Ultraman Legend of the Light Chaser

Like a shower of meteors falling to earth, or like fireflies emerging from their habitat and flying in swarms.

Qi Xia felt that someone was slowly sprinkling stardust. She suddenly had a new idea for the design, but instead of immediately turning her gaze away and taking notes as she usually did, she stared intently at the follow-up of the stardust.

She saw a young man in a blue uniform, with clear and bright features. He stood there, like the first ray of light in the chilly morning.

His figure was initially somewhat illusory, resembling what people often call a "ghost," but it gradually solidified. Huali laughed and pounced on him. She didn't pass through the "ghost" and was caught in the young man's arms as he knelt down.

Samuel used to use Sakuma Jun's body to hold Karin, but now, as he personally rubbed her head, it felt completely different.

The young man's brows relaxed, and a smile just appeared on his face...

"Waaaaah! My hair!" Huali covered her messy braided hair, slipped out of his arms like an eel, and bounced back to Qixia's side: "Sister Qixia, look at my hair, it's all messed up, did the scarf fall out... you stupid 'dad'!"

The smile vanished instantly, and the young man's half-squatting body froze in place.

Jun Sakuma could now clearly distinguish the meanings of each "father" in Karin's mouth, and he chuckled, "Still too young."

……

After many days, Aiba Yu finally received the maple syrup pudding that Sakuma Jun had been promising for so long.

He wasn't in a good mood then, but he's in a good mood now—it would be even better if there weren't so many eyes watching him.

He sat at the table where Huali was painting, having brought an extra stool. Although the others seemed to be going back to their own things, they all kept glancing at him.

Karin loves sweets, and right now she's staring at the pudding box in his hand. After a while, she looks back at Sakuma Jun, her gaze quite obvious.

Burned by these stares, Aiba Yu hesitated to pick up his spoon for a long time: "...I'll go find a bowl."

"Huh?" When Huali saw him get up and go to the kitchen, she brought over a bowl and spoon, placed them in front of her, and then scooped half of the soft and tender pudding from the box for her.

"Just say what you want to eat," Aiba Yu said.

Karin glanced back at Jun Sakuma to make sure her father, who couldn't stand her eating snacks, didn't object, before she picked up the bowl with relief: "Thank you, 'Dad'!"

"Dad, why do you also like to eat sweets?"

"Because I'm not good at eating spicy food." When I'm choked by chili flakes, only something sweet feels like heaven.

The curry restaurant that Estend later took him to was a gathering place for extreme spiciness lovers. He believed Estend's nonsense and thought that "mild" was equivalent to no spiciness. As a result, every spoonful made his tongue feel like it was being burned.

As Estend chewed on his hellfire curry rice, he asked, "Why aren't you eating? Is it not to your liking? I think it's alright..."

Yu Aiba stared at his curry sauce, thinking it looked like a pile of real lava.

"Then, 'Dad,' do you have cavities?" Karin once got a tooth decayed by a worm because she ate candy. Not only did she get a lesson from Sakura Sakuma, but it also hurt a lot when she was treated. The doctor said that it had already corroded the nerve, so they used some anesthetic to fill it in—and the anesthetic really hurt!

"No."

"Ah, that's great," Karin licked her spoon and asked, "Does 'Daddy' like konpeito?" Karin thought her father hadn't agreed to buy it for her because she wasn't getting enough for herself. If "Daddy" liked it too, that would be wonderful. If they asked together, surely he would buy it for them?

Aiba Yu replied, "I've never eaten it, so I don't know."

The Hasegawa rescue team's snacks tend to be sweet and delicate confectionery, along with yogurt and potato chips. They don't buy candy much, let alone the cloying konpeito. As for "Tatsumi," he's obviously never tried it. When they want to improve their meals, they mostly buy digestive biscuits and instant noodles. He's completely unaccustomed to the spicy strips that "Gen" likes. With supplies scarce, the majority of their diet usually consists of old compressed biscuits and energy bars.

Jun Sakuma knew what Karin was thinking, but he was happy to let her keep talking.

It was his own negligence; since arriving here, Samuel had only contacted him, or he was in a daze all day.

I either sleep or stand by and look at the TLT database together, feeling like an outsider even though I live here.

“This won’t do,” Jun Sakuma thought. “I still need to spend a lot more time with everyone.”

Over there, Huali kept asking questions like a string of pearls, while Qixia pretended to be drawing, but was actually eavesdropping on the commotion.

"Does 'Dad' want to eat konpeito?"

"Marshmallows are pretty good too!"

"Wagashi is delicious, but it tastes even better with tea."

"The handmade sugar pulls are also very fragrant! And especially crispy!"

“…Thank you for the treat.” Aiba Yu finished the pudding in a few bites, then took the bowl that Karin had already ate and turned to leave. Sakuma Jun saw the meaning of “running away” in his back.

Chapter 106 Qian Shulian's "Cousin"

Aiba Yu officially met with the team, while Chiju Rei gained a "cheap cousin".

The night Rijaliasu was defeated, he was on his way back to the temporary accommodations for amusement park employees when he realized he was being followed. At first, he thought it was someone from the organization who had come looking for him. He planned to knock the guy unconscious and throw him outside to wake him up as he sneaked in, and also call the police for trespassing to annoy him.

During the fight, the person who was following him asked, "Who are you?" Then, noticing the bloodstains on his clothes, he said with concern, "Are you an Adaptor? If you're injured, don't exert yourself. Get your wound bandaged as soon as possible."

"Huh?" Sakuma Jun had almost healed Chishu Rei's injuries, and now she was only a little itchy. He carefully examined the clothes of the stalker and found that it was a member of the Night Raid Team that he had saved earlier.

Kira Sawa's colleague?

"Who are you?" he retorted. "You're not here to arrest me?"

“Komon, Komon Ikki,” the stalker gasped, struggling to breathe. “I just want to check on your health.”

Qian Shulian was infuriated by his last sentence: "Confirm what?!"

"Your fighting style against Rizali Asu makes you prone to injury. I'm afraid you'll end up like Himeya..."

The order issued by TLT only stated that it would not actively search for and capture the candidates for Ultra Warriors, but it did not say that it would let go of those who came to it willingly.

This new host's fighting style is much more reckless than Jun Himeya's. Kazuki Komon saw him narrowly escape from the flying orbs of light several times on the Chromium Chester.

The Ultra Warrior disappeared while kneeling, and he didn't seem to be in good condition, so Komon Kazuki didn't think twice. He got off the Chrome Chester and asked his teammates to drive it back, while he searched around on foot and tracked it all the way back. He was afraid that the Ultra Warrior would faint halfway and let the White-Clad Cleaner pick up the scraps.

It seems his condition isn't as bad as he thought; at least the hand gripping his neck... is quite strong.

Qian Shulian then realized that she seemed to have misunderstood something.

"You're not from North America?"

"Why did I come from North America...?"

The conversation that followed was much easier, especially for Kazuki Komon, as being forced to speak by someone's neck is not a pleasant experience.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the bloodstains on Senju Rei's clothes were almost dry. The host in front of him was far too young, only the age of a college freshman. Komon Kazuki couldn't imagine him fighting with injuries like Himeya Jun, so seeing that it was getting dark, he volunteered to buy him breakfast.

As soon as I opened the door, there was already a person standing there, carrying a plastic bag and looking very excited.

"Ren! I bought bread and cake, which do you like..." The sentence trailed off abruptly, and Ooshiro Takashi almost thought he had come to the wrong house: "Who are you?"

A familiar head popped out from behind the stranger in the blue-black uniform, a smile like a white feather lingering on the tip of his nose: "Gao Zhi brought a cake? Thank you so much! I'll give you the money for breakfast right away. As for him... he's my cousin!"

"Cousin?" Takashi Ooshiro squinted.

The guy in the blue-black uniform was clearly uncomfortable, and the two of them didn't even look alike. What were they trying to fool? Were they protecting their runaway cousin?

……

"'Dad,' why did you turn back again?" Huali stared at Samuel, who had reverted to his sleek, human form after washing the dishes.

Can I eat konpeito like this? If not, will I be able to convince my dad to buy it for me?

“I don’t feel well,” Samuel replied. So many eyes were on him…

Samuel felt more at ease in this posture, unseen by ordinary people, and went to find Jun Sakuma's hot porcelain cup again.

But this time, Jun Sakuma didn't add any more hot water, so the cup wasn't very warm. Under Samuel's puzzled gaze, he raised the porcelain cup high: "I promised to have barbecue, how are you going to eat like this?"

"I won't eat it." He noticed the chili dipping sauce that Qi Xia had made.

Seeing that Jun Sakuma and his daughter were "acting" with thin air, Nana knew that the Ultra Warrior she couldn't observe had gone invisible again. She pretended to be disappointed and said, "Hey, I specially prepared extra ingredients, just in case there wasn't enough for everyone."

“Look, it’s so boring to be alone,” Jun Sakuma said.

Samuel didn’t find it boring to be alone; if necessary, he could stay cooped up from the beginning of spring until the winter solstice at the end of the year.

“Only you can see him, and we are the ‘others’?” Runping winked at Qixia, who understood and replied, “I’m so sad, I’m going to take the blanket back… There aren’t many shops selling maple syrup pudding here, I’ve been looking for a long time, I thought it was Sakuma who was going to buy it for Karin.”

Himeya Jun coughed lightly, said nothing, and stared at Samuel with disapproving eyes.

That night.

Aiba Yuu stood frozen

He sat in the corner of the long table.

The conditions were rudimentary; the so-called "long table" was actually a makeshift table cobbled together from everyone's own. Smoke from the barbecue grill reached all the way to the roof. Bao Lu spun lamb skewers by the grass, feeling both heartbroken and joyful.

"Make sure the ventilation is good, Runping, open the windows wider!" Qixia directed while fanning herself. The charcoal fire wasn't burning very well, and smoke kept escaping, stinging the eyes. Yet, the irresistible aroma filled the entire room, making one want to open their eyes and look at its source.

"If we open it any wider, we'll get noticed." Runping said hesitantly, half-opening the window and pulling at the heavy velvet curtains. It would be funny if someone saw the haunted house brightly lit and smoking.

"..." Aiba Yu opened his palm, and a faint light flashed and disappeared. A breeze suddenly rose from the room, accurately carrying the choking smoke out the window.

Bao Lu Cao was struggling futilely by the fan switch when he suddenly felt a sense of relief. He stared at the young man in the blue uniform, paused for a moment, and then gave him a thumbs up: "If we don't get rid of this smoke soon, we won't be able to continue baking. Everyone will choke to death. Nana... you came up with a great idea!"

"You agreed to it, didn't you? And you even asked for grilled garlic eggplant! You begged me to make a bunch of weird-tasting meatballs! You ate them all by yourself!"

Karin raised her hand: "I want to bake chocolate!"

Jun Sakuma gave her a quick flick on the forehead: "Use your little brain... If you put it on there, it'll all melt. You can just bake chocolate candies and drink chocolate sauce."

"Oh, then roasted peanut brittle! Sesame brittle is fine too, I'm not picky."

“Your cavities aren’t picky at all,” Jun Sakuma said, picking up a skewer of small octopuses for her with chopsticks. “Mayonnaise? That’s already a concession. You can’t eat anything sweeter. Make sure to brush your teeth thoroughly tonight, especially the inside of your back teeth…”

"Yes, yes, you need to brush your back teeth more often, and you won't eat candy tomorrow." Huali was tired of hearing this; her father was so long-winded. It was better if her "dad" didn't nag her too much.

With everyone's attention focused on the food on the grill and no one watching her, Aiba Yu finally relaxed her tense body and quietly took a skewer of meatballs.

He didn't know what was inside, but it was closest to him and wasn't covered in chili powder, which was enough.