"When I get my hands on a na change card, I'll definitely rena your system to 'Ubisoft Heroine System!'"
[First, you need to actually get a na change card,] Kazumi said casually while working on the server, seeming completely unbothered.
"Huh? Are na change cards really that hard to buy?"
[Even though the na change card only has one function—to change the system's na—it's always released in limited quantities at random tis, only 100 at a ti. Once they're gone, that's it.]
"Have you ever managed to snag one?"
[It's not about wanting one or not—it's that every ti the sale goes live, so systems cheat by using bots or scripts to snatch up na change cards, grabbing ten or more at once, only to resell them at a higher price. It's outrageous!] Kazumi said through gritted teeth, clearly harboring a deep grudge.
Kotomi couldn't help but feel nervous hearing this. She worried that Kazumi's anger might lead to accidentally breaking the server entirely while trying to fix it. Thankfully, less than a minute later, the potato server was miraculously fixed by Kazumi.
Kotomi quickly clicked through the interface, eager to see what percentage chance she had of triggering the imrsive state during her creative sessions.
Soon, a new screen popped up.
[Writing Skill Imrsion Probability: 12%]
[Painting Skill Imrsion Probability: 10%]
Those percentages… were ridiculously low!
This system, which claid to be "God-level," might as well go work as a ga developer with such odds.
"Those percentages are way too low!" Kotomi muttered, ready to curse out the developer.
"If you level up your skills to the max, the chances will increase. It's like in a gacha ga—if you max out a character, they'll be super strong, right?" Kazumi explained.
"Uh… true, but there are exceptions."
"What do you an? Are you saying there are gas where a character is weak even when maxed out? How embarrassing!"
"Of course! For example, that one, you know..." Kotomi trailed off with a hint of irony before closing the system interface.
While painting earlier, Kotomi clearly felt the benefit of being in the imrsive state. The problem was, she couldn't guarantee it would trigger every ti she created.
Both her writing and painting skills had probabilities that were still too low. Earlier was simply a stroke of luck that she'd managed to trigger it. The next ti she painted, she probably wouldn't be so lucky.
To increase her odds quickly, she needed to level up her skills.
Kotomi glanced at the remaining balance of her Fa Points.
It seed like she had a long way to go before she could raise her probabilities significantly.
"It's impossible to reach 100%," Kazumi suddenly chid in, not using the usual ethereal system voice but her normal voice.
"Shut up! Don't discourage from leveling up!" Kotomi retorted, exasperated. Then, she put on her coat, grabbed her bag, and was about to leave when Hibiki Naegi, the art club president, approached. Seeing Kotomi's work, her eyes widened in shock.
"Did you… just draw this, Kotomi?"
Hibiki's question was rhetorical—she knew the answer, but was too stunned not to ask.
Even though the piece hadn't been colored yet, the strength of Kotomi's lines and the genius of her composition were already clear from the sketch alone.
Anyone with an understanding of art would feel a sense of awe just looking at Kotomi's draft.
They would imdiately begin to anticipate the perfection of the finished piece.
"Yes, but I spent quite a bit of ti adjusting the draft, so I haven't started coloring yet."
"Don't rush it—take your ti. There's still plenty of ti before the National Youth Art Competition deadline. Keep your pace steady and finish this piece carefully, okay?"
"I understand. Thank you for your concern, Naegi-senpai," Kotomi replied politely.
She wasn't surprised to receive such high praise for an unfinished piece.
With both her painting skill level and the imrsive state assisting her, it would've been odd if the work hadn't turned out well.
After leaving the art club, Kotomi headed straight for Yui Yuigahama's house.
When she rang the doorbell, it wasn't Yui who answered, but her mother!
"Little Kotomi, welco! It's so nice of you to visit!" Tomoka Yuigahama greeted her with a warm smile.
"Yuigahama-san, aren't you busy with the cake shop today?" Kotomi asked curiously.
It was a weekday, Thursday afternoon—normally one of the busiest tis for a cake shop.
In response to Kotomi's question, Tomoka Yuigahama smiled sheepishly and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Well… September's almost over, and I'm behind on my illustration work. I need to hurry up and finish the illustrations for Sword Art Online Volu 1. I can't let my delay cause the book's release to be postponed, right?"
"Is the cake shop alright?"
"Well, it's not ideal, of course. Balancing both running the shop and working on illustrations is tough. I can't do both, so I decided to close the shop for a few days and focus on finishing the illustrations. Once I'm done, I'll reopen the shop."
Kotomi glanced around cautiously before lowering her voice.
"Does Yui know?"
"My two daughters don't know that I illustrate, or that I'm collaborating with you. I just told them I wanted to take a break from the shop for a few days," Tomoka Yuigahama whispered back.
Their hushed conversation, combined with their close proximity, made them seem like they were conspiring about sothing suspicious.
"Mom, is Kotomi here already?"
Yui's voice ca from behind them, and Kotomi and Tomoka quickly stepped apart, pretending they'd just been exchanging pleasantries.
"Y-yes, she just got here. You two are going to study today, right? Do your best and get good results on the upcoming exams!" Tomoka said, smiling warmly at Yui.
"Yuigahama-san, sorry for intruding," Kotomi added as she walked inside. After taking off her shoes at the entrance, she followed Yui upstairs to her room.
Since the house was small, Kotomi always tutored Yui in her tiny bedroom.
Perhaps because they'd beco more familiar after the last few tutoring sessions, Yui had already set up a chair for Kotomi at her desk. On the desk were two glasses of iced orange juice, condensation forming on the cold glasses, making them look refreshing and cool to the touch.
"Alright, enough chit-chat. Let's get to studying. I asked you to organize the things you didn't understand—did you get them all sorted?" Kotomi asked after taking a sip of orange juice to prepare her voice for the lesson.
"I did, but… there's only a little bit I didn't get," Yui said as she handed a small notebook to Kotomi.
Opening it—
Good heavens, it was a goldmine of things she didn't understand!
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