Chapter Text
"This is the moment where you must end the tale of the beast who gets involved with a human…
Put an end to it now while you're still a beast."
The smell of sea salt was one I would never forget during my time at Rügen Island. The feeling of the warm sand beneath my feet as I sat next to her. The orange glow of the sunset helped highlight her pale skin, allowing it to give it the color that she wished it had.
The two of us sat, just listening to the waves as we watched the sun set. Her fingers traced over mine, feeling the tiny calluses that had begun to wear away. I watched her smile as the both of us knew this would be the last sunset she would ever see before…
"Hey… Jiro…"
I snapped out of my stupor before noticing the snapping fingers of my landlord.
"Hey, Jiro, you home?" He said. Immediately, whatever sort of bliss and nostalgia I had felt died and in its place was the tangy taste of pickled cabbage.
The face of my landlord was an even sharper contrast. Instead of a warm orange graced by the sunset, his skin had more of a pale yellow beset by years of smoking and instead of flowing locks of platinum blonde, his head had a matted mess of black hair that he only managed to keep a portion of the top in line. Aside from that, the only thing he shared with Lily was a set of clean, formal clothes as though he was ready to attend his own funeral.
"It's about this month's rent." He said. I swallowed his, admittedly well made, dish so that I could talk.
"Yeah, I already paid you, remember?" As I said that, he placed a stuffed envelope on the table.
"And this is the change." He slid it across the table before I stopped him.
"No… That's a tip." I tried to push it back, but he shoved it forward.
"A tip? Here? You gotta be kiddin' me. This is practically your entire salary!" He said.
"You need it more than me. Repairs, employees, water, electricity, gas…" I calmly stated.
"Food, travel, entertainment, I can list items you need too, ya know." As his hand left the envelope, I merely looked at it.
"… I can get by." My voice sounded distant and muted, which compared to Mr. Kozaki, was overpowered instantly.
"No, you can't!" Mr. Kozaki sighed, then got up. "Ever since you moved to this complex, you've been wasting away in your unit without any care in the world! You're even giving me more money than I know what to do with and you call that a tip?" There was a silence before he exhaled. Realizing he was done with his food, he took his tupper and made his way out. "Why… did you even move to Animal Town anyways?" Realizing he wouldn't get an answer, he frowned and left.
Animal Town… A place where humans and animals can live in harmony. It seemed like a peaceful place as businesses that cater specifically to animals set up shop all over the area, families known for breeding even the rarest types of dogs and cats made their name here, and it didn't seem to matter what sort of animal you liked, there's always something for everyone.
With that in mind, I thought of the one reason I moved to Animal Town:
I was looking to die in the place that Lily had spoke about endlessly, like a fairy tale…
Kamen Rider Garude
Hunt 1: GARU! The Beginning…
Mr. Kozaki wasn't the kind of person to let me stay cooped up in my room though. Shortly afterwards, he drove me to the local middle school for a volleyball match.
Although I wouldn't be officially a student for a couple more days, he talked with some of the staff to let me not only come to it, but to also participate… In reality, there was a clear reason why he wanted this and I knew it even before I stepped onto the polished wood of the gym.
I eyed my temporary teammates, noticing a mixture of boys and girls. Some seem to look back at me too. Each of their faces had a minute detail that gave off a different expression.
The boy at the front, the captain, had his eyebrows frowled. He knew I was a last-minute addition and is wondering how I'd throw off their entire game. The girl next to me had her hands trembling. I may have taken my stride a little too rough, causing her to feel intimidated. I relaxed my muscles and, in an instant, the shaking had stopped.
"Hey there!" Though, before I could properly gauge the third person who eyed me, she made the first move.
"Hmm?" I turned to her, trying not to come off as imposing. Well, as imposing as I could be to someone who was the same height as me.
"I'm Iroha Inukai, it's nice to meet you!" After seeing her peach-colored hair and lime-green eyes, I noticed a second too late that she was offering her hand to me.
"Oh, my name is…" Before I could shake it, the whistle blew, signalling the game to begin. Immediately, my attention turned to my opponents. Notably, they were about a year older than my team. Seniors? They were also the first ones to serve.
As soon as I heard their palm hit the ball, while everyone else scurried about, I stood firm. Despite not having played volleyball before, Mr. Kozaki and I watched a few videos, some were anime that showed off the sport while others were recordings of Olympic matches… In retrospect, it was an ingenious way to prepare me for this very moment.
That said, I didn't have enough of a grasp of the strategies, just enough to know I should volley the ball to another player to spike it. Even so, the other five seem to do just fine without me, passing the ball two to three times before delivering it to their captain as he spiked it down the gym…
Unfortunately, a player on the opposite side dove in and bounced the ball upwards. A fellow player passed it to someone in front, their captain… Their spike was more of a gentle push that nearly slowed all momentum in the ball.
"Crap…" Our captain said as he backed away to get the ball in time. While he managed to pop it up with his hands, it spun up into the air for a few seconds gaining little to no forward momentum. No one would be able to get to the ball in time before it landed… No one…
Save for me. I had a familiar yet eerie feeling in my body where my muscles just felt numb, as though the jump I made was a second nature. As I looked at the ball, my fingers and even thumb curled inwards, bringing almost all the surface tension towards the palm… And then, without any hesitation…
WHAM!
As though I had caught a fly, I smacked the ball out of the zone, zooming past two of the opponents who leaped up to block it just seconds too late. That slap caused me to blink as I watched the ball careening towards one of the players in the back, a girl. As I landed, I shut my eyes tightly, anticipating an anguished cry…
Only for the ball to hit the floor and the whistle to blow.
I opened my eyes to see the ball had harmlessly bounced a couple of inches away, not even close to her vicinity. A few players who hadn't noticed my arrival now turned to glance at me. Even a few of the teachers began to eye me, as though anticipating my next move.
"Holy crap! That was amazing!" The captain came over to congratulate me. All I saw was the other team get ready, though my eyes were glued to the person I nearly hit with that spike.
"More than that, you were wonderful!" Iroha took my hand and shook it. My eyes turned to see my hand as my breathing became stilted. Soon, the peach color of Iroha's hair became vibrant, as was the red on my hand…
"You were right, Kozaki, that kid has some hidden talent. Did you see that kill sho…" As I heard one of the teachers said that, I suddenly lost my hearing as well as any sense of color except one: red.
I could still tell that the person in front of me was Iroha, since I could see her bobcut hair and long locks, yet I couldn't hear what she said. There was a muffled shrill though, followed by subtle bangs.
I turned, expecting to see the gym… Instead, I saw an empty room with a few spotlights illuminating it and nothing but glass mirrors surrounding it. The six players in front of me… No… the girl I had worried about harming… She turned into a faceless blob at the end of that room. The muffles became louder and yet there was only one word that was clear in my head.
The moment I gagged; I could briefly hear the world outside this room…
"Come on! Go for the kill shot!" The teacher shouted. And yet, I couldn't comply.
I ran as the room broke apart. I didn't know where I was going, just that I put faith in my feet to take me to safety. The smell of a subtle dampness and overuse of chlorine acted as my salts to get me to recognize that this was the bathroom. I could see and hear again, yet I could still see only red.
"Jeez, think the kid got a case of aftershock?" The coach nudged Mr. Kozaki as one of the players approached the volleyball. Just as he was about to pick it up, the ball began to inflate at different points until the seams came apart and popped like a balloon, causing a small shriek to come from some of the students in the surrounding area.
"WOAH!" Other students, the captain included, commented. The loud pop caused the room to fall silent as most of the students were busy covering their ears.
Among them was a boy with greyish brown hair with red glasses. Though he too wore the standard gym uniform, he merely watched the match from the bleachers. A moment later, Iroha ran over to him.
"Hey, are you okay, Satoru?" Upon seeing Iroha, he gave a slight blush.
"Y-yeah. Just was a little spooked is all…" Satoru looked over to the others looking at the destroyed volleyball, causing Iroha to look that way as well. "Just… what was that? It couldn't have just popped like that…"
As the tattered remains of the volleyball fell, there were only two people who realized what was behind this sudden explosion. The first was Mr. Kozaki, who immediately ran in the direction that Jiro went…
The other was a man who watched the match from the sidelines with messy blonde hair, a trench coat over a white sleeveless shirt, jeans, and an eyepatch. Despite the rugged look, he seemed to be well into his early twenties if not younger. As soon as he saw Mr. Kozaki run off, he just smirked, flashing an odd set of sharp teeth.
"Got a pretty strong kid, huh, Natsume?" He said in Mr. Kozaki's direction, though he kept his voice to a mutter.
I approached the sink and began to wash up. At first, the sensation of water helped calm me almost instantly, and I would have spent easily a minute just relishing the cold flow over my skin...
Yet I saw an inky red residue leak from my fingers and pour down the drain... I knew this substance all too well and immediately reached for the soap. I lathered up so many times and rinsed, yet no matter what, that red liquid wouldn't stop seeping from my palms.
"Nononononono..." I kept examining my fingers to see where I missed as I began to hyperventilate. I scrubbed, and scrubbed, and scrubbed until...
"Jiro!" Mr. Kozaki pulled me away. I took a few moments to calm as I saw that the water had been clear. I looked at my palms... Clean all the way through... What's even better was that all color had been restored to my sight. My breathing, however, became erratic. It hurt my throat. "Jiro, did you hurt yourself?"
"N-no..." I fought against my own breath just to tell my landlord that. A moment later, I felt his palm brush over my head.
"That's enough for today... You did good, kid." I looked at Mr. Kozaki... The man had such a plain-looking face that it was hard to gauge his intent or even reaction. As such, I nearly flinched before he gently grasped my hand. "Come, let's head home."
"O... okay," I muttered as Mr. Kozaki led me home.
As we got home, Mr. Kozaki escorted me back to my unit, stepping aside to allow me to take out the key and unlock the door. I hovered over the doorknob for a bit before I turned to Mr. Kozaki.
"You're not… disappointed?" I muttered, turning to see he had taken out a cigarette. That said, he never once lit it.
"Not really. I had the idea you had some form of social anxiety, but… I didn't think it'd be that severe." He patted my back before I shook my head.
"It… It wasn't anxiety." I mumbled.
"I didn't say it was, I said it was some form." He took a moment before putting away his cigarette. "The students got a little spooked, but otherwise they have no idea what happened."
"But they'll figure it out eventually, and when they do…" I bit my lip.
"The average student isn't gonna figure out shit and if they do, the hell do you think they'll do?" Mr. Kozaki went over and gently observed my hand. While there wasn't any bleeding, there was a small tear in the skin right where the palm met the volleyball. "If anything, they're awestruck. Teachers, students, even the stray observer here and there, you've made the best first impression you could have made."
"Yeah, I demonstrated that I can make things explode with my palm…" I glowered.
"That's not what I mean. You showed them that you're strong, capable, and a team-player. Now when you get to class, they're gonna see you as…"
"A weapon." My words stopped whatever train of thought Mr. Kozaki had. He hesitated, as though mulling over what he wanted to say. "Sorry, I know you're trying to help and all, but… you saw what I did. This strength isn't meant to make friends… It's made to break them." I unlocked the door and opened it, deciding to shut myself from the world once more.
I watched her smile as the both of us knew this would be the last sunset she would ever see before…
"Jiro… It's time…" She looked to me. Despite the serene smile, she shed several tears. I looked to her and shed some of mine.
"I know… I'm… gonna miss you…" I said, placing the tips of my fingers on her chest, right where her heart was…
"Me too… I love you, Jiro…" She wasn't even bothering to watch, only staring at me in the eyes as I carefully lined up my fingers and soon, my entire hand. And then as I push my palm…
BLAM!
I suddenly wake up in a bloodstained hallway, a few people either cowering in fear or just dead. I could hear the sounds of punching and screaming coming from one end of the hall. Immediately, I ran towards it, but the end of the hall stretched boundlessly.
I tried to reach for it, but all I could feel was wet blood that spilled onto my hand and extended past my wrist.
"Lily! Lily!" I cried out for her, hoping she could hear me. Instead, I could see the hall be filled with more bodies and spider lilies to mark their graves. Suddenly, the end of the hall zoomed up to me and then…
SNAP!
I found myself in the volleyball court once more, though the floorboards were stained with a dark red finish. The volleyball having landed on the end of the court with a bloodstained hand and a heap of bodies. I stumbled back, only to be caught by Iroha.
"H-hey! Get away from me!" I told her, trying to step back.
"My, what big ears you have…" Iroha spoke in Lily's voice with a smile, her eyes an empty, vacant seaweed green. I began to shake my head.
"No… Please, stop!" I realized this was a nightmare, and yet I couldn't just manipulate it or snap out of it.
"What big eyes you have!" She instead approached me, extending her arms.
"Don't let me hurt you! Please!" I cried out to her.
"What big claws and teeth you have!" As she went to me, I clenched my eyes as I could only feel my arms and fists moving on their own, making the same palm that caused the volleyball to pop… That caused Lily's heart to…
"STOP!" I cried out.
I woke up in a cold sweat, tears streaming down my face. I wasn't allowed to let out a wail, and yet the image of Iroha approaching me would remain fresh in my mind, preventing me from getting up.
It took me roughly eleven minutes to convince myself that it was just a nightmare, but even so, I looked at my hands. The longer I stayed in this place, the more I'd get that nightmare… The more I'd remember my past.
So, I got dressed and headed out.
This was, surprisingly, my first actual tour through Animal Town. And, unfortunately, I didn't really have a general idea of where to go.
My apartment was close to the edge of town, being mainly for people who didn't have animals in the first place. As a result, it has a strict no pets policy to accommodate. It's compensated with low rent. Trouble was, it took a while to get from the edge to the main part of the town.
It did allow for me to take in some of what the outdoors had to offer, however. As I watched the collection of ducks, chickens, and cows from one side of the road at what seems to be a free-range barn, it brought me a bit of a smile to an otherwise bleak day.
By the time I actually got to the main part of the city, about ten minutes had passed. There, I came across a large shop… House? Whatever it was, the brand, Pretty Holic, seems to imply it was made mostly for women in mind. So not really my cup of tea. Besides, a casual glance from the windows gave me the impression, from the vacant shelves and packed up boxes, that it would be out of business had I not caught a few glimpses at someone unpacking them and carefully stocking the shelves.
Rather, it seemed to be two people, a mother and daughter telling from their hair and eye color. Though, my casual peeking had not gone unnoticed, as the mother spotted me. As soon as she was finished putting away a perfume, she turned to her daughter, said something I couldn't hear.
It had been a while since I could read lips, but given how the daughter looked at me, blushed, then ran off in a second flat, it might have been something akin to asking to say hi to me. I gave a sigh as the mother and I gave each other a glance before I took off.
As I was about to leave, I noticed a white cat look at me from one of the higher floors. I gave a wave to it before I noticed it turn to see someone and leap towards it. Given what I had saw prior, it's safe to assume it was the daughter's cat. I walked away, an otherwise random encounter that I might relay to Mr. Kozaki.
Though, I thought of something… It's often a sign of bad luck if a black cat were to cross my path, but what does it say about white cats?
My walk eventually stopped at what I could assume to be this town's landmark: a large stone, almost akin to a mirror with small bits of moss covering it. I didn't even need to guess what the name was as I looked at the sign to confirm that this was called the Mirror Stone. Though, that was the only thing I was able to read. The rest of the lettering was either faded or wasn't even a form of kanji.
The only thing that stood out was "wish"… So, my only assumption was that this was some sort of wishing stone?
I didn't believe in those sorts of tales… But… If that white cat glancing down at me was a sign, then…
I sighed. I shouldn't be putting a false hope on some tourist attraction. Besides, I came to Animal Town to fade away, not be one of its people. There shouldn't be a reason for me to think about what this stone can and can't do for me.
And yet, as I gripped my fist and as my memories of Lily came back to me, my words came rushing out.
"If you really grant wishes, then I wish you give me a reason to live today." I froze after I said that. Did… Did I just threaten a rock? I breathed a bit, tried to collect myself. I realized why I was so pensive today…
Today was the day I would…
"Oi!" I turned to see a man with messy blonde hair approach me. The eyepatch and trench coat immediately caused me to remember who he was.
"Ah, hey, Dai." I pushed away my thoughts for the time being as I greeted him.
"Been lookin' all over for ya. Can't exactly chop down those trees without you by my side." He gave me a jovial pat on the back followed by an awkward chuckle. We gave a look as we both knew he could do fine on his own.
Part of Mr. Kozaki's plan to make me be part of the city was to get me some work. He knew a guy and got me into the lumberjack trade. Figured it would give me a connection and some life skills not unlike how he tried to get me into volleyball.
"Come, there's still some daylight left." Dai pointed to his truck as I followed him.
For what it was worth, Dai wasn't that bad to hang out with as he simply minded his business, played his tunes, and let me chill by the window.
BANG! BANG!
The only thing that caused my eye to twitch was his arm out the window banging the side of the car in tune to the music and his vocalizations, though trying to tell him how his arm could suddenly get caught by a passing object and come off only fell on deaf ears.
His funeral, I guess.
"So, Jiro! Saw your big game today! Knocked their socks off!" After a while, he spoke up.
"You were there?" I mumbled.
"Heck yeah! You showed an amazing ability out there!" As he said that, I puffed my cheek.
"So, you saw what I did to that volleyball." I said.
"Of course. It's a fantastic technique ya pulled off." I couldn't resist the urge to grip my fists.
"It's dangerous is what it is…" I growled.
"Only if you think it to be…" We pulled up to our zone, a vast forest on Mount Miharashi. We got out of the truck as Dai got his equipment.
As paradoxical as it was to do some deforestation near a place literally called Animal Town, I looked over to the pathway surrounding the forest. Most of the trees we chopped down woulda grown too close.
"Hey, Jiro, over here!" Dai pointed over to a large tree, well within our required criteria of trees in our removal range. "Try doing that strike on the trunk…" I hesitated, as though it were the first time I even tried it.
Of course, as I subconsciously placed the tip of my middle finger at the slightest ridge of the wood, I knew that I had struck harder materials than oak…
WHAM!
Within five milliseconds, my entire palm collapsed into the bark of the tree, with an odd snap that could be heard only between me and Dai. Another second passed as there was a muffled pop, causing most of the tree's top to shift slightly off center. One… two… The seconds between my breaths was natural, as though counting the moments before…
Crrrrreeeeeee…
There we go. The tree began to fall over.
"T-TIMBER!" Dai shouted, not even sure how to react before he saw the true damage made onto the tree as it fell down. There was a large air bubble made right in the center, with several cracks surrounding it. As it landed with a quaking thud, Dai lost his footing and nearly fell before I picked him up. "H-holy shit!"
"Imagine that sort of force on a human." I wasn't even sure why I decided to say that out loud in front of Dai. To my surprise, he just chuckled.
"Yeah, that's the kinda strength we want." Dai said.
"… We?" I turned to ask him, though, I then realized…
He and Mr. Kozaki knew each other… And they knew what I'm capable of…
"I knew it…" I stood firm and glared at Dai. "You're just using me…"
"Woah, woah, woah, hold up! I'm trying to make a point here!" As Dai said that, I just stomped towards him.
"The point is that this 'strength' is too dangerous to be kept around! Today it's a volleyball, tomorrow it'll be some trees. That's how it always begins… Eventually, when I'm nice and comfortable with you… You'll just casually tell me to get rid of someone annoying in your way or a rival contractor… And before I know it… I'm a pawn…" I prepared my fist, not sure what will happen next…
"… Is that why you want a reason to live?" Dai asked me. Immediately, my fist eased up. "You keep insisting that your strength is dangerous, yet I just showed you an application of it that doesn't hurt anyone." On cue, a couple of squirrels scurried away from the felled tree, though, they soon stopped and looked at a certain direction. "Relatively anyone…" Dai raised an eyebrow as we both noticed the squirrels tense up and chitter aggressively in a direction pointing away from the mountain, directly into Animal Town.
"And how much longer before it does?" I asked him, trying to elevate my voice to overpower the squirrels' chittering. I was half tempted to see what they were so territorial over.
"Then…" We soon heard the noise of a loud animal off at the distance. Dai took out a monocular and looked at where the sound came from, coincidentally in the same direction that the squirrels were looking at. Though, noticing him closely, the timing between the roar and him finding where it came from seemed rather short. "… I think I just found your opportunity…"
"Opportunity?" I asked him.
"Come on, let's ride!" He ran off as I immediately chased after him.
"Mind telling me what's going on!?" I shouted at him as we drove down, barreling at almost ten percent past the speed limit.
"You remember about a couple of years ago when those androids started freaking out or when some dude with a god complex came out of a book?" Dai asked me.
"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked him.
"Come on! You at least gotta remember the DGP or even when the government made you take the Stamp!" As Dai looked over to me and saw my blank face, he shook his head and bobbed it to the back. "Oh for… Just grab the briefcase." I turned to see that, indeed, there was a briefcase sliding in the back of the truck.
After waiting a bit, I snatched the briefcase and pulled it onto my lap, briefly looking at the label embossed on the top, depicting an egg with two dinosaur feet poking out and two beady eyes looking at me. This egg creature sat in the middle of a G, which in of itself was in the middle of a word.
"Egg?" I asked, looking at the name.
"Nah, E.G.G. Earth's Global Guardians." Dai paused a bit before chuckling. "Name's a work in progress but…" As he continued to speak about whatever the hell this EGG group is, I opened the briefcase. Inside was a bulky belt and, resting in the middle, a purple metallic egg with what I believed had some sort of silver paint on it.
"No, it's Egg." I pulled out the egg to show him.
"H-hey! Be careful with that! We lose that and we lose our chance!" Dai pointed to me, not even paying attention to the road as I had to grab the wheel to ensure we got off the ramp and onto the main road.
"Our chance for what!? You're asking me these weird questions, there's this whole egg thing going on and-" Dai swerved, cutting me off from explaining more as he grabbed the egg from my hands.
"Alright, aright, the quick and dirty version. Those incidents involved heroes known as Kamen Riders and with this egg and that belt, you can become one too!" Dai smirked.
"Why me specifically?" I asked him.
"Because this would be a great way to put your strength into something that saves people." Dai said.
"… I see how it is…" With that, I looked at the belt and without any hesitation just asked… "I know how you're going to word it, and it's not gonna work."
"Excuse me?" Dai asked.
"A thousand people can be saved, but only if this one person has to die. That's what you're gonna tell me, right?" I took out the belt to observe it. A large metal three-prong claw, almost like a raptor's, was the centerpiece of the belt, yet I can see the small seam that suggests it can be split in two. The size as well also suggests that the egg could be held.
"Uh… Not really the kind of thing I'd say but…" Dai suddenly stopped his truck as we heard a tree fell, something we were quite accustomed to. "It's close." Dai grabbed the belt before getting out.
"Where are you going!?" I shouted as I hopped out of the truck.
I ran after Dai before he came to a stop, just as I did. We were at a park that some of its playground destroyed, with a thick purple miasma strewn about the area. The two of us were drawn to two different things despite them being in close proximity.
While I easily saw the large purple furred ram sporting a metal mask and blood red horns, my eyes turned more towards the girl it was menacing; a young girl with peach-colored hair and lime-colored eyes.
"Iroha…" I muttered as Dai came forward.
"Jiro, I'm gonna show you the ropes." Dai said before turning his attention to the ram. "OI! Gekijyu!" Dai called it out, causing the ram to focus at Dai.
"Garu…" The ram growled.
"Iroha! Get to safety!" I said to her.
"Y-you're that kid from the volleyball game!" Iroha said, though she didn't seem to move in the slightest.
"Shit…" I muttered.
"Watch closely, Jiro, I'm about to show you how to beat a monster!" Dai slapped the belt on his waist, activating it.
GARUDRIVER!
"The trick is to make it quick…" Dai took out the egg and tapped it against the topmost claw.
OVI-KRACK!
The egg suddenly lit up as the silver turned bright red, with the shell popping up to reveal that it too can be split in two. All the while, the ram, supposedly the Gekijyu, moved towards Dai.
"GARUGARUUUU!" It roared and charged at Dai. Dai cocked a grin, as though he anticipated this. He positioned his wrists so that they overlapped each other while he gave out devil horns.
"HEN-"
WHAM!
The Gekijyu rammed right into Dai's ribs, knocking him right into a tree and causing a loud crack. At first, I feared it was his spine, only to see the tree collapse behind him as he landed on his stomach. I turned to see Iroha, then, praying that the Gekijyu was distracted by Dai, I ran over to him.
"Dai! Are you okay!?" I saw the belt and egg were right next to him, still active.
"Ugggh… That thing packs a punch…" Dai struggled to get up, only to cough up some blood.
"Crap…" I looked to see that the Gekijyu had now focused on Iroha. "Craaap…" I winced.
"Heh… Looks like the commander was right… Taking them on now… was only gonna get us killed…" The moment Dai said that, all color faded save for four things…
The peach of Iroha's hair…
The horns and eyes of the Gekijyu…
The blood from Dai's lips…
And the red lights glowing from the egg…
"Kill… Why do you use that so… casually?" I muttered before taking the belt and putting it on my waist.
"W-what?" Dai asked as I picked up the egg.
"You and the landlord… Both underestimated something 'bout me: you assumed that I'm so passive that I wouldn't even hurt a fly…" I turned around and glared at the Gekijyu.
Immediately, Dai, the Gekijyu, even Iroha all felt as though their hearts had stopped beating. And yet, only Dai knew what this feeling truly was as I walked forward to confront the Gekijyu.
"Wait… I… I thought that only existed in manga and anime… Did you just… reveal your killing intent!?" Dai asked me.
"A thousand people will be saved if I killed this monster, right? Then…" I muttered. As I thought back to Lily at the beach, the bloodstained hands, the dream, I knew this would be just one more job… One more kill before…
"J-jiro…" Iroha looked at me, trembling as she wasn't even sure what was going on. There was a silence so quiet, the only noise that could be heard was a small dog's barking, something that Iroha turned her attention to.
"… Don't worry, Iroha…" I gave a faint smile before shedding a tear. "This will all be over soon…" After today, I won't ever see her again. "Dai, you watch closely now… This is how an assassin gets the job done…"
"W-what… An…" Iroha muttered, with Dai completing her thought.
"An assassin?" As he said that, I could hear the Gekijyu groan.
"And you…" I turned to the ram. "Take being my final target with pride…" With both Dai and Iroha having snapped out of their fear-driven stupors, it was only a matter of time before the Gekijyu could as well, so I had to act fast.
I opened up the claw and plugged the egg inside, a loud crunch being made. As a rhythmic growl came from the belt, I didn't even dignify this with an announcement, as just as the Gekijyu was about to shake itself off, I tapped the top of the belt.
HATCH-ING!
The egg split in two, revealing a small wide LED screen of a tiny raptor running. I soon saw two large aural egg shells appear on each of my side before they came together, encasing me.
PRIME! ORDEAL!
I could feel my arms and head pull into my body as my chest began to swell. Before I could freak out that I was trapped inside, the egg began to crack open. The raptor on the LED screen soon changed into a blob of pixels and then into a humanoid warrior.
PRIMORDIAL!
As I felt my body explode, so too did the egg. Thankfully, I was intact as I found myself having donned a sleek metallic purple suit of armor. Large red compound eyes in the shape of a lizard lit up to the tune of a roar. At the same time, I felt small spikes coming out of my back. I looked at my hands and saw silver bracelets, like some sort of punk rock aesthetic.
"Good weapons…" I glanced at the hot pink claws I had before looking at my prey… "Begin hunt…" I clashed my claws against each other. On cue, the Gekijyu rushed over to me as I stood firm in a fighting stance.
I dashed towards it. Despite having the claws, I pressed my palm forward, aiming right for the top of its skull just as it would hit me. Slapping against the skull, I could feel the momentum from the ram completely stop, even creating enough of a push that it caused the ground beneath us to give way.
The ram stumbled back, shaking its head as I stepped back. It wasn't yielding despite all the force I placed into that palm strike…
"Too big for hands…" The thoughts I had wanted to convey couldn't be expressed. As though the parts that needed to think, to process were all… missing. No.
As though they were hidden away.
And yet, I was still thinking about how to fight this monster… Rather… What my first instinct is in beating it, especially as it tried to crush me with its hooves.
"Claws will do!" I struck, cutting into the ram's fur, though not enough to cut into its skin. "You tough…" I growled, slipping through the hooves while I continued to cut through the fur. If I could cut through enough fur, I could find a means to access its chest. Once I do, I might be able to strike the chest and end it once and for all…
"GARUGARUUUUU!" I didn't see its hindlegs for a second as they struck me, followed closely by its forelegs kicking me up from the small crater. I landed onto the ground on my claws as they dug into the dirt. The ram then leaped up and was about to charge head first into me…
My head began to fire off…
Fight back! Fight back!
But I'm gonna die! It's going to crush me!
Fight! Fight! Don't give it a chance!
It's not letting me though!
Go for the eyes… Go for the eyes!
Without any other thought, I readied myself and aimed for its head once more. Its silvery mask might be a detriment to my last-second plan, but my racing heart and pounding head weren't gonna let me take an alternative.
"GARUUUU!" As the ram charged closer, I gave a roar of my own.
"GARUDEEE!" But before I can move, a large paw-shaped balloon appeared, seemingly cushioning the monster and bouncing it back. "Garu…de?"
"Thank you…" I soon noticed someone landing as she turned to greet me. It was odd to describe her, but from the pink dress and hair, as well as the tiny crown, my best guess was some sort of princess. Though, that comparison might be based off the game that Mr. Kozaki wanted me to play.
"For?" I asked her, though I trembled, not even sure if she's a friend or foe.
"Protecting Iroha for me until I arrived…" She gave a smile before confronting the Gekijyu. "You two though… Why are you both being Garugaru!?"
I wasn't sure what she meant, but… I did just scream out the same sound that the Gekijyu made…
"If you two don't listen, you won't get a treat!"
"No pet!" I coughed up those words immediately. I wasn't even sure who she was and already, she's giving me orders? I thought Dai was my supervisor for this… I'd ask him, but as I turned to see him, he was unconscious.
"Garugaru!" The Gekijyu, or, I guess the Garugaru, growled before it rushed over to me and the princess. While she jumped over the ram, it was clearly not stopping. I charged at it and chopped away.
"GARUDE!" I felt my claws cutting into the wool, bits of the dark purple cotton flying away, yet still no real blood being drawn.
"You two, stop fighting!" The princess shouted at us as she landed.
"Monster attack people! I beat monster!" I growled at her as I pointed towards the ram, just as it proceeded to charge at us once more. Each pass was the same, a jump from the princess, a cut from me, and a follow up scolding. I'd have half a mind to scold her back, but aside from my innermost thoughts, more than half my mind was already focused into taking the Gekijyu out.
That and, admittedly, I was getting rather tired, though, so too did the ram… There was an old saying from my mentor though…
"Humans have a massive advantage over animals when they hunt. Can you guess why?"
I remembered my feet, blistered and aching from the five hours we had climbing up the Himalayas.
"It's because compared to them, humans have boundless stamina. It is never a matter of if the human can catch their prey, but when."
That was the situation I saw before me, and once I realized my kill was within my grasp, I could feel the spines on my back begin to shake back and forth. I gazed at the monster…
"Ga… Ga…" I coughed on my own voice before I shouted out a new cry: "GIGIIIIIII!" I began to race towards the Gekijyu just as I watched its angered eyes shrink.
Just what I wanted.
"Waiiiiit!" The Princess shouted as she ran after the ram. I chased after it as well…
"W-wait… T-they're fast… Jiro, was… Was that really you?" Iroha asked, though Jiro was long gone.
"Heh," Dai mustered his strength and got up, "yeah… That… was Jiro's true voice." He smirked, eying the torn wool that laid about the destroyed park. Iroha saw it too and cupped her mouth to muffle her gasp.
She could only hope that other person, the pink-haired princess who seemed to know who she was, could keep him in check…
I ran after the Gekijyu and already, I felt my speed had increased twofold, though it would be more accurate to say that it was my stride that had increased twofold, as one sprint easily covered ten feet of movement.
Yet, I was dead last, only closing in on the Princess.
"Hehe! This is a race!" She declared. In a way, it was. I had no idea what her intentions were with this beast, but it was clear that we were both against it. Whether she intended to kill it herself was none of my concern. So long as it's out of the picture, that's fine by me.
SLAM!
The sound of smashed metal fences had us close in on where the Gekijyu was. My mentor was right… By the time we caught up, it was already fatigued and the small imprint left by a chain link fence didn't help. Perhaps my earlier palm strike could go off now and give it a concussion?
"Garugaru…" The ram's body began to emit purple energy… This ki… was something I was all too familiar with.
"I take him down." I said to the Princess as I approached, my body emitting this purple ki too. If I remembered how it worked, it got stronger the more negative emotions like fear and despair you absorb. Given the commotion earlier, it seemed to have drawn that from the victims at the park. I only have my own despair to draw from, and I doubt that counts.
Still, I need to put it out of its misery.
"Confrontation Beast Japanese Wolf Fist… Ringi…" I growled out the name of the technique as I pressed my fingers into my palm, readying my palm strike…
"Wait…" The Princess held her hand in front of me. "I think… It's in pain."
"Garu…" It seemed to confirm her theory.
"Must… put it… down…" I told her. She winced before shaking her head.
"There's no need for that." She reassured me with a smile before walking up to the Garugaru and proceeded to… hug it?
What are you doing?! You're gonna get yourself killed!
I wanted to say those words and yet they never came out of me. I felt myself wanting to race over there with all my speed… and yet… Why can't I move my legs?
That's when I remembered…
Dai…
He's still hurt badly…
I just went in and thought I'd be able to take care of this. But… Dai had been training for this and I only found out about this belt today! I don't know how it works or how to fight! Not only am I putting his life at risk, but if I'm not too careful, this princess might get hurt too!
But… if I can't fight… then… she might…
I soon saw Iroha catch up to us… Wait. What was she doing!?
Shit! She's gonna get herself killed too!
Kill…
Kill…
Kill…
That word repeated in my head nonstop as I remembered the dream I had play over and over… The hands stained with blood that I couldn't wash away… The fact that after today, the weapon that was me would cease to exist…
As I hesitated, I noticed the ram begin to glow white and seemingly fall limp. Did… Did it die? What just happened? I wasn't paying attention. Was the princess okay?
As I was thinking this, purplish black spores flowed from the ram's corpse and over into the GaruDriver, which had the LED display change to a lizard's face. It began to play an animation of the lizard eating before ending on it spitting something out, which the GaruDriver did for real. This one was slightly larger than the purple egg, but was silver with its highlights being yellow.
Thankfully, I saw the princess was perfectly fine…
Before she turned her attention to me.
"As for you…" She then approached me…
H-hold on… Damn it! Why can't I move!?
"You're trembling… You'll feel better if I do this…" The moment she told me that, I could feel myself nod. She came closer.
"Don't come any closer! Please!" My mind was just screaming whatever it wanted, without any filtering to a broken caveman-like structure. My mind was soon filled with the image of me attacking her, not unlike what happened with Lily.
I don't know why this was the case… But…
The moment I felt her wrap her arms around me… That all stopped. Everything became clear.
"Don't be frightened. I want to be your friend!" Once she pressed her head against my body, my metallic armor glowed a bright pink, and then the same white that the ram had.
"I… I can't be friends with you… I'll just hurt you… I'm just a monster… This world would be better off if I just disappeared." I growled…
"No, you're not, and you won't hurt me. We'll play games and have fun together… And this world… is already wonderful with you in it!" As she held me tighter, I began to shed tears.
Suddenly, my armor came apart in the same purple cloud of particles that the Garugaru had. She continued to hold me for just a bit longer as I blushed. She then pulled away and gave a smile.
"See? You're now you!" She said as I saw into her shiny purple-pink eyes.
"What just…" I muttered before I looked around and saw that the damage the Garugaru caused suddenly… vanished, along with the purple miasma. Just as I was about to ask the girl if she had any idea what happened, suddenly she glowed too, exploding into a different girl entirely. This time she was a brunette with a ponytail and a large pink hoodie. The only similarity was that they had the same small pouch with a colorful bow.
"Oh, Iroha!" She then just turned her attention to Iroha, who had just caught up with us, and began to explain the situation to her. So… I'm guessing this was just Iroha's friend that I didn't meet? Was she some sort of princess incognito? Or is she just disguising herself as a princess? Which was her true form?
I didn't want to overload myself with too many questions that I wouldn't be getting the answers to, so I went to inspect what became of the… I guess it's a Garugaru…
In its place was some sort of… weird sheep doll thing?
What the hell is going-
"ALL TOO WONDERFUL!?" Iroha shouted, taking the words right out of my mouth.
As I turned to see Iroha and the other girl, I also saw Dai limping.
"DAI!" I ran over to him and inspected him.
"Jiro! That was incredibly risky!" Dai glared at me.
"I… didn't know what to do…" I muttered.
"But… You managed to pull off your first henshin! Nice!" Dai patted me on the shoulder with a cocky smile. "And even beat a Gekijyu."
Yeah, Garugaru rolls off the tongue better.
"W-well, I didn't…" Before I tried to get Dai to talk with the two girls, he pulled me over.
"Let's hop over to your place and celebrate! There's some jam on toast with your name on it!" He said. I turned to see Iroha being hugged by her friend… In the exact same manner that I was hugged.
I turned back and looked forward, yet I felt a burning on my face…
"Huh? Hey, you okay? You're looking kinda red." Dai asked me.
"What? Uh…" Was it perhaps a side effect of using the GaruDriver?
"Yeah, this calls for the best toast ever!" Dai then picked me up and carried me over his shoulders. Whenever I felt this, I always felt a sort of rush of excitement… And yet…
There was still so much emptiness inside…
"For the last time, Daisuke, you can't just throw together all my spreads and call it 'super toast'!" Mr. Kozaki said to Dai as I sat on the couch at my place.
"Heeey, we're celebrating with the greatest bread the world has ever seen! No need to get all mad at us!" Dai chuckled.
"Peanut butter and jelly I get, but adding vegemite and Nutella!?" As the two bickered, I looked at a calendar that I had stuffed in the closet of my bedroom. Most of the bottom half of the calendar was torn off, with the final, legible date, today, being circled several times.
"And this world… is already wonderful with you in it!" I still remembered that princess' words to me… Her hug… Her eyes… Her voice…
"Hey, Dai… If I continue working with you, would I see her again?" I asked.
"Uuuh… Who?" Dai asked me… It seemed like I was the only one who actually saw her. Iroha might not even know her friend has this sort of double life.
"Never mind~" I dreamily spoke out as I went and threw the calendar out the window.
"E-eh!?" Mr. Kozaki suddenly ran off to see what I just threw. "Hey! What did I say about tossing stuff off the third story!?" As he looked at me, he paused. "W-wait, Jiro…" He noticed that, for the first time in a while, perhaps the first time since I even moved into his complex…
I was genuinely smiling.
"Hey, Mr. Kozaki… I think I'll stay here a little while longer." I said.
"What?" Mr. Kozaki raised an eyebrow as now it was Dai that paused, dropping a bread slice ever so precisely onto the other slice, completing his 'super toast'. As I looked to the setting sun, my thoughts were clearer than ever.
You have one year to prove that to me, princess.
In a lab that only a few dimly lit computers kept illuminated, a scientist observed the battle footage of the newly awoken Kamen Rider that was recorded via security footage from the park. They took a pause to observe the supposed princess and her contribution to the fight, though, otherwise paid no mind. Not when something much more interesting caught their attention.
As they noted Jiro's palm strikes, they paused the footage and rewound it back to when he glared at the Gekijyu. Upon pausing it, the scientist chuckled.
"How appropriate…" The scientist hid their face behind a fox mask, the glowing yellow eyes and garbled voice were enough indicators that it was higher tech than a traditional fox mask seen at festivals. "The one who stands in the way of the Gekijyu…" They soon typed away on a keyboard, causing the video's color to be desaturated.
Desaturated, save for a dark purple aura surrounding Jiro that took the form of a Japanese wolf.
"Just so happens to be its rival… Rinjyuken."