"Look what we've got in the mail~!" Shiori said as she waved the card in her hand. "It's an invitation to Shinji's wedding! I'm so excited! A royal wedding! Can you believe it?"
"I still think it's strange that he'll have five wives after this," Kasai remarked.
"It's not traditional, I know," Shiori admitted. "But I know he'll be happy and make them happy too." Her smile widened. "And besides, it's not every day you have a honeymoon with more than one woman. Oh, all the wonderful things they could do..."
As Shiori went into 'fantasy mode', the phone rang and Kasai picked it up.
"Hello?" After a moment, Kasai nodded and held the phone to Shiori. "It's for you." Shiori snapped out of her daydreaming and took the phone.
"Hello, who is this?" Shiori asked.
"Hello, Shiori," the voice on the other end answered.
"Gintaro-niisan!" Shiori smiled. Unlike her strained relationship with her eldest brother Kintaro, she was on better terms with Gintaro. "Wasn't expecting a call from you. How are you doing?"
"Are you at home?"
"Yes. Why do you ask?"
"Turn on your TV. Our brother is on the news."
"Why? Is it about a scandal?"
"Just watch it, please. "
"He said to turn on the news," Shiori said to her husband and Kasai turned on the TV.
"Isn't that your brother?" Kasai asked as Kintaro was shown on TV speaking with reporters.
"Yes," Shiori grimaced. Just seeing his eldest brother's face could dampen her mood.
"I fully support the Brain Trust Society," announced Kintaro Mitsuhide. "It's high time we have superheroes with a clean record, unlike those Kamen Riders. This country will be better off with the Alpha Force protecting it."
"He's just doing this for the exposure," Shiori crossed her arms as she leaned back, scowling in annoyance. "Typical politician." Seeing that the news was putting his wife in a bad mood, Kasai turned off the TV and put his arm around his wife to hug her gently. She leaned into his muscular chest as his arms held her close to him. "Thanks, I needed this."
"I think it's time we all headed out to the festival," Kasai suggested. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
"Yeah," Shiori smiled. "I would like that." A day at the festival would be nice and take her mind off Kintaro.
Showa Chronicles: Road to Annihilation
Act III: Do You Have an Invitation?
The Watanagashi (Cotton Drifting) Festival was a sacred time for the villagers of Hinamizawa. It was held on the third Sunday of every June to give praise and thanks to the village's guardian deity, Oyashiro-sama. The festival was crowded as locals and visitors flocked over to enjoy the festivities. Vendors had set up stands all over the festival ground, selling toys, souvenirs and food while a few others offered games for people to play. Though treated like a regular summer festival, it was unique to Hinamizawa as it had darker origins.
The festival began centuries ago and back then it had originally been known as the Intestines-Drifting Festival. It was a time for the villagers to cast off their sins by providing a blood sacrifice. The chosen sacrifice would be publicly tortured using the various tools stored in the Furude Shrine. After suffering through inhumane torture, the sacrifice would be killed by the miko who would gouge out their stomach and intestines with a large hoe-like tool after performing the ceremonial dance. The corpse and the intestines would then be thrown into the river so they could drift away, symbolising the sins that the villagers had washed away.
In modern times, the tradition continued but changed as human sacrifices were considered too violent and cruel. So, everyone in the village would contribute old coats and furniture to be gutted for their leftover cotton and then the cotton would be sewn into a large futon which would take the place of the traditional human sacrifice. On the night of the festival, the priest or miko would dance and use the hoe to cut open the futon to gouge out the cotton inside. Each villager would then take a small amount of this cotton to set adrift on the river to wash away their sins and sorrow.
Despite its dark origins, the Watanagashi Festival was a day that every villager, young and old, looked forward to. The ceremonial dance performed by Rika at the end of the festival was a treat for the eyes as she always looked beautiful in costume. She had been performing the dance since childhood but she had long since blossomed into a young woman.
Among the visitors who came to the festival was a well-dressed and handsome Caucasian man with short blond hair. He wore a black suit and a white dress shirt. While his black necktie hung loosely from his collar. He smiled as he admired the festival grounds, even getting himself a treat from one of the stands.
"You're a new face," the vendor said as he handed the visitor an ice pop. "We don't get many foreigners here."
"Well, I was just in the neighbourhood when I heard about this festival. I was told that I should come and check it out," the visitor said as he took the cold treat and licked it. "Ah, that's nice. Orange fruit pop."
"So, you're a tourist then?" the vendor asked.
"Yeah, my boss told me Japan was nice this time of year so I came to see the sights," the visitor answered with a smile. "I've always been fascinated by Japanese culture and I heard about the background of this festival. It's so interesting."
"Indeed it is," the vendor nodded. "The festival's been interesting the last couple of years since those strange kids moved to our village."
"Strange kids?" the visitor asked.
"Yeah, those Kamen Riders. Between you and me, there's all a bunch of weirdos. One of them lives in a cabin in the woods and don't get me started on the one who takes his dang robot on walks like it's some kind of dog."
"Sounds like an interesting bunch."
"Yeah, they're weird but good kids. You might see them around."
"I'll keep an eye out for them then."
"Say, what's your name, stranger?"
"It's Black. Joe Black."
Chiaki lived in a cabin in the woods and despite living outside the village, he was a common enough sight that he was welcomed as one of them. He was an artist at heart, making wood carvings that were sold by one of Mion's uncles in his shop. He was also the NEO-NUMBERS' engineer, which means he was good at fixing things which made him valuable to the village as well. He could be a plumber, a mechanic, and an electrician. Basically, if anybody needed something fixed, he was the guy to call.
Chiaki looked like a large and muscular lumberjack, dressed like one too as he preferred flannel and wore suspenders with his pants. Due to his size, which made him tower over everyone in the village and the cloth mask he always wore, he made quite the intimidating figure. Despite his appearance, however, he was largely known as a sweet, kind and gentle giant. He came to the festival with Hanyuu who walked alongside him, smiling warmly. On her ring finger was an engagement ring.
"Hey, Chiaki, Hanyuu! Check out what I've got!" Yokoshima called him over when he saw the pair. He had set up a stand, offering rides for 100 yen each. Normally, festivals like this would offer customers to ride a horse for a few minutes for a fee but standing beside him was not a horse at all but a twenty-foot-tall robot with double-jointed legs. It had a mantis-like head mounted on the chest instead of its shoulders. Instead of hands, it had a minigun equipped to the right arm and five cannons on its left arm. It also had missile pods mounted on its shoulders.
Yokoshima had named the robot 'Sprinkles'. Sprinkles was a warbot that Yokoshima and Asmodeus had found on an alien spacecraft that had crash-landed in the Amazon Rainforest. He had gone on a mission with Shogo and Daichi when he decided to check what was inside. After finding Sprinkles, Yokoshima somehow managed to activate the warbot and it had imprinted on him as his master. Yokoshima had thus adopted Sprinkles. Since then, Sprinkles would follow any of Yokoshima's orders while the cyborg treated him like a pet. To him, Sprinkles was just a big dog. He even took him on walks around the village.
"Um...are you sure this is a good idea?" Hanyuu asked warily as she saw what Yokoshima was offering to let people ride on Sprinkles.
"I don't think they want to ride Sprinkles, Yokoshima," Chiaki said, noticing how many people were avoiding Sprinkles out of fear. Even the kids at the festival were intimidated by the huge warbot.
"That's what Daichi said but I'm sure I can get someone to ride Sprinkles," Yokoshima claimed.
"Well, if you're sure," Chiaki said as trying to argue with Yokoshima would be pointless right now and only cause him a headache. "Good luck to you." The couple left Yokoshima with Sprinkles. Moments later, Asmodeus came over with some cotton candy.
"Feeling blue, baby?" Asmodeus asked. "Want some cotton candy?"
"I don't get it, Asmo-chan. I thought kids would be lining up to ride a cool robot. Kids dig giant robots, don't they?" Yokoshima questioned.
"Maybe it's the big guns Sprinkles has," Asmodeus suggested.
"You think?"
"I mean, what parent in their right mind would want their kids to ride something with guns attached to it?"
"Good point. I guess the guns do look scary but they're like Sprinkles' main selling point."
"Hey, since business is slow right now, why don't we enjoy the festival?" Asmodeus suggested.
"OK, sure," Yokoshima nodded. "Sprinkles, guard the stand and if anyone wants a ride, tell them to pay 100 yen. Oh, and if they want to take pictures, tell them it's 100 yen each."
"AFFIRMATIVE, MASTER."
"Good boy, Sprinkles!"
As Asmodeus dragged Yokoshima away to enjoy the festival, Rika and Satoko stood nearby with cotton candy.
"Can you believe Yokoshima thought his pet robot would make a fun attraction?" Satoko questioned.
"The idea did sound good on paper," Rika admitted, dressed in her traditional miko attire. "Although, he should have done something about Sprinkles' guns."
"Can't believe he named a killer robot 'Sprinkles' of all things," Satoko remarked.
"Really? Because that sounds exactly like something he would do," Rika retorted.
"Hey, what's been going on with that Rai guy or whatever?" Satoko asked. "It's been a while since I saw him."
"You mean Kai? Oh, right," Rika said with a downcast smile. "He's always away and we figured we just couldn't work out. So we decided to break up on good terms."
"When was this?" Satoko asked. How had she not known this? Rika used to tell her everything.
"A while ago," Rika shrugged. It had been a mutual breakup so no feelings were hurt. "We just decided we were better off as just friends."
"Well, in that case, it's time to find you someone new," Satoko said cheerfully as she looped an arm around her best friend. "Luckily for you, there are a ton of eligible guys here who would do anything to date Princess Rika!"
"If you ask me, it's better to stay single. You'll have fewer worries and headaches that way," Daichi opined as he overheard them.
"Excuse me?" Satoko asked.
"People say dating is fun. Of course, they do! Then you decide to move in together! Sounds like a great idea! But then you realize your space is not just yours anymore! You gotta share it! And when you only got one bathroom and you need it but it's already occupied, your only choices are to hold it in or crap your pants! And then you buy your favourite yoghurt just for yourself but someone eats it before you get the chance to have any! Sure, being in a relationship sounds like a good idea! You have someone that makes you happy! But is it really worth it?" Daichi complained.
"...OK, what's wrong? Trouble in paradise?" Satoko asked.
"It's Levi. She's been nagging me about popping the question and it's getting even worse now with Shinichi's royal wedding so close. Mika, on the other hand, has been dropping hints and it's suffocating!" Daichi took deep breaths to calm down. "Sorry for unloading my shit like that. Been in a bad mood coz of all the wedding talk."
"It's alright, Daichi," Rika smiled. "We understand."
"Look, kid. You're young. Figure yourself out first before getting into a relationship. Just do what makes you happy for yourself and don't get defined by a relationship," Daichi advised. He took out a cigarette, lit it up and took a puff. "God, that's good." He could not even smoke at the apartment because of the girls.
"You know that's bad for you, right?" Satoko pointed out.
"That's the thing about having cybernetic lungs, kid. No risk of lung cancer, ever," Daichi bragged. They heard a kid bawling loudly and watched as Sprinkles stood over him.
"100 YEN FOR A RIDE, NOW," Sprinkles commanded, causing the kid's cries to become louder.
"I told him it was a bad idea," Daichi groaned. "But would he listen? Hell, no!"
Shogo patrolled the festival grounds, wearing a black suit with an armband with 'Security' written across it. He kept his eyes out for trouble and troublemakers. A festival was a place for fun for everyone and he was going to keep it that way. Hana was also on duty as she had set up a medical tent. You never know when someone could accidentally hurt themselves while having fun at a festival.
"So, how's business?" Shogo asked as he came to her tent. She had just finished putting a band-aid on a poor kid who had fallen and scraped his knee on the ground.
"Not bad. Fixed some scrapes and bruises but nothing too serious," Hana answered.
"Well, with you around, they're in good hands. So, I heard you were thinking of becoming a doctor," Shogo remarked.
"As much as I like being a nurse with Michiru, I feel like I can do more as a doctor," Hana stated.
"And what does Michiru think?" Shogo asked.
"She thinks it's a good idea," Hana smiled. Shogo's smile fell as he decided to broach a difficult topic.
"How has she been since...?"
"Since her grandmother died?" Junko had passed away peacefully in her sleep when Michiru went to wake her up a few weeks ago. "I think she's getting better. She's still grieving but it's not as bad as before."
"She was her last living relative," Shogo pointed out. "I've always wondered if we had any living relatives left in the world." He had been an orphan when he got picked up by GIN-SHOCKER but Hana had been kidnapped while on a school field trip.
"I'm kind of ashamed that we never tried to find out," Hana realised. Now that she thought about it, the last time she ever saw her parents was before she left for her school field trip during elementary school. She never once tried to look them up after leaving GIN-SHOCKER. She did not think they would accept her and so much time had passed since. "So, have you found any troublemakers?"
"Not yet but I'm keeping my eye out," Shogo said as he drank from his bottle of honey water.
"Like what? People fighting over a prize at a shooting gallery?" Hana snarked. "You should enjoy yourself."
"Shouldn't you be following your own advice?" Shogo retorted. "By the way, where's Michiru?"
"Right here!" Michiru announced herself as she appeared out of nowhere. "Hana-chan, I got you some food." She presented her wife with some yakisoba on a paper plate. "I made sure the guy put in some extra meat for you."
"Thank you, Michiru," Hana said as she accepted the food from Michiru who planted herself beside her. Shogo smiled. The two of them deserved to be happy together.
"Hey, look who came," Michiru pointed as more visitors arrived to enjoy the festival.
"My my, if it isn't everyone's favourite polyamorous harem," Hana said when she spotted the group. Alan's harem had come to Hinamizawa to enjoy the Watanagashi Festival. There was Lala, Yami (aka Golden Darkness), Conda, Amora, Megan, Jade, Bishie and Nozomu. They had even brought their kids along.
"Hey, Riders!" Lala greeted them with a cheerful wave. There was a noticeable change in her style. When she was younger and before she became a mother, she would prefer to wear something cute. Currently, she was wearing a purple leather jacket with pink shoulder pads, a black tank top that had the symbol of the Star Sapphire Corps on the front, and a pair of blue jeans with white boots.
"You seem to be missing some people," Shogo said as he did a head count. "Where's Alan and Amaterasu?"
"Alan is a little busy right now so he dropped us off to enjoy the festival before the wedding and Amaterasu is helping her sister prepare," Lala explained.
"Of course, glad you all could make it for Shin's wedding," Hana smiled. At the mention of Shinichi's name, she saw them looking solemn for some reason.
"Something wrong?" Shogo asked.
"Oh, nothing!" Lala perked up. "Can you believe he'll be getting married to all of them?"
"Aren't he and Rena married already?" Conda asked. "What's the point of getting remarried then?"
"Alan's gonna marry all of you eventually, isn't he? Shinichi is just going to get it all over with, so this is going to be one big and grand ceremony in Genovia. Shawna has been prepping it for some time now," Shogo explained. "But I doubt it'll compare to getting married on a space station."
"Oh, so you heard about that," Lala said.
"Yeah, Shin even showed us pictures," Hana confirmed. "You made a very lovely bride, Lala."
"Oh, thank you," Lala beamed appreciatively.
"Yes, except all these weddings we've been having are causing Luci to ask me about holding our own ceremony," Shogo shook his head.
"She wants a wedding even after the way you were both married in the heat of battle?" Conda asked.
"She was fine with it at first but the weddings we've attended are giving her ideas. Keiichi and Satoshi's double wedding with Mion and Shion four months ago was the straw that broke the camel's back," Shogo huffed. "While nothing can compare to the story of us being married in the middle of battle, she wants to wear a wedding dress and walk down the aisle. I think it's her pride talking. She doesn't want her little sisters to upstage her or something."
"I can relate," Conda admitted, already wondering how her tribal union with Alan could possibly measure up to Lala's wedding in space.
"Well I can certainly say that Shinichi's gotten in a better state of things," Bishie said. "The world doesn't hate him nearly as much anymore and he's going to be married to a Crown Princess. Things are looking up for him, aren't they?"
"I should hope so, especially after that interview he took shortly after the fall of the Religion of Crime," Hana sighed as she held her head.
"Oh, I think Alan said something about that," Jade recalled. "How did it go again, exactly?"
As the official face of the NEO-NUMBERS, Shinichi would represent his team as he went on a talk show. He was dressed in his best suit, sitting in a comfortable armchair. The set was designed to resemble a study. Sitting across from him was the host of the talk show. She was a woman in her early thirties with strawberry blonde hair, dressed in a purple suit and pencil skirt.
Yokoshima stood behind him, trying to relax him with a shoulder massage.
"OK, man. You got this," Yokoshima encouraged. "You got this."
"I got this, I got this," Shinichi repeated like a mantra. He knew how important this interview was. The whole world was watching. Yokoshima went backstage before the cameras began to roll.
"I'm sitting here with Shinichi Banabara, aka Kamen Rider Showa, one of the heroes who saved the world from the Religion of Crime," the host said. "Thank you for joining us, Kamen Rider Showa."
"Please, call me Shinichi." He was trying not to lose his cool while the cameras were on him but he couldn't help but imagine the people watching TV at home were all judging him.
"Alright, Shinichi. Thank you for your bravery in what we're about to discuss. What you don't know is that we've uncovered the story of how you ended up in Hinamizawa. A story of loss, a story of a broken heart. Let's go back to 1984 when you were still a member of GIN-SHOCKER."
"Oh, shit," Daichi cursed under his breath as he and the other NEO-NUMBERS watched from backstage. They knew what was coming.
"This was not long after you were promoted after killing your teammates. You befriended a girl named Lina. She was also kidnapped by GIN-SHOCKER and you met with her frequently. You both bonded and eventually fell in love. But then one fateful day, you shot and killed her. After that, you snapped and destroyed the facility, killing everyone inside as you tried to escape. That is when you fled to Hinamizawa and changed your identity, so you could live among the villagers and escape your crimes. So, what do you have to say for yourself?"
Shinichi sat there frozen, mouth agape, completely speechless. The only sound he made was a pathetic whine.
"He just froze and completely shut down after being reminded of his most traumatic episode. That pretty much ended the interview," Hana explained.
"Yikes," Bishie uttered sympathetically.
"How did she get that information anyway?" Jade questioned.
"We don't know but we suspect some kind of leak," Shogo theorised. "Probably some low-level grunt that wanted a shot at us. After that, Shinichi had another therapy session with the Director."
"We thought he had gotten over it since Lina was revived but you never get over your first love and then being tricked into killing her," Michiru stated.
"Alan still doesn't like being reminded about how he found me in the fridge," Jade agreed.
"Hey, come on," Michiru stood up with a smile. "Let's not let bad memories bring us down. This is a festival. Go and have fun."
"You're right, Michiru. Let's go girls!" Lala said before Alan's harem dispersed. Only Amora remained as she looked at Michiru like she had never seen her before since the Mantis Cyborg was now radiating magic. It was faint but still very noticeable to the Enchantress.
"Hm, curious." Amora approached Michiru. "Michiru, may I have a word?"
"Oh, hey, Amora," Michiru greeted. "What's up?"
"There's something very different about you."
"Oh, I'm just wearing my hair a bit differently today," Michiru claimed. She was not wearing her hair in her signature twintails as her hair was let down in a wavy style.
"No, that's not it all," Amora tapped her chin. "It's something else. Something magical."
"Oh," Michiru blinked as it dawned on her. Amora was a magic user so she could sense the magic coming from her. "Ah, I see. You sense it too. I mean, it makes sense. You are a witch after all."
"I'm no mere witch, mortal. I am the Enchantress," Amora corrected.
"And I'm no mere mortal," Michiru retorted as she made her eyes glow pink with magic. Her magical energy spiked a little from the display but only Amora sensed it.
"No, you're not," Amora conceded. "So, how about we have a chat? I want to know how this came to be."
"Trust me, this story is gonna be a doozy."
"I'll be the judge of that."
Coming to the festival with her mother, Lulu wore a pink dress with matching pink shoes. Her pink hair was done in a bob cut with a swirling cowlick, and her purple eyes beamed brightly. She wore a badge on her dress that had a picture of a gear and spanner on it. When she saw something interesting, Lulu tugged on Lala's hand and the Crown Princess of Deviluke wondered what her daughter wanted.
"What is it, Lulu?" Lala asked.
"That! I wanna see that!" Lulu pointed excitedly and Lala looked to see what her daughter was looking at. It was the stand Yokoshima had set up and Sprinkles was manning it.
"OK, let's go," Lala smiled as she walked over to Sprinkles with Lulu. "Hello, Sprinkles! Are you offering rides?"
"I AM HERE TO SPREAD JOY AND GIVE RIDES," Sprinkles confirmed. To Lala and Lulu, it was an interesting idea. However, every villager was avoiding Sprinkles out of fear since he was an intimidating, twenty-foot-tall warbot that was armed to the teeth. "A FIVE-MINUTE RIDE IS 100 YEN EACH. A PICTURE IS 100 YEN EACH. WILL YOU PAY?"
"I wanna ride!" Lulu cheered as she hopped up and down excitedly. "Mama, lemme ride the robot!"
"I see you guys found my stand," Yokoshima said as he came back to his stand with Asmodeus. His wife was holding a big stuffed doll that resembled his Rider form.
"So this was your idea?" Lala asked.
"Yup!" Yokoshima nodded. "I figured, since I enjoy riding Sprinkles, everyone will enjoy riding him too. I mean, what kid doesn't want to ride a robot?" He then blinked as he realized something important. "Wait, you're a queen now, right? Should I be bowing or kneeling? I feel like I should be kneeling."
"Oh, please. It's not like Daddy's abdicated the throne yet so I'm technically still a princess. Besides, we're all friends," Lala smiled, waving it off.
"Can I ride the robot, please?" Lulu cutely pleaded. "Please, please, please, pretty please?"
"How about this? Since you're Uncle Yoko's first customer, I'll let you ride Sprinkles and take a picture for free," Yokoshima offered.
"Oh, that's so sweet of you. What do you say, Lulu?" Lala said.
"Thank you, Uncle Yoko!" Lulu beamed.
"Sprinkles, sit," Yokoshima ordered and Sprinkles knelt down. "Open up." Sprinkles opened up his body to reveal a cockpit. Lala picked her daughter up and put her in the seat before she secured her to it.
"Yay!" Lulu cheered as Sprinkles stood up and walked around the village with her. Yokoshima hoped that seeing her have fun would encourage others to try his ride as well.
Meanwhile, Nozomu and Adam had found a stand that sold yakitori and they were seated on a bench next to it, eating together. The huge pile of yakitori was set on a paper plate between them. Due to their large appetites, Nozomu had bought a large order for her to share with her son.
"Be careful while you eat, Adam. The stick is sharp," Nozomu advised her son.
"OK, Mama," Adam nodded as he enjoyed the delicious treat with his mother. Adam was now five years old and resembled his mother with his silver hair and golden eyes. As it was summer, he had on a T-shirt with a full moon and a howling wolf on it and shorts. As soon as the flavour hit his tongue, he let out a growl of contentment as his wolf ears popped up from his head.
"Mom, can Celine and I go play some games?" Alice asked Yami. In her current teenage form, she was dressed in a white short-sleeved blouse and a checkerboard-patterned skirt that came down to her knees with knee-high socks and black Mary Janes. Her hair was also up in twintails, tied with blue ribbons.
"Alright, but keep an eye on your sister," Yami advised.
"Kay, Mom! Celine, let's go win some prizes!"
"Mau!" Celine chirped as she followed her big sister.
"Hey, Alice. I bet I can beat you at all the games here," Daiki challenged. As he was raised by Conda, Daiki was now a young teen and had built up some muscle. It stretched his black T-shirt which had a dragon on it. He also wore blue jeans and flip-flops.
"Fine," Alice accepted with an annoyed huff. "But no cheating like last time."
"I swear I knocked those milk bottles down with the ball," Daiki claimed.
"Right, and the slight tremor we felt then was a coincidence," Alice retorted sarcastically.
"Fine, maybe I cheated a bit but they cheated first. You know carnival games are rigged," Daiki defended.
"I'll be watching you, little brother," Alice warned.
"Technically, I am older than you," Daiki retorted.
"But I was adopted before you," Alice countered
"Well, by that logic, then Celine should be our big sister."
"Mau!" Celine raised her hand cheerfully. She had grown in the last couple of years and looked to be eight years old now. She wore a yellow T-shirt with an overall skirt and like her sister, her green hair was also done in twintails. Now much older, Celine had learned to tuck in her wings so they weren't on full display.
"Just no cheating, OK? These people are trying to make a living," Alice requested.
"Fine, I'll play fair. I won't use my powers if you promise not to use your aimbot hack," Daiki negotiated.
"I don't use aimbot," Alice smirked boastfully. "I'm just very good."
"We'll see about that. Shooting gallery, now," Daiki challenged.
As the kids ran off to the shooting gallery, their mothers watched them with warm smiles.
"Isn't it sweet to see how our kids are getting along so well?" Bishie asked Yami and Conda as they watched their kids go off and play.
"So, my child has challenged yours to a duel," Conda smirked at Yami. "I bet you he will beat her."
"Alice is superior," Yami boasted.
"Oh, sounds like you want to make a bet," Conda raised an eyebrow.
"If I am, then what are your terms?"
"Oh, I think I can think of something."
"What a dump," Kirihara grumbled as she, Sogou and Kyouya entered the village. Kirihara was a blonde with black highlights in her hair. She wore a white tank top with an American flag pattern, a red mini skirt and cowboy boots. She also had on sunglasses and heavy makeup but this did little to hide her disdain. She was a city girl and she loathed the country.
"I don't think it's a dump. It's rural, but that gives it a rustic charm," Kyouya countered with a smile that did not quite reach his eyes. He was a young man with brown hair, squinted eyes and a laid-back attitude. He wore a light jacket over a simple shirt with blue jeans and loafers.
"Charm? You think this place has charm? Not only is it a backwards village, but I've also heard rumours about all the mysterious murders and disappearances that happened around this time. And the people here still act all cheerful and happy like nothing happened," Kirihara huffed. "I was expecting fewer smiles and more people looking at us outsiders with suspicion, afraid we'll dig up some dark secret they don't want us to expose."
"Meh, a scary village of secrets or happy town, I don't give a damn," Sogou retorted. He had shaggy black hair and even though it was summer he wore a trench coat with brown pants and boots. "All I care about is meeting those cyborgs and showing them they aren't at the top of the food chain anymore." He threw some jabs like a boxer before pocketing his hands
"I doubt you'll be able to do much. These cyborgs are no joke. They might even give you a challenge," Kyouya warned.
"Whatever. I can take 'em," Sogou bragged. "And I know you can't wait to take a stab at them either, Tachibana."
"Well, I'm always up for a challenge, Taguchi-kun," Kyouya agreed.
"OK, so you guys still remember the plan, right?" Kirihara asked, annoyed.
"Create a disturbance," Kyouya said as he scanned the festival grounds. "And I know just how we'll do it. Does anybody fancy some kakigori?"
Daiki Tomita was a young man who had grown up in Hinamizawa. He had gone to the same Hinamizawa school with all of his friends. Unlike all the boys who had a crush on Rika, he had a crush on Satoko for years. Sadly, he never had the guts to tell her. He was not exactly bad looking. In fact, he looked slightly above average and his glasses made him look smart. Unfortunately, he lacked confidence. His best friend, Suguru Okamura, kept trying to urge him to write a love letter at least, but Tomita wanted to tell her in person.
Okamura had a crush on Rika but he never tried to approach her because he was intimidated by her status. This year, things would be different. They were no longer school children. This year, they were going to try to ask their respective crushes out on a date. The festival was the perfect place for it too as there were a lot of fun things to do.
"OK, so, do you remember the plan?" Okamura asked Tomita.
"We'll wait for Satoko-chan and Rika-chan to head over to the shooting gallery and offer to win them prizes," Tomita answered.
"And impress them with our skills," Okamura reminded his best friends. He had been waiting for this chance, practising for years. "OK, let's do it."
As the two young men went to execute their plan, Tomita accidentally bumped into Kirihara, causing her to drop her bowl of kakigori onto herself, spilling the shaved iced desert and syrup all over her top.
"Oh, sorry," Tomita apologized. All of a sudden Kirihara shrieked, drawing all eyes within earshot to her.
"You little pervert!" Kirihara yelled as she roughly grabbed Tomita by the arm. The front of her top was sticking to her chest and the white parts of the fabric had become semi-transparent.
"Huh-!? What-!?" Tomita gaped. Pervert? What was this lady talking about?
"Hey, let go of him!" Okamura demanded. "He just bumped into you! It was an accident!"
"No, this little slimy pervert touched me!" Kirihara screamed back. "And look what he did to my clothes! I bet he did this on purpose to see my breasts!"
"N-no!" Tomita shook his head in denial. "That's not what happened at all!"
"Hey, there," Yokoshima said as he calmly approached the situation. Normally, Shogo should be here to defuse the situation but he was handling something elsewhere. "What seems to be the problem here?"
"Are you in charge here?" Kirihara demanded.
"Look, how about you let the kid go and we can all talk about this calmly?" Yokoshima offered.
"No, this little perv groped me after he made me spill my kakigori all over my clothes! He needs to be punished!"
"I didn't do anything!" Tomita insisted. "I just bumped into her and she started calling me a pervert!"
"It's true! She's nuts!" Okamura supported his best friend.
"Hm, seems to me like this is all a misunderstanding," Yokoshima observed. "So you can just let Tomita go and we can forget about this."
"What?" Kirihara glared. Yokoshima returned her glare with his own but then her glare faltered when she saw Sprinkles standing behind Yokoshima. The large battle mech did not have visible eyes but she could feel it glaring at her, threatening to deploy its weapons on Yokoshima's command. Yokoshima would never ask Sprinkles to shoot anyone unless they proved to be a threat, but Kirihara did not know that. Clicking her teeth angrily, she released Tomita.
"Thanks, Yokoshima-san," Tomita said gratefully.
"You're welcome," Yokoshima said, patting the young man on the shoulder. Tomita and Okamura wisely retreated.
"So, you're just going to let that little pervert go without any punishment?" Kirihara angrily questioned.
"Look, all I see is that you accidentally spilt your desert all over yourself and started attacking someone because you got pissed," Yokoshima answered reasonably. "Maybe you think he touched you without your permission, but it just looks like a misunderstanding that you're blowing out of proportion."
"You calling me a liar!?" Kirihara demanded.
"Yeah," Yokoshima answered bluntly.
"Excuse me!? How dare you!?" Kirihara yelled.
"Well, Tomita's a good kid and he prefers tomboys. He's not into gyarus like you," Yokoshima explained.
"I am not a gyaru!" Kirihara protested. She heard Sogou and Kyouya laughing behind her and spun around to yell at them. "Stop laughing, you jerks!"
"Hey, I got nothing against the subculture. You can be whatever you want to be but I suggest you behave yourself. You are visitors in this village," Yokoshima advised.
"You bastard! You all can just go to Hell and die!" Kirihara shouted and a powerful vibration erupted after the last word was spoken.
"Uh oh, they did it now," Kyouya smirked.
"Hell yeah," Sogou grinned. Kirihara's ability allowed her to send direct orders to her victims' brains and forcibly control them with her voice. They just needed to be in her range and they would become her puppets and do whatever she said. Some seconds passed, and Sogou noticed that the villagers were still laughing. "Hm? Why ain't nobody dropping dead?"
Kirihara realized this as well, and she didn't like it.
"Didn't you hear me? I told you to die!" Kirihara shouted as she tried again.
"Yeah, I heard ya," Yokoshima answered. "And you're being rude."
Kirihara gritted her teeth in anger and confusion. Why was anyone not dead? She told them all to die, did she not? Her powers should have worked on them.
"She has the ability to convert her voice into signals that affect the brainwaves," Michiru deduced as she walked over with Daichi and Chiaki in tow. Kirihara noticed an odd pink glow appear briefly in the cyborg girl's eyes and realised what had happened.
"You did something!" Kirihara accused, pointing at Michiru. "What did you do?"
"All I did was neutralize your powers with my magic the moment you said 'die'," Michiru answered.
"'Magic'?" Kirihara scoffed. "You expect me to believe that?"
"So you're not denying that you tried to kill everyone here with your powers?" Michiru questioned, glaring as she rested her right hand on her hip. "I think you should leave. We don't need your negative vibes here ruining everyone's fun."
"Ho, so what? You the big boss of this dump or something, little miss brown sugar?" Sogou taunted as he made himself known, walking from behind Kirihara. "Looks like the old bastard was spot on."
"Are you friends of hers?" Daichi glared. "In that case, you already heard Michiru. Get lost!"
"Leave the village and we'll overlook this," Chiaki added sternly. "Otherwise we will have to throw you out."
"So you want some too, big man?" Sogou grinned dangerously as he pounded his fists together. "Then let me give you a physical lesson."
"Oh boy, it looks like we ended up starting something again," Kyouya sighed as he rubbed his head. His eyes opened slightly with a sinister gleam. "But that's just fine. To be totally honest, I've been looking forward to an opportunity to test my skills against the infamous NUMBERS."
Yokoshima, Michiru, Daichi, and Chiaki's glares darkened at the sound of their old moniker.
"What did you say?" Yokoshima questioned.
"We may as well tell you now since the cat's pretty much out of the bag," Sogou said with a shrug. "See, this shitty old geezer's had his eye on all of you for a while now and he wants you out of the picture. We don't really care what he wants, just so you know. I just wanna see how tough you so-called reformed killer cyborgs are."
Instinctively, Daichi summoned his Military Fork and planted it next to him, the head cracking the ground.
"It looks like you want some sense knocked into you, asshole! If you wanna fight so badly I'll take you on myself!" Daichi challenged.
"Daichi, be careful," Michiru warned. Daichi glanced at her as she got his attention. "There's something weird about those three." She did not just mean Kirihara's powers. She sensed strange energies coming from them.
"I'm no idiot, but I'd rather get these jerks out of here as soon as possible," Daichi said, cracking his knuckles.
"Heh, sounds fun," Sogou smirked. "If you plan on getting a beatdown then I'm happy to grant you that wish!"
"Hana, I got a couple more for you," Shogo said as he dragged over two kids who had bruises. They tried to struggle out of his grip but he held them firmly.
"Hey, let us go!"
"Yeah!"
"What happened?" Hana asked, sighing.
"Oh, typical grade school stuff," Shogo answered. "They were trying to impress a girl and win a prize for her but then they got into a fight. I managed to break it up then brought them here."
"And where are their parents?" Hana asked and Shogo shrugged in response. "Shogo, let them go and let me take a look at them." Shogo reluctantly released the boys as Hana examined their bruises.
"Hey, what's up with that girl?" Shogo asked, noticing a young woman in her late teens walking by. She had waist-length white hair that seemed to curl all over her back and she was dressed in a black blouse with a blue ribbon around her neck, a matching skirt, pantyhose and black low-heeled shoes. From the way she was walking, she looked like she was trying to fight off a headache.
"Ugh..." she groaned as she held her temples.
"OK, your bruises should fade after a bit. Now, no more fighting," Hana said as she sent the boys away before she approached the white-haired young woman. "Are you OK? Do you need help?"
"You... you need to run..." the girl whispered, her purple eyes twitching. "You can't... stay here... something bad... is going to happen..."
"What do you mean? What's going to happen?" Shogo asked, frowning.
"Ngu!" the girl gasped as she stepped back. "I... we...AAAAHHHHH!" She shrieked as purple energy violently rippled all around her, forcing both Hana and Shogo to jump back while the people around them ran for cover. When it stopped, the girl groaned as she dropped to her knees. Shogo and Hana's eyes widened in surprise when they witnessed another identical girl emerge from her. As she stood up, she let out a satisfied moan as she stretched her arms.
"Ahh, so good to be finally let out," she smirked in a way that made her look like an arrogant queen. The duplicate glared down at the original, who was still rubbing her temples. "Hey, dummy! What did you think you were doing by trying to say something to them?"
"Eep!" the original girl flinched fearfully, "I-I'm s-s-sorry!"
"What the hell is going on?" Hana demanded, becoming defensive.
"This pathetic idiot here ruined everything so there's really no use hiding," the duplicate scoffed. "I am, no, we are Weapon O, Elise Blandelli. To be more specific, I am Elise III, and that loser is Elise I."
"I'm so sorry..." Elise I apologized again.
"Quit your snivelling," Elise III said in disgust. "Now, just sit there and let me take care of things. You obviously can't be trusted to do anything right." Her eyes glowed and she stretched her hand out at both Hana and Shogo who braced themselves for an attack. Purple energy rippled from her eyes and hit both cyborgs but it did not appear to cause any harm.
"What was that?" Shogo questioned cautiously.
"You're about to find out," Elise III smirked maliciously. Both Hana and Shogo began to feel stiff. Looking down, they saw their feet had turned to stone and the petrification was slowly creeping up their legs. "You're going to make such lovely statues."
"Hana!" Shogo shouted. "We need to transform!"
"Right!" Hana agreed and they summoned their Spark Cores. However, by then it was already too late as the petrification had accelerated and completely turned them to stone.
"Hm, that was easy," Elise III grinned. "They didn't even put up much of a fight. Guess they weren't as strong as we were told." She grabbed Elise I by the arm and dragged her to her feet. "Now, c'mon, loser. We've still got work to do." As Elise III turned away, Hana and Shogo's Spark Cores flashed brightly. Sensing this, Elise III spun around as the stone covering both cyborgs shattered completely, revealing Kamen Rider Zero and Kamen Rider Arachnea.
"Oh, my," Elise I gasped.
"WHAT!?" Elise III screamed.
"It worked," Zero said, relieved that their transformations were able to reverse the petrification, allowing them to break free.
"Good, because now we need to deal with some troublemakers," Arachnea said as she turned her gaze on Elise III. Arachnea lunged at her as a venomous miasma coated her hands as she was prepared to take her out in an instant. The Tarantula Cyborg was not planning to kill her, merely incapacitate her. Suddenly, a purple flash of light glowed from her left and she instinctively jumped back as a laser beam whizzed past her.
"How sloppy, Elise," the assailant frowned, lowering his index finger as the glow on the tip dimmed. He was a young man in his mid-twenties, with short, turquoise hair slicked backwards and green eyes. There was a noticeable scar over his left eye. He was sharply dressed in a green blazer with gold lining, cuffs, buttons, and lapel, a white dress shirt and blue tie, white gloves, matching pants and brown marching boots. "Your arrogance nearly cost you."
"Just shut up, Jota! I don't need your sass right now!" Elise III snapped.
"Another one?" Arachnea frowned at the new arrival.
"Indeed," Jota replied, turning at them with an uncaring gaze. "And there are more of us here. If you plan on calling BLACK 13 over then it will be for nought. One of us is already putting him down as we speak."
"So, only one of you is going up against Shinichi?" Arachnea questioned, crossing her arms. "Then they don't stand a chance."
"Don't underestimate D. She was designed to destroy BLACK 13." Jota boasted.
"Shut the hell up, Jota! Don't tell them anything!" Elise III yelled.
"There is no need for worries, Elise. You go and continue with the mission while I squash some bugs." His glare deepened as he pointed all his fingers at Zero and Arachnea to fire multiple laser beams at the two of them.
"Scatter!" Zero yelled as he took to the air and five of the beams followed him. At the same time, Arachnea rolled out of the way of the lasers before she fired a web blob at Jota, hitting him in the face. Jota cursed as he tried to tear off the webbing that covered his eyes.
As this was going on, Elise III looked over at Elise I, who was slowly backing away from the fight. Without another word, her body turned transparent purple before shifting into spectral energy, washing over Elise I. The girl shivered and twitched before nodding off as the energy merged with her. She woke up almost immediately, her eyes now becoming the sharp glare of Elise III before she swiftly bolted
"Go after her, Hana!" Zero ordered, "I can handle him!"
"You be careful!" Arachnea nodded before she chased after Elise.
"Gah!" Jota yelled as he ripped the webbing off. "Now that was just rude."
"You came here to our village, attacked us without provocation, and you dare talk about rudeness?" Zero aimed his gauntlets at Jota and fired his stinger needles. As the Esper saw the attack coming, he suddenly blurred out of sight. "Where'd he go?" Zero suddenly took a blow to the back of his head that sent him crashing to the ground. He stood back to his feet, only to be shot by a laser that blasted him into a toy stand, destroying it and scattering the toys all over the ground. As he got up again, Jota reappeared, glaring at him. "...teleportation?"
"Perhaps it appears that way to your underdeveloped eyes," Jota answered mockingly. "It's my ability: Lightspeed."
"'Lightspeed'? Then in addition to being photokinetic, you're a speedster too," Zero concluded.
"That's right," Jota confirmed. "I am Jota Welsh, designated as Weapon L and I am the fastest of Alpha Force. Actually, I am the fastest in the world. And through my speed, I will lead the world to true peace and restore order. Peace that you and your cohorts failed to accomplish so many times."
"By attacking us in the middle of a festival?" Zero frowned.
"You cannot make an omelette without breaking a few eggs," Jota justified. "And it appears there's an egg that needs to be cracked right now." He puts his hands in front of his waist, light shining through his midsection as a belt. It resembled the belt Weapon D had, but the crystal in the middle was deep green.
"A Driver?" Zero tensed as he clenched his fists.
"Henshin." Jota crossed his forearm in front of his face, fanned out his fingers as his eyes glowed, and then slapped his hands onto his hip buttons. The belt flashed, engulfing Jota in green light. Zero did not turn away as he witnessed the esper's transformation. The light soon faded, giving the Hornet Cyborg a clear look at his opponent's transformed state.
Jota was now clad in a black bodysuit with yellow lines that resembled lightning bolts. Over the suit, he wore jade green armour with a golden rectangular stone set in the centre of his chestplate. Mounted on his shoulder pads were golden gems, the same gems set on his gauntlets and knee pads. His head was encased in a helmet with a pair of sharp jagged crest horns. A single large round yellow eye lens occupied his faceplate, giving him a cycloptic appearance and his faceplate resembled a bird's beak. Finally, a tail coat made of luminescent green energy hung from his waist, waving behind him before it opened up like the tail of a peacock.
"Like the dawn of the morning sun, I, Agito Luminous, shall light humanity to a new age of prosperity. An age where outdated scrap like you are no longer needed!" the enemy Kamen Rider announced.
"We'll see about that!" Zero fired his Machinegun Stinger, rapidly firing a salvo of stinger needles at Agito Luminous. Luminous responded in kind, firing his own lasers to meet Zero's attack.
END OF ACT 3
DrExposition: And so Alpha Force and Kyofu have declared war on the NEO-NUMBERS. This does not look good. I hope the heroes win and repel these invaders. We will see the rest of Alpha Force in the next chapter so please stay tuned for the next update.