Appearance: "Need something from me?" Standing at a somewhat respectable 5’10”, Nick carries himself with an air of reserved confidence. His clothing now isn’t exactly suitable for the mess of procuring ingredients or the controlled chaos of the workshop, but it certainly conveys the atmosphere that someone in his newfound line of work “should” have.
Personality: With a somewhat relaxed demeanor in his day-to-day life, Nick does not seem like the type who one might mistake for a chef—or, at least, not a chef who treats his kitchen like a battlefield (though it may as well be one). In a sense, that judgement would be correct; having never actually had to work in a proper kitchen, the pressures that he is used to are mostly with regards to long-term goals, and towards those he has had ample time to prepare. Paired with a humility and desire to learn from those who know more than he, though, one could consider him an eternal student.
This is not to say that Nick is a doormat or spineless, though; while he may struggle at times with responsibilities thrust upon him, any acceptance of such is built upon a mix of patience and, ideally, mutual respect. Absent of either, the young man is more than willing to simply abandon endeavors in favor of paths that are more productive.
History: Nick’s life was fairly unremarkable, as most are. Born of the love between Chinese and Japanese office workers who had moved to America for business opportunities, the young man was, in essence, caught between three worlds instead of the “usual” two. For most of his childhood, the young boy grappled with his identity—who he was and how he fit into the world didn’t align neatly, if at all. It was only when he began high school and, half on a whim and half because he was forced into it, began to cook did he find some direction in his life. While a need to excel in academics was more or less forced upon him due to the circumstances of his upbringing, the young man found that the food that he made, be it at the behest of others or for his own personal desires, was the best way to express himself.
Of course, the life of a chef in any capacity was financially reckless, and his parents made that clear as day. For the most part, it was relegated to a side hobby—one among many side hobbies of a young man his age. Thus proceeded his daily life until he got into college, at which point he, by some odd set of circumstances, ended up going to cooking school on top of studying for a degree in biochemistry. This, naturally enough, consumed a rather significant amount of his time and left him the de facto friend that people flocked to in order to get a good meal for cheap. Would that it had continued until he had finished college, though; a rather unfortunate encounter with a student athlete who had drunk a bit too much and was behind the wheel made certain that he was just another life snuffed out a bit too soon.
For what little it was worth, the impact took him out quickly enough that he wasn’t conscious for more than a second after being sent flying.
Cheat: Dimensional Atelier - Nick has access to a "small" pocket dimension, accessible only to him and those given his OK, that contains a variety of equipment tailor-made for chemistry, alchemy, and the culinary arts that never seem to degrade in quality. It is, in essence, a personal workshop where he can work and store goods, and even rest in a pinch. The entry and exit point is bound to the location where he deploys it, but it can be moved or dispelled at will.
Skill Name: Fundamentals of Synthesis
Skill Description: This skill provides a basic understanding of the usage and functionality of all tools related to alchemy and chemistry. As an added bonus, any items that are produced by someone with this skill will have naturally higher quality than other goods made by the same process.
Other: Though it might not necessarily need to bear repeating, Nick is quite proficient at cooking despite a lack of any dedicated skills towards doing so.
Name: Abe Hikari. It's her original name, and she sees no reason to swap it.
Age: Mentally, Hikari is definitely in her 30's. Physically, it could go either way: she looks like a nine year old, but there's enough to go on to suggest she's actually been reincarnated at the grand old age of over 900. She's a bit all over the place.
Gender: Female.
Race: Kitsune. It has racial abilities, but she doesn't know how to use any of them.
Personality: Hikari has a polite and agreeable demeanour. Do you need something done? Well, she's happy to be of assistance, as long as it's within her ability and job scope. This betrays a lot of the rest of Hikari's attitude, even after dying and being reincarnated... well, she can't help but think of herself as an employee working for her long-term prospects. She seems quite able to take the absurdity of this reincarnation in stride; this sort of lowest common denominator writing was a guilty pleasure in her limited free time, and it's nice to enjoy it from a first-person perspective. It certainly lends her an air of unflappability in all things, which fits her new role quite perfectly. Besides, even if she dies again and nobody has access to resurrection, she's already got some great times out of this, why complain?
History: Hikari's life before reincarnation was about as dull as could be imagined: a studious and education-focused childhood with little time for doing things just for fun, followed by an equally boring university education before getting a tedious office job as a normal salaryman... no time for relationships, of course, nor as many hobbies as one would have liked. Trashy isekai setups? Oh, they took little enough time and thought that they were easy to follow, but... All of this in service to one goal: securing a safe and long-term career, with prospects of advancement to management and a cushy retirement when the time came. Or, at least, some time clawed back from socialising with co-workers and networking so that there was the potential for a family, as annoying as that often felt. This eventually lead to a promotion and Hikari was thrilled to be selected for an overseas meeting. this was the best opportunity to advance and--well, spending one's last moments obsessing over a prepared powerpoint presentation wasn't exactly the ideal way to go. Of course, this came with the opportunity for reincarnation! Not that Hikari remembers the process, or quite why this has lead to being a tiny little foxgirl, but that's not objectionable. Why her new cheat is so... what it is? Oh, she can guess, but really, past Hikari? Why had you argued so strongly for something that would give you that nice cushy job you wanted, with good accommodations and... Well, at least she's cute now.
Cheat: Perfect and Elegant Maid: When it comes to the art of being a maid, nobody can be more suited or a faster learner than Hikari. For a start, this has granted her instant proficiency across a whole suite of domestic skills, from cleaning to cooking to managing a household staff. No more instant ramen for her! If it's been invented anywhere here yet, of course. There's a lot of semantics intrinsic in this, of course. While at a baseline it just gives Hikari a surprising level of aptitude for learning how to use supportive magic or knifework, if she were to find a proper employer... well, anticipating and fulfilling their needs would give her a lot more avenues for growth, depending on who they are.
Skill Name: Shapeshift: Fox.
Skill Description: The only racial skill that Hikari has any immediate access to, it's the ability to transform into a fox. Either a perfectly normal fox with a single tail, or one keeping her full magnificent array. She can speak in either case.
Other: Was once on the kendo team. Not terribly useful, if she goes into knives instead.
Personality: Souji is a studious person, but not the type to completely neglect his own free time. A fan of fantasy games and related media, he'd make time for them whenever he could in order to keep himself from burning out. Even after the accident, it's unlikely that Sephily will ever cease to approach things with that mindset. With that being said, it doesn't change the fact that her serious outlook leads to an easily exasperated personality. Her patience quickly wears thin when faced with foolish behavior or aggravating situations. While she deals well with complex problems in studies or in free time, she dislikes having to deal with stupid people and will vocally voice her displeasure. Due to her studious nature, it shouldn't be any surprise she takes well to things involving magic, commonly playing mage characters in games she enjoyed in her past life. Perhaps quite ironically, Souji's taste in female characters tended towards petite, surly types, which certainly adds another layer to her new form. Entirely embarrassed by this situation, she is unlikely to directly introduce her previous identity, though she's rather poor at hiding her awkward feelings about her new body. Why did she have to end up a cute girl, and why did she have to end up so short?! Why did she have to end up her type?! Regardless of her temperamental demeanor and awkwardness over her new body, Souji tends to try and do the right thing when presented with dangerous situations even if she might vocally complain about it. She has a habit of keeping new people at arm's length, and is likely to be embarrassed easily be close proximity to others for a variety of reasons.
History: Prior to the tragic incident that claimed his life, Yukimura Souji's life wasn't particularly eventful. A capable student often sought for assistance with homework, he had a small number of friends that largely shared his own personal interests, and was able to maintain his own hobbies while succeeding well in his class work. Perhaps this induced some jealousy in some of his classmates during Middle School and High School, but he didn't suffer much of the effects from such feelings. Having just recently entered university, he was convinced to visit the US for vacation and--- There was only one very unlucky casualty of the crash.
Cheat: Her staff, which will begin with fairly basic but useful capabilities as a magical catalyst. As her skills develop, so to will the capabilities of her staff, permitting an increase in mana output, a decrease in the cost of spells, and various other benefits.
Skill Name: Star Mirror
Skill Description: A living reflection of the world's stars. A special trait for a mage with an intrinsic connection to starlight, most common in high elves but overall very rare. Normally, learning star-based spells would require study of the cosmos, but Sephily has a natural affinity for the stars. The School of Astromancy is a variant of offensive magic drawing on celestial bodies, particularly the stars. It is known for highly destructive offensive spells, with even the basic level spells being fairly potent in combat.
Other: Souji's favorite light novel is The Elf Mage Doesn't Approve, about a petite and tsundere elf mage and the protagonist's difficulties with her.
