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The game was reasonably simple. A person was trapped in the middle of the Jyamar area, and they couldn’t leave that entrapped area. They had to keep him safe.
Good news: Keiwa found the person first.
Bad news: the only buckle he found was the Arrow one.
He had no idea where everyone else was, he was just hoping they were about to find him soon.
Or he’d find more buckles.
This was going to be a problem otherwise.
“So. What’s with the tanuki head?”
The man who was sitting there seemed very… casual, if anything. Like he didn’t just see Keiwa shoot a few monsters in the head with a glowing green crossbow. Like he wasn’t trapped in the middle of a weird forcefield.
He seemed to be about Keiwa’s age, with light brown hair, and was wearing a hoodied vest, hands in his pockets, sitting on the edge of the fountain where he was trapped.
And he seemed reasonably… calm about this situation. Nevertheless, he turned his transformation off, just so he could look at him face to face.
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“It’s… I don’t know how much I can tell you. But you need to be kept safe, and I’ll do it. I have… allies too. They’ll probably get here soon.”
Probably.
Definitely.
“Does this happen often? This fighting?”
“...I guess so.”
“Then I guess I won’t remember it, right?” The man frowned. “Otherwise people would talk about this. So I’ll probably forget.”
“...right.”
“So, you can tell me.”
The man’s logic was sound, if he was still… annoyed, if anything.
“Uh… I’m a Kamen Rider and we… fight against the Jyamato to protect people.”
“So why am I trapped?”
“...it’s the mission.”
“Mission. Like a game, huh?”
“...something like that.”
The man snorted, crossing his arm in front of his chest.
“I don’t like being a prize. I’m fairly strong myself, you know.”
Keiwa didn’t know what to say.
He expected a terrified person here - or alternatively someone from the GDP staff sitting there, seemingly in control.
He didn’t expect this man who just seemed inconvenienced.
“And Kamen Rider what?”
“Huh?”
“What’s your whole name?”
“...Tycoon. Kamen Rider Tycoon.”
The man nodded a little, as in acknowledging it.
“You didn’t seem very comfortable with the crossbow, though.”
“Yeah…” Keiwa laughed a little uncomfortably. “Not my favorite weapon.”
“I could see that,” The man leaned back, looking bored. “So others will be coming too?”
“I’m… sure we won’t have to wait for long.”
Everyone was looking for this area, and he could hear the sounds of fighting - but he didn’t dare to move and look for them.
Couldn’t leave the man alone, even if he looked just annoyed by the situation - and he actually looked like he was pouting.
“What’s your name?”
“Huh?” The man glanced up at him. “...Yuuto.”
“I’m Keiwa.”
Yuuto didn’t seem to acknowledge what he said, and Keiwa just sighed.
Maybe he should go look for the others.
“Why are you fighting, Keiwa? Is that just to save the world?”
“...that’s a bit too big of a dream,” Keiwa chuckled to himself. “I… learnt that. But I can start small. Keep my sister safe. Help those who have fallen behind.”
“You are a Kamen Rider. You have more power than most.”
“Not enough yet. But I’m getting there.”
Yuuto was quiet, looking into the distance, clearly listening to the fighting as well.
“So you have a sister?”
“Yeah. Her name is Sara.”
“I guess she doesn’t know you are here either.”
“No. We cannot tell anyone.”
Keiwa didn’t want to think about Sara maybe… remembering.
It’s better if she doesn’t.
(Now where did he hear that before…?)
“Keiwa and Sara…” Yuuto seemed confused, looking at Keiwa with an odd expression on his face. “...is your last name Sakurai?”
The question came so out of left field, and Keiwa jerked, turning towards Yuuto, the air disappearing from his lungs.
“...how do you know?”
Yuuto didn’t answer - but Keiwa suddenly felt like Yuuto actually looked at him for the first time.
Like he had seen him for the first time.
“...you only mentioned your sister. What happened to your parents?”
“...they died. To these monsters.”
Yuuto pursed his lips, before kicking himself to his feet.
“Come on. Transform.”
“...huh?!”
“Go ahead.”
“Wait hold on–”
“You are holding the crossbow wrong,” Yuuto snapped. “So get on with it. I’ll tell you how to use the crossbow.”
He refused to answer Keiwa’s questions - but the familiar yappering of the Jyamato suddenly breached the area, and Keiwa didn’t have time to question anymore.
“Raise your elbow higher,” Yuuto’s voice was sharp. “Do not hurry. A crossbow is slower, but it’ll pack a punch if you focus.”
There was absolutely no fear, nor intimidation in Yuuto’s voice, and Keiwa just followed his directions.
Taking a deep breath.
Fire.
Hit.
Again.
It still wasn’t going to be his favorite buckle, and as soon another one popped up, he immediately ran to get a new one, but at least it… lasted for a bit.
Then the fight was over - and the forcefield around Yuuto disappeared, and he could see the way his eyes darted from one Kamen Rider in the group to another, as if assessing them, judging them, before looking back at Keiwa, walking up to him.
“I don’t suppose I’ll remember this, then. Based on what you told me.”
“Probably not,” Keiwa admitted, ending his transformation again. “But— how did you know my last name?”
Yuuto was silent, and his face closed off - it was as if he was fighting with himself, whether to tell Keiwa or not.
“...doesn’t matter. You probably also won’t remember me soon enough.”
And if that explained anything, Yuuto turned on his heels, and disappeared.
*
*
*
“Yuuto! Yuuto! Where have you been?! I couldn’t reach you!”
Yuuto was sitting by the fountain, looking at the string of messages on his phone, and only frowned at the familiar voice in his head.
“I don’t know.”
“Huh?!”
“I don’t remember. But apparently… I made some voice recordings, and sent them to Nogami. And although those are gone as well, like they never existed… he still remembers, so could message me about what happened.”
Yuuto could sense Deneb’s confusion, and just sighed.
“I had a brother. You know that.”
“...yes. But you never went back to him.”
“What would be the point?” Yuuto muttered. “Even if I would go to him, he would never remember me. So better for him to live out his life as normal. And since we’ve been traveling around in time… I knew he got married. And had a son and a daughter.”
“You could meet your niece and nephew!”
“Well first of all, haven’t you been listening, Deneb?!” Yuuto snapped out loud, ignoring the weird looks he was getting at arguing with seemingly no one. “They don’t even know about me. Nor will they ever. And second of all… I met with Keiwa.”
“Oh?! Really? How did it go?”
“He is also a Kamen Rider.”
“Really?! Maybe it’s a family thing! You could help him!”
Yuuto was silent for a few moments, before sighing, and putting away his phone.
“...he’s fairly strong. I don’t think he needs my help.”
That didn’t mean that Yuuto was going to just ignore whatever was going on.
Time to bother the Nogami of this time period more - after all, if someone would be aware of whatever was going on, it’d be a temporal outlier.
So might as well stick around in this time period a bit longer.