"My idolisation?"
Horikita tilted her head in confusion, a gesture Ryuji found cute.
"I'll explain this in a way that makes sense." Ryuji paused for a few seconds before continuing, "Family is a beautiful thing. I personally believe having a happy family is a blessing. Familial relationships are often selfless and sacrificial. Your brother is no different, Suzune."
Ryuji shifted, crossing his legs.
"If I had a younger sister, I'd wish the best for her in life. Is that not true? I believe your brother wishes the same, no?"
"He definitely does!" Horikita replied, slightly agitated.
"Then as a brother who wishes the best for my sister, I'd love for her to succeed in life. To walk on a path far ahead than my own… Do you understand?"
Horikita felt a bit anxious but her tunnel vision stopped her from grasping the true meaning behind his words.
She remained silent and so did Ryuji.
The silence was deafening, especially to Horikita.
"Tell me Suzune… are you walking a path that'll lead you ahead of your brother?" Ryuji frowned.
Another bout of silence followed.
Thud!
Ryuji slammed his fist on the table, causing Horikita to flinch. She stared at him with bewilderment, realisation coloring her face.
"Will you keep running away?"
"I… I…" Horikita stammered before lowering head and biting her lower lip.
"Of course you will," Ryuji scoffed, "Just like your brother. He's probably drowning in guilt having cut off his own sister's future. He doesn't acknowledge you not because you're not good enough but because you've set your limits to him."
Horikita's eyes widened.
"He does not want you to be as good as him, Suzune." Ryuji paused, "He wants you to be better than him."
"But he's already at a level I can't dream of, how can I…" she didn't continue.
"Are you too afraid to even take up the challenge?" Ryuji shot her a disdainful look and anger ignited within Horikita.
"Don't get ahead of yourself!" Horikita snapped back but she seemed more relaxed than before.
Perhaps, she too realised that Ryuji was right.
Ryuji shrugged.
The theatrics paid off, otherwise it'd take a long time to warm up to her even by helping her get her brother's acknowledgement.
"Go, talk with your brother tomorrow. You know what to say." Ryuji slowly got up and packed his things. He didn't say a word more and left her room.
Horikita stared at his back, seemingly lost in thought.
"Perhaps… we were both wrong, Onii-chan…"
Her quiet murmur went unheard.
…
Ryuji entered the elevator and pressed the button for the 4th floor.
He got off the elevator and entered his room.
He set the notebooks down and began changing his clothes. Unlike Horikita, he was forced to study in an uncomfortable school uniform.
He let out a sigh and stared at his ceiling blankly.
A simple lust or sex system would've been easier to handle.
Ryuji smiled bitterly, charming Horikita would take no more than a month or two if he got to it. Despite being a stubborn little princess, she was still a young teenager. Ryuji was confident he could have her dancing in his palm.
His past record was enough proof of this.
Too bad his Blackmail System wouldn't allow a healthy relationship unless he was willing to forsake System Points.
Ryuji wasn't exactly fixated on becoming the strongest or anything, he was tempted by the possibility of leaving the world. And who has never dreamt of having superpowers?
He had a faint suspicion that once he successfully blackmails one of his targets the truth would be revealed.
If he couldn't travel to another world then so be it, he'd stick to his actions from his past life, albeit without a lot of murder and live a carefree life.
But if he could leave the world…
A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he opened his drawer and took a few things out.
Small utility blades or wire strippers. Tweezers. USB Soldering Pen, Solder Wires etc.
He haphazardly dropped the items on his desk then pulled out a small packet. He snapped it open and pulled out a professional looking sleek black pen.
It was a Spy Pen he bought for 3000 Private Points the day before yesterday while grocery shopping. The rest of the stuff along with regular items cost around 4000 Private Points. A decent laptop cost 60,000 Private Points.
Along with a somewhat expensive meal his total expenditure of the 100,000 points was around 69,000.
Ryuji sat at his desk with the pen in hand. It looked like any regular plastic ballpoint pen, the kind sold at the school's convenience store under the "tech novelty" section. But this one had a small pinhole camera embedded near the clip and a micro-USB charging port hidden under the cap.
He unscrewed the pen and set the ink cartridge aside. Inside the hollow body, a thin PCB was sandwiched into a small plastic frame. Attached to it was a camera lens module, a basic lithium polymer battery, and a microSD card slot. The parts were cheap, meant for casual spy use, ten minutes of recording at best, stored locally.
Ryuji didn't need it to store anything. That would be a risk.
He picked up a small screwdriver and began removing the screws holding the PCB in place. Once the internal unit was free, he disconnected the attached microSD card and pried off the default 100mAh LiPo battery. It wasn't enough for sustained operation, but he wasn't keeping it.
From his drawer, he took out the newly bought Bluetooth earbuds and pried the shell open. The 60mAh battery inside was smaller, thinner and consumed less power, along with being more discreet.
He soldered it in place where the original battery had been. The reduced capacity was intentional. He only needed a few minutes of activity before the battery died and the device became useless.
Next, he focused on the Wi-Fi module. The original design allowed the camera to be accessed via a local hotspot (P2P mode) through a mobile app. That meant the camera would broadcast its own Wi-Fi signal when powered on. Ryuji confirmed this by briefly connecting it to a power source, his laptop's USB port. The indicator LED lit up, and a new Wi-Fi network appeared on his laptop.
He noted the default password from the pen's manual and connected to it. A basic IP address loaded the stream in-browser. No software needed. Just an IP camera interface with a play button, settings, and minimal lag.
Good. That meant he could connect directly and record from OBS.
He unplugged it, cut the LED from the board using a soldering iron, and covered the lens with a black ring of tape to dull any reflection. The goal was minimal visibility.
The final setup looked like this—
A bare PCB with a tiny lens, about the size of a thumb.
Soldered 60mAh battery good for ~5–6 minutes of operation.
Broadcasting a local Wi-Fi hotspot when powered on.
No internal storage.
No lights.
Can stream live to any device within ~10 meters.
He launched OBS on his laptop, added a "Browser Source," and entered the IP address for the live stream. The preview appeared immediately.
Everything worked.
He slid the assembly into a thin, empty eraser case to insulate it and added a strip of Velcro at the back. Easy to stick behind a cabinet, under a sink, or along the bottom edge of a shelf.
Anywhere it wouldn't be noticed unless intentionally sought for.
He had already mapped Horikita's bathroom in his mind with his earlier visit.
He tested it again. Battery drained in just under eight minutes.
Perfect.
Once used, it would shut off and die.
He cleaned up the desk and slid the dead pen casing into his drawer. The modified unit laid peacefully on the table.
Once he was done he washed his face and slept peacefully.
___________________
A/N- That was uh quick? Ig. I'll post the regular chapter at 4-4:30PM GMT, my usual time.
Bonus Chapter Goal—
Another bonus chapter at 500 powerstones :D (though I suppose this won't happen since powerstones reset tomorrow night.)
Goodluck and thank you, engagement really keeps motivation high! Hope you're enjoying the story!
You can also read Chapters ahead at Patreon.
Patreon.com/AlmightySkyDxddy