Chapter 10: Freeze! Hands Up!

The method of obtaining peak points remains a mystery to this day. After all, Yuki has only acquired two peak points, so there aren’t many cases to reference. At least for now, Yuki can confirm that both points were gained during interactions with others. No battles, no kills—just conversations, perhaps triggering certain conditions that granted him a peak point.

Maybe he could try to imitate the process, seek out various people for chats, and perhaps meet the requirements. This time, he was determined to remember the text following the +1 notification!

Yuki had a hunch: if he could decipher the meaning behind this string of text, the secret of peak points would be unraveled.

In the evenings, Yuki would go for night runs at the port near his home. The coastline there stretches about three kilometers and is a favored spot for local residents to stroll after dinner, for couples to meet, and for night runners. Three years ago, the city renovated the area, laying down a rubber track and installing plenty of benches along both sides. Since then, even more people came to walk, and the port became lively every night.

Coincidentally, the video broadcast by Officer Sakura this morning was shot from an angle that allowed Yuki to recognize the port near his home—the very place he passed by every night during his runs.

Strapping on his pedometer, Yuki stepped out into the night and joined the crowd of runners, jogging along and pondering in his mind—

Come to think of it, “before,” it was thanks to Taiga… No, to be precise, it was Torekia who “handled” Little Dot. Now that Taiga is gone, will Torekia still show up?

No, before that, there’s another issue. The Foreign Affairs Unidentified Division, represented by Officer Sakura, has only commissioned Aegis to investigate those three suspicious individuals. What about the monster lurking beneath the sea? How do they plan to deal with it?

Or rather, what was their “original” plan?

Perhaps they could capture humanoid aliens for research, but what about that raging Little Dot towering over sixty meters? How could they respond to that?

There’s no depiction of a defense force in Taiga Ultraman… At most, only brief mentions of dealing with aliens.

But to this extent, even enthusiastic citizens could handle it, right? One wonders what this Foreign Affairs Unidentified Division is actually for—probably just tax thieves.

As he ran, suddenly, a sound appeared directly in the depths of his mind.

“Eee, eee.”

Yuki paused, slowing his pace. Soon, the sound came again.

“Eee, eee.”

Now Yuki was certain—the sound was coming from inside his head, not from any direction. Watching the other runners pass him by, it seemed none of them heard it.

So Yuki continued jogging, gradually moving closer to the shore.

On the water’s surface, a V-shaped ripple appeared, clearly caused by something large swimming beneath. When Yuki slowed his pace, the V-shaped ripple also slowed, keeping beside him.

Was it Little Dot?

“Eee, eee.”

Yuki couldn’t understand the meaning behind the sound, but he knew if he stopped to look at the water, curious runners would quickly gather. So he kept running.

At the end of the three-kilometer track, many runners turned back, but Yuki pressed on.

Further ahead was a marina belonging to a yacht club, now closed for the night, with only a few streetlights still on. The guard post was three hundred meters ahead, and the club’s shoreline was separated from the road by only low shrubs.

This level of security was no barrier for those with ill intentions.

Yuki checked the surroundings—no cameras nearby. He’d have to go deeper in to enter the surveillance zone. So, with a stride, he slipped inside, walked to the water’s edge, and crouched down.

The V-shaped ripple slowly approached.

“Little Dot?”

Yuki reached out toward the water. At that moment, something emerged at a snail’s pace—a round, pitted head, pressing against Yuki’s palm.

“Little Dot, is that you?”

“Eee, eee.”

He couldn’t understand, but from what “Yuki” knew of the storyline, he guessed the true identity of this big-headed creature—a monster weapon modified by aliens, with a control chip implanted in its brain.

And it hadn’t grown huge yet. Judging by the size of its head, it was about as big as an adult elephant.

“Little Dot, swim out to sea, farther from the shore.”

“Eee, eee.”

“The control chip in your head has a range limit.”

After all, aliens couldn’t relay signals via satellites. Physical constraints on wireless remote controls meant the effective range wouldn’t exceed a kilometer.

“Eee, eee.” The sound was full of grievance.

Yuki sighed, guessing what Little Dot was complaining about.

There’s no food in the sea, but there is on the shore, so it’s reluctant to go where there’s nothing to eat.

Is that why those people released Little Dot here, unafraid it would escape? Because the club’s warehouse, rented by a food company, stored vast amounts of cocoa beans—Little Dot’s favorite food…

What should he do?

Feeling the massive creature’s forehead nuzzling his palm, Yuki was moved and worried. Worry outweighed sentiment, for he’d long known he would reunite with Little Dot, so the surprise was gone. Yet he had no clue how to handle the situation.

He didn’t want Little Dot to be exploited by villains, nor killed, and least of all did he want it to cause harm to people…

Perhaps he was too greedy?

He wanted to protect everything, but lacked the strength, and might end up unable to protect anything…

At this thought, Yuki’s mood sank.

Suddenly, his scalp prickled with alarm, and a strong sense of danger struck him, making him jump up in fright.

Footsteps resounded from all directions, converging to surround him. The clatter of metal echoed, and as Yuki turned, he found himself facing dozens of gun barrels, all aimed at him.

“Don’t move! Hands up!”

Yuki stood frozen. Behind him came a rush of water—Little Dot, startled, dove into the depths and vanished in an instant. After all, as a sea beast, the ocean was its domain.

Perhaps… now was the time to raise his hands?

Yet Yuki was so shocked by the sudden arrival of these fully armed officers that his mind went blank. He stood there, bewildered and lost.