Admittedly, I had a rough sleep last night. Mostly because I worried about Natsume's wellbeing. Once I saw the sun, I immediately got up and rushed over to his place. Last thing I wanted to see was an ambulance.
"Hey, kid, what's your fire?" To my surprise, there he was, chilling at his usual balcony like it was just a normal Monday morning. He wasn't even holding his side, instead, he was casually chomping his cigarette.
"…" What made this all the weirder was that there was no sign of any injury from him. As though whatever caused him to bleed just… didn't happen. So now I have to make up an excuse for me rushing out.
Do I just go out with it and tell him that I knew he was injured? No. He would deny it. Though, that's when I remembered something else happening Monday that could be a good alibi…
My phone went off, as though to distract me from having to confess. I went to answer it.
"What's up?" I asked.
"Jiro, the commander's requested an all-hands-on deck mission! I'll swing by the apartment and pick you up!" Dai's voice was on the other end. Huh, saved by the EGG.
"Damn. Even Inari's getting involved?" I asked him.
"Eeeeh… We asked them, but they said they're busy today…" As Dai sheepishly chuckled, I pondered… I did sort of promised Mrs. Nekoyashiki that I'd swing by for Pretty Holic's grand opening.
"Is this mission a Garu… Gekijyu matter?" I asked.
"Erm… Hold on." I could hear some muffled speaking on the other end for about a few seconds before I heard his response. "No."
"Eh, I'm sure you guys can handle it fine without me then. I have some plans today. If it's urgent, I'll be at Pretty Holic." With that, I hung up.
"W-wait!" That's all he said before I ended the call.
"Jeeeeez… Well, Jiro's not coming either." Dai said to Suzume as he and the others were at the EGG Headquarters.
"It's fine, we can manage with just the four of us." Suzume had finished printing off some instructions from her computer.
"Um, what exactly is this mission anyways?" Umahara asked Suzume as she approached the computer and noticed it was a map of Animal Town.
"I'm glad you asked!" Suzume stood up triumphantly with her hands on her hips. "Our mission is to be the first ones at the grand opening of the esteemed make-up store, Pretty Holic!"
"… WHAT!?" The three shouted in unison.
"Do you realize how long I've waited for one to open up in this town!? I'm not missing this chance to witness such a spectacular event!" Suzume said before pulling out a pink flyer detailing the event. "What's more, the esteemed Three-Star Sister is said to make an appearance! In person!"
"You called us all the way here to go shopping for makeup?" Sarutobi asked.
"And meet a celebrity!" Suzume pointed her finger directly at Sarutobi's face.
"… Does this further any of our goals at EGG?" Dai asked.
"Huh?" Suzume's confident aura waned.
"Like, is makeup going to make our job at EGG easier or…" As Dai continued asking, Umahara went in and grabbed him by the collar.
"Hey, some of us would love to buy the highest quality makeup! And we're talking about meeting with a top tier celebrity here! We get her to sponsor EGG and we'd have cash flow for days!" Umahara said.
"Um… Yes! That's the true purpose of our mission! We get sponsored!" Suzume bashfully chuckled.
"Well, it's settled. Let's take the van, it's a lot more civil-looking than Dai's truck." Sarutobi said before taking off.
"H-hey! My truck's built to last, unlike your Pinto-ass mini!" Dai followed him.
"Hey, Umahara… Nice save." Suzume blushed as she told Umahara.
"Huh? N-no, I honestly want to go to Pretty Holic myself." Umahara blushed back as she closed her eyes, scratched the back of her head, and chuckled. The two then left to Pretty Holic.
Atop the roof of the Ren Apartments, the school girl watched Jiro jogging out into Animal Town. She bitterly scoffed, recalling yesterday when she nearly had him in his sights…
She held the newly acquired phone-gun in her hands, aiming it at Jiro. She had followed him through the woods from the apartment, only to witness him transform into this lizard-like monster in the middle of a battle between a large rabbit and two magical girls.
She bided her time and waited for a good chance to shoot at him… But when she pulled the trigger, no bullets came out. As she inspected the screen, she noticed a notification telling her that she needed to speak into the phone, with a list of commands. Picking one, she said it:
"Fire." She whispered and aimed again.
Error.
She looked at the phone again, noticing another notification, warning her that her voice didn't match the one locked to the phone. Perhaps a fluke? Just to be safe, she recalled her training, deepening her voice to mirror Tasogare's.
"Fire." As she aimed it…
Error.
Perhaps it was too advanced for the mimicry. She looked at the list for other commands, for possible alternatives, in case her voice could at least activate one of those. She picked one that reminded her of her chat with Shino.
"Henshin." This time, it activated a new sound…
ERROR! Too many attempts, self-destructing in 3… 2… 1…
In a panic, she tossed the phone-gun right into the clearing. It exploded, resulting in the large rabbit to go berserk. As it fired a beam at the tree she was hiding behind, the school girl ran out of there.
She ran for a solid minute before bumping into a middle-aged man.
"Huh? Who are-" She didn't want to be caught by him and, on instinct, she pulled out her gun and fired off a bullet into his side. As he went on his knees and clutched his stomach, giving off a wince, she realized, from the blood that came from the wound and no extra flare like blue flames or a sudden explosion, that she just shot a normal human.
She took this momentary distraction to run out of there, hoping the guy didn't see her face.
She checked her belt before taking out a grappling hook. This time for sure…
She was going to take out Jiro…
Kamen Rider Garude
Hunt 4: DOKIDOKI! Operation Prettyholics Anonymous
I was within a stone's throw from the Pretty Holic store… Only to realize that aside from me, the only other people there were those who live there, as I noticed Mayu standing outside.
I'd effectively be the first customer of a shop that I didn't exactly have an interest in outside of the brief bond I had with the Nekoyashikis. Do I just walk around, kill some time, and come back when there's more people?
No, there's always the possibility that I'd be the only customer there today… So, with a deep breath, I decided to go ahead with greeting them…
At least that's what I had intended until I saw a large dust cloud heading towards the store. My body tensed up before I noticed that, ahead of the cloud was…
"Iroha?" I muttered. I couldn't confirm for sure if she was running towards the shop or if the small puppy dog that she was walking was the one doing the running and she was just being pulled along. A small moment of hesitation was all it took, as I saw the two come to a screeching halt in front of Mayu.
I gave a sigh of relief. Seems that she's taking the proverbial cup of being the first customer from me. I can resume my normal plan of walking around for an hour before coming back.
Of course, now comes the awkward situation of how I'd withdraw from the area without being spotted. Obviously, I can't pass them, Iroha would most likely notice me. If I go backwards, Natsume would ask me what the hell I was in a rush for and I'd have to tell him the truth.
"Wan!" Crap. I forgot about the dog! Before I had any time to strategize, it spotted me and alerted Iroha.
"Ah! Jiro, I didn't know you were coming to the shop as well." Iroha said.
Well, I was gonna face some music.
"Yeah, though I was gonna come by at a later time… Felt it was too early, you know?" I scratched the back of my head as I approached Iroha and Mayu. "Hey," I gave Mayu a brief wave, only to notice her blushing.
"We were just talking about Mayu's cat, Yuki." Iroha said. Hoping to come across her to have some good luck.
"Speaking of, is this dog yours?" I crouched to look at the puppy. Such a small yet cute thing with brown and white fur, outfitted with a pretty pink harness for a leash. It looked at me with an almost fond look.
"Y-yes, she is." Iroha said. I wasn't sure why exactly she felt so caught off guard by my question.
"Oh, that's cool! What's her name?" And yet, I asked her another question that would most likely cause her brain to fry.
"Um… Well…" Called it.
"You said it was Komugi, right?" Mayu said… Wait, Komugi?
"That's really sweet!" I just smiled, stood up, and turned to Iroha. "You named her after that friend of yours!" Honestly, I had no idea what her relationship with the person Komugi was beyond magical girl partners, but closest I can think of was friends.
"Y-yeah…" Iroha was sweating bullets. As though the lucky cat had graced her presence, the potentially awkward conversation came to a swift end as Mrs. Nekoyashiki came out of the store.
"My, some customers?" She asked.
"Hello! My name is Iroha Inukai, and I'll be your first customer!" Well, that settles that. I'll just hang back, wait an hour and-
"Wait, my apologies, but for the dog's safety, they can't go in… If they ate any of the products or reacted to any strong scents…" Ah crap…
"Ah, I understand. I'll be back." As Iroha said that, I held my breath as I was now in the awkward spot of being the first customer once more. To add to this piling awkwardness, the dog gave an odd sound that felt more like a bleat than an actual bark. "Uh, excuse me for a moment!" Which was soon followed by Iroha picking up dog Komugi and walking off.
"… Uuuuhhhh, you know what? I'm gonna be back as well… No offense, just respecting her wish to be the first customer and all…" Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise as I backed away.
"Oh, well… Hope to see you soon." Mrs. Nekoyashiki said.
"Eheh, yeah…" I didn't want to start running until I knew for sure that they didn't see me…
Once I noticed they turned away, off I went.
The school girl watched as Jiro ran off, having sat from a nearby bench. The thought of shooting him right then and there had occurred to her, but she knew better than to cause a scene. Though, there's a silver lining…
She now knew the place for which Jiro will die…
The place where vengeance will be hers.
I spent the next few minutes pacing up and down the street, wondering what exactly to do now…
Both Iroha and the Nekoyashikis are expecting me to be at a store that I have no real interest or investment in… I wondered how long I should even stay for. Five minutes seems like it would be too short but would it even be realistic for a boy my age to be at a makeup shop for over an hour?
That's when I noticed Sarutobi's van pull up into a parking lot.
"Huh?" I raised an eyebrow as I saw Suzume get out of the shotgun of the van.
"Alright, coast is clear. Go! Go! Go!" On Suzume's cue, Sarutobi, Umahara, and Dai all got out of the van as well as they were about to run, only to notice me. "W-wait, Jiro? I thought you were busy!"
"Well, somewhat? W-wait, what about you? I thought you'd be somewhere else doing some big mission." I said.
"We are! And that," she pointed to Pretty Holic, "is our objective!"
"Um… I don't follow." I muttered as Umahara grabbed me by the biceps and stared at me.
"GRAND OPENING SPECIALS ON COSMETICS!" Her voice boomed across the empty lot, perhaps even reaching the store itself. "This is do or die, Jiro!"
A shiver ran from my neck to my toes. Not even the monsters I fought at Rügen had made my throat go this dry. I had been adjusted to the meek Umahara who hid behind Sarutobi, but this? My heart was now hammering against my ribs.
"Waddya say, Jiro? You in?" Dai poked his head to the side, in between me and Umahara.
"W-well, I was gonna go to the store anyways…" Well now I have to go.
"Then it's settled! EGG, Operation Prettyholics Anonymous is officially underway!" Suzume declared as she led the way. At that same time, I noticed Iroha and the person Komugi were already at the shop talking with the Nekoyashikis.
Okay, Yuki is officially blessing this shop with good fortune because if Inari decided to join, I'd most likely be in a boiling pot right about now.
But, this is good. The first time that EGG gets to meet the princess who had helped me join their group face to face.
"Hey, Komugi!" I waved over to her as she turned to greet me.
"Hello, Jiro!" She waved back.
"Ah, so you're that friend Iroha named her dog after." Mayu said to her.
"Y-yes! She is!" Iroha blurted out, her face almost as red as her hair.
"My, you didn't tell me you were bringing friends, Jiro." Mrs. Nekoyashiki turned her attention to me and EGG.
"I didn't know I was bringing them." I mirthfully chuckled as Suzume stepped forward.
"My name is Hitsujimaki Suzume and I represent the Earth's Global Guardians!" As Suzume pumped her fist and pressed it against her chest, I patted her on the back.
"We're going to be doing some shopping, not saving the world here… Aha…" I guess I'd be leading them in, following Iroha into the store.
Despite being invited by both the owner and EGG, the decorations, the glittering designs of the makeup, and even the smell of the perfume gave me an air of unbelonging. Then again, with places like these, I would usually be casing the joint to find vulnerable places to break in later.
Perhaps that's why I felt so many chills whenever Mrs. Nekoyashiki's eyes glanced over to me. Everyone else seem to be enjoying themselves just fine though…
Dai and Sarutobi hung back, but were making small talk looking at some of the paintings, Suzume and Umahara were already picking out some compacts to buy, Iroha was adoring the perfume and Komugi was outright sniffing them.
I was the only one that just… stuck out.
"You're having trouble deciding?" I had to force myself from not jumping at Mrs. Nekoyashiki's voice.
"Y-yeah… Last time I went shopping for makeup was…" I heaved a sigh. Truth be told, I did go shopping for makeup once before.
Back at Rügen.
"Ah, I see. So, this would be your first time shopping for yourself?" She asked.
"I… guess so." Unless I wanted to buy a perfume for Komugi… She really seemed to enjoy them.
"It can be overwhelming to figure out what to buy when all you see are products that don't fit you." She took my hand and led me to a small stand that had bottles of foundation. On them rested small golden statuettes of animals and insects, ranging from grasshoppers to lizards to even foxes. Despite the appearance, they all had a jeweled heart that had a myriad of colors. These bottles were among some other products.
"Woah…" I muttered. The colors of the foundations were much more subdued than the makeup in the store. Rather than pinks or blues, they were closer to light pinks to dark browns, almost akin to the colors of skin.
"While they are subtler, men's makeup do exist." She said. I picked up the lightest one of the foundations, a baby pink bottle that had a golden tyrannosaurus rex and a baby blue jewel heart. "Ah, that suits you well!" She smiled.
"Yeah… I think I'll take this. Do you take credit?" I asked her.
"We do!" Mrs. Nekoyashiki nodded.
"Thanks!" As we returned to the register and I paid for the foundation, Iroha approached her and made her own purchase. I looked back to the perfumes, the thought of buying one for Komugi still lingering.
Though, my stray thoughts were interrupted when the door opened. Inside stepped a young woman with blunt short black hair, wearing a black jacket. She took off her sunglasses and looked around.
"I'm here as you asked, Mrs. Nekoyashiki…" She said. Immediately, Suzume stopped admiring the products.
"There she is!" Suzume sprung to her. "The Three-Star Sis-" And just as quickly, the woman pushed her away.
"Save your breath. It's just Kuin." She scoffed. Kuin took off her jacket, revealing a white tank top and black pants. As she hung it on a coat rack, she entered the store before looking around.
"Ah, welcome to the store…" Mrs. Nekoyashiki looked over to Kuin, then back to me and Iroha. "Say, my daughter is good at makeup, so she can teach you two." She smiled.
"E-eh!?" Mayu blushed. Great. All this because I'd rather do this than tell my landlord that I knew he was shot…
Several more people came in, a few elderly women and a young girl that I believed was one of their granddaughters…
But, as I eyed the odd pattern of a half-beige, half-grey school uniform… My breathing became stilted. I had seen this exact pattern before and knew what it was hiding…
"That sounds like a great idea!" I purposely raised my voice and stood on my tippy toes, before glancing over. As soon as I made eye contact with the school girl's navy-blue eyes, I saw her glaring…
Me…
She was after me.
"W-well… If you insist…" Mayu led us away as I saw the EGG members begin to crowd Kuin. This, followed by Mrs. Nekoyashiki going over to greet the new customers, thankfully gained some distance between me and the assassin dressed in urban camouflage.
As we got into a small dressing room, Mayu sat me down and adjusted a white cloth over me, her hands trembling over the ribbon that would secure it.
As much as I wanted to reassure her or outright tell her I could apply the foundation myself, I'd defeat the purpose of why I was even here in the first place… Then again, the only reason why I was ever here in the first place was to avoid trouble.
"So… for the foundation…" Mayu hesitantly took the foundation bottle I purchased and gently squeezed out a pea-sized amount of peach pink onto a brush. "Y-you'd want to gently… press it…" She took the brush and dabbed a bit on different parts of my face.
Immediately, I gave a smile and tightened my grip on the armrest as her quick touches on my cheek felt almost like feathers. This, coupled with Mayu's face flushing red, almost made this worth the trip. I had to keep calm, for her sake.
"Hey, what grade are you two in?" Iroha asked us, giving me a momentary distraction.
"Junior high, second year…" Mayu kept focus on my face, though the redness of her cheeks faded.
"Huh, me too-hoo…" I had to stop myself from giving off more of a laugh from the unintended tickling Mayu was giving.
"Wait, are you two going to Second Wangan Junior High?" As Iroha asked that, I recalled Natsume bringing me over to the school's volleyball game where I would showcase my talent. I realized that was also his way of me acquainting with my soon-to-be classmates…
"Yes…" Mayu answered.
"How wonderful! I can't wait to see you two at school!" Iroha smiled. Around this time, Mayu finished brushing around my neck and I took a few moments to breathe.
"Alright, I think that'll do it…" Mayu had put away her brush and taken off the white cloth. "Do you know how to do it yourself now?" She asked me.
"Y-yes… Put the foundation on the brush, then apply it to the face for an even coat." I stood out of my chair and wobbled a bit as Mayu caught me.
"And remember, not a lot, just a small amount will do." Mayu handed me the foundation bottle and a small brush. It took a moment before she realized she held me, though by that time, I had already stood upright and nodded.
"Will do. Erm… Should I watch you apply makeup to Iroha or is it best to leave you two be?" I asked her.
"You can stay if you'd like." Mayu said.
"Ok." I sat on another seat while Iroha took my chair. I looked over the door and frowned, wondering if that assassin was still in the store.
Kuin was left to be in care of the store while Mrs. Nekoyashiki attended to the three elderly women. There, she looked at a few of the vials of makeup, taking notice of the golden animal statuettes.
"Cute…" She muttered.
"So, Kuin, was it?" Suzume approached Kuin.
"Yeah…" She turned to her.
"It's a pleasure to make an acquaintance. My name is Hitsuji-"
"-maki Suzume, yeah. You're with EGG, right?" Kuin asked.
"Oh, w-well… How did you…" She asked before Kuin turned around.
"Before coming here, I took a look to see if the town had any organizations from the Zawame Accords who've planted themselves here. You call yourselves the… what? Guardians of the Globe?" Kuin closed her eyes halfway and coldly looked at Suzume.
"Umm… It's… Earth's Global… G-guardians…" Suzume stammered as Kuin's gaze didn't shift.
"Same thing." She scoffed. "Was that the best title you can come up with?"
"Well… That's what I thought up when I first made it a few years ago, a-and it stuck!" Suzume said.
"Honestly, it sounds like a parody of a taskforce than anything legit. Do the others take you seriously?" Kuin asked.
"… I…" Suzume stuttered, tears forming.
"Hey! I'll have you know that we may be literal bottom feeders…" As Dai stepped in, Kuin looked at him.
"Ah, so you're opportunists who profit off of misfortune?" Kuin's words shut Dai up for a moment before he attacked the issue from another angle.
"N-no! Like, we're practically the bottom of the food chain! Even the Zawame Accords barely give us enough to function! But, with you sponsoring us, we can…" Dai noticed Kuin barely pay attention to him.
"So, that's what this is about." Kuin looked away, her eyes focused towards the makeup. "I didn't get where I was by having someone give handouts, so why should I do the same for you?"
"Then we're peas in a pod then! Just some common folk wantin' to make a difference in our community!" Dai smirked as Kuin coldly stared at him.
"You lot are a bunch of back-alley kids thinking you can become part of the big leagues. I merely want to support my family after my older brother left us for stardom. We are not the same. What exactly would a model accomplish for your group anyways?" Kuin asked.
"Well… Your brother, right? Even without his fame, the Zawame Accords recognize him as-" Dai's words were immediately stopped with a hard and loud STOMP.
"… Don't you dare bring his name up." The muscles in her hands began to seize up. "I am nothing like him." She nearly stormed off before Umahara came over, almost blocking her exit.
"E-excuse me, but… could you sign my book?" She showed a book highlighting a photoshoot that Kuin did a few months ago in Sorashido City. Her anger almost faded away as she saw the first picture that was the cover. On it was her and someone who was a frequent customer of the store, a girl her age with long auburn hair with purple eyes, in front of the store. She warmly smiled at it before opening the book and signing the first page with her full name, the I's dotted with crowns:
'Ukiyo Kuin'
"There we go. I appreciate a fellow fan of mine coming out to meet with me." She put away her pen and shook Umahara's hand.
"W-wh-what!?" Umahara's face flushed.
"Huh? What's the fuss? I'm a model, not some idol." Kuin said with a matter-of-fact tone, eyes barely focused on anything but the hands shaking. She let go as Umahara just looked at her hand.
"… I'll never wash this again…" Umahara smiled.
"Now, if you excuse me, I gotta chat with the owner about how to go about the promo shots." Kuin made her way to the entrance of the shop before turning to see Suzume. "I'll be around town for the next little while, so maybe you'd like to reflect on what exactly your ambitions are." She then just gave a soft, cheeky grin. "Of course, I'm always up for an autograph and handshake, like you just saw." She turned to open the door and made her way out.
"Damn… We haven't even told her what our main objective is!" Dai pounded his fist against the palm of his other hand.
"But… I didn't even…" As Suzume wanted to say more, a cry broke her concentration.
"I said let me go!" The three turned their attention to a young school girl, who Sarutobi was holding by her shirt collar.
"I found her trying to break into the makeup room with this in her hands…" He revealed her silenced pistol before placing it on the ground and kicking it towards Suzume.
"Wait, didn't Jiro go in there earlier?" Umahara asked.
"Hold on, since when did a school girl pack heat?" Dai asked.
"…" Suzume picked up the silenced pistol, carefully looked at it, then put it away before glaring at the girl. "Start. Talking." She glared with little to no joy in her voice.
As Kuin left the shop, Komugi raced inside, almost pushing past her.
"H-hey!" She exclaimed. She sighed before turning her attention to Mrs. Nekoyashiki.
"Ah, Ms. Ukiyo, are you finding the shop to your liking?" Mrs. Nekoyashiki smiled.
"Y-yeah… As per the contract, I'm to model for this shop for about a year until a new franchise opens up, so name the product and I'll pose with it." Kuin then turned around to see the front of the shop. "Ideally, we'd start with the shop itself, as a sort of 'we just opened a new one' message to any fans of the brand."
"Ah, that sounds lovely!" Mrs. Nekoyashiki took Kuin by the hand and dragged her to a small stone beam where Yuki was resting on a bed. "Here, why don't we pose with Yuki? A cute cat would be a really good money maker!"
"S-sure…" As Kuin went next to the bed, Yuki gave a low-pitched meow and swatted at her. Kuin backed away as Yuki gave a small hiss. "What the…"
"That's odd…" Mrs. Nekoyashiki muttered before going next to Yuki. "I think you were standing too close… She needs her space, after all."
"Ah, right… So, like this?" Kuin stood a few feet away as she took out her phone.
"Alright, on three… One… Two… Nyaaan~!" Mrs. Nekoyashiki then posed with her fingers curled inwards like cat paws. By the time Yuki realized what she was doing, she had already taken the photo. A moment later, the two saw the result:
Kuin looking at Mrs. Nekoyashiki with widened eyes and a dropped jaw with Mrs. Nekoyashiki acting like a total cat, all while Yuki was in the middle just resting on her bed.
"That looks purfect~!" Mrs. Nekoyashiki took the phone and looked at the picture intently.
"N-no! I wasn't ready! W-we can have a do-over and I'll be ready for it this time!" As Kuin said that, Mrs. Nekoyashiki handed her back the phone.
"But that's exactly why it's the perfect first photo. So that when we take our final photo, you will be." She gave a smile that, as it curled, almost resembled a cat's lips.
"…" Kuin looked at the photo and paused for a bit, remembering the cover of Umahara's book. As Mrs. Nekoyashiki returned to attending to the three elderly women, Kuin gave a slight chuckle.
Never thought I spent today, or any day for that matter, watching girls applying makeup, but my alternatives were either face off against an assassin inside a shop or face the music and tell Natsume what I knew.
Yet, what caught my attention was Mayu. While she seemed rather touchy when applying makeup to me, with Iroha, she was entirely in the zone. Not a single peep came out of this room aside from Iroha trying to make light talk.
If anything, I heard more racket from outside.
The way Mayu also methodically selected which tool to use at what time was almost precise. It seemed even she wasn't aware of this hyperfocus, as the moment she was done, Iroha complimented her good work, to which she began to get flustered all over again.
The door soon opened up, cutting any focus that we had abrupt.
"Iroha!" While I had briefly heard her the past few days, I recognized Komugi's squeaky voice as she slid inside. For the first time since stepping into this store, I was now within talking distance with her…
"Ah, Komugi! What do you think? Do I look cute?" As Iroha showed Komugi the fruits of Mayu's labor, I realized I had been so distracted with Mayu's work that I hadn't actually noticed her work.
And yet, the only word I could use to describe Iroha was pretty… Cute felt reserved for someone else…
"Very cute! I wanna look cute too!" As Komugi said that, Mayu handed her some eyeshadow and, immediately, she went to work…
By rubbing the eyeshadow literally over her eyes and creating visible rings around them.
"Well, am I cute?" She asked. I could feel my heart begin to swell up, as though compelling me to agree, even though my mind was telling me every contrary reason.
Yet, that word kept running in my mind even before she applied the makeup… That was who the word cute was for…
And with that, I realized as Iroha and Komugi laughed off this incident… From the moment Komugi held me on that day and told me how important I was…
That the entire reason I decided to continue becoming Garude…
Was that I… might have fallen in love…
We soon left the room before I saw the members of EGG surrounding the school girl. Heaving a sigh of relief, I looked over to the perfumes once more. Noticing that Komugi and Iroha were distracted with talking to each other and that Mrs. Nekoyashiki had entered the store with that other lady, Kuin, I made my decision.
I went over to pick up a pink perfume, one with a golden dog on it, then went to the front.
"Hmm?" Mrs. Nekoyashiki went to the desk and scanned the perfume. The price was, frankly, negligible compared to prices I've seen in Rügen, so I had no problem buying it. "Would you like me to gift wrap it?" She asked.
"Yes, please." I calmly answered. I noticed that there were a few small cards with animal-themed stationery. Picking a matching pink card with a small dog running at the bottom, I quickly wrote out a small thanks to Komugi before pausing… Those feelings of love returned, but as my heart swelled… They began to ache too…
"I love you… Jiro…"
I recalled Lily's final words to me as I put the pen down…
'Thank you, Komugi, for bringing me out of a bad time…' It only covered half of the card, clearly leaving room for more… Biting the inside of my mouth, I wrote my name to take up as much of the other half as possible. By the time I was done, Mrs. Nekoyashiki had finished boxing the perfume. She handed me both the box and the receipt.
Holding them in my hands, I headed to Komugi.
"Um…" That caught both her and Iroha's attention. The more I thought about the perfume in my hands, the more I thought back to Lily…
"Thanks for coming along, Jiro!" Lily's voice was one I would never forget. I looked back to a fond memory of me carrying almost a literal ton of gifts that we had purchased on our small excursion into the city of Binz.
"Hey, Jiro, something up?" Iroha asked me.
I was basically now just doing the same thing… Shopping with someone who I had fallen for… Being pulled into fights in order to protect them from monstrous threats… And soon…
THUMP!
The only color I could clearly see now was the peach coloring of Iroha's hair. I began to tremble before rushing back, my eyes closed as I placed the perfume on the counter. When I opened my eyes, I turned to see EGG, still talking with the school girl…
That's when I remembered when I last saw her…
I remembered her partner…
How she unloaded every bullet in my path…
How she managed to dodge every one of my blows…
How the one blow I managed to land was guaranteed to…
And that was when I realized why she was here…
"H-hey! Jiro!" Iroha called out to me as I beelined towards Suzume.
"You came all this way to Animal Town just to try and assassinate Jiro?!" Suzume already confirmed what I had suspected.
"Yes…" The schoolgirl spoke up as she turned to see me once I made myself known.
"… Well, here I am." I turned back to see that now Mrs. Nekoyashiki, Iroha, Komugi, and even Mayu were noticing this, all while the EGG members were trying to restrain the school girl. "Let's take this outside." I said to her before storming out of the shop, not even paying any mind to Iroha or even Mrs. Nekoyashiki's demands for me to stay.
Sarutobi complied in taking the girl outside the store while I explained to the others that it was part of EGG business. I wasn't sure how much info I should divulge, but at the very least I shouldn't involve Iroha and especially Komugi into the world of assassins…
But it didn't really help how we set ourselves up to interrogate this assassin. The way we surrounded the schoolgirl, it almost seemed like we were about to haze her or some form of gang gathering…
As much as I wanted EGG to back off, I know that wasn't something I can easily request.
"So, you've come for my bounty?" I asked her.
"No… I've come for your head." She struggled to get out of Sarutobi's grasps. "The money that comes from your death is just the bonus."
"I… don't know whether you coming here is good or bad timing now." I almost resisted the urge to laugh.
"Huh?" Dai looked over to me.
"Had you come just a little sooner… I'd have let you put one…" I pointed to my forehead. "Right here."
"Woah, woah, woah!" Suzume's jaw dropped as she tried to get in between me and the girl, though I held my hand up.
"And… I'm kinda having that thought return to me…" I bobbed my head a bit. "But… I can't let you do that now… I've sworn a duty to someone I've…" As I hesitated on my words, she immediately took that weakness.
"I see how it is… Another victim that you're planning to murder?" Of the people who've heard her say those words, I don't think anyone felt so numb or cold as I was. "You killed so many assassins who've gone after that family, you even went as far as to avenge the family members that were successfully assassinated… All so you could have the honor of murdering the few surviving members of that bloodline yourself? You make me sick, Rügenwulf."
Rügenwulf… I hadn't heard that name before since I was on Rügen. It seemed almost like an urban legend, but recalling the name, I trembled as though it were a scary folklore monster.
"Thank you very much for stopping by!" I saw Mrs. Nekoyashiki greet us as Iroha and Komugi leave the store. As the two girls passed us, the schoolgirl glanced at them, then to me. "Please come again!"
"We will!" As Iroha replied to Mrs. Nekoyashiki, the schoolgirl leaned in.
"Why don't I cut to the chase then and do your job for you?" She whispered. My arm freezed up.
My normal instinct would have been to unleash a Rinki-fueled thrust at her throat, but I hesitated… Was it because I was among witnesses?
"Hey, Jiro, if we don't meet up again soon, we can meet up at school, okay?" Iroha said to me. She then noticed the crowd I kinda surrounded myself with. "Um… I don't think I've met you all." She scratched the back of her head.
"W-well, this is my group at work. You know, EGG?" As I said that, Komugi rushed forward.
"Ah! So, you make eggs!?" Komugi asked the schoolgirl.
"I… W-what? Wait, I'm not with-" As she stammered, that was when Sarutobi spoke up.
"We sort of do. But not the kinda eggs you eat. We found this young'un, Takeshi Shizuka, trying to shoplift so we're making a citizen's arrest!" As Sarutobi declared the schoolgirl's name, her own eyes widened.
"W-what!? B-but how did you…" She looked around frantically before looking up to see Sarutobi waving around a wallet with an ear-to-ear grin.
"Oh, if she was trying to steal, then perhaps I should call the authorities." Mrs. Nekoyashiki said.
"No need, leave it to EGG to set her straight. She's a kid, after all." As Sarutobi dragged her away, Umahara hesitated, looked to Mrs. Nekoyashiki before bowing, then followed him.
"I couldn't believe that happened…" Iroha muttered.
"Yeah… Me neither…" I noticed that Mrs. Nekoyashiki's tone didn't shift compared to Iroha's. If anything, she sounded more inquisitive than she normally was.
"Well, we should get going. See you all later!" Iroha waved to us, looked to me for a moment, and left.
"Yeah, I think I'm gonna go home too." I said.
"Wait, aren't you forgetting this?" Mrs. Nekoyashiki handed me the boxed perfume.
"… Thanks, but… I think I'm gonna hold off…" I shook my head. I should have said it in a more upbeat tone because immediately after, Mrs. Nekoyashiki noticed my sulked head and nodded.
"I understand." She said before taking the perfume and heading back into the store.
"Come on, let's head back…" Suzume said, almost in the same deflected tone as mine as she walked off. Dai rushed after her, asking her to wait. I wasn't sure where Kuin was, nor did I really care.
The only one who was outside aside from me now was Mayu. As though fate itself pushed our pieces together to this moment. I had a few chats with her here and there up to this point, but this would be the first time we were alone together. No cats to pet, no makeup to put on, just me and her.
"… Thanks for the makeup." And all I could muster was gratitude.
"Y-you're welcome…" What didn't help was her body turning, intent on wanting to leave this topic altogether. Though, she didn't move, instead, she asked. "Um… Who was that for?"
"… Does it really matter at this point? I'm probably just gonna ruin it like I did my last relationship." That was the moment I decided to end my day and head off…
And that was the moment fate wanted my day to go on just a little while longer.
"H-Hey! Jiro! There's a Gekijyu sighting!" Dai ran over to me, becoming extremely out of breath once he stopped.
"A… fierce beast?" Mayu asked.
"Really? Now of all times?" I asked.
"Yeah, and what's worse is that we can't get a hold of Inari! That's never happened before!" Dai said.
"What's going on?" Mayu turned to me.
"Just my job… I'll see you later, okay?" I gave a sigh as I went with Dai.
"Oh… okay…" Mayu muttered.
A few minutes later, we were on the road, driving off in the direction of the Garugaru.
"L-let me go!" All while the schoolgirl was screaming next to me in the very rear, her hands zip tied behind her back. I had to look through her wallet to confirm that, yeah, her name was Shizuka and that it wasn't something she made up for her hit.
"Guys, is it really necessary to bring her along? We're practically kidnapping her!" I said to them.
"She's an assassin trying to kill you! And you're okay letting her do you in!" Sarutobi turned to us, sitting in the middle row next to Umahara, and shouted.
"I dunno if Inari told you all, but there's gonna be a lot more of that for the foreseeable future!" I said.
"Speaking of, where the hell are they!? It's not like them to be absent like this…" Dai was typing on his phone. "Hey… Inari… where the hell… are you… question mark."
"Wait, what do you mean 'the foreseeable future'?" Umahara asked me.
"Should you tell them, or should I?" Shizuka answered ahead of me. I sighed, not sure how to best explain. The only idea I had was a shorthand explanation…
"I have a bounty on my head." I hoped that was enough to let them know…
"But why?" Shizuka glared at me. Just as I was about to answer, Dai shouted out:
"SUZUME, LOOK OUT!" Immediately, Suzume swerved out of the way as I could see the familiar purple fur of a Garugaru. Just as we were about to crash into a guard rail, a large paw-like balloon appeared and cushioned the van.
"Wait, what's going on!?" Shizuka asked as I heaved a sigh, realizing that I couldn't exactly avoid Komugi as much as I wanted to. She then looked out to see a monster. Shizuka flinched, but that was it as far as her reaction went.
"Holy crap, so that's a Gekijyu? It's so cuuuute~!" Umahara stared out of her window. To my surprise, it was actually smaller than the Garugaru I faced, being a slightly larger tanuki.
"GARUGARU!" It roared as it tried to claw at the car. Umahara shrunk back with a shriek.
"Alright, I'm going!" I opened my door, which knocked the Garugaru out of the way, and got out of the car before putting on my belt.
"Oi! Jiro! You gotta do the thing!" Dai rolled down the car window and shouted.
"What thing?!" I said as the Garugaru crawled on all fours, seemingly sizing me up.
"Like what I did back when I fought the ram! You gotta do a pose!" He said.
"Are you kidding me…" I muttered.
"And you gotta say 'Henshin!' when you do it, too!" Dai continued.
"What purpose does it serve!? If anything, it's going to make me a bigger target! Need I remind you that your attempt failed?" As I turned my back to Dai and argued, I could hear the Garugaru chitter. "I can do things just fine by just putting this egg on this belt…" As I went about the motions.
OVI-KRACK!
"And activating the belt!" Placing the egg into the belt, I slammed it open, initiating the sequence as I was covered in a protective eggshell, which blocked an oncoming swipe from the Tanuki Garugaru.
HATCH-ING! PRIME! ORDEAL! PRIMORDIAL!
The eggshell exploded, knocking back the Garugaru.
"See? No need!" I turned to see that the Garugaru had ran off and that both Komugi and Iroha had given chase.
"W-wait, are you just gonna let it get away!?" Dai shouted.
"No…" I took out the Ostrich and Ram GarudEggs and weighed them equally. "Legs make me fast… but bike also fast…" I paused before taking out the newly obtained Rabbit GarudEgg.
I hadn't even taken it to Inari to have it analyzed, nor do I recall any Rabbit-Fist Ringi that Hakubi taught me, so I would be shooting in the dark to use it… And yet, this color was comparable to the regular Oviraptor GarudEgg in that it was the only other colored egg…
"Um… Jiro, what are you doing?" Dai asked.
"… Experiment…" I muttered as I cracked the pink GarudEgg onto the belt.
RABBI-TRACK!
The egg glowed pink, opening up and revealing a line of hearts dotted across the egg. I was suddenly engulfed in another eggshell, this one having a more metallic, foil-like sheen.
"Huh? What…" I muttered. I wasn't expecting this to happen… But… I couldn't give up halfway.
So, I replaced the Oviraptor GarudEgg with the Rabbit GarudEgg, then opened the belt…
HATCH-ING! EON… SCENERY… EOCENE!
I began to feel the swelling once more as my armor changed. Mirroring that of the egg, my armor had a soft white bodysuit with bright pink armor, the chest piece of which formed into a heart. The metal bands were instead replaced with pink ribbons that resembled bunny ears and the spines on my back were instead replaced with a rabbit's fur.
As the egg exploded and revealed my new form, everyone in the van looked at me.
"… PFFFFFTTTT…" Dai cracked up as I looked at myself.
"Sothiseggchangesmyforms?" I asked. Immediately, I noticed a change. While I no longer spoke like I was some caveman, the issue now was evident. But that was just the warning sign… Immediately, my mind and heart began to go as fast as my words, until Dai's laughter slowed down to what I could imagine to be a dragged out hah.
I walked to the van, only to find I had made a sprint. Dai noticed I had arrived to him and I could see his eyes widen in slow-motion.
"IguessIdon'tneed thoseeggsthen." I said before I calmly walked to the direction the Garugaru went, with one step feeling like five feet.
Although… What if I were to use them? My mind began to think of how the two eggs I had would be useful, creating different scenarios in my head as my paced walk easily cleared about thirty feet per second. There were hundreds, if not thousands of questions that kept my brain working…
One stuck out: 'can the eggs stack?'
I tossed the Ram GarudEgg just after activating it and, as the bike raced to my side, I cracked open the Ostrich Egg and placed them on my belt before activating it.
HA-TTACH! OST… RICH… OSTRICH!
The pieces of the Ostrich Armor attached onto me just as the bike arrived. I got on and, as I revved up the engine, I felt my body soar.
"What… Was that?!" Shizuka's eyes were glued to the window as she witnessed the object of her vengeance transform.
"Holy crap… Hey, did we know the Eggs can do that!?" Dai exclaimed as he looked to Suzume.
"… I'm not really surprised at this point…" Suzume muttered.
"We gotta bring this up to Inari! Now Jiro's doing form changes like an actual Kamen Rider!" Dai smiled as he watched outside, despite Jiro having been long since gone from the area.
"Kamen… He's one of those guys now?" Shizuka's hands trembled as she remembered her friend cradling her in the rain…
The internal wounds that Jiro had inflicted on her…
If he was strong enough to end her friend's life…
Just how stronger is he now that he's taken the powers of one of those people?
It took no time catching up to the Garugaru and, in fact, it was essentially crawling compared to my pace. Once it realized how fast I was going, it tried to swat at me, only for me to block with my large wing-like shield. However, with how slow his claw was going, it was never a matter of if I was going to block, but when.
While I wasn't sure what the Rabbit-Fist Ringi could do, I was more than certain of what Ostrich-Fist's Ringi were. Question is whether it made sense for me to use its power against something rather… miniscule.
Compared to the sheer strength of the Ram, the speed of the Ostrich, or even the deadly laser beams of the Rabbit, the latter I'm trying to figure out how to access, this Tanuki barely put up a fight as it only took a second before I was able to feel nothing from his claws.
"Garude!" I turned to see Iroha running after me. I realized that I was running in pace with the Tanuki, not even outrunning it. Yet, like with seeing the Tanuki's strikes, her voice sounded stretched out. "Catch it!"
As I processed what Iroha was trying to say to me, I suddenly began to hear other things too. The honking of cars not too far away, the claws of the Tanuki's paws on the asphalt, Komugi catching up to me…
By the time she tried to speak to me, I could feel all these noises and more begin to echo incessantly until I couldn't even process what was happening in front of me.
"GARUGARU!" Ironically, my own armor was as numb as my head as the claws just pressed against my armor. The noises began to coalesce into a droning buzz as my chest began to pound. I saw Iroha rush over to the Garugaru and hold it, though my vision began to blur.
"Jiro…" I could hear Lily's voice… "Let's go to the garden…" My mind wanted to return to that moment when Lily and I would explore the manor's garden, but the buzzing made it hard for me to imagine or remember…
"Jiro…" Every single instance of her calling my name, asking for my attention… It was the only thing I could focus on aside from the ringing sound of a bell… "Go on home…" Wait… But… I remembered that I lived with Lily's family during my time in Rügen…
"Jiro…" The worst part was that I could pinpoint each and every time Lily called my name. The final one I could clearly hear was, appropriately enough, part of her final words to me before…
"Jiro!" Before I knew it, the buzzing stopped as I could only tremble. My body's movement was restrained. I saw Komugi holding me as my armor had already vanished. Between us was a newly made GarudEgg. "Are you okay?" Komugi asked.
"I…" If anything, I felt tired. My head swayed to the side, wanting to hurl… Wait, I didn't even have any food! That may have added to my dizziness. If anything, I wanted to feel still…
But I had also felt myself trembling, something that I could only feel was subdued with Komugi's hug.
"Why do you keep turning into a Garugaru?" Komugi asked me.
"…" Unfortunately, I didn't have any real counterargument to that… I didn't even know what happened. One minute I had assumed a new type of armor and the next my mind fired every single synapse all at once. "… Because I chose to-" And my only response was cut off…
"Why are you choosing to go through this!? I don't understand!" Now it was Komugi who was beginning to tremble.
"…" And with that, I had no real response. Nothing that would justify my transformations.
"Jiro, are you able to stand?" Iroha approached us and offered her hand to me. As much as I wanted to, I didn't want Komugi to let go of me just yet…
That was when I noticed Sarutobi's van arrive. Surprisingly, the first to exit was Umahara.
"Eeeeee! I get to shop at the best makeup store, get an autograph from my favorite model and meet magical girls in the same day!? THIS IS AMAZING! P-please sign my book!" Umahara took out that same album and held it out to Iroha along with a pen. She turned to notice and gave a half-cocked smile.
"Uh… Okay?" She began to sign on it.
"So, what's your motif? Are you a detective? Is it true that magical girl teams work like gangs and have their own turfs? Is that princess part of your team or is she independent? Are magical girls independent? Are you part of some company?" Umahara began to rattle off questions like these, which only caused awkward laughs from Iroha.
"Uh… I just got started the other day… So did Wonderful…" As Iroha said that, Komugi stood up and affectionately held her.
"But we are a team! She's my own-" Komugi was about to explain more before Iroha covered her mouth.
"Own kouhai! Yes!" Iroha's laugh was similar to when I first met her at the shop earlier today. As I felt the strength to get up, I saw Dai and Sarutobi approach us as well.
"So, you two are the girls that Jiro's eager to work with. Pleasure to meet you face to face. Name's Dai." Dai offered his hand to Komugi, only for her to place her hand on top of his.
"Aaah…" Iroha looked at this, then quickly placed her hand over theirs and shook. "It's great to work with Jiro!" Her smile quickly faded as she looked at Dai. "But… I've been wondering… Why does he look like those monsters when he…" Iroha spaced out, possibly trying to figure out what exactly she wanted to say.
"Ah, that. Well, that's what the egg gave Jiro for his armor… Inari would give you guys a more comprehensive talk, stuff like how we got the egg or what it does when activated but…" Dai mumbled a bit as Sarutobi spoke up.
"We can't get a hold of them. If we did, we would have been able to figure out the limits of Jiro's new form." Sarutobi said. Iroha's hand slipped, allowing Komugi to speak up once more.
"You mean the pyonpyon form?" Komugi asked.
"Uh… y-yes…" Sarutobi asked.
"It… didn't feel pyonpyon though… It felt more… Dokidoki?" That's how I would explain my heart beating rapidly from remembering my past. That also caused a small moment of silence as Komugi asked the question that I knew she would be asking EGG if she knew my connection to them.
"Hey, could you stop making Jiro become a Garugaru?" Komugi asked.
"You mean a Gekijyu? Jiro doesn't turn into one…" Sarutobi said, only to see Komugi pout.
"It looks like he does to me!" She said.
"Point being, he's not a Gekijyu. If anything, he's their antithesis." Sarutobi noticed Komugi just cock her head.
"Anti… Auntie… Ants?" She asked.
"… He's made to counterattack the Gekijyu and-" That's when I stepped forward and spoke out loud, cutting off Sarutobi.
"Enough!" I panted… Even getting up took a bit out of me. "It's… been a long day… Let's get the eggs scanned by Inari and see what we need to do. I'll take some time off being Garude for the time being until I get a response." I handed my belt over to Dai.
"Woah now, let's have you keep it for now! You may need it given who we got in the van!" Dai held up his hands.
"If he doesn't want to be a Garugaru, then let him stop being a Garugaru!" Komugi interjected.
"He's not a Garugarugaru whatever you call it! He's becoming a being made to kill them!" Sarutobi raised his voice, causing Komugi to flinch. "And it seems you two made him soft…" He then stormed off to the van.
"Jiro… is… is that true?" Komugi asked me.
"… Yeah." I could feel my arms shake. "That… is my job as Garude." As much as I hated to say those words… It may be for the best considering the pain I would endure if I had decided to stay… I walked to the van as well.
"No! That has to be a lie! You helped Friendy save those animals!" Komugi barked at me as I tried to shrug it off. "Doesn't that mean anything!?" I headed into the van, trying desperately to cram the one voice I wanted to shout out…
I was helping you save those animals…
"Let's get out of here…" I said once the others returned.
"… Okay." Suzume said as she drove away from the two. I looked away as I saw Iroha holding back Komugi.
It was a long silence on the drive back. The proper course of action was to drop Shizuka and the GarudEggs off first, then me, for my own safety. However, as the sun had begun to set by the time we drove back to town, the better course of action for both me and Dai's nuts was to take me straight home.
Though, we stopped just short of a five-minute walk away from the apartment just to make sure that Shizuka doesn't know the exact route.
… Well, as exact as "just go in a straight line past the edge of town" as a route is.
As I looked to Shizuka, she kept a glare at me, though it had somewhat softened. Her muscles were still tensed, but her eyebrows were more relaxed. I couldn't really tell what she felt, but it was hardly a positive emotion.
"So, what will you do with her?" I asked Suzume.
"… I dunno. We can't exactly let her off with a slap on the wrist knowing who she is, but we can't really hold her against her will like you said." Suzume's voice felt rather dower compared to how she usually sounded.
"…" I looked over the van, then back to her. "Take her to the other side of town and drop her off there. We can give her a hint at least."
"I'm just gonna come back." Shizuka grumbled.
"And take any gear she has off. That'll at least waste some of her time trying to get new resources…" I whispered to Suzume.
"Got it… You best run off now." Suzume rolled up her window and promptly drove off without even caring if I would even turn to walk home.
With a pause, I did just that…
After five minutes, I arrived close to 6:30 PM. Walking upstairs, I saw Natsume walking back from the garden, hauling a few potatoes for dinner.
"Ah, welcome home! Guess you hung out longer than expected?" And yet he sported a grin like it was just a normal night…
"…" Without a single word, I ran over and hugged him.
"Woah, woah, hey, something up?" He asked as I just began to sob.
"I should have just told you…" I muffled my voice into his chest.
"Told me what?" His jovial voice soon shifted to the usual dry yet serious tone.
"I…" I had to fight my cries just to get what I had hidden out of my chest: "I know you were hurt yesterday!"
"You knew I…" He took a moment before looking over. I looked at the same spot and saw a few red marks, almost like stained rain droplets. "Don't worry about it! I'm fine now! All it took was a little bed rest and-" He chuckled before I interrupted him.
"You were bleeding! I saw it with my own eyes! Who hurt you!?" I began to cry harder, to the point where my voice couldn't even be legible.
"Jiro, calm down, I'm okay…" He paused before he sighed. "That was why you rushed out this morning, wasn't it?" All I did was nod in his arms. "… Come, let's have some dinner." He patted me on the back and escorted me to my apartment.
I didn't really eat a lot of French fries despite how crispy the exterior was or how fluffy its interior was. It was as like how it was back during the days I first moved here… Before I met…
My hand froze, barely bothering to pick up another fry.
"… I… guess I haven't been honest with you about somethings either, huh?" Natsume asked me.
"Meh. I kinda just kept my distance about it… Probably for the best." I mumbled. Natsume took a moment, then picked up a knife. A simple butterknife with a small edge for making dull cuts.
"Don't panic… This is probably the best way to demonstrate this…" He clasped his free hand over the knife's edge and quickly pulled the knife out, slicing his palm.
"W-what!?" Immediately, I sat up straight. Sure enough, the cut wasn't deep enough to cause a severe wound, but it still drew blood.
"Watch carefully…" He held his hand out as I watched his palm emit a soft blue flame. Slowly, the cut began to stitch itself back together before returning to normal.
"What the…" I muttered.
"This is the exact thing that happened to my wound yesterday. You don't need to worry about me for quite some time." Natsume said.
"… You could have told me you had a healing factor…" I muttered, burying my face into my palms.
"It's not a healing factor. Think of it more as… longevity. All life has a set amount of it and I happened to have… well, let's say I got more longevity than others." Natsume said.
"So… you're immortal?" I asked.
"Did you even know what I just said? Lon-ge-vi-ty. I can still grow old and die like any other person, but it's just… slower. The trade off is that a stab that'd normally kill a human would just be a… I guess a punch to the gut?" Natsume shook his hand after it fully healed. I was about to open my mouth before he quickly spoke up. "And before you ask, no, I am still human."
"Well, are you a modified human then? A lot of people I met back in Rügen were simple humans that were modified, either by devices or…" I asked
"Like… a cyborg? No. Well, somewhat… I guess the best way to say what it is… Hmm…" He leaned back, thought for a while, and then shrugged. "I was granted it."
"By who?" I leaned forward, as did Natsume. As I grinned ear to ear, Natsume looked closer… And then…
"Another story for another time, I'm afraid… Because I'm more curious about your story! How did your trip to that makeup shop go?" Natsume gave a small laugh.
"… Well…" I began to remember the few fun moments I had there; Mayu giving me makeup, watching her methodically apply some to Iroha, just exploring the shop with Komugi…
Once I remembered her, I then remembered everything else. Lily, the overwhelming powers of my new form… Komugi confronting me about becoming Garude once more…
"… It went… Well. But… I don't think I'd be able to keep my friends…" I held the GaruDriver in my hands. "At least… not so long as they still run amok…" And yet, my palms quaked as I stared at the metallic claw. I knew why I had this deep, growing pit at the bottom of my stomach…
This was the exact feeling I felt when attending the funeral of Lily's mother. That feeling when I realized she was murdered by an assassin…
The van stopped just by the borders of Animal Town, about a few miles from Pretty Holic, as Sarutobi got out and dragged Shizuka with him.
"Consider yourself lucky. Were it up to me, we'd be having a nice, long chat…" Sarutobi said to her before tossing her onto the ground.
True to what Jiro had requested, she quickly felt herself and found that, aside from her wallet, phone, and the clothes on her back, she had been left with nothing on her person. She tried to race back to the van, but it drove off.
"This isn't over, Rügenwulf! When I come back, I'll kill ya!" Shizuka shouted.
Sarutobi sat back in the van and groaned.
"Dai, did you call up Inari?" Sarutobi asked.
"They haven't picked up ye…" Dai said as he held his cellphone. Suddenly…
"Sorry for the delay…" The group noticed Inari's voice on the other end, albeit a bit deeper and glitchier than usual.
"INARI! Thank God you're okay! Where were you!?" Umahara asked.
"Busy. There was a matter I had to attend to that, unfortunately, will be more frequent. I'm afraid I will have to renegotiate my contract with you as your scientist to reflect this." Inari stated.
"Well, that blows because we kinda need you more than ever. Jiro's got a new egg that made him go super fast and we don't know anything about it! We're bringing over that egg and another." Dai said.
"… Understood. Forgive me for the abrupt absence. I swear, it will not happen again." Inari said.
"Hey, this is all for Jiro's sake, remember. You're making these to help him, got it?" Dai said.
"Yes." Inari then hung up as Dai looked at his phone.
"Jeez, must they always be this standoffish?" Dai asked.
"I… don't think they were." Suzume said.
"Huh?" Dai asked.
"It sounded… like they had a commitment that seemed more important than us…" Suzume frowned, though she continued to drive back to the headquarters.
Inari hung up, then swiped away a voice modulator app as they stood just outside EGG HQ.
"… I knew this would be troublesome…" Inari spoke clearly, without any mask or app to obscure their distinct feminine voice. Inari then donned her familiar lab coat and mask before entering the HQ.