Months passed, and Ayano and I became quite close friends, often playing badminton together with her rackets. After a few weeks of playing, someone else joined our circle of friends: Saotome Noan. She is a cheerful girl who wears a genuine smile most of the time. However, there's something peculiar about her. At just 7 years old, almost 8, she is surprisingly curvy for her age—dare I say, anime-style curvy.
Noan has a little brother who is 2 years younger than she is and a little sister who is 4 years younger. She dotes on her little brother and frequently shares stories about him with Ayano or me. She has even brought him along to play with us a couple of times, but I can only describe him as introverted—not timid, but definitely someone who prefers solitude. I hope he doesn't end up becoming a hikikomori in the future.
As for my family situation, my father has changed jobs; he is no longer a Japanese minister. Normally, this would be good news since that job kept him away from home for long hours. However, he is now working at the Embassy of Japan in England, which means he is not only away from home but also out of the country. I am now 7 and a half years old and have yet to see him since he took the job six months ago. Currently, I am living full-time with my paternal grandparents. While I feel a bit sad about my situation, I can't complain too much. I am in a home where people love me and can express it openly. However, I miss Yuki.
The good news is that we established our super-secret communication line. Thanks to strict rules, Yuki has to go to bed no later than half past nine, which allows us to talk or exchange messages every day. Luckily, her asthma seems to be calming down, and doctors have given her another six months before she is expected to be healthy again.
I want to do something special for her, but since we now live in different cities, organizing something without causing issues is impossible. Still, Grandpa promised to take us both out on a special day, so that part is handled. Now I just need to find a present for that occasion—two presents if I want to include a birthday gift for her.
Speaking of birthdays, Ayano's is coming up soon, and I already know where I want to go to get her a present.
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It turns out that the first superpower in my life had not been fully awakened. Yes, my 'I am rich' superpower is still stuck at the stage where it feels like "My parents are rich." For my birthday, I received a little bit of money, in addition to toys from my grandpa and a piano from my father. Yes, I own a piano, and it's currently here at home.
Since my birthday, I decided to pursue the entrepreneurial path and started a small business. I bought a thermos, some plastic cups, sugar, lemons, and a few mint leaves, and I began selling fresh lemonade at the park. It was a small venture, and sometimes the lemonade wouldn't sell, but over five months, I managed to earn 15,000 yen. While it wasn't a lot, it was enough for me to spend on whatever I wanted.
Now, I find myself in one of the less-frequented libraries, looking for an unpopular manga centered around badminton. However, that's not the only reason I'm here. This is the first time I've entered a library alone in this life; I had gone with my mother two or three times before. Although I was interested in a few books during those visits, I couldn't buy them because, as my mother said, "they weren't books for kids."
Today, I'm here with the first three volumes of the manga I wanted for Ayano and another three volumes for Yuki, an older Shonen series that caught my interest. The total cost for these was just under 3,000 yen, and now I felt ready to spend a little on myself.
Not wanting to spend too much time browsing, I quickly searched for titles that intrigued me and touched the ones that caught my eye. I was snooping around for skill books. After twenty minutes, I exited the bookstore 6,310 yen lighter: 2,860 yen for the manga volumes and another 3,450 yen for two books.
Bag in hand, I decided to enter a public bathroom to absorb those skills. Maybe it was riskier than doing it at home, but I didn't want my grandparents asking about the missing books after I had just bought them.
Once inside the restroom, I sat down and picked up the first book titled "The Book of Memory."
[Skill Book detected. Would you like to use it? Yes/No]
The blue panel appeared before me, and without hesitation, I clicked "Yes."
[You've obtained the skill: Memory Palace]
The book vanished in a flash of light, and knowledge surged into my brain. This was the first skill book I had absorbed, and it felt incredible. The skill [Memory Palace Lv.1] was now listed in my skill set, and I knew that if I concentrated hard enough with my eyes closed, I could enter my memory palace. However, I decided to hold off on that for now and picked up the second book, "Massage: The Basics."
[Skill Book detected. Would you like to use it? Yes/No]
Again, I clicked "Yes," and the same light show occurred, along with another rush of knowledge.
[You've obtained the skill: [Massage]
Feeling delighted to have two new skills, I returned home with a skip in my step. When my grandpa asked if something good had happened on my way, I simply told him that a friend had shared some massage techniques with me. I managed to convince him to be my first guinea pig for the skill. I must say, I was happy about leveling up my skills twice, and grandpa ended up sleeping like a log that night.