How the hell did Shia know that character?
It made no sense. That was Kikyo, the female lead from Inuyasha. She shouldn't exist in this world at all. Wait… unless Shia's also a transmigrator?
…Oh.
After a brief moment of shock, Nao finally realized what had happened. He sighed and rubbed his temples, then reached out and gave the "Kikyo" in his arms a firm flick on the forehead.
"Ow…"
Kikyo winced, rubbing her forehead with a pout.
"You snuck a peek at my sketchbook, didn't you?"
"Mmm… yeah," she confessed, cheeks flushed pink as she lowered her head. "That night, I saw you from afar through my telescope—how focused you were, scribbling away at your desk… I couldn't hold back my curiosity…"
"Where is that telescope?" Nao narrowed his eyes. "Bring it to me tomorrow. I'm smashing it."
"Wha—?! But—but—!"
"No buts. I already agreed to be with you. Why the hell would you still spy on me with that thing?"
He scowled, hands grabbing both her cheeks and giving them a fierce squish. "The telescope's gotta go. If you miss me, just come talk to me. Don't pull this kind of sneaky crap again, got it?"
…Man, her cheeks felt softer than before.
"I-I got it…"
Though clearly reluctant to part with her beloved telescope of over a year, Shia still nodded, face reddening as joy peeked through her flustered expression.
"…I drew a lot that night, you know."
Despite thinking it might be a dumb question, Nao couldn't help himself. He looked her face over carefully and asked, "Since you peeked at the whole sketchbook… can you turn into the other ones too?"
"Mhm!"
Shia perked up from his chest and smiled. "Your drawings were amazing—really pretty. I remember all the ones you drew."
Before Nao could say anything else, her body had already begun to shift again.
The white miko robes vanished, replaced by a revealing, edgy purple leather outfit. Her dark hair turned into long, flowing blonde waves. What once was the pure priestess now stood tall and sultry…
—Mai Valentine.
"I suddenly feel like pulling out a duel disk and yelling about the Shadow Realm…"
Nao took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm. "Any more?"
"Mmhmm."
Shia nodded sweetly and shifted again.
Black Hogwarts robes now wrapped around her body, complete with a Gryffindor crest over her chest. Her curly brown hair framed her face as she held a wand, her eyes focused and intelligent.
—Hermione Granger.
"Gryffindor, five points," Nao said deadpan.
Shia tilted her head in confusion, but Nao couldn't help but break into laughter.
"That's a damn good copy."
He reached out and ruffled "Hermione's" hair, grinning like a kid unboxing a new toy. "C'mon, let's see the rest. Go through every one I drew that night."
"No problem!"
Her voice still soft and demure, Shia went into full Mimic-Mimic Fruit mode, flawlessly shifting form after form. She'd pause for a few seconds after each one so Nao could admire them before switching again.
Android 18. Haibara Ai. Hinata. Akali… One after another, iconic waifus from another world materialized before his eyes.
Nao's jaw was slack. His throat went dry. He didn't blink for what felt like ages.
Until…
With a puff of smoke, a chubby blue cat robot with a propeller on his head appeared in front of him.
"CUT!"
Nao immediately shouted. Three veins popped on his forehead. He stared at the confused Doraemon lookalike, face twitching.
"Okay, that's enough, Shia. No need to keep going."
Think, girl! He meant the pretty ones! The paper waifus! Not cartoon mascots! What's next, Blue-Eyes White Dragon? Kamen Rider?
This was starting to get dangerously cursed.
He looked at the now-restored blue-haired girl sitting beside him and felt… complicated. This was supposed to be a light "pull," a small gacha roll—and he ended up clearing the whole banner.
Still…
As their eyes met—hers so crystal-clear and unwavering—those weird thoughts finally faded.
"Don't go overboard with this," Nao said, smiling faintly as he pulled her into a warm embrace. "You don't need to change just to amuse me. I like the way you already are."
And he meant that—from the bottom of his heart.
At least for now.
"Mhm," she mumbled, curling up in his arms like a kitten.
…
He wasn't sure how much time passed.
Eventually, she fell fast asleep, snuggled against the wall, breathing slow and even. Her lips still curled in a soft smile of contentment.
Nao gently draped his coat over her and walked off to a quieter corner of the training grounds. He didn't want to disturb her sleep with the noise of his practice.
Off came the shirt. Swords in hand. The heat of battle surged back through him like a second wind.
Compared to cuddling girls, training was still his number one passion.
"Time to test out 'Limb Regeneration.'"
He unsheathed Wind Blade and looked at his left hand. After a brief hesitation, he raised his middle finger and began slicing at the first joint, carefully severing flesh and sinew.
It hurt. It wasn't pretty.
But soon the joint was exposed, white bone peeking out as red tissue peeled away.
He tossed the removed flesh aside and stared at his finger under the moonlight, watching closely.
Five seconds… ten… twenty…
By thirty seconds, the regeneration had begun.
Scarlet muscle fibers knitted themselves back together. Smooth, pink skin wrapped around them like new clay. In under a minute, the wound was completely healed.
No scars. No marks. Just like new.
"This regeneration is insane…"
Nao's eyes narrowed with awe. Without much more thought, he gritted his teeth and chopped off his entire left hand.
For science.
He had to test the limits, after all.
About ten minutes later, a fully regrown hand had sprouted back. He clenched and flexed it. Felt perfectly fine.
Only downside? He was starving.
So regeneration burned energy. Noted.
Still… more than worth it.
"With this ability… even losing a whole arm would only take an hour or two to fix."
His gaze darkened slightly.
"Hmph. Maybe in a few years, I'll make a trip to Foosha Village…"
So what if it's about acting?
If it could save the Hero of the Marines, Garp, from the pain of watching his grandson die on the execution stand… If it meant steering the Child of Destiny back to the right path…
Then why not?
If Shanks could do it, why couldn't he?
…
Dawn.
After an all-nighter of training, Nao gently woke Shia, gave her a goodbye headpat, and left the training grounds.
His Haki had taken another step forward. He now had full control over basic Armament Haki. Once the day's training began, he'd start learning how to harden it.
The path back to the dorms was peaceful. He hummed as he walked, already imagining breakfast with his roommates.
When he opened the door, Shiryuu and Rosinante were already up.
They were brushing their teeth and taking turns playing with Sadaharu, who was happily bouncing around and yipping like a tiny furball.
It was oddly heartwarming.
Nao chuckled, grabbed some fresh clothes, and headed for the shower, humming the chorus of "Eternal Log Pose."
"Fragments of dreams we chase, still unchanged… drifting toward the skies we long for, even when we're tired…"
No matter how loud the water ran, it couldn't drown out how off-key he was.
Shiryuu and Rosinante winced in unison.
"Can you knock it off with the howling? First your damn dog woke me up, now I gotta suffer through this. Worst morning ever."
"Hah? And you think you can sing?"
Nao's voice came from the shower, annoyed.
"Last time you crashed at Instructor Brandon's, you howled all night drunk off your ass. Guy jumped off the tenth floor just to escape, broke his leg and had to lie in the infirmary for three days. You forget that?"
"Lies and slander," Shiryuu scoffed, cigarette in mouth.
Rosinante chuckled—then quickly shut up when Shiryuu shot him a glare.
The Celestial Dragon in exile crouched by Sadaharu, sulking.
Same old chaos.
Back in the shower, Nao twisted the faucet back on and grinned quietly to himself.
This little dorm hadn't really changed… yet somehow, it had.
Three single dogs then.
Still three single dogs now.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin