When he opened his eyes, the boy understood more deeply the meaning behind the words "unknown ceiling."
Looking around, he noticed a simple-looking desk beside the bed, with a night lamp and a box of tissues.
Suddenly, he was hit by an intense headache. Countless memories that weren't his invaded his mind, and for a moment, he thought he might die.
"This is... No. It shouldn't be like this..."
He got out of bed, feeling the weakness of his body as he headed to the bathroom. Somehow, he felt that what he was looking for would be there.
In front of the mirror, he saw the image of a thin boy with spiky, orange-brown hair that was a bit messy. His face couldn't be described as handsome. If he had to rate himself on a scale of 1 to 10, he'd be a 4.
Undoubtedly, it was the face of someone who had bad luck in life. And now, this was his face. If anything stood out, it was his strange eyes, which seemed lifeless, giving him a sharp, almost terrifying look.
He wore an orange T-shirt with a black spiral in the center, under which was a black long-sleeve shirt and striped jeans.
"Damn it. Of all the reincarnations, why did I have to be reincarnated into this guy's body?"
He said disdainfully as he organized everything he knew about this guy.
Kazuya Kinoshita is an indecisive man and, in many cases, a liar. His lies often cause problems because he can't gather the strength to tell the truth.
He tends to continue the lies to avoid the trouble of explaining everything. An example of this is his fake relationship with Chizuru Ichinose, which he maintains to cheer up his grandmother. On the other hand, he knows he's getting himself into a lot of trouble trying to protect others' secrets and keep the people around him happy.
Despite all of this, he is generally a good-hearted person and even shows great persistence at times, doing whatever it takes to help others.
"But that doesn't change the fact that he's an incorrigible pervert, and his insecurity makes him chase after girls. And even though he tries to help others with their problems, most of the time, it's his own actions that cause those problems."
The boy sighed, releasing the frustration he had built up.
"Well. This only happens at first, because then he realizes he's in love with Chizuru and changes a bit. Besides, the fact that I'm in his body now doesn't mean I have to follow the plot. That's right. I, Kazuya Kinoshita, will walk my own path."
He declared as he left the bathroom.
Looking around the room, the boy felt disgusted by how dirty it was.
Checking his phone, he realized that only a day had passed since Mami had broken up with Kazuya.
"Alright. I won't rush things. I'll take it easy and enjoy this life. There's still time before classes start, so I'll clean up a bit."
Some time later...
Kazuya was walking through the city streets. He had excused himself to his friends since, as he was still adapting to this body, he didn't want them to notice the change.
In his mind, he listed his goals for this life.
"I wonder... In this life, I have the chance to live however I want as long as I don't interfere with the plot, but I can't think of many things to do. Although I have to admit, attending university felt great."
He had dressed differently from the usual Kazuya, wearing a navy blue hoodie, a black short-sleeve shirt underneath, and pants of the same color as his hoodie.
He had even fixed his messy hair, which, in contrast to his look, made him seem like a dangerous person.
Anyone who saw him would walk away from him, afraid he might do something.
"I need a way to strengthen my body. I don't like the feeling of weakness it has. And since I haven't awakened any tricks so far, I'll have to assume I'll have to survive with my own means. Lastly, to justify the changes in my personality, I'll use the breakup with Nanami Mami. That'll save me from unwanted suspicions."
While he was walking, lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice a soccer ball flying towards him at high speed.
Reacting quickly, he forced his body to move and kicked the ball back to its owner.
The boy apologized and thanked him for returning the ball before continuing to play with his friends.
Kazuya decided it was best to return home since these events had physically drained him. On his way back, he was surprised when suddenly, a sound echoed in his head and some letters appeared on his retina.
Ding!
[Host detected with required qualifications.]
[Installing Diary Life System... 1%... 40%... 80%... 100%...]
[Diary Life System activated...]
[Loading soccer skills...]
[Full Load.]
[Soccer skills integrated.]
"Huh?..."
There, a message appeared on the screen like a game prompt, while a voice, almost mechanical, of an indeterminate gender echoed in his head.
"System? Could this be what I think it is?"
Upon the appearance of both the voices and the letters, the boy stopped to calm himself.
"So, this is... my trick."
Kazuya was excited, but when he noticed the strange looks from the passersby, he decided to check this trick out once he got to his apartment.
Hurrying his steps, Kazuya set off toward his apartment once again.
A few minutes later...
Kazuya was lying on his bed, trying to comprehend his trick.
"System?"
[Yes, host. How can I assist you?]
The voice he had heard earlier returned.
This made the boy feel even more excited.
"Can you show me the status?"
He asked, unable to contain himself.
Once again, a set of glowing letters appeared on his retina.
[Name: Kazuya Kinoshita.]
Status: Energetic.
Age: 20 years.
Profession: First-year Business Management student at Nerima University.
Location: Nerima University.SP: 0
Skills:
• Manual Skills Lv7 (3090/7000)
• Business Management Skills Lv2 (270/2000)
• Learning Ability Lv2 (300/2000)
• Soccer Skills Lv1 (50/1000)]
The first module almost made him vomit blood. Deciding to ignore it for now, he focused on the general information.
"Very simple... Its style is like that of The Sims game."
He thought, noticing the lack of information in it.
"Why are there no stats or values like in the games?"
[Because this is not a game.]
The system responded, leaving him in silence.
That's right. This isn't a game. This is real life... His life. The fact that he got a second chance doesn't mean he's going to get a third.
"I understand. So, explain this about the skills."
[Skills can be acquired through performing different activities. If the activity is done successfully, the experience gained will be greater. The higher the level of these skills, the greater the competence and mastery over them.]
"I see. So that's why the soccer skill appeared when I kicked that ball. Then the second skill, I assume, is related to the career Kazuya is studying."
He quickly summarized everything he had understood from the system's explanation.
Then he noticed something that caught his attention.