Despite currently not having a girlfriend, Taichi sat on the edge of the bed, feeling a bit down after Tae Takemi had left.
He felt "a bit of a shame" that his predecessor had never dated anyone. He'd hoped to inherit a girlfriend along with the body, but it turned out he was getting nothing. The bedsheets and comforter smelled of fresh sunshine, having just been laundered.
Just as Taichi was starting to feel sleepy, the sound of an incoming call jolted him awake. It was an unknown caller.
"Taichi, don't get too relaxed!" X's voice came from the phone. "It's still early; let's go for a run! Think of it as exercise!"
"X, I'm really hungry right now," Taichi reminded him weakly. "According to my memories, this body hasn't eaten anything all day. I'm waiting for dinner to replenish my energy."
"...Right, I forgot that humans need to eat to get their energy back," X's voice sounded a little troubled.
"You didn't just call me to get me to exercise, did you? Tell me, did you find something in the network?" Taichi asked.
"No... well, yes, I've found a lot... a lot of things I don't know how to explain," X's voice was filled with a hint of confusion. "The 'evil' side of humanity in this world is a bit beyond my expectation."
"I did a deep dive into the network and found that this world is a breeding ground for negative energy. Plus, the monster we just defeated was this world's first encounter with a 'monster.' It probably won't be the last. I have a very bad feeling about this."
"The Monster Outbreak Period?" Taichi uttered the term that made X so uneasy.
"...Exactly," X replied after a few seconds of silence.
"This world is probably screwed sooner or later," Taichi sighed, rubbing his chin. "This world's pre-set plot already includes the existence of a False God, and human emotions are being toyed with. If a massive burst of negative energy happens on top of that... along with other monsters that might pop up... X, how about you find a tougher host?"
Honestly, being able to transform into Ultraman was cool. But facing such a desperate future, even Taichi's hot-blooded transmigrator spirit instantly cooled down. He wasn't some saint of truth, goodness, and beauty, and he didn't believe such a saint could truly exist in this world. So he was afraid he couldn't pull off the idealist's power-up that Ultraman's often relied on.
And this world didn't have a Dr. Goruman from Planet Vanton or any other Ultraman and monster research experts, so his idea of getting a power boost from an external source was instantly shattered. Most importantly, this world had no defense force to help him fight monsters. If a monster really defeated him, the most likely outcome was that he would simply die.
Coupled with the eccentric cabinet of Japan and the U.S. troops stationed there... Taichi wasn't even sure if he and humanity would team up against the monsters, or if humanity would team up with the monsters to kill him, the Ultraman. After all, you could underestimate the morals of the Japanese cabinet, but you couldn't underestimate their sheer idiocy.
"Does 'meals included' mean you'll just buy a bento box for me?" Taichi asked his employer awkwardly, looking at the steaming teriyaki chicken bento in front of him.
"You can choose not to eat it," Tae Takemi said, glancing at Taichi as she unwrapped her own. "I can give you an 800 yen meal stipend for each meal instead."
"Oh! In that case, can I get cash for tomorrow's lunch?" Taichi asked excitedly. "I have an interview for a school janitor job tomorrow."
"Hmm? You can, but how many jobs do you plan on having?" Tae Takemi asked, looking at him with suspicion.
"With your place, two jobs should be enough," Taichi replied.
"Are you really that broke?"
"Extremely," Taichi sighed helplessly. "To be honest, my memory of the past is very blurry. I can only clearly remember what happened in the last week. My total assets are less than a thousand yen."
"So, yes, I'm quite short on cash right now."
"I see, that's a relief," Tae Takemi murmured, raising an eyebrow. "At least you won't give up and run away halfway through out of fear of the drug's side effects."
After dinner, Tae Takemi handed him a 1,000 yen bill and six 100 yen coins.
"This is for your breakfast and lunch tomorrow," Tae Takemi explained. "I have a hard time getting up early."
"Thank you, Boss!" Taichi happily took his meal stipend for the next day.
"I'll remind you again, don't break into my room," Tae Takemi warned him again before heading back to her bedroom.
In response, Taichi simply smiled slightly and went back to his own room.
No way! Only a lunatic would try to break into her room! Who knows what kind of chemicals she might have coated the doorway with! Tae Takemi was a genius who could independently develop a superhuman medicine that restores stamina. Unless he transformed into Ultraman X, Taichi would definitely not enter her room without permission.
When Tae Takemi woke up the next day, she saw that the markers she had placed the night before were undisturbed. She tilted her head slightly, looking a bit bored.
"Shouldn't nineteen-year-olds have hormones running rampant? Why is this kid so... his body doesn't seem to be ill either. Hmm, I really do need more detailed data for analysis."
"Ah-choo!" Taichi, who was already on a train heading to his second job interview, couldn't help but sneeze.
He hadn't seen a single pervert on the train. Instead, the passengers were all cautiously looking around, each one clinging to something for support, as if they were afraid the train would derail and throw them out.
Oh, right. At the beginning of the game's story, Goro Akechi's actions—incapacitating Masayoshi Shido's political rivals and related people—caused the transportation to collapse. He remembered that it wouldn't be long before the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport had to resign. However, before that, the politicians in Chiba would probably have to step down first.
He pulled out his phone and looked at the top-trending news reports about 'Chiba, monster, Ultraman.' Taichi couldn't help but frown.
A world muddled with monsters and a false god, plus all the other major villains who might still be lurking in the shadows... this world really is hopeless, isn't it?