She left.
Shikoku, I mean.
"It's finally over!" I shouted, my voice bursting out louder than I intended.
That was something I never wanted to experience again. That Unique Shuuki had been far too troublesome and had given me one hell of a miserable time. Throw a Thunder God into the mix, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they absolutely demolished my body.
I looked down at my hand, then slowly examined the rest of my body, tapping here and there as if confirming that it was all still intact.
"So this is the power of a Combo."
It exceeded my expectations. Not only did it push my speed, strength, and every other physical ability to another level, but it also granted an extra bonus: clone creation. The sensation was euphoric.
But there was something unsettling about it.
The power made me slightly cocky. A quiet hunger stirred in the back of my mind, a desire for more. Even when I tried to ignore it, the thought lingered, whispering at the edge of my consciousness.
Now I understood why that bastard king had been so obsessed with using all the medals at once. If I am not careful, I might end up doing the exact same thing.
A sudden chill crept down my spine.
Someone was watching me.
My eyes shifted toward the source. It was the short-haired woman who had summoned that massive tornado just before Shikoku left the scene. She was still hovering in the air, but she slowly descended from her position and landed right in front of me.
She was a total babe, if I was being honest.
From the name I had heard earlier, this was Chief Ezo.
The list of high-ranking people I had ended up meeting face-to-face these days just kept getting longer.
For someone with the title of Chief, though, her outfit was questionable.
She wore a cropped Defense Force uniform jacket over a white undershirt that was also cropped, leaving her slim, toned midriff completely exposed. Her face was the kind that could easily pass for a supermodel's—sharp, beautiful, and confident. Her short hair, a striking blend of black and purple, framed her features perfectly.
"Checking me out, Rider-chan?" she said with a grin, placing one hand on her waist while poking a finger against her cheek. "I'm an F-cup, if you're curious about these two good girls of mine."
Without the slightest hint of embarrassment, she casually squeezed one of her breasts, her confident smile never wavering.
I just stared at her, deadpan.
Who the hell starts a conversation like that?
We literally met for the first time today.
"Nice to meet you, Chief Ezo," I said, trying to let what she had just said go in one ear and out the other. "I know you already know who I am, but nonetheless, I'm Kamen Rider OOO."
I raised my hand for a handshake.
She immediately pouted.
"Nope! That's a big no-no!" she said, crossing her arms in an exaggerated X. "Call me Yakumo!"
"But—"
Before I could finish, she pressed her index finger against my helmet.
"No buts. You hear me, Rider-chan?" she said with a bright smile.
She was certainly an energetic one, a sharp contrast to Chief Uzen's stricter and more cautious demeanor. If anything, she slightly reminded me of how Isadora usually acted. She had already started treating me like a buddy almost immediately.
Figuring this would drag on if I resisted, I decided it was easier to just play along.
"Then… Chief Yakumo?" I said.
She nodded, clearly satisfied.
"Now that's more like it!" she said, immediately grabbing my hand and shaking it vigorously with both of hers.
I gave a wry smile.
"Are they going to be fine?" I asked, worried about the situation with the Third Unit.
Chief Yakumo simply winked at me.
"Don't worry, they'll be just fine. With my vice chief around, they'll be back to full health in no time," she said, tapping her arm as she looked toward the black-haired woman who had arrived with her earlier. The woman was currently tending to them alongside Isadora.
If she was that confident, then there was nothing for me to worry about.
Maybe I was a little curious about her abilities, but what mattered more was that they weren't in danger anymore.
Suddenly, a wave of dizziness hit me. Instinctively, I pressed a hand against my forehead.
Noticing that, Chief Yakumo tilted her head as she looked at me.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," I said in response to her concern.
"If you say so," she replied.
She then raised her arm and started playing with the horn on my helmet. After that, she began circling around me, poking at my body like I was some kind of exotic animal. Since she didn't seem to have any malicious intent, I just let her do as she pleased.
"Now that is sharp," she whistled, quickly pulling her finger back when she nearly cut herself trying to poke the blade on my forearm. "Your suit is honestly more fascinating than your powers."
Hearing that comment, I couldn't help but agree with her.
"Aren't you going to arrest me?" I asked, my tone defensive but still casual.
She looked at me for a moment, then simply shook her head.
"Nah, you're good in my books, Rider-chan." She gave me a thumbs-up. "I'll just tweak the report I send about this incident."
"Why though? Aren't I an outsider?"
"You helped save the people here from losing their lives. That's the least I can do right now," she said, crossing her arms. "Besides, I'm the one who should be thankful you were here. A gate opened on my side earlier, which is why I arrived late."
You know what?
I vibe with this woman.
Being around her somehow made me feel at ease.
"That said, Bell is going to have a bad time at the next assembly once the Supreme Commander hears about this," she said, gently scratching the back of her head. "I'll probably give her the Yakumo massage right on her ass and even her pus███ ███ ████ ███████ ███ ████"
She licked her lips while continuing to mutter a string of extremely vulgar things that absolutely were not safe for children to hear.
…Yeah.
I might have to take back what I said earlier.
This woman wasn't just a little eccentric—she was a full-on pervert. That was the only conclusion I could come to.
Now that she mentioned it, though, their chief was strangely absent despite the massive mess here. I didn't personally know the woman, but I hoped she wasn't the arrogant type who refused to admit when she messed up. Because judging from the current condition of the soldiers under her command, this situation was definitely not good news for her.
"That cutie I saw earlier," Chief Yakumo said, stretching her arm lazily. "What was that? In fact… is she even human?"
"You mean the black-haired woman wearing a kimono?"
She nodded at my question.
"To answer whether she's human? The answer is no—with the size of Saturn," I replied.
That immediately piqued her curiosity, and she pressed me to explain further.
Deciding there was no harm in it, I told her about the Thunder Gods and how they were connected to the Shuuki. Thankfully, she didn't interrupt with pointless remarks and instead listened carefully to everything I said. I even explained how she was the reason this unit had been attacked in the first place—deliberately.
"So you're saying these so-called humanoid Shuuki that call themselves gods want to destroy humanity?" she said, lightly hitting her palm with her fist.
"Yeah."
"But why? Did they say anything about their reason?"
"Nope. They just said they want to destroy it."
"They sound like a bunch of unreasonable lunatics," she said with a crooked smile.
"You're telling me," I replied in agreement. "They're not human, so I can't exactly judge how their brains work, assuming they even have any."
To me, they were nothing but fakes. Calling themselves gods while wanting to wipe out humanity.
"I'm just going to say this—be careful when dealing with them, Chief. That goes for the entire Defense Force as well," I said honestly. "Shikoku is the only one I've personally met, but she's strong. There's a good chance there's an even bigger fish among their eight members."
She laughed and placed her hands on her waist.
"Don't worry, Rider-chan. Those measly gods can't beat us if all they know how to do is hide," she said confidently. "And besides, we've got the Supreme Commander on our side if things ever go south."
I simply shook my head.
Knowing how strong Chief Uzen was, all of them were probably monsters in their own right.
But as they say, assumptions are the mother of all screw-ups.
It's better to be overprepared than to get caught off guard.
While we were chatting, a jeep pulled up nearby, driven by another short-haired woman.
"Oh, Saki!" Chief Yakumo shouted, happily waving her hand. "You and Kaiko be careful bringing them back to our base!"
The newly arrived woman, Saki, gave a stoic nod and a light bow before helping Isadora and Chief Yakumo's vice chief, Kaiko, load the injured women into the vehicle.
Right then, the dizziness hit me again.
Stronger this time.
Suspecting it was an aftereffect of the Combo, I decided to undo my transformation before my already strange condition got any worse.
"Fuck… my body hurts," I groaned, now back in my edgy attire with only my mask covering my face.
Chief Yakumo stared at me, her gaze lingering on my current figure.
A chilling sensation ran through me as she licked her lips.
"So that's how you look without the suit," she said, her voice sultry. "Too bad there's another mask covering your face."
"Sorry, Chief, but I still need to hide my identity. That said, I couldn't even stop you if you tried to remove my mask right now," I replied.
"I might be interested," she said, putting a finger to her lips and blowing me a playful flying kiss, "but I understand. I won't pass up the chance in the near future, though. Even if my tastes lean toward girls, I can tell you're a big cutie without even seeing."
On cue, Isadora jumped to my side after helping the Fifth Unit.
"Yo," she saluted. "Don't want to interrupt, but it's our cue to go home, partner."
"Sounds good to me—" I started to reply.
But I never got to finish.
Right after, everything went black. I lost consciousness.
========
========
Isadora POV
"Called it," I sighed, running a hand over the back of my neck.
I had known this was coming. Using a Combo was already taxing, and the massive beatdown Hideo had taken before the transformation didn't help. His body had absorbed more punishment than anyone should have, and now it was finally catching up with him.
Yakumo, on the other hand, plopped down beside him without a second thought. She leaned over and shamelessly poked Hideo's ass while he snored peacefully.
I just let her do it—why not?
"Will Rider-chan be okay?"
"He'll be fine," I said, finally, my voice calm but firm. "He just needs rest after that."
I bent down and carefully lifted him into a princess carry. Before stepping through the portal I opened behind me, I glanced at Yakumo.
"My partner already said it, but please… be careful with those Thunder Gods," I said, looking her in the eyes. "They're not to be underestimated."
She nodded, her grin never faltering. "Yeah, I know." Then, in one fluid motion, she reached between her chest and pulled something small out.
She handed it to me.
I raised an eyebrow. "What's this?"
"My number," she said, forming a playful telephone shape with her hand. "Take care of it."
I blinked, momentarily caught off guard, but I pocketed it quickly. "...Okay. Then, take care of the Third Unit, Chief Yakumo. They've already been through enough today."
She puffed out her chest slightly, giving me that confident glint in her eye. "We will. Don't worry. But before I really say goodbye, I just want to say this…"
"Yeah?" I prompted, curious despite myself.
"Thanks—to both of you. Without you, they would have lost their lives today," she said sincerely.
I smiled behind my mask.
"It's our pleasure," I said, stepping through the portal.