Chapter 1: SEED – An Unexpected Transmigration
"I really want to pilot a Gundam… I want to create my own Gundam too."
Monty Hill sat alone at his computer, watching Gundam SEED.
Nearly forty, with a wife, a kid, and both parents still around, the pressures of life were crushing.
He had no time or energy for grind-heavy games; at best, he could sneak in some anime, dabble in mobile games, and read a few novels in his spare time.
(With a kid around, there's no way I can just indulge myself. I have to set an example as a parent—even if it means sacrificing my hobbies.)
Watching SEED's ending, he let out a sigh.
"Ah… my youth.
Sigh… back then, when I first saw Lacus, I thought she was so cute. I even dreamed of marrying her.
Now? Damn, she just seems calculating. Without some serious skills, there's no way you could handle her.
But then again… in a war-torn world, a teenage girl with no family—father dead, home gone—how could she survive without cunning and brains?"
"I still prefer the likes of Miriallia Haw and Murrue Ramius. One's young and considerate, the other's gentle and… well-endowed."
Monty Hill repeated the thought three times in his head.
"No, stop it. I've got a wife and kid. I can't be thinking about this kind of thing."
"No, stop it…"
"St—"
He continued to hypnotize himself.
"Sure, my wife's not the gentle type—more of a tomboy—but at least she's no raging shrew.
She's reasonable enough, and I still get two hundred a month in pocket money. Be content."
(Some might call this cowardice, but it's not—it's respect. It's from the heart, you know? From the heart.
Say the wrong thing someday, or talk in your sleep and let something slip, and you're done for.
At my age, playing it safe is the smart move.)
He kept reinforcing the thought—safety first!
"Sigh… watching this is making me sleepy. I just don't have the stamina anymore. Better take a nap. Age spares no one."
Monty Hill shut down his computer, lay on his bed, and began his middle-aged man's midday ritual—napping.
…
"Tolle, Tolle, Tolle! Get up! You're going to be late!
How long are you going to sleep? Class is about to start, and Kira's still waiting for us to go together!"
Half-asleep, Monty Hill rubbed his eyes and thought to himself:
"Mm… did I forget to turn off my computer? No way—I clearly remember shutting it down.
Still, this sound quality is amazing… high-fidelity speakers?
But my PC's audio setup isn't this good…"
He opened his eyes groggily to see a young girl standing in front of him, calling his name. His heart began to race as he took in the unfamiliar surroundings.
(Who is this girl? Where am I? And why am I here?)
Panicking, Monty Hill pinched his cheek hard. "Ouch!"
He then stared at his unfamiliar, slender, soft hands—no trace of the calluses his real hands had.
(Whoa… what the hell? Did I transmigrate? No way! I don't even fit the criteria—I'm not "three-nothing" [no house, no wife, no parents].)
(Crap… will I ever see my wife again? My parents? I'm an unfilial son now—I can't even take care of them in their old age.)
(No—this isn't the time to dwell on that. I need to handle the current situation first.
I've read enough transmigration novels to know—don't expose yourself. Never reveal you're from another world.
Is this some "Main God Space" setup or just a solo transmigration?
If I blurt it out, will I be erased?
Worst case, even if I'm not, what if my "new" parents beat me up? Or the authorities decide to dissect me?
Even if I avoid that, I could end up locked in a mental hospital for life.
And judging by the furniture here, this is still a modern world. If I can't play it off right, I won't even survive.)
Feigning weakness, Monty Hill spoke up:
"Miriallia… could you tell the teacher I'm taking the day off?
I'm not feeling well… got a bit of a headache. Maybe I'm coming down with a cold."
Miriallia looked surprised.
"Tolle, how could you catch a cold all of a sudden? You were fine yesterday. You're not just being lazy to skip school, are you?"
Putting on his best sickly look, Monty Hill even added a touch of pleading.
"Miriallia… I really feel awful. Dizzy, no strength at all.
Just one day off, please? I promise I'll go to class tomorrow. Help me out, okay?"
Miriallia brushed her hair back and pressed her forehead against his.
Monty Hill's face flushed instantly, his temperature ticking up just a fraction.
Finding his forehead indeed a little warmer than hers, she said:
"Alright, Tolle, you do seem a bit feverish.
Rest at home, then—I'm off to class.
There's food in the fridge. Remember to heat it up yourself."
She kissed his cheek and hurried out the door.
(Oh my god—this is the first time another woman's kissed me! Thrilling… though if my wife found out, she'd beat me half to death.)
(Wait… how do I even know her name? Looks like this body retained some of its original memories. That's good news.
And Kira—that's the same name as the SEED protagonist. Nice.
Alright, don't overthink it. Time to check this place out.
I need to confirm my identity and surroundings—these leftover memories might be incomplete.)
"Main God, system, cheat, status panel!" Monty Hill called out in his head for a while—no response.
Depressed, he realized he had nothing. Was this a hell-difficulty start?
A transmigration with no cheat at all—what kind of cruel joke was this? One step closer to death.
He began rummaging around for clues, eventually finding a schoolbag.
Opening the books, he saw everything was in Japanese—yet he could read it all perfectly.
On the student ID: Tolle Koenig. On the desk photo: himself, the girl from before, and another young man.
The names came back to him in a flash—Miriallia Haw, Kira Yamato.
His knees went weak, and he collapsed into the chair.
So this really was the Gundam SEED world.
He'd just finished watching the anime, and now he was in it—inside the body of a short-lived supporting character no less.
This was bad. Space warfare was dangerous—nowhere was truly safe. One wrong move and you were done for.
When Heliopolis blew up, there'd be nowhere to hide in space.
Still… at least he knew the plot. If he could make it onto the Archangel, it would be relatively safe—it was the "unsinkable ship," after all.
But then again… with him here, would the story still follow the original plot?
If he said the wrong thing, messed up events, and Kira didn't develop properly, what if he couldn't fight Athrun?
If "Tolle" didn't die when he was supposed to, Kira and Athrun wouldn't clash evenly and both self-destruct… which meant Kira would never get the Freedom Gundam, the rainbow cannon.
Without Freedom and Justice, they couldn't beat the final boss, Rau Le Creuset, or destroy GENESIS. Then they were all doomed.
Monty Hill gave a bitter laugh. "I don't want to sacrifice myself for the greater good.
But in this setup—no Main God, no cheat, no system, no status panel—if I die, I'm pretty sure that's it for me… game over."