Gravity Girl Shining

After some rants, Uehara Hibiki temporarily closed the system interface. Before he knew it, the students had finished their self-introductions and it was time for the teacher to deliver his long lecture. It was the same as on the first day of school, with no classes, just the principal and then the teacher. The only good thing was the afternoon off, which was great for working part-time.

When the school bell rang, Uehara Hibiki and Takamatsu Deng casually exchanged a hello before leaving the classroom. After all, they had just met today, so it wasn't appropriate to be too clingy. There was still a long way to go, and there would be opportunities to win her over later.

…………

Twenty minutes later, Uehara arrived at a secluded shopping street. He had a large bowl of ramen for lunch. It was rich in oil, salt, carbohydrates, and, most importantly, cheap. A supermarket, across the wall from the ramen shop, was where he worked part-time.

"Hey, Uehara, you're wearing your school uniform today. Is school really starting?"

As soon as they entered the supermarket, a loud voice echoed. A figure taller and more muscular than Uehara Hibiki appeared behind the cashier, his muscular build inevitably evoking certain philosophical themes. In reality, he was a righteous and forthright man, as righteous as a paladin, and Uehara Hibiki had been looked after by him many times over the past January.

"Hello, manager. Today is the first day of school, and classes officially start tomorrow. Like before, I won't be able to come in so early, and my work hours will probably be cut in half," Uehara Hibiki said. School in Haneda normally ends at 3:00 PM, but if you join a club, you'll have to wait an hour or two longer. Tokyo regulations stipulate that minors must work until 9:00 PM. If you're fully booked, that leaves you with only about four hours of daily work.

"It's okay, it's okay. Students should study as usual. So, Uehara, stand guard for the last time today, hahahaha!"

Amidst the store manager's hearty laughter, the mechanical workday began. Shelves were stocked, labels were affixed, and stock was replenished from the warehouse. It was no different from any other day. Only after using the concentration skill, time seemed to pass much more quickly. It seemed as if in a blink of an eye, the clock struck 8:50 pm, and my stomach rumbled with hunger.

"Then, time."

Without having time to change back into his uniform, Uehara Hibiki put on his work clothes and walked to the back of the shelves where people had been waiting for a long time.

"Good evening, Chafa."

"Good evening, Giant."

"Where's Baldy? I didn't see him tonight."

"He's behind the west shelf, hidden by the beard. Yes, giant, there's an outsider today."

"That's strange. You never hesitated to take action before."

"Yada, it seems like I'm a violent person. If those fighting factions were here, but the one who broke in today is a delicate little sister, it would be bad if she got hurt."

Shuncha pointed his finger and turned to see a girl with twintails and a blue shawl standing in front of the shelf, glancing at the bento counter. That was right, that expression of hunger tormenting her. She was targeting the supermarket, which only sold bento at half price after 9 PM.

Even though it was off-duty, they were still employees. With a long sigh, Uehara Hibiki walked between the blue-haired girl and the counter, gently tapping on the shelf. "Good evening, classmate. Would you like a half-price bento at the counter in the back? If you're not betting your life on it, please stop here."

"?"

Chapter 3 Half Price Bento

"?"

Faced with Uehara Hibiki's obstruction, the blue-haired girl questioned her soul. Indeed, most people wouldn't think that. No, it didn't matter. Uehara Hibiki only needed to hold her back for a dozen seconds. After all, the store manager had already put half-price tags on the bento, and nine o'clock was about to strike.

Seeing Uehara Hibiki standing in the middle of the aisle, the blue-haired girl hesitated, but the torment of hunger gave her courage. "What did you mean? If you have nothing to do, please make way. It's a public place, and you, as a store clerk, have no right to stop me."

"I'm a staff member, not off duty, so I'm also a customer. As for stopping you, it's to protect you. After all, some of our regular customers have a different way of interacting with us than at other supermarkets..." Uehara Hibiki hadn't finished speaking when the bell rang. The peaceful atmosphere around the counter suddenly turned tense. The supermarket instantly transformed into a hunting ground. The "wolves" hidden in the jungle of shelves emerged one after another, surrounding the bento counter and engaging in a law-of-the-jungle battle for the half-price bento.

"Anyway, it's like grabbing food in the cafeteria, except everyone's acting a little more passionately."

Before Uehara Hibiki could finish her explanation, a brown-haired JK was kicked in the heart and flew from the center of the crowd to Uehara Hibiki's feet.

"Are you okay? Do you want to call an ambulance? Yes, call the police..." The blue-haired girl finally woke up from the melee in front of her, squatted down and wanted to help Chafa, but as soon as she took out her cell phone, the other party suddenly held it down.

"Sorry, sorry, please don't call the police, newbie sister. I'm fine, we're all good people, don't be scared." Chafa stood up, pretending to be calm and patted off the shoe prints on her chest. After a burst of turbulent sounds mixed with inhalation, she continued to fight on the battlefield, leaving the blue-haired girl disheveled in the wind.

It was almost a month ago, and with the same expression, Uehara Hibiki seemed to be looking at the girl. The hunger in his stomach gave him no time to hesitate. After confirming once again that the blue-haired girl would not call the police, Uehara Hibiki rushed into the battlefield without hesitation.

In the crisscrossing fists, everyone trying to snatch the lunch box was a target. Although Uehara Hibiki was quite large, in this two-dimensional world, where superhumans abounded, Uehara Hibiki was no match. A kick to the shoulder sent a searing pain through his brain, causing his arm to tremble unconsciously.

Yes, at this time, it might work wonders. Focus on your skills and start!

With the skill activated, all five senses instantly lost their function, leaving only hunger, a feeling he'd never experienced before. The only thing on his mind was the desire to fill his stomach and survive. His vision reactivated in search of food, temporarily shutting down his other senses. Compensatory, he peered through the crowd, his gaze fixed on the bento on the counter. His mind automatically filtered out the pain and distractions, focusing on the punches and kicks of everyone in his path.

Now Uehara Hibiki is only focused on getting the lunch box. Driven by adrenaline, the magical human body bursts out with new power.

The bearded man stood in front of him and punched him in the stomach.

The brown-haired JK reached out to pull her legs, but he used the force to knock her down and stepped on her palm to charge forward.

Finally, the bald man tried to stop him. His right hand tried to grab the lunch box, but his left hand wasn't strong enough to repel him with a single punch. Undeterred, Uehara Hibiki charged directly at him with his head. Living up to his nickname, the bald man met his opponent's attack head-on with his shiny forehead. The next moment, a surge of impact blurred his consciousness, his vision went blank, and both men's foreheads spurted with blood. The excruciating pain in his scalp forced the bald man to step back, temporarily losing his sense of pain, allowing Uehara Hibiki to touch his target.

"Three layers of sauce, crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, two-finger-thick pork cutlet, comes with a generous portion of rice, and is a steal at 324 yuan. This is the dream pork cutlet bento for passionate men!"

The moment he grabbed the lunch, his senses, which had been blocked off, returned to normal. Amidst the clamor and noise, Uehara Hibiki couldn't help but let out a strange cry, barely offsetting the urge to scream. After a while, when the numbness in his muscles had subsided, Uehara Hibiki held up his trophy and, amidst the envy of the poor people, swaggered off the battlefield.

However, when he reached the shelf, Uehara Hibiki noticed that the blue-haired girl was still standing there, not moving away. It seemed that she had been watching the heroic figure the entire time, no wonder she had such a look of doubt on her face.

"Girl, come back to your senses. The half-price bento boxes are almost sold out. There's no point in looking any further."

After grabbing his lunchbox, Uehara Hibiki brightened up and casually offered a word of advice. The blue-haired girl simply asked, bewildered. "Is this kind of behavior allowed? Is there no one to stop it?"

Good question, girl. I asked the same question a month ago. It seems that this war inheritance has welcomed a new apprentice. Do I have to become a bento master too?

Casually placing his lunchbox at his feet, Uehara Hibiki explained while wiping his wound. "I don't know the original story, and I'm just a newbie, so I don't know who sets the rules. The manager just agrees, and the residents and patrol officers on the street are used to it. He follows the manager's rules, embodying company culture and making everyone smile."

"I can't understand why they're fighting over half-price lunch boxes..."

"It depends on what you think. Instead of cutting in line and swearing and scrambling for food over a few hundred yen price difference like at other supermarkets, why not settle the matter squarely with fists and return to the natural law of the survival of the fittest? In a sense, it's fair." After inspecting his wounds, Uehara Hibiki pulled out his treasured bandages and successfully placed an emperor penguin on his forehead. "We have rules too. We can only take what's enough for our own stomachs, no waste, no underhanded tactics, no attacking the winner, and so on and so forth."

Finally, Uehara Hibiki looked at the blue-haired man. A lion lurked in his feignedly experienced eyes. "After all, our belief is that everyone is equal in the face of hunger, regardless of wealth or poverty. But as human beings, even in times of hunger, we must observe etiquette and risk our dignity."

As if something had penetrated her defenses, the blue-haired girl burst into laughter, as if it was the first time she had smiled since entering the supermarket.

"Etiquette and dignity are truly defeated by your twisted logic. No, I have learned an important lesson, too. Thank you."

?

Girl, are you awake?

You just watched a street fight and listened to me bragging like a middle school student, and suddenly I sounded like I had gained enlightenment.

Uehara Hibiki couldn't tell if it was a brain injury or hallucination. It was a strange day, always encountering girls with strange mindsets. Just then, two hunger growls erupted simultaneously from their stomachs, resonating in the narrow passage. I almost forgot, someone came to buy dinner too.

Exerting his last ounce of responsibility, Uehara Hibiki led the girl to the convenience store shelf… but unfortunately, it was sold out. As for the warehouse situation, there was no need to elaborate; Uehara Hibiki knew it better than anyone. There was nothing he could do. His invincible Yasashi wouldn't let him watch the beautiful girl starve, but his wallet wouldn't let him take his dinner without permission either.

"My lunchbox is quite large. Should I pay for half or a third?"

…………

Ten minutes later, in the supermarket staff lounge, the microwave made a ding sound and the warm lunch box came out.

At the same time, Uehara Hibiki and the blue-haired girl ended up bargaining for 160 yuan, and got two-fifths of the pork chop bento, excluding side dishes.

"I'm going to start." ×2

Although the dinner was a bit simple, both the guests and the hosts had a great time.

"So, Lanfa, you're working overtime today. All the bento boxes around the station are sold out, so this is the first time you've come to this store. What a shame! The station is in a prime location, but the bento boxes are over 160 yuan more expensive than here."

"There's no other way. Because we're in a hurry, the area around the station is the best option. The bento boxes there sell out so quickly, and the few that are unsold are sold at half price, which is an extra expense."

"Haven't you considered other streets? Not every store is as wild as this one... That's right, you girls should pay attention to your safety when walking at night."

"Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Giant."

Quick, Blue Hair took the lead in eliminating the enemy and stood up to politely say goodbye. She seemed to enjoy the practice of hiding her name and calling each other by nicknames, and the corners of her mouth curled up a few degrees when she said the word "giant".

Only during the conversation did Uehara Hibiki's proficiency in Japanese come into play in a miraculous way. Just by listening to the grammar and vocabulary, the guy seemed like a young lady.

But would the young lady work every day and then go hungry to grab a half-price lunch box?

, respect the privacy of others.

Shortly after Lanfa's departure, Uehara Hibiki was also finishing up her share. Changing back into her school uniform, Tokyo's lights were as bright as day, and not a single star could be seen. For office workers, the nightlife had just begun, but for students, if they didn't go home soon, the patrol would come to question them. Someone tall like that might not be able to get away in casual clothes, but someone with Lanfa's delicate face and a short face wouldn't have the same problem. No wonder she usually left work at eight o'clock.

Just as I was thinking this, a sliver of blue appeared at the station ahead. Judging by the timetable, she seemed to be waiting inside for a while. Oh, why bother coming out a few minutes early? The air conditioning in the store is better than the cold air inside.

"What a coincidence, Blue Hair."

Uehara Hibiki greeted him as he did just now, but in the darkness of the night, he didn't notice that the blue-haired man's expression gradually stiffened after looking at his clothes.

"Hmm, Mr. Giant. What clothes? So you, Mr. Hanegaoka..."

"Yes, I came second in the entrance exam for Haneda. Impressive, right? By the way, Lanfa, which school do you go to?"

"I……"

The blue-haired girl fell silent, the night wind blowing, her beautiful golden eyes dimmed by the city's neon lights. She didn't reply. The question, even though it was ordinary, seemed to touch upon a taboo. The next moment, a train roared onto the platform, interrupting the conversation.

Chapter 4 It Turns Out to Be You

Entering the train car, under the glare of the sun, the coldness had no place to hide. Ignoring Uehara Hibiki's question, the blue-haired man sat down first, his eyes half closed, pretending to sleep. Like a frightened pufferfish, he puffed up and his spines stood up, afraid of being touched by outsiders.

I really didn't expect that asking a school question would lead to a landmine. You wouldn't be a high school dropout, right?

Feeling somewhat resentful, Uehara Hibiki snorted coldly and sat down on the opposite side, but his gaze was firmly fixed on the blue-haired woman. That raised neck, the jade-like skin, the slightly pulsating carotid artery, and the shy collarbone hidden by the collar.

Soon, the blue-haired girl could no longer pretend to sleep. After a cold glare, the girl had to turn her head away to avoid the aggressive gaze. Unfortunately, her movement exposed the back of her neck, which was even more delicious. Under the cover of her long blue hair, the hazy feeling was even better.

Silently giving a thumbs-up in his heart, Uehara Hibiki continued to savor the girl's sweet expression. Since you're giving me the cold shoulder, don't blame me for a bit of aggression in my eyes. Tokyo's a big place, and after today, we won't see each other again.

While waiting for the tram stop, Uehara Hibiki was the first to walk out of the car.

Goodbye, girl, I wish you...

But he heard footsteps behind him. Uehara Hibiki turned around stiffly and saw a familiar face.

"What a coincidence! It turns out we got off at the same stop."

Awkward words couldn't compensate for the gradually chilling atmosphere. Maintaining a comfortable distance, the two walked down the platform, out of the station, and onto the street. The crowd thinned, the road narrowed, but their paths remained the same. As Uehara Hibiki sweated profusely, the blue-haired man clutched his phone, ready to call the police at any moment.

"Don't get me wrong, don't get me wrong. I didn't mean to follow you. My house is nearby. I'll go ahead later, okay?"

But fate is often so strange, one in front of the other, their steps never separated. Finally, in front of a shabby rental apartment, the two heavy footsteps stopped at the same time, and then turned towards the stairs at the same time. Obviously...

Neighbors!

Hibiki Uehara couldn't help but cover her face. After working part-time and studying for exams for the past two weeks, she really didn't know who lived next door. She still remembered that when she first moved in, the manager had warned her to follow the custom of visiting neighbors and giving them small gifts to pave the way for future social interactions.

But considering that all my wealth was invested in rent at that time, I could barely afford to eat... Gift? What's the nickname for a sucker? We young people in the new century don't care about that.

But now Uehara Hibiki regrets that he should use the deck he is proud of in order to eliminate the awkwardness in the air and for the sake of future neighborhood relations.

"It's a nice weather tonight."

"Well, please forgive my previous misunderstanding and my rudeness." Although he apologized, the rejection in Lan Yan's words became even stronger, and he went up the stairs by himself.

Seeing the weather deck fail, Uehara Hibiki followed him upstairs and offered a final polite exchange. "Let me introduce myself again. My name is Uehara Hibiki. Although we haven't greeted each other before, from today on, we are acquaintances. As neighbors, I hope you will always be kind to me."

Hearing the word "neighbor", the blue-haired man paused. After a moment's silence, as if making some kind of decision, the girl stepped aside and saw the house number behind her that was deliberately blocked.

"My name is Toyokawa Shoko, and I'm also a student at Haneda. Uehara-san, as a neighbor, I have a request: Please don't talk about me in school from now on. Thank you for your guidance."

???

Are you the Toyokawa Shoko who stole my scholarship?

Before Uehara Hibiki could react, the sound of a door opening and closing erased any trace of the blue-haired girl's presence. The system notification sound replaced it.

[Congratulations to the host for meeting the shining girl, Toyokawa Shoko, and the character model has been updated. ]

[Toyokawa Shoko's exclusive UP card pool is open, and you can get an initial free ten-draw combo. 】

Ignoring the system voice, Uehara Hibiki returned to his residence. The empty room only contained simple necessities. Uehara Hibiki lay down on the floor and began to recall everything about Toyokawa Shoko.

She lives in a cheap single-room apartment, works part-time jobs, and grabs half-price lunch boxes. It is obvious that she is short of money.

If you can become the first in the exam, studying will naturally not be a problem, and you may be able to get a scholarship just like Yuqiu.

She was concerned about her situation and knew that she couldn't keep it a secret from her neighbors in the long run, so she asked not to tell anyone else in the school.

The above three points are very self-consistent, but the suspicious thing is that from the contact tonight, her words and behavior have the flavor of a young lady.

The common reason of her family's decline could explain it, but she chose to enter Yugaoka instead of the higher-level Tsuki no Mori. There must be something wrong there.

So, using his amazing wisdom, Uehara Hibiki quickly made a guess.

In the Toyokawa family, she was tortured by the legitimate daughter of the family and eventually driven out of the house, leaving her to fend for herself. She dared not go to the Moon Forest to escape the arrogant sister.

Wait, it seems that Japan does not have a Shinto religion?

That changed to a story about a wealthy family called Toyokawa. Her mother, born into poverty, died young, and her dissolute father found a new love, remarrying a successful woman for money. That cruel stepmother brought with her an equally cruel daughter, and both of them abused her in every way. Even if Toyokawa Shoko begged on her knees, I would have done it, but she was still kicked out.

Well, that's much more reasonable, Cinderella and Xiangzi.

Uehara Hibiki was satisfied with his idea and clicked on the system.

Like Takamatsu Tomo, Toyokawa Shoko's character interface also has three gray stars and a 5/100 progress bar. The difficulty of conquering the "unworthy young lady" is clearly higher than that of the cutie sitting in front of me. Today's heart-breaking challenge was even more challenging. I did manage to collect 20 Pure Love Hearts, which can be used to upgrade my learning skills... But honestly, after seeing Toyokawa Shoko's current situation, I couldn't help but give up the idea of ​​stealing her scholarship.

, since you are my future wife, I forgive you in advance.

Hibiki Uehara originally thought that Shining Girls consisted of only Takamatsu Touma, and that the items available through conquest were limited. But now, it seems, if you're a scumbag enough to conquer a few more, wouldn't the skill upgrades skyrocket? Thinking of the item names, Hibiki Uehara couldn't help but shed tears. Is this a pure heart of love? So sad.