Genshin Impact: Arataki Itto, No Longer the Clown!

[Ding. Congratulations, Arataki Itto. You are the 7,783rd host.]

The cold, mechanical voice echoed in Itto's mind, leaving him momentarily stunned before a wave of excitement washed over him.

With a system by his side, all his previous assumptions could be thrown out the window. The Raiden Shogun? The Traveler? He could crush them all!

The thought made him swallow hard, but he quickly steadied himself and began to inquire about the system.

"Hey… System? System?"

[Ding. Hello, current host. The Multiverse Lottery System is at your service.]

Hearing the emotionless voice again, Itto's suspicions were confirmed.

"Phew."

Itto took a deep breath, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he chuckled softly.

"Well, it seems the heavens still want me to survive."

He turned his gaze forward once more, but this time, the confusion and despair were gone, replaced by determination and hope.

The reason? The system.

With the system, he had a clear path to power and the chance to rise from being a mere pawn to a player in this game. Even if he was still weak now, he wouldn't remain that way for long.

But he wasn't about to rely solely on the system. He knew he had to train himself to make the most of the abilities it granted.

Itto wasn't naive. He'd read enough novels in his past life to know that relying too heavily on system-given powers could lead to disaster. Countless protagonists had been undone by their own arrogance, and he wasn't about to join their ranks.

Besides, he wasn't afraid of hard work. In his previous life, he'd been the son of a underworld boss, but that didn't mean he'd lived a life of luxury. As the only heir, he'd been groomed to take over the family business, and his father had been strict in his training.

Some might wonder why there weren't multiple heirs competing for the position, as was often the case in such families.

Well, Itto had once wondered the same thing—until he saw his formidable father kneeling on a washboard at home.

The thought made him chuckle. His father might have been a feared figure in the underworld, but at home, he was just a henpecked husband.

Itto's mind drifted to memories of his family, but he quickly shook his head, pushing those thoughts aside. He wasn't one to dwell on the past. He'd crossed over to this world, and now he had to focus on the present. As for returning? That could wait.

Just as he was about to delve deeper into the system's functions, a figure appeared in the distance, running toward him.

Itto squinted and recognized the person immediately.

"Hey! Genta! Over here!"

"Haah… Boss… haah… I'm here… haah…"

Genta, drenched in sweat, finally reached Itto, bending over with his hands on his knees as he gasped for breath.

Itto waited patiently for Genta to catch his breath before asking casually, "What's up, Genta? Why the rush?"

Genta wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied, "Boss, Shinobu sent me to find you. It's getting late, so let's head back."

Itto nodded. "Alright, lead the way."

Genta didn't think much of it and started guiding Itto back.

But as they walked, Genta began to notice something odd. Normally, Itto would be laughing and chatting animatedly at a time like this. Yet, from the moment they'd started walking, Itto hadn't said a word.

Something was off.

Genta turned to Itto and asked, "Boss, you seem… quieter than usual. Everything okay?"

Itto, who had been admiring the scenery, glanced at Genta and replied nonchalantly, "I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

"Okay…"

Genta didn't press further and continued leading the way.

Soon, the two—or rather, one human and one oni—returned to the Arataki Gang's hideout.

Genta pushed open the door to find Shinobu and the others gathered around, eating some fried Sakura Tempura.

"Genta, Boss, you're back! Perfect timing—the tempura's just ready. Come and eat!"

The speaker was a portly man named Akira, who was enthusiastically waving them over.

But before they could join, a cool, sharp voice cut through the air.

"Boss, care to explain why you're back so late this time?"

Akira's outstretched hand froze mid-air, and he awkwardly retracted it.

"Ah, Shinobu… Young people these days, you know? Itto probably ran into something today. Let him apologize later. For now, let's eat. And stop frowning—girls look better when they smile."

The gentle voice belonged to Granny Oni, who was giving Shinobu a knowing look.

"Yeah, yeah, Shinobu, Granny's right. Let's eat first… eat first."

Atsu, another member of the gang, chimed in, trying to defuse the tension.

They were all too familiar with Shinobu's reprimands. They were always loud but rarely led to anything serious. As long as Itto apologized, the matter would be dropped.

Itto stepped inside, took in the scene, and then, in a calm voice, said, "Sorry, Shinobu. I lost track of time today. I'm not really hungry, so you all go ahead and eat. Don't wait for me."

Without waiting for a response, he headed straight to his room, relying on the original Itto's memories to find his way.

The door slammed shut, and the lively atmosphere in the courtyard instantly cooled. Everyone exchanged confused glances.

This… didn't seem like the Itto they knew.

Shinobu was the first to break the silence. She turned to Genta and asked, "Genta, you were the one who brought the boss back. Did you notice anything unusual about him?"

Genta thought hard, then suddenly exclaimed, "Now that you mention it, he did seem… different. He was too calm, not like the boss at all."

The others gathered around, their faces filled with concern.

"Shinobu, do you think something happened to Itto today? It can't be that serious, right?"

Granny Oni, who saw Itto as her own grandson, couldn't hide her worry.

Shinobu raised a hand to quiet everyone. "I'm worried about the boss too, but we need to figure out what's going on."

She paused, deep in thought, while the others waited anxiously.

After a moment, Shinobu looked up and said, "I've come up with two possibilities for the boss's behavior."

"First, he might have encountered something today. But I don't think that's likely, given his personality. He's never been one to hide his feelings."

"But the second possibility…"

Shinobu sighed, her expression troubled.

The others grew even more anxious. Atsu couldn't hold back and blurted out, "Shinobu, stop beating around the bush! What's the second possibility?"

Shinobu glanced at them and finally revealed her thoughts.

"Do you remember when the boss had his Vision taken by General Kujou? That's what I'm getting at…"

"The way the boss is acting now… it might be a side effect of losing his Vision."