Chapter Text
This is Hiden Aruto:
Hiden Aruto died 15 years ago. He was 5, and he liked to follow his grandpa around, because his grandpa never hit him like his dad did.
Hiden Aruto thought his grandpa was wonderful, making cool robots that help people!
Hiden Aruto did not understood what military contract means.
Hiden Aruto got too close during a test. Hiden Aruto was thrown a dozen feet and hit his head. He bled and bled and bled, and his grandpa cursed.
A ruined test, and a scandal.
He could not have that.
Hiden Aruto could not die.
Hiden Aruto is 20 years old. The cool and confident heir to the company, after his father died in an accident.
He’s perfect on the outside.
…on the outside.
On the inside?
Hiden Aruto is very well aware that he is not real . He’s a solution to a scandal, and little more. He is not cared for. He is not real.
His real family are the monsters his grandfather creates. Produces.
Aruto knows better than to fight back, however. Grandfather made a backup. So he does what he can, instead, prepares to take over the company, learns technology. He realizes he can alter himself as he grows. Puts himself together and hides his robot limbs’ seams
He learned to cover the lines on his face before he learned how to read. He learns how to survive.
But that was all before he found her .
“Oh fucking fuck,” says the robot woman in the pod. “Who reanimated me, and what do they want with Shigeru?”
“Uhh…”
The woman jumps into a fighting position.
“Who are you?” She asks. “Are you with Delzer?”
Aruto does a quick search.
“Delzer Army,” he says. “Taken out by Kamen Riders in the mid 70’s.”
The woman doesn’t drop her guard.
“Who are you, then?”
“Hiden Aruto,” Aruto says. “Of Hiden Intelligence. We’re the top of AI development that isn’t illegal… officially.”
“Then why am I here?” The woman asks. “I should be dead. I died. What…”
“Well…” Aruto says. “It wouldn’t be the first time my grandfather dabbled in reviving humans as robots.”
“I… was already a cyborg,” the woman says, slowly dropping her hands. “Okay, so then why am I here?”
“We’re only officially legal,” Aruto replies. “Hiden funds a lot of underground technology development.”
“Why are you telling me this?” The woman asks. Aruto shrugs.
“You seem cool,” he says. “Also, I hate it here.”
“Then… why don’t you leave?” The woman asks. “You don’t exactly look trapped.”
Aruto shrugs, leaning against a wall.
“My grandfather croaks and I’ll be in charge,” he says. “I run, and I’m replaced.”
He rolls up the sleeve of his turtleneck to show the glowing neon (green vs yellow arguments are dumb, the color is just Neon) lines along his skin. The woman’s eyes widen.
“That’d do it,” she says. “We could leave anyways.”
Aruto types the door code in.
“Be my guest,” he says. “I am warning you, it’s 2019. Reiwa era.”
The woman’s eyes widen, and she pauses.
“Mayyyyybe I should wait a bit,” she says. “My name is Yuriko, by the way. Misaki Yuriko.”
[Error: Unauthorized]
[Override: 01]
[Access Granted]
[Misaki Yuriko: Electrowave Human Tackle
Sell to: Black Satan
Sell date: —/—/—]
Well, Aruto thinks. This is… bad.
That’s… tomorrow.
“Or maybe you shouldn’t,” Aruto says. “I found out who bought you. Black Satan?”
“THEY’RE BACK?”
“Okay,” Aruto says. “So here’s the code to my private channel. Fully encrypted. Fully in your head.”
“I think Tachibana mentioned a Rider could do that,” Yuriko says.
“Well, you are a Rider,” Aruto says. Yuriko hmms.
“…It’s complicated,” she says. “I’m not as strong as Shigeru. It’s why I died and took 40 plus years to come back. As a robot.”
“Hey, robots are cool,” Aruto says. “Been one all my life. Here’s the keys to a small house I bought with cash.”
Yuriko takes them.
“Will I see you again?”
“As soon as Tomorrow, if I can manage,” Aruto says. “And. Don’t die.”
Yuriko grins.
“I’m sure you’ll manage,” she says. “You there, you could be a Kamen Rider.”
“I’m amazed you have that much trust in me.”
“I don’t exactly have a choice, do I?”
“I guess not…”
Yuriko just grins, and solutes.
“See you tomorrow, Hiden,” she says, and she hops on his motorcycle to get out.
…Oh Aruto’s life is going to change forever now, isn’t it?
This is Hiden Aruto:
He is not real. He is not a person.
Yet.