"Yeah, good thinking," Yu Zhou said.
Charija gave him a long, speechless look before pointing toward the nearby beach.
"Hm?"
Yu Zhou followed his gaze—and froze.
There, on the pitch-black shore, stood a middle-aged man and a young boy, both gaping wide-eyed at the spot where Yu Zhou had been just moments ago.
"You've got to be kidding me—there are people here!?"
Yu Zhou cursed under his breath. Without hesitation, he grabbed Charija in one hand and vanished into the night sky.
Moments later, dark particles coalesced behind a seaside rock, reshaping into Yu Zhou's human form. Charija descended slowly beside him, riding his black umbrella like a parasol.
"Who'd have thought people would still be out fishing this late at night?" Yu Zhou sighed, pressing his palm against his forehead in exasperation.
"Some fish are phototactic," Charija replied matter-of-factly. "They're easier to catch at night using a light source."
"Fishing master Charija, huh? You really know your stuff."
Yu Zhou rolled his eyes but couldn't help a small smirk. He peeked around the rock.
The two humans were still frozen in place—utterly motionless, like statues.
"You don't think I scared them senseless, do you?"
It hadn't been his intention to be seen, but now that it had happened, Yu Zhou felt a twinge of guilt.
"I'd better go check."
He started toward them—but suddenly stopped mid-step, smacking his own forehead before darting back behind the rock.
"Crap! I almost forgot—I'm bald and have no eyebrows right now! If I walk up like this, I'll give them a heart attack!"
He rubbed his shiny head, which reflected a faint shimmer of moonlight.
"I've gone bald… but at least I've gotten stronger," he muttered sarcastically.
Digging through his dimensional bracelet, Yu Zhou pulled out a small metallic badge.
It was the disguise emblem he'd once borrowed from the AI RE.M. in Geed's world—an artifact that could project an illusion to make him look like someone else.
Not a real transformation, more like a high-level holographic disguise.
He'd used it before to take on the appearance of Daigo Madoka—the human form of Ultraman Tiga.
After all, if you're going to disguise yourself, might as well pick someone handsome.
Activating the badge, Yu Zhou's appearance shifted until he looked exactly like Daigo—calm, gentle, and approachable.
Then he stepped out from behind the rock.
The middle-aged man and his son were still staring blankly at the sea. Yu Zhou waved a hand in front of their faces.
No reaction.
"Hello?"
He raised his voice.
The father suddenly jolted like he'd been struck by lightning, stumbling backwards and nearly falling over.
"Whoa, whoa! Easy there, old man! I know I'm handsome, but fainting on sight is a bit much!"
Yu Zhou caught him just in time, steadying him before he hit the ground.
"Wh-who are you?!" the man stammered, breathing hard.
"Me? Oh, I'm just a traveller passing through."
Yu Zhou smiled kindly and extended a hand in greeting.
The man eyed the hand suspiciously, clearly unsure of what to do—then rummaged through his fishing bucket, pulled out a wriggling fish, and placed it in Yu Zhou's palm.
"You must be hungry, traveller. Please, have this."
Yu Zhou: "…"
"Uh… that's not what I meant." He gently placed the fish back in the bucket, coughing awkwardly.
"Oh? Then what is it you want? Don't tell me you're here for money! Because I assure you, I'm dirt poor!"
"No, no, not money—"
"Then… oh heavens, you're after my body!? A pervert! Son, run!!"
Yu Zhou: "…"
Before the panicked father could scoop up his confused son, Yu Zhou quickly blocked his path.
"I just wanted to shake your hand!"
At this point, Yu Zhou was speechless. What is wrong with these ancient humans!?
The man blinked, embarrassed.
"Ah… my apologies, traveller. I misunderstood." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "So, shaking hands is just a friendly greeting in your homeland?"
"Exactly," Yu Zhou said with a tired sigh. "That's all it is."
At last, some normal conversation.
"By the way, traveller," the man continued, "did you happen to see a giant—about fifty meters tall—rising from the ocean just now?"
"A giant? Yeah, I saw him," Yu Zhou nodded casually.
It would've been suspicious to deny it when he'd literally landed on that very beach.
"Truly incredible!" the man exclaimed. "I've never seen such a massive being before in my life!"
"Oh?" Yu Zhou blinked. "You don't know who that giant is?"
By rights, ancient humans should know about the Giants of Light—especially someone as famous as Tiga.
But this man looked like a simple fisherman, so maybe it wasn't surprising.
"No, I don't. But do you know?" the man asked curiously.
"I do." Yu Zhou smiled slightly. "His name is Tiga."
"Tiga…" The man repeated the name softly, then nodded. "Traveller, you really do live up to the title—you're well-travelled and knowledgeable. I'm just a humble fisherman, toiling by the sea every day."
"Tiga… so that's the giant's name?" the boy suddenly asked, his eyes wide with wonder.
"That's right," Yu Zhou said warmly, patting the boy's head. "His name is Tiga."
"Then what's your name, mister traveller?" the boy asked again.
"Yes, indeed," the father added. "We've been talking all this time, and I still don't know your name. I'm Ayumu, by the way."
"Ayumu…" Yu Zhou repeated softly, testing the sound of it.
For an ancient human name, it actually sounded surprisingly normal.
Then he smiled faintly.
"As for me…" He paused for a beat, then said with mock seriousness,
"You can call me… A San."