Riku received a metallic emblem—shaped like a badge—that worked like an illusion device. Once worn, anyone who looked at him would see Leito instead.
The badge had been created by RE.M., modeled after the Sturmian badge used by the alien race Sturm. When Yu Zhou saw it, he couldn't help but want one too. RE.M., being generous, handed him one without hesitation. Yu Zhou stored it in his spatial bracelet, thinking it might come in handy someday.
The next morning, Riku put on a pair of frameless glasses, dressed in Leito's usual clothes, and went to work at the company pretending to be him.
Meanwhile, the real Leito headed for Nebula Manor's underground base, ready to take over Riku's daily tasks for the day.
Inside the base, Leito wandered around, curiously inspecting the facilities. Laiya hadn't returned yet, and Yu Zhou, as usual, was never an early riser.
"This base is impressive," came Zero's voice in Leito's mind. "With Earth's current level of technology, there's no way humans could build something like this."
"Then who did?" Leito asked aloud, looking around.
"Belial," Zero replied after a moment's silence.
Yu Zhou had already told Zero that Geed was Belial's son. Even so, Zero chose to believe Yu Zhou—and to trust Geed. From what he'd seen so far, Geed truly desired to protect humanity. He didn't seem at all like his father's shadow.
Zero believed that with the right guidance, Geed would eventually find his own path—and walk it in the light.
Just then, Leito felt a faint breeze, subtle but sharp enough to alert him. He took off his glasses and his expression hardened as he turned around.
"Time to get to work at the Galaxy Supermarket," said Laiya, standing quietly behind him with a bicycle at her side.
"Work?" Zero was stunned. You're asking an Ultra Warrior to… do part-time work? Impossible!
Shaking his head, Zero surrendered control back to Leito. After all, it was Leito who had agreed to this job—not him.
Yu Zhou also arrived at the Galaxy Supermarket. Thanks to his financial support, the store manager had managed to rent a proper shop space near where the old van stall used to be. The "Galaxy Supermarket" was finally returning to its former scale—and the customer flow had picked up as well.
"Busy day, huh, Manager?" Yu Zhou greeted with a wave.
"Tell me about it!" The manager wiped sweat from his forehead and laughed. "But I don't know what's up with Riku today—his work efficiency's dropped a lot."
He pointed at Leito, who was struggling to carry a box of goods across the store.
Yu Zhou chuckled when he saw the "Leito" badge on his chest. Compared to Riku, Leito was clearly exhausted—panting, red-faced, barely managing to keep up.
Riku, after all, carried the DNA of someone who could become an Ultraman. His physical strength was far beyond that of an ordinary human. Leito, on the other hand, was just a normal office worker. Without Zero possessing him, he was no stronger than any average middle-aged man.
After a brief glance, Yu Zhou left the supermarket. He had more pressing matters to attend to—matters that required a conversation with Asakura Sui.
"Asakura-san, sorry to keep you waiting."
When Yu Zhou arrived at Asakura Sui's house, the old man was already standing at the door, as though he had known Yu Zhou was coming before he even arrived. Likely, his psychic abilities had told him so.
"No problem," Asakura said kindly. "Come in."
Ever since Moco had healed him with her restorative power, Asakura had been in much better spirits. Inside, he handed Yu Zhou a game controller, gesturing for him to join in.
Yu Zhou accepted it without argument. It had been ages since he'd played, but before becoming Tiga, gaming and reading novels had been his daily life—he was a complete homebody.
He also remembered that in the original timeline, Asakura had once invited Riku to play video games in the same way. It seemed that even in this version of events, the old man's habit hadn't changed.
Perhaps living alone had simply made him lonely, with games being his only company.
The game on the screen was a fighting game—something Yu Zhou was quite familiar with. Although he hadn't played much after becoming Tiga, he had discovered a series called Ultraman Fighting Evolution, which had kept him hooked for a while.
"Asakura-san," Yu Zhou said, keeping his eyes on the screen as he played, "I actually came today to ask about someone—Fukude Kei. Do you know where he lives, or where he might be now?"
"Don't rush, young man," Asakura replied with a grin. "Play a few rounds with this old man first. It's boring here when you're alone every day."
"…Fine." Yu Zhou nodded. He didn't believe for a second that Asakura was bored.
With his all-seeing psychic vision, the man could observe the world at will. He probably saw things—both worth seeing and not—that most people could only imagine.
After one match, Asakura set down the controller and spoke seriously.
"Fukude Kei… that man is dangerous, isn't he?"
"Yes," Yu Zhou nodded. "You can sense it too, can't you?"
"I can," Asakura sighed. "That's why I placed a barrier around this town—to protect it. Some of the recent monsters that appeared were actually created by him."
"I've learned that much too. He's a Sturmian—an alien from Planet Sturm."
"I figured as much," Asakura said. "Be careful if you plan to confront him. His power is formidable."
Yu Zhou smiled confidently. "Don't worry, old man. I'll bring Zero with me when the time comes. We're Ultramen—we don't scare easily."
"That's good. Just… be cautious," Asakura said softly.
When Yu Zhou returned to Nebula Manor, Leito had already finished his shift at the Galaxy Supermarket and was collapsed in a chair, drenched in sweat.
"I didn't think the supermarket could be that busy," Leito groaned. "I'm exhausted…"
"Feeling like your soul's been drained, huh?" Yu Zhou teased with a grin.
Suddenly, Laiya drew her sword and pointed it straight at Leito. "Training begins now."
"Training?!" Leito froze, completely bewildered.
"Hey, Laiya," Yu Zhou quickly intervened, moving the sword aside. "You can't just point a blade at someone when you say that."
Laiya paused, realizing her mistake. She often criticized others for their conduct—like when Riku once pointed chopsticks at Pega, and she immediately sliced them in half. Now, Yu Zhou's comment made her realize she wasn't exactly leading by example.
"…You're right. My apologies," Laiya said, bowing slightly to Leito. "But you still need to train. An Ultra Warrior's strength depends on physical conditioning."
"Alright, alright…" Leito sighed in defeat.
Secret Technique: Man on Top of Man!
In the original scenario, Laiya had sat on Leito's back while he did push-ups to build strength.
But this time, it was Yu Zhou sitting on Leito's back—while Leito struggled under his weight, pushing himself up and down.
"…Why does this feel so philosophical?" Yu Zhou muttered, his face twisting with mild embarrassment.
He had come here to discuss fighting Fukude Kei with Zero—so how had it turned into this?
"Zero!" Leito gasped between push-ups, drenched in sweat, "Save me!"
But Zero didn't respond. This was Leito's own body—and his own training. There would be no cheating today.