Chapter Sixteen: Saki

A wonderful and peaceful daily life had begun!

Before long, Xie Jing’s unique Ultraman-themed toy shop had gained quite a reputation, for none other than Tiga himself had visited the store and bestowed a touch of his light upon them. Xie Jing carefully placed the glowing orb inside a glass box and set it in the most prominent spot in the shop.

He had asked Daigu for this favor, knowing that while he himself could transform into an Ultraman, in Japan, Tiga’s fame far surpassed his own. The orb served no real function—it was simply beautiful. Yet even so, countless passionate Ultraman devotees flocked to Xie Jing’s shop every day to worship it, which could only be seen as a roundabout way of increasing foot traffic.

What truly captured the attention of many film studios, however, were the various uniquely designed Ultraman figures displayed in Xie Jing’s store. One newly established studio in particular, Tsuburaya Productions, was especially enthusiastic, visiting almost daily to discuss the rights to these designs.

It wasn’t that others didn’t covet these designs as well, but upon learning that the shop owner was an active member of the Victory Team, and after some counsel from high-ranking government officials, they all abandoned such thoughts.

As for allowing Tsuburaya Productions to film based on these distinctive Ultraman designs—which included Dyna and Gaia, who would later appear after Tiga—Xie Jing simply thought it would be fun. Besides fattening his own wallet, he even took the rare initiative to apply as producer for these new Ultraman series.

Under Xie Jing’s suggestion, the filming of the classic Ultraman, Jack, and Seven was put on hold. He then wrote the script for Dyna, changing the Super Victory Team to the Science Search Party, reverting to Tsuburaya’s original concept, and adjusted the plot accordingly.

In the original show, Dyna continued the timeline from Tiga, featuring many of Tiga’s characters and even Tiga himself. But since Dyna was to be produced within Tiga’s setting, previous storylines couldn’t be used, so Xie Jing made significant changes.

Still, Dyna’s suit was designed by Xie Jing with perfect accuracy. He was curious to see how people in Japan would react when Dyna appeared after Tiga’s finale. Perhaps even Dyna himself would be astounded: “How on earth did my entire life story get filmed decades ago? How am I supposed to live up to this?”

Amused by this thought for days, Xie Jing couldn’t help but laugh whenever he imagined Dyna discovering that every monster he fought had already been recorded in the archives.

Once the script and concepts were finalized, Xie Jing washed his hands of the matter. To him, it was nothing more than a mischievous prank.

Most of the time now, Asaji Akane worked in the shop. Thanks to strict quality control, many of the figurines were one-of-a-kind, and gradually, the shop’s reputation spread throughout Japan.

While daily sales weren’t enormous, the shop still turned a modest profit, and Akane was very satisfied, her passion renewed.

Xie Jing, on the other hand, now suffered for it. Where once Akane had doted on him like a big baby, he now had to dress and feed himself each day. Those blissful days of effortless comfort were gone for good.

“Sigh, what a hard life!” Xie Jing groaned as he climbed into the rocking chair, complaining to himself.

Today, Akane had hurriedly returned to the TPC Far East Base due to a major incident in her lab, leaving Xie Jing alone to mind the store.

Ding-dong~

The door chime sounded, signaling the arrival of a customer.

“Prices are listed below each item. Please don’t touch or play with the merchandise. If you’d like to buy something, just put the money in the slot below. Thank you,” Xie Jing said, eyes closed and rocking gently, not bothering to look up.

The sales system in the shop was Xie Jing’s own design, specially submitted to the TPC—a lazy person’s dream come true!

The footsteps were light—judging by the weight, likely a girl. She wandered about, apparently not finding anything she liked among the displays.

Her steps drew closer, growing louder, and a faint fragrance reached Xie Jing’s nose. He opened his eyes instantly to find a girl standing beside him.

She had long straight black hair and a round face, dressed in a black gown, a golden flute-like ornament hanging at her neck.

“Sir, you have so many monsters here. May I ask, do you have Machina?”

Her voice was soft, tinged with melancholy, sounding rather despondent.

“Machina?” The name seemed familiar, but Xie Jing couldn’t recall which monster that was.

Seeing the girl’s unusual attire, he realized he might have stumbled into a storyline.

Still, with nothing pressing to do, he decided to play dumb.

He handed her a pen and a piece of paper, kindly pointing to the table. “Did you think of some fun monster? Draw it for me. Our merchandise is custom-made, and we also accept special orders!”

“Really?” The girl’s face lit up with joy.

She picked up the pen and bent over the table, drawing earnestly.

After about ten minutes, she handed the paper to Xie Jing, excitedly asking, “Thank you, sir! How much do I owe you?”

Taking the paper, Xie Jing saw a vividly depicted, uniquely shaped monster covered in shield-like leathery layers. The girl had even thoughtfully drawn its alternate form—a thing that looked like an egg.

The familiar monster jogged Xie Jing’s memory of the Tiga storyline.

The girl who had lived on Earth for who knows how many years, waiting for the monster to take her home.

He looked up again at the girl, and the golden pendant at her chest confirmed her identity.

He didn’t know when the monster she awaited would appear, but leaving a girl to wait alone on Earth for centuries or even millennia seemed truly cruel.

“Now for the midday news: at a construction site in Tokyo, workers have unearthed a strange round object... The Victory Team has arrived at the scene... It may be of extraterrestrial origin...”

The television mounted on the wall broadcast the news, and Xie Jing noticed the girl’s breathing quicken at once.

“I’m sorry, sir, but I have to go.” The girl bowed apologetically, then hurried toward the exit.

Xie Jing knew the story had begun.

“Hey! Wait!” Without thinking, Xie Jing grabbed her hand, surprised at her strength. He was forced to unleash his own light to restrain her.

The girl looked at him, confused and a little angry.

“Sir, what are you doing? I really have something urgent.”

“I know,” Xie Jing replied with a gentle smile. “I have a way to send you home—to your planet!”

“Ah!” The girl jumped in surprise, staring at him in confusion. “Sir, how do you know...?”

“Saki, I am this planet’s guardian. I believe you’re kind, but the people of Earth don’t know that. If you want to go home without causing trouble, do as I say.”

Smiling, Xie Jing summoned the light within him, and the phantom of an Ultraman shimmered over his form, the two images merging faintly.

“...Ultraman...” the girl murmured, falling silent for a moment. At last, she chose to trust him.

A faint smile tugged at Xie Jing’s lips.

“As I thought—she knows about Ultraman too!”