Love Live and Kamen Rider 50

"No, Silver Phantom, don't you think that eagle, Mlortha, hasn't appeared for the past few days?"

〖...Perhaps it's because the injuries it sustained during our last battle haven't healed yet. After all, if Ghost Samurai Muramasa, one of the seven-HBRUTE, hadn't suddenly intervened, that Mlortha might have already been eliminated.〗

"I hope so. I just feel that ever since I obtained the Beast Soul Driver and became Kamen Rider Divine, everything has been far more complicated than we imagined." Senba Gari looked at his slightly trembling left hand, and then Silver Phantom spoke up again.

〖Although I don't know what the future holds, Master, don't you humans have a saying? "How can one see a rainbow without going through the storm?" So, I believe that you, Master, can definitely overcome any difficulty!〗

"Is that so? Heh, thanks, Phantom. I always need you to comfort me."

〖You're welcome. Just provide me with some machine oil tonight, and we'll be even.〗

"Tell me, is there anything in that brain of yours besides machine oil?!" Senba Gari retorted.

〖Yes!〗

"Uh, what?" The firm tone of Silver Phantom made Senba Gari curious.

〖Smart chips and mechanical parts!〗

"...You make a compelling point. What else can I say?"

〖Master, do you feel any better now?〗

"Thanks to you, it's a miracle I wasn't angered to death." Senba Gari rolled his eyes and said.

〖Tsk, and yet you're still alive.〗

"Do you want me dead that badly?! Honestly."

Although Senba Gari was speaking in anger, the corners of his mouth were constantly curling upward.

However, Senba Gari did not notice that in the distance, a pair of eyes was staring at him intently.

--Scene Change--

Meanwhile, in a hall within a temple ruin located in the rift between space and time, five of the seven-HBRUTE were standing quietly on either side of the center of the hall. Those five seven-HBRUTE were Ghost Samurai Muramasa, Spider General Naraku, Snake Beauty Medusa, the tentacle... ahem, Deep Sea Kraken, and the Hellhound Cerberus.

Before long, a figure shaped like a humanoid Western dragon slowly walked to the top of the temple hall. With a hideous, terrifying dragon head, sharp claws, and a suit of menacing black armor with a cape draped over its back, it was one of the seven-HBRUTE and their leader, Black Dragon Hodnig.

Then, Hodnig scanned the area below and, noticing the absence of Hagoromo Gitsune, spoke up to ask Medusa.

[Medusa, where is Hagoromo Gitsune?]

[Leader, you know Hagoromo's personality. She doesn't belong to the same world as us, so she wouldn't possibly come for something like this.] Medusa, still in her human form as a mature woman, said to Hodnig.

At this moment, Naraku, wearing bone-white armor resembling that of an ancient samurai, spoke up with disdain.

[Hmph! An outcast like her isn't even fit to stand among us! An outcast is an outcast; she is fundamentally different from the nobility created by our Creator. Those outcasts are nothing more than our lowly slaves.]

However, it was soon silenced, as a crimson katana was pressed against its neck. Turning its head, it saw Muramasa holding his blade against Naraku's throat, his tone dark and gloomy.

[Tell me, who is a slave!]

[Oh, oh, it seems our General Naraku is courting death.]

[Hmph! I've long found it unpleasant. It always relies on being one of the Creator's confidants to act as if it's superior. Muramasa, go! Cut off its spider head!]

[That's right, that's right! Has it forgotten that our samurai lord is also one of the "outcasts" it speaks of?]

On the side, Cerberus, wearing black half-armor, had its three heads constantly egging Muramasa on to cut Naraku down.

[That's right, Cerberus is correct. Little spider, sister warns you: you'd best not speak ill of Hagoromo again, otherwise, hehe~] Medusa also threatened Naraku from the side.

As for Kraken, it stood silently in place and fell asleep.

"Bang!"

[Enough! What kind of behavior is this?! If our Creator were to see this, what would it think? Our mission now is to complete the "task" the Creator has entrusted to me!]

[Yes, I understand.] Naraku retreated with some reluctance, and Muramasa sheathed his blade.

Medusa and Cerberus also stepped back. As for Kraken? Heh, that guy was still sleeping.

[Muramasa, you faced the new wearer of Divine last time. How is his strength?]

[He was defeated by the blade aura I unleashed, and he seems to have yet to fully master the power of those five "traitors."]

[Is that so? Well, that's fine. It will make it easier for us to complete the "task" the Creator has given us. By the way, Medusa, how is that human now?] Hodnig asked Medusa again.

[ "Him"? He has already been used by our allies as one of the test subjects for the Seed of Original Sin.]

[Excellent! The day we liberate the Creator from the seals set by those foolish ants will be the day we return to our dark age! I will let those ants know that all of this has only just begun.]

Morning Exercise

In the evening, because Honoka Kosaka wanted to create songs for her group, she specifically invited Umi Sonoda and Kotori Minami to her house. Originally, Honoka Kosaka also wanted to invite Senba Gari, but she was refused by Senba Gari on the grounds that he was busy tonight.

Then, Umi Sonoda entered the sweet shop directly through the front door.

"Ara, welcome." As soon as Umi Sonoda entered the shop, she saw Honoka Kosaka's mother, Yukiho Kousaka, tasting their own sweets.

"Good evening, is Honoka here?"

"She's upstairs. Ah, would you like to eat some dango?" Yukiho Kousaka wiped her hands with a towel.

"No thank you, I have to lose weight now."

Umi walked to the second floor.

Hmm... I wonder how Honoka and the others are doing with the song.

Umi Sonoda arrived at Honoka Kosaka's room and slid the door open.

"Thanks for your hard work practicing." As soon as Umi entered, she was greeted by Honoka Kosaka and Kotori Minami. However, the two who had just been talking about going on a diet were now leisurely eating dango.

"Oh, you're here. Want some dango?"

"I'll pour you some tea~"

Seeing the two of them like this, Umi Sonoda's eyebrow twitched a few times. Umi Sonoda walked over to the seat opposite Kotori Minami, sat down, and then glanced at the two of them.

"You two, what about your diet?"

"Waaaaah!" Having forgotten such an important matter, the two looked at each other in a panic.

"You have absolutely no intention of putting in the effort, do you?" Umi Sonoda sighed. "So, how is the song coming along?"

"Well, there's a first-year girl who is really good at singing and can also play the piano, so composing shouldn't be a problem for her. We're planning to go ask her tomorrow."

"If she's willing to compose for us, then the lyrics shouldn't be a problem either. We were just talking about that."

"No problem at all?" Umi Sonoda was a little worried.

"Yeah, right?"

"Yeah!"

Honoka Kosaka and Kotori Minami looked at each other, then leaned toward Umi.

"Hehehe~"

"W-what are you doing?"

"Umi, you used to write poems when you were in middle school, back when you were going through that phase, right~"

"Eh?" Having her dark history dug up, Umi was a bit flustered.

"You stopped doing it later, right~"

Having guessed what they were plotting, Umi Sonoda scooted a distance away and then bolted out of the room.

"She's running away!"

"Stop it! Let me go back."

"Umi, come on~"

"I don't want to!"

Then, Kotori Minami, who had been watching from the side, stepped forward and grabbed Umi Sonoda.

"Umi, don't be like that~"

"Aaaaaah, let me go!"

The two of them finally managed to drag Umi Sonoda back into the room.

"I refuse!"

"Eh? Why, why?"

"Absolutely not. Middle school and all that... it's so embarrassing I don't even want to think about it."

"Don't you always say, 'To be an idol, don't be afraid of making a fool of yourself'?" Honoka Kosaka walked over to Umi Sonoda and said.

"I never said that!"

"But making the costumes is already super exhausting..." Kotori Minami said, looking troubled.

"Isn't there still Honoka?" Then Umi Sonoda looked at Honoka Kosaka. "You were the one who brought this up."

"Well~ as for me."

[Manju, warabi-mochi, I'm already sick of them!]

Honoka Kosaka recalled a poem she had written in elementary school and found it a bit unbearable to look back on.

"Don't you think that's a bit difficult?" Kotori Minami also questioned.

"Uh, well..."

"Please, Umi, you're the only one who can write the lyrics."

"We'll help too! Even if it's just a few lines, it'll be fine."

"Umi..." Kotori placed her right hand over her chest, slowly closed her eyes, and then slowly opened them again. Then.

"I'm begging you~!"

Such a powerful plea, yet without any harsh words—an incredibly seductive voice echoed in Umi's mind, stimulating her, further stimulating her, until all her neural pathways were instantly thrown into chaos. A powerful electric current spread through every part of her body, and the intense shock caused Umi to widen her eyes in embarrassment.

No! Umi, you must hold out! You cannot fall into the endless abyss! (It's okay~ just fall! Maiden!)

But!

"Honestly, you're so cunning, Kotori."

"Great!" the two said, relieved.

"I knew you would say that~" Honoka Kosaka happily placed both hands on Umi Sonoda's shoulders.

"However." Umi Sonoda stood up, looking down at the two of them with a serious gaze, "I will be the one to create the practice schedule leading up to the LIVE."

"A practice schedule?" ×2

Exchanging words from time to time

The laptop was playing the music PV for A-RISE. Honoka Kosaka and Kotori Minami were carefully observing their movements, while Umi Sonoda stood behind them and spoke.

"They look like they're singing happily, but their bodies are constantly in motion."

In our respective places, thinking of each other

"Maintaining a smile at all times."

Elevating each other's day

"That requires plenty of stamina." Umi Sonoda continued to explain from behind, coordinating with the video.

〖What'cha do what'cha do? I do private wars〗

"Honoka, can you do a push-up?"

Look, holding both justice and cunning in hand

"Like this?" Honoka Kosaka lay on the floor, supporting her upper body with her hands.

"And then, show a smile."

"Like this?" Honoka Kosaka flashed a simple, smiling face at Umi.

"Can you keep doing push-ups while doing that?"

Honoka slowly lowered her body, and her originally smiling expression began to twist unnaturally, her eyebrows twitching.

"Ugh, uwaa!" Unable to support herself any longer, Honoka collapsed onto the floor, her nose slamming hard against it. "It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!!" Honoka clutched her nose with tears in her eyes and rolled around on the floor, but Umi paid her no mind.