Love Live and Kamen Rider 38

〖...Hmm, for a master like you right now, you are indeed quite weak, but we still have time to become stronger.〗

"Is that so? You know, Silver Phantom, this is the first time I've felt so powerless, so insignificant."

〖Master.〗

"But I won't give up that easily! After all, I'm the one who needs to be saved by my old man!"

Senba Gari, who had just managed to clear his head, was almost driven mad by the next sentence from Silver Phantom.

〖As expected of master, adjusting your emotions so quickly. I believe this is what you humans call being thick-skinned.〗

"Thick-skinned your head! Is that supposed to be a compliment!"

"Clatter."

〖Squeak~〗〖Woof~〗〖Squeak~〗

"Huh? What is this?"

Suddenly, Senba Gari noticed some strange noises coming from in front of him, and then three animal-shaped micro-robots appeared before his eyes.

The three micro-animal robots in front of Senba Gari seemed to be just like the Flame Sparrow he had seen before. One was shaped like a Mole and was brown, another was shaped like a dog and was gray, and the third was shaped like a bat and was purple. The robotic dog seemed to be holding a small bottle in its mouth; it placed the bottle into Senba Gari's hand, and then Silver Phantom's voice came through Senba Gari's earpiece.

〖Oh, it seems they have found you, master. Let me introduce them to you. All three of them, just like the Flame Sparrow, are part of the Beast God Cube. They are the Underworld Bat, the Shadow Dog, and the Digger Rat. The item in your hand is a pill that can quickly restore a portion of your spiritual power. However, there are only a few, so they can only be used for emergencies like today's situation.〗

"I see. A portion is enough. If I want to escape from here, I have to head upward."

As he spoke, Senba Gari swallowed the pill from the bottle.

〖Then I will meet you outside, master. Also, I have already transmitted the instructions for using these three to your brain via the earpiece.〗

"Understood."

Feeling a portion of his spiritual power recover within his body, Senba Gari cut off communication with Silver Phantom and then set off with the three Beast God Cube robots to find the exit to the floor above.

--Searching--

On the clothing floor of the collapsed department store, surrounded by victims, Eli Ayase was holding her younger sister Arisa tightly, soothing her trembling body, and speaking in a hoarse voice to Nozomi Tojo beside her.

"Nozomi, do you think we can still make it out?"

After hearing this, Nozomi Tojo took out a tarot card and said to Eli Ayase.

"Don't worry, Eli-chi. The tarot cards have told me that a knight will come to save us very soon."

Hearing Nozomi Tojo's words, Eli Ayase said with a bitter smile.

"A knight? Nozomi, have you been reading too many fairy tales? In this situation, it's very difficult for anyone to even find this place, let alone some knight."

"Big sister, do you think that big brother will come to save Arisa?"

Suddenly, Arisa, who was in her arms, had red-rimmed eyes, looking at Eli Ayase with eyes full of anticipation.

"This..."

Eli Ayase looked into Arisa's eyes, unable to bear breaking her expectations. After all, they were just lucky last time in Akihabara; they might never meet again. Nozomi Tojo, seeing Eli Ayase's dilemma, spoke up to Arisa.

"Don't worry, little Arisa, that big brother of yours will definitely come."

"Really!"

"Nozomi."

Unlike Arisa's anticipation, Eli Ayase felt somewhat depressed, as she felt her friend was just comforting Arisa. However, a sound from ahead drew everyone's attention.

"Boom!!!"

Right in front of everyone, the door to the safety exit, which had been blocked by the building's collapse, was suddenly forced open by a burst of strength. Everyone stared blankly at the two people who appeared from the other side of the door. One of them said to the boy beside him—a youth with black hair and black eyes, wearing strangely shaped glasses and two animal-shaped robots on his shoulders.

"Hey, Senba, are you really going to save everyone here?"

Hearing the words of the person beside him, Senba Gari replied.

"Well, I can't just watch them die, can I? Otherwise, you wouldn't be here with me."

"Tch."

However, when Nozomi Tojo and Arisa heard Senba Gari's voice, their eyes widened. Only Eli Ayase felt the voice was somewhat familiar. Then, Arisa's eyes filled with tears, and she left her sister's embrace, running quickly toward Senba Gari while shouting.

"Big brother!"

Knight and Delinquent

A few minutes ago, in the underground parking lot of the collapsed department store, Senba Gari looked at a stone pillar in front of him that was wedged into the ceiling, which had a large hole in it. He spoke to the three cube beasts on his shoulders.

"Oh my, oh my, I didn't expect my luck to be this good. If I went to buy a lottery ticket now, I might actually win. Don't you guys think so too?"

〖Squeak~〗〖Woof~〗〖Squeak~〗

The three cube beasts chirped helplessly, as if saying, 'Boss, you're overthinking it.'

Ignoring the subtext of the three little guys on his body, he hugged the stone pillar and climbed upward with all his might using both hands and feet. When he was almost at the top, Senba Gari reached out and grabbed the edge of the hole in the ceiling, then grabbed it with his other hand. With a powerful leap of his legs, Senba Gari jumped to the floor above.

"Phew~ Counting the underground parking lot, this building should have five floors, right? And if I remember correctly, this is the men's clothing section. I just don't know which floor will lead to an exit."

Senba Gari, who was originally thinking about how to escape, was suddenly drawn by a sound coming from not far away.

"Help! Is anyone there? My leg is pinned!"

"Hey, are you alright?"

Senba Gari followed the sound to a pile of rubble. Beneath the debris lay a boy in a black jacket with a red pompadour hairstyle—the very picture of a delinquent.

At that moment, the delinquent's leg was pinned under a broken stone pillar. He was pushing against it with both hands, trying to shove it away, but to no avail. When Senba Gari's voice rang out from nearby, the delinquent whipped his head around. Though he felt a surge of relief that someone had come to save him, his mouth betrayed him.

"Tch, took you long enough. I thought no one was coming. Hey, you, hurry up and help me move this pillar!"

"Huh!"

Senba Gari let out a strange noise and looked at the delinquent with a weird expression, thinking to himself, How can someone be so arrogant?

"What are you 'huh'-ing at? Hurry up! My leg is about to snap!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. You were just screaming for help a second ago, and now you're already barking orders."

Hearing the delinquent's commanding tone, Senba Gari muttered under his breath where the other couldn't hear him. He pulled a pair of black fingerless gloves from his pocket, which were etched with strange runes. As he pulled them on, the runes flickered with a faint blue light. He clenched his fist and spoke to the delinquent.

"I suggest you stay still. If I accidentally hurt you, don't blame me."

"Hey, what are you—"

"BOOM!" "CRASH!"

Just as the delinquent was about to say more, he was stunned to see Senba Gari shatter the section of the stone pillar pinning his leg with a single punch. He didn't notice the faint blue light flickering on Senba Gari's fist or the flash of exhaustion in his eyes as he broke the stone.

Senba Gari then turned to the stunned delinquent.

"First of all, my name isn't 'hey,' it's Senba Gari. And second, can you stand?"

As he spoke, Senba Gari reached out a hand toward the delinquent.

"Ah, oh! I, I think so."

Seemingly intimidated by what he had just witnessed, the delinquent dropped his arrogant tone and used "I," terrified that Senba Gari might hit him with that same force. He grabbed Senba Gari's hand and was pulled to his feet.

Senba Gari didn't continue the conversation. Instead, he looked up at the hole in the ceiling, then began gathering scattered men's clothes and pants from the surrounding area. Remembering something, he asked the delinquent beside him.

"Oh, right, what's your name?"

"Oh, I'm Kuryu Tenkeiji."

"I see. Then, Tenkeiji, do me a favor and help me tie these clothes and pants into a rope."

Once he knew the delinquent's name, Senba Gari dumped the pile of clothing in front of Kuryu Tenkeiji.

"Uh, hey, Senba, what's the point of doing this?"

Kuryu Tenkeiji asked, looking confused.

"Look up there. There's a big hole. If we throw a rope made of these clothes up there and hook it around that protruding rock, we might be able to climb out."

Hearing the question, Senba Gari pointed to the large hole in the ceiling.

"Oh, I see. Alright, I'll get right on it."

Understanding the plan, Kuryu Tenkeiji joined Senba Gari in tying the clothes together.

A short while later, Senba Gari tossed the makeshift rope upward, looping it around the protruding stone. He gave it a tug to ensure it was secure, and then he and Kuryu Tenkeiji took turns climbing up.

Once they reached the top, a new problem arose.

"Hey, Senba, what do we do now?"

Kuryu Tenkeiji looked at the exit, which was blocked by fallen debris, and then at the deformed door in front of them. He looked at Senba Gari with hopeful eyes; after all, his performance earlier had given Kuryu Tenkeiji a glimmer of hope for survival.

"Let me check the situation inside first."

Hearing this, Senba Gari walked up to the door and held his hand out toward the Underworld Bat. The Underworld Bat understood his intent and transformed into a pair of bat-shaped goggles with purple frames and blue lenses. Senba Gari put them on.

Through the goggles, Senba Gari saw many victims trapped behind the door, and the other side of the door wasn't blocked. He stepped back slightly. Kuryu Tenkeiji watched him with a puzzled expression, thinking:

Is he planning to kick that deformed door open? No way... wait, he absolutely would, wouldn't he!

Recalling how Senba Gari had shattered the stone pillar with just his fist, kicking the door open seemed entirely possible.

Senba Gari spun in place, channeling spiritual power into his raised right foot.

"BOOM!!!"

The door flew open at the force of his kick. The people inside stared intently at Senba Gari and Kuryu Tenkeiji. Kuryu Tenkeiji looked at the people inside, frowned slightly, and said to Senba Gari:

"Hey, Senba, are you really going to save everyone in here?"

Senba Gari replied:

"Well, I can't just stand by and watch them die. Otherwise, you wouldn't be standing here with me right now."

Senba Gari's words left Kuryu Tenkeiji with no rebuttal; if Senba Gari had ignored those in need earlier, he would have been left to die.

"Tch."

Suddenly, a crisp voice interrupted their conversation.

"Big brother!"

A sudden attack!

"Big brother!"

A crisp yet slightly raspy voice caught the attention of Senba Gari and his companion. When Senba Gari heard the sound, he felt a sense of familiarity, but no sooner had he turned around than he was suddenly tackled by a hug from Arisa.

"Waaah."

"Hiss-" x2

However, as Senba Gari was caught off guard by Arisa's embrace, he lost his footing and fell to the ground with her. The impact aggravated his injured left hand, and the tumble also jarred the injured leg of Kuryu Tenkeiji, causing both of them to gasp in pain.

After Arisa looked up and saw the pained expression on Senba Gari's face, she scrambled off him in a panic and asked cautiously.

"Big brother, are you okay? Did Arisa hurt you?"

Seeing Arisa get up and ask if he was injured, and knowing she hadn't done it on purpose, Senba Gari stood up and gently patted her head with his uninjured right hand before asking with a puzzled expression.

"I'm fine. Also, little one, do we know each other?"

Upon hearing Senba Gari's question, Arisa said with a trembling voice.

"Big brother, have you forgotten about Arisa? Have you forgotten how you saved me from the monster in Akihabara that day?!"

Arisa's slightly shaking voice and her words reminded Senba Gari of the little girl he had rescued from the Lion Mlortha amidst the chaos in Akihabara that day. The blurry image of that little girl in his memory suddenly sharpened; the girl in his memory was the very same one standing before him.

Senba Gari looked at Arisa, his voice filled with excitement.

"You're that little girl from that day?!"

"Mm! That's great, so you do remember me, big brother! Arisa thought you had forgotten me."

Hearing Senba Gari's words, Arisa excitedly hugged him again, but two voices from nearby interrupted them.

"Oh my, I didn't expect you to have this kind of hobby, Senba."

"Arisa! Can you tell me who this person is?"

Senba Gari looked up and saw Kuryu Tenkeiji watching him with a mischievous grin while he was still being hugged by Arisa. Behind Arisa stood Nozoi Tojo with her purple twin-tails and Eli Ayase with her blonde ponytail. Eli Ayase was glaring at him aggressively, her eyes locked onto his as if she wanted to devour him. Seeing the look in her eyes, Senba Gari thought innocently to himself.

Hey, hey, miss, I don't think I've provoked you. You chased me away last time, and now you're looking at me like you want to eat me—what's going on?! And that shrine maiden over there, stop laughing and hurry up and pull your best friend back!

However, Arisa, still in Senba Gari's arms, did not notice the awkward atmosphere and instead pulled Senba Gari toward Eli Ayase, saying happily.