"Kidnapping a high school girl from a shelter is a crime, you scumbag," Tae Takemi finally said after a long silence. "I'm really not happy about having to report you."
If she would only put down the phone she was dialing on, her words might have seemed a little more credible.
"This is Akane Shinjo," Taichi said, ignoring her teasing and getting straight to the point. "Her home was destroyed by the monster, and the relevant agencies and insurance companies are all passing the buck. No one is willing to compensate her, so now she has nowhere to live and is even struggling to find food."
"It's nice to meet you. Please take care of me," Akane said.
"I'm not a charity, you scumbag," Takemi said, looking at Akane for a moment before turning back to Taichi. "And I don't need any more test subjects right now."
"She can stay in my room. As for food, I'll split my portion with her, and I'll cover her share of the water and electricity bills," Taichi explained. "But you're the owner of the house, so she has to have your permission to move in."
"I'll do my best not to cause you any trouble, Doctor Takemi," Akane added.
With no income and no power, she was completely helpless in this new world. She had finally found the host of Ultraman X and a place to stay by leeching off him. Akane had no intention of giving that up. Otherwise, she'd be forced to become a shrine maiden. Ugh, she'd never be able to face Rikka-chan again, so that was absolutely not an option!
"Alright, I get it," Takemi said, messing up her hair. She raised an eyebrow at Akane. "As long as you don't make any noise or get pregnant while you're here, I can look the other way."
"Naruto-san and I aren't in that kind of relationship," Akane said with a strained smile and a slightly blank look in her eyes.
"Not in that kind of relationship? Well, this is the first time I've seen this kid take on a burden like this... wait, no, it's the second time," Takemi said, pursing her lips. "The last time was that girl named Ann... you're playing with fire, you scumbag. Be careful you don't get stabbed in the stomach."
"I have someone I like," Akane said, glancing at Taichi before explaining to Takemi. "But she's also a girl, and we've lost contact because we live too far apart."
Ah, Rikka Takarada... wait, wasn't that just a friendship? Taichi cocked his head. Could it be that the reason you exiled yourself was that you were afraid you'd confess to her and get rejected, so you went back to the real world instead? The more Taichi thought about it, the more he felt it made sense.
"...Well, it's none of my business. I don't want to get involved anymore," Takemi said, snapping out of her daze and moving slightly away from Akane. "Remember to knock before you use the restroom."
Should I get a new lock? Takemi muttered to herself as she walked away.
"Naruto-san, thank you so, so much," Akane said, bowing to Taichi in gratitude. "If you hadn't vouched for me, I'd probably be sleeping in a park or under a bridge. That's really dangerous, in every sense of the word." Akane was well aware of how her face was made. After all, she was once chased like a campus idol.
"Well, it's just a transaction," Taichi said with a wink. "You'll be providing me with information on future monsters, especially their weaknesses."
External Brain: Monster Expert - Akane Shinjo.
Computational Mechanism: Ultraman Armor - Ultraman X.
Tactical Consultant: Street Knight - Mordred.
Super Pilot: Field Agent - Taichi Naruto.
As of today, these four were officially a three-person team. Akane truly believed it was a three-person team, while the other three knew the team was actually four people.
"Does this count as us excluding her?" Mordred asked, scratching her head, a little embarrassed. After all, only Taichi and X knew she existed, and Taichi had no intention of telling Akane about her.
"A three-person team with four people is a classic trope," Taichi explained from the bathroom, pretending to use the toilet. "Akane probably guessed it too. She's seen Ultraman Taiga. As long as no one says it out loud, we can all keep working together."
"Taichi, do you really think those monsters might be coming from my original universe?" X, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. He seemed to be dwelling a bit too much on Taichi's earlier speculation.
"It's hard to say. I can only say that the possibility isn't zero."
"After all, that girl, Akane Shinjo, came from the world of an Ultraman special effects show, right?" Mordred said in a gruff voice. "So the possibility of the monsters also coming over is fifty percent. By the way, is it possible that more beings like you, who have broken through the world barrier, will come?"
"Who knows," Taichi said, flicking the water off his hands and baring his teeth at his reflection in the mirror. "But I do know that I have something to do today."
He wondered what Ren Amamiya and Ryuji Sakamoto were up to. Just a moment ago, Ren had sent him a text message. The plan to "sack Kamoshida" was on. To put it simply, Morgana had been tailing Kamoshida and overheard him on the phone. Tonight, he was scheduled for an interview with a sports journalist. Ryuji's plan was to humiliate him beforehand. For instance, they'd make sure he showed up bruised and battered so the reporter could see for themselves how "popular" the "famous sports consultant" was.
Taichi decided to stop them. It wasn't that he couldn't sack Kamoshida now. It was that these two high school students were reckless and didn't realize the harm in escalating things. If they had simply given him a quiet beating, even if he knew it was the work of the few people who held a grudge against him, he wouldn't dare to speak up because of the leverage Taichi had.
But Ren and Ryuji's plan today was different.
"This is going to make Kamoshida lose face completely. And in front of a sports journalist he holds in high regard, no less."
Journalists are masters of creating a spectacle. If those two high schoolers succeeded, they'd be going straight to juvie. The worst part was that Ren and Ryuji had turned off their phones to avoid getting traced, so Taichi couldn't even contact them to warn them of the consequences. As for Ann Takamaki, Ren and Ryuji hadn't told her. They seemed to be trying to keep it from her. Taichi could hear Ann's furious roar when she hung up the phone with him, angry that Ren and Ryuji had gone behind her back to attack Kamoshida without her.