In this Second Chance at Life, where I can see skills as clear as day, everything feels like a breeze. And to make it even better, I’m spending my days joyfully with my First Love. - Chapter 16

The Chūetsu Earthquake, the sudden appearance of a dungeon, the massive level-ups, the absurd stat increases, and figuring out how to control them—all those pressing issues had been resolved, and I’d finally returned to my usual daily life.

I’d wake up early, go for a run, eat breakfast, and dive into relentless strength training until Ichika came to pick me up for school. At school, I’d tune out the lessons while training my magic and use break time for even more strength training.

The only real change in my routine was that I no longer needed to rest or take meal breaks. Thanks to the [Super Regeneration] skill, my fatigue was restored through magic. Combined with [Automatic Health Recovery], I’d become a tireless, unbreakable machine.

After school, I’d walk home with Ichika.

Since we ended up in the same class in second grade, it feels like I’ve been spending more and more time with her every day.

Not that spending time together means we’re playing or anything.

Ichika usually reads a book while I work out nearby or go outside for a run. It’s a peaceful dynamic, and neither of us seems to mind.

To be honest, though, I think I still like her. More than that, in this life, she’s my childhood friend and the only person who isn’t afraid to stay near me despite my still-clumsy control over [Intimidation]. Her presence is comfortable, and I don’t mind her company at all.

Apparently, my teachers and parents think of me as “a child who can’t be left alone without supervision,” which feels a bit unfair. I often see Ichika being told, “Don’t take your eyes off Yasushi (Sashima-kun).”

Come on, it was just one time that I broke a door because I used too much strength! Can’t they let it go already?

Even so, as my days returned to normal and my mind went blank during training, I found myself thinking about that dungeon. Perhaps it’s because my [Parallel Thinking] skill has leveled up, letting me reflect more deeply.

Take the chimera, for instance. It was strong enough to destroy the entire Chūbu region. And the Nightmare Knight? I only managed to one-shot it because of my ridiculously high stats. Its small frame would’ve made it impossible to deal with using fighter jets or conventional weapons.

If monsters like that ever appeared in a city, the destruction and casualties would be unimaginable.

Of course, I’ll deal with any monsters that show up as long as I’m around. My reasons aren’t entirely noble—it’s mainly because defeating monsters raises my level and stats, and widespread damage would disrupt my own life. Practical concerns, really.

But even with these absurdly high stats, I’m far from omnipotent.

If a monster appears now, I wouldn’t even notice it. I’m no longer spreading my magic widely like before, and with most of it sealed in my [Item Box], I can’t detect anything unless it becomes big enough to make the news.

Not that I feel a grand sense of duty to protect the world or anything. Honestly, I couldn’t care less about saving the world.

Still, as I glanced at Ichika walking home with me, holding my hand as if to make sure I didn’t get into trouble, I felt something stir.

Maybe it’s because I like her almost as much as I like working out—or perhaps just as much. The thought of Ichika getting hurt by a monster when I’m not around is… unbearable.

For the first time since first grade, I decided to make a suggestion to Ichika.

“Hey, do you… want to hang out today?”

Ichika looked surprised—it wasn’t like me to invite her to do something. But after a moment, seeing the seriousness in my eyes, she smiled and nodded.

“Sure. Let’s hang out.”

◇

“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask… are all those ridiculously high stats, levels, and titles related to what happened recently?”

“Yeah.”

When Ichika asked, I nodded.

I taught Ichika how to use [Appraisal] shortly after I learned [Magic Intimidation], which scared most people away. She, however, stayed by my side, saying, “I know Yasushi-kun is actually a good person.” Her words encouraged me back then.

Since then, Ichika has been the only person who knows about my stats—or even knows what stats are.

Thanks to her unique skill [Keen Insight], she learned [Appraisal] incredibly quickly. Along the way, she even acquired some special skills of her own.

When it comes to [Appraisal], Ichika might actually see more details than I can now, possibly due to some kind of synergy with her skills.

At the very least, she can see effects of unique skills that I still can’t.

Here’s her current status:

Name: Ichika Kobayashi
HP: 360 / 360
Strength: 150
Magic: 3,250
Agility: 80 ▲
Level: 1
Occupation: None
Skills: ▼

• • [Flexibility Lv. 12], [Health Boost Lv. 3], [Strength Adjustment Lv. 7], [Magic Boost Lv. 24], [Calculation Lv. 5], [Appraisal Lv. 50]

Special Skills:

• • [Keen Eye], [True Sight]

Unique Skill:

• • [Insight]

…Wait a second. Isn’t this a bit higher than I expected?

The last time I secretly checked, her HP was around 70, and her magic was only about 600.

Then I remembered the effect of my title:

[Brute Force of Numbers]—all of my “allies” have their stats multiplied by 5.

Apparently, my skills consider Ichika an “ally.” It feels like my private feelings have been exposed, and it’s a little embarrassing.

Ichika, perceptive as ever, smiled teasingly at me. With her [Insight] skill, it really felt like she could see right through me. I don’t know the exact effects of her skill, but it’s unsettlingly accurate.

“S-so anyway! About what happened when I was at my grandparents’ house the other day! There was this huge earthquake!”

“Oh, right. That was in Niigata, wasn’t it? Are you okay?”

“Well, the epicenter wasn’t too close, so it was only around a magnitude 5. We were fine, but… there was a dungeon near the epicenter.”

“A dungeon?”

“Yeah, it was full of monsters—like slimes and goblins. And at the very end, there was this super strong lion monster.”

“Huh. So basically, you don’t want me getting hurt by monsters like that, so you want me to get stronger, right?”

Her sharp intuition left me momentarily speechless.

Is this what they call “women’s intuition”? She hit the nail on the head, though admitting it outright feels awkward. Even if I like Ichika more in this life than I did in my previous one…

“Well, I mean, strength training is fun, so I thought it’d be good for you too?”

“You know, that’s basically admitting it.” Ichika giggled. “But if you’re that insistent, I guess I can give it a try.”

“R-really? Thanks!”

“Don’t get too excited, though. Just simple stuff, okay? I’m a delicate, fragile girl, after all.”

A “delicate, fragile girl” with stats at least four times stronger than my dad’s. But pointing that out would’ve been unnecessary and rude.

For now, Ichika started jogging 1 kilometer every morning and spending about 30 minutes after school on effective core exercises—sit-ups, push-ups, and squats—enhanced by magical resistance and pressure.

As expected of someone who does ballet, her natural strength was already quite impressive.