Spotted, an Ultraman? (Part 3)

　　Tokyo suburbs, Jutsuya Town.

　　Two vehicles descended from the sky, retracting their flight components before stopping at the town's entrance. Elderly residents nearby gazed curiously at the cars bearing the Super GUTS emblem.

　　The doors opened and four people stepped out. Sena immediately took command: "Let's follow standard procedure. Hayata and I will investigate at the reporter's home. The rest of you gather information in the surrounding area. Use PDI for any developments."

　　The deputy captain demonstrated efficiency; though lively at headquarters, she now adopted a completely serious demeanor. Fuyugokoro and Yanagitake nodded in agreement, grabbed notepads for recording, and entered the town to conduct interviews.

　　Sena turned to Hayata: "You mentioned earlier that you located the reporter's address with your PDI. Let's go now."

　　"Alright." Hayata opened his PDI, which resembled a watch fixed to his wrist. He wore both the restraint bracelet and communication PDI simultaneously, making his wrist look somewhat crowded, though he didn't seem to mind.

　　"It's this way." Hayata pointed toward a building in the distance, with the PDI indicating their destination nearby.

　　As they walked, he asked: "Why doesn't Masaki Keigo wear a bracelet anymore?"

　　"Because he's been with Earth's Super GUTS for two years now, helping us considerably during that time. The higher-ups trust him completely."

　　"I see." Hayata nodded, his expression unchanged as they arrived at the residential building.

　　Sena asked, "Is this the place?"

　　"Third floor." Hayata closed his PDI and stretched his body. "An old man's body really can't handle much stress."

　　"Stop pretending to be old. You were fine riding in that super-fast car earlier, and now you're saying things like this? So fake!"

　　Hayata chuckled as they bantered their way to the third floor, where they knocked on the door according to the address provided by the reporter.

　　Soon, a timid-looking man peeked out. Upon seeing the two in cyan-blue uniforms, his expression immediately brightened with joy.

　　"Hello, please come in."

　　"We're from Super GUTS and would like to learn more about the 'Ultraman' you mentioned," Sena said, accepting shoe covers from the reporter and passing a pair to Hayata.

　　After putting on the shoe covers, the reporter introduced himself: Sakaigai Ashikawa, 29 years old, a real estate agent.

　　"Mr. Sakaigai, could you explain why you believe it was an 'Ultraman'?"

　　Sakaigai pondered for a moment: "It's rather unusual. I'm not sure if you're familiar with 'Ultraman'?"

　　"We haven't watched it, but we know about it."

　　"That's fine." Sakaigai nervously placed a photograph on the table. Hayata immediately recognized the familiar figure.

　　Could it really be an Ultraman? The photo had an antiquated quality—remarkable in this era of 12K video that such a vintage photograph existed. The Ultraman in the photo was silver-red, with broad chest muscles partially hidden by his bent posture, hands positioned in the classic "Spacium Ray" stance.

　　That someone in the New Frontier Universe had photographed "Ultraman" surprised Hayata. Actually, the Land of Light wouldn't find this shocking; his original Land of Light had documented numerous universes where "Ultraman" was filmed as a tokusatsu series. Most of these universes existed without invasion, enjoying peaceful lives.

　　"Look at this one too!" Sakaigai produced another photograph.

　　This one captured a nighttime street scene. The street was dim, with the photographer standing under one streetlight while photographing toward another. In the central darkness, beneath the distant streetlight, stood a silver-red figure. Despite the blurry image quality, the color scheme was clearly visible. The silver-red figure stood at the boundary between light and darkness, hunched over, approximately human-sized.

　　"What can one photograph prove? You're not suggesting everyone in town disappeared because of him, are you?"

　　"No, look carefully! Look at his feet and body—you'll see!" Sakaigai's voice trembled with fear as he directed their attention to the figure's legs.

　　Sena and Hayata exchanged glances before looking with puzzlement. The silver-red figure stood sideways, one leg hidden in darkness, the other exposed in the light. Sakaigai wanted them to examine the visible leg.

　　That leg had distinct contours, with clearly defined muscle groups from thigh to knee. The foot was bare, with pale flesh-colored instep exposed, appearing strangely eerie.

　　"I don't understand. What's wrong with him being barefoot?"

　　"There is something wrong!" Hayata stared intently at the flesh-colored foot.

　　"You say he's Ultraman, correct?"

　　"Yes, yes!" Sakaigai's expression grew increasingly terrified.

　　Hayata's brow furrowed: "Ultraman is a character from tokusatsu series, typically portrayed by actors in full-body costumes. Such suits aren't form-fitting because they need openings for viewing ports at the chest and eyes, plus circuits and buttons to control the lights."

　　"Even fan-made suits must reserve these spaces."

　　"But—" Hayata pointed at the leg, "this person's leg appears to be growing from the suit itself. We can even see the entire thigh contour through this not-so-clear photograph."

　　"Yes, yes, exactly!" Sakaigai trembled as he spoke: "How could someone wearing a full suit have visible leg contours?"

　　"Look at his upper body!"

　　Hayata and Sena looked with dawning horror, their pupils contracting.

　　"This being..." Hayata couldn't finish his sentence.

　　Sakaigai clutched his head, shaking as he said: "Why would someone supposedly wearing a costume show not a single wrinkle or fold in the suit?"