[Western Crossover] A Ferryman in the Superhero World

I woke in the darkness, inheriting a name and... a ship.

My predecessor told me I had to sail this ship in search of the souls stranded in this sea of mist.

I looked at the shabby little boat before me, then out at the endless sea of mist stretching into the distance, and fell into thought.

I was the only person in this sea of mist. Before absolute loneliness could find me, I had no choice but to set sail.

But it wasn't long before I found the ship's first passenger.

He was a blond hottie with a big chest.

The man had a great figure and was exceptionally polite. He said his name was Steve, and that he was a soldier.

Steve's arrival gradually made life aboard the ship better. Under his care, my little boat became more and more elegant. Steve was great at looking after people, and took very good care of me, like a mom (?). But sometimes he was also terribly old-fashioned, insisting on completely unnecessary healthy routines, which drove me crazy.

We lived together on the ship for a long time, until we found the Eternal Gate.

Though I didn't want to let him go, I still sent him through the gate so he could continue the life he hadn't finished living.

The ship's second passenger was a little boy whose bones had all been broken, and who seemed to have taken an explosion to the face.

Poor thing. Really poor thing.

I took care of the little boy the way Steve had once taken care of me, until he recovered.

But this kid named Jason wasn't cute at all like me!

He had a nasty temper, was overly suspicious, and never said what he meant. He didn't know how to talk properly.

He made me so mad!

He said he hated his adoptive father, but whenever I joined in and bad-mouthed the man, he'd leap up and try to hit me.

Too bad he couldn't beat me. Heh.

Still, I forgave him because he could repair and upgrade the ship, and his cooking was delicious. Teaching him to win people over with virtue? Easy. Consider it done!

By the time I sent him through the Eternal Gate, I'd put on several pounds.

After that, one passenger after another came aboard my ship.

A green-eyed evil god whose neck had been snapped.

A young reporter whose heart had been pierced by a green stone.

An engineering genius who snapped his fingers at the cost of his life.

A rich guy hit by Omega Beams.

Every lost passenger had met a uniquely creative misfortune. I helped them find their way home, and in return they made my ship more and more beautiful.

Huh?

The mist over the sea has cleared?

A luxury cruise ship appeared in the Arctic polar region. No one knew when it had appeared, or how it had gotten there.

The moment it was detected, the superheroes set aside their work and rushed to the Arctic.

They wanted to see once more the person they had thought they could only meet again after dying.

Their Child of the Stars, Sirius.

Reader's Guide

1. The timeline serves the story. Characters may be out of character; if you want to complain, go ahead.

2. A lighthearted, healing slice-of-life story. It may be rather calm, and the superheroes are portrayed through plenty of stereotypes.

3. This story was inspired by the game Spiritfarer. Think of it as a crossover between the game and the superhero world.

4. This story was previously called How a Monkey Can Survive in the Superhero World, but I ran out of inspiration and probably won't write it. Sorry! I've changed the premise. If you saved the previous version because you liked that idea, please remove it from your saved list if this new theme doesn't interest you. Sorry again.

Theme: Goodbyes make way for better reunions.