In the evening, after dinner at a family restaurant and some time spent digesting, Kazuya Kominato headed to a nameless park in Tokyo.
As night fell, residents came out for walks or exercise. Seeing people running, Kazuya, feeling somewhat down due to the system and his mood, decided to run a lap to relax.
The night air wasn’t fresh.
After running one lap, around 800 meters, his body began to protest.
His original self seemed unaccustomed to exercise; his physique was weak.
Every step after feeling discomfort was agonizing, his breathing heavy, sweat stinging his eyes, and leg muscles pulling.
Running was inherently painful, especially at the beginning.
Yet, he couldn’t stop, for stopping meant giving up. He had to persevere, just a little longer.
On the second lap, he slowed down…
On the third lap, even slower…
But he persisted, running a little more, taking another step, pushing forward.
…
Kazuya found it strange. The more his body ached, the more his mind seemed to relax.
His thoughts drifted. He recalled hearing that most people reach their limit around two to three kilometers, their breathing becoming labored, their steps heavy.
If one could push through that limit, a mechanical state would set in. Running would become detached from the mind, which would enter a state of seeming emptiness.
It was a peculiar feeling, difficult to describe.
Like now.
Time blurred. The slow, labored running finally stopped.
At that moment, Kazuya wasn’t thinking about anything, barely even able to breathe.
He leaned against a tree, using both his nose and mouth to draw in air.
He gasped, gasped, until his breathing finally calmed.
Seeing fellow runners still circling the park, Kazuya took a step, but his leg muscles, whether in pain or on strike, refused to move.
“So hot, I hate this. Next time, I’ll run in the cool morning,” he muttered to himself.
He walked back to his apartment, each step a battle against the fatigue, each step painful.
Back in his dorm room, gazing at his small, dimly lit space, his body and mind relaxed simultaneously. But he felt too exhausted even to shower. He’d sleep first.
Anything else could wait until tomorrow.
The night passed without incident. Sometimes, excessive exercise brought sleep.
Waking up in the morning, Kazuya opened his eyes and felt as if the world had changed.
Everything was exceptionally clear, like the difference between a 1080p and a 720p video.
[Match Rate Increased]
The system’s blue screen displayed a notification.
His exercise yesterday hadn’t been in vain. Even though his muscles still ached, the change in his vision, if related to the match rate, was worth it.
But what should he do today?
After showering, Kazuya lacked motivation.
He settled in his dorm and started reading manga that the original Kazuya had bought. Even though the current Kazuya hadn’t read them, whenever he encountered a particularly exciting part, the subsequent plot details would flood his mind.
Like spoilers, Kazuya's mood reflected the gray, cloudy sky.
His phone rang.
The caller ID showed his mother. “Kazuya, your grandmother is in the hospital again.”
Everything today was going wrong!
…
Itabashi Third Hospital.
“So dramatic,” his grandmother said about her collapse, as if she wasn’t the one involved. “It’s just fainting, why all the fuss?”
His grandmother, Kazuya’s mother’s mother, was a strong, capable woman, as he remembered her.
“Of course, we’re worried, Mom. You really need to take care of yourself,” said Kazuya’s mother, an ordinary woman.
His mother, Harumi Kominato, was a simple, ordinary woman.
“Right, old lady, you need to act your age,” said Kazuya’s father, a middle-aged man, worried.
His father, Kazuo Kominato, was a aging man.
“It’s not like this is the first time I’ve been in the hospital…” Kazuya’s grandmother was surprisingly spirited. “Does this room have WiFi?”
This ordinary family, even with an elder plagued by illness, was filled with love and support.
Kazuya, warmed by his family’s love, went to his grandmother’s bedside.
“Grandma, you should rest today. You can play with your phone tomorrow. Just relax for today,” Kazuya said. Surely, the current Kazuya must seem strange to his grandmother, compared to the old Kazuya.
“. . . . Kazuya? . . . ” Even in front of her family, his expression of concern was enough to surprise them. He really was inept.
“Don’t worry, Dad, Mom. This time, Grandma will be fine. She’ll recover,” Kazuya sat next to his grandmother, taking her hand. “Because, seeing her so lively, even the gods would bless her recovery.”
Not just his grandmother, but his father and mother also looked at Kazuya with a mixture of emotions.
“Kazuya, you’ve grown up,” his grandmother said, tears welling in her eyes.
Even if the gods didn’t bless her, I would make sure you recover.
[Omnipotent Energy Points: 4]
[1 Unit Energy Point, Target: Kazuya Kominato, Health +1]
Canceled.
He wasn’t sure what using energy points now would do. He had time, and if those Omnipotent Energy Points could help his grandmother recover, he’d do it. He’d figure it out later when he was alone with her.
“Kazuya . . . ? Did you have a girlfriend? You’ve changed so much,” his grandmother said, a mixture of relief and complexity in her voice.
Should he tell the truth or lie?
After some thought, Kazuya replied, “I did have a girlfriend before, but we broke up.”
Despite being the patient, his grandmother seemed more concerned with comforting Kazuya.
After all, the Kazuya she knew was a perpetual single, twenty years of solo life, with no romance to speak of.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. You can find another girlfriend. My Kazuya will be popular with girls,” his grandmother said, reassuringly.
“Don’t worry. University courses are easy, I have plenty of time for dating. I might bring a girlfriend home to meet you this year. Don’t worry, Grandma.” The mature Kazuya made his entire family uneasy.
…
Kazuya stayed at the hospital with his grandmother until the afternoon, fulfilling his duty as a dutiful grandchild.
“Oh, Kazuya, what was your girlfriend like? Do you have any pictures? Can you show Grandma?” It seemed grandparents were always gossipy.
“Grandma, we’ve broken up, I’ve deleted the pictures. But don’t worry, she was a beautiful girl. You can ask Mobu if you don’t believe me. In the future, I’ll find a girlfriend who is just as beautiful as you were when you were young.” The Kazuya of the past, popular among the elderly, had a lot of experience dealing with them.
“Tell Grandma, what was her name? What did she look like?” His grandmother, lying in bed, reminded him of his own grandmother.
“Her name is Mami Nanami. She was a beautiful girl, cute with short blonde hair, and she loved wearing dresses…” Kazuya described Mami Nanami, as he remembered her.
Unknowingly, the image of Mami Nanami, beautiful and cute, began to form in his mind.