After closing the simple character attribute panel, Suzuki Seimei casually spit out the fish bone from his mouth and turned his attention toward Suzuki Ayako and Suzuki Sonoko.
From Seimei's perspective, he could clearly see three glowing characters floating above each of their heads—"Sign In"—suspended mysteriously in the air, as if only visible to him.
Noticing this, Seimei reached out with his small fingers and tugged lightly at Sonoko's sleeve. "Sister Sonoko, can you get me a piece of steak?"
"Ding! Congratulations to Suzuki Sonoko for successfully signing in. You have been awarded the passive skill 'Golden Rule,' which the host may now claim."
The moment Seimei made contact with Sonoko, a calm, mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
At the same time, the glowing characters above Sonoko's head slowly faded away into nothingness.
"Here you go~"
Sonoko, ever the doting younger daughter of the Suzuki conglomerate, didn't question Seimei's request. Smiling, she handed him a juicy piece of steak with ease.
"Thanks, Sister Sonoko." Seimei accepted the steak with a grateful expression and began eating it happily on the surface, but deep down, he couldn't wait to inspect the reward he had just unlocked.
> [Skill Name: Golden Rule]
Type: Passive
Level: Not upgradable
Effect: The bearer of this skill is favored by the God of Wealth and shall never experience financial hardship throughout their life.
Consumption: None
Cooldown: None
Note: You are the God of Wealth's favorite little cub!
(￣ー￣)
After reading the details of [Golden Rule], Seimei was rendered speechless for a moment.
To be honest, the ability itself was undeniably powerful—especially for someone struggling financially. For the average person, it was essentially a get-rich guarantee.
However, for Suzuki Seimei, it felt rather redundant.
After all, he was the future heir of the Suzuki Zaibatsu. With a financial empire already at his feet, it was hard to imagine ever being in a situation where he would truly need money.
Still, a reward was a reward. And since the system had granted it, Seimei naturally activated the [Golden Rule] right away.
Yet as a passive skill linked to luck and fortune, its effect wasn't something tangible. Seimei didn't feel any significant changes after activating it—no windfall, no golden aura, not even a sparkle.
Whatever. Moving on.
"Sister Ayako, can I have some ribs too?" After finishing the steak, Seimei tugged at Ayako Suzuki's sleeve, his voice as sweet and polite as ever.
"Ding! Congratulations to Ayako Suzuki for successfully signing in. You have obtained the active skill 'Banknote Capability,' which the host may now claim."
As the system voice echoed once more, Seimei's anticipation grew. He quickly accessed the new skill's description.
> [Skill Name: Banknote Capability]
Type: Active
Level: Not upgradable
Effect: Grants temporary attribute enhancement to any item by channeling financial resources into it. The magnitude and duration of the enhancement are proportional to the amount of money consumed.
Consumption: Money (in standard currency; collectibles such as calligraphy or antiques do not apply)
Cooldown: None
Note: "There's no problem that money can't solve. If there is, you're simply not spending enough."
Suzuki Seimei couldn't help but laugh inwardly. "As expected from the daughters of the Suzuki Group—their rewards are all about money."
Dinner concluded without incident. As per routine, Seimei was bathed by the family maid, Kurosaki Yuka, before being escorted back to his personal bedroom—which, naturally, exceeded 100 square meters in size.
After slipping into the cozy room in his soft slippers, Seimei hurried to open a small wall-mounted safe, his expression full of anticipation.
Though still a child, he'd already received numerous red envelopes from his wealthy relatives during New Year's and other occasions, leading to the accumulation of a respectable "private fund."
Inside the small vault, in addition to a bank card with over 20 million yen deposited, sat three palm-sized piggy banks.
The white piggy bank held 500-yen coins, typically used for Seimei's daily pocket money.
The silver one contained crisp 1,000-yen notes.
And the golden piggy bank—undeniably the crown jewel—held a stack of 10,000-yen notes, though it was far from full. Seimei had saved just over 200 of those large bills.
"Ding ding ding..."
Staring at the three piggy banks, Seimei eventually settled on the white one. He turned it upside down and poured out a pile of thick coins onto the soft carpet.
"Let's begin."
Retrieving two palm-sized building blocks from his toy box, Seimei then grabbed a nearby fruit knife—normally used for slicing fruit—and slashed at one of the blocks.
As expected, the dull blade made only a faint scratch. Seimei wasn't particularly strong, and the fruit knife wasn't designed for such force.
Unfazed, Seimei picked up a 500-yen coin with his left hand and activated "Banknote Capability."
"Chi Chi..."
As the ability was activated, the coin in his palm disintegrated into golden energy. Under Seimei's mental command, the energy flowed into the blade of the fruit knife.
"Crack!"
Seimei then took the now-enhanced fruit knife and swung it down with strength—and this time, the solid wood block split cleanly in half.
Even as the building block fell apart, Seimei could clearly sense that a significant portion—about one-third—of the infused energy had already dissipated.
He didn't continue using the blade. Instead, Seimei held the knife still and focused on sensing the remaining energy within.
Sure enough, even without further use, the energy was slowly draining from the knife.
After nearly two minutes, the energy completely disappeared, and the fruit knife returned to its ordinary state.
"Just as I thought—it's only a temporary enhancement. I'll have to test other things too."
Putting the fruit knife back in place, Seimei casually grabbed a slice of watermelon from the fruit bowl and took a bite.
After savoring the unenhanced taste, he used another 500 yen coin to activate "Banknote Capability" again, this time channeling the energy into the watermelon slice itself.
"Mmmmm~~~"
With the first bite, Seimei's eyes sparkled. The flavor had improved dramatically—far beyond any watermelon he'd tasted before.
Before the energy faded, he wolfed down the entire slice, licking his lips with satisfaction.
"Just as I expected, this skill doesn't just enhance physical durability or sharpness. It enhances the item's core qualities. For food, that means flavor. Which means... anything can be upgraded—taste, texture, even nutritional value, probably."
For the next few hours, Suzuki Seimei was like a kid with a new gadget—because he was one. He tested item after item, experimenting with his new skill and gaining a deeper understanding of "Banknote Capability."