When Kael opens his eyes in his new body, he finds himself in a room that feels both chaotic and eerily stagnant, as if time had frozen.
The room is dimly lit, with only a sliver of sunlight slipping through the heavy curtains that remain mostly drawn. Dust motes float in the air, undisturbed. The air carries a faint mustiness, a sign that the windows haven't been opened in weeks.
The walls are cluttered with bookshelves—no, not just bookshelves, but also stacked with piles of notebooks, blueprints, and reference materials. Some of the books are left open, their pages yellowing slightly at the edges, detailing advanced topics like quirk theory, chemistry, and robotics. Mixed among these are cookbooks, filled with notes and ideas for dishes powered by quirks. It's obvious this was a room belonging to a genius mind—one that had taken comfort in both science and food but had fallen into disarray.
A desk near the window is the centerpiece of the room, yet it's buried under gadgets and half-finished projects. Tools, wires, and bits of metal are strewn across it, tangled together, as if someone had started countless inventions but lacked the motivation to finish them. A computer monitor, long since turned off, is surrounded by empty soda cans and snack wrappers. The chair, slightly crooked and worn, sits pushed back as if it had been abandoned suddenly.
The bed, shoved against the far wall, is unmade. The covers are a tangle of sheets and blankets, and clothes—both clean and dirty—are thrown carelessly around the room. Above the bed is a small shelf with family pictures: two parents smiling proudly with a child, snapshots of family dinners, and a few faded polaroids of the father cooking, the mother laughing in the background. These photos are dusty and forgotten, barely visible through the neglect.
Scattered around the room are signs of his reclusive habits—an empty cup ramen bowl near the bed, a stack of unused notebooks tossed in a corner, a broken-down chair with clothes draped over it. The room feels lived in but abandoned.
Kael looks around the room for a mirror and finds one in the corner, dirty clothes thrown over it like the previous occupant couldn't stand seeing through it. He pulls off the clothes and gets a good look at himself. His skin is tan. With bark-like textures flowing across his features. He's wearing a ratty black sweatshirt and torn sweatpants that hang loosely off his thin frame. His hair is an unkempt bush of green leaves, with twigs peeking out randomly. Looking closer, he sees a face that could have been handsome once, strong eyebrows, deep, grey eyes, and a strong jawline. If only it wasn't marred by the deep eyebags and thin frame, he could have been an actor.
Suddenly, Kael sees a blue loading bar in his peripheral vision. He turns to look at it dead on, but it stays just out of sight. It quickly hits 100%, and Kael hears-
[Congratulations! You've installed the Devil Fruit System!]
[Status] (!)
[Inventory]
[Quests] (!)
[Notepad]
[Help] (!)
Kai selects [Help], and the room suddenly fills with a soft pop—followed by a cloud of shimmering dust. As it clears, a small figure appears, hovering in front of him. The figure should be intimidating. Sharp jawline, cocky smirk, and a mischievous glint in his eyes. He's wearing a leather jacket and has a toothpick between his teeth. The problem is he's a foot tall.
"'Bout time you hit the [Help] button, pal," the fairy grumbles in a deep, slightly raspy voice. "Name's Fenn. I'm your guide for this whole system thing. And, uh, yeah, don't let the title fool ya. I'm not your typical glitter-dust, friendly-neighborhood fairy."
Kael blinks, stunned.
"Let's start with the obvious—you're in a new body, right? Poor sap you're in now? That'd be Kai Sugimoto. Kid was a genius, but life hit him hard. Parents died about a month ago—freak accident or something. Father was a chef, used his quirk to cook fancy, empowered dishes. Mom stayed at home, doting on the kid."
Kai listens as Fenn continues.
"After they kicked the bucket, the kid just… shut down. Couldn't handle it. Locked himself up in this room, stopped going to school, stopped caring about anything. Freakin' genius, though. This place? You probably noticed all the gadgets and blueprints. Kid was working on some next-level stuff before he, well, went poof."
Fenn shrugs, then flicks a finger toward Kai's system menu.
"Now you, buddy, you've got something he didn't—this sweet little cheat system. Let me break it down for you: [Status] gives you the lowdown on your current abilities, quirks, health, all that jazz. [Inventory] is self-explanatory—stash stuff in there like a magical backpack. [Quests] is where you'll see tasks that get you those sweet, sweet Devil Fruits. [Notepad]—honestly, just a glorified reminder app, but you can jot down ideas or important stuff. And [Help], well, that's me, unfortunately for you."
Fenn hovers in front of Kai, inspecting him.
"Questions? Comments? Or can we just skip to the good part—getting you set up for your first quest?"