Episode 112: Maybe I Can Fly
“So this is the Chimera’s power… [Shapeshifting], huh?”
I opened and closed my hand, touched my face. It’s amazing that I can turn into my mother, but it feels intensely strange.
Touching my clothes, they’re springy and soft. Like ‘Tin,’ a metal that can be shaped by hand.
“It can even reproduce clothes… and with color, that’s amazing.”
I was impressed by the perfect shapeshifting ability, but I didn’t want to stay in my mother’s form forever.
“How do I get back to normal?”
I struggled to return to normal, trying various things. Eventually, by focusing my mind on the Glass Orb in my left hand and chanting “Return! Return!” I reverted to my “Metallization” state.
“Phew, that’s a relief. I was wondering what I’d do if I couldn’t change back.”
Yuma deactivated “Metallization,” left the room, and went down the stairs.
–Probably, the reason I could transform into Mom is because her elbow touched me earlier. If that’s the case, the Chimera’s Demon Ore has the ability to transform into any ‘living thing’ it touches. Then–
Yuma went straight out of the veranda and headed to Mamezou.
“Mamezou! Let me touch you for a bit.”
“Woof!”
After petting Mamezou for a while, Yuma returned to his room and activated the “Metallization” ability once more.
“If I metallize in front of Mamezou, he’ll get angry.”
He checked his left hand. Something was reflected in one of the Glass Orbs. Looking closely, it was Mamezou with his fluffy, brown fur.
“I knew it! It’s definitely the ability to transform into any living thing I touch!”
Yuma touched the Glass Orb on his left hand and chanted, “Become Mamezou! Become Mamezou!” His body gradually shrunk, transforming into a four-legged animal.
“T-This is!!”
His line of sight lowered, and two front paws were in front of him. Lifting his right front paw and looking at the palm, he could clearly see a paw pad.
“Ooooooh! Amazing!! I really turned into Mamezou.”
Yuma, now a small Shiba Inu, was overjoyed and ran around the room.
Perhaps because of the loud thumping, his mother scolded him from downstairs, “You’re being noisy! What are you doing?”
Yuma apologized, “Sorry, it’s nothing!” but was surprised that he had spoken in the form of a dog.
◇◇◇
The next day, Yuma, having gone to work, took only Kanzaki to the warehouse on the second floor of the building.
“What is it, Yuma?”
Kanzaki looked dubious, and Yuma replied, playing it up, “Well, I have something I want to show you!”
“President, can I shake your hand?”
“Shake hands? Why?”
“I’ll explain later, so please.”
Kanzaki reluctantly extended his right hand. Yuma firmly shook it and said, “Please watch,” activating the “Metallization” ability.
He touched the Glass Orb on the back of his left hand and focused his mind.
The metallic gray surface of his body undulated like waves. After only a few seconds, Yuma’s body changed.
A large, rugged physique. Messy hair and unshaven beard. He was Kanzaki himself, wearing blue biker damaged jeans and a black jacket.
Kanzaki’s eyes widened and his mouth gaped open as Yuma turned into him.
“What do you think, President? This is the power of the Demon Ore dropped by the Chimera.”
“Chimera!? Why do you have a Chimera’s Demon Ore?”
Kanzaki stared at Yuma, not understanding.
“Aisha-san picked it up.”
“Aisha did!?”
“I went to the Laboratory yesterday. She didn’t seem well, but she told me everything she knew about the Deca Slime and my abilities. When I was about to leave, she told me to take the Demon Ore.”
“And you used it?”
“Yes. I was hesitant, but I decided to try it.”
Kanzaki said, “I see…” and seemed to understand, but he was unsettled by the fact that there was another version of himself, so he asked Yuma to “Please return to normal for now.”
When Yuma canceled the transformation, Kanzaki sighed and scratched his head vigorously.
“But that ability is amazing! Can you transform into anyone?”
“Yes, if I can touch them.”
“So that’s why you shook my hand… Can you do it with non-humans too?”
“I tried it with my dog, and it worked fine.”
“I see… Then, to maximize the use of that ability–“
Kanzaki closed his eyes, thought for a moment, and then opened them wide, “Oh! That’s right.”
“What about birds? If you could transform into a bird, you could fly!”
“Ah, that’s right! Let’s try it.”
Yuma was also enthusiastic about Kanzaki’s suggestion, and the two decided to go outside. As they walked around the company, Kanzaki raised his voice.
“Hey! Isn’t that a crow over there?”
“A crow?”
Yuma looked up and saw a crow perched on an electric wire.
“But we can’t touch it like that. Should we go to the park and look for pigeons? They’re easier to touch.”
Yuma smiled at Kanzaki’s grumbling, saying, “No, it’s okay.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Just watch.”
Yuma pulled the hood of his hoodie down over his eyes, then put strength into his body and turned his entire body into metal. His skin turned black, but it wasn’t too noticeable with the hood on.
He pointed his right index finger at the crow, stretching his finger thin and long.
The tip of his finger reached the crow in an instant, touching it lightly. The crow, not understanding what had happened, looked around curiously.
Yuma returned his finger to normal and checked his left hand.
“I did it, President! Now I can transform into a crow.”
“Seriously!? Let’s try it right away. Hmm, it’s too conspicuous here, so let’s go back to the company for now.”
“Okay.”
The two hurried back to the company.
◇◇◇
Kanzaki and Yuma, who had entered the company’s warehouse, decided to try to transform into a crow.
Yuma focused his mind on the back of his left hand from the “Metallization” state, imagining the form of a crow. His body gradually shrunk, transforming into a jet-black bird.
“Oh! You really turned into a crow. Well, it’s a bit big… but it’s a crow!”
Yuma looked around at his bird body. It certainly felt a little big. Since he had to incorporate his clothes into the Liquid Metal, there might be a limit to how small he could become.
“Alright, let’s try flying!”
“Yes! Let’s do it.”
Yuma spread his wings and tried flapping them. He struggled with the unfamiliar movements, but desperately tried to fly, driven by the desire to soar through the sky.
However, no matter how hard he tried, there was no sign of him flying.
“Haa… haa… It’s no good, President. I can’t fly at all.”
“Hmm, why? Is it because you’re not really a bird and don’t understand the feeling?”
The two continued to try, but they couldn’t fly at all.
“It’s no good…”
Yuma sat down on the ground in his crow form, dejected.
“Hmm? Wait, maybe…”
Kanzaki noticed something and tried to grab Yuma’s body and lift him up.
“Ah! Heavy. You’re incredibly heavy!”
“Eh?”
“Your weight hasn’t changed! That’s why you can’t fly.”
Come to think of it, it was obvious. Even if he had the ability to convert Mana into mass, he couldn’t convert mass into Mana. Just because he got smaller didn’t mean his weight would decrease.
“I thought I might be able to fly…”
Yuma’s shoulders slumped, and he returned to his original form. Kanzaki and Yuma tried various other things to see if there was anything else he could do, but he couldn’t transform into small animals.
Also, even if he turned into Kanzaki, he wouldn’t be able to use [Water Magic], so it seemed that only his appearance would change.
“It’s not very useful, is it?”
Yuma grumbled, and Kanzaki also groaned, “Hmm.”
“I thought it could be used for the Ibaraki expedition, but oh well.”
Kanzaki and Yuma gave up on the experiment and decided to return to the third-floor office.
Maika, who was there, said, “Hey! Where have you been?” looking displeased. The two apologized to Maika and, including Tanaka, made preparations and final confirmations for tomorrow.
“Well then, Yuma-kun, we’re meeting at seven o’clock tomorrow morning, so don’t be late!”
“Understood.”
Yuma, having been reminded by Tanaka and promising not to be late, left the company.