Chapter 3: A Sister's Concern
Yuuki was just in the shopping district, alone, getting a book from the local bookstore when all of a sudden panic erupted. He ran out of the store to see a dozen black flying demons that looked like human skeletons but with horns and wings, dropping down from the sky and attacking innocent people.
Yuuki's eyes narrowed. Before he would've run, but not anymore. He ran the opposite direction as the fleeing crowd with the Vortex Driver fastened around his waist. With a cry of, "Henshin!" he slipped the card in and reset the buckle.
"MASKED RIDE: VORTEX!"
The ten images overlapped his body and enveloped him in his armor before he continued charging. Suddenly, his Machine Vortexer had sped up alongside him and with a hop he quickly mounted the vehicle and rode towards the source of trouble.
His training with Ryuji had taught him a lot about combat. First he had to assess the situation and then…ATTACK!
Vortex leapt off his bike, removed the Vortex Book from his belt and quickly converted it to Sword Mode. In midair, he performed a downward slash and sliced a Horror in half. Black blood splattered on his armor and the ground but he ignored it as he started to attack the demons that shifted their attention from the civilians and to him instead. Horrors like these weren't very strong and relied mostly on their numbers to overwhelm their targets. He ducked under a swing and ran a Horror through before kicking it off his blade and then spinning around to slice off a Horror's head. The dead Horrors faded away upon defeat, leaving no bodies, which suited him just fine. Looking at their dead and rotting carcasses would just throw Vortex off.
With a flick of his wrist, the Vortex Book converted into Gun Mode and he started shooting at the Horrors. One Horror perished after several holes were shot into its head and it fell to the ground in a crumpled heap. The remaining Horrors then grouped together and attacked. Vortex now knew it was time for his finisher.
He opened up the Vortex Book and then swiftly drew out a card before he clipped the Book it to his belt. The card had a glowing golden version of his emblem over a sapphire background. He pulled the handles, which caused the buckle to twist upwards. Vortex tossed the card into his belt buckle and pushed the handles, resetting the buckle thus activating the card.
"FINAL ATTACK RIDE: V-V-V-VORTEX!" the belt called out. Vortex leapt backwards as several large holographic projections of the card he'd just activated lined up in front of him between the Horrors and himself. When he landed, he leapt into the air as the cards followed, forming a descending diagonal path for Vortex to follow as he performed a flying kick. He then flew through the projections, one by one, gaining power and once he passed through the last card, a digital ring of golden energy surrounded his foot.
"VORTEX KICK!!!" Vortex called out as he smashed his foot into one of the Horrors which then tossed it backwards into its kin. The attack caused a chain reaction. When the one he'd jut exploded, the rest exploded with it since it'd crashed backwards into them.
Vortex landed and admired his work. He then suddenly heard cheers and applause as cameras started clicking and flashing. His picture was being taken.
He then heard the sound of police sirens. Knowing that it would be bad if they tried to question him, Vortex quickly got on his bike and rode away before the cops got there.
"This brings back memories," muttered Ryuji as he saw the students crowding around the message board which had the first page of the day's paper. On it was a picture of Vortex with the caption, "A NEW KAMEN RIDER? WHO IS HE?" printed above it.
"Gotta admit it," Ryuji huffed. "This rookie does nice work."
"He even did it as Vortex," Kotonoha commented. "That's something to be proud of."
"I guess," Ryuji shrugged.
Vortex had officially made his first public appearance the previous day. Also, Miyako had phoned Ryuji, demanding details on the newest Rider on the block. He told her to come and visit if she wanted answers since he didn't want to give them over the phone due to security reasons. You never knew who was listening in on a private conversation. He did give her the Rider's name to use for her article. Soon, the Sakakino Star Magazine was going to have an article of the newest Rider on the block, Kamen Rider Vortex.
Since their first meeting, Miyako had been a great help in setting up good PR for the Kamen Riders. Though there were people who still considered the Riders unlawful vigilantes, the Riders did receive a lot of support from the majority of the people who saw them as true heroes for protecting them from the monsters. Vortex was going to be gaining the same attention as he was one of them too.
Meanwhile, Yuuki was basking in the attention that several students were showering over Vortex. Apparently, someone was hiding out in the area and had gotten pictures of the fight. Several pics of Vortex taking down Horrors were there and everyone was gasping over them. The best shot was of the Vortex Kick which took down the final group of Horrors.
"Wow! Another Rider!"
"You think this one will stay?"
"I hope so! This one looks the coolest!"
"Wonder what his abilities are?"
Yuuki couldn't help but grin. This was what made being a Rider such a cool thing. People loved your alter-ego and you saved many lives in the process.
Ryuji was a little worried that Yuuki might let this attention get to his head so he went to check up on his young protégé. As expected, Yuuki was smiling when people couldn't stop talking about Vortex but then his smile faded when he saw Ryuji coming into his class. Upon seeing him, the other students gave way to Ryuji.
"Ashikaga, come with me," said Ryuji as he gestured towards the hallway with his head.
"Hai, Hasuma-san," replied Yuuki before he got up and followed him out.
Out in the hallway, Ryuji spoke to Yuuki, "So, do you like being in the limelight?"
"Well…" Yuuki began, rubbing the back of his head with a blush on his face, "It's a new feeling I'm trying to get used to. I've never been admired before.
Ryuji corrected, "They admire your alter-ego, not you, so don't let it get to your head, Rookie."
"Hai, sempai," nodded Yuuki. Ryuji had told him that he had no interest in fame and fortune and Yuuki had to accept his reasons. This job was about protecting people, not the rewards. The rewards were just a bonus.
"Remember, we've got training later after you're done in the library," reminded Ryuji. "See ya then, Rookie." He then walked off, leaving Yuuki in the hallway. The bespectacled boy then returned to his classroom.
For the past several weeks, Chie noticed some changes in her younger brother's behavior. Not only that, he also started to hang out more with Ryuji and his friends. Chie, at first, thought of Ryuji as a delinquent but when she got to know Kat, she found out that Ryuji wasn't as bad as he was painted out to be. He was just misunderstood.
When Ryuji first started schooling here, he scared a lot of people. Even the upperclassmen were intimidated by him. The only friends he had were the other transfers who'd transferred out of the school but left Ryuji to stay. She wondered where they'd gone to.
Also, Ryuji was dating Kotonoha Katsura, who was quite popular in school. She was beautiful and intelligent but she wasn't popular in her first year. But, since dating Ryuji, she became confident and attracted A LOT of male attention. The KLLA just seemed so larger than life, like something from a ridiculous manga. But, they also tried to attack Ryuji and outnumber him. Chie had seen it many times and still couldn't believe Ryuji himself could defeat that many assailants without breaking a sweat.
Then, more people showed up. Warren, who'd posed as a student was revealed to be married (to Rachel), with kids (Alex and Tessa), and had a mistress (Teresa). But he was still a respected member of the faculty, teaching both World History and Japanese History. Though his lifestyle was questionable, but since neither his wife nor mistress minded, nobody else did. Of course, there were a few members of faculty who didn't approve of his lifestyle but they couldn't really make a complaint. He never did anything wrong as far as she saw and was a capable teacher and educator.
Next were Kenzaki Tsukuba, Neko and Kat Hasuma. One was just as scary as Ryuji and the other two were Ryuji's sisters, but both were drastically different despite their similar appearance.
Those were among the people who'd come to attend Sakakino High as a student or teacher.
Yuuki was also changing. At first he got pushed around but always ended up getting saved by his friend Kyouchi. Now, he got saved by Ryuji whose gaze got the bullies to back off. She was grateful for that, but she also wondered why he was protecting Yuuki when they weren't even friends.
Then, he would always come back late and looked hurt, but he never told her why. She suspected Ryuji was somehow responsible but Yuuki wasn't talking.
She wasn't the only one worried. Roka was too. She liked Yuuki. He was kind, honest and sincere, but those traits were being threatened by his continuous interaction with Ryuji Hasuma. This had to stop. She wanted her brother back and didn't want him corrupted by Ryuji. She didn't want her little brother ending up in fights because of Ryuji.
One day, after school, she spied on the two. They were standing at the gate of the school. She herself had hid behind a tree and watched. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she could still see them.
Ryuji spoke, "Alright, Newb, let's go."
"Hai, sempai," obeyed Yuuki. Ryuji would never get tired of that.
Ryuji whipped out his Dyno Belt and slung it around his waist to fasten it on. As for Yuuki, he took out the Vortex Driver and placed it on his waist, allowing the belt strap to wrap around and then secure it onto him. He had a card held between his index finger and thumb. In Ryuji's hand was the Dyno Pass.
Ryuji pressed the black button on his belt, allowing it to release a roar, as Vortex pulled the handles on the sides of the buckle and the buckle twisted upwards 90 degrees clockwise.
"Henshin!" Ryuji and Yuuki called.
Chie continued to watch in shock as the two boys transformed.
"SABRE FORM!"
"MASKED RIDE: VORTEX!"
Right before her eyes her brother and Ryuji turned into the armored warriors known as Kamen Riders.
"No…no way!" she gasped.
"Let's ride," said Ifrit as his Machine Dyno-Breaker sped up in front of him, followed by the Machine Vortexer. They both mounted their vehicles and sped off. Chie ran to the gate and watched them both speed away.
"Yuuki and I are going to have a long talk about this," she swore to herself.
The two Riders arrived at the Stasis Field, which looked like a big red dome to them. It went unnoticed by normal people but they were anything but normal. They picked up speed and dashed through the barrier. Everything inside, as usual, was bathed in red light and frozen in time. Already, many people had perished and erased from existence, but now their mission was to make sure the Horrors couldn't continue.
Ifrit leapt off his bike and flung himself into the air. His hands were engulfed in blue flames that then shot into the air like meteors. Each fireball exploded against a Horror and hey became frozen solid.
Vortex himself was speeding across the ground, shooting at the Horrors with his Vortex Book in Gun Mode. In this mode the black handle under the book-like object was pulled back, making it form a right angle with the diagonal stripe that ran across the Book's cover, to become a gun's grip and the nozzle at the end of the spine became a gun barrel.
Vortex then drew a card and slid it into his belt buckle before resetting it.
"ATTACK RIDE: BLAST!"
Taking aim, Vortex fired multiple shots as the Vortex Book gained rapid fire capabilities, bombarding each of the Horrors with shots from his gun.
With their combined power, both Riders were able to defeat the Horrors, but then there was still one thing they had to take care of. Only Nytemares could create Stasis Fields and if the Stasis Field was still up, so was the Nytemare.
Suddenly, several black spikes shot out from the ground under Vortex and threw him and the bike through the air. The bike skidded across the ground as Vortex tumbled along the ground.
"Found it!" Vortex called.
The Nytemare exploded out of the ground. It was a humanoid with spikes covering its entire body and beady red eyes. It then fired the spikes at Vortex who dodge rolled out of the way.
"Hyah!!!" Ifrit cried out as he charged with the Liner Cross-Rod. He swung his weapon at the Nytemare who blocked with its arms. It then struck its spike covered fists against Ifrit's chest and sent him staggering backwards.
"Sempai!" Vortex cried. He then got out a card and his belt buckle twisted upwards. He slid the card in and pushed the handles to reset his belt buckle.
"MASKED RIDE: ONI!"
Violet flames engulfed his entire body and when they dispersed he was in the form of Kamen Rider Oni. Reaching behind his back, he removed the Drum Clubs named Hibiki from the back of his belt and gripped them tightly. He then charged at the Nytemare and smashed the clubs against it.
Ifrit himself watched as his junior fought. He had to admit that Yuuki was doing well for someone who'd become a Rider not too long ago.
"ATTACK RIDE: HIBIKI FIRE!"
The tops of the Drum Clubs became covered in flames and he hurled them into the Nytemare and they exploded on contact, sending the Nytemare reeling.
Vortex then smashed his foot into the spike covered Nytemare and then twirled both clubs around. His belt buckle twisted up and ejected the card as it shot out of it. His body became covered in digital pixels and he was restored into his original Kamen Rider form. This gave the Nytemare enough time to perform a counter attack. Several spikes flew into Vortex and sparks exploded off his body.
Now it was time for Ifrit to act. He slipped his Dyno Pass into the Liner Cross-Rod's chamber and then closed it.
"FULL POWER CHARGE!"
With a loud shout, Ifrit rushed at the Nytemare and slashed its body through. The Vortex then picked up the Vortex Book and converted it to Sword Mode by pulling the black handle upwards until it was parallel with the black stripe which ran across the book's surface, causing a blade to fold out from the other end.
Vortex quickly slid a card into his belt buckle and reset it.
"ATTACK RIDE: SLASH!"
The energy from the belt charged up his sword. He then leapt up and performed a downward slash with the weapon. The Nytemare howled out in pain and Vortex watched as it struggled to keep itself together. He reconverted the Vortex Book back into Book Mode and clipped it to his belt.
"Oi, Rookie!" called out Ifrit. "Finish it!"
"Hai, sempai!" replied Vortex as he got out a new card which depicted his symbol, but in gold in front of a shining sapphire and gold background. He then twisted the buckle up and slipped in the card before pushing the handles to reset the buckle.
"FINAL ATTACK RIDE: V-V-V-VORTEX!"
At the sound of the command, several larger golden holographic projections of the card lined up in front of Vortex and set themselves between himself and the weakened/injured Nytemare in a straight line. Then, Vortex jumped up with the cards rising up to form a downward path straight towards the monster. Vortex performed a flying kick, flying through each projection as his started to glow brighter and brighter with each card he passed through. When he passed through the final hologram, his extended foot had a ring of digital energy wrapped around it. Said foot slammed into the Nytemare and sent it flying and it smashed into a wall.
With a cry of anguish, the Nytemare exploded and with its destruction the Stasis Field began to vanish, fixing all the damage caused by the battle. Unfortunately, those who'd perished within the Stasis Field were gone from existence forever.
Ifrit and Vortex then sped away on their bikes. The new Rider was heading home. He needed to lie down for a bit.
When Yuuki entered his house, he saw his sister standing at the entrance with a hard expression and her arms crossed.
"Oh, sorry I'm late," Yuuki apologized. "I was just…studying at a friend's house."
"Oh, really?" remarked Chie. "Which friend?"
"Oh, a friend from school," added Yuuki lamely.
"Would this friend be Ryuji Hasuma?" questioned Chie. Yuuki's eyes widened behind his glasses.
"Well, yes…he had some trouble with-"
"Fighting a monster," Chie finished.
"Fighting a monster?" Yuuki weakly chuckled. "Are you kidding, Nee-san? Why would he do something like that? It's not like he's a superhero or something." Yuuki then quickly slapped his hand over his mouth. He was blabbing.
"Oh, I know he is a superhero," said Chie. Yuuki began to sweat. "And so are you…Kamen Rider Vortex."
Now Yuuki was in trouble. His mind reeled at the accusation. How did she find out? How could she find out? Yuuki knew he was busted, but he wasn't allowed to tell anyone! He had to cover this up somehow.
"H-huh?!" Yuuki gaped. "Me? Vortex? Come on Nee-san! That's crazy!"
"Oh? You know what's crazy?" Chie frowned, tears beginning to show in her eyes. "I thought my little brother would be honest with me. The one who I love so much and who I've looked out for during these years. My own little brother who is LYING right to his older sister's face! I thought I told you that you could tell me anything! Why did I have to follow you to find this out? Why!? Didn't you trust me!?"
"I just couldn't tell you!" Yuuki shot back, finding his voice.
"Why not!? I could've handled it!" Chie shouted.
"Not this! Come on, Nee-san! If I told you would you be able to believe me?"
"If you provided me proof, I would!"
"I just couldn't tell you!"
"Why not!?"
"I needed to protect you!" Yuuki's exclamation caused her to pause. "I didn't want you to worry. If you knew, you'd try to stop me. I wanted to be stronger to protect the Nee-san who's always taken care of me."
"But I'm supposed to look after you!" Chie cried. "You're my little brother! I'm supposed to protect you!"
"Not from Nytemares!" Yuuki cried out. "Those monsters are born killers! Not many people can stop them!"
"Then let the other Kamen Riders deal with it!" Chie insisted. "You could die Yuuki! You aren't a fighter! This isn't like you!"
"I have to!" Yuuki argued. "I have the ability to stop them! I can't just turn my back on the people who might die if I don't help!"
Chie had never seen her brother act so defiant before. It made him seem taller in her eyes but he was her little brother first. He wasn't supposed to be a superhero. He was just supposed to be a good student, get good grades in school, and find a girlfriend. Chie already had Roka come over many times so she and Yuuki could make a connection but Yuuki always came home late and was too tired. Sure, Roka and Yuuki talked at school but they were growing too distant because of the lies and secrets.
Chie was going to put a stop to this once and for all.
Once Yuuki was taking a bath, Chie snuck into his room to find whatever item he used to transform into a Kamen Rider. She didn't have much time so she had to be quick. She scanned his room and searched his drawers quickly. She gazed up at his Kamen Rider posters and scowled at the 'heroes' her brother admired before continuing her search. She decided to look under the bed and her face brightened as she uttered, "Yatta." She reached underneath and took out the box and opened it up. Inside were the Vortex Book and Vortex Driver.
However, her cheering would have to wait as Yuuki came in and saw her kneeling at the foot of his bed with his Rider Gear. "Nee-san! What are you doing!?" he cried.
"Getting rid of these things. You don't need them," she told him. She then got up and pushed him aside as she ran out his room with the two devices.
"Nee-san, matte!" Yuuki gave chase.
Chie ran out of the house as fast as she could and reached a taxi stop where there was a taxi waiting to pick up passengers. She opened the door and darted inside, ordering, "Get me out of here!"
"Where to?" the taxi driver asked.
"Anywhere!" she snapped. She looked over her shoulder to see Yuuki giving chase on foot. The car soon moved and drove away. "Sorry, Yuuki, but this is for your own good…" she mumbled apologetically.
However, right in the middle of the street the sky turned blood red and the car froze. "Huh?" She shouted at the driver. "Oi, get moving!" However, she gasped when he didn't respond and wasn't even moving at all. "What's going on?" She saw everything was bathed in red light. "What…is this?"
Yuuki stopped once the Stasis Field had formed and frowned grimly. His sister was trapped inside with the Vortex Gear and he was out here. How was he supposed to get inside to save her?
Meanwhile, Chie was wondering what was going on before all the windows and windshield of the car suddenly shattered. She screamed in shock before she stared horrified as a large mantis-like creature with black skin and large red and bulbous eyes and mandibles dripping with saliva grabbed the driver with its sickle-like serrated claws and pulled him out of the taxi before eating him alive. Chie was frozen on the spot as she shut her eyes. The creature then looked towards her once it finished its meal and reached inside to grab her.
Thinking fast, she opened the door and quickly leapt out, carrying the Vortex Gear with her. She needed to get away. Unfortunately for her, the thing had friends. Descending from the sky were half a dozen Horrors who stared at her hungrily.
Now she was in trouble.
She then heard Yuuki calling, "Oi! Nee-san! Over here!" She ducked under a Horror's arm and then ran towards his voice. She then saw him, standing in front of her, but an invisible wall was in the way. He was pounding on the wall.
"Yuuki, help!" she called out to him.
"Give me the gear!" he told her. She stared down at the Vortex Driver and Book. "Hayaku!"
"But…" She was hesitant. She was trying to get him away from this life. "No, let me try something." Yuuki then watched as she tried to use the Vortex Gear. She was being both stupid and stubborn.
"Nee-san, wait! You can't!" he protested but she wasn't listening. She pulled the handles to twist the buckle up so the slot was pointing to her and opened up the Vortex Book. She picked a random Masked Ride card and slid it into the buckle before pushing the handles.
"MASKED RIDE: ERROR!" the belt called out. Chie shrieked as she was forcefully pushed backwards by the belt rejecting her and it fell down at her feet with the Vortex Book. She groaned but then froze as the Mantis Nytemare and Horrors were stalking towards her.
Yuuki didn't want his sister to die or erased. He wasn't sure how she could still move in the Stasis Field, but right now he had other things to worry about; namely trying to get the Vortex Gear out of there.
"Nee-san! The Gear! Give it to me now!" he called out to her desperately. Chie heard him and quickly grabbed the Vortex Gear before pushing it against the barrier. Surprisingly, they were able to pass through and Yuuki grabbed them. The Horrors and Nytemare were coming closer.
Yuuki quickly strapped on the Vortex Driver and opened the Book to take out his card. Automatically, the handles pulled away from the buckle to allow it to twist up and aim the slot at Yuuki's head. Yuuki then narrowed his eyes as he clipped the Book to the belt and called out, "Henshin!" before sliding the Vortex Masked Ride card into his belt and pushing the handles to activate it.
"MASKED RIDE: VORTEX!" His armor formed over his body when the images overlapped. It filled with color in a matter of seconds and his green eyepieces flashed. He then darted into the Stasis Field.
Chie was running from the monsters when she suddenly tripped. The Mantis Nytemare lunged at her but was then blasted away by several shots of energy and sent tumbling along the ground. Chie then looked over and her eyes widened at seeing Yuuki…
No, it was Vortex. Her brother had just turned into Vortex to rescue her. He had his Vortex Book in Gun Mode and aiming it at the Horrors as he pulled the trigger. They all stumbled back from the shots and fell backwards from the assault.
Chie was then pulled up to her feet by her brother, who was now taller thanks to the suit and towered over her by a few inches.
"Nee-san, take cover," he told her. She didn't argue and went behind the cab to hide.
The Horrors scrambled as Vortex stared them down. He then opened up his Vortex Book and took out a card depicting a golden Rider with three horns on his helmet and green eyes. He twisted up his belt buckle and slid the card in before pushing the handles to reset the buckle.
"MASKED RIDE: CAUCASUS!"
A field of hexagonal patterns enveloped him and changed his armor to match the Rider on the card. He was covered in gold armor that was worn over a black bodysuit with the right shoulder resembling the head of a tri-horned beetle. With a flick of his wrist, he turned his Vortex Book to Sword Mode as he stared the Horrors down. They all lunged at him but he slashed at them with his sword. He then took out another card and activated it like the last one.
"ATTACK RIDE: CLOCK UP!"
Vortex soon found himself moving so fast that the Horrors looked like they were standing still. What Chie was seeing, however, was Caucasus moving so fast that he blurred and when he moved faster, it was like he was invisible. She watched as sparks flew off the Horrors as an invisible force struck at them.
Caucasus struck at each Horror several times before his speed turned to normal. Once he stopped, the Horrors fell and exploded. The belt buckle twisted upwards and the card shot up. Vortex caught it and as soon as he did he was covered in digital pixels that changed him back into his default form. He gazed upon the card before it turned blank. With a sigh, he put it back into the Vortex Book.
He then remembered the Mantis Nytemare. He spun around and cried out in pain as it used its curved blades, which were its claws, to strike at him. Sparks flew with each slash that connected and Chie gasped.
"Yuuki!"
Vortex was sent tumbling along the ground and then stared up at the Nytemare. He had to think of something and fast. He decided to try another card. This time the card he drew depicted a Kamen Rider in white and silver armor with a blue trim, large yellow eyes divided by a prong design resembling the letter 'W' and also pointed earpieces at the top of his helmet. He rolled to the side and then set his buckle up before sliding in the card and resetting it.
"MASKED RIDE: WOLVZ!"
Vortex stood up and then blue lines of light appeared on his body in a pattern before letting off a bright flash. Once the flash receded, Vortex had changed into the Rider on the card.
The suit had broad shoulders and was worn over a black bodysuit decorated by the blue streams. The chest area was silver. Covering his arms and legs were metal armbands and his fingers were covered in armor.
He then slashed at the Nytemare with his sword to send it reeling. Opening his Book quickly, Vortex took out an Attack Ride card and quickly slid it into his buckle which had automatically set it up to have the card fed to it. With a quick toss, the card entered the slot and Vortex pushed the handles.
"ATTACK RIDE: EXCEED CHARGE!"
The blue streams glowed and then transferred energy from his suit into his sword. Finally, with a shout, he charged at the Nytemare. It swung at him with its blades, firing black energy discs that Vortex deflected with his sword. Once he got in range, he thrust the sword forward and ran the Nytemare through. Chie gasped as she watched her little brother defeat the monster.
The Nytemare stiffened and once Vortex withdrew his sword, it fell backwards and exploded into oblivion.
The Vortex Driver twisted upwards and ejected the Wolvz card which Vortex caught. It became blank like the Caucasus card. His body became covered in digital pixels, restoring him to his default form. Finally, the belt shot out the Vortex card just as the Stasis Field disappeared. The damage caused in the battle had been erased, including the shattered windows of the taxi which were now restored. Unfortunately, the taxi driver was lost forever.
Yuuki turned to gaze at his sister who was rooted at the spot. He walked over and offered her his hand. "Let's go home, Nee-san."
The next day at school, Chie stood waiting at the school gate with her hands to her hips. She was tapping her foot against the ground. She'd sent Yuuki to his class and was just waiting for Ryuji to show up. She checked her watch, muttering, "Any minute now…" She peered over to her left and right and then saw Ryuji come up. "Perfect." With Ryuji were Kotonoha, Siera and Rina. Ryuushin was walking with them as well. "Of course he has his groupies."
Ryuji came up to the gate with the girls and Ryuushin and then saw the older girl staring at him. He stared back. He knew that look. It was a look that said she really wanted to talk to him.
"Girls, I'll be right up," he said politely to Kotonoha, Rina and Siera. They nodded and walked past Chie who didn't even bat an eye as they walked past. Ryuushin grunted in response as he walked past as well.
"Ashikaga-sempai," said Ryuji politely. "Good morning."
"Save the pleasantries, Hasuma," snapped Chie as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not in the mood."
"So, what is this about? If it's nothing then I'd like to get to class before the bell rings," said Ryuji.
"I know you're a Kamen Rider, Ifrit," Chie informed. Ryuji's eyes widened a little bit in surprise. "Yuuki told me everything."
"So, you found out," Ryuji reasoned.
"I saw you and Yuuki speed out of the school after transforming," said Chie.
Ryuji accused, "So, you were spying."
"It's what any concerned sister would do when her little brother is hanging out with the wrong crowd," Chie explained.
"Wrong crowd? Me?" Ryuji asked rhetorically.
"You get into fights and are a known delinquent," Chie stated. "Not the type of people I want my brother hanging around with. Same goes for Tsukuba."
"I see, and yet you're on the same team as my sister, Kat," Ryuji retorted.
"She's not a delinquent like you," Chie countered.
"No, but I know her better than you do and she's done a lot of bad stuff," said Ryuji. Of course, he wasn't a saint either but he wanted to defend himself, not condemn himself.
"I want him to stop being a Rider. He's getting hurt," said Chie.
"Sorry, but he made that choice," Ryuji argued. "I can't make him stop."
Chie threatened, "If you don't, I'll tell everyone your secret."
Ryuji narrowed his eyes. "Are you threatening me?"
"I'm trying to keep my brother safe," she argued.
"Not a smart idea," said Ryuji as he raised his phone to her face. Chie stared.
"What are you going to do? Talk me to death?" mocked Chie.
"I can erase your memories. I can make it hours, days, months or years," warned Ryuji.
"You're bluffing," Chie challenged. However, she was internally shaken by the threat.
"Am I?" Ryuji smirked as he waved it around. "Want to test it out? I'm a Rider. I got access to advanced tech." He flipped his phone open. "Trust me; I'm willing to do anything to make sure my secret stays a secret."
Chie scowled. It was possible that Ryuji was bluffing with his phone being able to erase memories. But could she risk it? Putting on a face of defiance, she repeated, "You're bluffing."
Ryuji then swiftly converted his phone into Phone Blaster Mode and then aimed to his right. A shot was fired and it hit a tree, piercing through and making a hole. Chie's eyes widened at the smoking hole where the shot had gone through and then turned to see Ryuji blowing off the smoke off the barrel of his gun.
"It can be a gun too. It's not hard to have it erase memories," Ryuji said.
Chie backed away from Ryuji. "Look, I just want to keep my brother safe."
"Then, let him choose if he wants to stop. It's not up to me or you. It's up to him," Ryuji informed. He flipped his phone close, pocketed it, and then walked towards the building, leaving Chie standing at the gate until the bell rang.
Ryuji could've done it easily and erased her memories right on the spot, but he thought it would be more fun to mess with her. Of course, if she did expose him, he could just expose Yuuki as well. He liked Yuuki, but he wasn't about to be blackmailed or let Kotonoha and her family suffer harassment for being involved with him. He could just take Kotonoha and her family on the DynoLiner and leave. Yuuki, however, didn't have that luxury but his sister had to learn that what comes around goes around.
Yuuki was in the library and yawned as he sat at his station at the librarian's counter. He was tired from all the training and fighting and needed a break. Looking around, he saw he students in there reading or looking for books. He looked towards the clock on the wall and watched as the seconds ticked away…and then stopped.
"Huh?" Yuuki was wondering if the clock was broken but then heard tapping on the counter. Looking away from the clock, he then saw Topper staring back. "Topper-san!?"
"Can I check out a book?" asked Topper jokingly.
"Topper-san, what are you doing here!?" Yuuki panicked. If the others saw him…
"Don't worry about me," Topper assured. "Look around. See anything…peculiar?" Yuuki looked around and saw that everyone had stopped moving…frozen like statues.
"Nani?"
"I froze time so I could speak with you in private."
"What for?"
"It's time for you to do something for me as stated in your contract…"