After giving Shido a full tour of the apartment and explaining all the necessary details, Akari politely excused herself. She still had a pile of work waiting for her back at the office, and lingering too long in a client's apartment, especially one as good-looking as Shido might give the wrong impression.
"I'll be heading back now, Itsuka-san. If you need anything, feel free to contact the agency." she said with a courteous smile.
"Thanks, Yamada-san," Shido replied, seeing her off at the door.
Once she left, Shido flopped onto his new bed, arms and legs sprawled out like a starfish. He sighed in contentment, letting the soft mattress cushion his body. There was something deeply satisfying about moving into a new place… especially when he didn't spend a cent on this apartment.
As he stared at the ceiling, a familiar notification window popped up in his vision.
[Quest Completed: Buy A Residence In Tokyo]
Rewards:
Territory Magic (Advanced Level)
Cooking Mastery (Perfection Level)
10,000 Exp
7,000 SP
"Territory?" Shido looked at the new skill curiously. At first, he thought it was similar to the Territory magic used by Wizards back in the Date A Live world. But after reading the description, he quickly realized, this was something far more powerful.
Territory Magic: A high-level spatial manipulation magic that allows the user to distort space within a designated area. The caster can teleport objects or people instantly within the zone, extend attacks across warped space, or redirect incoming attacks by bending the space between. It essentially turns the entire battlefield into the caster's playground, where distance and direction are meaningless.
"This... is good!" Shido couldn't help but exclaim, his eyes widening in excitement. He instantly recognized the skill, it was the same Territory Magic that Minerva used in Fairy Tail. The memory of how she completely dominated Erza and Kagura during the Grand Magic Games was still vivid in his mind.
'With this... I can turn the battlefield to my advantage in an instant, he thought. I can overwhelm opponents with spatial tricks, or just vanish if things get ugly.'
Grinning to himself, Shido let the possibilities play out in his head. This skill wasn't just strong, it was tactical. It gave him both offense and defense in a single ability.
Shido regained his composure seeing that he was acting like a fool. Then he looked at the rest of the rewards and thought that it was too normal but he didn't complain since it was better than nothing and also cooking mastery at perfection level is not bad at all.
After sorting through his rewards, Shido rolled onto his back, arms sprawled out, staring blankly at the ceiling. Though he had just arrived in this world a few hours ago, his mind was already drifting back to the girls at the Itsuka residence.
'Tohka, Kotori, Yoshino… everyone.'
He missed them more than he expected. The warmth, the chaos, the laughter, they were like a strange, dysfunctional family. But this journey wasn't just a random escape. He needed to grow stronger. To protect them… to protect everyone.
With that in his mind, Shido finally sat back on his bed and looked around. He already saw that even though there are necessary things in this apartment, it was lacking of furniture.
Without wasting any more time, he stood up and grabbed his wallet. He'd head to the mall, buy some furniture, and give this place a bit of soul. A few plants, maybe a couch, something cozy for the living room. Something that made it feel lived in.
While at it, Shido figured to buy a greeting gift for his neighbors.
He looked at the time and saw that it was already 2PM. Although it was in the middle of the afternoon, the temperature wasn't that high since it was May right now and the season of Spring.
Shido followed the sidewalk, his footsteps quiet against the pavement. A gentle spring breeze brushed past him, carrying the soft scent of flowers. Above, the cheery blossom petals slowly fall to the ground like a pink snow, creating a beautiful fleeting scene.
He paused for a moment, lifting his gaze as a thought drifted into his mind.
'5 centimeters per second. The speed at which cherry blossom petals fall from the tree…'
Shido observed the petals fall if it was accurate and as he watch the petals fall, Shido counted the seconds for the petals to fall. Even without using his observation haki, Shido could accurately measure the time and distance of which the cherry blossoms fall.
Somehow he felt nostalgic looking at the falling petals. This line for distance and time was really the best example to describe the separation between people, especially in relationships.
Shido let out a long sigh before decided to go to his way to buy furniture in the city so it would immediately delivered as soon as possible.
"I should go get that furniture." he muttered to himself, brushing a stray petal off his shoulder.
With that, he walked down the sidewalk, leaving behind the drifting blossoms as they continued their graceful descent.
...
After wrapping up his furniture shopping, Shido headed straight to the supermarket. With a mental checklist in hand, he moved through the aisles, picking up all the daily essentials, toothbrush, toilet paper, laundry detergent, and everything else he'd need for a comfortable start in his new home.
Once that was done, he moved on to groceries. His fridge was completely empty, so he made sure to stock up, water, various drinks, snacks, and ingredients for a few meals he could cook later.
By the time Shido stepped out of the store, he had two full plastic bags in each hand, one filled with household necessities, the other packed with food, drinks, and snacks for his new apartment.
A few minutes later, he turned onto a quieter side street where there weren't many people nearby. Glancing around briefly to make sure no one was watching, Shido swiftly tucked the bags into his inventory real quick.
"Okay, it's done." Shido said.