Chapter 8 - Kuoh Academy
Roy moved quickly.
After Jason investigated details about Kuoh Town and Kuoh Academy, he booked a flight the same day.
Spending a day tying up loose ends, Roy boarded a plane from the UK to Kuoh Town, Japan, the next morning.
"Still got a lot on my plate," he muttered.
Exiting the airport, he headed to a hotel.
After stowing his luggage, he collapsed onto the bed, exhaustion etched on his face.
Money wasn't an issue, but handling logistics from the UK to Japan wasn't as seamless as it seems.
It was summer break, so Kuoh Academy's admission process would likely take weeks.
Plus, since he planned to settle here, he'd need to buy a house and navigate a slew of paperwork.
All these tasks piled up into a headache.
"Forget it. I'll hire someone to deal with this," Roy decided.
Now in Kuoh Town, he had no interest in wasting time on chores.
He had plenty of money.
And a system.
No need to stress.
On his first day, Roy stayed in.
After dinner at the hotel and a shower, he crashed early.
The next morning, he contacted an agency specializing in handling errands, outlined his needs, paid a deposit, and set out to explore.
Early in the story, two key locations mattered: Kuoh Academy and the abandoned church in the suburbs.
Roy's first stop was Kuoh Academy.
He also hoped to get lucky, maybe bump into a main character and absorb some dimension points.
Taking a taxi, he arrived at the school.
During summer break, Kuoh Academy was empty.
Through the iron fence, Roy occasionally spotted a few students passing by.
He wanted to slip inside for a look, but the guards stopped him.
No school ID, no entry.
Disappointed, Roy lingered.
With his current strength, the abandoned church was too risky.
It was the fallen angels' base, housing a stray exorcist and several of their kind.
Barging in could be deadly.
"Hello, what're you doing by the gate? You seem troubled," a voice called out.
A blond boy approached, curiosity in his eyes.
His striking looks stood out, easily marking him as a heartthrob in any crowd.
Around Roy's age, he outshone TV idols by a mile.
He carried a long cloth bag slung over his shoulder—likely a kendo case.
The boy radiated a sporty, sunny vibe.
Kendo was big among Japanese students, so it fit.
"Hey, you a student here?" Roy asked, snapping out of his thoughts.
"I am," the boy nodded.
"I'm Roy Flott, a transfer student. I'll be starting at Kuoh Academy this semester," Roy said, smiling and extending his right hand.
"Oh?"
The boy returned the gesture, shaking Roy's hand politely.
[Congratulations, host. 51,230 dimension points absorbed.]
The system's prompt thrilled Roy.
This had to be Yuuto Kiba.
Seeing a 2D character in the flesh was jarring.
Roy had felt a spark of recognition but wasn't sure until the system confirmed it.
As expected of a main characters.
The points from Kiba alone rivaled what he'd gotten from both Phenex siblings combined.
"I'm Yuuto Kiba, second-year at Kuoh Academy," Kiba introduced himself.
"Your face doesn't look Asian. From the west, maybe?"
"Yup, I'm from UK," Roy nodded.
"Your Japanese is flawless. I'd never have guessed you weren't local," Kiba said, impressed.
Most foreigners carried an accent, but Roy's speech was indistinguishable from a native's.
If not for his face, Kiba wouldn't have clocked him as an outsider.
Though, Roy's language skills weren't natural.
After landing, he'd spent 1,000 dimension points to replicate fluent Japanese.
Pricey, but worth it.
Living in Japan long-term demanded it.
His actual Japanese was limited to listening, picked up from watching unsubtitled anime and other videos.
Speaking was beyond him.
"Impressive," Kiba said.
"It's just what I had to do," Roy replied, a bit embarrassed by Kiba's words.
"Working hard for a goal and nailing it? That's rare."
'No wonder he's Kuoh's prince charming,' Roy thought.
If he had a game-like HUD, he'd bet [Favorability +10] was flashing over his head.