Special effects: Starting with Ultraman Tiga

2002, April 1.

After accepting the red envelopes distributed by Shen Yun, the Gao Renzhe all went to the shrine's worship hall to pay their respects amidst the fireworks.

The crowd took out the five-yen coins they had prepared beforehand, put them into the donation box in front of the worship hall, and then rang the golden bell hanging in the worship hall.

"Ring ring~"

The clear sound of bells echoed through the shrine as people clasped their hands together in prayer and made wishes before the main hall.

After making their wishes, everyone came down.

"What wishes did you make?" Tidom leaned forward slightly, turned to look at everyone, and asked.

"Wishes won't come true if you say them out loud," Sae Taiga shook her head and laughed.

"Is that so?" Tidom pouted, somewhat disappointed.

"Alright, let's go back and have some festive food, and we can also watch the sunrise," Shen Yun said with a smile.

"Great! Do you have any wine?" Tidom's eyes lit up as he asked.

"Yes, it's Dassai sake, unlimited."

"Yay!"

The group returned to the shrine office amidst laughter and chatter. The shrine's work had been handed over to the Humagears, so they didn't have to worry about it at all.

Upon entering the office, the warmth of the heating system immediately dispelled the chill from everyone.

"I'll go cook some mixed rice cakes, you guys watch TV for a while." Tidom ran into the kitchen as soon as he entered the office.

During the Japanese New Year, Osechi Ryori is eaten as a side dish for Zōni, which is a type of rice cake soup.

Seeing Tidhom run into the kitchen, Shen Yun didn't sit idle either. He took out the five-tiered heavy box that had been custom-made long ago, and then placed the four-tiered lacquered box filled with food on the coffee table in the hall.

Although it has five floors, only four of them actually have food served.

The fifth floor is empty; it is said to be a place for worshipping the God of the Year.

At this moment, the food placed on each layer of the Osechi Ryori (ritual meal) is very particular.

However, for Shen Yun, the more lavish the meal, the better. Australian lobster, abalone, sweet shrimp, Wagyu beef, salmon, and so on were all served.

Then, Shen Yun took out two bottles of Dassai sake and a case of fruit beer, and placed them on the coffee table.

"You guys eat first, I'll go help." Shen Yun put the drinks on the table and turned to go into the kitchen.

Tidom, wearing a pink apron, was chopping carrots, tofu, vegetables, and other ingredients.

"Let me do it," Shen Yun said, tying on her scarf and taking the kitchen knife from Tidom.

"Alright, I'll make the soup." Tidom didn't refuse and turned around to prepare the ingredients for the soup, such as kelp and bonito flakes.

"Knock knock knock".

The sound of the knife blade striking the cutting board echoed in the kitchen.

Before long, Shen Yun had sliced ​​carrots, radishes, shiitake mushrooms, fried tofu, rice cakes, and other ingredients into thin slices and piled them on a plate.

Next, Shen Yun removed the shrimp veins from the sweet shrimp, peeled off the shells, deboned the chicken, and cut it into pieces.

After Shen Yun prepared the ingredients, Tidom also prepared a soup base with a strong Japanese flavor using kelp, shiitake mushrooms, bonito flakes, shrimp heads, and shrimp shells.

The broth in the pot was clear as water and had a pale yellow color.

Tidom scooped some broth into a small bowl, tasted it, and nodded in satisfaction, then let Shen Yun pour the prepared ingredients into the pot one by one.

Soon, a pot of delicious and flavorful rice cake soup was ready.

Tidom ladled the rice cake soup into bowls, then covered them with lids, saying, "Shen Jun, please deliver these rice cake soups."

"Okay~" Shen Yun hung up her apron, picked up the tray, and walked out of the kitchen.

"The rice cake soup is here." Shen Yun walked into the living room, placed the tray on the coffee table, and greeted them.

Seeing this, everyone got up and took a bowl of rice cake soup from the tray.

The festive dishes on the coffee table, except for some appetizers which were eaten, were all served without missing a single bite.

"Tidom, come in quickly." Shen Yun lifted a corner of the kotatsu and beckoned Tidom, who came out of the kitchen.

Although the heating was on in the commune office, hands and feet would still get cold, but the kotatsu (heated floor stove) was different and could solve this problem very well.

"Coming~" Tidom jogged over to Shen Yun's side, sat down in the kotatsu, and said impatiently, "Shen-kun, pour me a glass of wine."

"Eat something first to fill your stomach. Drinking on an empty stomach will upset your stomach," Shen Yun said, reaching for the Ottoman and pouring a glass for Tidom.

"Yes~" Tidom chuckled, clasped his hands together, and said:

"I'm starting to eat."

After a prayer, everyone opened the bowl lid, picked up the black bowl, and took a small sip of the rice cake soup.

"tasty!"

"As expected of Tidom, his skills are truly exceptional," Niu Da Sotaro exclaimed.

"Right? Everyone, eat more." Tidom smiled broadly, clearly pleased with the compliments.

Time passed by amidst laughter, conversation, and food, and before we knew it, it was six o'clock in the morning.

After Tidom and Shen Yun cleaned up the leftovers on the coffee table, they went with the others to a high point of the shrine and looked eastward.

At this moment, the east was about to turn white, and a faint glimmer of dawn was gradually appearing on the distant horizon.

Soon, a red sun slowly rose from the horizon, and the sky was filled with red clouds, dyeing the sky and the city below red.

"The sunrise is so beautiful," Sae Taiga exclaimed.

"A new year has brought a fresh start to my mood," Washio Gaku said with a smile.

"Yes~ In the new year, I hope to eliminate all the remaining Orgu!" Lion said, putting his hands together in prayer.

After watching the sun rise, everyone yawned and returned to the office. After taking a hot shower, they went back to their rooms to catch up on sleep.

They were indeed quite tired after staying up all night.

……

Two weeks later.

Inside the social affairs office.

The Gaolangers were lounging leisurely in the kotatsu in the hall, some watching TV, some playing games, looking incredibly bored.

"Yawn~" Washio Gaku yawned, scratched his butt, and lay half-reclined on the tatami, watching the Taiga drama on TV. He said, "I'm so bored. Oruk hasn't shown up at all."

"It's been almost a month since we defeated the Rakshasa, and not a single Oruk has appeared. Horned Horn and Ababa haven't come out to cause trouble either," Ushida Sotaro chimed in.

"What's going on?" Samezu Kai ate a segment of orange, then gave another segment to Ushitatsu Sotaro, asking in confusion.

"Could it be that they're not going to show up again?" Taiga Sae guessed.

"If only we knew where Orgu's lair was, we could have destroyed it in one fell swoop instead of having to wait for Orgu to appear like this now," Lion sighed.

"Beep beep beep~"

As soon as the lion finished speaking, the alarm at the office went off.

"This is..."

"Orugu!"

"It's finally here!"

"Full of energy!"

Upon hearing the alarm, the Gaoreners immediately scrambled out of their kotatsu seats, their expressions filled with excitement. (End of Chapter)