I really didn’t want to lead Ultra Star astray Chapter 1 - Brother, Where Did You Buy That Suit?

Chapter 1: Brother, Where Did You Buy That Suit?

“Ah? What’s going on? It’s so hot, so scorching!” Mu Yang felt like he was about to explode. At this moment, he felt as if he were inside a massive furnace, or perhaps even worse. What was happening? Even summer wasn’t this hot, was it?

He was going to turn to ash! The pain was unbearable, and Mu Yang desperately wished he could just die!

At the same time, a mechanical voice echoed in his mind.

“Ding, massive energy detected, system activating, 1%, 5%… 98%, 99%, 100%, system activation successful!”

“Ding, this world identified as the Ultraman system, matching in progress, matching successful!”

“Ding, host detected in critical condition, opening initial gift package!”

“Ding, congratulations to the host for opening the initial gift package, obtaining one Light Creation God Template Card, host detected in danger, matching in progress!”

However, Mu Yang could no longer register these messages. He had already passed out.

…

“Ugh! What’s going on?” When Mu Yang woke up, he felt an unprecedented sense of comfort. His body felt warm and cosy, brimming with energy. The temperature seemed just right, and both his mood and physical condition had improved dramatically.

He recalled the earlier ordeal with lingering fear, feeling as though he had been on the brink of death! Thankfully, it was all just a nightmare!

Then, he looked around in confusion. He was lying on a bed made of a peculiar glowing material, resembling jade. The room was empty, its walls formed of the same luminescent material.

w(Д)w, where was this? Why was he here? Wasn’t he just finishing a long winter break, preparing to head back to school?

Right, his name was Mu Yang, an ordinary sixteen-year-old high school student. His grades were neither exceptional nor terrible. Aside from being somewhat handsome, he had no particular strengths. He even had a bit of an otaku streak, especially loving to read all sorts of novels, particularly those from Feilu. The stories there were wildly imaginative and thrilling to read, though sometimes he was tempted to send the authors a few choice words. Still, as long as they were entertaining, Mu Yang could grudgingly accept them.

Looking at his surroundings, a strange thought crossed his mind: could this be some sort of prank? But this prank’s production value was absurdly high! This glowing material wasn’t something you could just find anywhere.

As for suspecting he had transmigrated? Hah, transmigration was something to read about in novels!

No way something that good would happen to him! Sure, he was a bit of an otaku, but did he have any traits of a transmigrator? Those guys were usually hardcore otakus or orphans. He had both parents! No way a transmigration god would pick him, right?

Click! As Mu Yang’s thoughts ran wild, the door opened, and three humanoid figures walked in. The leader, a “monster” with a red-and-white body, a silver head with large bulbous eyes, and a chest adorned with silver studs, stepped forward.

“Zoffy!” As a half-otaku, Mu Yang immediately recognised the figure. The other two, though different in appearance from Zoffy, were also familiar to him. “The Mother of Ultra and Seven?”

“You’re awake?” Zoffy spoke in a voice resembling that of a middle-aged man.

Mu Yang climbed off the “bed,” walked up to Zoffy, patted his shoulder, and said, “Uncle, you’re impressive! Still cosplaying as Ultraman at your age? Truly, chuunibyou knows no age limit! But don’t worry, I won’t judge. You’re not chuuni in youth, you’re wasting your youth! I hope I can keep this kind of childlike spirit at your age!”

“Chuunibyou?” Zoffy turned his head to look at Seven behind him, asking with confusion.

Seven silently looked up at the ceiling. He knew what chuunibyou meant but didn’t want to say it aloud. The captain of the Space Garrison, mistaken for a chuuni? This was too amusing.

Still, this guy was definitely an Earthling! So how did he end up in the Land of Light? Human technology couldn’t possibly reach here! And that pure light! Even now, it was astonishing to see.

“Ding, congratulations to the host for gaining +10086 shock value!”

“Huh, what’s that sound?” Mu Yang asked, puzzled. “Did you guys hear something?”

Zoffy, Seven, and the Mother of Ultra exchanged glances. The Mother of Ultra, after observing Mu Yang closely for a moment, said, “He seems fine, better than ever, actually. He’s probably just not used to becoming an Ultraman. His situation is similar to ours back then. He’ll need time to adjust!”

“Become an Ultraman? You can tell what’s wrong with me? No medical equipment needed? Looks like you’ve got a case of chuunibyou too, Grandma! But you should be careful—treatments need scientific backing!” Mu Yang teased the Mother of Ultra. “Me, an Ultraman? You’re joking, right? Holy sh*t!”

But soon, Mu Yang was stunned by what he saw. He hadn’t noticed before, but now he realised his body was different. He really seemed to have become an Ultraman—this wasn’t a costume!

Footnotes:

Chuunibyou (zhōng èr bìng, 中二病): A Japanese slang term, literally “middle school second-year syndrome,” referring to a phase where adolescents adopt grandiose or fantastical behaviours, often believing they have special powers or identities. Here, Mu Yang uses it to tease Zoffy for cosplaying as an Ultraman, implying it’s a youthful delusion.