(Real World Arc Begins!)

After his third trip to the other world, Shoot returned home. Going from the basement to the living room, he checked the clock; as expected, it showed the same time as before his departure.

“I knew this would happen, so I waited for morning in the other world. I’ll align my departure and return times to the mornings and evenings from now on.”

After three trips, Shoot had gotten the hang of interdimensional travel. He went to his room; there were several voicemails and emails, a report from his father that he’d transferred this week’s allowance.

Shoot’s father had set up a bank account for him, depositing a weekly allowance. Since his parents were rarely home, they avoided the hassle of handing it over in person. His father’s voice on the message was mechanical, lacking any concern for his well-being. He didn’t ask about school.

(If they came home today, what would they think of me now? They might mistake me for a burglar and call the police…)

“Aaah… aaaah…”

Shoot tested his voice; it had slightly changed with his growth.

“My voice changed too. They might not notice.”

Expecting his parents to return for lunch or dinner, Shoot waited, but they didn't come home. They were staying at the company for the entire week, a rare occurrence.

“…That’s right, there’s something I wanted to try.”

He cleared some space in his room and focused on his hands; he was about to use magic.

“My earth magic has become incredibly powerful since building the house; I can create iron now.

What if I can create other precious metals…?”

Shoot felt a surge of curiosity and greed. Visualizing it, he cast his earth magic. A substance formed on his floor—shiny and heavy—the very thing he desired.

“I can really create ‘gold’~!?”

Holding the gold, he confirmed its weight and metallic texture. Convinced it was real gold, he felt like he’d achieved the life of his dreams.

“But… this is tiring… (huff, huff, huff)”

The effort left him exhausted; he collapsed, drenched in sweat. He’d created about 500g of gold, and he realized that creating high-value materials, even in small quantities, required an enormous amount of energy.

“Whew… My earth magic is ridiculously powerful.”

Mastering earth magic allowed him to create gold. Very few people in the other world could do this, and illegally selling the gold was a crime.

“But I can sell as much as I want in this world, right?”

He could sell it at a gold buyer and get a lot of money, as long as he didn't overdo it, Shoot thought happily.

“Time to cash in.”

After recovering, Shoot put some gold into his backpack, preparing to sell it. The nearest gold buyer was a thirty-minute walk from his home. Before, he’d have cycled, but he no longer needed transportation.

However, he hadn't been to a gold buyer before, rendering instantaneous teleportation impossible, so he had to walk.

“Hey! Look at that guy!” “Eh… He’s handsome, tall…”

“Who is he? He’s super good-looking, right?” “A model, maybe?”

“A handsome high schooler?” “No, maybe a college student?”

“Lean and handsome… my type!?”

“…”

On his way, Shoot felt eyes on him; people were staring. Everyone he passed paused to look, mostly women, their hearts aflutter at his appearance.

“But… that handsome guy’s clothes…” “Pfft! They don’t fit.” “And that backpack… Is he going mountain climbing?”

Some laughed at his clothing; this was out of envy for the attention he received.

(My clothes are too small. I’ll buy some new ones later.)

As he walked, he sensed someone approaching. He stopped and saw two female college students, dressed and acting like experienced socialites.

“You’re so handsome~~ I think I’ve fallen for you!”

“You’re alone, right? Want to hang out with us?”

One of them approached, speaking familiarly. The other blocked his path, tilting her head coquettishly.

“Handsome? Do I look like that?”

Shoot had been approached before, but never like this; usually, it was for pamphlets or extortion.

Before his transformation, the gazes had been contemptuous, those seeing his bullied appearance as pathetic.

“Of course! You’re a total heartthrob♪”

“Your clothes are a little… off, but you’d look even better with new ones! Want to go shopping now?”

“…”

It was a pickup attempt—something unexpected.

(That’s right, my appearance changed drastically in the other world. But being hit on like this… even having someone say they’ve fallen for me… Wait, is it real?)

He looked at them again: their earrings, expensive necklaces, clothes, and bags; their perfume. They were clearly experienced.

(They probably got those accessories and bags from other men. Now, they’re trying to get something from me.)

Shoot had recently suffered terribly at the hands of Itakura. Falsely accused of stalking her and making a false confession, he’d been publicly humiliated.

Since then, except for Sunny, Shoot had vowed not to trust women's advances. He'd learned that there was rarely anything good in such approaches.

“Get your stuff from other men. Now, move.”

“Eh…?” “Wh-what?”

He gently pushed aside the girl with black hair and hurried away.

“Ugh, we lost him. Too bad.”

“Yeah. But he was really handsome.”

“Right! I’m totally smitten! Even his cold reaction was hot!”

The blonde college student watched Shoot’s retreating back with lingering interest.

Shoot was approached several more times but rejected them all curtly.

(They’re probably judging me by my looks. They’re all worthless women. They’re all like Itakura—scum.)

Suppressing his urge to spit, he continued walking, arriving at his destination. After waiting, it was his turn. He showed the gold to the attendant. He had only brought a tenth of the gold he’d created (he’d used "Crafting" to turn the gold into jewelry). He feared bringing too much would cause problems.

He was asked for ID, but he used his father's health insurance card and utility bills to get by.

After a while, the transaction was complete. About 50g of gold (converted into jewelry) was worth 300,000 yen.

(Whoa~~~)

Shoot was thrilled. Hundreds of thousands of yen was a fortune for a middle schooler. He could buy games, food, and new clothes, he thought gleefully.

That night, Shoot was alone again. Taking advantage of his parents’ absence, he ordered expensive sushi, preparing himself for tomorrow. School would resume.

Before, he’d dreaded the bullying and depression that came with it, but now, he looked forward to it.

“Tomorrow, I’ll take revenge! But I won’t kill them. Not since I haven’t been killed. But I want to show them hell…!”

He planned to take revenge on Nakazato and his gang, as well as the girl who’d framed him. If he had time, he’d make his classmates and teacher pay for their indifference and laughter.

“I’ll make them realize… what it’s like to earn my hatred. They’re worthless scum, garbage.”

———

The next morning, having slept soundly, Shoot had a hearty breakfast and prepared himself carefully. His uniform was a bit tight due to his growth, but he was otherwise ready.

“I can use my dad’s dress shirt, but the trousers are a problem…”

Accepting this, he left home. It had been a while since he'd looked forward to going to school, he thought. He went to buy lunch at a convenience store, when something caught his eye.

“Hm…?”

From the opposite direction, he saw a group of about ten people approaching.