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Chap 43 - The Infinity Lounge

  INT. HOSHIKAWA HIGH – MONDAY MORNING

  Kaizo stands idly outside his classroom, and Infinity was sprawled across his head like a hat. The hallway buzzes with conversing students—but Kaizo remains still, zoned out, arms crossed.

  Then he hears it.

  ???: “Hey, tiger.”

  That voice was so familiar. It was calm, flirtatious and seductive (a little).

  Infinity’s ears perk up—and with a surprising leap of enthusiasm, he hops into the arms of the approaching figure.

  Airi (smiling): “Hey, little tiger… Nice to see you too.”

  Kaizo (mutters): “Airi Koyama. To what do I owe the pleasure.”

  Airi (smirking): “I don’t know, Kaizo. You wanna find out?”

  Kaizo (sipping his water): “Maybe later…”

  Now fully transferred to Hoshikawa High, she stands in her custom uniform, tailored just right to with a pinkish color pallette. She gives Kaizo a wink and Kaizo smirks back at her. We might have to stop typing right around here…

  INT. FIRST FLOOR – LATER THAT DAY

  Kaizo, with Infinity now resting lazily on his shoulder, stands in front of two dusty, abandoned classrooms.

  Kaizo (to himself): “These are the ones Aunt Ayame said I could use for a lounge…”

  Quick FLASHBACK:

  SCHOOL CAFETERIA – DAYS EARLIER

  Kagari (twirls a pen, annoyed): “Hey… do… we… have… a… private… lounge… yet…?”

  Kaizo (half-asleep, grunts): “I’ll get to that soon.”

  FLASHBACK ENDS

  Kaizo opens the door to the first room. It’s... disappointingly cramped to say the least.

  He opens the second. With dull walls, chipped paint, old desks stacked in corners, it doesn't look like a place anyone would want to indulge themselves in.

  Kaizo (to us): “Time to do something that’ll probably make someone pretty upset.”

  FLASHBACK SEQUENCE – POST FIRST JUNGLE TRAINING

  Kaizo lies on his bed, shirtless, scrolling on a YouTube page when he comes across an interesting looking video.

  “Modern Home Renovation"

  [12M views. Thumbnail is a nice looking home.]

  Kaizo (to us): [“Don’t ask how I’m watching this. Let’s just say I’m ‘hyper aware’ of fictional continuity, and I’ve got access to the stuff you guys watch.”]

  Infinity walks across his chest in the background, clearly questioning what the hell he was talking about.

  FLASHBACK – SUNDAY NIGHT

  Kaizo, in a hoodie and gloves, watches another video:

  “Wall demolition for beginners — With safety tips (kinda).”

  BACK TO MONDAY – INT. LOUNGE ROOMS

  The wall is now gone…

  Where two classrooms once stood, there’s now a single, wide, messy, partially gutted space with exposed wiring and shattered drywall along the floor.

  Kaizo stands in the rubble, and his body is completely covered in dust.

  Kaizo (mutters): “Fucking hell…This is gonna be tedious.”

  He leans the hammer on the side and sighs like he already regrets what Future Him is about to go through.

  Infinity stares at him in the corner like this was a stupid idea. To be fair, it probably was.

  Kaizo: “Don’t look at me like that.”

  INT. STUDENT LOUNGE RENOVATION ZONE – DAY TO NIGHT MONTAGE

  Kaizo gets to work like a man possessed… if that man had a cat for a half-motivated assistant and an overpowered ability called Aura Comprehension that enhanced and combined his Meikai awareness with his perfect memory to allow him to learn and complete tasks faster than a normal human being could even convince to believe that is possible. (Sheesh, looking back at this, this sentence makes absolutely no sense.)

  Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

  Step One: DECLUTTERING

  Kaizo yanks out desks, chairs, busted bookshelves—anything that he felt could be replaced in the future. How would he replace it? Who knows…

  Infinity, holding one single chair in his teeth, drags it two feet… then lies down and calls it a day.

  Step Two: WALL REBUILDING

  Rather than keep it as one giant open space, Kaizo reconstructs the wall— asymmetrically. (Idk, search it up.)

  Room 1 becomes the Main Lounge (70% space).

  Room 2 becomes a Quiet Study/Break Room (30%).

  Kaizo uses repurposed wood and some old material as interior insulation, giving it a rustic yet badass vibe.

  Step Three: WALLS + LIGHTS

  Kaizo repaints both rooms—clean whites and matte charcoal trims. Infinity helps clean the floors… by “accidentally” knocking over a mop bucket and pretending it was intentional.

  Then comes the lighting install.

  Kaizo freezes.

  Kaizo (perplexed): “How the hell do I work out this shit?”

  He opens a YouTub video on his phone titled:

  “School maintenance electrical work.”

  Thanks to Aura Comprehension, he sees it like an in depth movie, understanding the ins and outs:

  The flow of power through the wires

  The angles at with everything needs to be aligned

  He calculates wiring load efficiently and effectively. In his mind, he’s running simulations and understanding exactly what he needs to do.

  ONE VIDEO LATER…

  Kaizo is on a ladder, confidently installing multi-color LED smart lights.

  Step Four: BATHROOMS?!

  Kaizo (sighing heavily): “Aw hell, I need bathrooms too?…And TWO of them…(slight pause) well if I make just one, maybe I can see some -”

  Ignore that.

  One YouTube tutorial later, and Kaizo emerges from the newly installed bathroom, wiping sweat from his brow.

  Infinity suddenly rushes into the bathroom, tail held high.

  Kaizo (silent): “...”

  FLUSH

  Kaizo (sighing): [“I thought so.”]

  Step Five: THE REVEAL OF THE INFINITY STORAGE

  Kaizo finishes wiping dust off his hands

  Kaizo (turns to us): “Oh yeah… I didn’t tell you guys this, did I?”

  FLASHBACK TO JUNGLE OF TIME – DAY ONE

  Kaizo drags lumber through vines, growling.

  “This is going to take some time.”

  Suddenly, Infinity appears inside the Infinity Realm, pineapple in his mouth.

  Kaizo (squinting): “Wait… SINCE WHEN COULD YOU BRING THINGS IN HERE?”

  Infinity: “That’s a good question…”

  Kaizo: sigh

  Infinity: “It’s not like this place exists except in your mind.”

  Kaizo: “…Exactly.”

  A lightbulb goes off over his head.

  And thus, Infinity Storage is born—a pocket-space in Kaizo’s mind where physical items can be stored and retrieved at will. Separate from the Infinity Realm, of course.

  FLASHBACK ENDS

  Kaizo pulls out:

  A fridge

  Beanbag chairs

  A rug

  Mini speakers

  A couch

  A cooler for drinks

  A lava lamp

  Kaizo (to us): “And yes, I bought all of this… mostly…”

  Step Six: THE ONLINE ORDER

  Kaizo sits down at his new PC, custom installed into his desk.

  The shopping cart includes:

  Coffee table

  Recliner chairs

  Wall-mounted TV

  Projector screen

  Mini vending machine

  Bookshelf

  Enough snacks to stock a konbini

  TOTAL: ¥5,084,350 (~$32,500, I think my math is accurate)

  Kaizo and Infinity lock eyes, grin, then rub their hands/paws like comic villains.

  FLASHBACK TO EARLIER:

  Ayame (handing over a card): “You can use this for the lounge. But please don’t spend that much…”

  INT. PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE – LATER THAT DAY

  Ayame peacefully sips from her plastic cup, reviewing documents on her laptop.

  POP-UP:

  “Purchase Confirmation: ¥5,084,350 has been withdrawn from your Hoshikawa High discretionary funds.”

  CRACK.

  The empty cup crumbles in her trembling grip. Her monitor reflects her wide eyes.

  “KAAAAIIIIZOOOOOO!!”

  INT. LOUNGE – JUST THEN

  Kaizo freezes and looks at us.

  KAizo (explaining): “In my defense… I did win the tournament. The bonus cash prize should cover… most of this.”

  Infinity, licking his paw, gives him a look like “You’re so dead.”

  Kaizo (smiling): “And if it doesn’t… I was never here.”

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