Reviews:

DCDGojira:: Thank you.

Sandshrew master 317: Ryuki: OH MY GOD HE'S SO GODDAMN COOL!

TheOkWriter: No worries friend. Mirror World will be officially introduced in season 2. Also, I want to keep Riders' deaths at least to 2 per season. Maximum 3. Once we get the ball rolling it'll be a domino effect. The battle royal aspect will take effect as more Riders are introduced. So by season 3, we'll have almost all of the roster if not all of it.

maxfz19: Muchas gracias amigo!

Chapter 18
A Mercenary's Duty

"Okay, Takeru-kun. I'm ready when you are."

Genjuro sat in front of Takeru, who had a back Mcdonald's in front of him and a large drink to compliment his meal. They were sitting in Genjuro's office, a place where they could converse without anyone listening in.

"Thanks..."

"Don't worry about it. You gotta eat." Genjuro offered generously."I can wait until you're done."

"It's fine. I can talk in between bites." Takeru grabbed a handful of fries, stuffing his mouth."So, where should I begin?"

"How about telling me your full affiliation with the Breaker Alliance? What did you do there?"

"Well, I'm sure you know I was related to Raphael Salazar. My old man except not really. He and my Ma, who was one of his women at the time, picked me up from the rubble of a ruined resort where my biological parents perished. They took me in because my Ma said that my Pa was sterile. So without another choice, he went for it and took me in to become his successor and take over the organization one day. I was trained since I was 5 in the arts of war. I know how to use weapons, extensive hand-to-hand combat, how to survive in the wild, among other things."

"So you were his protege."

"Something like that. He couldn't have his own children so I was the closest thing to a son ever had. So I was a child soldier going from battle to battle."

"At a young age? You were just a child and they made you be part of wars?"

"Honestly, I had it easy compared to some other children in Val Verde." He sat his drink down, grimacing."A lot of them couldn't get a proper education. Not like I did either, but at least I made a living off of being contracted for mercenary work. There were also the slaves that were kidnapped and sold away for profit or be used for sexual activities."

"And Chris..."

"Yeah. It happened after her parents died. She was separated from whoever she was staying with and my family brought her in along with other children. At first, she was to be sold off to the highest bidder. But then my father thought that I could...you know..."

"Get him a grandchild."

"Yeah..." Takeru chuckled awkwardly."But we were very young at the time so it wouldn't have worked. But he did allow me special permission to befriend her and all the other kids there. At first, she didn't speak to me. I even switched languages in every conversation. From Spanish to English, to Japanese. Until one day I happened to tell her a joke in Japanese and she reacted with a groan. It was a very bad joke, I admit."

"And that's how you became friends?"

"Friends is a strong word." Takeru scratched his cheek."I just went by to her cell every now and then and told her stories. It took a while before she spoke to me. It was very limited. Just one-word responses. After a few years, we would just talk normally about random things to pass the time. But when I was deployed, things happened to her. Some of my former comrades would...do things to her. I never really found out until much later. She hid it from me..."

"I see..." Genjuro closed his eyes."How horrible. I never imagined Chris went through something like that...I knew about her being held by a terrorist organization but...to think they'd do that to a child..."

"Anyway, long story short, a few years went by, and then after forming a formal friendship, we had become really good friends. Though she would never admit it. Then...she told me about what happened. And that's when I learned from my dad about his plans of making her give birth to a child to be the future leader after me. As for Chris...she wasn't important after that and was scheduled to be sent off somewhere. That's when I worked p the courage to escape with her. But naturally, I was still just a kid. Regardless of how skilled I was, I had no way to fight an entire group by myself. That's when I took my father's greatest treasure. The Zolda Deck."

"Your father was the original Zolda?!" Genjurop gasped at the sudden news.

"Yeah. Though he never used it. I never learned what exactly he desired anyway. He spoke to Odin, the Gamemaster. He was a proud man, you see. So when he was given this power, he denied the idea of using it to win his battles. He believed in his own strength. Only my Ma and I knew about it since he was afraid someone would use it against him. And that's exactly what happened. I sneaked into his bedroom and stole it, made my way to Chris' cell, and took her with me with a pistol in hand. I also helped the other captive children escape in hopes of at least making things right with them. I shot at everyone I encountered. Friends I grew up alongside, mentors, and comrades. I had to do it because they wouldn't hesitate to kill me or the other escapees. Eventually, I had to resort to using the Zolda Deck. It responded to me."

"The Deck responds to someone's wish." Genjuro nodded."Your wish was to help those children escape and give them a future."

"Right. Once I transformed, I breezed through all the remaining troops. They came at me with every piece of equipment they had, even one of our tanks, and stood no chance. My father...was the only one left. I rose my Magnuvisor and aimed at him, tears in my eyes and shaking with Chris by my side and the children running around like headless chickens in the rain. But my father...he said that he wasn't upset with me. That as a mercenary's duty was to fight for what they believed. But also...to die fighting in the place they call home. And so...I shot him down."

"You killed your father...As well as your comrades and wiped out the Breaker Alliance. To give Chris and those kids a future." Genjuro couldn't help but feel sad for the young boy in front of him. He couldn't imagine what he must a felt.

"I did. And for the longest time, I dreamt about it. Still do sometimes. It just haunts me. Funny. I killed a bunch of people before and destroyed homes. And yet...when it came down to me feeling that pain...I guess in the end I'm paying for all the lives I took. And I might not have saved all the children from suffering that fate, but I still feel happy that I gave some another chance at life. Including Chris. Though as you can see, things didn't exactly go smoothly. After I wiped out the Breaker Alliance, the UN came to Val Verde and we all got rescued. Chris and I came to Japan. Of course, I had to go with an alias. Now, I don't know about Fine's plans or intentions but she kidnapped Chris as soon as we were transported here. I told her about my abilities as a Rider and the fact I could potentially give her a wish, so she took me in with her. The rest is history."

"She made Chris activate Solomon's Cane to control the Noise and used you to fight the other Riders. After she deemed you not worth keeping, she tossed you aside and kept Ouja around. I assume he's the reason why you're wounded."

"You got me there." Takeru rose his sling."So we've been on the run ever since. Until recently. Tiger saved us but we ended up splitting up. I don't know where Chris is or if she's okay."

"She's fine. I saw her earlier today when she was fighting a group of Noise and Ouja. I distracted Ouja and she got away. I'm sure she's okay. Worried about you, but okay."

"That's a relief..." Takeru leaned back on his chair."I want to see her so badly but...Ouja is looking for me. If we're together, she'll be in danger too."

"Honestly, Takeru-kun, she'll be in danger regardless. Ouja can easily just get to her to bring you out." Genjuro pointed out, causing him to freeze in shock."That said, I'd say Chris has a better chance of fighting without having to worry about his wounded arm for now. So you'll stay here and heal up before you're good to fight. Is that good for you? And don't worry. I'll reach out to Chris and tell her about our conversation."

"Wait...you'd do that for us... but we-"

"You were both used your whole lives by adults who prevented you from experiencing the wonder of being a kid. You were tools. And I, as an adult, failed to save you before. I won't let that mistake happen again. I'll make sure both of you get to experience a good life."

"You..." Takeru was left speechless, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. Genjuro ruffled his hair before standing up."I'll let you rest. I'll send a doctor here to examine your arm."

"Wait...I know where you can find Fine..."

Cypher sat on the border of the stairs leading to Fine's throne-like chair, hands intertwined together as he had a complex look on his face. Fine sat on her chair, humming to herself.

"Another failure."

"Indeed. This is embarrassing." Cypher sighed."Never in my career, I had stumbled with so many setbacks. But then again, I never had to fight superhumans. Genjuro Kazanari...is not at all what you described him to be."

"I do apologize for that. It was a mistake on my part to not have expected him to be that strong, even though he's merely a human. Genjuro-kun is a tough one." Fine chuckled, sounding not at all apologetic. But Ouja didn't care.

"I dare say he'd put my mentor in a rough spot. But that aside, I wasn't expecting all these people to care about Chris and Takeru. And on top of that, there's a new Rider in the block. Tiger. So now we're facing 5 Riders in the form of Ryuki, Knight, Scissors, Zolda, and Tiger along with the Symphogear. Not to mention the other wildcards, Ryuga and Gai."

"Tiger, you said?" Fine perked up at that name."Kamen Rider Tiger?"

"You know him?"

Fine smiled wistfully."The name does ring a bell. But it's not important. Back to the topic at hand, you're not getting cold feet, are you?"

"Of course not. In fact, I relish the challenge." Cypher smirked sadistically, almost identical to Fine's own smirk."Once I accept a contract, I go through it no matter what. My prey won't be left alone until I kill them. So Scissors, Takeru, and Chris will be the first to fall at my hands. Though...fighting them all together is not ideal, even for me. I'll have to come up with a plan to separate them."

"I'll leave that up to your discretion." Fine nodded."But you could also go for the other lone Riders and kill them off first to increase your strength."

"Possibly. But I have my priorities. Besides, there is an interesting one. One whose ambition is almost as big as yours."

"Oh? Is that so?"

"I wish to see more of him. See where his emotion drives him. But for now, I'm merely curious. The one I'm truly invested in is you."

"My, you flatter me." Fine laughed."But speaking of ambitions. I'm curious to know why you still stick around. I mean, you know my true intentions to stop the Curse of Balal and what that entails for humanity. And yet, you still want to help me?"

"Fine, I would have imagined an intelligent woman such as yourself would have figured me out by now." Cypher stood up, giving her his back."My one goal is to see the strongest emotion driven by the strongest goal. Whatever that means is irrelevant to me. If you want to rule over the world, it doesn't matter to me. I just want to see your emotions drive you to that end firsthand. That's why I'm helping you."

"I see." Fine seemed satisfied with his answer."Very well then. I gladly accept your cooperation. You will help mankind be free at last so we can once again understand the tongue of God. But for that to happen, the moon, the key to the curse, has to be destroyed."

"That will lead to the destruction of humanity due to natural disasters. And they will come to you to seek help. Pain is the thing that makes humans understand each other, as you say."

"Have you finally accepted that? I thought that you were set in stone in thinking that there was no feasible way for humans to understand each other."

"For my point to be disproven, yours has to be proven right." Cypher glanced over his shoulder."We'll just have to wait and see."

"We shall indeed. Now run along. It's a matter of time before this place becomes compromised. And you need to save your strength for the battles to come. As it stands you're the only person I can rely on until the time to act is neigh."

"I'll take that as a compliment."With that, Cypher waved Fine goodbye, heading for his chamber to grab his things.

"Cypher," Fine called after him. The boy stopped.

"Yes?"

"Have you ever been in love before?"

Cypher pondered briefly at the question, but he didn't have to think too hard."No. I wouldn't know anyway."

"That's a shame," Fine remarked, resting her cheek on her palm. Cypher shrugged, continuing his way out of the room."You're missing out...but maybe one day even an emotionless person like you will understand."

The next day, Hajime, Hibiki, and Miku were making their way to Section Two HQ to rendezvous with Tsubasa.

"So...Ryuga was the one who tricked that other Kamen Rider into attacking your school in hopes of getting rid of you?" Miku's expression softened, her eyes becoming half-lidded."And you're saying he's a student there too?"

"That's the gist of it, yeah." Hajime nodded."Though like I said, he claimed that he didn't order Gai to kill so many people and bring the school down. But still, he caused it."

"I just find it so hard to believe. He...he saved me and seemed nice if only a little standoffish. I can't imagine what must have made him do that..."

"Do you still want to talk to him?" Hibiki inquired, receiving a nod.

"He saved me. And while it's true he killed a bunch of Yakuza, he also saved a lot of people in the process. There has to be some good in him and maybe I can talk to him to make him realize his mistakes."

"Honestly, Miku-san? I don't think Ryuga is the type of person to be reasoned with." Hajime somberly stated."He wants humanity to be wiped out so we can have a fresh start with him as the ultimate good or whatever. He called our classmates' deaths as a "mere price to pay". He's hell-bent on doing whatever he's planning and I doubt he'll stop just because you ask him nicely."

"But we can still try." Hibiki grabbed Hajime's arm."It's too soon to just say he's irredeemable. We just have to find the right way to approach him."

"It's not that easy. Before you arrived, he was telling me all this stuff about the things he had to witness in his life. The worse of humanity. Things I'd rather not describe these to you because it makes my stomach turn. And I think it's taken a heavy toll on him. You saw how he suddenly started acting differently, like a whole new person. I think he has some sort of personality disorder."

"Which...would make it harder to understand him..." Miku trailed off dejectedly.

"We can worry about that later." Hibiki placed a supporting hand on her friend's shoulder."I do believe there's at least some good in him. He did save you after all."

"I guess you're right." Hajime shrugged."He did some good things. So I suppose the possibility of talking to him is not out of the question. It'll just be difficult. But we've done harder things than that."

"You guys are late."

The group glanced ahead, noticing Tsubasa, Goro, Ogawa, and Yosuke waiting for them.

"Man, I was sore the whole night, okay?" Hajime glared daggers at Yosuke."I was literally in pain I almost didn't show up."

"Walk it off or something, Ryu-kid. We don't have school right now." Yosuke folded his arms, dismissing his teammate's complaints."So...Miku-san, was it? I'm Yosuke Yanagi. Kamen Rider Knight"

"I'm Goro Tanaka." Goro waved at her in a friendly manner."Kamen Rider Scissors."

"And I'm Tsubasa Kazanari. A Symphogear, like Tachibana."

"It's nice to meet you all. I'm Miku Kohinata." Miku gave them a quick bow.

"Miku's my best friend." Hibiki puffed her chest out with pride.

"I'm here too." Hajime croaked.

"She does seem like the responsible and level-headed one of you the three of you." Tsubasa commented."These two can be quite the pain sometimes, so please help them as best you can."

"They can be a handful, I'll say that." Miku nodded.

"What the hell?! Hajime exclaimed."We're standing right here!"

"Yeah, what gives?" Hibiki also protested.

"She's not wrong, though." Yosuke agreed."You guys are so reckless sometimes. I'm getting tired of having to bail you out of trouble."

"Trouble looks for us." Hajime shrugged, shooting him a grin."We're just too popular."

"Anyway, the Commander pulled some strings to get you registered as an external collaborator with the second branch" Tsubasa began explaining."Though you may run into a few inconveniences."

"I understand the full implications of my work here." Miku said with confidence."I'll be fine."

"Speaking of the Commander, where is he?"

"Tracking down Yukine." Tsubasa stated."Sakamoto told him everything. Right now, he's resting and getting medical treatment."

"Is him going by himself safe?" Goro brought up a good point."I mean, she's kind of...intense."

"Everything will be just fine." Yosuke said, not at all sounding reassuring."I mean, how hard can it be?"

"You got a lot of nerve showing up to my doorstep like this." Chris held her firsts up, ready to fight Genjuro if it came down to it.

"You mean this abandoned, rundown building that's scheduled for demolition?" Genjuro sighed, a hand on his hip and a bag of groceries in the other."Takeru-kun was right, you are always on guard."

"What did you say?! Where's Takeru?! Who the hell even are you?!"

"I'll explain everything." Genjuro rose his hands, attempting to calm her down."My name is Genjuro Kazanari, commander of the second branch of the Disaster Relief Squad. But I'm sure you're at least aware of who we are, given your previous encounter with both our Symphogear and Kamen Riders."

"How did you find me?" Chris didn't let her guard down in the slightest, still in a fighting position."And where is Takeru?! Did you do something to him?!"

"Other than providing him medical treatment to his wounds and buying him a bunch of fast food, not much." Genjuro smiled."He's okay. He told me Kamen Rider Tiger rescued him when Ouja intercepted you 2. Tiger brought him to us. As for how I found you...I used to be part of the secret service. So all Takeru had to tell me was that he took all the money you guys had with him and that you'd hide in this building since it was your original plan instead of wasting money on motels. That jacket is his? He'd be glad to know you still have it."

Chris hugged herself, keeping Takeru's jacket close to her body."Why should I believe a single word you're saying? And what's in that bag anyway?"

"Takeru mentioned you loved anpan so I got you a bag full and some milk." Genjuro took one out, offering it to Chris.

Chris salivated at the thought of eating her favorite food after what seemed like forever."How...how do I know it's not poisoned?"

"Pick one. Any. And I'll eat it right in front of you. They're not poisoned. I promise."

Chris waited a few seconds before replying."I want to speak to Takeru."

"If I get you on a call with him, will you eat?"

"Sure, whatever." Chris groaned, ashamed that her stomach was betraying her and grumbling loudly.

Genjuro set the backdown, searching for his phone and calling a number."Yes. It's me. Mind putting Takeru-kun on the line?"

"Facetime!"

"Facetime," Genjuro added. He tossed his phone to Chris as the screen loaded in, showing a tired-looking Takeru in a hospital gown, laying on a bed.

"Takeru!" Chris beamed with tears almost threatening to escape from her eyes. Her burst of joy soon turned into rage as she went off on him."You dumbass! Where the hell have you been?! Do you know how worried I was? Where are you?!"

"Chrissy..." Takeru leaned back on his bed, sporting a fresh cast on his arm."Shit...I'm so happy you're okay. Sorry...the money..."

"Forget about the damned money! Where are you?! I miss-" Chris stopped herself from finishing that sentence, her face turning a deep shade of red.

"I miss you too." Takeru offered a shit-eating grin."It's not so hard to say."

"Shut up..."

"As to where I am...I can't say." Takeru trialed off, causing Chris's temper to flare.

"What?! Why not?! Are they keeping you against your wi-"

"None of that, damn! Calm down! Not everyone is trying to kill us, Chris!" Takeru groaned, facepalming."Look at us! Look at where we are now! We barely escaped with our lives! We would have died if people didn't help us! Not everyone is against us!"

"We don't need anyone else! You said it yourself, remember? Make a paradise for us two alone! To stop the flames of war and bring peace!"

"I know that!" Takeru snapped back, clenching his fist."I know that...And I want to...more than anything. But I'm not strong enough. You're not strong enough. We can't face the world by ourselves and make a change. I started realizing that slowly with every threat. Even if I was healed, I don't know if I can defeat Cypher. Or Fine. And if I didn't get saved by Tiger, I would have died, Chrissy. Cypher had me against the wall, ready to kill me and I was powerless. We...we can't make a change by ourselves. And we certainly can't do it if we let our pride cloud our judgment and die...I'm sorry. But we can't do this alo-"

"Don't give me that shit!" Chris snapped, nearly breaking the phone in her hand with how strong her grip was."You...you asshole! You lying piece of shit! You coward!"

"Shut up! I knew this was going to happen! Why do you always have to make things so difficult!" Takeru rose his voice in return and they both were yelling at each other."I'm fucking tired, okay?! I'm just...so damn tired! I've been doing but fighting this whole time, worried sick every single day that one of us would die."

"No, you shut up! How can you just trust them like that?! You don't know their intentions! Are you that desperate and hopeless that you'd blindly put your trust in them and expect things to go well?! Look at what Fine did to us! We can't trust anyone! Adults will always lie and try to manipulate us!"

Her voice broke, her face showing frustration and betrayal."You said you'd always stick by my side. That you loved me...that we'd find a way to fix everything we've caused."

"Chrissy..."

"Fine. Have it your way." Chris tossed the phone back to Genjuro."I don't want to listen to him anymore. What did he tell you? Knowing him, he probably said way more than he should have."

"He did tell me a lot." Genjuro carefully said, ending the call."And don't worry, I just want to talk. That's it. I'm sorry. I didn't expect your conversation to end too abruptly. But then again, you guys are still young."

"Can you just get to the damn point already?"

"Alright. A few years ago, two famous violinists traveled around the world with their daughter. They focused on helping refugees and victims of war. During one of the said trips, your parents were killed during a scuffle with local military groups in Val Verde. One of which was the Breaker Alliance."

"You investigated me." Chris narrowed her eyes.

"At the time, we had been looking for Attuned all over the world of professional music as well as any Kamen Riders we could find. So I volunteered to take care of you guys. Of course, I didn't know Takeru was who he was. But I believed he had the potential to become one. But unfortunately, things didn't go as planned."

"Yeah, life is a bitch, ain't it?" Chris scoffed.

"But now I want to help both of you. As an adult, I have to finish what I started and do it right this time."

"I think I'm just about done listening to this bullshit." Chris grabbed the back from the floor."I'm done listening to schemers. Takeru might have been dumb enough to believe you, but I won't! You can keep that moron for all I care!"

Chris dashed forward, pushing past Genjuro and jumping out the window. She transformed immediately, leaving the area by leaping from building to building."I don't need that! I don't need their help!"

The next day, Tsubasa agreed to go out to have some fun with her juniors. The bluenette had hoped that everyone in the gang could come along, but Yosuke had other matters to attend to. In exchange, Hajime had invited someone else to come along with them.

"I wonder what's keeping them?" Tsubasa checked her wristwatch.

"I'm sure they'll be here soon." Goro offered a small smile. He was wearing white sneakers, cream-colored pants, and a white shirt under a blue vest."It's too bad Yosuke-senpai couldn't tag along."

"I believe he said he had to talk to the school board to hold a funeral for the students who died that day..."

"Oh. Yes. He did mention that..."

"Enough about sad thoughts, though. Today is supposed to be our day." Tsubasa placed her hand on his shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile.

"You're right. I haven't had a day like this in a while. I guess fighting all the time and trying to stay alive does keep one busy."

"Yosuke said you've been improving. Steady steps. I'm proud of you."

"Well..." Goro rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly."Thank you. But hey, you're a hard worker as always. I heard from Ogawa-san that you're back to work already."

"Just planning my schedules for now. But I'll go back to doing idol work very soon." Tsubasa said.

Goro beamed."I'm glad to hear that. I'm sure your fans are dying to hear your songs again. Oh. They're here."

"Yo! Sorry for the hold!" Hajime waved at them from afar. He was sporting black jeans with crimson-colored shoes and black highlights around them. He had a crimson shirt under a black sleeveless jacket. To top off his outfit, he was also wearing a black fedora above his head."We had to go pick up Hazzy-san!"

"You could have given me a bit of a warning." Hazuki chuckled. He was wearing loose black-colored pants and a navy blue jacket, which he wore over a black jacket lined with white fur around the hood. He also had brown boots.

"Oh my God..." Setsuna Adachi, who was wearing a long pink dress with white stockings underneath and a pair of white boots froze in place."It's Tsubasa...The real Tsubasa..."

"Hajime-san told you she was coming with us." Hibiki pointed out."You didn't believe him?"

"Are you a fan?" Miku smiled, finding her reaction adorable.

(The 3 canon girls are wearing what they wore in episode 9)

"Yo, Kazanari-san. I brought you an eager fan." Hajime rested his arm on his sister's shoulder."See? I told you that I wasn't lying."

Setsuna dashed at Tsubasa like a rocket, causing Hajime to lose his balance and fall to the floor.

"OHMYGODI'MYOURBIGGESTFAN!" She squealed, jumping in place from pure joy."I love you, Tsubasa!"

"She's eager, alright." Goro sweatdropped.

"I-I-I..." Tsubasa blushed."Well, thank you. I appreciate your support. But please just think of me as any other girl. You're Setsuna-chan, right? Adachi's little sister?"

"How come you're calling her by her given name but keep calling me Adachi?"

"Ignore my silly brother!" Setsuna shot him a glare."I'm really happy to meet you! I can't believe I get to spend a day with Tsubasa!"

"Can you be any louder?!" Hajime chopped Setsuna's head."Look...let's just get to the mall, okay? I'm starving."

"Wait, you didn't introduce your other friend." Goro pointed at Hazuki, who had kept quiet until now.

"Ah...My apologies. I just can't believe I'm meeting THE Tsubasa." Hazuki bowed."My name is Hazuki Kaburagi. I'm an aspiring idol. Though I don't hold a candle to you."

"I've heard of you." Tsubasa remembered."And don't worry about comparing yourself to me or any other idol. You make your own worth. Just work hard and give your fans the love they deserve."

"Thank you for your kind words." Hazuki nodded in appreciation.

"Can we go to eat already?" Hibiki bemoaned, holding her stomach.

"I told you you should have had something light for breakfast." Miku sighed.

"Oh, I love chicken." Hajime grinned at the bucket of chicken he had ordered for himself.

"We ate chicken yesterday." Setsuna reminded him.

"Not like this place has many choices, honestly." Hajime grabbed a piece of chicken, offering it to Hazuki."Yo, Hazzy-san, tell me this stuff-"

"Stop!"

Hazuki slapped the chicken out of Hajime's hand, causing everyone to stare at him, even some people passing by.

"Haz-kun?" Miku eyed him in concern."Is everything okay?"

"Sorry. I'm sorry. I just...can't stand the sight or smell of meat." Hazuki shrunk in his seat.

"Oh. Are you a vegeterian, Haz-san?" Hibiki glanced at the bowl of spaghetti on the boy's plate.

"Not really. It's just...I just can't stand meat of any kind. Fish, poultry, beef." Hazuki covered his mouth."Any kind. Makes me want to throw up. It started when I was younger...Don't worry. You guys can eat your dishes with me around. I just can't eat it."

"I understand. Sorry for that, Hazzy-san." Hajime went back to focusing on his meal.

"On another note, how far have you gotten in your career?" Tsubasa inquired."Have you gotten contacted by a company?"

"I get asked to go into commercials and go to the occasional music venue. But nothing concrete yet."

"If you'd like, I can help you with that." Tsubasa offered, causing Hazuki's eyes to widen."I know my manager can think of something. Send me one of your songs and I'll see what we can do."

"That's great news, Haz-san!" Miku cheered, grabbing his hand."This could be your big opportunity!"

Hazuki's mouth opened and closed, still in a stupor.

"Just say thank you." Setsuna shot him a wide smile.

"Thank you...Thank you so much.." A sincere, almost angelic smile graced his features.

"Can someone tell me why we watched this cliche love movie?" Hajime groaned at the sight of almost everyone shedding tears."What the hell?! It was so cringing! Why are you all crying?!"

"But they died in each other's arms..." Hibiki sobbed, blowing her nose with a tissue.

"The true passion of love..." Tsubasa wiped away a tear from her eye only for it to be replaced by another one.

"I hate romantic movies..." Setsuna muttered under her breath."Why couldn't we watch a funny movie?"

"You're not at that age yet, Setsuna-chan, so you probably don't get what the girls are going through." Hazuki sagely said though he found himself lost after what he just watched.

"You don't look like you enjoyed the movie either, Goro-san." Miku addressed the brown-haired teen.

"No, I liked it." Goro scratched his ear."It's just...I'm used to it. My dad watches a lot of those movies and sometimes I watch them with him. Not the craziest I've seen."

"At least someone enjoyed it." Tsubasa offered, but everyone groaned.

"This game is rigged!" Hajime threatened to slam down on the claw machine until Hazuki and Goro pulled him back.

"I told you so." Hibiki chuckled dryly, having fallen victim to the arcade as well.

"Why couldn't we have gone to something simpler?" Goro struggled to get Hajime off the machine."Let your sister try, Hajime-kun."

"For Tsubasa, I'll do anything." Setsuna clenched her fists, pushing her brother away and causing him to fall on Goro."I require a coin!"

"Here you go, madam." Hazuki knelt next to her, holding a coin in his hands. humoring her.

"A very good job! Now let the mistress handle this task her butlers failed to accomplish!"

"She's getting too into...whatever role she's trying to play." Tsubasa folded her arms, watching the little girl handle the crane like a professional.

"Yeah...she watches Game of Thrones."

"Oh. I never watched that in my life."

"Neither have I but I don't see why else she would say weird stuff like that."

"Maybe she's at that age." Hazuki offered, shrugging."We've all been through that."

"Adachi here doesn't seem to have gone through it entirely yet." Tsubasa smiled at Hajime's expression.

"What's that supposed to mean?! I-"

"Look! I got you an octopus!" Setsuna ran up to Tsubasa, holding a purple octopus plushy in her hands.

"Why an octopus...?" Her brother glared at her as if she had grown a second head.

"I don't mind. I like it. It's cute." Tsubasa gladly accepted the gift, patting the girl's head."Thank you so much, Setsuna-chan."

Blood dripped down the youngest Adachi's nostrils before she fell backward, saved by Hazuki."Oh...too much stimulation."

The three boys of the group waited patiently outside the dressing rooms as the girls were having a great time trying out different outfits.

"How many stores do we have to go to?" Hajime groaned, holding a few bags in his hands."My hands are getting tired."

"I think we have a few more stores." Goro sat on the floor as he was the first one to get tired.

"I heard that girls love to go shopping, Hajime-kun." Hazuki offered a grin."So you might want to get used to this when you get a girlfriend."

"Yeah but...shit. Is it really this boring?" Hajime sighed."Hibiki-san's buying too many things. And it doesn't help that Setsuna also feels the need to get whatever she sets her eyes on. On my tab."

"You think that's bad? Tsubasa is an idol." Goro shivered as he thought of the many times he had to go shopping with her and the others."Usually, I go with Yosuke-senpai and Ogawa-san and we're still not enough to carry everything. Hazuki-kun has it easy."

"Miku-chan doesn't seem to be a big spender." Hazuki checked the single bag in his hand."But it's not like we're dating them. We're just the guys of the group, so by law, we're required to carry the bags."

"So much for equality," Hajime muttered, sighing as he saw the girls exit the dressing rooms, each of them wearing new sun dresses.

"How do I look, Haz-kun?" Miku spun on her heels.

"Beautiful. That dress brings out your best features, Miku-chan." Hazuki complimented her, causing her to blush.

"And what about me, Goro?" Tsubasa planted her hands on her hips.

"I don't know. I think you might want to wear something else along with that dress. Maybe like a hat or something." Goro rubbed his chin."And it'll look better if you wear heels too. And maybe some jewelry."

"You a fashion designer or something?" Hajime quirked a brow, but two girls got in his way."What?"

"How do we look?" Hibiki and Setsuna asked in unison.

"Uh...you guys look good."

"Woah, what a boring guy." Setsuna deadpanned."You're not looking so good in front of Hibiki-san, big bro. She'll look for another guy who compliments her."

"Setsuna-chan!" Hibiki gasped, her cheeks flaring."That's not-"

"Okay, fine! You are the two most beautiful girls I've ever laid my eyes on and those dresses don't do you justice! Wear something better!"

"Good enough." Setsuna grabbed Hibiki's hand, who was now a stuttering mess."You need to work on your game."

"I don't need to get lectured by my little sister about hitting on someone."

At the end of the day, everyone had gathered outside the mall in a park, relaxing on the benches. The sun was beginning to set, giving the sky an orange tint.

"I have to admit..." Tsubasa stood up in front of the others."Today, I feel like I saw for the first time in a while a normal world. No fighting, no nothing. Just us, spending the day together."

"No fighting?" Hazuki rose a brow at that.

"She means her work." Goro quickly came up with a lie."An idol battles her way through the stage."

"Huh. Never thought of it that way."

"Hazzy-san! Can you push me?!" Setsuna cried from the swing she was on."Brother is mean and he doesn't want to do it!"

"No worries." Hazuki stood up, jogging over to play with the girl.

Hajime sighed in relief after the two oblivious people in the group left."It doesn't have to be the last time either." Hajime brought the conversation back on track."I mean, we can do it now and then. To wind up and whatnot."

"Besides, this world has always been here." Hibiki walked to the railing, watching over the city."The world you fought for, longer than all of us. So if anyone deserves to have a good time, it's you."

"Amen to that." Hajime nodded in agreement.

"Adachi...Tachibana..." Tsubasa was surprised to hear their words. It was hard to believe that she started off hating them but now they held a special place in their heart."It's funny. Kanade used to say that she believed that something was waiting for us after all this fighting, and she'd seen it."

"Yanagi also says that." Hajime recalled."He said that the grass is greener on the other side. Whatever that means. Maybe he got it from Kanade-san."

"Yosuke, Goro, and I fought believing in that for the longest time. But now that we have you guys, maybe it'll be even easier to reach that world." Tsubasa gave them a tender smile."Together."

"You bet!" Hibiki gave her a thumbs up.

"That sounds like a nice idea." Miku nodded, adding her piece.

"Ryuga said that the world is doomed because of humanity's actions against itself." Hajime joined Tsubasa, taking in the view."But moments like this... makes me realize that not all the world is bad. There are good places and people. People that we fight to protect. We can't give up on the world. I think...I understand now. Sorry. I didn't mean to get all philosophical."

"No, no. It's fine. I understand how you feel." Tsubasa assured him."Oh, before I forget." She reached for her purpose, pulling out a few tickets."Here. I have a few extra tickets for all of you for my next concert in 10 days."

"Oh! Going to work already?" Hajime whistled, grabbing two tickets."Setsuna is going to love this."

"It's kind of like a replacement show for the one that got canceled when I was hospitalized."

"Wait a minute..." Hibiki looked at the back of the ticket."Tsubasa-san, this place is..."

"That arena holds painful memories for you too, Tachibana." Tsubasa nodded."I think it's a good opportunity for us to overcome our past. What do you think?"

"I think it's a good idea." Hibiki beamed."We can move past that together!"

"Sounds like a plan." Goro felt glad to see their determined expressions."I also want to move past that."

"With that said, I believe it's time we wrap things up. It's getting late." Tsubasa checked her wristwatch."I think we've had enough fun for today."

"We should take a picture." Hajime suggested."All of us. To commemorate this moment."

"That's a wonderful idea." Miku agreed, waving at Hazuki and Setsuna."You two! We're going to take a picture together!"

"A picture with Tsubasa!" Setsuna jumped off the swing, rushing towards the group. The girl nearly fainted again when Hajime told her the news but the urge to take a picture with Tsubasa kept her going. After finding a person nice enough to take a picture for them, the group went their separate ways, but not before sharing their picture and adding their contacts.

"I'm going to frame this picture." Setsuna marbled at the picture in her phone."I can't believe Tsubasa hugged me..."

"You need to stop acting like such a fangirl." Hajime rolled his eyes.

"Hey! You'll act the same if you ever meet Maria! Maybe even worse! So I don't want to hear it."

"Hell no. I'll control myself and act like a gentleman." He placed. his fists on his hips, but Setsuna didn't believe a single word.

A few hours later, in the dark skies of the night, a single golden light could be seen flying down towards a skyscraper in the city. The figure was clad in golden armor and a black bodysuit, holding a staff in their hand.

"It appears that the War is finally moving along after so many years of it being stagnant." Kamen Rider Odin mused, eyeing the city with interest."But it will only continue to advance further when a Rider dies. Which one, I wonder, will it be the first one to fall? And who will be the one ending their lives? But...I suppose there are other matters to worry about. Yes...that bothersome anomaly."

Odin disappeared in a tornado of golden feathers."You're up to no good as always...aren't you? You never change."