After a week of studying, Yashiro could barely manage a handful of simple words—things like: "yes," "no," "okay," "troublesome," and "whatever."
With just those few phrases, he could now pretend to communicate with people. He still didn't understand what anyone said to him, but by throwing out those words at random, he could muddle through most situations.
But Yashiro knew this couldn't continue forever. If he was going to survive in the world of One Piece, he had to learn the language properly. Unfortunately, his learning ability was… well, tragic. In his previous life he studied English for more than ten years and still couldn't pass the basic proficiency exam. Now he was supposed to learn an entirely new language?
He would die before he mastered it.
"If only I had a system…"He repeated the thought over and over, praying that some mysterious force in the darkness would bestow mercy on him. Just drop a system on his head—anything.
And then, suddenly, a sweet electronic chime echoed in his mind, making his heart slam to a stop.
"Welcome, Host, to the Surreal System — Number 1314520."System scan starting…System synchronization starting…Template generation beginning…Please ensure the Host's safety during installation. If interrupted, installation will fail.Loading… 1%… 6%… 21%…"
Yashiro sucked in a breath, leapt off the rock, and began dancing like a three-hundred-kilogram toddler who'd just won the lottery.
"Hahahahaha—!""A system!""I finally have a system!"
Then he froze.
"No—wait. I'm supposed to be washing dishes at the pier right now."
Forcing himself to calm down, he slapped the back of his head and walked a few steps with unnatural dignity. But he couldn't suppress the explosion of joy inside him. He twisted his body like seaweed in the tide.
"I have a system, but I'm still washing dishes? Impossible.""Sorry—now that I have a system, I admit it. I'm arrogant. Wahahaha!"
He flicked his hair dramatically.
"This attitude is wrong. Completely wrong… So I'm skipping work today.""Fifty Berries to scrub the deck? What am I, Chopper? For fifty Berries I'm risking a billion-Berry future!"
Yashiro lifted his chin, covering his eyes with one hand, a grin stretching almost to his ears.
"Calm down… low-key… low-key…"
System scan complete.System sync complete.Template generation complete.System loaded.
A pale-blue light board suddenly popped into existence before his eyes.
"System loaded. Enable system visualization? Yes/No."
Yashiro blinked."Visualization? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Hello, Host," the sweet voice chimed. "System visualization allows the Host to manifest the system as an object or a character. Only the Host can see or touch the manifested form; others cannot perceive it."
His jaw dropped.
"You can customize yourself now? This is peak personalization!"
Drool forming, he rubbed his palms together like a pervert in a soapland alley and immediately selected yes.
"Please select a concrete form: Character / Object."
"Character," Yashiro said without hesitation.
No explanation needed.
"Please choose the character appearance for system visualization."
Rows and rows of names appeared—so many that Yashiro felt his trypophobia act up.
"Exclude all male characters and animal characters! Regenerate list!"
Same-gender repels, opposite-gender attracts.And he wasn't into animals.
Only cute girls.Cute girls are justice.
"Male characters excluded. List regenerated."
Yashiro scrolled through dozens of female characters, drooling and struggling with the choice.
"Ugh… Plum Blossom Thirteen, Akame, Flame Spirit Ji, Rikka Takanashi, Gu Xun'er—er, Kusaka Kaori, Asuna, Mikasa, Tokisaki Kurumi, Misaka Mikoto, Artoria… so many…"
"Happiness came too suddenly. I can't choose!"
Wait—"System, after concretization, does the character retain her original personality?"
"Yes. The embodied system retains the selected character's personality."
Yashiro sat back on the rock, tapping his chin.This was important—he wanted real personality, not a cold machine.
He thought through the candidates:
"Plum Blossom Thirteen—arrogant appearance, soft inside. I could sing with her every day. That's exciting.""Flame Spirit Ji—beautiful, elegant, royal-sister vibes. She'd give me flame dances whenever she's bored.""Asuna—goddess-tier domestic skills, but rejecting her feels sinful.""Kurumi—beautifully crazy; I could grab her chest braids and swing them around—too tempting.""Artoria—with her noble aura and that ahoge… I could poke her stupid hair all day."
After immense internal struggle, Yashiro finally slammed his hands together, eyes blazing.
"Alright! My system avatar will be—Tushan Susu!"
Tushan Susu—the adorable fox girl from his favorite manga in his past life. Sweet, soft, snack-loving, silly, and comforting. Perfect.
Other anime wives were great, but too stressful to handle. Susu, though—Susu was happiness itself.Cuteness was justice.
And so, he chose her.
Author's Notes (faithfully preserved and polished)
First, let me clarify a few things. The early stage of this novel has a light, comedic, slightly chaotic tone. If anyone finds the protagonist's behavior confusing, illogical, or unserious—well, they're not wrong. This is an intentionally silly phase.
The protagonist deeply loves the fragrance of flowers (a metaphor for the girl he loved). He's not controlled by lust—just like many of us who have real partners but still call anime characters our "wives."The system's appearance as Susu is simply a playful choice.
No one can replace the fragrance of flowers in his heart. If he had to stare at a fake version every day, he'd feel worse.Earlier chapters already hinted at his unstable emotional state after believing he would never return home.
The protagonist isn't a typical cold-blooded, overpowered MC. He's just a kind, ordinary young man who was terrified of an unfamiliar world until recently.
To reiterate:This novel started as a joke.If readers want seriousness, explanations will be given—but comedy is part of the experience.