Autumn Ease wasn’t sure if men ever truly grew up.

But for now, he still clung to some childish hobbies.

Like tokusatsu shows—that’s the proper term.

More specifically, Ultraman and Kamen Rider…

Honestly, just hearing “Ultraman” spoken aloud brought a hint of awkwardness.

Autumn Ease was usually frugal in daily life.

Yet things weren’t that simple.

After all, he was a hardcore otaku.

Anime fans collected figures; gamers splurged on consoles or Steam sales.

What about tokusatsu fans?

They craved figures too—or models, to be precise—plus transformation devices from their favorite shows.

Autumn Ease was broke.

So he’d always bought knockoffs, at best domestic premium replicas.

Hangzhou’s high cost of living meant even a simple meal outside cost twenty yuan.

After graduating college, he hadn’t bought new merch in ages.

Partly to save up for something truly special.

Today, he’d finally fulfill that wish.

A Nexus… Ultraman transformation device.

Japanese import, exquisitely detailed—nearly identical to the prop used on-screen.

Maximum authenticity guaranteed.

This was every tokusatsu fan’s ultimate dream, especially Ultraman devotees.

It was also one of Tsuburaya Productions’ most mature series, nearly bankrupting them after filming.

Still, it remained Autumn Ease’s personal masterpiece.

“Whoosh—! Nexus—!” He tore open the package the moment it arrived, cradling the device. He struck a transformation pose—utterly cringey.

Even alone at home, a flicker of shame crept in.

“Mmm… so satisfying! Worth eating steamed buns every day for this!” He tucked it into his shirt pocket, then pulled it out again to mimic an emergency transformation from the show.

Right then, he wasn’t a twenty-six-year-old adult—he was a six-year-old kid.

He snapped photos to show off in group chats, though most friends had no clue why it mattered.

“Damn, Autumn Ease, are you still in kindergarten? Flaunting a toy like that?” GuanPeng finally snapped in their class group chat.

Autumn Ease checked—it was the high school group.

“You wouldn’t get it. Do you know how expensive this is?”

“Fifty bucks max.”

“A thousand!”

“Holy shit, you’re insane! A thousand on trash? Better to spend it on gacha games.”

“You lightless heathen wouldn’t understand!”

Banter between best friends was normal. Yet the old class group stayed eerily silent despite their lively exchange—like only two of the forty accounts were still active.

Maybe it signaled fading youth.

Lost years…

Autumn Ease closed the chat, his excitement gone. He placed the device on its display stand and flopped onto his bed.

He remembered high school days when GuanPeng would debate tokusatsu plots with him. Now, his friend called it childish.

When had passions once burning bright turned into symbols of immaturity?

If teenage sorrow was forced melancholy, adult worry was feeling lost without knowing why.

A pale moon hung in the sky, dimmed by the city’s neon glow.

Distant chimes echoed in Autumn Ease’s ears as his body began to change.

After so many nights, he’d learned the rhythm—he was used to it.

Unconsciously, midnight had arrived; even the moon hid behind clouds.

Curled under blankets with a pillow hugged tight, Autumn Ease lay wide-eyed, utterly sleepless.

Suddenly, the entire building shook.

An earthquake?

But Hangzhou never had strong quakes—in his memory, none at all.

This wasn’t some mountain city prone to geological shifts.

Hangzhou was mostly flat plains, with only low hills.

Yet the distant skyscrapers swayed, terrifyingly real.

Autumn Ease snapped out of his daze, fear mixing with unexpected anticipation.

He couldn’t even name what he hoped for.

“Boom—!” A cluster of buildings ripped apart. Reinforced concrete crumbled like tofu under an invisible force.

Beneath the city’s glittering lights, a scaly monster clawed up from the earth.

Thirty meters tall, its crimson eyes glowed. A foul stench wafted from its maw even from afar.

“ROAR—!”

The beast howled, tearing at the clouds.

Autumn Ease’s heart hammered.

“If I were the protagonist…” he muttered, “could I transform now…?”

The device on his desk pulsed with light, syncing to his heartbeat.

“Thump-thump-thump…”

The monster ravaged the city. He had to stop it.

Autumn Ease grabbed the device.

“Nexus—!”

A white beam shot skyward, crashing down hard enough to make the beast pause slightly.

As the light faded, a muscular silver giant stood firm—shorter than the monster but radiating equal ferocity.

“Hah!” The giant roared, lunging to seize the beast’s thick tail.

He hurled it far away, into a distant lake.

Water exploded sky-high; the monster staggered, dazed.

Before it could rise, the silver giant pinned it down, punching its chest again and again.

But the scene shifted.

The terrifying monster became a cute girl in a monster costume. The silver giant morphed into Autumn Ease himself.

Battle cries twisted into gasps of passion.

“It’s Eleking Girl!” someone yelled.

“Mmmph—”

“Ahhh—”

Autumn Ease kept going, oblivious to the absurdity.

Like a waterfall plunging over a cliff, a wave of relief washed over him. He jolted awake.

No ruined city. No giant monster. No cute monster girl…

The transformation device sat untouched on the desk. Just an ordinary morning.

His pants felt damp.

“Bedwetting? Seriously…?” He mumbled, touching the spot, face flushing. “Sticky… no way…?”

Right—a healthy young man had just had a wet dream.

Guess he’d fallen asleep gazing at the moon.

But why did a monster fight dream turn into that?

His phone rang.

Not an alarm—Wanjianlei calling.

“Yo? GuanPeng?”

“Damn, it’s Autumn Ease!” He flipped off the phone even without video.

“Oh shit, wrong number. Whatever—you’ll do.”

“Spit it out. What’s up?” Autumn Ease snapped.

“Check the class group?”

“Nah. Why?”

“Last night it blew up. Planning a reunion.”

“Bullshit reunion! Didn’t we just see everyone at Jin Jing’s birthday?”

Jin Jing—their high school’s undisputed queen bee.

“Only a few came last time. This one’s got almost everyone!”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, thirty signed up already.”

“Damn, all night owls?”

Autumn Ease minimized the call and opened the group chat.

Messages overflowed—“99+” unread.

The chat history stretched endlessly, burying his and GuanPeng’s old messages.

A warm relief washed over him.

Like long-dead friends had come back to life.

(Though that phrasing felt off…)

“Yeah, they’ll finalize headcounts soon. Just tell Wang Xin—he’s organizing.”

Wang Xin, their high school class monitor and PE rep. His towering frame once intimidated everyone—until Wanjianlei peeled back his mystery…

Ugh, wrong metaphor for a guy. Gross.

“You going?”

“Dunno. That’s why I asked you.”

“Where?”

“Our hometown.”

“Ugh… high school town? Such a hassle to go back…”

“What’s your call?”

“Hell no! I’m skipping.” Autumn Ease rolled his eyes. Massive reunions bored him stiff.

Plus, classmates comparing lives? Headache material.

“You’re out? Fine. I’ll probably go—checking if I can bring my friend.”

“Friend? Guy or girl?”

“Girl. She’s staying at my place.”

“Damn, that’s your girlfriend!”

“Heh, not yet.” Wanjianlei’s smug chuckle crackled through the line.

“I’m in! Gotta see what kind of girl you’ve snagged!” Autumn Ease yelled.