I Created Urban Legends in Parallel World
[Original – YakuMan]
[TL – MiT7]
[PR – Spades]
Chapter 14: The Strange Mr. Matsunai
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Back at Meiko Apartments, Kamihara Shinji stepped out of the elevator, keys in hand, ready to unlock his door.
A furious voice echoed down from the floor above.
"I told you I don't want your gifts—can't you understand plain Japanese? Get out, now! This is the third time! Every time I'm in the groove with my drawing, you show up and ruin it. My editor's been hounding me for days—if I don't submit soon, he'll come at me with a knife!"
"Sorry, sorry!"
"I don't care about your apologies. If you've got any shame, don't come back. You're on the 20th floor, I'm on the 21st—we're not even neighbors. Stop dropping by. We're not friends."
The tirade ended with a loud *bang* as the door slammed shut, the sound heavy with rage.
Kamihara Shinji frowned slightly. He unlocked his door, stepped inside, and closed it behind him. He lingered by the entrance, waiting. Sure enough, within a minute, footsteps approached. Peering through the peephole, he saw him.
Matsunai-san.
Black jacket, messy hair, dark circles under his eyes, a weary look on his face. He shuffled along, slightly hunched, exuding a cautious, almost servile air.
From the peephole, he looked nearly identical to when he'd visited Kamihara two days ago.
Though he didn't know the full story, the shouting made it clear: Matsunai had gone upstairs to visit and got chased off.
Over the past two days, Kamihara had seen Matsunai lugging gifts around, visiting every apartment. Downstairs, he'd even overheard some older ladies gossiping about him.
None of it was flattering.
Matsunai clearly wanted to build good neighborly ties, but no one seemed to care.
And… he was overdoing it.
The building had 25 floors. Was Matsunai planning to visit every single resident?
What drove him to go this far?
Kamihara couldn't figure it out. More puzzling, Matsunai's clothes were shabby—he looked broke. How could he afford all those gifts? Didn't he need to live?
Then again, judging by appearances alone wasn't fair. Meguro Ward's housing prices were among Tokyo's highest, and Meiko Apartments weren't cheap. If Matsunai could rent here, he wasn't strapped for cash.
"Why am I even thinking about this?"
Kamihara Shinji slapped his cheeks, shaking off the thoughts.
Matsunai was odd, sure, but still within the realm of normal. The world was full of weirdos—he wasn't that special.
With that, he headed to the kitchen to make dinner.
His good mood these past two days stemmed from the Good/Evil Points Hell Girl had raked in.
His lifespan still couldn't match a normal person's, but it was enough to let him breathe. Time to dig into that "Spiritual Power" thing.
After dinner, he went to the study, opened the notebook, and flipped to the second page.
Legend Points: 22,148
Good/Evil Points: 4,580
Spiritual Power: 0+
Lifespan: 96 days
He'd always been curious about Spiritual Power. It might be his ticket to a supernatural world.
He'd read novels in his past life, after all.
He'd long wondered if this "Spiritual Power" was like the spiritual energy in Chinese xianxia stories.
Before, he'd poured all his Good/Evil Points into lifespan, leaving it untouched. Now, with over 4,000 points, he had some wiggle room to experiment.
Without hesitation, he tapped the "+" next to Spiritual Power.
No confirmation prompt appeared. The instant he clicked, 100 Good/Evil Points vanished.
Before he could react, a thick, dark mist surged from the notebook into his fingertips.
Too late to dodge, he felt a chilling sensation flow from his fingers into his body.
In a flash, he sensed a change—but it faded fast.
No energy currents, no flowing spiritual aura…
Kamihara Shinji frowned, pondering. The sensation had vanished too quickly for him to grasp, leaving him underwhelmed.
Without a second thought, he hit the "+" again.
Spiritual Power jumped from 1 to 2.
This time, he focused, tracking the dark mist as it spread from his fingers through his body before dissipating.
The feeling was less intense than the first time.
He got it—going from 0 to 1 was the big leap, from nothing to something. The shift was bound to be stark.
From 1 to 2, though subtler, still felt distinct with preparation.
For one, his eyesight sharpened.
He'd been slightly nearsighted—100 or 200 degrees. Now, it was crystal clear, a tangible difference.
"The tiredness I felt earlier's gone too. I'm alert now. My body—stronger?"
He stood, stretching a bit.
His body did feel stronger, but faintly—nothing compared to the boost in vision and energy.
And… he sensed Spiritual Power wasn't mainly about physical strength. It heightened his five senses.
The fatigue that had weighed him down moments ago vanished with the infusion, leaving him buzzing with energy.
But aside from that reset, his body hadn't changed much. Shouldn't Spiritual Power prioritize physical enhancement first?
Or… maybe it wasn't the "spiritual energy" he'd imagined?
The notebook offered no explanation, leaving him stumped.
He kept going, tapping the "+" again. Each point brought a strange sensation.
But at 9—after burning 900 Good/Evil Points—dizziness hit hard. He gripped the chair's armrest, thankful he was seated, or he'd have collapsed.
"My limit?" Kamihara Shinji grimaced. He felt awful—head spinning, body heavy.
Spiritual Power was like water; his body, a bucket.
At 9 points, he was a full bucket—move too much, and it'd spill.
Clearly, his body wasn't adapting to the sudden surge.
"Guess I'll wait till I adjust, then study it more."
Slumped in the chair, groggy and listless, he had zero desire to move.
But now he knew—this "Spiritual Power" probably wasn't the spiritual energy he'd pictured.
"Maybe… soul power?"