Chapter 288: Ultra Guard (Patreon)

Ampere flipped to the next page of the document and reported the known intelligence to the group: "At 20:15 last night, a powerful burst of energy light appeared in the direction of Tsunekiyoshi Jingu. At 20:16, Ultraseven rose into the sky above the shrine, flying northwest at a maximum speed of Mach 2. The aerial warning system captured a clear image of the Giant of Light. At 20:21, the giant arrived above Ebisugaoka in Nagano Prefecture. Almost simultaneously, violent geological tremors were detected in the Ebisugaoka area, registering 4.2 on the Richter scale, with widespread ground fissures. At 20:40, all tremors and energy readings stopped completely."

"Confirmed reports have come back from Ebisugaoka. Ultraseven fought a fierce battle there against a giant serpentine monster over a hundred meters long and at least five meters thick, one capable of self-regeneration and venting poison gas, and ultimately destroyed it completely. Local residents call this monster the Water Dragon."

"The Water Dragon?"

Matsudaira frowned, a look of confusion crossing his face.

Ampere immediately explained: "According to an old local legend, the Water Dragon is one of the heads of Yamata no Orochi, slain by Susanoo, that fell at Ebisugaoka and transformed into a demon. For centuries, the fox spirit worshipped by the Tsuneki family kept it suppressed. This time, it seems that with the Tsuneki family wiped out by Tomie, the fox spirit's suppressive power dissipated entirely, allowing the Water Dragon to awaken and triggering this battle."

As these words settled, understanding dawned on the faces of everyone in the conference room.

"So that means Kawakami Tomie was able to go on her killing spree at Tsunekiyoshi Jingu because she first destroyed the Tsuneki family's seal, forcing Ultraseven to go suppress the awakened Water Dragon and leaving her with no strength left to deal with her."

Someone spoke up quietly, resolving the doubt in everyone's mind.

So that was it. No wonder Kawakami Tomie had dared to massacre so recklessly at Tsunekiyoshi Jingu even with Ultraseven present — she had used a scheme to lure the tiger from the mountain.

"Ultraseven's human host — her identity has been confirmed."

As Ampere's words fell, the conference room fell briefly silent.

Then, like a splash of water hitting boiling oil, the entire room erupted.

"A human host? You mean that Ultraman has a human identity?"

Aso sat bolt upright, asking in disbelief.

"How is that possible? Isn't that a fictional character from a tokusatsu show? How could it have a real human identity?"

"Ampere, are you certain this intelligence is accurate?"

"Isn't an Ultraman's human identity supposed to be the most closely guarded secret? How could it be uncovered so easily?"

"That's right, normally an Ultraman's human identity isn't revealed until the final episode."

"This isn't something to joke about."

"Could there be some mistake?"

...

The room filled with skepticism — some shook their heads in disbelief, others murmured among themselves.

It seemed too easy, too simple. Ultraseven had only appeared twice, and already her human identity had been uncovered? It felt absurd.

"The source is reliable."

Ampere wasn't rattled by the skepticism. He simply turned another page of the document in his hand and pushed it to the center of the table.

"Based on all the intelligence we currently have, Hinako Shimizu is twenty years old, from Ebisugaoka in Nagano Prefecture, and the childhood friend of Tsuneki Hisayuki, young master of the Tsuneki family. A month ago she came to Tokyo with her parents to discuss marriage arrangements with Tsuneki Hisayuki. Last night at eight in the evening, at the wedding ceremony held at Tsunekiyoshi Jingu, she transformed into Ultraseven in front of all the guests."

"A month ago..."

Aso frowned, repeating the timeframe under his breath.

"Ultraseven first appeared in Nerima Ward two days ago — the timeline lines up perfectly. Though that's not particularly important; an Ultraman's speed is more than enough to reach anywhere in the solar system in a short time."

Ampere added calmly.

"So Ultraseven's human host was the Tsuneki family's future daughter-in-law? The very family that's now been wiped out?"

someone asked, wearing an odd expression.

"To be precise, former future daughter-in-law," Ampere corrected. "According to eyewitness testimony, midway through the wedding, Hinako Shimizu suddenly called off the marriage in front of everyone, transformed into Ultraseven, and left the venue."

"She exposed her identity that easily? In the Ultraman series, there's never been a case of the identity going public after just the second transformation."

Takatsukasa clicked his tongue in amazement. Transforming into Ultraseven in front of everyone at her own wedding — surely she could have found some excuse to slip away somewhere private first?

"Tokusatsu shows are tokusatsu shows, and reality is reality. We can't assume that an Ultraman in real life has to follow the same rules as one on television," Tokugawa finally spoke again, his deep voice cutting through the murmurs. "What we need to discuss now is how to deal with this... Ultraseven."

He paused, his sharp gaze sweeping over everyone present. "She wields power far beyond ordinary human comprehension, and judging by today's events, she has no reluctance whatsoever about using it. She called off the Tsuneki wedding without hesitation and simply walked away, and when the Water Dragon appeared, she went to fight it without a moment's pause. If we cannot properly manage a being like this, it may not necessarily be good fortune for us."

"What Lord Tokugawa means is..."

Yoshida ventured cautiously.

"We win her over. There is no second option but to win her over."

Tokugawa said crisply.

On only her second transformation, she had abandoned her marriage and her family to go fight at Ebisugaoka. Hinako Shimizu was no naive girl — she was a capable warrior who understood what it meant to make sacrifices and choices.

Dealing with someone like her required persuasion, not coercion.

The middle-aged woman surnamed Konoe nodded in agreement. "Hinako Shimizu is just an ordinary girl from the countryside, with little social experience and even less political sophistication. That kind of person is precisely the easiest to reason with. If we appeal to her with logic and emotion, and make her understand where she should stand, she'll naturally come over to our side."

Ampere nodded slightly in agreement. "Konoe-san makes a valid point. Hinako Shimizu is from Ebisugaoka, her parents are still alive, and she has many friends and relatives there — these are all points of leverage we can work with."

"Indeed." The Kujo family's representative immediately picked up the thread. "We can offer her any concrete benefit — improving her parents' living conditions, funding the disaster recovery efforts in Ebisugaoka, providing her with any resource she might need. However supreme her power as an Ultraman, her human host is still human. And being human means having needs. Where there are needs, there's room for cooperation."

Tokugawa nodded slightly, his tone brooking no argument. "Arrange this immediately. First, send someone to make contact with her parents. At the same time, send people to Ebisugaoka to assist with disaster recovery, and while we're at it, investigate all of Hinako Shimizu's social connections to see if there's anyone we can leverage. Also keep her under moderate surveillance. Once everything is prepared, we'll approach her directly."

"On this matter, every family must cooperate fully. No one is permitted to act on their own initiative and disrupt the plan."

"Understood."

Everyone nodded in assent, without objection.

The next morning, Tokyo, Prime Minister's official residence.

Bright sunlight streamed through the heavy bulletproof floor-to-ceiling windows, casting neat patterns of light and shadow across the dark walnut conference table.

The air inside was cool and still. A freshly arranged ikebana display gave off a faint scent of sandalwood and flowers, softening the tension in the room somewhat.

The Prime Minister sat at the head of the table. In the ashtray before him lay a half-smoked cigarette, its thin trail of smoke slowly dissipating.

"Regarding the two incidents that occurred last night at Tsunekiyoshi Jingu and at Ebisugaoka in Nagano Prefecture, all of you already have the preliminary investigation reports in hand."

The Chief Cabinet Secretary spoke first, his gaze sweeping solemnly over the assembled ministers.

"Ultraseven has been confirmed to genuinely exist. Her human host is Hinako Shimizu, twenty years old, from Nagano Prefecture. Early this morning, the National Police Agency dispatched personnel to make preliminary contact with Hinako Shimizu's parents."

"That was quick." The Defense Minister nodded slightly. "So, what was their reaction?"

"The Shimizu couple is currently in a state of extreme confusion and hasn't given a clear response. But based on the preliminary contact, they seem just as shocked by their daughter's true identity — they don't appear to have known beforehand."

The Chief Cabinet Secretary replied calmly.

"Whether the Shimizus knew or not isn't important. What matters is how we should approach Hinako Shimizu — how we should approach this Ultraseven."

The Prime Minister finally spoke, his voice low, carrying the steady authority of someone who had long stood at the center of power.

"An Ultraman's existence is no longer a secret. Nerima Ward, Tsunekiyoshi Jingu, Ebisugaoka — three large-scale sighting incidents. This news cannot be suppressed. Rather than react passively, we should take the initiative to guide it."

"What Prime Minister means is..."

the Chief Cabinet Secretary ventured.

"Bring the Ultraman into an official framework."

Prime Minister said crisply.

"Whether she herself is willing or not, she is already, in effect, a super-scale military asset within Japan. Power like this absolutely cannot be left to run unchecked. We need a pretext — a mechanism that lets her be useful while not triggering mass panic among the public."

"Something like... establishing a special agency dedicated to handling kaiju disasters?"

Takaichi picked up the thread, and the assembled ministers turned to look at her with odd expressions.

Her face was somewhat thinner than before, but her eyes were clear and sharp, and every movement she made carried a decisiveness and competence quite unlike her usual self.

Because of her involvement with Kawakami Tomie, even after psychological evaluation, the so-called gods were unwilling to readily admit her back into that deep underground council.

Still, Takaichi remained, on the surface, a senior cabinet official, and meetings at Prime Minister's residence could not avoid her presence.

"Minister Takaichi, do you have a concrete proposal?"

The Prime Minister rubbed his brow and looked at Takaichi.

"Since the Ultraman's existence can no longer be concealed, we might as well go with the flow and proactively incorporate her into the nation's response framework. I propose forming a special task force built around the Ultraman, dedicated to handling all manner of supernatural threats and kaiju disasters." Takaichi paused, her gaze sweeping over every cabinet member present, and said, word by word, "For a name, we could tentatively call it — the Ultra Guard."

A murmur of discussion rippled through the room; the ministers whispered among themselves, expressions odd.

The Defense Minister frowned and voiced his doubt. "Ultra Guard? Isn't that name a bit... childish?"

Wasn't the Ultra Guard just the Earth Defense Force from Ultraseven?

"Precisely because it carries a touch of playfulness, it'll be easier for ordinary citizens to accept."

Takaichi replied evenly, neither servile nor arrogant.

"Ultraseven itself is a nationally beloved tokusatsu character. The public's perception of it naturally carries a sense of entertainment and familiarity. If we use the name Ultra Guard, people will instinctively assume it's an official force working alongside the Ultraman. It won't feel jarring, and it won't provoke excessive panic or resistance."

"And what would this agency's concrete functions be?"

the Chief Cabinet Secretary asked.

"In peacetime, it would monitor supernatural phenomena, issue early warnings, and gather intelligence. When a kaiju disaster occurs, it would coordinate combat operations with the Ultraman. Furthermore, nominally, it should be presented as an independent, private cooperative organization dedicated to handling supernatural threats. Members could be selected from elite police and Self-Defense Force personnel, while also recruiting civilians with relevant special abilities. Funding would come entirely from the national treasury, but publicly it would be presented as sponsorship from private corporations."

Takaichi paused, then added one more justification.

"This way, we can put the Ultraman's power to use for us without giving the public the impression that the government is exploiting her, which would provoke unnecessary public backlash. It kills two birds with one stone."

Facing Takaichi's proposal, everyone fell into thought, exchanging glances and murmuring among themselves.

From every angle, Takaichi's proposal seemed sound — one might even say it hit exactly the right note.

"It sounds like a workable plan." The Foreign Minister spoke up first. "And if handled properly, this could even become a card we play to showcase our nation's soft power abroad. Right now, the Ultraman's existence is still just an urban legend and hasn't drawn much public attention. If we can be the first to establish a mature response mechanism, we'll hold the absolute initiative in international public opinion going forward."

"What concerns me is the question of control." The Defense Minister's brow remained furrowed. "The Ultraman isn't someone we can simply order around. If she refuses to cooperate, this so-called Ultra Guard will just be an empty shell."

"So, we need to show sufficient sincerity," Takaichi replied calmly. "Give her parents a dignified, stable life. Fully fund the disaster recovery at Ebisugaoka. Provide her with every resource and support she might need. She doesn't lack power — what she lacks is a sense of belonging and recognition. If we can make her genuinely feel that this nation needs her, that the people need her, she'll naturally stand with us. I know it sounds a little childish to put it this way, but... isn't it only natural for an Ultraman's human host to join the Earth Defense Force?"