Chapter 156: My Astonished Dream

Without a moment's hesitation, Green Hair dashed to the kitchen, and soon the enticing aroma of cooking began to waft through the air. Meanwhile, Red Hair and Yellow Hair returned to the room to tinker for a while before emerging with troubled expressions.

“Boss... there's hardly any money left at home...!” Red Hair mustered his courage and handed a few crumpled coins to Ryuzaki.

Ryuzaki rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Why didn’t you say earlier that we were out of money?”

Red Hair and Yellow Hair hung their heads in shame, falling silent.

Ryuzaki rubbed his nose and said, “Enough. Starting today, all three of you are going out to find jobs! And when you’re not working, practice the fighting techniques I taught you!”

“Boss, why aren’t you going to work?” Yellow Hair asked instinctively.

Ryuzaki’s face darkened immediately. “Because I have more important things to do!”

“Oh, I see! As expected of the boss!” Yellow Hair exclaimed.

And so, under Ryuzaki’s orders, the three began their arduous search for employment.

After a hard day’s hunt, Green Hair, leveraging his skills, was lucky enough to secure a job as a kitchen assistant in a ramen shop. Red Hair and Yellow Hair, thanks to Green Hair’s connections, also found work there as waiters and dishwashers. Of course, since it was all through friendship, their wages were quite low.

“Work hard!” Ryuzaki said as dusk fell, sitting inside the ramen shop where the three were employed. He finished the last sip of soup, snatched Yellow Hair’s phone, and left with a casual remark, disappearing into the night.

Back home, Ryuzaki lounged lazily on the sofa, idly playing with Yellow Hair’s phone as he contemplated how to approach Imu and strike up a conversation after making the call.

“This is a headache...” he muttered, pressing his hand to his forehead. Figuring out how to reach Imu without raising suspicion was truly a tough problem.

He needed a reason to contact him.

“Do I have to reveal my Ultraman identity to Imu?” he wondered.

“But that might bring unnecessary trouble...”

Having learned his lesson from the incident in the second Tiga timeline with Miyazawa and Dan, Ryuzaki knew better than to expose his identity if he could avoid it.

Tossing and turning on the sofa, trying different positions, no good idea came to him.

Out of boredom, he turned on the TV.

—

“About five years ago, a group of exceptionally brilliant young people from around the world appeared...” a male news anchor with slicked-back hair reported in a rich, magnetic voice.

“Ah, they’re talking about the Alchemy Stars...” Ryuzaki put down the remote, lit a cigarette, and began watching the broadcast attentively.

“They use online communication to assist one another in research, preparing for what they predict to be the root cause of extinction... in the scientific field.”

“Root cause of extinction...” Ryuzaki exhaled smoke thoughtfully. “Seems some truths are beginning to spread through society...”

The screen shifted, showing heroic images of Gaia and Dark Tiga standing tall before monsters.

“These two giants facing the monsters have become even greater mysteries amidst these events, sparking speculation everywhere...”

“However, what we want to know is: are these two giants—the Ultramen—friends or foes of humanity?”

—

“Is that even a question?” Ryuzaki scoffed. The TV station seemed a bit foolish. Both he and Imu, as Ultramen, had saved humanity from countless crises. Of course, they were friends to mankind!

After watching for a while longer, Ryuzaki turned off the TV, stubbed out his cigarette, and dialed Imu’s number.

Suddenly, an idea struck him—one that wouldn’t require revealing his true identity.

—

Elsewhere…

“Mr. Tabata, it’s been days. Should we release this information or not?!” Renwen frowned, holding a square-shaped tape, shaking it slightly.

“I think we shouldn’t be so hasty... This alone isn’t enough to conclusively prove that man is controlling the monsters...” Reiko, dressed professionally, bit her lip lightly, speaking softly.

Clearly, rationally, she didn’t believe that the man—Ryuzaki—was innocent. But an instinct told her otherwise. That young man was innocent. Not the monster’s puppeteer.

“Whether or not the man is controlling the monsters, the fact that he can capture light orbs with superpowers means we should share this information!” Tabata rested his chin on his hand, his expression grave. “It’s our duty as journalists to let the public know the truth!”

“But is it really wise to spread such news to the masses...” Reiko voiced her concerns softly. “If it causes panic, as the video’s distributor, we’d be responsible!”

“That’s true,” Tabata agreed with a nod, then suddenly slapped his thigh. “Then we’ll entrust it to XIG!”

“XIG?” Reiko and Renwen both froze. They had only learned about XIG this morning. As a mysterious defense organization, XIG was just beginning to emerge publicly during these extraordinary times.

“Is that really alright?” Reiko still felt uneasy.

“XIG, as a defense organization, should be reliable!” Renwen concurred.

“In a few days, if nothing unusual happens, I’ll send this video to XIG!” Tabata said slowly, staring at the tape in Renwen’s hand.

—

Meanwhile, on a different front.

“Mr. Imu, as Gaia Ultraman, please believe me! I truly come at the behest of Tiga Ultraman to ask for your help!”

“This...” On the other end, Imu hesitated. But the caller addressed him by the name of Gaia Ultraman—a name not yet public, known only to himself.

“If you don’t believe me, then let’s meet and talk! How about that?” Ryuzaki said earnestly.

“All right!” Imu quickly agreed, and they set a time and place to meet.

He was taking this conversation with Ryuzaki very seriously.

—

Night in a bustling Tokyo street, alive with neon lights and indulgent revelry. A man wearing a black baseball cap, his right hand in his pocket, left arm in a heavy cast, scanned the crowd with sharp eyes, as if searching for someone.

Soon, a young man with flowing parted hair and simple attire appeared within his view.

—

“Mr. Imu!”

“Ah! It’s you!” Imu exclaimed, surprised to see the man with the cap and cast—none other than the young man who had stopped him days before, asking if he was really Imu.

“Surprised, aren’t you, Mr. Imu!” Ryuzaki grinned mischievously. “This isn’t the first time we’ve met, you know!”