Perhaps intimidated by the crushing defeat dealt by the Ultra Warrior last time, things remained exceptionally peaceful for quite some time.
Days without monsters causing trouble were truly relaxing.
Occasional minor scraps could simply be left to the defense team.
Regarding this, the New Generation Heroes expressed that this was the correct way to slack off.
Katsuragi Haruki and Zett: "A world where only the two of us get hurt has been achieved."
"Nothing weird has happened lately." Asakura Riku, who had been cooped up at the base ever since returning from his mission, gave a thumbs-up.
"Isn't that wonderful? Happy~ Try the pastries I made!" Minato Asahi remained as cheerful as ever, walking into the living room carrying a plate of treats.
"Indeed, this is the ideal life... Mm (chew chew), Asahi, you've improved again, amazing! Katsumi-niisan, you should try one too."
Minato Isami spared no praise, and upholding the principle of brotherly love, picked up a piece of pastry and shoved it straight toward his older brother's mouth.
Well, if only it had actually gone into his mouth.
"Minato Isami! Don't you run!" This was Minato Katsumi, who had just been zoning out and successfully got pastry smeared all over his face by his dear younger brother.
The two brothers started playing a game of tag in the living room. Ah, how very energetic~
"Zeiss! It is Ultra great to see you!"
Moroboshi Dan, having just stepped out of the training room, deftly dodged a hugging little light-being and flicked him on the forehead.
"I haven't agreed to that yet, you one-third half-baked rookie."
Haruki skillfully fished over his personal Zett-brand little light-being and began petting him.
"Ossu! I'll do my best! Rest assured, Zeiss!" Doggy Zett's enthusiasm remained unabated.
Only, you must have learned your Earth language from Haruki, right?
Ah? You ask why Haruki is here?
Naturally, it was because things had been so peaceful lately that his captain gave him a day off. Of course, in the event of an emergency, they would still have to assemble.
Did you really think Haruki would play hookay? How could that be? He was a good boy!
As for why the aliens had been keeping such a low profile lately, they certainly had been intimidated, but not by the Ultramen.
In fact, some cloaked weirdo had recently appeared out of nowhere, specifically hunting down aliens who were up to no good and beating them up.
Good grief, it was a miserable sight—he went straight for the face.
As a result, lately, whether they were planning a robbery, spoiling for a fight, starting a ruckus, or breaking out of prison, none of the aliens dared to make a rash move.
You're robbing a place? He would beat you up and then rob you right back.
You're looking for a fight? He could fight better than you and would charge right at you swinging a wooden club.
You're breaking out of prison? He would pack you up and ship you straight back to the Management Bureau (full name: Earth Alien Organization Management Alliance, an organization dedicated to keeping these aliens in check, apprehending those who violate regulations, and maintaining certain ties with Earth authorities).
Most crucially of all, you simply couldn't catch the guy; he was as slippery as an eel.
Some bold individuals who refused to believe in such nonsense spontaneously organized to uphold the reputation of their fellow aliens (crossed out) demand justice, and declared war (unilaterally) on this person.
Word was that their numbers weren't small; they even specially hired a "tactician" and spent ages on battle deployment—fully determined to teach the guy a lesson.
Well, the idea was wonderful, but reality was cruel.
Naturally, the outcome was easy to imagine: they successfully got the whole lot of themselves wiped out.
According to those who arrived later, the scene was too gruesome to behold. Good grief, bodies were lying all over the ground—oh, and two of them were hanging from trees.
All in all, these aliens had become a lot more well-behaved lately.
Huh? Scared?
Laughable. They were here to invade Earth and fulfill their grand dream of conquest; how could they possibly be defeated by such trivial difficulties?
They were merely making a temporary tactical retreat to recuperate and build up their strength—they certainly weren't cowards.
The aliens suffered in silence, though they dared not speak of it.
...
Having just finished another job (crossed out) done another good deed, Ling Luo sought neither fame nor fortune as he returned to his villa.
You ask how he knew the other party was an alien? Why not ask the miraculous system?
"Let me take a look~ I've made quite a haul recently~"
As he upgraded his combat skills to level three, Ling Luo felt warm and fuzzy inside.
Points: -130
"Ding! Congratulations to the Host for completing the achievement: 'Don't you come over here!' Reward: 100 points."
Ooh, a pleasant surprise.
"Current Host points: 220. This month's emotional value collection target has been met. Would you like to open the lucky draw?"
"Oh, the target has already been met?" Ling Luo straightened up and said, "Then let's begin."
"Ding! Congratulations to the Host for obtaining: Power of Time (Level 1). Can pause time for one minute, and reverse time by five minutes."
!!!
Well, well, a divine skill acquired~
As if thinking of something, Ling Luo chuckled.
...
"Achoo!"
Moroboshi Dan, having just stepped outside, sneezed. Strange, it wasn't even getting colder, and logically speaking, he shouldn't be able to catch a cold. Was someone thinking of him?
Could it be... Moroboshi Dan shook his head, casting that strange thought out of his mind.
How could he possibly think of that guy?
Still, it really had been a long time since they last met.
Considering they had only met twice in total, it was actually a bit strange how much he missed him.
No, no, it was just out of curiosity—yes, curiosity.
That's right, exactly.
At the mere thought of the background check he'd asked X to run last time, Moroboshi Dan felt a slight headache coming on.
A person from China traveling here?
There didn't seem to be any problem with where he was living either; that scenery was genuinely lovely, after all.
No matter how one looked at him, he was just an ordinary person.
Moroboshi Dan gave up thinking.
Right, our Master Zero had told Ozora Daichi about this matter, wanting to see if he had any suggestions.
Incredible as it seemed, his intuition told him the guy harbored no malicious intent.
And the reply Daichi gave him was: I trust your judgment, Dan. Since you trust him, why not go see him in person and get to know him?
Even so, simply saying it was one thing; Moroboshi Dan still hadn't figured out how to go see him.
He couldn't just walk up and say: "That's right, I'm Zero, congratulations on guessing right" or "Now that you know my identity, please come with me."
There was simply no way that would work!
"Phew, thinking really isn't my strong suit." Moroboshi Dan massaged his brow.
Still, if he was going to visit someone's home, shouldn't he prepare some kind of gift?
After all, he had received a gift last time too... Touching the stud earring on his ear, Moroboshi Dan thought he would just treat it as a return gift.
No sooner said than done, Moroboshi Dan set out bright and early, full of enthusiasm, only to run into a dilemma halfway there.
Ah, gifts—what a great question.
Forget it, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
Don't even ask, he brought money today!
...
Watching Moroboshi Dan head out, Ozora Daichi's thoughts drifted back to a few days ago.
"Is this the person? The background check looks fine." Entrusted by Moroboshi Dan, Daichi had bundled up the person's information and sent it to Moroboshi Dan's communicator.
"What's wrong with him, Dan?"
Although he had already checked this young man's background beforehand—hmm? You ask why Daichi checked him?
Don't ask; asking means he had already reviewed the surveillance footage from that day and conveniently helped conceal their identities along the way.
Daichi's intuition told him something was wrong—nine parts out of ten, something was very wrong.
Upon learning that the other party knew Moroboshi Dan's identity, that feeling grew even stronger.
And so he tossed the problem back to Moroboshi Dan: since you trust the other person, go see him yourself and verify it.
Daichi: Does X know you're throwing your friend under the bus like this?
...
Meanwhile, Ling Luo had also stepped outside. He had a premonition that something was going to happen today, and it was going to be a good thing!
Sure enough, just as Ling Luo stepped out of a flower shop carrying a bouquet, he turned his head and spotted Moroboshi Dan, who looked like he was searching for something.
There was no helping it; the guy was simply too eye-catching—conspicuous enough to be spotted instantly in a crowd.
As if sensing it, Moroboshi Dan looked up and saw Ling Luo as well.
The youth's slightly long hair was tied with a dark blue hair ribbon into a small braided ponytail on the left side. A black teardrop-shaped earring hung from his right ear, and a white shirt was worn loosely over his frame, cradling a bouquet of unfamiliar blue flowers.
He was smiling. Why? Was there something worth being happy about?
Hey! Wait! He was walking over!
"Hello, are you free?" Ling Luo chuckled. "I know a really nice place; let's go sit down there."
"Huh? Oh, sure."