Temporary Partner (1)

"Hey, wait! What do you mean? I don't want to go back to Schicksal Headquarters!" Kane quickly caught up with Sachi from Reaven's and grabbed her shoulder.

"Don't touch me with your dirty hands!" The girl slapped his hand away in disgust, and wiped her bare shoulders with a tissue, because the dress she was wearing today was off-the-shoulder.

I'm going to give this place a good cleaning when I get back today.

"Do you have androphobia?" Kane immediately felt his male dignity had been insulted.

"No, I just don't want to be touched by men, except for the few I approve of. If it weren't for your experience and my... cough, I mean because you're Kaslana like me, young and possessing Stigmata, it would be such a pity to die young like this. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother saving you." Xing looked at him disdainfully, her heterochromatic red and blue eyes full of contempt.

"Hey, even though you saved me, if you're going to send me back to the Kaslana Family, then I'll—" Kane clenched his fist, staring intently at the girl standing on the box looking down at him, "Then I'll!"

"So what?" Xing jumped off the box, pulled out his Falcon Gatlinger, and pointed it at him. "Hey, I heard that pistols travel at around 400 meters per second. A karate master can even dodge bullets. Want to give it a try?"

"I'm begging you!" Kane shouted, bowing sharply at a ninety-degree angle.

Ahem, don't get me wrong. Even if he hadn't pointed a gun at his head, Kane would have done the same. After all, he comes from a knightly family, and he can't possibly lay a hand on a delicate girl.

Besides, he probably couldn't beat this "soft" girl...

"Pfft!" Xing couldn't help but laugh. Kane looked up indignantly and cried out to her, "Please, if you send me back, my parents will definitely beat me so badly that they won't even recognize their own son!"

"(And what's more, I'm being forced to marry that woman. I treat her as a friend, but she actually wants to sleep with me!)" Kane couldn't help but shudder at the thought of his childhood sweetheart.

"But they won't kill you. With your constitution, you'll only need to stay in bed for a few weeks at most," the girl said with a warm smile.

"Are you a demon?!" Kane was almost crying. He seemed to see two sharp red horns sprouting from the girl's head, and even a tail with sharp spikes growing from her buttocks.

Fortunately, her affection level increased by 20 (becoming S-rank under the pressure from the people of St. Freya).

"I'm not a demon, but like Sister Natasha said, there are real demons in this world." Xing found him somewhat adorable for some reason, and her prejudice against him gradually dissipated. Hmm, maybe he could become her underling?

After all, he'd inevitably have to deal with the Kaslana Family in the future. This guy possessed Stigmata, and unlike him and Kiana, his background wasn't awkward. He'd definitely be someone influential within the Kaslana Family in the future. If that's the case, then...

Fortunately, she silently pulled out her memory erasure gun. Forget it, she'd take on underlings later. She'd just shoot them all first. Before this happened, none of the idiots in the Kaslana Family were reliable. If they leaked her secret, she could consider becoming Otto's mistress.

"Hey, is it that serious? Didn't you defeat that Dog-headed Woman? What's there to be afraid of?" Seeing the girl pull out a gun from behind her again, Kane was terrified and racked his brains trying to change her mind.

"What's there to be afraid of?" Hearing his question, Xing was taken aback for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh. "Indeed, ignorance is bliss."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Kane was a little confused.

The girl didn't immediately begin to explain. She looked at herself, standing calmly in the shade, and then at Kane, who was sweating profusely under the blazing sun. "Hey, aren't you hot?"

"Um..." Kane fell into deep thought.

"Fine, just stand there. You'll only get a tan at worst." Sachi took out the lemonade she carried in her Fourth-Dimensional Pocket, unscrewed the cap, inserted the straw, and took a delicious sip. Ah, refreshing!

"Since you've entertained me quite a bit, I'll take pity on you and let you know your current situation. Considering your brain's ability to process information, I'll speak to you in a way you can understand." The girl patted the packing boxes piled in the corner and sat down.

"Remember, Xing Kaslana saved this city about a year ago? So answer me a question first: what do you know about that incident?" The girl spoke calmly, as if stating an objective event that had nothing to do with her.

"Um, Xing Kaslana was unfortunately captured by Anti-Entropy while on a mission in Changkong City. Because she was a natural Stigmata holder, she was experimentally modified and implanted with the Gem of Stillness. Because of her strong will, she did not become Herrscher, and then..." Kane's eyes lit up and he continued to talk on and on. Xing interrupted him with a headache, "Okay, stop. It's pretty much what I read in the textbook. Let me tell you some inside information that you don't know."

"Inside information?" Kane was taken aback. He suddenly realized that this mysterious girl might be leading him into an unknown world.

"Yes, that incident was instigated by Cocolia, the Anti-Entropy faction, but it wasn't entirely her doing. Another organization provided her with resources afterward."

"Another organization?" Kane's curiosity was piqued. "What organization? Why haven't I seen it in the reports?"

Xing glanced at him, seemingly casually, and said with a half-smile, "You don't actually believe that Schicksal is showing you is all true, do you?"

Kane paused for a moment, his still-congested brain sensing that there seemed to be a deeper meaning behind those words.

Sachi repeated Tesla's lines when introducing the World Serpent to the four of them, leaving Kane stunned. Finally, she added, "The woman wearing the Anubis mask is a high-ranking scientist within the World Serpent, codenamed Jackal. Anyone she sets her sights on will be relentlessly pursued until she obtains them. Incidentally, last time she targeted Kaslana, but thankfully she escaped after being experimented on and implanted with the Gem of Stillness by Jackal, otherwise..."

Xing glanced deeply at Kane, who was sweating profusely, removed the straw, and tossed him the half-finished bottle of lemonade. Thirsty and dehydrated, Kane swallowed hard, and with great effort managed to look away from the bottle. "Thanks, I'm not thirsty yet."

Favorability rating in front of Xing: 50

P. S.: The initial dislike level was 35, which reflects her initial annoyance. For most strangers, it's around 50-60. The low initial favorability was purely because Kane was working at Natasha's bar, and Sachi, out of jealousy, simply wanted to cover him in cement and sink him into the sea. Yes, Sachi is very protective of her people. If you dare to hurt someone she cherishes in front of her now, then prepare to face the true meaning of "Kamen Rider"...

Hmm, that's good self-control, I might consider it.

"So, do you now realize how dangerous your situation is?" the girl asked slowly.

"But the power she showed before didn't seem that strong. Didn't you defeat her easily?" Kane asked, puzzled.

Hearing this, Xing glanced at him silently, then took out a workbook from behind her back. "Come on, solve these advanced math problems for me. If you get them all right on the first try, I'll grant you any request."

Kane perked up immediately, eagerly stepped forward, took the paper and pen, and carefully examined the question. His mind went completely blank. "What is this? I can't understand a single word!"

"Tch, garbage."

The girl's lighthearted words instantly enraged Kane, who roared, "I'm a warrior, not a scientist!"

She glanced at him unexpectedly. "So you know this principle. Then let me ask you, what does defeating a scientist by force prove?"

"Uh..." Kane wasn't stupid; with Xing's guidance, he immediately understood.

"I am fighting Jackal, but this is my battle, and I don't want to involve anyone else. When I am ready, I will leave Reaven's. I cannot disrupt the peaceful life that Sister Natasha has finally achieved, no matter how long she wants to continue living this life."

Looking him in the eyes, she said with utmost seriousness, "This is not Yugi, nor is it an adventure. You are now being hunted by an organization, an organization that can rival or even surpass Schicksal. If Schicksal is the guardian of the light, then the World Serpent is the emperor in the shadows. Do you understand? Continuing to wander outside will only lead to death. Only by returning to Schicksal, returning to the Kaslana Family, will you have a chance to survive."

"But..." Kane was about to say something when Sachi interrupted him directly, "You should know that even the strongest new generation of the Kaslana Family —Sachi Kaslana —spends most of her time at the St. Freya Academy."

This is true; she did indeed spend most of her time attending classes at school, but the author simply didn't bother to elaborate on that aspect.

But when he's out having fun, he really is...

"Furthermore, even for Sin Kaslana, her survival to this day is largely due to luck, in addition to her own strength. Don't be fooled by the many glorious deeds reported by Schicksal; consider the average number of Valkyrie who haven't been accurately counted to have died in battle."

After saying that, the girl stood up, stretched her body, looked at the silent boy, and took out the terminal that was turned off. "I respect the choice of my compatriots. If you want to go back, I can contact a friend I know and have her send you back to the Kaslana Family. If you want to continue to wander outside, I will do my best to provide you with protection. However, let me make this clear: if protecting you would harm my interests, I will watch you be arrested."

Kane Kaslana remained silent, her hands clenched tightly, her blue eyes filled with resentment.

If Luming hadn't saved him, he would have been sent to the lab a few days ago, right?

She was very serious and didn't seem to be lying, which meant that her current situation was really bad.

Thinking of this, the boy helplessly raised his head and sighed to the sky, "This is terrible!"

"Don't look up at the sky, the ultraviolet rays will hurt your eyes. Oh, by the way, there's something I need to tell you in advance. If you want to go home, in order to keep my secret, I will use a memory erasure gun on you to make you forget what happened during this time. However, I haven't done any experiments, so I don't know if there will be any side effects..."

The girl's tone was uncertain, Kane broke out in a cold sweat. "Hey, will I become an idiot after using this?"

"Um, Luming, may I call you that?" Kane hesitated for a long time before deciding to resolve his doubts first.

"Whatever you like. I'm easy to talk to, as long as it's not too disgusting," Xing said casually.

"Thank you, Luming. I want to ask you something. Where did you get your transformation belt?" Kane asked the question he had been wanting to ask. "To create such a powerful weapon, you must have had support from an organization, right?"

The girl was taken aback and looked at him incredulously, only then realizing that Kane was incredibly serious at this moment, and even his aura was different from before.

Damn, this thing has entered serious Kaslana mode.

"First, Build isn't a weapon, although I've always used it as one. Its designers' original intention was for peace. Second, regarding which organization I belong to, that's a bit difficult to say, and I can't reveal the reasons. Third, young man, don't you know the saying, 'The more you know, the faster you die'?" Xing's tone gradually turned cold; she hated being...

"Uh..." Kane knew he lacked confidence. In the end, this was Luming's own business, and he really shouldn't have interfered too much.

But I'm so unwilling to accept this. I've already left that place, and I even met the transforming warrior I imagined. To just go back like this and forget all of this is so unacceptable.

Recalling the scene where Build Dragon Lock Form repelled the Jackal and saved him, the shock brought to him by the uniquely designed Build armor and its powerful strength is still unforgettable.

PS: Damn, I just realized I forgot to write about Kane's thoughts after meeting Build in that chapter!

"It's called Build, right?"

"That's right, it means creation and synthesis, Build, Kamen Rider Build."

P. S.: I prefer the mixed Chinese and English name: Kamen Rider Build.

"Kamen Rider ..." Kane murmured to himself, then, as if making a decision, he looked at the girl who was staring at him with a puzzled expression, took a deep breath, and his muscles tensed up suddenly—

(Right now, knock this frail idol Sachi unconscious and then... mmm!)

(Ohma Zi-O's Final Rider Kick! Fist Beyond Heaven! The time of his birth has come—to correct all things! His ultimate move—Serious Punch! (N more powerful moves omitted))

(Ahem, sorry, I wasn't paying attention and my narration got stolen again. Abyss Shadow, come help me out. Make this bastard watch Japanese adult films for a whole year! Also, lock him up with a bunch of big men!)

Under the shocked gaze of Xing, the boy knelt heavily on the ground, his hands supporting him, his head slamming against the hard ground. He pleaded, "I know this request is excessive and willful, but if I could have the power to transform like you, then I wouldn't have to be afraid of any World Serpent, right?"

He looked up at the stunned girl with the eyes of a desperate person grasping at a last straw. Blood trickled from the wound on his forehead, adding a touch of tragic beauty to his delicate face. "I want to be Kamen Rider! Please, Luming! I'll pay any price!"

Xing stared blankly at him, her teeth clenched, her body trembling uncontrollably. Looking at the boy kneeling on the ground, begging her to let him become Kamen Rider, she felt an inexplicable anger rising in her heart.

"... Get up." The deep voice came from the girl's mouth.

"I won't get up unless you agree. I'm going to die anyway, so I might as well take a gamble!" Kane's attitude was very firm.

"Have you forgotten the honor of Kaslana?!" Xing kicked him away, rubbed her sore little foot, and roared at him.

"To hell with honors, what's the use of that?!"

Whether it was because Xing had touched a nerve or not, Kane reflexively roared at her. In that instant, Xing saw a familiar emotion in his eyes: resentment, regret, despair, self-mockery, and helplessness...

The moment those words left his mouth, Kane regretted them. Luming's attitude towards him was already bad, and now it seemed like he had even less of a chance.

To his surprise, Xing closed her eyes, seemingly deep in thought. After a moment, she opened her eyes, her gaze calm and undisturbed.

"Any price is acceptable, isn't it?" she asked softly, looking at Kane was still kneeling on the ground.

"That's right! Even if it costs me my life, I don't care, but before that, please let me leave a will for my parents and Julia ... never mind, I don't need to leave one, let them just think I've disappeared." Kane's attitude was very firm, without the slightest hesitation in his eyes.

"Very well, then I'll give you a chance." The girl's lips curled into a smile as she took out a bracelet and tossed it to him. "This bracelet can add a filter to your appearance, making you look like a completely different person. Wear it, then come with me to your residence and bring your luggage. Then, get ready to face the test of becoming a knight."

After saying that, she put on an identical bracelet, then turned and left. Kane quickly put on the bracelet, got up from the ground, and followed the girl.

With the Smoke Gun developed by Jackal, Tesla improved the Build Driver, reducing the restrictions on its use significantly. However, ordinary Valkyrie still cannot use it, but natural Stigmata holders should have no problem.

However, this was not what Hsin wanted to test Kane on.

Author's Note—

A Honest Man quietly gave Kane a thumbs up~