Chapter Text
Kana’s POV
[“I don’t want it to be a lie.”]
Lately I couldn’t help but think back to what Ruby said when we first practiced with Pieyon. It’s a bit funny thinking it’s only been a couple months since that girl and her brother bullied me into starting New B-Komachi with her. Such an honest girl had to use a conniving little trick against me. Hmph! Even with all the setbacks and slight embarrassment though…
“Those moments with them really weren’t that bad...”
I glance around at the empty studio room. Aqua just went out on his date with Aka- I mean! Fulfilling his reality show obligations with Akane Kurokawa. It’s a shame too. I really was free this afternoon! Not that I wanted to go on a date with him or anything! I just wanted to help him pick out his own trolley case! Those things are like sidekicks to us performers, you know!?
I sigh as I lean back against my seat. Mem-Cho and Miyako left earlier as well to make some preparations for our trip to Miyazaki. Which means the only people left in the studio currently are me and…Ruby.
As soon as I got up to check up on Ruby, I was immediately startled by the doorbell ringing.
Ruby yells from the other room. “Senpai! That must be the package I ordered online! It’s very important, so can you go out and grab it for me?”
“Can’t you get it yourself if that package is important, stupid?”
“Come on! Just get it for me!”
I groan as I turn around and make my way towards the front door to retrieve her package. As soon as I opened the door, I was greeted by a brown box with a black crow on top of it. I kneel down to stare at it closely. Now normally I should be shooing it away, but a crow on a package isn’t something you’d see everyday. Well, at least not in Tokyo.
“Caw!” And now I’m immediately annoyed. Time to send it off.
“Hey! Fly away already, you stupid bird!” I immediately tried to shoo it away from the package, but it flew up and landed on my beret.
“Get off of me already, you annoy-” My head fills with an intense pain as I fall to the ground and begin to feel my forehead.
“I see… Your future and hers are interconnected. It must be nice to have someone like her, right?”
“What..? Who’s talking to me?”
“Who am I? Well… One day I could be a crow. Another day I could be a small human child.”
“Can you stop talking in riddles and just explain what’s going on?”
“I think I like you. I’ll start following your every move from now on, along with those twins.”
“Are you some kind of stalker? Get the hell off of me! Wait, twins?”
“Oh. I guess I should provide some compensation if I’m going to be following you like this. Here’s a cool fact! Did you know that Ruby Hoshino is a liar?
“What?”
“She’s simply a lost soul, willing to use anyone to get what she wants. Even if it hurts her loved ones oh so dearly. She’s just a liar through and through.”
“Shut your mouth! Ruby is very honest with her feelings! She’s the kind of person to care about other people! Even if she did lie, everyone has their own secrets that they don’t want leaking out!”
“It seems that you don’t know her as well as you thought you did... Let me help you with that.”
The crow leans its beak against my forehead as my vision begins to warp.
“In a few seconds, you’ll be able to see things that ordinary people aren’t able to perceive. Truths and lies don’t matter in this world. All that matters is intent.”
My vision eventually clears up as I try to pick myself up and come face to face with the crow now on the box.
“Let’s see you try to save Ruby Hoshino from her own darkness, Kana Arima.”
The crow flies off before I even get a chance to respond. Tch! I shake my head, wondering why I was even talking to a small bird. Weirder stuff has happened lately, it’s probably just nothing. Yeah, it’s definitely nothing! A crow wouldn’t just come up to me and talk about my groupmate having darkness like those stupid fantasy movies now, would it!?
I stood still for a moment, trying to comprehend the current situation. I probably should talk to Ruby about this sometime soon. Maybe she heard me screaming outside. I proceed to pick up the box and head back inside.
I placed the box on the table, but was immediately startled by Ruby squealing from the other side of the room now coming closer to investigate the package. She didn’t hear me after all.
“EEEE! MY PACKAGE IS FINALLY HERE!” Ruby childishly begins tearing open the package to reveal…a toy belt?
“It’s finally here! The DX Zero-One Driver from Kamen Rider Zero-One!”
I wanted to ask Ruby about the things the crow told me, but it didn’t feel right to interrupt her little chuuni moment so I decided to leave it be for now. Now that I think about it, Aqua had a similar moment at the park. Maybe that’s just their genetics? Nah, now I know most of that stuff came from Ruby.
“Aren’t you a bit too old to play with toys, Ruby?” I curiously stare at the toy package, not getting the appeal that Ruby’s seeing.
“Oh come on, senpai! Kamen Rider is made for everyone, not just kids! In fact, this particular one is specifically for adults! Do you see how big it is!?” I see her grinning right beside me like a little kid, excited to open their presents on Christmas Day.
“I still don’t see the appeal of these things. These look like they’re made to be broken by children.”
“Just give it a chance! Don’t you have memories of playing with toys or watching kids shows growing up?”
I immediately went silent, thinking back to my childhood. Was there even a moment where I acted like a normal kid? I was stuck in a trance, trying to remember if there was even a time like that.
“Oi! Senpai!” Ruby begins snapping her fingers in front of my face. “Yo-ho! Kana! Are you there?”
“Oh! Ahem… I was an actress through and through. I didn’t have time to play with childish toys.”
Ruby takes a long look at me, seemingly deep in thought. She then proceeds to jump on the table and point at me.
“Okay, it’s decided! Kana Arima! I; Ruby Hoshino, will teach you how to become a true Kamen Rider!” She stared at me with determination as I began to notice something off with her eyes.
“Ruby? What’s wrong with your eyes!?”
“What do you mean?” She looked at me feeling confused as she took out her phone and switched to the selfie camera to see her face. “I don’t see anything.”
“Your left eye! You have a star pupil!” I lean in to point at her eye. “Right here, see?”
“I still don’t see it. Are you sure you’re not imagining things, senpai?” She puts her phone away and turns her attention back to the toy case.
“I swear it’s in your eye right now! I-” I end up sighing and decide to drop it. “Never mind.”
“Great, now help me open this!”
“Get down from the table first, stupid!”
After a bit of unboxing and dealing with Ruby’s otakuness, we laid all of the toy parts out on the studio table. It was an odd-looking set of parts. There were pieces for the belt, pieces for the actual toy itself, and something that looks kind of like a keychain?
“Okay, let’s see… Maybe there’s an instruction manual in the-”
"It’s done!” I was about to go look inside the package, but this overly enthusiastic otaku finished setting up the toy belt.
“You know you can afford to slow down a bit.”
“I know, I know! But it took me a while to even find one of these! They’re always so expensive to buy officially, then those filthy scalpers get their hands on it and shoot it up even more!”
I then notice Ruby go silent as the shining star in her left eye begins fading to black with what seems to be a dark aura surrounding her. It was honestly terrifying! I didn’t know Ruby could be like that!
“I can’t help but want to torture them for making me feel this kind of pain.”
“Okay, okay! Let’s focus back on the toy now, yeah?” I begin sweating a bit, but let out a sigh of relief as I notice her eye go back to its usual brightness.
“Right! So this belt is called the Zero-One Driver from Kamen Rider Zero-One! It’s the main transformation device used by the MC to defeat these corrupted androids known as Humagears!”
“So he’s just the average superhero who always wins against the average robotic army and somehow saves the human race?” I respond unenthusiastically as I take a seat nearby.
“No! It’s about creating a world where both humans and Humagears can smile! So this show has like this funny dude right, but no one thinks he’s funny! He also has this android assistant who always explains his jokes! Oh, oh! And there’s like this satellite that does this thing and that and-”
Her chuunibyou meter was reaching 80%. It was slowly becoming too much for me. I was getting very sleepy. I decided to close my eyes for a bit as I waited for her to finish gushing.
“Oi! No sleeping! This is the greatest invention of our lifetime, senpai!” I felt my shoulder being shook as I opened my eyes, now face to face with Ruby’s pout.
“Fine, fine. Just show your toy belt already…”
I notice a grin on her face as she steps back, attaches the belt to the toy and turns the toy on. However, one minor setback occurred during Ruby’s moment of otakuness.
“Huh? It’s supposed to make noises and light up.” She begins looking at the toy closely, trying to figure out what’s wrong with it.
Now compared to Ruby, I don’t have the hyperactivity of a twelve year old so I decided to do the logical thing and look in the package like I was about to earlier.
“Oi. You forgot something, stupid.” I lightly hit the back of her head with the pack of batteries from the box.
“Hey! I’m not stupid! Don’t be mean!” She grabs the batteries from my hand and quickly sets the toy up.
“Woohoo! Okay, now it’s…”
<Zero-One Driver!>
“Woo! It’s on! Alright, let’s see…” I watch as she picks up the keychain from earlier.
“So this is a Progrise Key! The MC uses it with the driver to henshin! Though in-universe, he could only transform if he was the president of a certain company…”
Ruby looks away in thought, clearly mumbling. “Maybe I should ask Miyaemon to try on this belt…”
“Ruby!”
“Right! Sorry, sorry! So basically, you need to start with a henshin pose!”
“Can’t you just show how the belt works already?”
“Senpai! There’s a process to these things! You gotta do them right or else it doesn’t work!”
I slightly cringe at Ruby’s enthusiasm, but decide to let her proceed. “Fine. Go on.”
Ruby excitedly takes the toy belt and straps it around her waist, looking determined.
“Alright! Here I go!” She holds the key right beside her head and presses the button on it.
<Jump!>
She then holds the key in front of the sensor on the toy.
<Authorize!>
The lights from the toy begin shining brightly as Ruby raises her finger towards the ceiling. Her eyes begin to glow as she flicks the key to open it up, then positions it near the opening of the toy.
“Henshin!”
The light from her eyes began engulfing the room as I felt like I was being whisked off to someplace else.