[Yahallo~ Akarin here!
Sorry in advance if my translation isn't 100% perfect. You might bump into some mistakes with character names, skills, locations, or other things that totally slipped past me. I really did my absolute best so you guys can have a smooth and comfy read. I apologize if any of those slip-ups end up bothering you or breaking your immersion. I really hope the novel lives up to your expectations and doesn't disappoint. Once again, sorry for the flaws, and thank you so much for reading!]
Chapter 1: I Don't Want to Be a Hero
The summer heat baked the asphalt, sending shimmering waves of distortion rising from the highway. Lush, emerald-green mountains rolled past the windows, casting long, cooling shadows as the amber sunlight of late afternoon spilled across the road. The distinct, heavy scent of pine needles and sun-baked earth drifted through the open windows.
The Rustbucket rattled and groaned down the winding mountain pass. Inside the worn-out RV, a black-haired, blue-eyed boy rested his chin heavily against his palm, staring out the window with half-lidded, utterly bored eyes.
He looked about ten years old. His short, raven-black hair was perpetually messy, framing a youthful face that was already strikingly handsome. His eyes, a deep, piercing sapphire, held a quiet detachment that seemed far too mature for a kid his age.
But the most unusual detail wasn't his demeanor. It was the chunky, metallic device clamped securely around his left wrist, pulsing with a faint, steady blue neon glow.
This was the Another Omnitrix. A parallel universe variant—specifically, the second-generation model belonging to a darker timeline. It boasted a built-in genetic database, far superior to the glitchy first-generation prototype and its recalibrated versions, and lacked the annoying time-out limitations.
Klein Azeroth was, by all accounts, an ordinary transmigrator.
One night, right before he was supposed to pack for his freshman year of college, he had closed his eyes to sleep. When he opened them, he was lying face-down on a dirt road in the middle of absolute nowhere. To make matters worse, his body had shrunk. He wasn't quite a toddler, but he had regressed to roughly nine years old.
None of that really mattered in the grand scheme of things. What truly mattered was the moment Klein had looked down at his left wrist. The sheer surge of adrenaline had been impossible to suppress. Ignoring the oversized adult clothes pooling around his ankles, he had tapped the sleek watch face. A holographic blue ring had instantly popped up, illuminating his face in the dark.
'Damn, it's the real deal!'
Using the Another Omnitrix, Klein had managed to survive on his own for a while. A kid wandering around with alien tech eventually caught the attention of the right people. Specifically, one Max Tennyson. Recognizing the boy's young age and the dangerous device on his wrist, the retired Plumber had officially taken him in.
A full year had passed since that day. Because his physical age was slightly older than the Tennyson twins, Klein had essentially gained a younger cousin and a younger cousin-in-law—well, just two younger cousins.
Sitting across from him at the small dining table was an orange-haired, green-eyed girl. Gwendolyn Tennyson, better known as Gwen. She sat with perfect posture, her hands folded neatly in her lap. She was undeniably smart and painfully polite, though the faint, rosy blush dusting her cheeks whenever she looked his way left Klein feeling a deep sense of exhaustion.
'Are kids these days really this precocious? She's only ten.' Klein sighed internally, shifting his gaze back to the passing trees.
They were currently on their way to pick up the final passenger for their summer road trip: Benjamin Kirby Tennyson.
The Rustbucket slowed to a halt outside a local school. Klein's sapphire eyes narrowed slightly, and the corner of his mouth twitched in dry amusement. Gwen followed his line of sight out the window.
"Dweeb, that is so embarrassing!" she called out, shaking her head.
Hanging from the thick branch of a large oak tree were two boys. They were suspended entirely by the waistbands of their underwear. One of them was Ben Tennyson.
"Ben, we're heading out," Grandpa Max called out cheerfully from the driver's seat, completely unfazed by the sight.
"Uh, Grandpa! Could you give me a hand?" Ben groaned, kicking his legs in the air.
Max chuckled and stepped out to retrieve his grandson. Ben and the other unnamed bully were unceremoniously dropped to the grass. Ben quickly scrambled into the Rustbucket, while the other kid sprinted off into the distance, entirely forgotten by the narrative.
"I was so looking forward to vacationing with you..." Ben started, a massive grin on his face as he looked at Max, before his eyes landed on the table. The grin vanished instantly. "You! What are you doing here?! Grandpa, why is she here?!"
His mood crashed faster than a lead balloon.
"Please! Dweeb! Don't flatter yourself," Gwen shot back, crossing her arms defensively. "I was forced into this too! Someone convinced my mom that going on a trip with him would be a great summer experience."
She had fought tooth and nail against this trip initially. But when she realized her cool, handsome Cousin Klein was coming along, she had completely changed her tune. She had envisioned a perfect, peaceful summer reading books and hanging out with Klein. Now, the annoying Dweeb had ruined everything.
"Grandpa, it couldn't be you..." Ben whined, before spotting the black-haired boy by the window. His eyes lit up again. "Cousin! You're here too! Okay, even if I have to spend it with this big nerdy Dork, this summer isn't so bad after all."
Klein offered a lazy, two-finger salute from his spot by the window. He had known the two of them for a year now and had built a solid rapport. Ben treated him like the ultimate cool older brother, while Gwen's dynamic was a bit too admiring for his comfort, leaving him feeling slightly helpless.
"Hey! I've already made my summer plans!" Gwen snapped, pulling out a thick binder and slamming it onto the table. "I even color-coded it to prevent doing the same thing two days in a row. Even though I won't use it, I'm happy to travel with Cousin, but I don't want to travel with Dweeb—especially for three months!"
"I just thought spending summer vacation with you guys would be fun. Is there something wrong with that?" Max sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as the two ten-year-olds glared daggers at each other. "I have a feeling this summer is going to be very, very long."
The Rustbucket rumbled back to life, pulling onto the highway and leaving civilization behind.
Night fell over the campsite. The woods were thick, casting long, eerie shadows under the pale moonlight. A small campfire crackled and popped, throwing orange sparks into the cool air. Klein, Ben, and Gwen sat in foldable camping chairs arranged in a semi-circle outside the RV.
"Dinner's ready!" Max announced, stepping out of the Rustbucket with a massive, steaming bowl in his hands.
Ben leaned forward, his stomach growling. Then he looked inside the bowl. His jaw dropped.
"Grandpa! What is this?!" Ben scrambled backward, his chair nearly tipping over.
A pile of thick, segmented insects writhed and squirmed over each other in the bowl.
"Fresh, live mealworms," Max said proudly, setting the bowl on the picnic table. "In some countries, they're considered a rare delicacy!"
"Ugh, I think that's beyond disgusting!" Gwen gagged, her face draining of color as she clamped a hand over her mouth.
"If you don't like those, there's smoked sheep's tongue in the fridge," Max offered helpfully.
"Grandpa, isn't there any normal food? Like burgers or something?" Ben pleaded, desperation leaking into his voice.
"Don't be silly. This summer is going to be a culinary adventure for your taste buds. I'll go get the sheep's tongue from the fridge." Max turned and marched happily back into the RV.
The moment the door clicked shut, Ben leaned in close to the others.
"Alright, I've got half-eaten corn chips and a chocolate bar in my backpack. What do you guys have?" he whispered, plotting their survival.
"A few rice crackers and some fruit candy," Gwen replied quietly, still eyeing the bowl with pure revulsion.
"Nothing." Klein reached forward, his expression completely blank. He pinched a fat, wriggling mealworm between his thumb and forefinger, lifted it up, and tossed it into his mouth.
Crunch.
Having lived on his own before Max found him, and having endured Max's cooking for an entire year, Klein had long since abandoned his earthly attachments to flavor. If he couldn't stomach this stuff, he would have starved to death months ago.
"Eww... so gross. Cousin, how can you eat that?" Ben clutched his stomach, his face turning a distinct shade of green.
"Cousin, are you okay eating that? Is it edible? Do you feel sick?" Gwen leaned closer, her eyes wide with genuine concern, completely ignoring Ben's dramatic gagging.
"I'm used to it. Thanks, Gwen." Klein swallowed, his face betraying absolutely zero emotion. He reached out and calmly picked up another one.
"You guys eat first, I'm going for a walk." Ben clamped a hand over his mouth, looking like he was seconds away from losing his lunch. He spun around and stumbled blindly into the dark depths of the forest.
"Okay, stay safe," Klein called out after him, his tone flat and unbothered.
He watched Ben's retreating back until the boy disappeared into the tree line. A faint, knowing smirk tugged at the corner of Klein's mouth. It had been a long time since he had watched the original cartoon in his past life, but the core events were permanently burned into his memory.
The forest. The meteor. The watch.
Klein was fully supportive of Ben finding the original Omnitrix tonight. After all, Klein possessed zero desire to play the hero. He didn't consider himself a particularly righteous person, and the idea of running around saving people sounded like an exhausting amount of unpaid labor.
Since Grandpa Max already knew about his blue Another Omnitrix, the old man would inevitably expect him to step up when trouble arrived. But if Ben got the green Omnitrix? Perfect. Ben could be the big, flashy hero, soaking up all the attention and the alien beatdowns.
Meanwhile, Klein could sit back, eat his snacks, and enjoy the show.
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