Chapter Text
“You know, there’s no Eijiro working for my brother.”
“Who said I worked for this world’s Yggdrasil? The Forest does not put all its eggs in one basket.”
“…I suppose not.”
“My name is Narutaki,” the man says. “I swear I come with good intent. Decade has become a monster who will put the very fabric of reality at risk! Surely you, in all your intelligence, can understand that risk!”
“That doesn’t seem like something Tsukasa would do,” Shinigami says.
“He is Great Leader,” Narutaki says, which… what? “After his mother, General Monster,” oh, Ishi killed that guy and took his name? Good for her, he was stupid and he was cruel. “Killed the true Great Leader, Decade rose as a new leader! By my advice.”
Oh. Oh it’s like that. Idiot. Never back a power you can’t survive losing control over.
“So now he must be destroyed?” Shinigami asks. “He seems to have left.”
“It’s too late,” Narutaki says, voice heavy. “He has sent the worlds into a deadly collision course, and he must die.”
…oh he did not suggest killing Tsukasa, now did he?
“I’m sorry, have my ears gone out?” Shinigami asks. “Are you coming into my home to suggest I kill my charge?”
“He’s a monster—”
“He is your mistake!” Shinigami yells, voice like the one which yelled at idiots who made the uncontrollable monsters. Or the ones that called them “mom” or “dad”. He’d banned killing those because it was funny watching the underskilled scientists buckle under caring for their horrific children. Or send them out to fight - the ones who had developed positive emotions were often stronger.
Having raised Natsumi, he still doesn’t get the problem, though. She’s the light of his life.
“He is. But I cannot kill him.”
“Why not?”
“It must be a Rider. I have seen your granddaughter. Her power—”
Shinigami stalks over to Narutaki and grabs his coat collar.
“Leave this place at once,” he growls. “I don’t care for the multiverse, but those kids are mine .”
Narutaki’s expression doesn’t change.
“You’ll regret this,” he argues. Shinigami laughs.
“Never.”
“Hello~”
Eijiro turned.
“Oh, Tanaka-Sensei,” he said with a smile. “How can I help you?”
Tanaka looked around, nervously.
“Is uhhhhh… is Hikari-Chan home?”
“She’s with her friends, why?”
“Can we talk seriously?”
Oh. Oh, Eijiro knew what this was.
“You want to talk about our old job,” he said. Tanaka looked away.
“I still work there,” he said. “But you don’t get it, I love those kids. Kureshima-San has a vision, but…”
“You’re doubting.”
“…Yes,” Tanaka sighed. “I promise, I won’t let anything happen to your granddaughter. Hikari-Chan is a wonderful girl and I genuinely believe the TG program as you signed it will help her.”
Eijiro sighed, as well.
“She used to be such a studious young girl,” he said. “But she’s been focused on personal things ever since a bad experience in middle school.”
Tanaka looked sad.
“I don’t see how. She’s—”
“I am going to be entirely honest, Tanaka-Sensei,” Eijiro said. “I will go to every length to protect my granddaughter. So I truly do hope that you intend to protect her.”
It was a threat, a confession, and a promise all wrapped in one, but Eijiro genuinely did like Natsumi’s teacher.
Tanaka met his gaze.
“I do,” he said. “One more warning, however. Chinatsu… is Kureshima-SAN’s younger sister. He’s forcing her to move schools for him, because she found out about the original plan.”
“Ah,” Eijiro replied. “Well, I’m sure it’ll be fine. She’s a smart girl. Better first partner material than any of the boys she’s brought home as friends.”
“I guess so,” Tanaka said. “Any chance this plain teacher can score a date with a handsome old man?”
Eijiro smiled as the mood lifted.
“Not today,” he said. “Thank you for asking.”
“No… no…”
“What are you looking for, Old Man?”
“Oh! Tsukasa,” Eijiro exclaims, looking up from a rather frantic search. “Just an old gift from a friend.”
Shinigami is missing .
This is absolutely the fault of that Narutaki man. In an emergency, yes, Eijiro is sure he could used Shinigami’s darker half, but he’d rather not return to the insanity, and now his kids are in danger, and—
“Is this a bad time, then?” Tsukasa asks. Sometimes he looks like the boy he is and not the obnoxious young man that constantly frustrates poor Natsumi. Eijiro supposes both are true.
“Obviously not,” he says, smiling as though he’s not panicking. “Do you need something?”
“I was wondering if you could help me use the dark room?” Tsukasa asks. “Natsumikan just glares when I ask.”
Natsumi doesn’t know the checks he still gets from Yggdrasil would easily pay the bills even if they weren’t a popular local studio. A good thing.
Best she never knows until she gets his inheritance.
“Of course,” Eijiro says. “You’ve taken to photography.”
“No, I really haven’t.”
“Well, I like your photos,” Eijiro says. “Some of them are unique. Feels like they show the secret reality.”
“Careful, Old Man, you almost sound poetic.”
“Oh, do I?” Eijiro asks. “I’m sorry. Let’s go talk you through the process.”
Tsukasa looks unsure, still.
“Do you need help?” He asks. “It seems important—”
“Don’t you worry,” Eijiro says. “I can handle this later. Let’s go show you how it’s done.”
Tsukasa nods.
“Alright then,” he says.
“And please don’t offer photo shoots too often. Natsumi might get even more upset.”
“…fine.”
Tsukasa really is a good kid. Hopefully… even if Eijiro can’t help directly, he really thinks Tsukasa will fix his mistakes and become a wonderful man.
After all, he’s Ishi’s son. And he’s himself.
And for now, until problems knock down the studio door, Eijiro will take care of the rest.