"Since Kamen Rider Minze had the lowest point compared to the rest of the players, she was now at the bottom of the rank and thus will be retired from the game."
"Shiraishi Kaho... had lost the right to continue to become a Kamen Rider."
Neon let out a sigh of relief as she saw Kaho's body disappear into blue particles. This was for the best. Even if Kaho had lost the will to pursue the wish that she had wanted to get, at least she was still alive. She would not have to worry about the girl's safety anymore.
Her phone suddenly vibrated as Neon took out her phone to check on her messages. She smiled as she read the name of the sender who had messaged her.
xxx
Was it by chance... for them to meet each other again? Or was it fate... that ties them all so that they could see each other again...
.
"Sara-san! Over here—"
The older lady gasped immediately after seeing her and rushed over to join her at the table.
"Is it really okay for us to meet at this time, Neon-chan? Would there be any trouble for you—"
Neon hastily shook her head at the other woman as she reassured Sara that she was fine. After all, she had intentionally taken the day off from her part-time job to see Sara.
Sara took a sip of her juice as she shrugged at Neon. "Anyway, Neon-chan... thank you for your help the other day. That was really a lifesaver!"
Neon quickly shrugged it off. "Oh, it's fine... I'm glad to help!" she answered quickly, recalling how Sara had called her for help involving her workplace and Neon had gone to consult her father about it. They ended up managing to resolve the issue and Sara was rewarded for the job well done. For once Neon was glad that she was part of the Kurama family...
.
Honestly, she wanted to thank the heavens that she was still somehow connected to Sara despite the bad aftermath of the DesiGra 15 years ago. The two of them had met by chance, eight years prior... when Neon was working part-time at a bakery. Sara immediately recognised her even though Neon had stopped her activities for NeonTV for quite some time. Sara had started visiting the bakery a lot more frequently soon after, and the two of them were quick to become close friends. Back then she used to wonder why she seemed to be able to get along with Sara so well, considering how sheltered her life used to be.
And then one day, Tsumuri appeared before her almost a month ago and everything finally made sense.
It still surprised her how she was able to meet Sara again years before she regained her memories of the DGP...
xxx
Somehow she was glad that Sara was living well now, even without Keiwa by her side. Considering how close Keiwa used to be with his sister, she wondered how Sara would've dealt with having to live by herself. But it turned out that Sara's memories about Keiwa's disappearance were also altered when the world was reset. She used to wonder how Sara would react if she told her the truth.
But wouldn't that be cruel as well?
.
"Neon... san?"
Neon blinked at Sara before shaking her head at the older lady. "Sorry... I got distracted again—"
Sara chuckled to herself before taking a sip of her tea.
"You've been doing that for the third time already in the past hour." She frowned. "What's wrong? Did anything happen to you at home? Or was it work-related? Did someone bother you? If there was I'm gonna—"
"Whoa wow wait a sec there! Calm down! It's nothing like that—" Neon bit her lips. She sighed. "Ne, Sara-san..." she started to say again. "Do you still miss your brother Keiwa?"
As expected, Sara stared at her in surprise. "Neon-chan, that's—come to think about it, you've been talking about my brother quite often lately. Why the sudden interest in him? You told me that you didn't remember meeting Keiwa before when we first started becoming friends properly..."
"Ah well, since you told me before that your brother had died I didn't want to pry too much—"
Well, it wasn't as if she could tell Sara about how she had recovered her memories of the past DesiGra recently and recalled the truth about how she actually became acquainted with Keiwa. And after meeting Keisuke the other day...
Neon thought back about her encounter with the Inugami twins the other day. Ever since that meeting, she couldn't stop thinking about the twins. What were the odds of her meeting someone who resembled so much like the two friends she had lost almost fifteen years ago? Thinking about the twins she couldn't help recalling the things that she used to hear from Ace. About how he was trapped in a cycle of life and death and living several lifetimes while searching for his first mother. She used to not quite believe in Ace's bizarre tales before but somehow now she couldn't help wondering if something like reincarnations truly existed.
Could it be possible that Ace and Keiwa had reincarnated as those pairs of twins? The more she thought about Eisuke-kun and Keisuke-kun, the more she wanted to believe in the possibility. Because it couldn't just be a coincidence, the boys' resemblances to their friends, the boys' similar personalities as Keiwa and Ace... and those two were of the right ages as well! So...
...would it be too presumptuous of her to think that Ace and Keiwa had been reborn as the Inugami twins?
Neon just shook her head before smiling at Sara.
"It's nothing. It's just that I can't help wondering what would your life be like if your younger brother was still around."
That made Sara grin as the thought of Keiwa made her smile. "Heh... is that so? I wonder... if Kei-chan's still around, could I try to pair him with Neon-chan? Could Neon-chan be a great girlfriend for my Keiwa?" Neon immediately cried out frantically at her as Sara laughed. "My baby Keiwa can actually be quite handsome after all!"
Neon thought back about the first time she met Keiwa during her earlier DesiGra games as she shrugged. While she used to deny it every time Ace or anyone else tried to tease her at the possibility of them being a couple, the thought rarely crossed her mind whenever Neon thought of Keiwa. But at times, she had to admit... Keiwa did look handsome to her at times. Especially whenever Keiwa was protecting someone. She had to admit that Keiwa had looked different especially after he came back to save Michinaga from Kekera...
Neon hastily shook her head as she turned her attention towards Sara. "Aha... don't tease me so much, Sara-san! Forget about me... but haven't you thought about finding a boyfriend yourself?"
xxx
Neon just shook her head as she took her time to head back to the bakery. Fifteen years ago, when Suel killed Keiwa and erased everyone's memories of the existence of the DGP, the world was barely altered and left as it was. On one hand, she couldn't help being somewhat grateful about that. Because that meant that the situation with her family did not end up being reverted to the time when her relationship with her parents was still bad and her mom was still obsessed with getting her married off to some rich heir. Yet, on the other hand, she had forgotten about Keiwa and Ace and everyone for fifteen years.
"Could Neon-chan be a great boyfriend for my Keiwa?"
Neon rapidly shook her head to push the thoughts away. How did talking about Keiwa end up making Sara mused about getting her a boyfriend? That's so silly...
Thinking about the past made her think about Keiwa and Ace, and that led to her thinking about the twins. Recalling how close Eisuke-kun was with Keisuke-kun, it reminded her of how close Ace used to be with Keiwa. Even if she had tried to date Keiwa as a potential boyfriend, could the two of them become a real couple back then? After all, when they met Ace for the first time, Ace thought that she and Keiwa were a couple.
"Does that mean that I still had a chance?"
But then, considering the relationship between the three of them in the past, did she even have any chance with Keiwa? As much as Keiwa never mentioned to her that he had any preference or attraction towards a certain gender, she was always aware that Keiwa had liked Ace a lot. And as much as Ace rarely revealed his true feelings about anything, she always knew that Ace had always considered Keiwa an important person in his life after his mother. And she could still remember the look Keiwa had made when they heard that Ace had died...
Neon sighed as she placed her hand over her head. "Gosh... why did I keep thinking about the things Sara-san said earlier—"
And she thought when she asked Sara if they could meet today, perhaps she could get Sara to meet with Keisuke somehow...
.
Without warning Neon could feel a sudden breeze blowing past her and her Spider phone started ringing. The moment Tsumuri's voice mentioned a sudden 'Emergency', Neon immediately knew that something was up.
The final round of the current Desire Grand Prix has now begun...