The cheerful emoticon only made Neville’s eye twitch harder.

"What morning?!" Neville pointed at the system’s holographic screen with an accusatory finger, his other hand gripping the edge of the table.

"What the hell is that?!" he grabbed a fistful of his silver hair, "Why is this permanent?!"

Shelly floated over to the screen, her movements lazy and unconcerned.

[Host, I warned you not to defy the system. That’s that.] She pointed at the holographic screen as if presenting it, complete with a little shrugging emoticon.

"When did—" Neville started, then stopped.

His mind began recalling what happened a few days ago. He remembered how desperately he ordered Shelly to stay, and Shelly stayed. He didn’t know why, but it seemed to be the answer.

Oh.

Oh no.

[Host, the system has rules, you know. Rules that even Shelly has to follow,] she further explained with an almost sympathetic tone. [When you prevented Shelly from returning, you essentially... hmm, how to explain this... You broke the contract?]

"Ugh, you and your rules."

Neville slumped back in his chair, one hand covering his face. His silver hair slid over his shoulder, a constant reminder of his blunder.

[Peace exists with rules, host. You only need to adapt.] Shelly proudly said as she further scolded him. [Besides, it could be worse! You could have lost all your hair—or grown tentacles. Just so you know, the system really considered tentacles according to its log of penalty options. You just got lucky on this one.]

"That’s not comforting!" Neville’s voice cracked slightly.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Panicking wouldn’t help. He needed to think, plan, and figure out how to fix this mess.

"Then how am I going to the office now?" The question came out quieter, more defeated. "I can’t exactly show up at Maxwell Corporation looking like I decided to cosplay on my sick leave. That nepo-baby Jenna would surely have a field day. Liam would probably be disappointed in him. The only good thing was that Grayson wasn’t there."

[Since this was your natural mermaid hair, it has regenerative properties. Therefore, you can’t use a normal dye, host.] Shelly bobbed up and down, almost sympathetically. [Your mermaid genes are also strong. Regular chemical dyes won’t even cling to the strands and would just slide right off. It’s already tried and tested by the current interstellar researchers. That was how easy mermaids could be kidnapped and experimented on.]

"Of course," Neville muttered bitterly. "Why would anything be easy?"

No wonder in the original timeline the original owner of this body had such a tragic fate.

[But you won’t need to worry about that. The system mall has everything you need. You can just buy one there.] Shelly continued brightly. [There’s a temporary dye that works on supernatural hair types! Only 500 system points per bottle, lasts about two weeks depending on usage frequency, and comes in twelve natural shades!]

Neville felt a vein throb in his temple.

Everything he needed was now practically being bought in the system mall—literally everything.

"What else should I buy in the system mall?" The words came out dripping with sarcasm, his tone making it clear he didn’t actually want an answer.

Shelly, being Shelly, completely missed the sarcasm, if not ignored it deliberately.

[Oh! So many things, host! Let Shelly introduce you to the list!]

Text began scrolling across another holographic screen with enthusiastic speed.

[1. Genetic temporary dye (as mentioned) - 500 points

Pheromone suppressants (better than the interstellar ones!) - 30 points per month Pheromone compatibility tester - 300 points Crying suppression drops (preventing tears from turning into pearls, good for 6 hours) - 100 points]

The list kept going, scrolling past Neville’s increasingly horrified expression.

Why is she even listing these when she clearly knew I don’t have points right now?!

[7. Free Dimensional Delivery (for when you miss food from Earth) - varies 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Memory modification tools (in case someone sees something they shouldn’t) - 2000 points [Locked: Insufficient Favorability] Waterproof Light Brain (rated for deep-sea pressure) - 650 points Tail maintenance kit (keeps your scales shiny!) - 150 points Romance scenario generator (gives you a random romance novel on earth to get inspired) - 50 points]

Annoyed at Shelly, Neville just decided to pull up the system mall. Another holographic screen materialized before him with a vast catalog of items organized by category. He navigated to "Personal Care" and then "Genetic Hair Dye (Temporary)."

The genetic temporary dye came in a surprising variety of shades: Midnight Black, Dark Chocolate Brown, Chestnut Auburn, Honey Blonde, Strawberry Copper, Ash Grey, and more. Each bottle was displayed with a small preview showing what the color would look like on different hair types.

Neville selected "Chestnut Auburn". It was close enough to his original hazel-brown that it wouldn’t raise questions, but different enough that he could claim he just decided to try a new shade.

[Purchase confirmed!]

A small package materialized on his kitchen table. Neville unwrapped it carefully, revealing a sleek bottle filled with liquid that seemed to change colors in the light, never quite settling on a single shade.

The instructions were printed on the side in multiple languages, including English:

"Apply only to supernatural hair types. Massage into the scalp and strands for 30 seconds. Rinse thoroughly. Color will set permanently unless removed using the product Genetic Hair Dye Remover, due to natural hair growth, or the two-week expiration period has passed. It will not damage the hair for excessive use, but using a conditioner is always a good option. Side effects may include temporary tingling, slight warmth, and a slight difference in hair texture."

Neville carried the bottle back to the bathroom, standing once again in front of the mirror. His silver hair gleamed back at him.

"Here goes nothing," he muttered, uncapping the bottle.

The liquid inside was warm to the touch, almost alive. He poured a generous amount into his palm and began working it through his hair. He started at the roots and moved toward the ends.

The effect was immediate and dramatic.