Thank you for your support, @Holosagewolf and @Daniel Moreton.
Bonus (1/2)
Chapter 33 – Once a Kaiju, Always a Kaiju.
....
"I understand… Can you protect Rikka for me?"
"Of course. Leave her to me and go find Akane."
Even though it was their first meeting, the kaiju girl gave Kihara a strange sense of trust. From her, he could also feel a faint presence similar to Akane Shinjo, something familiar, something connected.
Considering her claim of being a native of this world…
there was a high chance she was a manifestation of Akane's inner desires.
As Kihara reached to remove the headphones, the girl quickly stopped him.
"Wait!"
Seeing his confusion, she explained:
"The fog outside the city will make people lose consciousness. Only the Music Spirit can keep you awake. Take them off after the train enters the city."
"I see… By the way, why didn't you come find me earlier?"
"I'm the last remaining native kaiju in this world. I've been hiding constantly to avoid being hunted by that intruder. If you hadn't appeared outside the city this time, I wouldn't have had a chance to contact you without being noticed."
"That must've been rough…"
Kihara gently patted her head in comfort, then sat down with the unconscious Rikka Takarada in his arms, silently watching the apocalyptic scenery outside the window.
Ruins floated in the sky like debris in space.
Black storms churned in the distance.
The kaiju girl quietly sat beside him, swinging her legs.
Then, suddenly.
"Do you like Akane Shinjo?"
The question came out of nowhere.
"…Yeah, I do. But she keeps avoiding me. She even thinks I don't like her."
The girl smiled knowingly.
"That's right… She's always running away from the things she doesn't want to face. So… you'll save her, right?"
Kihara shook his head.
"No. The one who can save her isn't me… it's herself. All I can do is knock on the door she locked away."
"…Then please," she said softly, "go wake her up, Rider."
Sunlight pierced through the train windows.
Kihara removed the headphones and handed them back. After leaving a message for Rikka on his phone, he stuffed a couple bites of bread into his mouth and stepped off the train without hesitation.
"Standing By!"
The electronic standby voice echoed across the empty station.
Kihara raised the transformation device and inserted it into his belt.
"Henshin!"
As the train slowly departed behind him, several dark figures rushed toward him from the opposite platform.
So it starts immediately…
No time to waste.
He equipped the acceleration watch and inserted two chips into the Faiz device.
"Complete!"
Crimson photon blood surged through the armor's circuits, glowing like molten fire before cooling into silver lines. The armor shifted—sleeker, faster, more lethal.
"Start Up!"
A low engine-like roar erupted.
His physical abilities skyrocketed.
Speed. Strength. Reaction.
Everything surged to a new level.
The incoming enemies…
might as well have been frozen in time.
Kihara moved.
In an instant, he appeared at their flank.
a spinning kick smashed them together.
Then—
Crimson Drill Kick.
A streak of red lightning tore through them.
BOOM!
The monsters exploded into particles, scattering like ash in the wind.
"Time Out!"
"Deformation!"
The acceleration ended.
Kihara reverted to base form, breathing heavily. Thankfully, the bread he ate earlier kept him from collapsing due to energy drain.
Running forward, he met up with Auto Vajin waiting roadside. Upon receiving his command, it transformed and quickly returned with a large bag filled with high-sugar drinks and candy.
Kihara crushed a piece of hard candy between his teeth, washed it down with cola, and let out a thunderous burp.
"Alright… let's go."
He mounted the bike and sped toward Akane's home.
But the journey was anything but smooth.
Within just one kilometer.
He was ambushed three to four times.
After getting knocked off his bike once and nearly losing his transformation due to the Faiz belt's infamous looseness, he came to a conclusion:
"…Yeah, riding is a bad idea."
He sighed.
"Only nine kilometers left… Guess I'll run."
He glanced at Auto Vajin.
"Come on. Run with me."
Beep beep beep!
The machine responded with an annoyed series of honks.
It wasn't some talking AI belt, just a heavily armed bike with a gatling gun.
Still… it complied.
Transforming into humanoid mode, it followed Kihara as they sprinted toward their destination.
Meanwhile…
Rikka slowly opened her eyes.
She found herself lying on a train bench.
Kihara… wasn't there.
Instead, a strange little girl sat across from her, someone she had never seen before, yet oddly felt familiar.
The girl hummed cheerfully, swinging her legs. The moment she noticed Rikka waking up, she jumped up and rushed over.
"Hehe—let me check… Yep, you look fine!"
"Um… who are you? And where's my
boyfriend, Kihara?"
"Boyfriend?" the girl repeated, eyes lighting up. "You mean the Rider is your boyfriend?!"
"Of course he is. But… how do you know my name?"
The girl pointed at her own face and leaned closer.
"Don't you remember me at all?"
Rikka frowned.
It was strange…
She had no memory of this girl.
And yet—
It felt like they had known each other for a very long time.
"…It's weird. I feel like I've met you before… but you're also different from the person I'm thinking of."
"Hehe… you're probably thinking of my mom."
"Your mom?"
"Yeah. I'm her daughter."
"I see… then what's your mom's surname?"
"…Surname?"
The girl tilted her head, thinking hard.
Then she smiled innocently.
"We don't have one. Originally… we all shared the same name."
"…What name?"
The girl grinned brightly.
"Kaiju."
Rikka froze.
"…That's not funny."
She laughed awkwardly, unable to accept it.
"I'm human. How could I possibly be a kaiju?"
"Hmm… I guess that makes sense," the girl said casually.
"Mom told me you were taken by the 'God' and turned into a human to stay by her side."
She paused, then added with a bright, innocent smile:
"But since you have a boyfriend now… I guess our kind can continue after all!"
That simple, matter-of-fact statement.
Hit Rikka like a tidal wave.
.....
Thank you for reading.