"All done, Manatsu-kun."
Inside a Tokyo police station, Ryan Vale accepted the ID card being handed to him.
The officer across the desk, Suzuki, wore a friendly smile.
Ryan glanced down at the card.
Two days had passed since the incident on Black Tide Island. Because Ryan had no background or records, the MAC team had taken him to Tokyo for questioning.
If Moroboshi Dan hadn't spoken for him, things might have gone very differently.
Ryan might have ended up in a jail cell.
Or worse, some kind of lab.
This world took alien threats seriously.
And honestly, Ryan couldn't blame them.
Still… he knew aliens existed here. Some even lived quietly among humans.
Which raised one question.
How did they get their IDs?
Ryan coughed.
Not that I'm an alien or anything.
He looked again at the card.
Manatsu Ryu. Age 17.
Ryan nodded with satisfaction.
At least he wasn't undocumented anymore.
MAC clearly had serious influence.
"Thank you, Mr. Suzuki."
Suzuki waved it off with a laugh.
"Don't mention it. Captain Dan thinks highly of you, Manatsu-kun."
Suzuki leaned forward.
"So… how about joining the MAC team?"
Ryan smiled politely.
"I think I'll pass. Maybe another time."
Join MAC?
That was basically volunteering to die.
Suzuki sighed.
"That's a shame."
As a branch of the Earth Defense Force, MAC never lacked recruits. Still, since Captain Dan had personally recommended Ryan, Suzuki figured it was worth asking.
Ryan walked slowly through the streets of Tokyo.
Cars passed.
People moved around him.
But everything felt distant.
Like he didn't belong here.
Well… that made sense.
It was 1974.
The culture, the fashion, the buildings—everything belonged to a different era.
Sure, the Ultraman universe wasn't exactly the same as real history. But it was still based on the real world.
Ryan remembered that most Ultraman shows were filmed in the late 60s and early 70s.
Back then, he hadn't even been born yet.
Watching it on TV was one thing.
Living inside that time period was another.
Ryan rubbed the back of his neck.
"Whatever. One problem at a time."
He stopped walking.
Then he pressed a hand against his stomach.
His stomach growled loudly.
Ryan froze.
He had walked out of the police station without thinking.
Now the problem hit him.
"I have no money."
Ryan stared at the street.
"Should've accepted that MAC offer…"
He sighed.
Joining MAC might get him killed eventually.
But starving in Tokyo was a very real possibility right now.
Ryan pictured tomorrow's newspaper headline.
Mysterious Teen Found Starved on Tokyo Street
He shook his head violently.
"Nope. Not happening."
There had to be a way.
Maybe… begging?
Ryan's eyes brightened for half a second.
Back in his previous life, some street beggars actually made decent money.
Then he immediately rejected the idea.
"Absolutely not."
Starving would be embarrassing.
But begging in a foreign country?
That would be a whole new level of humiliation.
Besides, who knew what Tokyo was like under the surface?
Even if the streets looked peaceful, trouble could be anywhere.
This was the 1970s.
Forget organized crime.
Even random street punks could make life miserable.
Ryan sighed.
Then something caught his attention.
A television inside a convenience store was playing the news.
"Currently, the Jonan Sports Center continues improving its facilities…"
Ryan froze.
Jonan Sports Center?
Wait a second.
Ryan's memory clicked.
Gen Ootori.
Ultraman Leo's human form.
Didn't he work there?
Ryan smiled slowly.
"Looks like I'm saved."
When in trouble, find the protagonist.
That rule worked in most stories.
Worst case, Ryan could make something up.
Southern Tokyo.
Ryan walked through the neighborhood until he spotted the sign he was looking for.
"Jonan Sports Club…"
After turning a corner, he finally saw the building.
"That's it."
Ryan tightened his fists slightly.
If Gen Ootori was here, things might work out.
When Leo first arrived on Earth, he had stayed here.
The club trained kids.
Gymnastics.
Karate.
All kinds of sports.
The building itself was fairly large.
Ryan walked up to the door.
Silence.
He knocked.
No answer.
Ryan blinked.
"Seriously?"
At the worst possible moment…
His stomach growled loudly again.
"Grrr…"
Behind him, someone giggled.
"Big sis, is that uncle sick? That sound was weird."
The child's innocent voice stabbed straight through Ryan's pride.
Ryan's soul left his body for a second.
Uncle?
He wasn't even twenty yet.
Ryan covered his face.
He had been hungry before.
But never like this.
Today his dignity had taken a full beating.
"Kids say the cruelest things…" he muttered.
"Hey. What are you doing here?"
Ryan turned.
Standing behind him was a familiar face.
Ayumi.
The same girl from Black Tide Island.
Next to her stood a gentle-looking young woman.
And a small girl, maybe seven years old, staring curiously at Ryan.
"Oh. Uh… what a coincidence," Ryan said awkwardly.
Ayumi frowned immediately.
"What coincidence? You're just standing here acting suspicious!"
She glared at him.
Then turned to the young woman beside her.
"Momoko, ignore him. Let's go inside."
Ryan froze.
Momoko?
He looked carefully at the young woman.
Round face.
Warm smile.
It matched perfectly.
Yamaguchi Momoko.
The main heroine of Ultraman Leo.
She wasn't the flashiest heroine in the Ultraman series.
But she was kind. Strong. The type who supported others quietly.
Ryan also remembered something else.
Her ending.
Not a happy one.
"Stop staring, you creep! I'll scratch your eyes out!"
Ayumi jumped in front of Momoko, waving her hands like a protective cat.
Ryan sighed.
"Did I do something to you?"
Why did this girl hate him so much?
"Y-you—!"
"Alright, Ayumi," Momoko said with a soft laugh.
For some reason, Ayumi always got extra aggressive around this guy.
"Maybe he's here to see the club president."
"Hmph. Like he has business here," Ayumi muttered, turning away. "Coward. Pervert. Weirdo…"
Ryan rubbed his temples.
Where are these nicknames even coming from?
But this wasn't the time to argue.
Survival came first.
"Um… Momoko," Ryan said quickly. "Do you know someone named Gen Ootori?"
Momoko blinked.
"Gen… Ootori?"
She shook her head.
"I don't think so."
She turned to the little girl.
"Kaori, do we have anyone named Gen here?"
The little girl shook her head.
"No, Momoko-sister."
Ryan stared.
His brain lagged for several seconds.
"…What?"
No Gen Ootori?
Then what was going on?
Black Tide Island.
Ultraman Seven.
Momoko.
Jonan Sports Club.
All the pieces matched the Ultraman Leo world.
So why was Leo missing?
Ryan slowly looked up at the sky.
Had his arrival changed something?
Or…
Was this a different version of the world?
If Leo didn't exist here…
Then humanity had a serious problem.
Because the monsters definitely did.
"Well," Momoko said gently, "if you want, I could ask the club president. I'm still new here myself."
Ryan shook his head.
"No… that's okay."
His thoughts were still spinning.
Without Leo, the future of this world looked grim.
"See?" Ayumi said. "I told you he was making excuses."
She grabbed Momoko's arm.
"Let's go."
Ryan snapped back to reality.
Humanity's future could wait.
Right now he had a more urgent crisis.
Food.
"Wait!"
Ryan stepped forward and grabbed Momoko's sleeve.
"Is the club hiring?"
"Pervert! Let go!"
Ayumi exploded instantly.