I smiled at Toomes's words and said.
"For you, this choice could make you a hero, or it could bring death. Or you could just live an ordinary life."
Here, Toomes had one more option. Becoming a villain. But I didn't mention that choice.
"What does that mean?"
"Will you just live as you are? Or will you take the challenge? Choose."
At my words, Toomes asked back with a bewildered expression.
"Am I meeting a devil right now? Do I have to give up my soul or something?"
"I don't need a soul or anything, I'm asking about your resolve. I'm involved in quite a lot of things. What I'm saying is, if you come under me, you could die."
"I don't know what you'll have me do, but I get the gist. But why me?"
"Because I know you. A person with a strong sense of responsibility at work, a caring father to his family. The downside is occasionally making reckless gambles."
Toomes frowned and said.
"Did you investigate me or something?"
"There's almost no information on Earth I don't know."
"I see. I'm reminded once again who the person in front of me is."
Having built up a certain image over time certainly made persuasion quick in these matters.
"One gamble failed this time, so how about trying one more?"
Toomes thought for a moment, drank another glass, and put the glass down hard enough to make a clunking sound.
"Alright! I'll sell my soul to you!"
"I said I don't need a soul."
I raised my hand and snapped my fingers. Then, the secretary sitting at the front table got up and made a phone call somewhere.
"Your debts are now gone. And you must have been under a lot of mental strain, so go on a trip with your family or something. Your daughter will like it."
I presented premium tickets, including a Disneyland hotel, and plane tickets from my pocket.
"Thanks."
Toomes accepted them without refusal and put them in his pocket.
"And this is my business card. After the trip ends, don't contact me right away. Rest at home for 3 days to recover from travel fatigue, then call."
"Got it."
"Now, Phineas Mason, your turn. You're called 'Tinkerer,' right?"
"Yes, I'm an absolute yes. Being able to work with my role model feels just like a dream."
Tinkerer seemed to excessively respect me, so recruiting him wasn't very difficult.
"I won't call you 'Tinkerer' anymore. And you also have some debt from buying various items."
I snapped my fingers once more, and the secretary made another call.
"Your debt is also gone. And this is a stipend, use it for the time being."
I gave a bundle of banknotes to Tinkerer.
"And you should lose some weight. Stamina is essential for work, so I'll attach a professional trainer for you."
Tinkerer's expression darkened, as if he didn't want to lose weight.
"Understood."
With the recruitment finished like that, I dropped them off at their homes and returned. Since Tinkerer lived in a neighborhood with poor security, I had people assigned to protect him.
"[Master, the Gundam model is complete.]"
"Understood. Prepare it for shipping along with the arm and shield fragments. Also contact Japan."
"[Understood.]"
Nowadays, because the drones and equipment in the lab's basement handle everything automatically, making things was quick as long as there were blueprints. I had set up a perfect automated system, so as long as materials were provided, it could make anything.
I teleported to my house in New York. Natasha had just taken a shower and was drying her hair.
"Natasha."
"What?"
"I need to deliver the Gundam model to Japan. So, how about a trip to Korea and Japan?"
"It bothers me that work is involved, but we're both busy, so no choice. Alright."
The Gundam had size, so it had to be moved to Japan via a large ship. I sent the ship off in advance and prepared for the trip with Natasha. A few secretaries and bodyguards also accompanied us. Going just by ourselves could lead to annoying situations since our faces were too well-known.
Thus, I departed for Japan on a private jet with Natasha, secretaries, and bodyguards. Inside the jet, Natasha spoke with a serious expression.
"Jin, I have something to say."
"Huh? What is it?"
"My body can't have babies."
Natasha is from the Red Room; they perform sterilization surgery after training ends, fearing pregnancy might interfere with missions.
"I know. That they perform sterilization surgery after graduating from the Red Room."
"What? You knew?"
"Yes. Didn't I say last time? I can know all information from places connected to the internet."
Natasha made an incredulous expression and said.
"Wow... I was seriously worrying about when to bring this up, not knowing you already knew. So that was pointless. Damn, I feel like the only fool here."
"It can be fixed. Let me know if you're interested."
Natasha was quite surprised by my words and asked again.
"Is that true?"
"Yes. Don't underestimate our lab's biotechnology."
Actually, I could fix it immediately with [Nothingness Change].
"What, were you already thinking about marriage?"
"No, it's not that, it's that things like this should be mentioned early so no one gets hurt later."
Natasha's face turned red, and as if to hide it, she turned her head toward the window. But contrary to her intention, turning her face toward the window with light coming in made her reddened face even more visible. It was a somewhat cute Natasha.
Since Japan was quite far, we passed time enjoying the in-flight meals and arrived at Tokyo International Airport, where a crowd had come to greet us. As I was about to disembark, a military band played music, and the Minister of Culture personally came out and placed a flower lei around my neck. Natasha also received one in the commotion.
"Welcome. Jin, welcome to Japan. This must be Black Widow. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you."
"Oh~ You speak Japanese well."
"I learned it because I have a Japanese friend."
I do have a friend named 'Sato Kazuma.'
"I see. Let's go. We've prepared a welcome reception."
"You really didn't have to go this far."
It was really burdensome. Why are they like this? Natasha was also at a loss.
"Not at all. You're donating something precious to us, so don't feel burdened and come~ let's go."
We moved under the guidance of Japan's Minister of Culture. The secretaries and bodyguards took care of the luggage. Entering the airport building, an enormous crowd waved Japanese flags and cheered loud enough to hurt the ears.
"Kyaha~! Jin-sama!!"
"Wow~! It's Black Widow!"
I had no choice but to wave back. Natasha also waved with an awkward smile. Thus, amidst numerous cheers and flash photography, we left the Japanese airport, got into the vehicle prepared by Japan, and moved to the prepared event venue. As I sat quietly in the vehicle, Natasha nudged me and said.
"Jin! Say something. This isn't the trip I imagined."
"I didn't expect this either."
"When is the ship transporting that Gundam arriving?"
"Tomorrow."
"So you're saying we can't do anything until tomorrow?"
"Ah... Surely they won't go that far."
That 'surely' was correct. We arrived at the event venue, watched a video about Gundam's history and its exploits in New York, and listened to the First Gundam's OST 'Fly! Gundam' performed by an orchestra. Finally, the event concluded with the Minister of Culture giving me a plaque of appreciation.
If it had ended there, it would have been fine, but after a luncheon with the Japanese Prime Minister and a TV appearance, we could finally go to the hotel arranged by Japan. Natasha seemed tired, as she immediately lay down on the bed without even showering and fell asleep. I had no choice but to use [Life Magic] on the sleeping Natasha so she could sleep cleanly and comfortably.
The next day, after an autograph session, we moved to the Odaiba port where the ship carrying the Gundam would arrive, listened to the Prime Minister's speech, and when the ship arrived, after a performance by the military band, the Gundam transport operation began under tight security reminiscent of a military operation.
I had to hold back several times the words 'You crazy people, stop it!' that desperately tried to rise in my throat. Natasha couldn't endure it in the end, made the excuse of not feeling well, and returned to the hotel. In the end, I alone witnessed this entire process.
Thus, the transport finished, and the Gundam model was installed in Odaiba. Since it was large, I thought it would take several days, but the park construction was already complete, and Japan had meticulously planned the transport in advance, so it finished in just one day.
Finally, the cloth covering the installed Gundam model to prevent damage during transport was removed. Thanks to reproducing it about 98% similarly to the one on the island, it gave a realistic feeling as if it had truly stopped functioning after receiving damage on the battlefield.
People couldn't take their eyes off that sight. Looking around, there were people shedding tears and sobbing.
"You did well! Gundam!"
"It's Japan's pride!"
The Japanese Prime Minister, the Minister of Culture, the Governor of Tokyo, Tomino Yoshiyuki, me, and some unknown people lined up on both sides in front of the Gundam, held a tape-cutting ceremony, and children who appeared to be elementary school students brought flower bouquets and placed them at the monument installed in front of the Gundam, taking a group photo, concluding everything.
'Wow! It's finally over.'
If I didn't have [Strong Will], I probably wouldn't have been able to endure either. Then someone approached me from behind. Turning around, it was Tomino Yoshiyuki, the father of Gundam.
"Jin, thank you for making Gundam."
"Not at all. I'm a fan too."
The two of us shook hands. Then countless camera flashes went off, hurting the eyes. After all events ended and we went to the hotel, Natasha seemed to have showered and was sleeping in bed. I also used [Life Magic] and quietly went in, falling asleep next to her. The mental fatigue was no joke.
'I should rank up [Strong Will] or something...'
Only the next day could we start a proper trip.
"Don't call me for something like this again."
"Honestly, I couldn't have imagined it either."
I took the grumbling Natasha to Asakusa Sensoji, saw the temple, rode a rickshaw, went to an Akihabara maid cafe, and even did a 'moe moe kyun' once. Seeing that, Natasha also chuckled, and her mood seemed to gradually improve.
"Now it feels more like traveling."
"Right."
Thus, after playing around busily, when evening came, we booked a hot spring hotel in the Tokyo suburbs and moved there.
"Wow~ The scenery here is killer."
The hotel was on a slightly elevated terrain, so the view was incredibly good. Each room had a private family open-air bath separately, so you could enjoy the scenery and bathe in the hot spring without having to move.
Since it was late, we first ate the dinner prepared by the hotel. As expected of an expensive hotel, the food was classy and satisfying. After enjoying the meal and resting a bit, we returned to the room to enjoy the hot spring bath.
I took off my clothes, draped a single towel, took a quick shower, and entered the open-air bath prepared in the room. After a while, Natasha also came after undressing. If she were Asian, she would have been shy and come with at least a towel, but being Western, there was no such thing.
Natasha's figure was definitely toned from exercise, so it looked elastic rather than soft like ordinary women. The muscles were not excessive but appropriately and beautifully placed. Her breasts were also quite large for a woman who exercises.
"Wow! Beautiful, aren't you?"
"Falling for me?"
There was one flaw; there was a large scar on her left side where a bullet had grazed her. Natasha, seeing my gaze on the scar, tried to talk about the incident that caused the scar.
"Ah! This is..."
"First, come into the hot spring and talk. You'll get cold just standing there."
"Okay."
Natasha slowly entered the hot spring.
"It's hot."
"That's the charm of a hot spring. Come in and sit down for a bit."
Natasha took a seat next to me and sat down.
"Ah~ The fatigue is really melting away. This feels addictive, doesn't it?"
"Right?"
As Natasha gradually got used to the hot spring's heat, she talked about the scar on her side.
"This scar, you see, is from a mission 3 years ago. The reason I got fired from SHIELD wasn't just because of the island problem; failing that mission 3 years ago also played a part."
"You were hit by the Winter Soldier."
Natasha said with a surprised face at my words.
"You knew?"
"Yes."
"Sigh... There's nothing I can hide from you. Then do you know about the Winter Soldier?"
Whether she wanted revenge or wanted to pass information to SHIELD, Natasha asked about the Winter Soldier.
"I do."
"Tell me."
"No. The timing isn't appropriate. If I talk about him, many people will die or get hurt. Don't tell anyone that I know this fact. And in a few years, you'll know even if you don't want to."
"You're just saying strange things again."
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