Zongman: I am on the set of Oregairu, playing the role of Bai Xue

"Senior, since you can use the system to exchange ingredients, why not exchange them directly for finished products?"

Isshi Caiyu didn't quite understand why Bei Nuo took the long way around. Of course, it wasn't because she didn't want to eat the food made by Bei Nuo himself, but she was simply confused.

Is it just for a sense of ritual that we give up the convenient and time-saving method?

Bei Nuo did not explain immediately, but placed two potatoes that had been cleaned of dirt in front of her and asked, "Can you tell the difference?"

The school girl came over and stared at the potatoes in his hand, which were obviously sold in the supermarket. The two potatoes were pale yellow and uniform in appearance, with no obvious damage or rot. They were firm and elastic to the touch, and had no peculiar smell. They looked very ordinary.

But as she carefully compared the outlines of the two potatoes and the depressions on their surfaces, she found that they were surprisingly similar.

"Is this a coincidence? They look alike."

Bei Nuo announced the answer: "Not similar, but exactly the same. Unless I collect different potatoes, the items exchanged each time are a one-to-one replica."

"What's the problem?" Isshiki still didn't understand.

Standing by the kitchen stove, Yukinoshita speculated, "Could it be that even if it's a cooked dish, the taste when exchanged will remain surprisingly consistent?"

"That's right. If you don't cook it yourself, the products listed in the system will remain unchanged." Bei Nuo put away the ingredients and walked towards the stove. "It is precisely because the food exchanged remains in the same state that I, who have a sensitive taste buds, will easily get tired of it."

This may also be the trouble caused by the enhancement of the five senses. Hearing, touch, taste, vision... These perception abilities that exceed those of ordinary people do not only have benefits.

"Xiaobei means that these items are like the drinks in a vending machine, they taste the same every time you open them. If that were all, I wouldn't have any problem with it. Rather, it's super convenient!" Yuigahama exclaimed.

Isshiki did the same and expressed his fantasy: "If so, wouldn't we have a lot of money? No, if we see something we like, we can just exchange it directly."

Kitano began to wash the potatoes. Yukino beside him smiled slightly, took the other ingredients and began to process them skillfully.

He moved his hands while patiently explaining, "Don't forget, exchanging items requires [Popularity Points]. Of course, for us, now that our accounts are full, we can easily exchange for most items in the world. Under the intervention of the system, the so-called uniqueness will lose its meaning."

"Similarly, because of the excessive convenience, most of the valuable items that were originally difficult to obtain have become light and airy. You must have heard of the fables related to this. If we indulge our desires, what will we become in the end?"

Yukinoshita's eyes froze, and her tone was a little low: "Everything will lose its meaning and become boring, arrogant and empty."

"Haha, Yukino would think so, yeah, but it's possible." Bei Nuo began to peel potatoes, "No one can predict what will happen in the future, I'm just warning you, after all... if I had chosen to indulge myself, I wouldn't be able to stay in this world."

His short, fine hair had grown back to its original length, and he felt a little emotional:

"But, I'm not asking you to disable the system's abilities. I just want you to carefully choose your own life. Your current high school life is definitely a unique experience. Even if you start over in the future, you will never be able to recreate it. I think it's a pity if the meaning of this time is easily distorted by the system."

Isshi Caiyu thought quietly for a moment, and a relieved smile appeared on her face: "Senior, are you worried that I will be swallowed up by the huge wealth? I think I am quite good at budgeting. Those fancy clothes that are just for show are just to show my presence. I still understand this clearly. What's more, my account is still zero, so it’s unnecessary to worry about my overspending."

"Yeah, my popularity score is also zero. At least I have to earn it through my own efforts." Yuigahama clenched her fist in agreement.

Bei Nuo rinsed the peeled potatoes with water, and the excess starch was washed away with the water: "Don't worry about that. You have just participated in the recording. I can transfer the popularity points that once belonged to you to you."

"Hey, isn't that Xiaobei's achievement?"

Bei Nuo shook his head calmly: "If you calculate it carefully, the popularity points I gained in the past have actually been used up. The popularity points in my account now come from another channel."

Hearing that there was money to be received, Isese's eyes sparkled. After all, what Beinuo said was reasonable. This was what they got for participating in the show. "So... how much popularity points do you want to give us, senior?"

"..."Beinuo smiled without saying anything, and glanced indifferently at Isshiki Caiyu who seemed a little excited, as if waiting for her to make an offer.

Isshiki was stared at like this, and turned her face away a little embarrassedly, lest Kitano think she was too greedy, so she said a number very cautiously: "Ten or twenty thousand, it should be not bad, just like pocket money."

"I saw in the system store that a 100 yen bill only requires 100 popularity points." Yukinoshita did a simple conversion, "In other words, popularity points are enough to be exchanged for million yen."

"So many?!" Yuigahama couldn't help but exclaimed.

Although her mother loves her very much, her usual pocket money is unlikely to reach one million.

If we really talk about being wealthy, perhaps only Yukinoshita can reach this level, but Yukinoshita Yukino immediately clarified: "Even if it was me, my parents wouldn't let me control such a large sum of money for no reason."

Bei Nuo responded calmly: "There's no need to be so nervous. Apart from the four of us, no one in this world knows that you have acquired a million-dollar asset. Besides, you lack a suitable reason to convert it all into money."

"Uh-huh! Does that mean I'm going to be a millionaire soon?" Isshiki couldn't suppress his inner excitement, the corners of his mouth turned upside down the same way.

Yuigahama was also a little flustered: "One million yen, is it too much..."

"Is it possible that it's not one million yen?" Kitano felt helpless. Except for Yukinoshita who was relatively calm, the other two girls were almost dizzy by the huge sum of money that fell from the sky.

"Oh, isn't it? Well, it should be fine if I change it to tens of thousands of yen." Isshiki settled for the next best option.

Seeing the schoolgirl's startled reaction, Bei Nuo stopped pretending to be mysterious and directly told her the exact amount: "It's not one million in cash, but one million popularity points."

"Ok?"

"Eh?"

"!!" Yukinoshita's thoughts were interrupted for a moment.

Bei Nuo said the amount they subconsciously calculated: "If you exchange it in the most efficient way, you can get 1 million cash immediately."

"But if it is a little more efficient, this one million popularity points can easily leverage more than 100 billion in currency. For example, it can be exchanged for precious and rare gems, or replicate flashy luxury goods, or through 'time travel', it can madly seize the trillion-dollar financial market. If it is further deduced, it can also make powerful people owe you favors -"

"Wait, Beijun...you don't have to continue explaining." Yukinoshita stopped him from explaining further and motioned for Kitano to check the situation of the other two girls.

Isshi Iroha and Yuigahama Yui have completely shut down, their eyes are lifeless and they are stunned, as if their brains can no longer keep up with the scene described by Kitano.

Bei Nuo clapped his hands gently, allowing them to come back to their senses. He looked at them with a gentle gaze: "No matter how much money you have, you can't buy the food I'm making for you now."

Yukinoshita Yukino's temples were also a little swollen, but she still tried her best to calm her inner restlessness and looked deeply at the boy beside her: "It seems that becoming an employee means that we have, to some extent, left the most superficial world. Beijun, how much determination do you have in order to stay here——"

Bei Nuo stopped her from speaking with a gentle voice: "Let's eat curry rice together later. This is the version I have improved many times. Even if I use the same ingredients every time, the taste will change slightly..."

"Guess why?"