Where am I?Why can't I feel my body?
Darkness—that was Hayashi's first sensation upon waking.
Then he noticed something strange: his body felt… different. All around him came the steady, rhythmic clank of metal on metal.
Hayashi tried to move, but the result was far from satisfying. His body shifted only slowly, inch by inch.
Wait… have I turned into a slime?
"Yes, host—you have turned into a slime."
Who are you? And why are you talking inside my head?
"I am the Great Sage," the voice replied matter-of-factly.
Then why am I like this?
"Host, this is a gift from your reincarnation into this world."
A gift? Feels more like a punishment. Hayashi shouted in his mind. Without a mouth, that was the only way to yell.
"Do not panic. This transformation into a slime is according to your wish."
Why would I make such a ridiculous wish? Hayashi's thoughts wavered dangerously close to despair.
"I am fulfilling the desire stored in your memories—the fantasy you've always carried. Haven't you dreamed of becoming the cute King from that anime you love?"
I only liked the cute King—I never wanted to become one! Arghhh!
Hayashi clutched his imaginary head in frustration. Then, after a moment, he seemed to resign himself to his fate. Fine. If I have the body of the cute King now… can you at least give me skills like in the anime?
"Ding. Inner wish detected. Skills granted: Magic Perception and Magic Release."(The details of these abilities? Let's be honest—if you know, you know. If you don't… well, too bad.)
Hayashi took in his surroundings. A dimly lit cave. He was nestled among a heap of debris. Not far away, an older man with a neatly trimmed mustache hammered away at a forge, while another, bald, stood beside him.
Hayashi's gaze fell on a set of steel armor nearby. It all felt oddly familiar.
Great Sage, can you detect which world I'm in?
"According to my analysis, host, you are in the Marvel Universe. The man with the mustache is Tony Stark—Iron Man."
Then the bald man must be… Yinsen.
Hayashi remembered Yinsen vividly. Back when he watched the movie, he had always thought Yinsen's death was unfair. He'd even wished he could change it. Now, maybe, he could.
Great Sage, can I transform into human form now?
"Yes. Your human form has automatically been set to match the appearance of the cute King in the anime. (A perk of time-travel—no need to absorb or copy other bodies.)"
Then let's do it.
Hayashi felt his body stretch upward, mass shifting and reshaping. After some squirming and swelling, he stood in human form.
Stark glanced up, startled by the sudden appearance of what looked like a teen—though the big eyes and delicate features leaned toward feminine.
"Hey, girl, I don't know how you got in here, but you'd better hide fast. The terrorists outside aren't as friendly as I am."
"I'm a guy," Hayashi said flatly. He'd already braced himself for this ever since the Great Sage mentioned the "cute King" look—but still, being mistaken for a girl grated on him.
"Sure, girl, whatever. Just stay out of sight. I won't be able to protect you otherwise."
"I don't need to hide. I'm here to help. I'm strong."
Hayashi crossed his arms and sat down like he owned the place.
"Tony, we have to hurry. Today's the last day of the deadline," Yinsen urged.
"Got it, Yinsen—start the system. Today we break out. And as for the little lady over there—watch and learn how Uncle Tony takes down bad guys."
Tony moved to suit up in the armor, Yinsen to the console. Outside, the terrorists were growing suspicious. Their monitors showed no sign of Stark.
"Check if they're still in there," their leader ordered.
Two armed men stomped to the heavy iron door and began pounding on it. When that failed, they opened fire. Bullets tore into the metal until the hinges groaned.
Then Yinsen triggered the bomb set behind the door. The blast slammed the two terrorists back.
But the system loading Tony's suit wasn't done yet.
"Tony, I'll buy you time." Yinsen grabbed a dropped rifle and charged out.
"No! Yinsen!" Tony yelled.
Hayashi knew this was the moment—in the film, Yinsen's stand had ended in his death. Not this time.
"Hey! You can't go out there—it's dangerous!" Tony called after him.
"Don't worry, Mr. Stark. I told you—I'm strong."
Hayashi darted out.
Outside, Yinsen was holding his ground, gun blazing. "Come on, you cowards!" he roared. The terrorists stayed pinned—no one eager to be the first to die.
But then, as Hayashi remembered, the inevitable: click… empty. Yinsen's rifle was out of ammo.
The hidden gunmen began to emerge.
"I told you—I'm a man!" Hayashi barked, leaping in front of Yinsen. He thrust one hand forward.
"Great Sage—Devour!"
His hand morphed into a spinning vortex, swallowing every bullet that came his way.
"What in the world…?" Yinsen stared.
Hayashi smiled. "This is my ability. I told you—I'm strong."
"So… you have superpowers?"
Yinsen could hardly believe it. The strange "girl" who had appeared in the cave was actually…
"I told you I'm a boy."
When Tony finally rushed out in his suit, the sight that met him was surreal—Hayashi, one hand transformed into a whirling void, eating bullets out of the air.
(Time-travel perks also included understanding English—no need to spell it out here. Honestly, this aside is mostly here to pad the word count.)
Emmm…