222 The Worst Possible Timing for a Dimensional Shift!

——————————————————————— 

Autumn 2014, New York

[Current Mission: Obtain an Infinity Stone / 20QP]

[Remaining QP: 35]

[Core Energy Remaining: 86%]

———————————————————————

"Hmm hmm hmm~ hmm hmm hmm~ hmm hmm~ hmm hmm hmm~"

A silver-haired girl hummed a little tune as she enjoyed her shower.

Naturally, as someone who had achieved complete financial freedom, Kagura's home was well-equipped with a luxurious bathtub for long, relaxing soaks.

In fact, she even had a small outdoor swimming facility in her courtyard, which could double as an artificial hot spring.

But given her fast-paced lifestyle and habits carried over from her previous life, she preferred the efficiency of a quick shower.

Only when she was utterly exhausted or particularly bored would she consider indulging in a proper bath.

The warm water cascaded from the showerhead, enveloping her in a gentle embrace as it streamed down her snow-white skin, leaving glistening trails on her flawless body.

Her long silver hair was shimmering under the flowing water.

Kagura tilted her head back slightly, stretching her back as her delicate legs shifted subtly.

Her hands moved smoothly across her skin, massaging away the day's fatigue with just the right amount of pressure.

A detailed description of a beautiful girl bathing? Better not go any further—otherwise, this book might not make it past the censors.

It had been six years since she arrived in this world.

As always, Kagura rarely had the luxury of stopping to reflect on her own life.

"Hmph..." She let out a long sigh. "Lately, I've been wondering am I pushing myself too hard?"

Over the years, Kagura had been through a lot:

Iron Monger Obadiah, Whiplash Ivan, the Asgardian Destroyer, the Extremis Virus and Aldrich Killian, the Battle of New York, Hydra...

Some events she got involved in willingly, some she was dragged into, and some villains came knocking on her door of their own accord.

On top of that, she had spent an incredible amount of effort preparing for future disasters yet to come.

At times, she couldn't help but wonder was this really the life she was meant to live?

Neither the global defense system nor Rhodes Island Industries had been forced upon her.

No one had demanded that she take on these responsibilities.

The only push she ever got was from the system's missions, and even then, there were no real penalties for ignoring them.

"Still, I guess I don't really need a reason to do things. Sometimes, you just do them because you want to."

A faint, wry smile tugged at her lips.

Pressing a hand to her chest, she felt the realistic texture of her synthetic body. Beneath it all, there had to be something resembling a warm, beating heart.

She had done all this because she didn't want this MCU-like world to be bound by the same tragedies she knew from before.

She wanted to change things.

To make things better.

To give heroes the happy endings they deserved.

Now, with Rhodes Island Industries fully developed and the global defense system in place, the world was undoubtedly becoming a better place under her influence.

Over the past six years:

Tony Stark, with her help, had avoided much suffering. His relationship with Pepper Potts was progressing steadily, and his life was genuinely happier.

Steve Rogers had encountered a few unexpected twists, but he had already reunited with Bucky Barnes ahead of schedule, sparing them both years of heartbreak and conflict.

Countless ordinary civilians had been saved from the horrors of war and chaos. The number of lives preserved by Rhodes Island Industries was incalculable.

Thinking about all this, Kagura's smile turned confident and content.

Her efforts had been worthwhile.

As for what lay ahead? Whether she continued down this path depended on how this now-divergent world responded to her presence.

I won't bow to fate. Not now, not ever!

If one day, this world completely veered away from its original tragic trajectory, heading toward a truly bright future—perhaps then, she could finally relax. Maybe even pursue things she personally enjoyed.

Like Tony Stark once said, given her "official" age in this world, it was probably time to...

To... think about marriage?

Wait a second.

Nope. Nope, nope, nope! Where did that come from?!

"Ahhh! What am I even thinking?!"

Shaking her head vigorously, Kagura dismissed the ridiculous thoughts.

Besides, wasn't her current life perfectly comfortable?

What was so bad about being single? Were her games not fun enough? Were her 2D waifus not plentiful enough?

Nope!

One thing was for sure—being rich was amazing!

Extending a hand, she reached for the smart shower system, enjoying the sheer convenience of modern technology.

She didn't even have to manually adjust the settings—

Wait.

A faint ripple distorted the space before her.

What... was that?

A sudden, eerie chill brushed against her skin.

"Huh?"

Was her bathroom... leaking air?

Before her, there was nothing but the pristine white walls of her shower and the state-of-the-art smart system.

Behind those walls lay another room.

Given the layout, there was absolutely no way for air to be blowing in from that direction.

What the hell?

Wiping water from her eyes, she focused on the anomaly.

Her augmented reality UI displayed no alerts, ruling out the presence of an invisible intruder.

Curiosity got the better of her, and she took a step forward.

A single, small step for Kagura—one giant leap for the multiverse.

'BZZZT—!'

Reality twisted. Space rippled. The world shifted—

When Kagura came to her senses, she found herself standing in a vast, ancient temple.

Surrounded by dark stone structures she had never seen before, she stood on a massive floating platform suspended in the empty void, with no visible support.

Distant stars shimmered faintly, their dim light barely illuminating her surroundings.

At the platform's center stood a towering black stone pillar, several meters wide. Something crimson pulsed within, sealed away in its depths.

"Oh. My. God."

Kagura's voice echoed in the eerie stillness. "Where the hell am I? Am I dreaming?"

To confirm whether this was reality or just an illusion, she decided to call out to Cortana.

"Cortana, are you there? Can you see what I'm looking at?"

"Master, I can hear your transmission, but I can't locate your coordinates. You don't appear to exist anywhere on Earth your position data is completely scrambled."

"Oh?"

Kagura frowned. "So I really have been transported somewhere else. Since I can still communicate, this place must be linked to Earth somehow. But it looks like the entrance and exit aren't the same..."

Turning around, she experimentally swiped at the air, nothing. No portal back to her bathroom.

She sighed. "Cortana, I might be gone for a while. Take care of things on Earth."

"Understood, Master. But, uh... you might want to put some clothes on first."

"...Huh?"

As Cortana spoke, droplets of water dripped from Kagura's body.

Oh. Right.

She had been in the middle of a shower when she got transported here.

This was, without a doubt—the worst possible timing for a dimensional shift!

"AHHHH!"

Frantically covering herself, she scanned the surroundings.

Thank God. This place didn't look like it had any inhabitants. But still—

Who the hell designed this cruel joke?!

"White Moon, activate!"

Luckily, she always carried her White Moon combat suit within her synthetic skin.

Otherwise, this nightmare scenario would have been a hundred times worse...