Divine was so furious he could barely contain himself. Just as he was wondering how to vent his anger, the eagle Mlortha clutched the money bag in its beak with its talons and shouted at them.
[Hey! Did you come here to do stand-up comedy or something? Let me tell you, I'm very busy! I make hundreds of thousands of yen an hour!]
"Who cares how many hundreds of thousands of yen you make an hour?! Do you have to be so open about robbing a bank?! I'm in a terrible mood right now, and since you're still here, I'm going to take it out on you!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Divine beat the flaming wings on his back and charged toward Mlortha. Just before he reached the eagle, he raised the Flame Feather Blade and slashed diagonally at it. Mlortha dodged by rising into the air, but was hit by a blue energy blast Silver Phantom suddenly fired. Seeing this, Divine flew upward and slashed at Mlortha from below.
Seeing that the situation was turning against it, Mlortha hurled the money bag from its talons at Divine, then quickly flew high into the sky. Its figure disappeared into the clouds.
Divine had been about to slash at Mlortha, but instead cut a huge hole in the money bag the eagle had thrown at him. Then Divine and Silver Phantom were both blinded by the bills spilling out in a shower, allowing Mlortha to escape.
When Divine and Silver Phantom tried to look for Mlortha again, they couldn't even find a single feather. Divine turned around and saw Silver Phantom counting the few bills in his hand, then demanded,
"Where did you get that money?!"
When the money spilled out of the bag, I figured it was better to pick it up than let someone else find it on the ground. Besides, no one saw me, so I just picked up the bills that floated near me.
"...How much did you pick up?!"
Exactly five thousand, master.
(Me: Wasn't this supposed to be Kamen Rider?! Weren't you supposed to be superheroes?! What the heck are you doing?! (╯°Д°)╯︵┻━┻
Senba Gari: I don't have the money to buy equipment for a power-up, so I'm stuck with the starter gear! You want me to go and get myself killed?! ╮(￣⊿￣)╭
Silver Phantom: Master, just tell the truth. We're running out of money for food, aren't we? →_→
Me: ...Suddenly, I feel kind of sorry for you. →_→
Senba Gari: ...Tch, I only just became a teacher, so I haven't gotten paid yet. It's not like I want to! ㄟ(▔ ,▔)ㄏ)
A Day of Frustration
Near the bank in Chiyoda City, Senba Gari sat astride Silver Phantom in motorcycle form, silently watching the people cleaning up the mess in the distance. Suddenly, a melodious ringtone sounded from his pocket. Senba unlocked his phone and raised it to his ear.
"Hello, who is this?"
"Little Gari, would you like to tell Aunt Minami why you haven't been answering my calls?" Kotori Minami's voice came through the phone. Her tone was somewhat ominous, and Senba broke into a cold sweat.
"Ah, haha. Did I? I—I didn't get any calls!"
Master, I just checked your phone's missed-call history. There are five calls. They were probably made while we were fighting.
Senba broke into an even heavier sweat after hearing Silver Phantom's reminder.
"Um, Aunt Minami, let me explain!"
Before Senba could finish, Kotori Minami cut him off.
"Little Gari! I don't care what you're doing. Get back here and teach! Right now! Immediately! Do you hear me?!"
"Yes! I'll go back and teach right away!"
"Good. That's more like it. Beep—"
With that, Kotori Minami hung up.
"Phew! Good grief, is Aunt Minami going through menopause or something? She's getting scarier and scarier."
Senba breathed a sigh of relief, then rode Silver Phantom toward Otonokizaka.
On the way, Senba said to Silver Phantom,
"Phantom, look up that birdman's recent movements and information for me. I need it."
Understood, master.
--Just passing by--
During lunch break, beneath a large tree in the center of Otonokizaka's courtyard, Honoka Kosaka was eating with Umi Sonoda and Minami Kotori.
"Seriously, Gari-nii disappeared again?" Minami Kotori said, sounding a little displeased.
"Kotori, I'm curious. What kind of person is that new teacher, Senba?" Honoka asked curiously.
"Honoka, isn't it a little shameless to ask about some strange man?" Umi looked at Honoka sternly.
"Well, I'm just curious about the new teacher. Aren't you curious too, Umi?" As she spoke, Honoka kept looking Umi in the eyes.
"Um, I am curious, but it's still a little..." Apparently embarrassed by Honoka's stare, Umi turned away, her cheeks slightly red.
"If you're curious, then that settles it! So, Kotori, hurry up and tell us."
"Hey! Honoka, are you even listening to me?"
"Actually, there's not much to it. Gari-nii and I grew up knowing each other because our mothers knew each other. The first time I met him, I was five, and he was only seven. From then on, he looked after me like an older brother." As she spoke, Kotori's eyes filled with nostalgia. "Whenever other kids bullied me, Gari-nii would always stand up for me and get back at them. And when I was feeling down, he'd always make me laugh. So I've always thought of him as my older brother. But later, because of an accident, Gari-nii left here with his father when he was eight."
"Wow, I had no idea Teacher Senba was such a nice person. I'm so jealous, Kotori—you have an older brother like that! Right, Umi?" After listening to Minami Kotori, Honoka gazed at her with stars in her eyes.
"Yeah, though Teacher Senba did seem a little scatterbrained earlier." Umi suddenly remembered how the girls in their class had nearly driven Senba Gari to the brink of collapse with their questions, and couldn't help thinking he was a little scatterbrained.
"Haha, really? Gari-nii can be a little mischievous and scatterbrained sometimes, but he's a really good person." As she spoke, Minami Kotori remembered how scatterbrained Senba Gari had been when he introduced himself to Honoka and Umi earlier, and her expression turned a little awkward too.
"Ah-choo! Weird. Who's talking about me?"
Suddenly, a voice in front of them caught their attention. They looked up and saw Senba Gari about to walk past. He noticed them too, so he greeted them.
"Hey, it's nearly time for class. Why are you still here?"
"Gari-nii, where did you run off to this time?"
"Me? I just had something urgent to take care of, so don't ask about it, little girl~" As he spoke, Senba ruffled Minami Kotori's hair. Honestly, it felt really nice.
"Okay, class is about to start. You should hurry back to your classroom. I need to head to the third-years' class too." Senba lowered his hand and spoke to the three girls.
"Oh, Gari-nii, are you going to walk home with us after school?"
"No, I rode here on my motorcycle, and I have something to do, so sorry."
"Okay. Come on, Honoka, let's go." Minami Kotori's eyes flickered with disappointment at Senba Gari's refusal.
With that, Minami Kotori left with Honoka and Umi.
At the entrance to Class 3-A, Senba Gari hesitated. To be honest, he was scared now. He didn't even want to imagine what would happen if it happened again.
"Forget it! Whatever's coming is coming!"
With that, Senba opened the door and walked in. He looked around to see the entire class staring at him. Eli Ayase and Nozomi Tojo were looking at him too. There was a strange smile on Nozomi's face, but he didn't pay it any mind. He walked up to the front and addressed the girls.
"Hello. I'm sure you've heard already, but I'm Senba Gari, the new world history teacher who arrived today. It's nice to meet you. Now, let's begin class."
We'll skip the lesson that followed. Senba was relieved to finally have some breathing room, but then class ended.
"Teacher..."
"Teacher..."
"Teacher..."
"I was wrong! I really was wrong! I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. I'm going crazy today! Somebody save me!"
Surrounded by the girls before him, Senba Gari begged for help with a frantic look on his face.
Suddenly, a small hand grabbed him and pulled him out.
Instant kill! Defeated! Seven-HBrute Ghost Samurai Muramasa!
"Phew! High school girls these days are terrifying. Oh, and thanks for your help."
Outside Otonokizaka's main gate, Senba Gari spoke to Eli Ayase and Nozomi Tojo beside him.
"It's nothing. You helped me before, so I'm returning the favor. Now we're even." Eli Ayase still spoke to Senba in a cold, curt tone.
Hearing Eli's words, Senba helplessly lifted his right hand, which she was still holding.
"Is that so? But could you please stop holding your teacher's hand, Miss Eli Ayase?"
As he spoke, Senba gave Eli a slight smirk. Her pretty face flushed, and she hurriedly let go of his hand.
"Oh my, Eli, your face is so red~" Nozomi watched Eli's flustered face with a mischievous smile.
"W-What are you talking about, Nozomi? You must be seeing things!" Eli said to Nozomi, flustered.
"Is that so~? So I must be seeing things. Then, Teacher Senba, would you like to escort these two beautiful girls home~?" Nozomi looked at Senba with a suggestive expression.
"Who goes around calling herself beautiful? Though you really are beautiful, I came here on my motorcycle, and I have something to do, so I'll leave you two to it. Bye." With that, Senba ran across the road and rode away on Silver Phantom.
"Honestly, Nozomi? What's wrong?" Disappointedly watching Senba disappear into the distance, Eli turned around and saw Nozomi still staring after him, so she asked.
"Ah, ah, it's nothing. Come on, Eli, let's go." Nozomi took Eli's hand and walked briskly away, but inwardly she wondered, That motorcycle looks familiar. Well, there can't be only one motorcycle like that in the whole world. It's probably just a coincidence.
"Nozomi, slow down! I can barely keep up with you," Eli complained, struggling to match Nozomi's pace.
--A seasoned rider passes by--
At a traffic light, Senba Gari stopped on Silver Phantom and waited for the light to change. Silver Phantom suddenly spoke.
Master, the enemy's made another move. I've displayed the coordinates.
"Tch, do monsters really have to be so dedicated? We just dealt with it this morning, and now it's already dusk! Can't it stay home and count its money? Why come out again? Doesn't that birdman ever get tired?" Senba complained irritably after hearing Silver Phantom's words.
Master, we just took back the money we robbed from it this morning, so it has no money to count.
"...Do you have to make fun of me?" Senba was speechless at Silver Phantom's comment, but he turned around and headed for the coordinates Silver Phantom had just displayed.
--Counting money, counting money--
When Senba reached the coordinates Silver Phantom had given him, he saw Mlortha robbing a jewelry store. Senba got off Silver Phantom and looked around. Seeing that no one was there, he pulled a card with a red pattern from his pocket.
"Phantom, I'll leave the outside to you. Manifest!"
As soon as Senba finished speaking, a silver flash appeared at his waist, and the silver-white Beast Soul Driver materialized there.
"Transform!"
Then he inserted the red-patterned card into the right side of the Beast Soul Driver. The screen displayed an image of Garuda, a bird-headed human-bodied figure, and the Beast God Driver made several synthesized mechanical sounds.
Vehicle armour appear (Armour manifest)
As the first mechanical sound faded, crimson armour silhouettes appeared around Senba's body.
armed (Armour up)
After the second mechanical sound rang out, the crimson armour silhouettes covered Senba in armour.
Divine Garuda (Garuda)
Once his transformation was complete, Divine moved his mind, flipping over the two golden claws attached to his arm. Then he charged straight into the jewelry store.
"Rrrip!"
"Screee!"
Before Mlortha could recover, Divine clawed at its wing. Mlortha let out a cry of pain.
[You bastard! You again! I'll kill you!]
It turned and saw Divine, then beat its wings. Several brown feather arrows shot out from them.
"Shhk! Shhk! Shhk! Shhk! Shhk!"
"Ugh!"
Although Divine shielded his vitals with his arms, several of the feather arrows struck his body, sparking against his armour.
"I can't fight properly in here. I have to get it outside. I've got it! Looks like I'll have to work in demolition today."
As he spoke, Divine took a card with an orange-yellow pattern from the Card Box on the right side of his waist, then inserted it into the right side of the Beast Soul Driver. Several mechanical sounds rang out.
Armor conversion (Armour conversion)
After the first mechanical sound faded, the red armour on Divine's body dissolved into red specks of light, revealing a black Base Body. Orange-yellow armour silhouettes appeared around his body.
armed (Armour up)
Then the orange-yellow armour silhouettes covered Senba in armour as the second mechanical sound faded.
Divine King Kong
"Gravity Magnetic Field."
"Boom!"
The brown compound eyes of Divine, now covered in heavy armour, glowed brown. Then a Gravity Magnetic Field formed around him. Everything nearby sank inward, and cracks spread across the ground. Mlortha was forced to the ground as well, and cracks spread across the earth around it.
Divine shook his head, suddenly feeling a little dizzy, then slowly walked up to Mlortha. He raised his right leg back, then kicked it down toward the eagle's face.
"Bang!"
Before you continue