"The monster's foot was just about to crush me! I swear, I almost lost my life right there! Do you even know how terrifying it was at that moment?!"
As he poured tea for the neighbours gathered in his living room, Yu Xiasheng vividly recounted the harrowing experience.
"So, what happened next, Old Yu? You're still alive, huh?" one villager asked sceptically.
"Hey! How can you say that? Are you hoping he got stomped to death?" another villager scolded.
Yu Xiasheng waved his hand, eyes wide with emotion. "I'm serious! I really almost got stepped on. But right at that critical moment, a beam of light shot down from the sky—it turned into an Ultraman and blocked the monster's foot in front of me. That's how I survived!"
As he spoke, the villagers listened in awe.
Some of them hadn't even known what an Ultraman was until recently, but ever since the news reports began, they'd asked their children about it.
Now, with Ultraman Tiga being broadcast across multiple TV stations, everyone was slowly beginning to understand.
Still, what everyone found hardest to believe was that the beings they once thought were fictional characters from television had actually appeared in the real world.
Meanwhile, Yu Zhou didn't go into the living room. He preferred to avoid unnecessary attention whenever possible.
He figured that by now, everyone in the village already knew he'd brought a girlfriend home.
If anyone saw her, he'd be bombarded with endless questions.
"It might really be time to move out," Yu Zhou thought to himself.
Buying a house didn't sound like such a bad idea after all.
If he and Camearra kept living here in the village, it would be hard to act freely.
But if they moved elsewhere—they could live exactly as they pleased.
Still, what worried Yu Zhou most was the sudden wave of monster attacks appearing all over the world.
If one ever appeared in the village, his family would have absolutely no way to defend themselves.
"I'll take my parents with me," Yu Zhou decided. "We can live nearby, just to be safe."
Just as he stepped outside, he ran into his little cousin, Yu Yu.
She was only in fourth grade—still a small child—but she was bright and lively, loved by everyone in the family.
Her parents adored her, and even Yu Zhou's father and mother treated her like a little treasure.
"Brother Yu Zhou!" she shouted as she ran toward him, eyes wide. "I just saw on TV that a monster appeared!"
Yu Zhou smiled and knelt down, patting her head gently.
"So, Xiao Yu, have you watched Ultraman before?"
"Of course!" she nodded earnestly. "But the monsters in it are so scary! My brother Yu Lei said they only exist in TV shows, but now they're real…"
Her voice trembled, and her face showed both fear and confusion.
"It's okay, Xiao Yu." Yu Zhou smiled reassuringly and patted her head again.
"The monsters may be real—but Ultraman will protect us."
"Really…?" she asked, her big eyes sparkling with worry and hope.
"Really," Yu Zhou nodded seriously. "If you ever find yourself in danger, just call out Ultraman Tiga's name as loud as you can. He'll come to protect you."
"Then I'll remember that!" she said brightly, her fear melting into a smile.
"Wait here for a minute, okay?" Yu Zhou said suddenly, as if remembering something.
He quickly ran back inside the house and into his room.
Camearra was still lying on the bed, scrolling through her phone. Yu Zhou smiled sweetly at her before pulling out a small capsule from his collection.
After thinking for a moment, he retrieved some tools from his space bracelet and carefully tied the capsule with a red string, crafting it into a small protective charm.
Inside that capsule… was Dika, one of the Ultramen Yu Zhou had tamed.
"Dika," he said softly to the capsule, "from today on, you'll be Xiao Yu's Ultraman Tiga."
The capsule glowed faintly in response, as if acknowledging his words.
Yu Zhou smiled and walked back outside, handing the small charm to his cousin.
"Here, Xiao Yu. This is for you."
"What is it?" she asked curiously, studying the glowing capsule hanging from the red string.
"It's a protective charm," Yu Zhou explained. "If you ever find yourself in danger, hold it tight and shout 'Ultraman Tiga!' Then Tiga will come to protect you."
"Wow! That's amazing!" she said excitedly, clutching the charm in her small hands. "I'll treasure it forever!"
"Good girl." Yu Zhou smiled warmly, ruffling her hair again.
"But remember, you can't tell anyone about this charm, okay? If you do, it might lose its power. Not even your parents can know—it's our little secret."
"Okay, Brother Yu Zhou! I promise I won't tell anyone!" Xiao Yu said happily. "It's our secret!"
As Yu Zhou watched her skip away, he couldn't help but chuckle.
That whole exchange had felt a little like tricking a child—but at least now, he didn't have to worry so much about the village's safety.
With Dika's capsule in Xiao Yu's hands, she would be protected if any danger came.
After walking around the village for a bit and finding nothing unusual, Yu Zhou finally returned home to rest.
Before he knew it, the day passed and morning came again.
Early the next day, Yu Zhou's phone rang loudly—almost getting smashed by his irritated half-asleep punch.
Still groggy, he rubbed his eyes and looked at the screen.
It was a call from Wei Feng.
"Brother! You're okay, right?!" Wei Feng's anxious voice came through as soon as Yu Zhou picked up.
"Uh? What's wrong?" Yu Zhou asked, still half-asleep and confused.
Was something supposed to have happened to him?
"I saw you on the news this morning!" Wei Feng exclaimed. "Didn't Xia City get attacked by a monster? I swear, I saw your dad being interviewed! Behind him was your mom, you—and a beautiful girl holding your hand!"
"Oh, that." Yu Zhou chuckled. "That must've been the interview from yesterday. I guess they aired it as a news segment this morning."
He hadn't expected Wei Feng to be watching.
"I'm fine. We're all fine—no one got hurt," Yu Zhou said, reassuring him.
"Good, good. I was worried sick." Wei Feng sighed in relief—
then, after a pause, his tone changed completely. "So, uh… who was that beautiful girl holding your hand during the interview?"
Yu Zhou smirked. "That's your sister-in-law."
"What—sister-in-law?!" Wei Feng shouted. "You sneaky bastard! Since when did this happen? And you didn't tell me?!"
"Haha… a few years ago, actually," Yu Zhou said casually after thinking for a moment.
He couldn't help but laugh at how Wei Feng kept referring to Camearra as "that pretty girl."
A woman over thirty million years old—mistaken for a young lady because she looked too youthful.