The two didn’t finish talking until it was already late. Just like old times they caught up and talked about everything under the sun.
Yuki had left Daichi’s room untouched besides the routine cleaning she performed on the weekends. Therefore once they were done, the two retreated to their own rooms for the night.
Ken laid in bed and smiled, feeling a sense of calm and happiness he hadn’t felt in quite some time.
During his conversation with his brother, he’d heard a notification from the system, meaning it was finally reactivated after 72 hours of downtime.
Without waiting any longer, he opened up the familiar system window and read the notifications.
[SYSTEM REBOOTING]
[…SYSTEM UPGRADE INSTALLING…]
[SUCCESS]
[MAJOR LEAGUE SYSTEM HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO LEVEL 4.]
[You have consumed: S-grade Physicality Elixir.]
[Balance and Coordination grade has been increased by 1!]
[Agility grade has been increased by 2!]
[Strength grade has been increased by 2!]
[Stamina grade has been increased by 1!]
[Congratulations, user has broken through to S Grade Agility]
[Received: 5000 Major points. Quick first step skill has evolved into: Takeoff]
[Takeoff: Increase Agility by 2 grades when running 1 base.]
[Congratulations, user has broken through to S Grade Strength]
[Received: 5000 Major points. Power Hitter skill has evolved into: Slugger]
[Slugger: Increase strength by 4 grades when the ball is struck with the middle of the bat]
Ken looked at the wall of text in front of him, his expression lighting up. He had received an increase of 6 grades thanks to 1 Elixir, now propelling him into the S-tier for all of his physical abilities.
Not only this, he’d received 10,000 Major points and a couple of skill upgrades. Feeling like a kid at a candy store, Ken opened up his status window with an expectant expression.
MAJOR LEAGUE SYSTEM
SYSTEM LEVEL: 4 (14180/100,000 Major points to level up)
NAME: Ken Takagi
AGE: 16
TALENT ASSESSMENT: S
POTENTIAL: SS+
MAJOR POINTS: 14180
USER MENU:
-STATS
-MISSIONS
-SYSTEM SHOP
-LOTTERY (Locked)
-IMAGE TRAINING
-IDENTIFY
-TRAINING PLAN
USER STATS:
>Physical Fitness: S+
>Pitching: S-
>Fielding: B-
>Game Intelligence: B-
>Mental: A+
>Skills: 19
PHYSICAL FITNESS: (Avg. S+)
Balance and Coordination: S+
Agility: S
Strength: S
Stamina: S+
Ken checked out the new system window and couldn’t help but notice that there were no obvious changes. A frown formed onto his face in response, showing a bit of disappointment.
Every time he’d upgraded the system he’d been giving another function, or some form of upgrade. Since this last one had cost 10,000 Major points, he’d expected something great in return.
‘Is that it? Did nothing change?’
[Answer: System has been upgraded to include an Artificial Intelligence to help user make the most of its functions and abilities.]
Ken jumped out of bed in fright after hearing the monotonous female voice ring out in his head. Thankfully he was mindful enough to not let out a scream in response.
‘W-What? AI?’
[Answer: Yes. AI.]
Ken was silent for a moment, as if he was trying to process what was happening. His expression changed once again after realizing that he hadn’t spoken his question aloud.
‘Y-You can read my mind?’
[Answer: Yes]
The cold and unfeeling voice of the system AI made him shiver for some reason.
For the longest time, the system felt like an accessory. While it was great to have, he never thought of it as a companion, or even having sentience, more like a tool to assist him in achieving his goals.
Yet now the fact that it could talk to him, even possessing the ability to read his mind, caused his anxiety to peak.
[Do not worry user. My existence is but a tool to assist you in utilizing the system.]
Ken jumped once more in response. Hearing the cold and unfeeling voice try to console him was such a weird situation that he did not know how to react.
However, he shook his head in the next moment. He would just need to accept the fact that this was the system upgrade that he’d been given and try to make the most out of it. There was no point in losing his cool now.
With that, he hopped back into bed and closed his eyes to gather his composure.
Only after a few minutes did he feel he had calmed down.
‘AI what is your name?’
[Answer: I do not have one.]
Ken frowned.
‘That will only make things more difficult in the future. How about we call you Mika from now on?’
[Answer: If you wish.]
Ken smiled. He had chosen the name Mika as a shortened version of Mikata which translated to Ally or Supporter in English. Not only did it fit the female voice, he already had an easier time accepting the AI after giving it a name.
‘Okay Mika. First of all, you don’t need to preface your answers with the word answer anymore.’
[Understood.]
‘Secondly, what are your functions? What can you do to help me?’
[Mika can provide you with updates surrounding your bodies needs and requirements throughout the day. I can also assist in your training, ensuring that you receive the optimal output and gains with each session.]
Ken nodded in satisfaction. It sounded like he would have a personal trainer with him 24/7, making his life much easier.
[Mika can also answer some questions that the user may have regarding the system]
“Hmm?”
Without thinking about it, there was one question brought to the forefront of his mind.
‘What is the system?’
[Mika cannot answer this.]
…
Ken frowned before asking another question.
‘Was it the system that made me regress back in time?’
[Mika cannot answer this.]
“Argh damn it.”
What was the point in asking questions when he wouldn’t receive an answer.
After a bout of frustration, Ken tried to think logically. He probably wasn’t asking the right questions. Plus, even if he found out the answers to these questions, what possible benefit could it bring him in this moment?