The day is coming to a close with the sun beginning its descent in the world. The clear blue sky darkens as night is on its way.
Tatsuya is walking down an open path in the city. Carrying his guitar case over his shoulder, he lets the cool evening air brush against his face. Reaching under his poncho, he pulls out his container of made cigarettes. He pulls one out with his mouth before putting the rest away.
He grabs his lighter from his pocket. He's about to ignite the tip when a car horn catches his attention. A stretch limo pulls up beside him on the road.
Tatsuya just keeps on walking, trying to out-pace the back end just in case. He puts more energy into his stride, trying to outrun it without looking like he's trying.
The limo just stops, and parks up to the path. The back door opens, and Lady Luck steps out. "Master Miyamoto!" She calls out to him, and he finally stops.
He sighs before putting the cigarette behind his ear and walking back to her.
"And what can I do for you now?" Tatsuya asks, his tone a mix between annoyance, and just being tired from the speed walking.
"Nothing, sir. I was just coming to pick you up and take you to your loungings," Lady Luck has a smile on her face, the first one Tatsuya has seen her have.
"My lodgings? Well, I kind of forgot to book a place for my stay here, plus if I'm going to be longer than a week, it would be pretty costly so…,"
Lady cuts him off, "No sir. I'm here to take you to your lodgings organized for you by ZOO."
This is news to Tatsuya. "ZOO is…giving me a place?"
"Yes sir, right here." Lady Luck hands Tatsuya the touchscreen pad. Tatsuya is given a mini slide show of the apartment he is being provided. "Two bedroom, nice bathroom, and comes with its own kitchen. It also comes with a mini welcome packet as we're under the impression that might not have time to go grocery shopping this late."
The look on Tatsuya's face says it all. He likes what he sees, but he's skeptical. "Answer me truthfully, was this arranged by my father?"
"No sir, this was something that was already planned as part of being part of ZOO's Kamen Rider program." She takes back the touch screen, and changes tabs, revealing a new page in ZOO's network.
She holds it out to show him a screen displaying his Kamen Rider form, with a small window showing off his fight with Ren. Above it is the tagline 'Kamen Rider Frontier'.
"Of course, most of what we share has to be redacted or kept secret, ZOO is freely acknowledging you as Frontier to be this city's hero."
Tatsuya is in the middle of how he feels. "So, this is part of what being ZOO's Kamen Rider entails?" He remembers how earlier his father said he chose Tatsuya to become a Kamen Rider. In a roundabout way, this feels like another ploy by his father.
"Is something wrong?" She asks, seeing the inner battle taking place in his mind as his face won't sit still.
In Tatsuya's mind, he flashbacks to his whole day. Helping the kids, the woman in the park, Ren and Masura. He enjoys helping people, or at least how it makes him feel.
"I don't know," he sounds coy in his tone. "Maybe this isn't for me. I've always seen myself as a thrill seeker. Someone that grabs Adventure by the handles, and takes it for a ride. And I can't do that while I'm stuck in the same place for so long."
He leaves pause to judge Lady's reaction. She's gone back to her deadpan expression at this point, so it's hard to tell.
"On the other hand, I did like how it felt to save Ren from…himself. So maybe being a hero doesn't sound too bad. At the very least, it's an experience I could never get somewhere else. So maybe…"
Before Tatsuya can finish his thought, he overhears a familiar voice from one of the food stands. It sounds like a woman, one in the middle of a panic, but for a crisis, he can't tell.
"Just a minute, please don't tase me."
He walks up to the stand to find the woman that Ren stole from digging through her purse. "I'm sorry about this, this doesn't usually happen, but I know I had another note in here."
She's trying to pay her bill but is exactly 500 yen short. Tatsuya digs into his pocket and pulls out the 500 note he stole.
"Here, don't worry about paying me back," he puts the 500 down with the rest of the cash to complete the payment.
The woman looks up at him, and gasps. "Wait, you're the guy from…,"
"Nice seeing you too," Tatsuya makes a quick exit, leaving this loose end tied up.
Returning to Lady, he smiles, "Okay. As long as I'm free to do what I want while doing this Rider gig, I'm willing to bury the hatchet with my father. Sound good?" He holds his hand out to shake.
Lady nods her head, "Understood. Follow me." She leaves him hanging as she walks back to the limo. She holds the door for him, as she gestures for him to enter.
Shaking his head in disbelief, he tosses his guitar case in first before joining it. Lady enters after him, shutting the door. The pair drive off, taking Tatsuya to his new home.