3

Her room.

It was something her aunt and uncle had carefully, lovingly curated—designed just for her when she first arrived in the city. Everything had been built around her preferences from back home. Her favorite deep teals and ivory whites painted the walls, the bookshelf arranged to mirror her childhood study corner, right down to the ceramic owl-shaped pen holder.

The room was a haven.

Or at least, it was meant to be.

Her study space was something most students would have envied. Shelves segmented by subject: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, English, Biology, and Computer Science. A special section even stood marked General Prep—a category for quizzes, mock exams, Olympiad materials.

Now? All of it stood sparsely populated.

Dust gathered in quiet corners of the book spines. The folders inside the drawers hadn't been opened in weeks. Flashcards remained unsorted. Error logs were untouched.

The centerpiece of the room was her sleek, ergonomic desk made from dark matte walnut, its surface clean and almost too pristine. It had a modular drawer unit meant to hold flashcards, correction sheets, notes, and stationery—but right now, it contained half-written pages, smudged highlighters, and unopened practice booklets.

A whiteboard wall stretched across one side of the room, still blank from the day it was installed.

Above, the mood light strip lining the ceiling glowed a soft twilight orange, syncing gently with the setting sun. Against the far window, a comfortable reading recliner pod waited—untouched for weeks.

She had everything.

Everything she ever needed to succeed.

And yet, for months, this place had been nothing more than a beautifully furnished graveyard of wasted time.

She came here. Stared at the screen. Scrolled through notes. Wrote something half-heartedly. Most of the time, she used the space for binge-watching dramas, escaping into someone else's story because hers felt like it was falling apart.

A heavy silence settled in the room, more oppressive than the rain outside.

The guilt she'd tried so hard to shove down returned with a vengeance—cold and heavy, wrapping around her chest like chains. Her lips trembled. Her throat tightened. Her fingers clenched against her side.

Tears welled in her eyes.

"I let all of this go to waste..." she whispered.

⸻

Fresh from the shower, Zoey sat on the edge of her bed. The warm steam had faded from her skin, but the ache in her ankle still throbbed faintly from the fall earlier that day.

She was dressed in a black sweatshirt and matching pants—loose, comfortable. Her slightly damp, sleek jet-black hair, cut into a sharp bob, clung gently to her cheeks.

She stood and walked to the mirror, slowly taking herself in.

Almond-shaped, rich brown eyes stared back—softly tilted upward, framed with lashes that curled naturally. Her porcelain skin glowed faintly even without makeup. Her face was delicate—heart-shaped with defined cheekbones, a small elegant nose, and full lips.

By God's grace, she'd been gifted with a beautiful appearance.

Back home, people used to call her the beauty with brains. She'd walked the halls like a quiet storm—brilliant, focused, admired. But now, in the eyes of her new classmates?

She was just a loser.

A girl who looked good but didn't have the brains to match anymore.

Zoey sighed.

She limped gently back to her bedside and sat down. Her eyes drifted toward the silver-framed photograph on her nightstand. It was taken right before she moved—her mom and dad hugging her tightly, her younger siblings squeezing in with bright smiles. All of them looked so proud, so happy.

She stared at it for a moment longer than she meant to.

"I'll make them proud," she thought. Her heart tightened.

Enough.

It was time to change. She couldn't rewind the past, but maybe—just maybe—she could rewrite what came next.

She stood up.

Her steps were firm as she walked into her study space.

First things first, she thought. I need a plan.

⸻

She pulled out a blank study planner from her drawer, the pages crisp and untouched. It had been gifted to her by her cousin. Until now, it had remained sealed.

She opened it.

Before writing anything, Zoey pulled out all her old test papers, score sheets, and feedback notes from the semester. A cold flush ran through her as she flipped through them. Red ink. Circles. Crosses. Remarks like "Incomplete understanding", "Revise again", "Missed key concepts" screamed from every page.

But she didn't turn away.

Instead, she took a deep breath and began analyzing.

She knew herself best.

Chemistry and Physics — the absolute worst. Her understanding was fragmented. She had missed crucial chapters, especially during her recovery from mono. Her foundation was shaky. Her grades, abysmal.

Mathematics — average at best. She had taken a few online tutorials, which had helped her survive, but her conceptual clarity was weak. She couldn't solve problems within time limits and often skipped steps.

English and Biology — relatively stable. She'd always done well in theory-based subjects. But even her biology scores had dipped recently—mostly due to burnout and laziness.

Zoey stared at her self-assessment.

She couldn't even argue with it. The reality was written in front of her—in ink and in failure.

Her condition was pathetic.

Frankly, she was surprised the teachers hadn't kicked her out yet.

Midterm exams were just ten days away. Ten. Days.

Not enough time to become a genius.

But maybe enough time to claw her way back.

With a sharp inhale, she created a new weekly study plan. A serious one. No fluff. No distractions.

• Monday – Chemistry (Focus on atomic structure and periodic classification)

• Tuesday – Physics (Laws of motion, Newton's laws, numericals)

• Wednesday – Mathematics (Quadratics, time-bound practice)

• Thursday – Chemistry again (Bonding, nomenclature)

• Friday – Physics again (Work, energy, power)

• Saturday & Sunday – Biology + Half-day for English essays, comprehension, and grammar

Final two days before the exams: dedicated to mixed subject revision + mock papers

She looked at the plan, her heart steady.

It wasn't perfect.

But it was a start.

⸻

After confirming her plan, Zoey turned to the system interface again—the glowing, soft UI panel.

She had received three starter rewards:

1. Midterm Preparatory Guide (All Subjects)

2. Digital Mnemonic Mapper

3. Digital Highlighter Set – Starter Pack

Her current level was still Level 1, and she had a modest 15 SP (System Points) banked.

Curious, she clicked on the system Store for the first time.

And her eyes widened.

Store Items:

• 🧠 Focus Booster (10 SP)

• 🃏 Flashcard Deck Unlock (15 SP)

• 🚫 Distraction Lock (20 SP)

• 🧪 Review Memory Boost (25 SP)

• 📅 Auto-Scheduler (30 SP)

• 📝 Simulated Exam Mode (50 SP)

So many interesting tools...

But she didn't dare spend anything yet. Not until she understood what worked best. With only 15 SP, she couldn't afford mistakes.

For now, she'd begin with Chemistry.

She mentally selected the Midterm Prep Book, and to her amazement—it materialized on her desk in a shimmer of light.

Zoey's jaw dropped.

The textbook looked real. But the interface was digital—when she opened it, diagrams unfolded like pop-ups, and each topic had visual overlays.

She flipped to the Atomic Models chapter—and as she read, visual notes began to form in her mind.

Like flashcards. But smarter.

With a soft smile, Zoey whispered to herself:

"Let's begin."

⸻

Time passed.

She didn't even notice it.

The room around her faded. All that existed was her desk, the prep book, and the new energy coursing through her.

Then—

A new icon pulsed softly beside her SP log.

A system notification.

[Item Drop Unlocked: Digital Highlighter Set – Starter Pack]

[Use: YES/NO]

→ Function: Organizes digital/scanned handwritten notes into smart, color-coded summaries

→ Boosts: Visual Recall + Efficiency + Long-Term Retention

→ Modes: Concept / Formula / Keyword / Mistake / Reference

→ Limit: 3 Full Notes/Day (Upgradeable)

She mentally chose YES.

A translucent panel opened like a holographic palette. Swatches floated like pastel droplets.

These weren't just pretty colors.

They had purpose.

🟨 Concept Yellow – Core theories, definitions, central ideas

🟦 Formula Blue – Equations, constants, conversions

🟩 Keyword Green – Memory anchors, key terms

🟥 Mistake Red – Past errors, misunderstood areas

🟪 Reference Purple – External sources, diagrams, deeper dives

Zoey's eyes sparkled.

She opened her chemistry class notes. They were a mess—scribbled phrases, incomplete sentences, mindless doodles.

Graveyard of wasted effort.

She tapped Auto-Sort.

The system scanned the notes like a beam of light.

And then—

Magic.

Atomic number? Glowing yellow.

Neutron equation? Locked in blue.

Glossary terms? Clean green.

A silly mistake from last month? Tagged in red with a side note:

"Incorrect orbital path. Revisit Bohr's Model (Period 2)."

And beneath it?

A purple tag:

"Recommended video: Bohr's Model Simplified – 4 mins"

Zoey gasped.

Her notes weren't dead anymore.

They were talking back.

She opened another file. Then another. A small grin tugged at the edge of her lips.

She wasn't alone in this.

It was her... and the system.

A team.

The highlighters glowed gently as she moved through the pages, her mind alert, her focus returning like a long-lost friend.

Outside, the sky had turned deep black.