I don't own Kamen Rider Faiz and Myriad Colors Phantom World; those belong to their creators. This is for fun, not profit.
Chapter 14: Little Ruru's Big Dream
In the Lucky Clover Bar, Saeko was seen cleaning some cups with a piece of cloth which showed the bandages around her damaged arm from her battle with Faiz.
She then heard the door opening and saw Yuri had returned as she entered the building. Saeko hummed to see her as she walked in front of her.
"I'm surprised that you came back." Saeko said.
"Well, what do you expect? I do live around here." Yuri told her.
"True. But does that mean you've made your decision?" Saeko asked, and Yuri nodded.
"Yes. This is where I belong. This is the only path I can take." She answered.
"Do you really mean that?" Saeko asked.
"Of course, I do." Yuri nodded.
Saeko narrowed her eyes and saw the look in her eyes before she went back to cleaning her cups.
"Fine, then you're free to stay. But just so we're clear, this is the second and only chance you get. So don't waste it." Saeko told her.
"I won't. Thank you." Yuri said before she left the bar.
After getting a good distance away from the Lucky Clover Bar, Yuri took a moment to sigh as she sat down on a bench.
Yuri then looks up at the night sky as she remembers Kazuto's request in helping him find the Orphnoch King.
(Flashback)
"I know that. But if we want any chance of finding the Orphnoch King, then Yuri might be our best chance." Kazuto said before he turned to Yuri. "But I'm not going to force you into doing it, Yuri. It's your decision if you want to help or not."
Yuri was in deep thought about it while she did that, Minato placed an arm around Kazuto's neck and made him turn away from Yuri to whisper to him.
"Kazuto, I don't want to question your judgment here but are you really sure this is the right call?" Minato asked.
"Well to tell you the truth, I'm not sure myself. But this might be our best chance to find the Orphnoch King." Kazuto told him.
"And I can understand that. But this is Yuri we're talking about, our friend." Minato said.
"Don't you think I know that? I don't want to send her back there alone, but what choice do we have?" Kazuto asked.
"You do know I can still hear you, right?" Yuri asked, causing both Kazuto and Minato to flinch before they turned to her and moved away from each other as they tried to act innocent which made Yuri sighed while the others sweatdrop and Ruru chuckles. "And you don't have to worry about anything. Because I'll do it."
Hearing that surprised the others.
"What? Yuri, are you serious?" Minato asked in worry.
Yuri nodded before she stood up.
"I am. But I'm not doing this to help find the Orphnoch King, I'm doing this to uncover the truth about Smart Brain in my own way. If that's fine with you." Yuri said.
"Of course. But are you really sure you want to do this?" Kazuto asked, and Yuri nodded once again.
"I do. Because I can't stand by and do nothing without learning what's really going on." Yuri told him.
(End of flashback)
Even though she decided to help Kazuto and his friends help find the Orphnoch King, Yuri still wasn't sure if this really the right path for her before she shook her head.
"It's too late to turn back now. I just need to do the best that I can." Yuri said before she stood up and left. "I should head back home. Maybe some sleep will help clear my head."
In the bar, Saeko called Murakami to report about Yuri's return.
"I see. So, she decided to return after all." Murakami said.
"Yes, sir. But I highly doubt that she has resolved her personal issues yet." Saeko told her.
"And I agree with you on that. But I'm willing to give her a second chance to prove herself. For now, continue to keep an eye on her." Murakami said.
"Of course, sir." Yuri said before she ended the call and went back to cleaning the cups.
(Play Justiφ's by ISSA)
(Instrumental) (The song started showing a pixelated Faiz, and changes to the Auto Vajin, and showed two rows of images of Faiz wielding his Faiz Edge and Phone in Gun mode, and changes to Faiz riding on his bike.)
(Hirogaru uchuu no naka Can You Feel) (Kazuto was in a net cage, and grabbed a fallen half cut apple, before breaking out of the cage and leaving.)
(Chiisa na hoshi no hanashi wo shiyou) (Kazuto was seen with Haruhiko, Mai, Reina, Koito, Ruru, and Kurumi, on a beach, looking at the sun set, in which he smiles being with friends.)
(Tell Me The Truth shinjiteta mirai ga) (Then change to Kiba and Leo standing side by side. Then changes to Kiba showing both his Horse Orphnoch form and changing to Orga, and then changes of him bowing to Dark Decade.)
(Kuzure sarou to shiteru) (Then changes to Leo smirks, as his Lion Orphnoch Form appears and then changes to Psyga.)
(Kanashimi wo kuri kaeshi) (Kazuto was seen walking with his friends to school, and then flashes of his past appeared beside him.)
(Bokura wa doko e yuku no darou) (Then it changes to Kazuto facing several Riotroopers, and he soon transformed into Faiz, and charges at the Riotroopers.)
(Ima hitori no mune no naka) (Faiz was seen fighting against an Orphnoch, and changes of him riding the Auto Vajin.)
(Me wo samase The Time To Go) (Then changes showing pixels of Kaixa and Delta, then changes of them wielding and using their main weapons.)
(Tsuyoku aru tame ni) (Faiz was seen drifting on his bike, making a sharp turn.)
(Mata mamoru koto to tatakau koto) (Then it changed to Smart Lady, blowing her hands and blue butterflies appeared flying, and showed one with a broken wing.)
(JIRENMA wa owaranai hashiri tsuzukete mo) (A young Kazuto looks at the burning lab where his parents had died, and soon the current Kazuto visited the now ruined building, then changes to Faiz standing with the Auto Vajin in the on top of a building in the night, with his eyes and Photon Streams glowing brightly.)
({The} end Justi-φ's the means!) (Then the song ends, with the title logo.)
Summer is now here in the city. Outside of the Ichijo house, Kazuto was wearing the school's summer uniform as he was wearing a black short sleeve shirt without the necktie.
Kazuto was leaning on his bike as he was waiting for Haruhiko before he waved his hand at his face to cool himself down from the hot heatwave.
"Man…You can really tell that it's summer now." Kazuto sighed. The reason he was still here is because he was waiting on Haruhiko who rushed to get ready after he overslept again.
"Necktie…Where did my necktie go?" Haruhiko said as he walked around the room while looking for his missing necktie as he knocked some piles of books on the floor.
As Haruhiko was looking for his necktie, Ruru was on the floor as she was looking at a poster for the fireworks festival today.
"There will be many food stands at the fireworks festival today! Shaved ice, takoyaki, candy apples, and ramune! That drink with the marble! You've gotta have ramune. Right, Haruhi-" Ruru said before she turned to Haruhiko and saw his foot heading towards her.
Haruhiko stopped looking as he heard a squash and felt something beneath his foot. He looked down and saw it was Ruru who was now under his foot as she glared at him.
"Haruhiko!" Ruru said before Haruhiko removed his foot.
"You're so small, I couldn't see you." Haruhiko told her, and Ruru pouted.
"You're awful!" Ruru said before she began to fly around Haruhiko's head. "Can you see me now?!"
This only annoyed Haruhiko before he swatted Ruru away with his hand.
"Ah move!" Haruhiko said before he spotted his necktie hanging on a bookshelf and rushed to it. "There! Shoot…I'm late!"
Haruhiko then leaves his room while leaving Ruru behind as she puffed out her cheeks.
(Meanwhile)
Walking on the streets in the neighborhood was a female Phantom who had purple colored hair and aqua colored eyes, and she was dressed like a witch with a hat and everything else.
Static appeared around her body one moment as the accessory on her hat rings like a bell before she disappears.
After leaving the house, Ruru was now in a playground as she was seated on a bench with a cat lying close to her as she spoke to the cat about her small size.
"But yeah, being small can be a pain at times. I can't even finish my ramune…"
But then the cat stood up and jumped down to the ground before it walked away. Ruru sighed.
"If only I were bigger, I could finish an entire bottle of ramune!" Ruru said as she raised her arms, that's when she noticed the Phantom dressed as a witch seated beside her.
"Ojou-san…" The Phantom said as she stood up and moved in front of Ruru before she spun around. "It sounds like you have a wish."
Ruru then hides behind an empty soda can that was on the ground.
"A Phantom!" Ruru said.
"I shall grant your wish." She told her, and Ruru blinked in confusion. "You needn't be suspicious of me."
"I totally do!" Ruru shouted.
"Not at all…I'm a benevolent witch Phantom. I'm just a little unusual. I go around granting Phantoms their wishes." The Witch Phantom explained herself.
"That's way too good to be true." Ruru said in suspicion. "In exchange for granting my wish, you'll probably shorten my lifespan or something."
"Absolutely not! This is my reason for being. Believe me! I will grant your wish!" The Witch Phantom assured her.
While still skeptical about it, a now intrigued Ruru flew in front of the Witch Phantom.
"No strings attached, really?" Ruru asked, and the Phantom made a peace sign with her hand.
"A witch does not go back on her word." She told her.
Now convinced, Ruru folded her legs.
"I guess I'll take you up on your offer, then." Ruru said.
"Gladly!" The Witch Phantom said as she clapped her hands. "So, what is your wish?"
Ruru hummed before she looked down at the witch's legs and looked up at her face.
"It has to be this…I want to be human-sized." She requested and the Witch Phantom smiles to hear that.
"Understood." She said before she realized something and gave Ruru a warning about that wish. "But once you're human-sized, you won't be able to fly like you can now."
"Oh, really?" Ruru said as she placed a hand on her chin. "Yeah, I guess it'd be bad if humans were flying around. That's okay."
But then the Witch Phantom raised her finger in front of Ruru.
"And one more thing. If someone finds out it's you, you'll return to your original size immediately." She told her.
"Eh?! There's someone who's really perceptive when it comes to Phantoms! I'm screwed if Koito-chan finds out!" Ruru said in worry.
"Oh, I'll also set up certain arrangements for after you've become a human. You have nothing to worry about." The Witch Phantom said as she took off her pendant and gave it to Ruru as she curiously looked at it.
"Now, here we go…" The Witch Phantom said as she brought out her wand to cast her magic spell. "Phan, Phan, Phantom!"
Then the pendant in Ruru's hand lit up as light appeared around her.
"Grow, grow!"
Then suddenly the pendant that was in her hands was now hanging around her neck and her entire view of the world was now larger.
Ruru saw that she was now standing on her feet and was now in the same size as the Witch Phantom in front of her. She was also wearing the Hosea Academy uniform, and her hair was let down as it now reached to her waist.
"This is me?" Ruru said as she placed her hands on her cheeks.
"Do you like it?" The Witch Phantom asked.
"This is amazing, witch!" Ruru answered.
"That's good!" The Witch Phantom said in happiness before she began to disappear. "Well, have a nice body! Have a nice day!"
The now human-sized Ruru turns to the empty soda can she was hiding behind before she picks it up and smiles.
Ruru then tossed the soda can to a nearby recycling bin, she then leaves and heads to the one place where she knows she'll have lots of fun.
Haruhiko was now in his classroom, and before class would begin, the teacher soon had an announcement to make.
"Take your seats, class! We have a new student in the class today. Come in." He calls out to the said transfer student.
Then entering the classroom was Ruru with a different hairstyle. Her hair was now tied with two pigtails and two thin braids hanging between them.
She stops close to the teacher and turns to the students in the classroom, and Ruru's eyes shine in joy as everything is so big to her now compared to being here in her regular small size.
'I'm actually bigger! Wow.' Ruru thought as she looked around the room. 'And I'm a transfer student! Nice setup, witch!'
"Now, would you introduce yourself?" The teacher asked.
"Introduce myself?" Ruru asked.
"Yeah, your name first."
Ruru turned away and placed a hand on her mouth.
'That's up to me, witch?' Ruru thought.
"Um, my name…" Ruru mutters and soon has the perfect name in mind.
Ruru then begins writing her new name in this form on the chalkboard and writes the last of it very loudly which causes the students to wince.
"Natsuno." Ruru said before she turned to the students. "Natsuno Ramune. Nice to meet you!"
The students and teacher clap to hear that.
"All right, Natsuno, your seat is over there." The teacher said as he pointed to the empty seat next to Haruhiko. "Ichijo, take care of her."
"Right." Haruhiko said.
Ruru, or Ramune smiles in excitement.
'I'm next to Haruhiko!' Ramune thought before she jumped in the air to fly to her desk but ended up falling to the floor surprising both the teacher and students.
"Are you alright?" The teacher asked in worry as Ramune slowly raised her head.
'Right, I can't fly…' Ramune thought before she stood up. "I'm fine! I trip a lot!"
Ramune then sat down on the seat next to Haruhiko.
"Nice to meet you, Natsuno-san." Haruhiko greeted the transformed Ruru with a friendly smile.
"Nice to meet you." Ruru greeted back with a smile before she turned away and quietly chuckled.
'He hasn't caught on!'
Shosuke then begins to speak with Haruhiko.
"Don't you think Natsuno-san resembles Ruru?" Ruru flinches to hear that.
"Huh? Not at all. Natsuno-san's way cuter." Haruhiko stated and Ruru sighed in relief.
'Whew…But jeez!' Ruru thought as she was now offended to hear that.
"Natsuno-san, let me know if you need anything." Haruhiko told her.
"R-Right." Ramune said.
Then class soon began, and the teacher was giving them a history lesson, as he was speaking however Ruru was having trouble staying awake as she began to doze off.
Ruru then stood up and yawned as she stretched out her arms which made the teacher stop as the other students turned to her.
"Natsuno-san?" Haruhiko said.
"I'm going for a walk-" Ramune said as she was about to leave but Haruhiko stopped her as he stood up and grabbed onto her hand.
"We're in the middle of class! No walks!" Haruhiko told her and Ramune whined to hear that.
History class was now over as the students soon left to head to their next class, Haruhiko stood up and spoke to Ramune.
"We're switching classrooms, Natsuno-san." Haruhiko told her.
"Hai." Ramune said as she stood up.
While Haruhiko heads to the door, Ramune heads to the window instead.
"The physics room is downstairs." Haruhiko said.
"I'll see you there." Ramune said before she opened the window and climbed on top of it.
Haruhiko then turns to her before she jumps down, Haruhiko gasps in both shock and worry before he runs to the window and looks down.
"A-Are you okay, Natsuno-san?" Haruhiko asked.
Thankfully, Ruru was caught by a tree as her skirt was hanging on a tree branch.
'Shoot!' Ruru thought as she still can't fly in this form. "I'm fine…"
Ruru laughs while Haruhiko sighed.
"She's pretty free-spirited." Haruhiko said.
(Later)
It was now after class, and not long after that several students from different clubs had arrived to speak with Ramune.
"Natsuno-san, wanna join the tennis club?"
"Would you like to see the gymnastics club?"
"Come join the rakugo club."
"The table tennis team, too."
Ruru was excited to see this many people wanting her to join their respective clubs.
"Those all-sound fun!" Ramune said.
"What's going on?" Haruhiko asked.
"Club recruiting." Shosuke answered. "A girl that cute is bound to be popular. Go invite her to our club."
"No way. She said she doesn't have any special abilities." Haruhiko said before they looked at Ramune.
Ruru decided to give each of the clubs a try, starting with the tennis club. She was now wearing a pink and white tennis outfit holding a racket and a ball in her hand.
"Here I go!" Ruru said as she threw the ball in the air and swung her racket at it…but the ball landed on her back and fell to the ground, Ruru soon noticed that her racket was now missing in her hand.
"Huh? Where art thou, my racket?" Ruru looks around for the racket and sees that it slammed onto Haruhiko's face before he falls to the ground. "Shoot…"
She then tries out the naginata club. She then tries out for the gymnastics club but ends up getting tangled up by someone's ribbon as she tries to catch a ball. She then gives the table tennis club a try but ends up sending the paddle to Haruhiko's face once again.
She then tries out the rakugo club as she tells the story of Busho no Daisan with Haruhiko watching her.
After class, Kazuto and Minato were standing in the hallway together with Minato leaning on the opened window and Kazuto notices the look on his face.
"Still worried about Yuri?" Kazuto asked, and Minato sighed.
"I was that obvious huh." Minato said. "I know this is our best chance in discovering the Orphnoch King, but I still think it's a bad idea sending her back alone."
Kazuto sighed.
"Listen, if it means anything, I still don't like it either. But all we can do right now is to have faith in Yuri." Kazuto said.
"I suppose that's true." Minato said.
"Hey, Kazuto, Minato!"
Both Riders looked and saw Haruhiko walking towards with the human sized Ruru following him.
"Hey, Haruhiko." Kazuto greeted him before he looked at the human-sized Ruru. "Who's the girl?"
"Oh, this is Natsuno Ramune. She just transferred to my class." Haruhiko told them.
"Oh right. The cute transfer student, I heard about you." Minato said.
"Yep, that's me." Ramune said. "You two must be Har-Ichijo-kun's friends, Inui-kun and Yoshida-kun, right?"
"Yeah, that's right." Minato said.
Kazuto then realized that something about Ramune felt familiar to him before he hummed in thought.
"Is something wrong, Kazuto?" Haruhiko asked.
"Well, I could be wrong, but doesn't she resemble Ruru?" Kazuto asked, and Ramune flinched to hear before Haruhiko waved his hand.
"No way. Ruru isn't anywhere near as cute as Natsuno-san." Haruhiko told him, and Ramune was upset to hear that once again.
"Hmmm…I guess you do have a point." Kazuto shrugged.
"Anyway, where do you want to go next, Natsuno-san?" Haruhiko asked.
"Well…I want to check out your club next, Ichijo-kun." Ramune answered.
"Huh? But didn't you say you don't have any special abilities?" Haruhiko asked.
"I want to check it out anyway." Ramune said.
"All right. The club room's this way." Haruhiko said before he, Kazuto, and Minato headed to the club room.
Ruru took a moment to compare her own height with Haruhiko.
'So, this is what it's like to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with Haruhiko.' Ruru thought in happiness.
They soon arrived at the Neural Error Corrections room, Haruhiko showed the human-sized Ruru the room as Kazuto, Minato, Kiba, Reina, and Mai were watching them.
"This is the club room." Haruhiko said.
"Whoa, awesome!" Ramune said.
"Who's the girl?" Mai asked.
"She's a new student who transferred to Haruhiko's class." Kazuto answered, and Mai hummed.
"Transfer student…" Mai said.
Kazuto and his friends along with Koito were now in Arisu's office where Haruhiko introduced Ramune to them.
"This is Natsuno-san. She doesn't have special abilities, but she's interested in observing, so I brought her here." Haruhiko explained to them.
"I'm Himeno, the supervisor. Make yourself at home." Arisu told her.
Haruhiko then introduced the others.
"This is Kawakami Mai-senpai, a second year. Kumamakura Kurumi-chan from the elementary school, and Albrecht. Kiba Yuji, Izumi Reina-chan, and Minase Koito-san are first years."
Ruru flinches as Koito stares at her before she turns away from her.
'I hope Koito-chan doesn't notice.' Ruru thought.
"Natsuno-san, where did you go to school before?" Mai asked.
Ramune turns her head to the side before the room darkens while a light shines above the human-sized Ruru.
'What happened to the lights?' Kazuto thought.
"I don't know anything about my parents. They both died half a year before I was born…" Ramune told them as tears began to form in her eyes. 'My profile just comes right out of my mouth! Good job, witch!'
The lights turned back on as Haruhiko found something off about that story.
"Waif, if your mom died half a year before you were born, you wouldn't exist." Haruhiko said, and Ruru flinched.
"Oh, whoops! I meant a half year after…" Ramune told them.
Kurumi had become teary-eyed to hear that story though.
"Either way, poor you." Kurumi said.
Ramune was rubbing the back of her head while her inner self lightly punched on her head.
'Get a grip, witch!' Ruru thought before she told the rest of her made-up backstory.
"North to Hokkaido, south to Okinawa…I was passed around among my relatives, only to be thrown out into the cold world." The other girls soon became teary eyed and Minato was on the verge of crying himself, Arisu was also deeply moved by her story while Koito was warming up some coffee as she went on.
"I did everything I needed to do to survive, legal or otherwise. Poor me…" Ramune hugs herself.
"That sounds awful." Haruhiko said.
"Weary of such a life, I was convinced that I'd have to die on the streets." Ramune said before she placed a hand on the bookshelves behind her. "But just then, I met my long-lost grandma and grandpa!" She finished as she turned to them with a smile on her face.
"Thank goodness…" Reina said, and Minato was now crying as he tried to wipe away his tears.
"Ahhh…man…that is so heart wrenching!" Minato cries, Kazuto taps his hand on his shoulder.
"I apologize for him. He's sort of a sucker for those kinds of things." Kazuto said even though he was deeply moved by that story as well.
"That's so dramatic." Haruhiko said with a tear in his eye before he noticed that Koito had walked to his side and faced Ramune.
Ruru saw the look on her eyes.
'I'm busted!' Ruru thought in worry but then Koito hands her a cup of coffee.
"You've been through so much." Koito said with a tear on her eye.
'Seriously?' Kiba thought.
Ruru then accepted the coffee.
"Thanks." She said before she turned away and smiled. 'Koito-chan's fooled, too. Good going, witch.'
Ruru drank the coffee but stopped as it was too sweet.
"Sweet!"
"Natsuno-san!" Mai said as she walked to Ruru and grabbed onto her hands. "Let's enjoy school life together, okay? Makeup for all the time you've lost."
The others nodded in agreement.
"There's a fireworks festival today. Phantoms are likely to appear where there are lots of people. So, let's go enjoy the event, and keep watch while we're at it." Arisu told them before she stood up.
"All of us? To see fireworks? Yay!" Ramune said in excitement.
(Later)
The sun was beginning to set. Kazuto and his friends were now wearing a yukata as they headed to where the festival was taking place while they were walking while Ruru was singing a song.
"La la la, yukata, yukata, la la la."
"But we're just borrowing it from the classical Japanese dance club." Arisu said.
"Good thing Reina knew how to put them on. That's a high-class lady for you." Mai said.
"That's true." Minato said in agreement.
"Not at all. By the way, Haruhiko-kun, where's Ruru-chan today?" Reina asked and Ruru flinched. "She's been looking forward to fireworks for quite a while."
"Yeah. Now that you mention it, I hadn't seen her all day." Kazuto said.
"Ruru's the name of the Phantom who's always with Haruhiko." Mai told Ramune.
"Huh…" Ramune said as she acted like she had no clue.
"Oh...I stepped on her this morning. Maybe she's pissed." Haruhiko told them before they stopped at a red light.
"Stepped on her?" Reina said.
"Dude, for real?" Minato said.
"You're awful." Mai said.
"Truly despicable. And to think I live in your house." Kazuto said.
"You're beyond redemption." Kiba said.
Haruhiko then raised his hands.
"Don't worry! She's tough! I'm sure she'll be back by the time the fireworks begin." Haruhiko said, causing the human-sized Ruru to pout. "She said something about 'gotta have ramune,' too."
"I hope Ruru-chan comes soon." Kurumi said in some sadness as Ramune turns to her before she becomes a bit saddened herself.
"Natsuno-san?" Reina calls out, and Ruru turns to her.
"Yeah?" She said.
"Once we're at the festival, what do you want to do?" Reina asks, and Ruru flinches and soon answers the question.
"I want to go to the food stands and have shaved ice, takoyaki, and candy apples…" Ramune told them and that sounds familiar to Haruhiko.
"Where have I heard that before?" Haruhiko said.
"And ramune!" Ruru told them.
"Okay, let's do all of that." Mai said and Ruru smiled and nodded.
'I can't let anyone find out that I'm Ruru until I drink a whole bottle of ramune.' Ruru thought before the light turned green.
(Meanwhile)
The Witch Phantom was flying on a broomstick before she noticed something on the platform on the river where they were going to shoot out the fireworks.
She then lands onto the platform as one of the fireworks had lit up with some static around it.
The Witch Phantom removed the cover and looked into the pipe and saw the firework had turned into a Phantom with a face.
"You're a Phantom, a firework turned tsukumogami." She said.
The Fireworks Phantom flew out of the pipe he was in and in front of the Witch Phantom.
"You have a wish, don't you?" She said before she removed the pendant on her neck and put it on the tsukumogami. "I, the Phantom Witch, shall grant your wish."
Then the pendant on the tsukumogami lit up as the Witch Phantom granted its wish.
Kazuto and his friend were now walking in the festival grounds, they bought some snacks from a different food stall while they were walking there were a lot of people around them.
"Wh-What a crowd." Reina said.
"Yeah. It's hard to even get around." Mai said.
"We may have to be careful not to get lost." Minato said as he ate some yakisoba.
"Agreed." Kazuto said before he blew on his sweet fried potato and took a bite on it but flinched by the heat of it.
Mai then spotted the shaved ice stall.
"There it is! I found the shaved ice stall, Natsuno-san!" Mai said as she turned to Natsuno and Haruhiko only to see that they were now missing.
The others then notice they were missing as well.
"Haruhiko? Natsuno-san?" Mai calls out.
"I spoke too soon, didn't I?" Minato asked.
"Maybe." Kiba said as he ate a corn dog while Koito nodded as she ate some cotton candy.
Haruhiko was saying his usual trivial about fireworks to the human-sized Ruru, as they were walking Ruru's feet began to hurt due to her sandals.
'My feet hurt. If only I could fly…Being human is kind of a pain.' Ruru thought.
"And tamaya is…" Haruhiko said before they stopped walking. "Natsuno-san?"
Haruhiko then saw her feet starting to turn red due to her sandals.
"Oh, your sandals. Your feet must hurt. Why don't we take a break, Mai-senpai…" Haruhiko said before he saw that his friends were missing. "Shoot, we lost them!"
Haruhiko then felt Ruru tugging on his sleeve before he turned to her and saw tears forming on her eyes which caused Haruhiko to blush.
Both Haruhiko and Ruru left the festival stalls, Ruru was seated on a stone monument as Haruhiko bought and applied bandages on the red areas on her feet.
"That should make it a little better." Haruhiko told her.
"Thanks. You should always be this kind to me." Ruru mutters and Haruhiko looks up at her.
"Huh?"
"Nothing." Ruru told him, and Haruhiko looked down at her feet.
"Okay, show me your left foot." Haruhiko said before he saw two people with ramune in their hands walking past them and Ramune blinked. "Oh, you know Ruru-That Phantom we were talking about earlier…She said she wanted ramune."
Ruru was surprised that he remembered that.
"What's Ruru-chan like?" She asked.
"Well…" Haruhiko said before he applied bandages on her left foot. "I've gotten used to her being around, so when she isn't…"
Ruru becomes a little excited…
"It's really peaceful." Haruhiko said with a smile, and Ruru pouted in rage. "She's bright and cheery. With her around, it's always lively…"
Ruru smiles to hear that.
"And exhausting." Haruhiko finished and Ruru lowered her head to hear that. "Is she seriously not coming? I think I'll buy her ramune…"
Ruru raised her head and smiled.
"Then again, she's so small, she can't finish it. It's a waste of many…" Haruhiko said and a sparkle appeared in Ruru's eyes before she kicked him in the face which sent Haruhiko falling on his rear.
"Wh-What?" Haruhiko said.
"There was a mosquito!" Ruru told him before she turned away and pouted. 'Stupid Haruhiko! That's what you get!'
"I'm going to go buy ramune." Haruhiko said before he stood up, and Ruru smiled.
"You'll buy me some?" Ruru asked.
"You want some too?" Haruhiko asked.
Ruru thought about it before she lowered her head.
"Later." She told him.
"Not now?" He asked.
"No. I'll have some later." Ruru said before she smiled.
"All right, then-" Haruhiko said before he heard screaming behind him.
"It's a Phantom. A firework Phantom!"
The firework Phantom from earlier was now bigger and was flying in the air as its fuse was lit.
"Let's blow the roof off this place!" The fireworks Phantoms declared before Ruru saw the pendant on its body.
'That pendant!' She thought.
"It's a firework Phantom. Stay somewhere safe!" Haruhiko said before he ran to find his friends.
"I-" Ruru said before she jumped down to follow him, but her feet still hurt.
She then saw that Haruhiko was now gone.
"Haruhiko…"
Kazuto and his friends were now standing on the beachside as they looked at the flying firework Phantom.
"Time to have a blast!" The Phantom said.
"Everyone!" Said Haruhiko as he soon arrived.
"Haruhiko…" Mai said. "It's a firework Phantom. Jeez, going nuts with such a huge crowd around. Let's take care of it."
"I'll burn it." Koito said.
"Wait! Setting it on fire will cause a huge explosion." Kiba told her.
"Meaning I can't use my light on it either." Minato said as he looked at his hand in frustration.
"Same with our laser blasts." Kazuto said as he looked at his Phone.
"Then I'll…" Reina said before she attempts to use her power to devour the firework Phantom and that's when Minato notices its fuse becoming shorter.
"Wait, Reina…" Minato said as he stopped her by grabbing onto her. "That thing's full of gunpowder. There's no telling what would happen if you eat it."
"Yeah. You might get an upset stomach." Mai said.
"But…" Reina said.
"It's a firework Phantom. Obviously, its weakness is the qi of water." Mai said as she readies her special ability.
Mai then jumps at the Phantom and punches at it, but the firework Phantom dodges it as they fly past each other. Mai then lands on the ground.
"It's fast." Mai said.
"I can take care of this." Kurumi said before she threw Albrecht at the Phantom. "Go, Albrecht!"
Albrecht grew into its giant size and threw a punch at the firework Phantom, but Albrecht wasn't able to reach it as it stopped midair.
Albrecht was about to fall before he struggled to stay in the air but still ended up falling headfirst on the ground.
"Albrecht!" Kurumi cries.
"I'll seal it." Haruhiko said and that caught the Phantom's attention. "Jachin and Boaz."
Haruhiko then notices the firework Phantom was now in front of him.
"Tamaya!" The Phantom shouted as it charged at Haruhiko as he attempted to run away but the Phantom caught him by biting onto his yukata before it flew away while carrying Haruhiko.
"Haruhiko!" Kazuto said in worry.
The Witch Phantom was standing on top of a subway staircase as she looked at the firework Phantom in worry.
"What should I do? It's gotten out of control." She said.
"Witch!"
The Witch Phantom looked and saw Ruru was standing on the roof as well as she was looking at her.
"It's you." She said before Ruru walked to her.
"Hey, that pendant…" Ruru said, and the Witch Phantom had a guilty look on her face.
"Yes. That Phantom wanted to go off with a once-in-lifetime bang…I didn't think it'd go on such a rampage." The Witch Phantom said.
Ruru wonders what to do before she hears a familiar voice.
"Hey! Let go! Let go!"
Ruru soon saw that Haruhiko was hanging on the mouth of the firework Phantom.
"Haruhiko!" Ruru said in worry.
"If I can use Abramelin's Finger…" Haruhiko said as he readied his finger but the Phantom noticed it.
"Oh no, you don't!" The firework Phantom said as he flew around the air to prevent Haruhiko from using his powers.
The Witch Phantom then approaches Ruru.
"It must be trying to dispose of anyone that stands in the way of its wish." She said.
"Isn't there anything we can do?" Ruru asked.
"If we can remove the pendant, the spell will be broken." She answered, and Ruru grabbed onto her own pendant.
"The pendant." Ruru said she soon had a determined face and looked up at Haruhiko. "Haruhiko! Remove the pendant!"
Hearing her voice the others turn to Ruru.
"Natsuno-san?" Mai said.
"Natsuno-san…Why did you come here?" Haruhiko asked as the Phantom's fuse was now half of its length.
"Shoot! Haruhiko's going to get blown up!" Mai said.
"We have to do something!" Kazuto said.
"But there's no way we can reach up there." Koito said.
Minato was half tempted to transform to fly in to save Haruhiko, but Kiba stops him by placing a hand on his shoulder before he shook his head.
"Not here. Not with all these people here." Kiba said before they looked at the people in the festival who were standing behind them.
"Then what do you expect me to do?" Minato asked.
"Onii-san!" Kurumi said in worry.
At that moment, Ruru knows what she has to do.
"I'll go." She said and her friends turned to her.
"How?" Koito asked.
Ruru drops her sandals before she screams with her hands on her head.
"I wanted to stay big until I could finish a bottle of ramune!" Ruru said.
"Natsuno-san?" Reina said.
Ruru took a few steps back before she readied herself.
"Guys, I'm actually Ruru!" She said as she ran forward and removed her pendant and she jumped into the air before she changed into her original small form.
"That was Ruru?" Mai said in shock, and Kurumi was shocked as well.
"Huh. So I wasn't imagining things." Kazuto said.
"I had no idea." Reina said, and Minato nodded.
"Then that sad backstory was all a lie?" Koito asked.
"Seems like it." Kiba said.
Ruru flinches before she plays innocent.
"I'm the only one who can fly. What can I do?" Ruru said before she flew close to Haruhiko and the fireworks Phantom. "Look at you, getting caught."
"What's up with you? What's going on?" Haruhiko asked.
"I just wanted to see what it's like to be big." Ruru said before she flew to the Phantom's pendant.
"Just wanted to see? You were tricking me this whole day?" Haruhiko asks as Ruru grabs onto the pendant.
"This isn't the time!" Ruru said before she began to pull the pendant off of the firework Phantom but she wasn't strong enough to do it. "It won't come off."
Ruru then saw the fuse was reaching its end before she turned to her friends.
"If it goes off here, it'll be really bad!" Haruhiko said in worry.
"Leave this to me." Ruru said.
"I want to be a huge firework!" The Phantom said.
"I know how you feel, Firework." Ruru said, and the firework Phantom stopped.
"It stopped." Haruhiko said.
"I asked that Phantom Witch to grant my wish, too. Although the spell got broken before it could be fulfilled. But you still have time. You can go out in a huge bang." Ruru said before she flew to the firework Phantom's face. "But it won't be nice to everyone if you blow up here. Let's go higher."
"What are you…" Haruhiko said in concern.
"I had a really good day today." Ruru told him. "I got to walk side-by-side with Haruhiko, too. And thanks for my feet."
"Ruru…" Haruhiko said before Ruru sadly smiled at him.
"See you." Ruru said.
Then the firework Phantom lets go of Haruhiko as he falls to the water.
"Ruru!" Haruhiko shouted as he fell.
Ruru then turns to the firework Phantom.
"Okay, let's go." Ruru said.
Kazuto and the others ran forward before they stopped.
"Ruru!" Mai said.
"Ruru-chan!" Kurumi said.
Haruhiko then stood up from the water with his head lowered.
"Don't go…" Haruhiko said as the memories he shared with Ruru began to flash in his head. "You said you'd have ramune. Don't go, Ruru…Don't go!"
Haruhiko looks up at her with tears in his eyes.
Then the firework Phantom exploded making a colorful explosion with Ruru's face in the center of it.
Then the light remains of the fireworks begins to shower above them as some of it lands on Haruhiko's hand before it disappears.
The others were also deeply saddened by Ruru's sacrifice as Kurumi was crying on Reina's chest as she hugged her in comfort with tears also in her eyes.
"You idiot…Now you can't have ramune…Ruru!" Haruhiko cries out, then suddenly a dirty Ruru appears in front of his face.
"What? What's the matter?" Ruru asked.
Kazuto and the others look at her with some being shocked and some were happy to see her still alive. Haruhiko was shocked by this as well.
"Th-The firework!" Haruhiko said.
"That was so pretty! That firework! It was so huge and sparkly!" Ruru said with her hands on her cheeks.
Haruhiko soon smiles before he grabs onto her ponytail.
"Do you have any idea how worried we were, you idiot?!" Haruhiko exclaimed.
"What are you talking about?" Ruru said as she kicked him on the cheek. "You're the one that worried me, getting caught by that Phantom and all!"
"What?" Haruhiko said.
Their friends soon begin to chuckle at them.
Kazuto and his friends were now seated close to each other as the fireworks show began as they shot and exploded in the sky.
Ruru sighed as he finished drinking a whole bottle of ramune as she rested her head on it with a balloon belly.
"I have no more room for anything…" Ruru said, Haruhiko smiles at her before he turns back to the fireworks.
"Hey, I'm sorry about this morning. For stepping on you." Haruhiko said as Ruru turned to him before she smiled.
Ruru then stood up and stepped on Haruhiko's finger, Haruhiko blinked in confusion before Ruru flew up at his face.
"We're even!" Ruru said.
"What the heck?" Haruhiko said before they turned back to the fireworks.
The group of friends smiled at each other before they took a deep breath and shouted.
"Tamaya!"
The Phantom Witch was flying in the air as the fireworks continued to explode in the air.
(Meanwhile)
In a different spot away from Kazuto and his friends, a girl was also watching the fireworks. Despite how beautiful they are, the girl wasn't able to smile.
The girl then looks at a hand-held device in her hand.
The device resembled a walkie-talkie with a ring trigger, the device was colored white and black. It also had a code 'SB-333P' on the top with the Smart Brain logo on the bottom.
To Be Continued…Enter, Delta
There you have it, hope you like it. Review to tell me what you think of the story.
Yeah, no Kamen Rider action for this chapter. I wanted to give Ruru some spotlight on this chapter. But, I still hope you enjoy this chapter.