"Worm?"
Good heavens, Shiraishi Shin never expected Yoshimoto-san from his class to be a Worm mimic. This Worm definitely wasn't from this world; it must have come through a wormhole created by a dimensional rift. He just didn't know if it was just one lost Worm or a whole group, as insects always travel in swarms, sometimes a dozen or more, sometimes seven or eight at least.
Yoshimoto-san was unlucky enough to encounter this Worm, be killed, and then mimicked. As is well known, Worm mimics copy memories along with the appearance. For some mimicked individuals with strong obsessions, the mimicked Worms even come to believe they are the person they mimicked.
Shiraishi Shin exclaimed, "Good heavens!" when he realized Yoshimoto-san had been mimicked by a Worm at some unknown point, and after being mimicked, was then given a Zodiarts Switch and became a Zodiarts.
Shiina Mahiru was also startled. Yoshimoto-san turning into a canine-type Monster was already unexpected, but to transform into another kind of Monster was even more surprising.
"Gugugugu..."
The Worm stood up, and after a few gurgling sounds, its body temperature rapidly rose. Its green form visibly turned red, like a large shrimp about to be cooked. Then, the original green pupa dissolved from its body, evolving from a grunt's pupa state into an ant-like adult Worm.
Next, this ant Worm pulled out a gaia memory.
Just as the ant Worm was about to insert the memory into the black patterned interface on its arm, everything stopped.
[Pause!]
"Are you trying to play matryoshka dolls with me here?"
Brothers, is this right?
How devious is this?
First a Zodiarts, then after being defeated, it reverted to its Worm body. A Worm is a Worm, fine, but then it sheds its skin, evolving from a grunt into a true Monster. And finally, you're even pulling out a gaia memory to attempt a third transformation?
A mere ordinary Worm can pull off such a trick? If Kisaragi Gentaro or Shotaro Hidari encountered such a cunning old fox, wouldn't their blood pressure skyrocket?
Thankfully, it's him, the God of Time, the legendary Kamen Rider, the Game Administrator. In this Game Domain, he'll directly ban the account. You want to use a memory? I won't even let you activate accelerated abilities like Clock Up.
Shiraishi Shin walked up to the ant Worm, reached out, took the commercially available gaia memory, then crushed it into powder and scattered it on the ground.
[Kimewaza!]
[Critical Crews-Aid!]
Shiraishi Shin pressed the B button on his driver with his left hand to activate his finisher. As the sound effect played, a green energy beam focused on his left foot, and a golden clock appeared on the ground.
The hour hand and minute hand both pointed at the ant Worm. As Shiraishi Shin rotated his body counter-clockwise, the longer minute hand also rotated with him.
After the rotation, his left sole directly kicked the ant Worm. The golden minute hand on the ground once again pointed at the Worm, and he smoothly turned his back, similar to Souji Tendou's turning Rider Kick. However, his attack was like using a cannon to kill a mosquito; Souji Tendou's Rider Kick was precisely at the kill line, while his Rider Kick's power meant the Worm would owe him a hundred lives.(In case you didn't know, Souji Tendou is Kamen Rider Kabuto.)
Shiraishi Shin snapped his fingers and declared, "The Matryoshka Doll-like Worm, now extinct!"
[Restart!]
Both middle fingers simultaneously pressed the A and B buttons on the driver, and time, which had been stopped in the Game Domain, began to flow again.
"Boom!"
The moment time restarted, the ant Worm immediately exploded. Still thinking of using a gaia memory to extend its life? Who would give you that chance?
After the Worm exploded, Shiina Mahiru instinctively closed her eyes and stepped back two paces.
Shiraishi Shin instantly appeared behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist. His Cronus armor dissipated into green data, causing Shiina Mahiru to press against him.
Shiraishi Shin asked with concern, "Mahiru, you were scared, weren't you?"
Shiina Mahiru clutched her chest and nodded, "Yes, the sudden explosion startled me a bit."
"It's okay, I'm here. I'll soothe your heartbeat." After saying that, he lowered his head and kissed her thin, cicada-wing-like pale red lips. This was their second kiss after officially becoming a couple.
Two minutes later, Shiina Mahiru gave Shiraishi Shin an endearing look, then gazed at the Worm's explosion site. She asked, "Is Yoshimoto-san dead?"
"Yes, she's dead. She wasn't human to begin with; she was mimicked by a Worm."
"Mimicked?"
Shiina Mahiru didn't quite understand.
Shiraishi Shin reached out, took Shiina Mahiru's hand again, and started walking, explaining about Worms and mimicking.
"So, Yoshimoto-san was already killed when she encountered this Worm, and this Worm has been mimicking Yoshimoto-san's appearance and attending school with us all this time?"
After hearing this, Shiina Mahiru felt a chill down her spine. This was even more terrifying than urban legends: a real person killed, and a Monster mimicking that person's appearance, replicating both looks and memories perfectly. It was truly frightening.
She couldn't help but cling to Shiraishi Shin's arm, asking, "Are there many of these Monsters?"
Feeling the softness against his arm, Shiraishi Shin replied, "Not many. Perhaps just this one, or maybe a few more."
"That's good. If there were really many of these Monsters, it would cause panic."
Shiina Mahiru breathed a sigh of relief. Being mimicked meant becoming a fake person. If there were many, most people around them might have been infiltrated by fakes. The thought alone was terrifying.
Shiraishi Shin changed the subject, "By the way, you haven't told me if I looked cool when I transformed."
Shiina Mahiru looked at him with adoring, sparkling eyes and praised, "Yes, yes, cool! How could it not be cool? Especially that powerful Henshin! ."Shin-nii is my big hero, in my eyes and in my heart."
Shiraishi Shin's lips couldn't help but curl upwards after hearing that.
One word: fantastic!
Shiraishi Shin wasn't a saintly protagonist from the big screen; he was just one of billions of ordinary people, just a bit more talented, a bit luckier, and had a few more cheats.
But he was still an ordinary person. As a human, he would naturally want to show off in front of others, especially in front of his girlfriend, and to be looked at with such adoring eyes was simply too fantastic.
"Actually, I can transform not only into Kamen Rider Cronus, but also into another Rider, Kamen Rider Eternal..."
An hour later, the two hadn't gone far, just circled the vicinity before returning to the campsite.
At this time, the students in the camp were gathered in small groups. Shiraishi Shin released Shiina Mahiru's hand and said, "Mahiru, I'm going to find the teacher and explain Yoshimoto-san's situation to her."
Earlier, while strolling through the countryside, Shiraishi Shin had already told Shiina Mahiru that Okada Yuriko knew his identity, so Shiina Mahiru nodded and went to chat with Chitoge Kirisaki and the others.
Afterward, Shiraishi Shin found Okada Yuriko, who was chatting with other teachers, and told her about the incident.
"What? There's such a Monster?"
After hearing this, Okada Yuriko felt a chill down her spine. Fortunately, there were only a handful of such Monsters and they couldn't cause much trouble, which made her breathe a sigh of relief.
(Quick question: when Alya speaks in Russian, should I write it in Russian as well, or keep it in English)