Chapter 2: A Glimmer of Hope
The next three days felt like an eternity. Takahashi went through his usual routine—training, classes, more training—but his mind was somewhere else entirely. He was just waiting.
On the third morning, sunlight hit his face. He reached out to shut off his alarm clock, but his fingers brushed against something soft and cool.
He sat up fast, his heart pounding. There, sitting on his nightstand, was the little green frog. It was back.
A voice, clear but only in his head, spoke. "Your frog has returned from its journey. A first-trip luck bonus has been applied. Reward quality improved. Do you wish to receive the reward?"
"Yes," Takahashi whispered. "Receive."
He focused on the frog in his mind, and a simple menu appeared. Next to the options for food and tools, there was a new one: "Reward."
He selected it.
A soft, yellow light filled his small room. When it faded, a fruit sat on his bed. It was bright yellow, covered in strange, spiral patterns.
His breath caught. Is this… a Devil Fruit?
He looked at its description.
Glint-Glint Fruit: From the world of One Piece. A Logia-type Devil Fruit. Grants the user a light body. User becomes immune to physical attacks and most energy attacks. Can turn any part of the body into light. A very powerful ability.
Note: Due to world-line adaptation, side effects are removed. No weakness to sea water. The fruit's power is now scaled to the user's chakra and physical stamina.
Takahashi was stunned. He had hoped for something good, but this? This was the power of one of the Admirals! And with no bad side effects? It was too good to be true.
He scrambled out of bed, cleared off his small table, and placed the fruit on it. If he was going to eat this, he was going to do it properly. He got a knife and fork, cut a piece, and put it in his mouth.
It was… delicious. Sweet, like a mix of banana, pineapple, and mango. He remembered Devil Fruits were supposed to taste terrible. Maybe getting rid of the side effects fixed the taste, too.
He ate the whole thing quickly. A strange, warm energy flooded his body, spreading to his fingertips and toes. It felt like a part of him had been unlocked.
He concentrated. Elementalize.
Starting from his hand, his body dissolved into countless particles of shimmering, golden light. He was made of light.
A thought crossed his mind, and he zipped across the room. He was a blur, moving from one wall to the other in the blink of an eye. He wasn't as fast as real light, he could tell that much. Maybe not even as fast as the Fourth Hokage's Flying Thunder God. But he was fast. Faster than anyone he knew.
And that was just moving. He could feel other abilities waiting—a blinding flash, a laser-like beam, attacks fueled by pure speed.
He looked at his hands, now solid again. For the first time since coming to this world, a real, solid confidence warmed his chest. He wasn't just the "other guy" anymore.
He checked on his frog. The little guy was back on its tiny bed, reading a book. Takahashi felt a rush of gratitude. He harvested the new clover that had grown in the garden and went to the shop. He skipped the cheap food this time. He spent a good chunk of his clover to buy the frog a nice meal of tomato omelet rice for its next trip. He even added a lucky four-leaf clover he'd gotten for free.
As he sent the frog off again, he let himself dream. What could it bring back next? He wasn't greedy. A magic pill for immortality would be nice. Or a god-slaying weapon.
A knock on his door pulled him from his thoughts.
He opened it to find Hinata Hyuga standing there, looking down at her feet.
"Good morning, Takahashi-kun," she said softly. "We should go to the academy."
"Come in," he said, smiling. "I just need a minute."
She nodded and stepped inside, her cheeks slightly pink. She rarely went into anyone else's room, but Takahashi was different. He'd always been kind to her, ever since they were little. He'd tell her stories from places she'd never heard of. He never made fun of her for being shy. Slowly, they'd become close friends.
It was also the main reason her cousin, Neji, glared at him so much.
Her eyes drifted to his table and saw the strange fruit peel. "Takahashi-kun, you only ate fruit? A growing boy needs a better breakfast. I… I could bring you something in the mornings."
She blushed a deeper red right after she said it.
Takahashi's smile widened. He couldn't explain the fruit, so he just agreed. "That would be amazing. It'd beat dry bread."
He noticed her red face and leaned in a little, pretending to feel her forehead. "You feeling okay? Your face is all red."
"It's nothing!" she said, her voice a squeak, turning away quickly.
A few minutes later, they walked to the academy together. Neji Hyuga was already there, practicing his Gentle Fist by the training posts. He saw them walking side-by-side and his eyes narrowed, a flicker of cold anger in them. He turned back to his training, his movements sharp and precise.
From the side of the yard, Might Guy watched the whole thing. He saw Neji's glare, and he saw the two friends walking together. A small, knowing smile touched his lips for just a second before he went back to his loud, morning stretches.
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