"Huh? Is he actually scolding Yueyue today?"
When Jada finished changing clothes and came out of the room, she was surprised to see Ren in the living room. He was holding Yueyue's test paper, talking to her sternly, while Yueyue sat there with her head down, occasionally nodding.
It was an unusual sight for Jada. She knew her husband well. Usually, he would tease Yueyue, scare her, or steal her snacks. But when it came to serious matters, he always sided with their daughter and was reluctant to scold her unless it was a significant issue.
Yet today, he seemed genuinely upset and was lecturing her.
This change made Jada feel both curious and a bit relieved. Finally, it seemed like her husband was acting like a proper father.
"Look at this! You got such an easy question wrong!" Ren sat on the sofa, pointing at the test paper on the table, clearly frustrated. "You need to check your work after you finish! How many times do I have to tell you?"
Yueyue pouted, her cheeks puffed out, but she remained silent.
"Alright, alright," Jada interjected, trying to diffuse the situation. "She's been in school all day. She must be hungry. Let's talk about it after dinner."
"No way!" Ren took a deep breath and continued, "You didn't see it—she got several simple questions wrong! If she makes these kinds of mistakes in a big exam, she might miss out on getting into a top university!"
"For example, this one. The correct answer was A, but she got it wrong and chose B." Ren began to give examples. "And this one... wait."
Ren's tone suddenly changed, catching Jada's attention. "What's wrong?"
"Hey, honey, take a look at this question. It should be B, right?" Ren handed the test paper to Jada. "I'm not great at mental math. Can you double-check?"
"Sure."
Jada took the paper and started calculating. After a moment, she, too, raised an eyebrow. "You're right, the answer is B. Looks like the teacher marked it wrong."
Jada confirmed the calculation again using a pen and paper from Yueyue's backpack.
"See? So actually, Yueyue did pass this time," Ren said, his voice softening as he looked at Yueyue. "It's normal for teachers to occasionally make mistakes when grading papers. So, let's give Yueyue a pass this time."
Ren then turned to Yueyue, who was now smiling. "But! You still made careless mistakes on other questions, so you need to cut back on gaming! We can still take her to the beach this summer, though."
"Okay," Jada agreed after considering Ren's point. But something still felt off about that B. She couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"Let's go eat," Jada finally said, leading the way to the dining table. She was starving after a long day at work.
As she walked away, Yueyue nudged Ren's side, flashing a (＾－＾)V sign. Ren returned the gesture. In truth, Yueyue's answer had been wrong, but Ren had quietly changed it from D to B.
"Just this once! Don't forget your promise to me," Ren whispered in Yueyue's ear.
"Mm-hmm!" Yueyue nodded eagerly.
"What are you two whispering about over there?" Jada called from the dining table, noticing the delay.
"Nothing."
"Just a little father-daughter secret~~"
And so, Yueyue managed to dodge a bullet and became more determined to prepare for her next exams. After all, her dad had said he'd only help her this one time. If she messed up again, he wouldn't bail her out!
With the next few months filled with monthly tests and final exams, she knew she had to score above ninety-five every time if she wanted to enjoy her summer break.
While Yueyue buckled down for her exams, the Nexus Ultraman series continued airing. However, the storyline had taken a significant turn since Jun's death, diverging from the original version that had been cut short in Ren's previous world.
In this version, Ren's Nexus had not been cut, allowing more screen time for Ryo's arc. Unlike the original, which featured fewer episodes, this version had seven monsters in Ryo's story: Glantra, Banpira, Rizzarias, Rizzarias Gurola, Baigubarzon Blood, Dark Lucifer, Megaflare, and Garuberus EX.
Of course, Dark Lucifer was only shown briefly and not in its true form.
As the series progressed, fans also learned about Ryo's true identity. Like Jun, who was troubled by Sarah's death, Ryo had his own burdens to bear. As a product of the Prometheus Project, he was a genetically engineered perfect human, but he only had a lifespan of eighteen years.
This backstory explained why Ryo fought so fiercely, disregarding his injuries—he knew his time was limited. He had escaped from America, hoping to find meaning in his short life in a place where no one knew him, but after discovering he could transform into an Ultraman, he found a new purpose.
Though the tone remained heavy, Ryo's storyline was slightly lighter compared to Jun's. Even if viewers hadn't seen the earlier episodes, they could still enjoy Ryo's story as a standalone. And while some fans who couldn't accept Jun's death had stopped watching, the show gained new viewers drawn in by Ryo's story.
After all, Ultraman fighting monsters was always a crowd-pleaser.
Not to mention, Picca Comics spared no expense in producing the action scenes for Nexus Ultraman. The air battles were especially well-made, and the other fight scenes were just as impressive.
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