I recalled the flames that burnt down Lily's home. The bodies that strewn about as my hands were stained with their blood. Whoever was coming next, my mind was set to take them out as well…
Ready?
My ears perked up and turned to see what would be my final challenge at Rügen …
FIGHT!
They were ready for me, though, as an armored figure rushed me down. They carried what appeared to be a chainsaw-sword hybrid with one hand, with their other hand being large with orange claws. Propelling them forward was a red harness on their legs that had special exhausts.
As they pushed me into the wall, I saw the helmet resembled a light blue wolf on the top half with a purple skull as their lower half, the latter's motif being emulated as their chest armor.
They said that the Grim Reaper often came in the form of a wolf, but this armor looked way too man-made not to have a human inside of it.
"Who are you?" I growled.
"Stop this bloodshed and come peacefully." The voice was feminine, though there was a sort of rough, tomboyishness to it.
"I can't stop… I can't… ever stop…" I said before striking at the armored figure with my palm strike.
BLAM!
I struck her point blank in the chest, gaining some space between me and her. While her claws traced where the blow was given, I noticed she wasn't immediately crumpling.
No shit, I thought, she's wearing that heavy armor. I tried to put all my training to try and destroy her armor, charging with my hands seized up into a claw pose.
Her sword blocked most of my attacks, with it looking no worse for wear. I just need to keep myself on the offensive.
"Confrontation Beast Japanese Wolf Fist, Ringi: Wolf Fang Claws!" My index and middle fingers pinched together to the thumb, forming a small point where it would use all the concentrated energy that I piled into it. I struck, not at her armor, but at the joints around the armor. Though, I managed to make her claw arm go limp before she immediately saw what I was doing, then kick me with her jet-propelled leg.
She then reached for a belt on her waist that contained a clawed hand reaching for the center, showing the symbol of a wolf's head, and a motorcycle handle. These two buckles were on separate sides of the belt, though, she soon flipped the belt, causing them to be on opposite sides.
Revolve on!
A large metal ring appeared over her as her whole body began to shift, her arms becoming her legs and her legs becoming her arms. Her torso came apart to become her thighs as her thighs came together to form her new torso, all while her head flipped over to the other side of her body.
Was she even human!?
I noticed that it was her left leg, appropriately having the orange claws now, that was now asleep. She still held her chainsword in her hands, though with the red harness now on her torso. The exhausts propelled her forward, as she slashed and cut into my body, knocking me into a wall.
My master had told me that there were some techniques that allowed a Rinjyuken practitioner to either gain armor or turn into a monstrous beastman. If I had that slightest edge, I'd be able to overcome this robotic assassin. However, I was still too inexperienced to learn these techniques, so I was left to my own devices.
"Confrontation Beast Japanese Wolf Fist, Ringi-" Before I could finish my technique, I was grabbed from behind.
"Sae! Knock him out!" It was another woman. I couldn't see who she was, all that I saw was a sleeved navy arm…
Wait… But my back is against the wall, how can they-
POISON CHARGE! BOOST! ZOMBIE! GRAND VICTORY!
I couldn't process my information before the mechanical reaper ran towards me, propelled by her harness, her sword ready to cleave at me…
I awoke in a cold sweat and shook. I had to breathe. I had to remember that those two didn't mean me any harm… I had to remember…
Those two were the ones who brought me to Animal Town.
Kamen Rider Garude
Hunt 2: VROON! Let Me Hear Your Voice!
The following morning, rather than a casual breakfast, I received the torn off calendar on my side of the table. Mr. Kozaki must have grabbed it from last night.
"I knew it…" Mr. Kozaki sighed, not even bothering to look further at it before he set down our breakfasts for the day, a lightly dressed egg salad.
"Knew what?" I asked back, only for Mr. Kozaki to sit down.
"You wanted to take your own life, right?" Despite the heaviness of what he just said, he bowed his head and got ready to eat.
"… Yes." I did the same. Kozaki took a bite before he spoke.
"I had my suspicions, but the calendar was the clinching point." His chopsticks tapped on the final date, yesterday.
"You're… not mad?" I asked him.
"You forget where we are, Jiro. If anything, I'm more disturbed that you were considering it at a young age. Usually most would wait until high school where they find out they can't get into the university they wanted." His slouched shoulders, deadpan expression, and overall casual way of eating the lettuce helped ease me.
"I'm… not sure how much Dai had told you about me but… I'm not a normal kid." I said.
"I knew as much. Dai had told me what he heard…" It was the first time I've seen a semblance of a smile. "A child assassin. You know, it explains a whole lot now." He paused, then nodded. "I guess I can understand now why you'd feel that way. Though, now the question remains…"
"Why didn't I go through with it?" I said his question out loud. I hesitated once I knew that was what he wanted to know, but I calmly said: "Someone… told me that this place was great because I was here." Those weren't her words exactly, but I couldn't exactly explain to him the circumstances of my battle.
"It was Iroha, wasn't it?" He gave a small smirk, having finished his salad. Do I lie and tell him yes?
"Nah, a friend of hers." I'd rather just tell the truth than have him try to get me together with her by putting me in more volleyball matches.
"I'm impressed. You managed to make a friend here." Mr. Kozaki gave a more genuine smile.
"I'm… not sure if I'd call her a friend just yet." I still remembered how she treated me more as some sort of pet or wild animal than an actual person.
"Eh, give it some time." As he said that, we heard a knock at the door in an odd pattern: one knock, followed by two fast knocks and then two stilted knocks, paced in a rhythm. "Goddamn it…" He muttered as he got up and opened the door. "What is it, Daisuke?"
"Is Jiro here?" I saw Dai at the front and immediately finished my breakfast.
"Yeah, yeah, he's here." Mr. Kozaki said as I approached his side.
"Cool, I'm gonna take him in for work if that's ok." Dai said.
"This early?" Mr. Kozaki asked.
"Yeah, new orientation and everything! It has to do with why we came home so late last night." Dai chuckled.
"… Ok, but don't be late, ok?" Mr. Kozaki asked.
"We promise." I replied as I went with Dai.
"So, without any conspiratal bullcrap, what happened yesterday? What was up with that Garugaru?" Dai and I were on the road as I asked him that.
"Gekijyu. Professor Inari coined the term." Dai said.
"Inari?" I asked him. Inari was usually associated with fox spirits, sort of like the statues that Mr. Kozaki had in his tomato farm.
"Yeah, the person who made the GaruDriver. They argued that they were fierce beasts, hence the name." Dai had his eyes focused on the road, a strange first for him.
"So, they anticipated this attack and created a means to counteract it?" I took out the GaruDriver and observed it.
"Yeah. We found an egg not too long ago and Inari was able to transform it into the GarudEgg." As Dai said that, I took out the egg in question.
"This, right?" I asked as Dai nodded.
"Exactly. And it seems like you've gotten another GarudEgg that Inari would like to take a look at. Hence why we're heading over to EGG right now." Dai said.
"You never did tell me what EGG really is." I said.
"Put simply, EGG acts as the public safety for… Well, Japan right now, but if we make a name for ourselves, the whole world! We'd be like… a suit of armor!" Dai said.
"Japan, huh? So why are you operating out of a glorified petting zoo like Animal Town? Why not somewhere major like one of Tokyo's Municipalities?" I asked him.
"W-well, Animal Town has the rare animal attack or even missing pet case, so we take those as starting small..." Dai chuckled, scratching the back of his head.
"… You guys have literally no budget, do you?" I asked.
"I mean… Do government handouts count?" As Dai cheekily asked that, he quickly noticed a small trailer. "Ah! There we are! EGG HQ!" He stopped his truck and got out, with me quickly getting out in tow.
"You operate outside of a small dingy car! How do you guys consider yourselves the 'global guardians'?" I chased after Dai as he walked towards the trailer.
"Hey, I didn't come up with the name!" Dai shouted back as he got into the trailer. As I followed him in, the first thing I noticed was how the interior was hollowed out, showing a small computer lab. And yet, from the monitors to even the mice and towers, they all looked like they were from 25 years in the past, right down to the yellowing of the white bezels.
"Oi, what's with the kid?" A burly guy with spikey dark brown hair stood up from one of the monitors and stared me down.
"He's the guy who took over my spot as Kamen Rider. I'm taking him through orientation." Dai said.
"H-huh? W… we're having a new member?" I heard a faint voice from behind the man before I noticed a girl with long, soft light brown hair peek out from behind the burly man. Both of them were wearing an identical black leather uniform with white lining, the symbol for EGG on their backs and sleeves.
"Let me introduce you to Sarutobi and Umahara. Don't worry, after a bit, they're pretty fun to be around." Dai said before he noticed a girl that's half Sarutobi's size move past him and towards Dai.
"So, this is the assassin I've heard so much about." Her hair had golden fleece-like qualities as her uniform was more of a simple open letterman jacket with a white shirt and a black pencil skirt.
"W-what!? HE'S AN ASSASSIN!?" This caused Umahara to flee to the back of the trailer and hide in a corner. Dai just chuckled as Sarutobi went over to comfort Umahara.
"And this is Commander Hitsujimaki." As Dai introduced me to her, she lightly chuckled.
"You can just call me Suzume." She offered her hand to me, though, moments passed before she realized I wasn't shaking it. "Hmmm? Are you shy?"
"No. It's because he's practiced a deadly art: Rinjyuken." I noticed the floor soon give way, opening to a lower floor as I saw a person in a white lab coat and a black jumpsuit. They wore a white fox mask with four slits that resembled eyes that were alit with white light. "From what I've heard, his particular style relies heavily on dim mak."By the time the person had fully came up the stairs that were hidden, I took full note of the person's height, comparing them to Suzume or Umahara.
"You… know what it is?" I asked them.
"It is, by all accounts, a dead form of martial arts, but a few people like yourself have kept it alive." The fox masked person grabbed my hand, then slowly caressed it as I noticed they wore a gloved hand. "Dim mak relies on hitting the right pressure points, and with Rinjyuken, you would need to put energy into it." They then firmly grasped my hand, making sure all my fingers were touching the back of their hand. "In short, if you do not intend on killing them, then you do not need to worry about shaking someone's hand." To make their point, they shook my hand vigorously before letting go.
"I take it you're Professor Inari." I hesitantly asked, holding onto my hand as though it were sprained.
"Indeed. Needless to say, you're the perfect user for the GaruDriver." Inari said.
"In what way?" Suzume asked.
"It's that very essence of Rinjyuken that was the 'missing link' for the GaruDriver." She paused, before they thought of something. "How versatile are you?"
"Excuse me?" I asked.
"Most practitioners I've seen from old footage only rely on one style their whole lives. Rarely do they branch out." Immediately, I realized what Inari meant.
"You mean… Do I know more than just one style?" I asked them.
"Indeed. The technology of a Kamen Rider has advanced far enough that it can adapt to any situation, but it can only do so if the user is willing to adapt with it." I nodded to Inari's statement.
"I know some techniques from other styles. Never a whole style in of itself. Though, my master taught me to go with the flow in learning the techniques…" I pulled out the Oviraptor GarudEgg from my pocket. "Something like what this egg gave me… I had to think on my feet with the claws and, I think it might have allowed me to harness a new style… Oviraptor-fist?"
"If what you say is true, the GarudEgg is allowing you to effortlessly learn an entirely new style without the years of effort." They paused, then nodded. "You obtained another GarudEgg from yesterday, right?" Immediately, I gave them the GarudEgg that I got from the Ram. "Mmm… Slightly bigger than expected. I'll incubate it right away…" As they turned around, I asked them…
"Incubate?" They stopped and sighed.
"Yes. I'm not sure what exactly happened, but it seemed that magical girl who interfered in your fight had greatly diminished the essence within the GarudEgg. Without any life to inhabit it, I would need to artificially insert essence into it so that it can function as an extension of the Kamen Rider's power." I nodded to their explanation before I stopped.
"Wait, magical girl?" Immediately, my mind thought to one person. "You mean the princess?" There was a pause before they turned around.
"You make such a presumptuous guess. Why?" They looked at me.
"W-well, they wear a crown and they seem to know a lot more about these Garugaru than even you do…" That was when Inari marched to me.
"Just because they wear a crown doesn't mean they are royalty and just because they called the Gekijyu some cute onomatopoeia doesn't make them well-studied in fighting them. Her appearance was a fluke, simple as that. Don't expect her to show up in your next battle." Their tone, though dry most of the time, turned serious with a hint of venom. After that, they stormed off into the basement and closed off access.
"Yeah, Inari's a bit… eccentric…" Dai chuckled.
"That's an understatement." I muttered before focusing back to the others. "So from what I can gather, we're trying to stop these…" I was about to say Garugaru again before I forced myself, "Gekijyu from wreaking havoc. I or that Princess defeat them, and then…" I looked at the GaruDriver, remembering how it spat out an egg.
"Oh, that. Inari was able to create a built-in filter that converts the energies that the Gekijyu held and turn them into GarudEggs." Suzume said.
"Yeah, once we found a way to convert that Oviraptor egg into one, it was easy to crack the code and repeat the process!" Dai smiled before he paused. "Well, we weren't able to find a sample to actually repeat the process… And the one time we did…"
"That's the aforementioned diminished essence that Inari talked about, right?" My question was met with a nod.
"Yeah. I think that's why they're a bit cranky." Suzume said.
"Well, I guess I can tag along for a bit. Gives me something to do for a year." I said.
"Great! Dai will show you the ropes and everything! We had him training to be our Kamen Rider before you came along, so he knows most of how the stuff works." Suzume said.
"Uuuuh, aren't you concerned by what he meant with a year?" Umahara asked her.
"Don't worry! A year is enough time for a Kamen Rider to make a name for himself! By then, he'll pass the torch down to the next generation and they'll take over from there! If we're lucky, this whole Gekijyu threat will be taken out by then!" Suzume smiled.
"I-if you say so…" Umahara blushed and looked away.
"Alright, Dai. Lead the way…" I walked over to Dai who nodded and took charge.
Dai drove us to the forest where we usually hang out at. There, he simply allowed me to practice some kata in the new Oviraptor-Fist style. Though, I couldn't for the life of me remember how my fighting style went.
I recalled several slashes with my hand, but when I did my chops, my muscle memory defaulted to basic palm strikes pulled straight from years of practicing Japanese Wolf-Fist. Maybe this was why most Rinjyuken practitioners only stick to one style, as trying to learn a new one only results in the old style forcing it out.
My master once spoke of a man who was able to use various Rinjyu styles flawlessly, something that he wanted both of us to attain. Aside from a few common techniques that one could claim to come from other Rinjyu styles, such as a whip kick from the Scorpion-Fist or an armbar suplex that's similar to the Crocodile-Fist's death roll technique, this mythical "Chimera-Fist" was merely that: a myth.
Dai, in the meanwhile, had his eyes glued to a gravure magazine, as though I had no idea what that even was. The only reason I didn't even pay half a mind to that was due to me wanting to figure out how to get my body to make that mental switch from palm strikes to straight up chops.
Mental…
That's when I remembered the other part of the Oviraptor-Fist style…
"Dai. When I became…" I paused. What exactly did I become? 'Kamen Rider' was what they called me, but what exactly did that mean? The face I wore didn't feel like a mask and I didn't ride anything… "Garude…" That was what I remembered screaming out as I fought the Garugaru. "My mind felt… trapped. As though I could only focus on my enemy. What happened?"
"Garude?" Dai asked. I nodded, then pointed to the belt. "Ah, yeah… I dunno. Best thing I can guess is that the mind just… fogs up. Inari would explain it better, but they're busy working on the new GarudEgg."
"Yeah, that's what it feels like…" I looked at the Oviraptor GarudEgg, then, had a chuckle. "Does… Does it mean I can only use my reptilian brain?" There was a pause. "Because it's a reptile?" Another pause. I shook my head once I realized Dai didn't know what I meant.
"I dunno, but… Just be careful, alright? And… don't do anything stupid." As Dai said that, I sighed.
"Let me guess, the ol' man told ya about the calendar this morning?" I put away the GarudEgg.
"Nah, I kinda figured it out on my own. What with yesterday and all…" Dai smirked and shrugged.
"Right… the Mirror Stone." I frowned. A moment passed before I spoke up. "Do you think that… it granted my wish?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" Dai asked.
"You heard what I wished for. I wanted a reason to live and then, out of the blue, this girl comes by and tells me all the different ways about how I should live." I said.
"You mean that Princess you and Inari were yappin' about?" Dai asked.
"Yeah, her. Truth is… That's why I wanted to continue working with you and EGG. Because I wanted to know if I'll encounter her again." My frown persisted. Dai came over and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"I don't really like Inari all that much, but there's one thing I'll agree with them on… That was a chance encounter and there's no guarantee that stickin' with us will get you to see her again. If you want to find her, you need to put in that effort yourself." Dai said.
"But… How will I…" I was about to say before I remembered how she approached Iroha as though she were a close friend. As though she knew her. I swallowed the empty air in my mouth as my frown faded. "I think I know… Thanks, Dai."
"Don't mention it." He smirked before he spoke up again. "No, really, don't mention it. I don't think Inari is particularly fond of that girl."
"Alright, well, keep it a secret then." I held out my pinky as Dai just chuckled.
"Jeez, kiddo, really with this?" Despite this, he tightened his grip on my pinky with his own. "Alright. Let's have you do a few laps around the road and call it for the day…" I responded to Dai with a nod and then ran off to do just that…
"Jiro… Nishioh?" I remembered Mr. Kozaki looking at me and repeating the name that was presented on a sheet of paper on the day she took me to Animal Town.
"Y-yes..." I nodded my head. The woman next to me, whose beauty I could only describe as almost divine, spoke up.
"He requested to be brought here and so I'm fulfilling his desire." She had short, curly brown hair with matching brown eyes, wearing a white sweater with a white dress skirt. What had me so nervous was the mere fact that her voice matched that of the person who grabbed me back at Rügen.
"Kurama… Wait… Isn't that the Conglomerate that shuttered a while back?" Mr. Kozaki scratched his head a bit as he continued to read the sheet, a sort of letter informing him of a situation that I had no idea of, though I assumed it was mainly telling him of what happened at Rügen. Attached to it was a sort of cobbled together "resume". In reality, my best guess was just a small biography of me based off what they've observed.
"For a bit. It restructured shortly after to join with the Zawame Accords." Zawame… My master spoke only of horror stories from that city…
"What's that got to do with me? I ain't exactly government material, as you can see…" Mr. Kozaki said.
"But you can keep an eye on him. That much you can do. Jiro has talents that he'll one day be able to use to help others, but he needs people to teach him that… People like yourself." With that, she patted me on the back, as though to prod me into the building that would eventually become my house.
"I guess the real question is… why me?" Mr. Kozaki asked.
"Because you're at the outskirts of town, away from the public eye. I wish I can say more, but that's the most I'm willing to divulge." She bowed, then went away, leaving me in Mr. Kozaki's care. We shared a glance before Mr. Kozaki eyed the spare luggage left behind.
"So… You like instant ramen?" Mr. Kozaki asked.
I stirred awake before checking the time. Six in the morning… Musta been a light sleeper.
As I got out of bed, I decided to browse some information on my phone, namely on EGG…
The most I got was a stub on Wikipedia maintained by a single IP address with several requests for a citation from registered users, some even moderators.
Jeez, EGG really is just some bottom feeder organization. Me joining the group was most likely the biggest break they ever gotten. However, I noticed a category at the bottom of the page: Zawame Accords Members.
I recalled that from my memories, and so I clicked it…
Immediately, I saw several big-name organizations that had pages of their own. Some were organizations that I heard of in passing, such as ZAIA Enterprise or Blue Bird, while others were complete unknowns or were just odd picks, like Deep Connect or Genm Corp. That last one made me raise an eyebrow. Wasn't that last one a video game company?
I noticed EGG was also linked onto this group, which, as I clicked on the Zawame Accords link and read up on what it actually was, now makes sense on what Dai meant when he said government handouts...
Apparently, the Government of Japan banded together after an incident surrounding Zawame gotten so out of hand it somehow went global and created a bill that necessitated several people and organizations to work with the government to prevent a disaster from happening. That said, with each passing year, there just happens to be a new disaster and with it, new additions to the roster.
For instance, the year Deep Connect joined, their launch of the Demia Project had an unknown incident, with uncited claims of people's faces changing, leading to their recruitment into the Accords alongside a paranormal investigation group… Then when Genm Corp joined, it was when their video game, Kamen Rider Chronicle, gave people diseases, with a medical team who specialized in curing video game-based diseases also joining the Accords…
Then there was the Kurama Conglomerate, which, while not one of the founding members, was a major sponsor of the Zawame Accords before its closure following the arrest of its CEO, Kousei Kurama, due to reports of corruption and manipulation of the media. Shortly after he allegedly busted out of jail, that was when the restructuring of the organization and proper joining of the Accords apparently began.
It seemed like most of these organizations outright caused these disasters and are only joining out of punishment, though the paranormal investigators and the medical team open up more questions than answers, especially regarding EGG…
Did they open their own Pandora's Box or are they the ones trying to close it?
I closed my phone, realizing I'd just fall down a rabbit hole of conspiracy theories if I continued. Hopefully Mr. Kozaki is awake.
Sure enough, there he was in the tomato garden, having picked out some for what I can presume to be a tasty salad.
"Morning!" I shouted.
"Ah, mornin', kiddo!" Mr. Kozaki waved as he brought over his tomatoes. "You're up awfully early. Was gonna surprise you with breakfast in bed." He chuckled.
"Eh, I'm good. Hey, do you remember that Kurama organization?" I walked with him to the kitchen.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Why?" Mr. Kozaki asked.
"Well… You know how Dai is part of EGG?" Wait, does he-
"Yeah?" Oh, good.
"What exactly is EGG?" I asked as Mr. Kozaki handed me a tomato and a knife.
"Well… he's kinda eager about it, but honestly, it's basically a sort of neighbourhood watch for Animal Town that no one really takes seriously." As I saw Mr. Kozaki cut the tomatoes, I followed his lead.
"But they're part of the Zawame Accords like the Kurama Conglomerate. So, isn't that a big deal?" I suddenly cut the tip of my finger with the knife. Mr. Kozaki's face didn't change, he merely pressed my fingers inward and showed how he cut the tomatoes, with his fingers pointing towards his palm and using the middle part as a sort of guard.
"Not really. Any organization can join them. The Accords are a wider neighborhood watch that no one takes seriously." Mr. Kozaki watched as I cut the tomato, this time I was able to cut them much more efficiently.
"So why does anyone bother? Outside of the organizations that seemed to be compulsed to join, why is there any reason to register?" I noticed that Mr. Kozaki already finished cutting.
"Because even though no one takes them seriously, a neighbourhood watch is still a group that watches the neighbourhood. And if they join a wider neighborhood watch…" As Mr. Kozaki said that…
"Then they can watch a wider neighborhood…" I said, finishing my batch of tomatoes.
"Exactly!" There was a moment where we looked at each other before I noticed a shift in Mr. Kozaki's eyes. "Ah, I see how it is…" He cleaned up. "You're wondering why you've joined EGG…"
"Well, I guess… I mean, I do know why, but… do I really want to be part of it?" I helped by putting away the cleaned knives.
"Will it help you achieve your desire?" Mr. Kozaki asked.
"…" That… I hadn't thought of. A moment of silence was all it took for Mr. Kozaki make his conclusion.
"Why don't you step outside and think about it. When you come back, I'll have the salad ready." He patted my back.
"… Thanks." I said before heading out.
As I went about my walk towards the main part of Animal Town, I came across the intersection that led towards Pretty Holic. I wondered if I should pass by it to see if I would come across the family, though that's when I saw the white cat resting on a cat bed atop of what seemed to be a fountain.
I slowly approached the cat, unsure if it was sleeping. The moment it swished its tail, however, I stopped. I wasn't sure why, perhaps I was just frozen with how beautifully snow white its fur was. I was half-tempted to pet the cat were it not for the fact that its eyes opened up, revealing bright blue eyes with heart-shaped pupils.
As it meowed, I almost felt out of breath. What if this cat was some sort of security and will alert the matriarch of my trespassing? It looked at me with its sparkling eyes, as though waiting for me to make the first move…
"She's very cute, isn't she?" A soft, elegant voice asked me as I almost jumped. I turned to see who it was and resisted the urge to sigh in relief as it was merely the daughter of the household.
"Y-yes…" I said as I watched her pet the cat, who seemed to move towards her hand.
"Yuki's fur is very soft. There was a shop that had so many cute ribbons, but…" She felt like a complete 180 from the last time I saw her, though given how I had seen her grab the cat before leaving, I could only conclude that the cat, Yuki, was most likely her therapy pet.
"You're shy about buying one?" I asked her, completely snapping her out of the trance. Once she realized she was having a conversation with me, her bliss-filled expression changed to the familiar tomato-red blush.
"Uh… Well… I…" As she stammered, I wanted to tell her so badly that I was also nervous about talking to her, though my reasons went beyond more than just 'I moved to a new town and now I am shy'.
I fidgeted my fingers, hoping she would end this conversation and go into the house, preferably with Yuki. It was already awkward enough that I passed by this house again, but to encounter not just the cat that lived here, but also its owner, it reminded me so much of…
The beach…
Her smile…
My hand…
The blood …
Ready?
I soon heard Yuki hissing. Shit! I heard about this sort of thing where animals detect evil intentions in people…
Except…
"Yuki? What is it?" As the girl asked her cat that, Yuki glared at a far-off direction, not unlike the squirrels did when…
FIGHT!
My brain soon made several connections of what this meant, but one remained so high on my mind that I said it out loud:
"Your cat is a good luck charm!" I said before running off.
"W-what?!" Was all I heard from the girl.
I had ran quite a bit before I reached the source of the commotion, which had several civilians fleeing from a grassy area just below a pathway. I had noticed from the purple miasma that this was definitely a Garugaru attack. As I went to the edge, I could see the monster I would be facing:
Like the ram, this creature – an ostrich – sported the similar purple feathers, pinkish red beak, claws, and eyes, as well as the silver bangles. To seal the deal, it too cried out "GARUGARU!"
"Target sighted… Commencing hunt." I said before pulling out the GaruDriver and slapped it on my waist.
GARUDRIVER!
Immediately, the ostrich turned to face me.
"Oi! Take being an assassin's hit with pride, got it?" I said before taking out the Oviraptor GarudEgg and cracking it on the top most claw.
OVI-KRACK!
I then placed the egg into the Driver and pounded the top of the belt to split the egg.
HATCH-ING!
As the egg formed around me, the ostrich leaped up and tried to peck at it with its beak. I could feel its whole head slamming into the shell as my head and arms retracted into my torso, beginning its transformation.
PRIME! ORDEAL! PRIMORDIAL!
The egg then exploded, knocking the ostrich back as I emerged in my armor. I looked at the beast as I readied my claws. I leaped down as the ostrich raised its leg to strike, only for me to give a kick in response. The two created a shockwave that further knocked back the ostrich.
"Gaaah!" It shrieked.
"Kick you?" I began to hop in place, recalling my training, the constant breaking of my shins to strengthen them for several leg-based styles such as… "Confrontation Beast Scorpion-Fist… Ringi…" I leaped into the air and somersaulted over, landing my foot onto the ostrich's head as I called out the technique: "Flying Vermilion Whip Kick!" I leaped over the ostrich afterwards and landed.
However, all it did was tick it off as it turned to face me.
"GARUGARUUU!" It charged and tried to strike.
"Confrontation Beast Beetle-Fist… Ringi…" I spun around and gave its head a roundhouse kick. "Heaven Walking Kick!" Aside from dazing the Garugaru, no real Confrontation Ki went into these kicks… As expected, though… I only knew the motions of these strikes, but not felt the beasts that embodied these styles. "Confrontation Beast Stag-Fist… Ringi: Face Washing Kick!" In essence, these were merely normal kicks. Even this jumping tornado kick did the same amount of damage as though a trained martial artist did it.
In truth, this ostrich could pick a fight with a mixed martial artist and wouldn't feel the difference. I wasn't entirely sure why I was holding back. Perhaps I learned my lesson from the last fight, that going all out with claws would only hurt me. Or perhaps…
"Best thing I can guess is that the mind just… fogs up." Dai's words were fresh in my head. The moment I thought of kicking, that was all I could focus on. Before, when I looked at my claws and found my palm strikes weren't working, I just defaulted to them. Even me calling out the techniques felt second nature. If I were to cause real damage, I would need to rely on either Japanese Wolf or Oviraptor-Fist attacks…
I recalled how Japanese Wolf-Fist had an offshoot, one that was based in a living form of Beast Fist that relied more on Muay Thai boxing than acupuncture boxing. Was it perhaps possible for me to attempt that style? The other idea was to tap into the Oviraptor-Fist. That was worth more of a shot…
With a scream, I channeled my Confrontation Ki into my body. I felt something grow from the back of my left foot… A spike… Was this a technique? In any case… I think I know what to call it.
"Confrontation Beast Oviraptor-Fist… Ringi…" I stopped immediately upon seeing another person enter the fray:
The Princess.
"You two! Stop right now! You're scaring people!" She glared at us, her arms folded. Her words caused me to numb as the claw on my heel retracted… And yet…
"GARU!" The ostrich didn't relent, instead growling at her.
"Stop being a Garugaru! Let's be friends instead!" She put her hands on her waist. Immediately, I trembled…
I recalled her words from yesterday, what Inari said about her not showing up, and what Dai said about putting in the effort…
Was there a way for me to cancel this transformation? For me to just be Jiro?
"GARUGARU!" The ostrich went to peck the Princess, causing me to move on my own and take the blow.
Despite my body looking like armor, I could feel the beak hit my backside. I saw the princess leap back as I gritted my teeth.
"Are you okay!?" She asked me.
"Fine! I… Beat it!" I then grabbed it in a headlock.
"No! Don't! You'll hurt it!" She said.
"It… hurt people… Must stop it!" I said.
"We need to rescue it!" She ran to me and the ostrich. I was confused with what she meant and that moment was all the ostrich needed to fling me off, sending me hurdling over several feet and causing me to land on my back.
"Ghhh!" I grunted. I soon heard the sound of a car pulling up. A familiar sound, given I rode on it almost every day.
"Jiro!" Sure enough, Dai came out of his truck as I got up. "Damn, this one's a toughie, huh?" Dai noted as I got up to see that the ostrich was now chasing the princess around and trying to bite her.
"Have to… save her…" I grunted.
"Good thing I brought this over!" Dai went to the back of the truck as I heard a heavy object be dropped off. I felt the vibration of the ground as it was clearly a smaller car. As I got over to look at it, I saw it was a motorcycle with two large golden ram horns acting as its chassis.
"Can't ride it…" I told Dai.
"You're a Kamen Rider! All of them ride bikes!" He paused. "Most of them ride bikes…" He paused again. "Well, few of them do after September…" Dai muttered. I looked back to the ostrich and the princess before I sighed.
"No choice…" I went over and got onto the motorcycle, only to find that on the handlebars was a large silver GarudEgg with golden horns. "This is…"
"That's right! That's the Ram GarudEgg, fresh off the press! Turned out there was a lot of essence that needed to be filled, so Inari had to create a machine to stabilize it. I suggested a bike and the rest is history!" Dai smirked as I pressed the egg, causing it to crack open.
MACHINE RAMMAR!
The bike's eyes came to life as I heard a ram's bleat. Twisting the handlebar, which was coned like a ram's horn, I rode off back into action.
"KNOCK IT OUTTA THE PARK, JIRO!" Dai shouted. I revved up the engine, the motorcycle jumping off the edge…
VROON!
As I rode down, I saw that the princess was knocked over with the ostrich seemingly giving a mixture between a caw and a laugh as it ran off. I stopped next to the princess.
"Need help?" I asked her. She looked up at me, then at the running ostrich.
"Yeah…" She got up, though it took her a moment or two of looking at my bike, as though trying to figure out how to sit on it. After a while, she scratched her head with both hands. "Moouuuu!" She then ran off after the ostrich.
"Koumugi!" Before I could ask the princess if she needed assistance, I turned to see Iroha catch up to me. She stopped and saw me on the bike. "Jiro…" I looked down.
This was the first time since I transformed that we really saw each other, and here I am back in this Garugaru form… But… more than that…
I think I just heard the princess' name for the first time…
"GAAH!" We looked to see the princess, Koumugi, get kicked over by the ostrich. Iroha flinched and yet, I didn't… Despite that attack, Koumugi chased after the ostrich.
"Kou…mugi…" As I said her name outloud, Iroha snapped out of her daze and looked at me. "She… saved me…" I trembled.
"What do you…" Iroha tried to ask me before I tightened my grip.
"Now… I must… save her…" My mind focused on one thing: taking down the ostrich, whatever it takes.
I rode off as Iroha shouted for me to wait. I felt the speed overtake me as I caught up with the ostrich, though not overtake it completely.
"Garu!" It tried to strike me with its beak, but I pulled back and caused the motorcycle to pull up just in time for the horns on the chassis to block the attack. I then steered the motorcycle to push the ostrich away, putting it in my path. All that's left was a good, solid drive to ram into this ostrich.
"Stop!" Koumugi grabbed the bike as though it were an animal.
"It… needs to…" I growled, unsure why Koumugi is stopping me…
"Garugaru…" Worse still, the ostrich saw this as an opportunity to attack us, scratching the ground with its legs to prepare a possible kick strike…
"Why did you become a Garugaru again!?" Koumugi asked me.
"To fight monster!" I responded.
"But you're no longer yourself! Doesn't this hurt you!?" Koumugi teared up as I noticed her arms soon moved over to me…
Crap! She's gonna try to cancel my transformation while the monster's still around!
And yet… I can't help but agree with her… I don't feel like myself when I'm like this… It's to the point where I could feel my mind break whenever I battle…
And yet…
"Garugaru!" I saw the ostrich begin its charge… So long as monsters like the ostrich try to hurt people like Koumugi…
"GARUUUUUDE!" I couldn't let myself surrender to peace… I was about to ride off and charge into the ostrich…
However, all of us saw a bright light in the distance. It was similar to a light that appeared when I was fighting the ram, but back then, I was too warped in the idea of killing it to notice…
But now? Now I could see it clearly, almost blindingly. I turned to see that the light came from some sort of stone floating in front of Iroha…
Inari was in their lab, observing the battle on their computer monitor. It was a contrast to EGG's yellowing IBM personal computers that were built into metal tables, instead being three 49' OLED monitors that surrounded Inari, speakers softly playing the noise captured from miniature drones that were watching the battle. They too saw this flash of light.
"Hey, Inari, what's going on?" Suzume called to Inari from the intercom.
"I think I have an idea, but… Never have I thought they would truly exist…" Inari said as they saw Iroha grab the glowing object. As the glowing faded, it revealed itself to be a compact mirror. Inari chuckled…
"Wonderful Pact!" Was what Iroha called it… "Precure! My evolution!" Was what she announced.
"I guess I was on the mark when I called that princess a magical girl." Inari leaned back on their chair, it too being a contrast; a plush reclined computer chair with a backrest compared to EGG's plastic arm-restless chairs with a few cracks here and there. "A Kamen Rider who uses the powers of a Sentai's sworn enemy, working with Pretty Cure… My, oh my, how these pieces come together…" They pulled out a phone, looking over the screen as it displayed a primitively made webpage on a TOR browser outlining a profile for Jiro and the skills he has.
"Three… Two… WAN!" Iroha called out as she exploded in a flash of light. In her place was a girl with blonde twintails wearing a purple dress and a matching deerskin cap. "Everyone's smiles light up this world! Cure Friendy!" The lights around her faded as she held out her hand in the general direction of both me and the ostrich. "Let me hear your voice!"
I… was not sure what just happened, nor did I want to really know the answer. It could be my reptilian brain wanting me to just focus on the now, however… Koumugi ran over and began to gush over her friend's newly obtained form as the ostrich and I assumed our fighting stances.
"Garugaru!" This time, I was prepared as its beak struck my palm. A special technique, at least when done on humans, is that when struck right at the bottom of the nose, could potentially kill someone. The issue is trying to find that exact spot for an ostrich.
That's when I noticed its long neck… Perfect spot!
"Confrontation Beast Japanese Wolf-Fist! Ringi: Jugular Strike!" I moved my palm, only for it to meet its beak. "Confrontation Beast Centipede-Fist! Ringi: Thousand Palm Strike!" I responded as I increased the speed of my strikes. Were I an actual practitioner of Centipede-Fist, I would be able to expend Confrontation Ki to make my strikes go faster… Instead, all I was wasting was my stamina.
Though, even it knew it was wasting its energy, kicking me away and off my bike as it went after Koumugi and Iroha.
"Damn it…" I muttered. However, I saw the Ram GarudEgg was knocked off the bike as well… Grabbing it, I noticed how, while big, wasn't too big for the belt…
It was worth a shot…
Pulling the halves of the Oviraptor GarudEgg out, I placed the Ram GarudEgg in, then tapped the GaruDriver to split it…
HA-TTACH!
The motorcycle suddenly split into two halves of an egg before moving over to me.
RAM… RAM… RAMRAM!
They soon snapped onto me as the purple scales of my armor now had the white fur of a ram attached to it. My shoulders were emboldened with the golden horns while my heels had the black rubbery wheels. It also made my size nearly twice as large as my regular self, nearly comparable to the ostrich.
One look at me caused the Garugaru to back off, then run right into the two girls, who were quick to block its path. A simple leap over Koumugi though, and the chase was back on.
As I ran, though, I felt myself go even faster. Perhaps it was the speed from my legs now that I had the ram attachment. While I felt myself being able to catch up with the ostrich…
"Wait!" I could hear Iroha call out to me as she ran alongside me. I guess if she's calling herself a different name in this form…
"Friendly…" I said to her.
"N-no, it's Friendy." She said before looking towards the ostrich. "That animal isn't acting like itself and we gotta stop it!"
"I will…" I nodded before Iroha shook her head.
"You said some things the other day that…" She frowned for a bit before looking at me. "Once this is over, please, tell me about yourself."
"… Then… Must defeat…" That was when Iroha held my shoulder.
"Jiro, we can save its life." She hesitated a bit, as though she didn't want to say the next words that came out of her mouth: "You don't have to kill."
Almost immediately, my mind cleared and all I could focus on was the ostrich…
But…
I never saw any red.
Even as I saw the Garugaru attack us, I didn't even have the instinct to strike back. Instead, I simply stopped my running and blocked it. There wasn't even an attempt for me to counter it with a strike of my own, nor my mind coming up with a deck of mimicked techniques for me to use.
For once in my life, I was told not to kill something…
"Thank… you…" And my body chose to follow that order to the letter. I resumed my running, this time leading it away from the others as the ostrich began to chase and peck at me. On times when it seemed like it would be within striking range, that was when I would leap over it.
As I landed, it stopped and gave a growl.
"GARUGARRRUUUUU!" It shouted as it glowed purple. Now I knew for sure what this was: Confrontation Ki.
In that case, it was time for me to fight fire with fire as my body glowed with Confrontation Ki as well.
"Confrontation Beast Ram-Fist! Ringi…" As I prepared my technique, the large horns on my gauntlets accidentally pushed the egg halves back together, then caused the GaruDriver to split them apart.
CRACK DOWN! RAM RAM… PRIMORDIAL DIABLEGG!
I held my fists out as they formed the head of a ram, complete with its horns.
"CHARGING IMPACT!" My Confrontation Ki poured into the horns as they fired off a purple aura of the ram's head flying forth and hitting the ostrich, though all it did was pin the ostrich's flailing wings in place.
"YEAH! ATTA BOY!" I turned to see Dai was cheering for me from the sidelines. "Now! Take it out with a Rider Kick!" He then extended his arm across, though, I only watched as the aural head of the ram I had fought merely held the ostrich in place as Friendy approached it.
"Thank you…" She nodded before hugging the ostrich. Koumugi ran over to me, tackling me to the ground in a hug of her own.
"You can stop being a Garugaru now!" Koumugi told me as my armor glowed pink.
"I… Will…" I was half tempted to hug her back before my armor came apart, reverting me back to my regular self. "Thanks…" I said, my arms staying in place. Koumugi got up and, with a smile, went over to help Iroha hug the ostrich.
As much as I wanted to get up, my legs couldn't let me. I guess it was because of all the kicking I did… I hadn't overextended myself during the fight with the ram like I did here…
"Hey! What was that all about!?" Dai ran over to help me up.
"I… didn't have to kill it…" I smiled as I watched the two revert the ostrich back to a normal size with brown feathers, and then soon, they themselves return to their normal forms. The GaruDriver, like before, ate up the remnants of the purple energy and spat out a silver egg, this time having a brown crack line. This time, it was similar in size to the Oviraptor GarudEgg.
"But it was a monster attacking the people! Everyone would just call you a hero if you destroyed it!" Dai said. I smiled as I shook my head.
"No… Not everyone." I shed a tear as I tried to reach Iroha…
She needed to know… who I…
"Hey, this kid took a huge beating!"
"He's just fatigued from his bout is all…"
"I gotta say, he really outdone himself there…"
I could hear the voices of the members of EGG as I woke up and saw what I could easily say is the ceiling of a laboratory. There, I saw Suzume, Inari, and Dai looking down at me.
"Uuuugh… What happened?" I asked them.
"You passed out, bud. Overexertion." Dai said.
"I-iroha…" I struggled to get up.
"Woah there! First you gotta rest! Then we can talk about your girlfriend!" Dai chuckled before I shook my head.
"N-no… Her name was… Koumugi…" My speech was starting to slur.
"Koumugi… Hmph. The know-it-all princess has a name." Inari went back to their chair and sat there.
"Plus, we can't seem to find either of them." Suzume said.
"W-what?" I said.
"But! By the time you get better, I'm sure they'll be around. Besides! They came to fight the Gekijyu the first two times, so I'm willing to bet one of my nuts that they'll be back for the third!" Dai flashed his grin.
"G-gross!" Suzume stuck out her tongue, though her giggle didn't seem to reflect what she said.
"Dai, your crude sense of humor has no place in here. And as much as I appreciate giving our Kamen Rider a pep talk, I prefer to give mine in private…" Inari said.
"Ooof… Good luck, kiddo!" Dai elbowed me before he left.
"Try not to go overboard with any sort of experiments, okay~?" Suzume said to Inari.
"I'm not like those other scientists in the Accords. Whatever alterations he has will be of his own doing." Inari said as Suzume smiled.
"I was only kidding." She left as well.
"Good. Now that we're alone…" Inari pulled up a file and revealed it to me…
My master wasn't the type of person who uses tech, but in modern times, it was adapt or die. And adapt, he did. While most people browse on the internet, that's only the surface of the iceberg. Below it rests the dark web, a place where, if you look hard enough, one can acquire illegal services.
Among them was assassinations. What my master lacked in technological knowhow, he excelled in hiding in plain sight, giving our page dated features like frames, static backgrounds, and tiny gifs with artifacts, that only the people who knew what they were looking for would even know we were the real deal.
The only thing that would give away its authenticity was the currency sign being a capital B with two lines, a , rather than a traditional $, ¥, or even €. Though, that was only because coin, the currency that was used, was the only universal currency on the dark web due to its pseudonymity.
And yet, like most money, all you have to do is follow it.
"I dug into your past, Jiro, and there's a remarkable story about a massacre that happened on Rügen… Does that ring a bell?" They pulled up a news article about an incident at a mansion. Immediately I shuddered before snapping at them.
"Don't you dare bring that up!" I didn't care if we were possibly below EGG HQ.
"I touched a nerve, haven't I? Have you done something you've regretted?" I only gave them my silence. "I'll take that as a yes." Their smug reply made me nearly get up from sheer rage alone. "You know how bounties work, right?"
"Yeah. People want someone killed or captured. Higher the price, the more that person wants them dead or alive." I tried to keep calm despite the chilled spine I felt.
"Assassins often get their pay from completing these bounties when they're not specifically hired to carry them out, but there's a catch…" Inari paused, as though waiting for me to answer.
"They have to confirm the kill in order to obtain the bounty. Is there a reason you're quizzing me on basic assassin knowledge?" I asked.
"Yes, because it seems you forgot that basic fact when you left Rügen." When they said that, that was when I got up, sitting on the edge.
"That was not a bounty. I was hired to…" I choked up.
"But then you got bloodthirsty and killed several people who had bounties on them… Bounties that had gone unclaimed. The funny thing about bounties is that it's like debt. It has a habit of following you if you don't take care of it." With that, I lost it, getting up and rushing over to Inari, confronting them as I glared at their cybernetic fox mask.
"What is your goddamn point!?" I shouted.
"What I'm trying to say, Jiro, is that their bounties have become your bounty now. And since those bounties compound… Let's just say that there's some international assassins who would love nothing more than to collect the lump sum." As Inari said that, my blood ran cold as I realized what they meant…
I was a target.
"Mmm…" Among these people was a middle-aged man by the name of Tasogare, who hid his assignment behind a newspaper. "Next target's a kid, huh?" He observed the details, hiding the document every moment or so by flipping the pages. "I see… The Tawanovitch Family had some pretty pennies on each of their heads… But because they hadn't been claimed…" He smirked once he saw the amount of money that Jiro was worth.
He folded the newspaper and took a silver briefcase with a simple logo of SMART BRAIN emblazoned onto it. He smirked at seeing the bounty of 98 million euros. He walked off the train as he adjusted his tie. He passed by an engineer who eyed him.
"Sir, may I see your tick-" Was all he said before his skin turned grey. His walking slowed before his body crumbled into ash. As he collapsed, the rest of the people on the train began to panic. Everyone save for Tasogare, who subtly had a tentacle retract back into an index finger.
There was a second person who didn't even flinch at this sudden unexplained murder: a young girl in a half-grey, half-beige school uniform with dirty blonde hair.
As Tasogare hummed to himself and thought about how the 98 million euros would be easy to obtain, he wasn't aware of the schoolgirl following him.
Once Tasogare got off the train, he went over to the station and set the briefcase down. He opened it, revealing a belt with an assortment of gear before taking out what seemed to be a gun melted onto a touchphone. He turned it on as a white triangle attached to a rectangular chip greeted him, followed shortly by a touchscreen. He quickly opened the GPS app and looked at the map to see where Animal Town was.
"Huh... Only an few hours away, huh? Well, that won't be too hard..." He closed the app, though as his finger motioned over to an app simply titled "JETSLINGER", he only noticed the reflection of a schoolgirl with dirty blonde hair. He turned around to see her. "Ah, hello there. Are you lost?" He asked, his tone lightening from the calm, calculating muttering he had made just moments prior.
"Yes... I'm looking for directions..." She said.
"Where are your parents?" Tasogare asked.
"... Dead." She calmly said.
"Ah... Well, I can't really help you. I'm about to head on a trip and, unfortunately, it's a one-man trip..." Tasogare wasn't sure whether he was even allowed to dust her like he did the engineer. Though, surely no one would miss an orphan, right?
"Would you be going to Animal Town, by any chance?" The girl asked. Tasogare flinched a bit, but nodded.
"Yes. I am. I guess you're going there too?" He sheepishly chuckled and tried to see if perhaps part of the bounty was slipping from the paper and that's how she managed to spot it. Though, Tasogare noticed the young girl had a satchel, but he had paid no mind to it, even as she reached into it.
It would prove to be his final mistake as the young girl pulled out a silenced pistol and aimed at Tasogare.
She nodded and did only what she was trained to do since being orphaned:
Erase.
Delete.
Destroy.
Beautify.
All that remained of Tasogare aside from a blue flames atop a pile of ash afterwards was the document outlining the bounty on Jiro's head as it and its mission remained safely in the hands of the young girl in the beige-grey school uniform.