Ultraman cubs begin to wreak havoc.

Upon hearing this, the man turned around.

"My name is Riko, Riko Saida."

"My name is Komon Kazuki."

After saying just that one sentence, the man dashed off into the rain-soaked street. His imposing figure, without an umbrella, seemed to tear through the rain curtain as he moved forward, and Riko Saito was captivated by his sight.

I will definitely meet him again somewhere.

For no apparent reason, Riko Saida harbored this faint premonition.

Kazuki Komon left, and Riko Saito looked forward to their next meeting. However, no one noticed that the wrecked car had turned into a lump of greenish-blue mud without anyone noticing, and disappeared before everyone's eyes like some kind of sea monster.

Riko Saito was still waiting for the report on the car accident to see what the police could find out. But in her mind, the totaled car had been cleared away, the damaged building wall had been repaired, and everything had returned to normal. The incident had been completely covered up.

Someone is manipulating information.

Riko Saito felt that this was already obvious, but where did the endless stream of information from the floating monitor come from? Who made it? Was this disaster caused because she had seen the plan? Riko Saito had no idea, and she began to subconsciously doubt everything.

Of course, Riko Saito was desperately trying to return to her previous daily life, but she couldn't. Because once the flame of doubt was ignited, it couldn't be extinguished so easily.

That very night, Riko Saida fell into the same dream again.

A nightmare that gradually sinks into the deep darkness.

Tonight, the cold darkness once again clung to Riko Saito. She struggled painfully, but even so, the darkness held her tightly, robbing her of even her breath.

Even more so, this time Riko Saito felt that the darkness in her dream had become even more...

It regained its vitality.

Well, that's the only way to describe Riko Saito.

The viscous darkness, like the tentacles of an octopus, exuded the damp scent of the deep sea, making one feel nauseous. In the darkness, Riko Saida vaguely saw that the words in the Poseidon Plan seemed to come alive, floating beside her, whispering, telling a story that was incomprehensible yet irresistibly captivating.

Just then, she sensed something different. Like the sun peeking over the horizon, the darkness was dispelled, and the world slowly began to fill with light. Inspiring and powerful voices came from all directions.

At the same time, a dazzling white light suddenly descended upon the world. The darkness that had so tightly enveloped her beside her vanished with a scream.

The light was too dazzling, and Riko covered her eyes. Before she knew it, her body warmed up.

Then, I woke up...

In her dazed state after just waking up, Riko Saito heard the patter of rain. Was it raining? Somewhat puzzled, Riko Saito looked up and saw the bright sun.

So where did the sound of water come from?

Riko Saito got up in confusion and looked around. She saw that the water glass she had placed on her bedside table had fallen over, and the water inside was dripping down the corner of the table onto the floor.

Looking at the dripping water, Riko Saito inexplicably began to feel a sense of fear...

A few days later, Riko Saito opened the door and looked outside, only to realize that it had started raining sometime earlier. This time it was really raining. She gazed in a daze at the rain hitting the asphalt road, the sound of which was mixed with other sounds besides the rain.

Tap, tap, tap...

It was the sound of someone's light footsteps approaching. As if urged by the sound, Riko Saida looked up and saw a familiar-looking young man standing there.

He was wearing the same black trench coat as before, soaked by the rain because he hadn't brought an umbrella. Recognizing her face, he stood there dumbfounded. While he looked extremely embarrassed, Riko Saito's expression was no different.

"...Kuromon Kazuki...Sir?"

She said with a blank expression that this was indeed the young man who had saved her.

"Why are you here?"

"Uh... how should I put it...?"

Kazuki Komon scratched his head.

"Actually, I had an incredible dream... and then I couldn't help but want to wander around... What a coincidence, we actually met again like this."

Riko Saito was speechless for a moment. What a coincidence! This person, too, was brought back to me because of dreams, this strange thing.

"...Anyway, please come inside, don't stand there getting soaked in the rain."

Although Riko Saida wanted to choose a witty remark from among various options to make a joke, this is the one that came out of her mouth:

"welcome."

Kazuki Komon did not refuse Riko Saito's invitation and went to the woman's home. They began to talk about their dreams. After hearing that they had both dreamed of the dull darkness and the white light, Kazuki Komon and Riko Saito couldn't help but look at each other, as if they had found their destined other half.

"I feel like I'm all alone in this world, so meeting you is truly a miracle."

Kazuki Komon stared intently at Riko Saida. She felt a slight unease, her cheeks flushed, and she shyly lowered her head.

"By the way, to celebrate this miraculous day, shall we take a picture together?"

Komon Kazuki looked at Saito Riko. Although this was only their second meeting, Komon Kazuki felt as if they had known each other for a very long time. The emotions flowing in his heart made him unable to suppress them any longer, and he took the initiative to make this rather impolite request.

Riko Saida wanted to refuse, since this was only their second meeting, but she couldn't bring herself to say it. In the end, she took out her camera, set the delay program, and then Kazuki Komon and Riko Saida walked into the viewfinder. Even though Riko Saida initially covered her face in embarrassment, she eventually agreed to take the picture.

The photos, taken after the shoot, captured close-ups of the two smiling broadly. The photos conveyed a heartwarming expression that made it impossible to tell this was their second meeting.

For some reason, Riko Saida suddenly felt like crying. It was as if she had a demon in her heart, and she wanted to treat this photo as a treasure and carry it with her at all times.

Komon Kazuki thought so too.

Since meeting Kazuki Komon, Riko Saida has frequently encountered him in other places, and the more she meets this man who calls himself Kazuki Komon, the stronger her love for him becomes.

However, the only thing that displeased Riko Saida was that no matter how close their relationship became, Kazuki Komon was unwilling to mention what his job was. In fact, it was questionable whether the name Kazuki Komon was even his real name. In addition, he always wore only pure black clothes.

"Kazunari Komon, don't you have any other clothes?"

One day, Riko Saida asked him helplessly. He replied:

"No, how should I put it, this clothing is like a work uniform."

"A uniform? This one?"

Riko Saita was even more confused about his profession.

In short, Kazuki Komon gradually occupied an unparalleled and important place in Riko Saida's heart. For her, who rarely opened up, Kazuki Komon was a safe haven of understanding and acceptance. Being with him naturally calmed her mind. With this person, she could live in any world.

Riko Saida thought to herself.

The two people were drawn to each other without realizing it.

Riko Saita was often taken to the cinema by Kazuki Komon, a film enthusiast. Komon was so captivated by a particular movie that he would stop by the cinema several times on his way. He watched it countless times, practically memorizing every word of the dialogue, which startled Riko; she truly hadn't expected this.

On one such day, in the brightly lit theater after the movie screening, Kazuki Komon, unusually serious, wore a solemn expression. He ignored the line of departing audience members and remained motionless in his seat.

"What's wrong, Kazuki Komon?"

Hearing Riko Saida's worried question, his face clouded over as he muttered to himself:

"Don't you think this world is just like a movie? What if there's a playwright somewhere, and we're just living according to his script? Aren't we just a group of actors who have been given predetermined roles and are ordered to say predetermined lines...?"

Riko Saida said with a smile:

"How could that be? Of course such a thing is impossible. Because you and I are both acting according to our own will."

As she spoke, Riko Saida gently placed her hand in Kazuki Komon's hand.

Komon Kazuki paused for a moment, looked at Saita Riko, his solemn expression softened, and he revealed boundless tenderness.

The days spent with Kazuki Komon can be described as the most dazzling time of Riko Saida's life to date. Every day is an irreplaceable memory.

However, such happiness did not last long.

Because when she saw the Poseidon Project, she unknowingly stepped into the dark side of this world. On this day, Riko Saida, who was on her way home from the Ministry of Science, suddenly stopped when she reached a place where she could see her home.

strangeness.

I should have turned off the lights before leaving the house, but I could still see the lights on through the window.

A strange unease began to rise in Riko Saito's heart. She didn't know what had happened. Without thinking, she ran towards her room.

Then, she saw something and quickly hid behind the wall. A group of men dressed in black were hurriedly going in and out of Riko Saito's room, like bees swarming in a hive.

That's them!

Riko Saito was absolutely certain. It was those guys who had been watching me all along, who had even once tried to run me over with their car. Undoubtedly, they were finally going to use force. They had finally forced their way into my house; if this continued, they would catch me!

At that moment, Riko Saito felt a chill run down her spine, a feeling of unease like someone who had been abandoned. She clutched her head in distress. What should I do? What should I do in a situation like this...?

At that moment, gentle words echoed in my mind.

You are no longer alone. I will always be there to protect you.

Yes, I still have people I can trust. She seemed to see a ray of light in the darkness.

With trembling fingers, Riko Saida called Kazuki Komon, arranged a meeting place, and headed towards the secluded park.

"What's wrong? Why do you look like you're crying?"

Kazuki Komon, who had already arrived, turned around and walked towards Riko Saida.

"I'm being watched. When I got home today, there was a group of men there..."

As Riko Saito spoke haltingly, she began to sense something was amiss. It wasn't like usual; there was something off about it. It was like only one piece of a jigsaw puzzle was wrong… that uncomfortable feeling.

"Really? Is that so? You must be very sad."

He gently placed his hand on Riko Saida's shoulder.