Melon Bread Mentoring

Aya Takahashi was not okay.

Her knees wobbled like wet noodles as she tried to walk in Rei’s super-enhanced combat boots. Every step was a gamble. She nearly tripped over a chunk of broken pavement, caught herself, then almost headbutted a ruined lamp post trying to “gracefully” steady herself.

“This body is so weirdly balanced,” she grumbled. “Why does everything move like I’m wearing power armor and also… WHY DOES THIS OUTFIT HAVE SO MANY BELTS?!”

The bodysuit she wore buzzed softly, adjusting to her motion. Skintight and sleek, with glowing panels on the arms and a holographic interface above her left wrist. It looked cool—like straight out of a sci-fi anime—but felt like she was walking around in a second skin made of anxiety.

The city around her was a cracked, charred skeleton of its former self. Skyscrapers leaned like drunken giants. The air shimmered with static electricity. Drones buzzed overhead, scanning for threats.

And then.

A sound.

Wet. Slithery.

Squish. Hiss. Clank.

Aya turned slowly. Behind a wrecked monorail pillar, something shifted. Something long. Metallic. Sinewy.

And covered in tentacles.

“W-What the heck is that?!”

It stepped—or rather oozed—into view. Eight mechanical limbs twisted like steel vines, glowing with corrupted data. A jagged eye blinked open in its core, followed by a low growl that sounded like a dial-up modem crossed with a death threat.

[WARNING: Hostile Detected — CODE NAME: TentaMech Type-β]

Aya stared, frozen. “I didn’t sign up for this.”

Suddenly, a voice popped into her head like a notification ping.

“Yo. Heads up. That thing’s gonna murder you.”

“Rei?!”

“Yup. I got a mental feed running from your vitals. Real-time updates. Also, I found your secret melon bread stash. Delicious.”

“You’re snacking while I’m about to die?!”

“Correct. Now listen up, noodle limbs. Time for a quick combat tutorial. Let’s call it… Rei's Emergency Bootcamp for Panicking Noobs™!”

A tentacle lashed out. Aya ducked just in time—mostly by falling sideways with a scream.

“Okay! First, check your left wrist. That holographic menu? Tap it and say ‘Combat Mode: Engage.’”

Aya fumbled with the glowing interface. “C-Combat Mode—ENGAGE!”

[COMBAT MODE ACTIVATED. SYNAPTIC RESPONSE LEVEL: 8%]

“Ugh. Eight percent? You’re basically running this body like a grandma playing VR bowling. Just try not to die.”

Aya got to her feet, her suit glowing brighter. A light blade extended from her right wrist with a satisfying vzzzzzt.

The TentaMech screeched.

It lunged.

Aya shrieked.

Then she swung—wildly—and accidentally sliced through two tentacles.

“W-WAIT. DID I JUST—?!”

“Yup. You scored a hit! Good job, button-masher.”

The creature reeled back, twitching. Aya blinked down at the glowing blade in her hand.

“Holy crap… I actually did something!”

“Don't let it go to your head, newbie. Now dodge left!”

“Which—MY left or YOUR left?!”

“YOURS—NO, WAIT, TOO SLOW—”

WHAM!

Aya was smacked across the pavement like a badminton shuttlecock, flipping twice before landing in a crater made by someone else's terrible day.

“OW.”

“Okay, maybe we skip the advanced dodging for now.” Rei took another bite of melon bread in the background of the link. “Just keep moving and flail like your life depends on it. Because it does.”

Aya crawled out of the crater, groaning.

"You're the worst tutorial voice ever."

"But you're still alive, aren't you?"

She glared at the TentaMech as it charged again, dragging its twitching tentacles through the cracked concrete.

"Okay… fine. Let’s do this.”