Chapter Forty: Returned

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Knowing there were only ten days left, Xie Jing could no longer sit still.

The next day, he hurriedly bid farewell to the Father of Ultra, firmly refusing the latter’s earnest attempt to keep him, and insisted on leaving the Land of Light.

Although there were many sights he had not yet seen, and he had not yet experienced the wonders of the universe, there was only one thought in Xie Jing’s heart now: to hurry back to Earth and spend time with Akane Kamitani.

Nothing was more important than that.

After so many days together, Xie Jing had already regarded Akane Kamitani as his real girlfriend, a beloved companion.

The system still hadn’t responded to whether he could take Akane Kamitani with him, so Xie Jing didn’t know if this farewell would be forever.

Passing through a tunnel of time and space, Xie Jing saw, from afar, a blue planet floating in the vastness of the universe.

“I’m back!”

Taking a long, deep breath, Xie Jing gazed at humanity’s only home, the cradle of life, and felt a surge of excitement in his heart.

The mission to eradicate Autopes had proved far more perilous than Xie Jing had imagined. He had thought he could just follow the King of Ultra and play a supporting role, but unexpectedly, he had ended up being a hero himself.

There were many benefits as well. Xie Jing could feel the changes in his body—the Light of Restoration shared by the King of Ultra was unimaginably powerful. Combined with the system’s rewards, even though he still didn’t know what he might win in the lottery, the one-time Universal Compass from the starter pack was enough to suggest there would be many good things.

His figure descended swiftly toward Earth. At the same time, all the major satellites and the floating Delta Space Battleships detected Xie Jing’s presence, and alarms began to sound everywhere.

“It’s Fujii! He’s back!” In the Victory Team’s operations room, seeing the familiar giant, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

More than a month had passed since Xie Jing had openly transformed and flown into space, with no news of him since. Humanity had lost its sense of security; even Daigu was anxious, worrying that something earth-shattering had happened.

Now that Xie Jing had returned, it proved that the crisis had been resolved, and everyone could finally relax.

With a flash of light in the sky, Xie Jing transformed into human form and landed in a deserted corner.

He then boarded a train and headed home.

Turning on his communicator, it immediately beeped non-stop. Most of the messages were from Akane Kamitani, with a few from Victory Team members inquiring about him.

Scrolling through them, he could sense Akane Kamitani’s anxiety—from her initial panic, asking where he was going, to reminding him to take care of himself, and finally to her daily recounting of mundane little things. Her love for Xie Jing was evident in every word.

“I’m back!” Xie Jing typed on the communicator, sending the message to Akane Kamitani.

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Within five seconds, the communicator rang, and Akane Kamitani’s tearful voice came through.

“All right, all right, don’t cry,” Xie Jing said with a gentle smile, comforting her.

On the other end, Akane Kamitani sobbed, and finally choked out, “I... I’ll be waiting for you at home!”

“Silly girl…”

Xie Jing sighed, but as soon as the train stopped, his steps unconsciously quickened.

By the end, he was almost running as he opened the door to his apartment.

Before he could collect himself, a soft, petite figure crashed into his arms, sobbing.

Right there at the doorway, Xie Jing stroked Akane Kamitani’s hair and sat down on the floor, holding her gently.

“Don’t cry, you’re not as pretty when you cry.”

Lifting her chin ever so slightly, Xie Jing saw a small, haggard face, devoid of makeup, her large, tear-filled eyes rimmed with faint dark circles.

Xie Jing gently wiped away her tears, and a faint restorative light glimmered, erasing the pimples and dark circles, revealing once more a flawless, delicate face.

“I’m sorry, my love, for making you worry!”

Akane Kamitani didn’t speak, only stared dazedly at Xie Jing, then slowly lifted her head and sought out his lips.

The two quickly became lost in a long, passionate kiss, more intense than ever before. Akane Kamitani was fiercer and more eager, pouring all her feelings into it, leaving Xie Jing barely able to keep up.

Ten minutes later, Akane Kamitani, her face flushed, finally released her tight embrace, slapped away the mischievous hand that had slipped under her clothes, and the melancholy on her face dissolved completely, leaving only sweetness.

She had wanted to ask Xie Jing so many things: where he had gone, why he’d been away for so long. But when he appeared before her, Akane Kamitani felt none of those questions mattered anymore.

All she wanted was to hold him tightly and welcome him home.

Their entwining did not stop there; even after dinner, Akane Kamitani remained wrapped in Xie Jing’s arms, receiving the occasional kiss.

Between life and death, Xie Jing had thought of many things. For all the feelings this girl had invested in him, he wanted only to hold her tight.

After dinner, Akane Kamitani finally broke free from Xie Jing’s embrace, intending to freshen herself up.

Every girl wants to show her most beautiful side to the one she loves most.

“Oh! The pimples on my face are gone!” Akane Kamitani looked in the mirror, touching her cheeks.

She remembered how she had lost her appetite and sleep after Xie Jing left, resulting in two little pimples. But now they were gone.

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Was this the power of love?

Akane Kamitani felt a little confused.

“Stop looking—it was me who got rid of them for you!” Xie Jing came over and caressed her cheek.

“Watch,” he said, extending a hand glowing with light, and pressed it to her shoulder as Akane Kamitani looked on in astonishment.

She felt a warm power flow from Xie Jing’s palm, spreading instantly from her shoulder throughout her body.

It was as if she’d been submerged in a perfectly heated hot spring—gentle waves of warmth soothing away all the damage the past days had done to her, wave after wave, wonderfully comfortable.

But compared to this magical sensation, Akane Kamitani stared wide-eyed at Xie Jing.

“You… how…”

“Silly girl!” Xie Jing affectionately tousled her hair, finally revealing the secret he’d long wanted to share.

“I told you before that I had to go save the Earth, didn’t I? Because I’m Ultraman!”

“You—you—you… you’re Ultraman?!!!”

Akane Kamitani stepped back three paces, her face full of disbelief.

“You could become Ultraman?”

Xie Jing, who had been so happy, suddenly pouted, glaring at her.

“Akane Kamitani! You don’t even believe your own husband?! Why can’t I be Ultraman?”

“Hmph, I just don’t believe it. If Ultraman were as lazy as you, Earth would’ve been doomed ages ago!” Akane Kamitani turned away in mock indignation.

“Looks like I’ll have to teach you a lesson today—let you see the power of Ultraman for yourself!” Xie Jing said with a mischievous laugh, lunging at her.

...

What a beautiful night!