Green plums cannot become lovers.

I am also very grateful to the friend who was still willing to wait even when the book was a complete flop and I had no hope of winning it back.

I will definitely finish writing this book well and live up to everyone's expectations, so I hope you can support me.

Fun fact: A recommendation vote, a razor blade, a monthly pass, or a small tip can make an author happy all day.

Volume 1: Chapter 20 System Rewards

Summer vacation ended amidst the children's complaints and lamentations, and a new semester is about to begin.

Kuze Shizuka packed her schoolbag, and only after making sure she had finished and packed all her summer homework did she look at her schoolbag with a satisfied expression.

Her old schoolbag was quite worn out, and her classmates often laughed at her for carrying it. So, today the boy bought her a new one.

She didn't know how much the backpack cost because the tags and other labels had already been torn off when the boy handed it to her.

But she did know a little about the price of school bags; school bags for elementary school students like them cost at least 20,000 yen.

She wrote down this debt, intending to repay it slowly when she grew up.

Kuze Shizuka hugged her new schoolbag, her face beaming with a smile. Although her family's situation wasn't great, life was still somewhat happy thanks to the boy's presence.

He would take me out for delicious food, help me make new friends, comfort me when I'm sad, and take care of me when I'm not feeling well.

She felt that the boy had gradually become an indispensable light in her life. Without that light, her life would fall into darkness again.

With that thought in mind, Shizuka Kuze closed her eyes contentedly and slowly drifted off to sleep.

In her dazed state, Shizuka Kuze heard rustling conversations coming from beside her.

"What an adorable little one, her name is Shizuka, right?"

It was a very unfamiliar male voice, which immediately put Shizuka Kuze on her guard.

What are you going to do?

"It's nothing, I just think it's cute."

"You'd better not make a move on her; it's illegal."

"Breaking the law? Hahaha, Kuze, you're really funny. Aren't we breaking the law right now?"

"I don't care, I won't allow you to make a move on her."

"Tch, what a spoilsport. You're nothing but a prostitute yourself."

"Alright, enough talk, let's get out of here quickly."

As the man's cursing faded into the distance, Shizuka Kuze slowly relaxed. She knew her mother was still beside her, but she dared not open her eyes.

Since her father left, her mother had never looked at her properly again. What she could see in her mother's eyes was not affection, but trouble and disgust.

So it's best not to watch her videos.

After waiting for a while, Shizuka Kuse heard the sound of the door closing and footsteps fading away; it seemed her mother had gone out again.

Only then did she dare to open her eyes, but the room was pitch black and she couldn't see anything.

Darkness, along with loneliness, eroded the girl's heart until a figure entered her mind, bringing her some relief.

[Congratulations, host, on completing the task: Read through "Fundamentals of Music Theory"]

[Rewards: Character Skill Points *1, Double Reading Experience for "Fundamentals of Music Theory", Sheet Music for "Kikujiro's Summer"]

When An and Asuka heard the system's congratulations, they breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

He rushed and finally completed the task before the system's deadline, and now he could focus more of his energy on the two girls.

[Would you like to use skill points?]

【Hmm... Use it.】

[Okay, host currently has 5 skill points. Please choose how to allocate them.]

After the system finished speaking, a transparent virtual panel appeared in front of Anhe Feibiao.

It contains his basic information, as well as some of his skills.

Name: Anhe Asuka

Power: 2

Speed: 2

Intelligence: 6

Talent: 1

Appearance: 4

Looking at their basic stats, An and Asuka thought for a moment and then added two points each to Strength and Talent.

Strength is easy to understand; the higher the value, the more damage you take. Similarly, the higher your talent points, the easier it is to learn other skills.

Therefore, talent points are one of only two among these without an upper limit. The other is appearance... but he doesn't need that for now, since he's already quite handsome.

As for the remaining skill point, An and Asuka glanced at their skill bar, which contained several skills.

Learning ability Lv3, cooking ability Lv3, speaking skills Lv3, guitar playing Lv1

After careful consideration, An and Asuka used their skill points on guitar playing.

His guitar playing skills are still at a beginner level, but with a little more practice, he could reach the level of an average enthusiast.

If you want to add more skill points, you'll need even more skill points.

One skill point is enough to go from level one to level two, but 10 skill points are needed to go from level two to level three. The higher the level, the more skill points are needed.

Therefore, if he wants to succeed, he still can't rely solely on the system; he also needs to make progress on his own.

[Host, have you confirmed the skill point allocation?]

【Um. 】

[Bang bang ka bang, congratulations host, you have leveled up!]

Name: Anhe Asuka

Strength: 4 (This is already top-tier among elementary school students, and can even hold his own against junior high school students)

Speed: 2 (Short legs, not very fast running speed. If you don't improve it, you might get caught and taken to the basement.)

Intelligence: 6 (Very smart, but far from being a peerless genius)

Talent: 3 (You can already fold paper airplanes into fancy shapes, and you will find it easier to understand and learn art-related knowledge at the same time)

Appearance: 4 (A bit handsome, making it easier to attract the opposite sex, but be careful around the same sex too.)

Skill: Guitar playing Lv2 (This is already something to brag about among elementary school students; go and get a chorus of "wows!")

[Skill points have been allocated. The reading experience gained from "Fundamentals of Music Theory" has been automatically applied. The host is now able to develop their own unique understanding after reading the entire book. Go read it again and see what new insights you gain!]

[The reward sheet music—"Kikujiro's Summer"—has been distributed! This is a masterpiece; what kind of sensation will it cause if it's released?]

After briefly sensing their enhanced power, An and Asuka looked at the rewards the system would give them next.

The reading experience was alright, but the most important thing was that musical score—"Kikujiro's Summer".

Looking at the sheet music before them, An and Asuka couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. The system was right; this was a masterpiece, and it would surely shine brightly if presented to the world.

However, now may not be the time to show off to the public. At least before showing it off, I need to solidify my foundation a bit more.

Moreover, he felt that simply releasing this piece of music alone would lack a story and a sense of immersion.

Even at a time like this, you're still so rational? Anwa Asuka, you...

However, I agree with the host's point of view.

This piece of music can only resonate deeply with people when combined with its own story and experiences.

[And coincidentally, haven't you and those around you had similar experiences?]

So why not write them into a novel?

This system will fully support you.

Volume 1: Chapter Twenty-One: The New Mission

Encouraged by the system, An and Asuka embarked on their writing journey. Their experiences, regardless of who they were, were indeed well-suited for a novel.

Parents divorced, or even both parents left home, family misfortune... Thinking about it carefully, the three of them are indeed quite tragic, and tragic stories are often more likely to resonate with people.

In short, regardless of whether it will be a big seller in the end, at least we've started. Besides, writing, compared to music or painting, has a much lower barrier to entry and doesn't require much investment.

The semester began with An and Asuka's creations, and time moved forward little by little with the lines from his pen.

An autumn rain swept away the last vestiges of summer's heat, and the roadside vegetation turned a withered yellow. When the first maple leaf fell into a puddle on the road after the rain, autumn officially announced its arrival.

"Attention students! Our talent competition between Kamishiro Elementary School and other elementary schools is about to begin this year. If you have any talents, feel free to show them off and sign up!"

The music teacher announced this news to everyone in the homeroom teacher's class.

Every year from September 15th to October 15th, several primary and secondary schools in this small town hold events similar to arts competitions. Each school sends out its students to perform in various fields, and the winners receive more educational funding the following year.

This also concerns the welfare of all teachers and students in the school, so not only the school leadership, but even their homeroom teachers who prioritize grades, attach great importance to it.

Unfortunately, since their primary school only has three or four hundred students, and most of them are children from ordinary families, very few of them have actually received any art education outside of school music classes.

So let alone representing the school in competitions, even just being able to play the recorder in unison would make the music teacher happy for a long time.

This resulted in them consistently ranking last among the five primary schools in this small town.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, their school will likely be eliminated in the first round this year as well.

Anhe and Feiniao rested their chins on their hands and looked out the window, the warm autumn sun shining on them, making them feel lazy and comfortable.

Has anyone signed up?

The music teacher was still recruiting volunteers on stage, and several people were gradually signing up from below. But she still seemed somewhat dissatisfied, so she continued to patiently guide everyone.

"Those of you who have talents, don't be shy! Believe in yourselves and you can shine!"

"Even if the ranking is not ideal, it doesn't matter, because this is a very valuable experience for you, and you can learn from it no matter what you do in the future."

"And as long as you can participate in the performance, you'll receive a certificate afterward."

"..."

Even when tempted by the award certificate that everyone desires most, only two more students signed up, and nothing else.

This disappointed the music teacher and made the homeroom teacher frown slightly, his eyes darting around as if he were looking for someone to answer a question during class.

An and Asuka didn't bother with it and simply lay down on the table to wait for the recruitment to end. Anyway, this kind of activity had nothing to do with them.

But just then, the system's voice suddenly rang in my mind.

[Task issued: Participate in this five-school performance and achieve a top-three finish]

[Rewards during the mission: All performance experience is doubled, and all practice experience is increased by 50% during the mission.]

[Rewards upon completion of the mission: Obtain the character effect 'Charming', 5 skill points, and 1 silver skill card]

[Additional Notes:]

Performance experience: This refers to the experience gained while performing in front of an audience; the amount of experience depends on the size of the audience.

Practice experience: Practice props needed for the performance. For example, if the host chooses to play the guitar, the host will be able to practice the guitar more efficiently during the mission.

Of course, there's no limit to the number of practice props you can use, as long as you can manage them.

Character Effect - Likable: meaning more easily liked by people of different ages.

Silver Skill Card: After use, you can directly learn a skill with a level not exceeding Lv3.

[Mission Failure: No Penalty]

"..."

An and Asuka were almost caught off guard by the task suddenly assigned to them by the system.

Why did you suddenly send me this task? Is this some kind of weird strategy?

[After all, this is a rare opportunity for training, and the host should try to seize it. Besides, I can't stand the way you're lying down.]

[...] They actually said he was lying down, which is really annoying.

Answer it quickly, the music teacher is about to leave.

The system kept urging him on, so An and Asuka could only temporarily suppress their thoughts of disciplining it and look at the podium.