The Rubber Man Project 5: A Misunderstood Resolve
Having steeled his resolve, Kaizen didn’t hesitate. He stripped off his uniform jacket in one smooth motion. The body revealed beneath—honed through endless training and countless battlefields—was a masterpiece. Muscles like living armor, skin kissed bronze by the sun, and even the fine web of scars that traced across him like medals of honor. It was the flawless physique of a true warrior.
That idiot.
Kaizen folded the jacket neatly and set it on the chair.
…This is more embarrassing than I expected.
He lowered his head, cheeks burning, then reached for his belt without another moment’s pause.
“You don’t need to take off your pants.”
Oh no.
At Serian’s calm, indifferent remark, Kaizen’s face flared hotter than an active volcano.
I was too hasty…!
Kaizen was an elite commander from the illustrious Walter family, a military lineage of renown. From childhood he had been drilled with the same lesson until his ears nearly bled: he existed to serve the empire and elevate the family name. Born in war, he had lived only for the sword and for honor. Romance, love—those ephemeral, cloud-like emotions were luxuries he was never allowed. So of course he had zero experience with women.
…This is bad. I have no idea what to do here.
On the battlefield he was a veteran, but in this arena he was a complete beginner. Should he take the lead? Or wait for her next instruction?
Caught in confusion, Kaizen studied her face. He had already removed his top as requested, yet her expression remained completely unchanged. That utter indifference somehow made a corner of his chest ache. While he was this flustered, she looked far too composed.
…Does she have a lot of experience?
Ahem. Well, it only made sense. Someone so radiant wouldn’t have been left alone by the world.
While Kaizen tormented himself with such impious and utterly useless thoughts—
Pop!
Serian pulled the cork free and held out the glass bottle.
“Here. Drink this all in one go.”
Gulp.
Kaizen swallowed dryly. What exactly is going to happen to me after I drink this?
All kinds of wild imaginings flashed through his mind. An ancient miracle elixir… or perhaps a secret aphrodisiac. This might be a safety measure she had prepared so that a single night’s mistake wouldn’t lead to unwanted consequences. Or maybe something meant to make the night even hotter…
As expected of Lady Serian.
Kaizen was impressed. He already knew she was a meticulous strategist who controlled even the smallest variables, but to think her abilities would extend even to a moment like this…!
Right.
Whichever it was, the conclusion was the same. If it came from her, he would drink it even if it were poison.
He brought the bottle to his lips without hesitation.
Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.
Ugh. This… this is…!
“How does it feel?”
“The taste is a little… bitter.”
“Sorry? What did you say about the taste?”
“Ahem. It’s nothing. It tastes slightly bitter.”
Whew… that was close.
Kaizen desperately smoothed out his face before it could twist into a grimace. He had nearly blurted out, “Ugh, this tastes like absolute garbage!” to the goddess who had prepared it for him. In truth it wasn’t just slightly bitter. The disgusting aroma mixed with a bitter, fishy aftertaste made it utterly revolting. He never wanted to taste it again.
“Hehe, good medicine always tastes bitter, doesn’t it?”
Serian smiled lightly, seemingly satisfied by his reaction.
“Then I should prepare as well.”
“……!”
P-prepare…? In this situation there was only one thing that word could mean. He had already undressed, so the only person left was…!
What… what am I supposed to do?
To a man with zero experience with women, the mere prospect was overwhelming stimulation. Kaizen reflexively squeezed his eyes shut.
But while he wrestled with inner turmoil, Serian walked to her desk, picked up a checklist, and approached him. She placed a hand on his body.
Hmm. As expected, it really has turned to rubber.
The rubber itself was close enough to human skin tone that it wasn’t obvious at a glance. But the moment you touched it, the unique matte texture gave it away. Serian examined him more closely.
It hadn’t turned completely into rubber. The muscle tone seemed almost perfectly preserved. Poke. Poke. Prod.
As Serian continued her inspection—
“Ugh…!”
For some reason her test subject number one let out a strange noise.
“What’s wrong? Does it hurt somewhere?”
That would be a serious problem. If the soldiers all drank it and started complaining of stomach pain, the entire project would veer off in a ridiculous direction. Worried, Serian stepped even closer. Her breath and the faint sweet scent of her body brushed the tip of his nose.
The goddess is this close!
“N-no, I’m fine!”
Ahem. Of course it was fine. This body belonged to a genius alchemist. There was no way she would make a mistake with a single potion. Serian smiled in satisfaction and moved on to the next item on her list.
Now then… how far can a human body stretch?
Even for her, stretching areas with bones required caution. She still hadn’t confirmed whether bones could elongate. What if she pulled on his arm or neck and the bones inside went pop and slipped out? That would be a horror scene straight out of a nightmare.
Hmm… what to do.
Serian studied Kaizen’s body again. This man was useless. How was it possible for a person to have zero body fat? A perfect slender, muscular build with an abdomen completely devoid of softness. The man clearly lacked humanity. He probably spent all his time exercising instead of enjoying meals.
Where am I supposed to grab?
Arms were no good. The neck felt too risky. Where exactly was she supposed to pull—
Just then, something caught Serian’s eye. It was the most… prominent… outstanding part of his body.
Perfect. Let’s pull there.
Grab!
“Ugh…!”
Serian felt no hesitation whatsoever. She had lived as a noble young lady until the age of twenty, but the memories of her previous life had only recently returned. Therefore she felt absolutely no awkwardness toward the male body.
The place she had seized was none other than his well-trained pectoral muscle. When there was no fat, muscle would have to do.
Her soft, slender hand pressed against Kaizen’s chest. To a man with zero experience with women, even this was overwhelming stimulation. His mind went completely blank.
Meanwhile, after confirming that the muscle stretched ooouuut, Serian casually checked off the box on her list.
“Hehe, excellent.”
Hmph. Just as planned. Now she only needed to test electricity resistance.
“Shall we begin in earnest?”
To prepare her lightning spell, Serian removed her cumbersome uniform jacket. Kaizen, however, still had his eyes tightly shut. When he heard the sound of buttons being undone, his thoughts raced.
It’s here!
He concluded that the main event was finally beginning. The time had come. With that thought, he reached for his belt.
Shuk—!
Eyes still closed, he swiftly undid the buckle.
“Wait, wait, wait—!”
At Serian’s urgent shout he opened his eyes in surprise.
“…Lady Serian?”
“What exactly do you think you’re doing?”
“Huh…?”
What entered his blurry vision was not bare skin. Of course not. It was Serian in her white uniform shirt with sleeves rolled up, wearing a thoroughly flustered expression.
Rubber Trait: If the electricity is too strong, it burns!
“All right, take a deep breath. Could you extend your right arm like this?”
“Yes, understood!”
Kaizen stretched out his arm as if nothing had happened, but inside he wanted to crawl into a mouse hole and disappear. The shame was so intense he could barely think straight.
How dare I entertain such impious thoughts toward that pure goddess! How can I possibly wash away this sin?!
While he desperately searched for ways to atone, Serian took his hand.
…!
That soft, delicate hand slipped between his fingers, interlocking with them. His heart began to pound helplessly again.
Oh heavens, why must you give me such trials…!
He repeated the words like a mantra in his mind.
This is only an experiment. An experiment.
A noble duty to protect the empire. Yes. This was a solemn, important task that must never be tainted by personal feelings. He closed his eyes once more and clung desperately to his reason.
Of course, Serian wasn’t thinking about any of that. She was simply constructing the spell circuit in her head.
The circuit is drawn this far. Next is the output path…
While forming the circuit she made minute adjustments to the nerves at her fingertips. Each time a complex formula was completed, the flowing mana refined itself into an intricate circuit above her palm. Before long she had finished the lightning spell formation.
“I’m going to use electric magic now. If it hurts even a little, tell me immediately.”
“Yes, understood.”
After reciting the empire’s military anthem dozens of times in his head, Kaizen finally managed to regain some semblance of calm.
…Now that I think about it, this is the first time I’m seeing Lady Serian cast magic up close.
He felt a spark of anticipation. To witness the magic of the goddess he worshipped from such proximity—
When she sent mana into their joined hands—
Crackle!
Blue sparks of electricity danced at her fingertips.
No way!
Kaizen was stunned. Not because his body tingled from the lightning, but because she had cast the spell without a staff. Magic normally required concentrating mana at the tip of a staff, drawing a circuit in the air, and then injecting mana into it. Yet Serian had manifested it with her bare hands.
Magic Genius Special: Casting magic without a staff.
“Why? Did it hurt?”
“Ah, no. Not at all.”
Hmm. Then let’s raise the output.
It was finally time to test the core of Serian’s project. She gradually increased the voltage.
“If you feel any pain or strange sensations, speak up right away.”
“Yes!”
Oh, he’s holding up better than I thought.
Kaizen’s body showed not even the slightest tremor. He remained perfectly still. Well, that made sense. After all, it was rubber. (Nod.)
But as Serian drew even more mana, the joined palms began to char faintly black at the edges.
Now…!
Serian stopped the spell immediately.
As expected, her prediction had been correct.
Once the intensity rises past a certain point, it can’t endure anymore.
At the edge of her vision she saw Kaizen’s pants, burned to tatters by the lightning’s aftermath.
Oh dear.
Hmm. Exactly as I designed.
Her genius brain hadn’t failed her after all. Wow! She really was a genius! Serian wore a satisfied expression. The sense of competence that had abandoned her for a while seemed to be returning bit by bit.
She stopped the magic and draped a cloth over his lower body, which had become nearly half-naked thanks to the ruined pants.
Experiment complete! Hehehe.
The corners of her mouth rose in a tiny, almost invisible smile.
Success at last. With this, the “Rubber Potion Project” had been proven to be a flawless plan aimed at failure.
She glanced out the window. The sun was already high in the sky. It would soon be time for the meeting with the alchemy team.
All she had to do now was brew the rubber potion in front of everyone, pretend to succeed with a suitably mild lightning spell, then use the excuse of mass production to waste an enormous amount of money! And the moment it became clear that the entire thing had been pointless—
Her long, tedious life at the Armaments Bureau would finally come to an end.
Uahaha! She had returned to being a genius.
Genius Special: Everything goes according to plan.
While Serian laughed inwardly, confidence fully restored—
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Someone knocked on the door with clear urgency.
“Serian!”
The person who burst in was her adjutant, Ella. She started to speak, then froze at the sight inside the laboratory. A half-naked Lieutenant Colonel Kaizen with only a cloth covering his lower half. Oh my god, what on earth—
Ella cleared her throat and deliberately looked away. I didn’t see anything.
“C-Chief Development Officer. I have an urgent report.”
“Yes~ Senior, what is it?”
“The mimic slime. There’s a problem with the mimic slime!”