like it."
Sayu wore a slightly goofy smile, feeling satisfied as she watched Shin finish the breakfast she had made before she started clearing things away.
Though she was a high school girl, she was quite skilled at household chores—partly because she had a nurturing personality and partly because she likely didn't get much care at home.
Since no one took care of her, she'd had to learn to take care of herself, probably picking up these skills from necessity.
"Shin, are you going out today?"
As she cleared the dishes, Sayu noticed Shin tidying up his clothes as if he was preparing to head out.
Today was Sunday, so there was no school. Originally, Shin had planned to visit the dojo with Yukino Yukinoshita, but they'd already done that yesterday.
So today, he was technically free.
Shin sighed; if only he had told Megumi Kato he was free on Sunday when she'd asked about his weekend plans.
Just then, Shin received a message from Kiryu, asking him to go to Shimokitazawa, so he agreed.
After all, he'd only be gaming at home all day if he stayed in—nothing particularly pressing.
Kiryu's organization had just started expanding, so there might be issues that required Shin's help. He didn't mind running errands in the beginning to assist Kiryu with these matters.
However, if Kiryu kept bothering him, Shin wouldn't hesitate to find someone else—he was supporting Kiryu, not planning to be his babysitter.
"Got it. Will you be back for dinner?" Sayu asked in the tone of a traditional Japanese housewife.
Though she wasn't sure what Shin was involved in, she understood that her current life depended on him, so she wouldn't interfere.
"Most likely. If I'm not, I'll give you a call."
Shin wasn't certain; he probably wouldn't be back for lunch, but he could likely make it for dinner.
"Also, I'll withdraw some cash while I'm out—you're probably running low too, right?"
Even though he could receive money directly from Kiryu, it was still deposited into Shin's account.
Since cash was still the primary form of payment in Japan, especially with small vendors, Shin needed to have some cash on hand for Sayu, as she handled most of the household matters.
"Eh…? Actually, I still have enough," Sayu replied, surprised that he'd offered.
Shin didn't respond, just waved at her as he left, closing the door behind him.
"… Have a safe trip," she muttered, blushing slightly.
Since he didn't have a car, Shin, as usual, took the subway to Shimokitazawa.
He had no choice—he was still a high schooler and couldn't get a driver's license. Owning a car would be pointless if he couldn't use it.
While Stand users in JoJo might have a tradition of driving as minors, Shin was a law-abiding student, so he wouldn't do such things.
(T/N: "Ok…" )
"Next time, I'll have Kiryu send someone to pick me up," Shin grumbled as he stepped off the crowded subway.
Even though it was Sunday, the train was packed with office workers. Japan truly lived up to its reputation with all its exploitative companies forcing employees into weekend overtime.
It was as if they were making up for all the time "lost" in school's joyful studies by overworking themselves as adults.
"Hm?"
As Shin walked a bit away from the station, he noticed a familiar figure up ahead.
… Well, maybe not that familiar—this was the person he'd seen leaving Shimokitazawa the previous night, wearing a pink tracksuit and carrying a massive guitar case.
It had been too dark to see clearly yesterday, but now in the daylight, he realized she was a girl.
Since she seemed to be heading in the same direction, Shin paid her no mind and followed along, heading toward the bar where he was supposed to meet Kiryu.
To be continued…
Psst, Ningen. You are under arrest! Hand over your Power Stones, if you wanna live!
Avail 15% discount on memberships for a limited time!
Advance 50 chapters are up on my Patreon!
pat reon.com/AlphaSenatus