Kenji had always imagined his death would at least make sense.
Not necessarily heroic—he wasn't that kind of guy—but something logical. A road accident. Illness. Maybe even something stupid like slipping in the bathroom.
But choking on a grape?
That was just disrespectful.
He sat alone in his small ground-floor apartment, scrolling through his phone with one hand while casually tossing grapes into his mouth. It was quiet, uneventful—the kind of moment that didn't matter.
Until one grape went down the wrong way.
At first, it was just a cough. A minor irritation. Then suddenly, his throat tightened completely, cutting off air like a switch had been flipped. His hand shot to his neck, fingers pressing hard as panic surged through his body.
He tried coughing again. Harder.
Nothing
His chest burned. His lungs screamed. His vision flickered.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
He staggered backward, knocking over a chair as he struggled to breathe. The absurdity hit him harder than the suffocation.
"This is how I die? Not even a boss fight… just a fruit?"
His thoughts grew slower. Heavier.
And then—
BOOM.
The entire wall of his apartment exploded inward.
Concrete shattered. Metal screamed. A truck burst into his room like reality itself had glitched.
And yet—
That wasn't what killed him.
The shock forced him to inhale sharply.
The grape lodged deeper.
And just like that—
Everything went black.
…
Silence.
…
"…Alright."
Kenji opened his eyes.
No pain. No debris. No body.
Just an endless white void stretching in every direction.
He looked around slowly, taking it in with surprising calm.
"So I'm dead. Cool. Efficient."
A presence appeared.
Not something he could see—but something he could feel. Vast. Indifferent. Watching.
Then a voice spoke.
"You were not supposed to die."
Kenji blinked once. "Yeah, I figured choking on a grape wasn't part of the grand plan."
"Your death was caused by an anomaly."
"…Truck-kun messed up his timing?"
"…Correct."
Kenji stared into the void for a few seconds.
"…I hate how that makes sense."
"You died before the intended cause of death."
"So I got early access death?" he muttered.
"…In a sense."
Kenji rubbed his face, exhaling slowly. "Alright. So what now? Respawn? New game plus?"
"As compensation, you will be granted reincarnation."
His lips curved slightly. "Knew it."
"And a system."
That made him pause.
"…Okay, now you've got my attention."
There was no further explanation.
Just—
Light.
Blinding. Absolute.
And then—
Pain.
…
He woke up gasping.
This time, the air came in just fine.
But everything else felt wrong.
His body was smaller. Lighter. Weaker.
A child's body.
"…Oh," he muttered, voice higher than expected. "We're doing that version."
Then the smell hit him.
Gas.
Burnt air.
And something else.
Something that made his instincts scream.
Kenji moved toward the broken window slowly, each step heavy with unease. Outside, the night was unnaturally quiet.
Two figures stood there.
His parents.
Or rather—the parents of this body.
For a moment, everything looked normal.
Then his brain processed what his eyes were actually seeing.
Their limbs were twisted. Not broken—reshaped. Their bodies bent at angles that shouldn't exist. Their faces… stretched, distorted like something had molded them by hand.
Kenji froze.
"…No way."
And then he saw him.
A boy.
No.
A curse wearing a boy's shape.
Smiling.
Playing.
His hands moved through flesh like it was clay, casually reshaping it, experimenting with it.
Kenji's breath slowed.
His mind clicked.
"…Mahito."
Mahito
The name surfaced instantly, along with everything it carried.
Soul manipulation.
Idle Transfiguration.
Sadistic curiosity.
This wasn't just another world.
"This is Jujutsu Kaisen…"
Mahito paused.
Then slowly turned.
Their eyes met.
Kenji didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
Didn't react.
Mahito tilted his head, interest flickering across his face. For a brief second, it felt like he might approach.
Instead, he smiled wider.
And crushed the two figures completely—warping them into something unrecognizable.
Kenji's fingers clenched.
Something inside him cracked.
Quietly.
Deeply.
Mahito raised a hand and waved playfully.
Then disappeared.
Just like that.
Silence returned.
Kenji dropped to his knees.
"…Right."
His voice came out flat.
"Welcome to JJK."
And right on cue—
[Ding]
A soft sound echoed in his mind.
Kenji's eyes sharpened instantly.
"…There you are."
A translucent panel appeared before him.
[System Initialized]
[Welcome, Kenji Narukami]
[Compensation System Active]
[Reward Cycle: 1 Gift Per Year]
[First Reward Granted]
No delay.
No build-up.
Straight to the point.
[→ Cursed Energy Activation]
[→ Innate Technique Acquired: [Merge]]
The moment it activated, something flooded his body.
Heavy.
Cold.
Alive.
Cursed energy.
It coiled within him like something waiting to be used, responding instinctively to his will. It wasn't refined—not even close—but it was there.
Real.
Kenji exhaled slowly, steadying himself.
"So this is how people survive in this world…"
His focus shifted inward as information about his second ability settled into place.
Merge.
The ability to combine entities. To take two things and create something new—stronger, more useful, more dangerous.
His lips curled slightly.
"…Yeah. That's broken."
He looked back at what remained of his parents.
There was no dramatic breakdown. No screaming.
Just silence.
Then—
A quiet resolve.
"Alright."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
"If this is the world… then I adapt."
His gaze hardened slightly.
"Mahito…"
No rage.
Not yet.
Just a promise.
"I'll deal with you later."
Kenji stood up slowly, the faint crackle of cursed energy flickering around him for the first time.
Weak.
Unrefined.
But real.
And for now—
That was enough.
Because in a world where monsters played with human souls…
He had just gained the ability to create his own.