Three days.
That was how long he had spent in the hospital. Three days of pretending to still be injured (didn't want doctors to see that he was all healed up in an instant thanks to gar's body.), of learning. Of trying to piece together the shattered remnants of a life that wasn't his but had now beco his responsibility.
The ti had been both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it gave him the chance to acclimate to the Gar System, to slowly unravel the intricacies of its chanics without rushing into anything. A curse because it also ant three days of isolation, of not seeing the family that had already been driven to the brink by the actions of the previous Kenji Takahashi.
He had experinted—just a little. Learning how to navigate the interface, reading through the notifications, and understanding the core functions of the system. It was all still surreal, even now. The Gar System was sothing he had only read about in fiction, but here it was, real and tangible.
He had sowhat understood most of the functions and attributes. He was a little confused with the tier system if he was being honest.
Thankfully, the system had given a short explanation of so of the functions.
It seed that each tier had a max of 100 before moving to the next tier. Each tier gave a massive boost in power compared to the last tier, and from what he understood, it was hard for beings to rank up in tier level as it took serious talent, training, and luck.
And that was the advantage his system gave him. The ability to train endlessly with a perfect body thanks to Gar's Body and the ability to gain stat points that he could assign and increase his stats faster than normal people.
And then there was the Multiversal Group Chat—an anomaly, an impossibility that existed due to his freakish luck. A second system. He had barely scratched the surface of what it could do, afraid to jump in without a solid foundation. There was no rush. He would take things one step at a ti. So he decided to put this system on hold for.....now.
Now, though, the ti for isolation had ended. He was leaving the hospital.
As he stepped outside, a cool breeze greeted him. The world outside the sterile hospital walls felt almost foreign, despite the mories of Kenji Takahashi filling his mind. The car that had co to pick him up was sleek but carried an air of emptiness, much like the life he was inheriting.
And then he saw them.
His family.
Anastasia stood by the car, arms crossed, her icy blue eyes watching him with that sa guarded expression she had worn the day she first entered his hospital room. Her stance was rigid, controlled—but there was sothing beneath it. A quiet exhaustion, perhaps. Years of disappointnt manifested as cold detachnt.
Beside her stood his children.
His eldest, Ayaka, sixteen years old, had the sa platinum blonde hair as her mother but carried herself with a rebellious sharpness. Her arms were crossed, mirroring Anastasia, but her gaze was filled with unmasked disdain.
Next was Aoi, thirteen. She stood slightly apart, her brown hair—a reflection of his—falling over her face as she avoided his gaze. She looked uncomfortable, as if even being here was a burden.
And then there was Ren, the youngest at seven. Unlike his sisters, Ren didn't have an air of hostility about him. His big, uncertain eyes peeked at Kenji from behind Anastasia's leg, his small hands gripping the fabric of her coat.
The tension was suffocating.
No words were exchanged as he approached. Anastasia barely acknowledged him before turning toward the car. The children followed without a word.
He sighed inwardly. This is going to be difficult.
---
The drive ho was silent.
The house—or rather, the ho—was grand, but it didn't feel warm. It felt empty, more like a prison than a place of comfort. He could see it in the way Ayaka stomped up the stairs without a word, the way Aoi disappeared into her room, and the way Ren hesitated before shuffling off behind his mother.
They didn't see him as their father.
They saw him as a ghost. A lingering shadow of the man who had ruined everything.
Kenji exhaled slowly. He couldn't bla them. He wouldn't bla them.
Kenji had been the type of man who did nothing and expected everything.
Gambling, wasting the little money she earned, and disregarding her advice, he even refused to get a job.
Truly, this man was hopeless.
Sighing, he straightened up.
But that didn't an he wouldn't try.
He stood at the entrance of the house, staring at the emptiness around him, and made a silent vow.
'This is my family now. I will fix this. I will earn their trust. I will beco the father and husband they deserve'.
Was it odd that he had already accepted this man's life as his own? Was it because he never had this back in his life?
Maybe that's why.
For a man who had always wanted a family but never had one, he had already accepted the role of Kenji simply because of this sole reason. Family.
---
Dinner that evening was a quiet, tense affair.
The dining table was large, made of polished wood, but the distance between them all felt like an abyss. Anastasia sat at the head of the table, poised as ever, though her expression remained unreadable. Ayaka and Aoi barely spoke, picking at their als while Ren, seated closest to him, kept sneaking glances at him between bites.
He cleared his throat. "How has school been?"
Ayaka didn't even look at him.
Aoi simply nodded, still refusing to et his gaze. "Fine."
Ren, however, hesitated before answering. "It's okay… I guess."
He sighed inwardly.
This was not going to be easy.
His gaze moved from one mber of the family, studying their features, trying his best to morize every detail.
---
[System Alert!]
New Skill Acquired: Observation (LV 1)
---
Kenji blinked as the translucent blue notification appeared before his eyes. He had barely done anything, yet the system was already responding. Interesting.
He decided to test the skill. Focusing on Anastasia, he activated Observation.
---
[Observation Result: Anastasia Takahashi]
Na: Anastasia Takahashi
Race: Human
Level: 12
Tier: 10 (Human Standard)
Attributes:
- Strength: 45
- Speed: 48
- Endurance: 50
- Intelligence: 60
- Wisdom: 55
- Charisma: 70
- Luck: 40
Skills:
- Household Managent (LV 8)
- Multilingual (LV 6)
- Negotiation (LV 5)
-...
---
Kenji's eyes widened slightly. Anastasia's stats were impressive, especially her Charisma and Intelligence. No wonder she had managed to hold her business and family together despite everything.
Next, he focused on Ayaka.
---
[Observation Result: Ayaka Takahashi]
Na: Ayaka Takahashi
Race: Human
Level: 5
Tier: 10 (Human Standard)
Attributes:
- Strength: 25
- Speed: 30
- Endurance: 38
- Intelligence: 55
- Wisdom: 45
- Charisma: 50
- Luck: 30
Skills:
- Artistic Talent (LV 4)
- Rebellious Spirit (LV 3)
-....
---
Ayaka's stats were lower, as expected for a teenager, but her Intelligence and Charisma stood out. She clearly took after her mother.
Then, he turned his attention to Aoi.
---
[Observation Result: Aoi Takahashi]
Na: Aoi Takahashi
Race: Human
Level: 4
Tier: 10 (Human Standard)
Attributes:
- Strength: 20
- Speed: 27
- Endurance: 32
- Intelligence: 60
- Wisdom: 50
- Charisma: 40
- Luck: 25
Skills:
- Bookworm (LV 5)
- Introverted (LV 4)
-....
---
Aoi's Intelligence was surprisingly high, even higher than Ayaka's. She was clearly the studious type, though her low Charisma and Luck reflected her shy and reserved nature.
Finally, he observed Ren.
---
[Observation Result: Ren Takahashi]
Na: Ren Takahashi
Race: Human
Level: 2
Tier: 10 (Human Standard)
Attributes:
- Strength: 10
- Speed: 25
- Endurance: 22
- Intelligence: 20
- Wisdom: 20
- Charisma: 35
- Luck: 50
Skills:
- Curiosity (LV 3)
- Innocence (LV 4)
---
Ren's stats were what you'd expect for a child, but his Luck was notably higher than the others. Maybe that was why he seed more open to Kenji's changes.
Kenji smiled faintly. "That's good to hear. If you ever need help with anything, let know."
No response. Anastasia placed her fork down and stood. "Excuse ." Without another word, she left the table. Aoi followed soon after, and Ayaka, with a dramatic sigh, pushed her plate away and left as well.
That left him and Ren.
"Did you really hit your head that hard?" the boy suddenly asked, fidgeting with his fork.
Kenji blinked. "What do you an?"
Ren looked at him seriously, his small hands clenching. "You're… different. You don't… scare anymore." "
His breath caught in his throat. Of all the things he had expected, this wasn't one of them.
He could brush it off. He could dismiss it. But instead, he chose his words carefully. "Ren… people change. Sotis, they need to." He reached out slightly but stopped himself. "I don't want to be who I was. I want to be better—for you, for Ayaka and Aoi. For your mother."
Ren studied him for a long mont before nodding slowly. "Okay." And then, as if nothing had happened, he picked up his fork and resud eating.
Kenji let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
Maybe, just maybe, there was hope.
——————————————————
Support .
If you want to read ahead and access 5 advanced chapters, check the patreon
Link:patreon/Phantomking785
User Comments
0 comments from readers