A faint fragrance lingered at Sora's nose.
And just like that, before he even realized it, he had arrived somewhere else unfamiliar.
Just a moment ago, he had still been standing in front of that manhole in the dream. Now he was already seated at a dining table.
Looking around, Sora finally realized he was inside a restaurant.
Judging by the decor, it seemed to be a Western-style restaurant.
Greenery surrounded the room, and the aroma of food filled the air.
The moment someone stepped inside, the hunger in their belly would start stirring, making it impossible not to want to sit down and enjoy a proper meal here.
Along one side of the restaurant, a few magazines had been set out as well, seemingly for customers to pass the time while waiting for their food.
Sora picked one up, and the name printed on it made his eyes widen instinctively.
[Restaurant Agito's Head Chef, Shoichi Tsugami, wins first prize in a French cuisine competition.]
"That name..."
The instant Sora saw it, he immediately realized where he was.
And just as he stared at it in surprise, the sound of footsteps came from nearby.
Tap, tap, tap~
Along with the footsteps came the rich scent of meat and the sizzling sound of a hot steak.
Sora turned and saw a smiling man slowly walking toward him.
"How can you go do something important on an empty stomach?"
Shoichi Tsugami set the steak and pasta in his hands down in front of Sora, then took a seat across from him.
"I didn't expect it to be you..."
The Shoichi Tsugami before Sora had the face of a middle-aged man, looking very much like he had in Zi-O.
That, in turn, gave him an added sense of steadiness.
Shoichi Tsugami was the protagonist of Kamen Rider Agito, a warrior who had inherited the ancient power of light.
So that humanity's fate would not remain under the control of a god, he had sounded the horn of rebellion against the divine.
Though the Overlord of Darkness had ultimately chosen to stop, Shoichi Tsugami's role in all of it had still been immense.
It could be said that without him, countless people would have suffered, and the world itself might very well have been destroyed.
Though he had a naturally sly streak to his personality, when it came to truly important matters, he was utterly dependable.
And now that Sora had fallen into ORDER's looping dream, he had once again extended a helping hand.
"I saw you'd run into trouble. How could I just stand by and do nothing?"
Shoichi Tsugami pushed the prepared meal toward Sora.
"Eat. Only when you've filled your stomach will you have the strength to fight on the battlefield."
Sora nodded, then began devouring the food in front of him.
And honestly, it really was delicious. The steak was cooked to perfection, and the pasta was rich with sauce.
Shoichi Tsugami sat there smiling as he watched. Only after Sora had polished everything off completely did he nod in satisfaction.
Finishing every last bite was the highest praise a chef could receive.
After eating, Sora could feel warmth rising through his body.
"Then I'm off."
"Go. Seize humanity's future back from the hands of the gods."
Shoichi Tsugami encouraged him.
Today, the warrior who had once rebelled against the gods was placing that power into the hands of his successor once more.
Just like in the series itself.
From Prometh of ancient times to Shoichi Tsugami later on, there would always be warriors who defied the gods.
And today, another god wished to stand above all living beings and control the fate of all things.
So the rebel would appear once more.
When Sora stepped back out through the door, the scene before his eyes slowly dispersed like bubbles.
Feeling the warmth inside his body from the replenishing meal, Sora could not help but smile a little.
So this was how senpai cared for him.
Still, what surprised him was this:
"Shoichi actually didn't show me that mischievous side of his. I'm not used to that at all."
Hadn't he seen it in the show? Because Makoto Hikawa was so unbelievably straightforward, who knew how many times he'd been led around by the nose by Shoichi Tsugami's words?
A moment ago, Sora had fully expected that senpai to throw out some earthshaking line at him again.
Instead, the man had simply waited quietly for him to finish eating and then offered him words of encouragement.
It seemed time really had left deep, vivid marks on this senpai as well.
Sora sighed inwardly, while also taking stock of the power Shoichi Tsugami had given him.
[CONGRATULATIONS, HOST. YOU HAVE OBTAINED THE POWER: KAMEN RIDER AGITO]
At a single thought from Sora, the Altering surfaced from within his body and manifested around his waist.
With this ability, Sora no longer had to worry about being inherited by some snake-skin weirdo.
And the notifications still had not stopped. He had gained other abilities from him as well.
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained special ability: Power of Light (Shoichi Tsugami)]
[CONGRATULATIONS ,HOST. YOU HAVE OBTAINED SPECIAL ABILITY: POWER OF LIGHT (SHOICHI TSUGAMI)]
Those who could transform into Agito all did so only after the Power of Light within them reached its critical point.
But then Sora suddenly remembered something else—those who inherited the Power of Light would also gain psychic abilities.
Could it be that Shoichi Tsugami had given him psychic powers too?!
Full of anticipation, Sora kept reading...
[POWER OF LIGHT (SHOICHI TSUGAMI)]
ENHANCED FARMING
FISH EXPERT
DANGER SENSE
The moment Sora saw those "psychic powers," he fell silent.
He honestly did not know how to describe these bizarre abilities.
At the same time, a realization dawned on him.
No wonder Shoichi had been so proper and serious just now—this was what he'd been waiting for...
Sora could practically see the smile on the man's face already.
"That really is... kind of amazing."
Before he realized it, a smile had appeared on Sora's face as well.
At a time like this, having a little joke like that to ease the tension genuinely did make him feel better.
What he had not expected, however, was that after the Power of Light flowed into his body, two more notifications appeared before him.
[Power of Light has fused with the Origin Fruit core. Enhanced Cultivation has been strengthened and transformed into Specialized Cultivation.]
[POWER OF LIGHT HAS FUSED WITH THE MAN OF BEGINNINGS FRUIT CORE.]
[ENHANCED FARMING HAS BEEN STRENGTHENED AND TRANSFORMED INTO SPECIALIZED FARMING.]
VEGETABLES PLANTED WILL MATURE RAPIDLY AND GROW LARGER AND MORE DELICIOUS THAN THE ORIGINAL VARIETY, WHILE ALSO CARRYING CERTAIN SPECIAL EFFECTS.
Good grief. So this was where it had been leading.
The moment Sora saw the fused result, he immediately thought of the power Gaim had given him earlier.
That was the power to manipulate plants to a certain extent.
And now that it had fused with the Power of Light, Sora had abruptly turned into some sort of farming master.
Still, this was already an interstellar civilization. How could there possibly be any real shortage of food?
Sora could not help shaking his head at that.
It counted as a decent enough boost, one that was better than nothing. Whether it was useful or not, as long as it looked strong, that was fine.
"I'll think later about what exactly to do with this..."
Right now, what he needed to do was completely shatter this endlessly repeating dream of ORDER.
...
Sora returned to Penacony's dream, and everything that had just happened amounted to no more than a fleeting instant here.
Now he needed to figure out who exactly those two people who had kept appearing during this period really were.
Thinking that, Sora directly lifted the manhole cover at his feet.
Faced with the pitch-black sewer below, Sora did not hesitate in the slightest and jumped straight down.
What he had not expected, however, was that the depth of this sewer far exceeded his imagination.
After spinning through the air two and a half times in free fall, Sora judged from the sound that he was close to the bottom.
So he adjusted his posture and landed at the bottom of the sewer in an extremely cool pose.
Unfortunately, all he could see was endless darkness. It was impossible to tell what the surroundings were actually like.
When he looked up, he could only see a tiny point of light.
That was the entrance to the sewer.
It was this deep—no wonder no one had discovered there was a hidden base down here.
That height alone would be enough to stop many people, never mind the darkness all around.
Unless someone came in prepared with a flashlight, it would be very difficult to find the right path.
Sora had naturally not brought a flashlight.
But he had something else.
Faced with the darkness pressing in from all sides, Sora slapped both hands against his belt.
In an instant, a blinding burst of light flared from his waist.
The brightness was practically comparable to high beams, letting Sora see the area around him with perfect clarity.
There were two paths here in total.
After checking the directions, Sora found that one led toward Golden Hour.
The other, most likely, was the road to where those two were hiding.
Once he had confirmed the direction, Sora started walking toward the far end of the passage.
...
At the end of the passage sat a room in silence.
Inside that room were two figures.
And both of them would have looked very familiar to Sora.
One was the trash can he had once helped, and the other was the vendor who sold takoyaki in Golden Hour.
The two of them were holed up in this room, quietly waiting for time to pass bit by bit.
This place was the safest place of all, because sounds from outside could not travel into it.
So the two of them did not need to worry about being assimilated by ORDER here.
As for how to judge what was happening outside, that depended entirely on the clock in the trash can's hand.
Time advanced second by second, and the number on the clock in the trash can's hand had already changed to "21."
It seemed to be some kind of countdown. Perhaps no one besides it knew what that string of numbers really meant.
And it had no intention of explaining, merely staring at the pocket watch in its hand and comparing it with the timing in its memory.
The hymn should be taking place outside right now, so the outside should currently be dangerous.
Still, time would pass quickly enough.
So the trash can spoke up to remind the other one:
"Wait another half hour, then you can head out."
"Got it, boss. No problem, boss."
The takoyaki stall owner quickly responded to the trash can.
Then it went to prepare the things it would need later.
While it was packing, however, it soon noticed that some of the ingredients were running low.
"Boss, why don't we just leave the ingredients outside and let time reversal refill them for us?"
Whenever he saw the supplies running short, the vendor could not help wanting to complain about it.
When time outside started reversing, couldn't they just leave the containers of ingredients out there, and then the used-up ingredients would come back along with the rewind?
But boss refused to do that.
"Because the ingredients we use are special. Once the ingredients in the dream get rewound, they lose those special effects."
The trash can explained.
Some things had to be brought into the dream from reality—like the ingredients for the takoyaki.
If time reversed, then those ingredients would become ordinary ingredients, completely stripped of those special qualities.
So it had to keep bringing materials in from outside.
Hearing that, the vendor said nothing more and just kept doing his best to prepare everything he would need to set up the stall later.
With eight hands, he packed quickly. Aside from being a little short on some ingredients, he finished in no time.
But it did not really matter. After all, later on he would only be selling two portions a day to one specific person.
Those supplies should still last for a while.
After finishing everything, he glanced down the passage as usual.
And that glance was enough to make him see something very strange indeed.
In the dark tunnel, a beam of light was flickering incessantly.
Though it was still far away, it was astonishingly bright.
"What is that?"
He rubbed his eyes in confusion.
But with that light glaring back at him, he could not make out what was producing it.
He could not tell whether it was some robot or someone from Penacony.
Still, that did not stop him from reporting it to the boss.
"Boss, something's happening outside! It looks like our hideout's been discovered!"
The trash can froze for a moment at those words.
Then, as if suddenly thinking of something, it hurried to the little viewing slot in the iron door.
Th-that feeling...
That's right. It's him. He's here!
At the same time, that high-beam-like light at the far end of sight suddenly accelerated and rushed straight toward them at high speed.
The trash can snapped back to itself and immediately shouted,
"Get away from the iron door, now!"
Hearing that, the vendor quickly moved aside.
And in the very next instant, the iron door collapsed right where he had been standing.
BOOM!
The iron door crashed down with a thunderous noise.
And after that roar, the light quickly receded, revealing the warrior with crimson, dragon-like compound eyes standing before them.
With those scarlet eyes and the horn on his head, he looked like an evil dragon come to life.
And yet the Philosopher's Stone in his chest was radiating faint power.
Sora slowly drew back the fist he had thrown.
Looking at the two figures by the side, both unhurt, he said,
"I think the two of you and I need to have a talk."
Sora said he wanted to talk, but the atmosphere at that moment was oppressively still.
It felt like the heavy unease that came just before a storm.
The takoyaki vendor's eight hands had already reached for the fork-and-knife weapons lying nearby.
He stared at the person before him with his face hidden, his eyes grave.
He had never imagined that anyone would know about this safe place.
Nor had he expected his opponent's strength to be this overwhelming.
There was already a fist imprint on the heavy iron door.
That meant the door had not been knocked down by some special machinery, but by a bare fist alone.
If just one fist could be that powerful, then how terrifying must the rest of this guy's physical strength be?
The vendor's heart wavered a little.
Even so, no matter what, he had to make sure Boss got out of here.
"There's no way you're getting anything out of us!"
the takoyaki vendor answered boldly. There was no way he was going to tell Sora a single thing.
"Oh? Then it sounds like I'll need to find you an electric chair."
Hearing that, Sora began walking toward the takoyaki vendor one step at a time.
And the vendor counterattacked at that moment.
All eight of his limbs swept up whatever lay nearby and hurled it at Sora.
Knives, wooden sticks, bamboo skewers...
Whatever was within reach, he threw.
But Sora was not hindered in the slightest. Even taking those things head-on with his body, none of them could break through his defense.
The vendor was already giving it everything he had, throwing all he could to stop Sora's advance.
In his mind, Boss had surely used the opportunity to escape by now.
But when he flicked his gaze to the side, he discovered that the trash can was still just standing there blankly, with not the slightest sign of trying to flee.
It was as if Sora's very figure had captivated it, because it simply stood there at the side, staring fixedly at him.
Wait—Boss, you...
Disbelief flashed through the vendor's eyes.
The time I bought for you with my life—was it really just so you could stand there and watch him beat me up?!
No, that's not right!
Boss must have a deeper reason for this...
I've got it!
Boss must be memorizing this guy's moves so it can counter him later.
As expected of Boss—it figured that out in an instant.
But could someone like this even be countered?
He was not only impervious to blades and spears, but possessed monstrous brute strength as well. He was practically like a robot.
The vendor looked at Sora, who had already reached him, and felt immense pressure.
But he was no pushover either. The eight tentacles hidden around him shot out instantly, binding all of Sora's limbs.
He wanted to use that to lock down the other man's movement.
Unfortunately, Sora merely gave his body a slight shake, and the tentacles all fell away.
Before the vendor could even react, a pair of large hands had already seized his head and lifted him straight off the ground.
The grip was so strong it felt as though it could crush stone into powder and snap bones into several pieces.
But even so, the vendor still clung to his original resolve.
"Guh—kill me if you want! I'm not telling you anything!"
No one knew how this guy had found this place, but he would never let a single thing leave his mouth!
The vendor's words finally snapped the trash can out of its trance.
From the moment Sora came in, it had not moved at all, simply watching him in silence.
But now, at last, it let out a sigh and spoke.
"Stop, Hoshigaki Sora. We are not your enemies."
"You know me?"
Sora looked at the familiar trash can in surprise.
He had not expected his name to come out of its mouth.
"Of course I know you. Not only do I know you, I also know what you've done out there in the universe..."
Then Sora heard names from its mouth—
Promia, Zieltworth, Tartaro...
But after saying Tartaro, the trash can paused and said nothing more.
"Why'd you stop? Keep going."
"So what, are the things I just said still not enough to prove I know you?"
From everything it had just said, Sora had already confirmed that this thing not only knew him, but also knew many secrets.
That was precisely why he wanted it to keep talking, so he could identify what it really was.
Instead, at this critical moment, it chose to stop.
That abrupt silence severed the chain of Sora's deduction halfway through.
Still, there was one thing the trash can had been right about.
"You really do know me. And you know quite a lot."
There was a trace of laughter in Sora's voice as he looked at it.
"That only makes me more curious about who you are."
"Does who I am really matter?"
The trash can slowly moved closer to Sora.
"What matters right now is whether what you need to do is pry into my identity... or—"
Just as the three of them stood in tense opposition, a grand hymn suddenly drifted in from the far end of the tunnel.
The trash can moved with startling speed. Before Sora could even react, it had already whipped out two objects and shoved them into the takoyaki vendor's ears.
How many years of being single did it take to train that kind of speed?
And that move made Sora even more certain that this trash can absolutely knew the hidden truth.
Otherwise why would it do that?
What he had not expected, however, was that the trash can did not put earplugs into its own ears.
"The song has already started, which means time is short..."
The trash can said to Sora, "This is the third loop. The newborn ORDER is already beginning to take shape."
"The newborn god is fragile right now, so this is also your best chance."
Sora's brows drew together. "You mean..."
"The longer you waste time here, the harder it will be to deal with later."
The trash can walked over to one side and pulled back a curtain that had been concealing something.
And behind it, a brand-new motorcycle stood quietly in waiting.
It was spotless, every part gleaming with metallic luster.
When the takoyaki vendor saw the motorcycle, even he was shocked.
He had been here this whole time, so how had he never realized there was a bike hidden here?
"So are you going to keep wasting time here, or are you going to deal with the real crisis?"
Those words only deepened the questions in Sora's heart.
"You... just who are you?"
"Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is the person who isn't here..."
The person who wasn't here... wait!
Sora's eyes widened as a name surfaced in his mind.
Robin!
He had left Robin behind before coming here.
Which meant that without him there, Robin would still be in the grand theater.
And that place was clearly the temple of ORDER.
No one knew what might happen there.
Sora himself had never stayed there, but Robin was there now, quietly remaining in that place.
"Looks like you understand. So hurry and go."
The trash can casually sat down on the sofa in the room.
"We'll wait for you here until you come back."
But by now, Sora's heart was completely filled with urgency.
No matter what, Robin was a precious friend who had been with him for a long time.
There was no way he could watch her sink into a mire and do nothing.
So Sora stopped caring about anything else. He flung the takoyaki vendor aside, swung himself onto the motorcycle, and prepared to leave.
Before he departed, the trash can gave him one final instruction.
"Follow this road straight ahead and you'll reach Oak Family territory. The person you're looking for is there..."
Sora paused for a moment, then answered in a muffled voice,
"Thanks."
In the next instant, the motorcycle roared, carrying Sora out of the room in a blur.
In the dark tunnel, light spread from Sora's body and flowed into the vehicle beneath him.
The parts of the motorcycle were instantly dyed red and gold.
Like a giant dragon charging through the dark, it let out a roaring cry and plunged fearlessly toward the far-off darkness.
Once Sora left, the two figures in the room were finally able to breathe again.
The takoyaki vendor rubbed his aching head. Sora really did have a hell of a grip.
But just when he thought things were over, the trash can—which had said it would sit here and wait—suddenly got to its feet.
"Let's go. This place isn't safe anymore."
The vendor froze. "Is that really okay?"
Boss had just promised the guy they'd wait here, and now it was already planning to run. Wasn't that a little much?
"He's definitely going to expose this place when he heads there this time. When that happens, the Family will come here."
The trash can led the vendor into the darkness.
"Come on. We'll wait for him at the next base."
It sounded so certain that the vendor was startled.
"Boss, that's like seeing the future."
Seeing the future?
The trash can sighed inwardly.
It was nothing more than experience.
The trash can did not explain. It spread its wings and flew upward toward the open manhole above.
Watching its flying figure from below, the vendor felt that Boss, flying toward the mouth of the well, looked just like a bird escaping confinement.
But he quickly discarded that thought.
Boss was a trash can. How could it possibly be a bird?
The suction cups on his eight tentacles gripped the walls tightly as he followed after the trash can and left the place.
Darkness once again swallowed the entire sewer tunnel.
...
VROOOOOOOOOM!
The throttle was already twisted tight, and the roar of the engine echoed endlessly through the narrow passage.
Sora had never felt this road to be so long.
Especially not while he was desperately praying that Robin had not come to harm.
With that fierce conviction driving him, a glimmer of light finally appeared ahead.
It felt like the final lifeline grasped by a drowning man.
Sora kicked the speed up another notch on the spot, turning into a red streak of light as he burst out of the passage.
By now, the hymn outside had already stopped, and everyone was busy with their daily lives.
Sora discovered that the tunnel's exit actually opened out in front of an extremely luxurious estate.
The Family crest nearby told him exactly which branch this place belonged to.
The Oak Family—the rulers of Penacony, and the branch under Sunday's control.
That trash can had not lied to him.
And judging from the people inside the estate, all those who had attended the grand theater had already gathered here.
But after a brief observation, Sora discovered that their movements were strangely unnatural.
It was as if they were puppets, carrying out their tasks in a rigid, mechanical fashion.
Sure enough—this was not just a simple loop.
...
A little later, while Sunday was chatting with Robin about music, he suddenly received a message.
"What is it, Brother?"
Robin asked with concern.
"Nothing much. It's just that the one with the stomachache has finally gotten over his stomach problem."
Sunday teased with a smile.
Since Sora had used "I've got diarrhea" as an excuse, he could hardly blame him for following that line to the bitter end.
Let's see you fool my sister again now, brat.
This time, since you broke your promise, surely Robin will be disappointed in you.
Sunday laughed wildly to himself.
What he had not expected, however, was that after hearing Sora's news, Robin did not react with annoyance or disgust at all.
Instead, her face filled with worry.
"Huh? He's had diarrhea this whole time?! Is he okay? No, I need to go check on him!"
Robin's face was full of concern, and the sight left Sunday utterly dumbfounded.
"My dear sister, that man is brushing you off. He just didn't want to attend the ceremony with you."
So why are you still worrying about him like this?
"No way! Sora already promised me before. Unless something really happened, there's no way he would break his word!"
"A man's mouth is a lying ghost!"
"But Sora is different. He's kept every promise he's made."
Looking at Robin, who was hopelessly determined to go outside and check on Sora's condition, Sunday took a deep breath.
It seemed his sister had truly been deceived far too deeply by that bastard of a man.
Even so, Sunday still forced a smile onto his face.
"Robin, I understand. I'll go bring him in so you can see for yourself how his condition is."
Robin looked like she wanted to say more, but Sunday lifted a hand to stop her.
"There are far too many people outside right now, from all kinds of different backgrounds. If you go out to greet him, people are bound to gossip. Leave it to your brother."
Naturally, Sunday's true objective was to stop Robin from noticing the abnormalities outside.
After saying that, he sent his sister to that safe room to wait.
Only after arranging that did Sunday come outside to meet Sora.
But the moment he saw him, surprise flashed across his face.
"You weren't affected at all?!"
Even these Pathstriders of the Family had already been influenced by ORDER to the point of becoming puppet-like.
And yet Sora showed not the slightest sign of being affected. Instead, he was staring at Sunday warily.
"Where's Robin? Why won't you let her come out to see me?"
From the look in Sora's eyes, Sunday understood that he had definitely learned something.
In that case, he could let this man wander around even less.
"Robin has some things to deal with, so I thought I might entertain Mr. Sora a little on my own."
"Oh?"
Sora swept a glance around at the puppet-like people closing in from every side.
"So this is your idea of hospitality?"
Seeing that scene, even Sunday frowned.
But very soon, Gopher Wood's voice rang by his ear.
'The newborn ORDER is fragile. This variable must be removed quickly!'
But he's Robin's friend...
'There's no time to hesitate. This is the most critical moment!'
Gopher Wood manipulated countless puppets to seal the area off.
'At times like this, you must harden your heart and do what ordinary people cannot!'
Then his tone softened a little.
'But don't worry. This man in front of you will revive again in the next loop, and at that time he will no longer be a variable.'
Hearing that, Sunday finally felt a little better.
"But I'm sick of being bound by your loop!"
At that moment, Sora stood surrounded on all sides by the puppets.
In the next instant, a thread of light flashed out from between the gaps, forcing Sunday to shield his eyes.
What is that light?
"[HENSHIN]!!"
Brilliant radiance burst through the gaps between the puppets.
Sunday could not help frowning.
And by the time the light faded, a rapid series of impacts had already reached his ears.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The blows came in one uninterrupted chain.
Before Sunday could even react, the puppets surrounding Sora had all collapsed to the side.
And where Sora had been standing, a figure was slowly drawing back its leg.
The warrior of rebellion stood before the newborn god and declared:
"Sunday, your dream of ORDER is coming to an end. Hand her over to me!"
---
T/N: IVE COME TO TAKE YOUR SISTER!!!!!!!
also who the frick is that trashcan..................
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