Na'er was somewhat concerned about that draconic presence that had surprised her.
Before long, however, the grilled meat took over her attention again.
Thanks to Zhou Yang's superb grilling skills, Na'er polished off every last bit of the delicious, spicy, numbing rabbit meat.
Savoring the rabbit meat's distinctive tenderness and freshness, its soft fibers, Na'er could not help humming happily over and over.
Hearing Na'er sound as though the food was so good she had to cry out, Zhou Yang could not help wondering whether he had put something strange in his rabbit meat.
That's weird. I'm pretty sure I'm not some Medicine King, am I?
Still, watching Na'er savor it with such blissful delight, Zhou Yang also felt a peaceful warmth.
Seeing someone else lavish praise on the food he had made pleased Zhou Yang in both body and mind. It was also the greatest affirmation of his cooking skills.
So this was what they called a chef's happiness, huh?
After the meal, the two tidied up the cave a little. With Zhou Yang's maxed-out wilderness survival skills, they naturally did not have to put themselves through any hardship.
Under his skilled hands, a simple little sleeping mat came into being.
Crude though it was, it was still quite comfortable to sleep on.
The two divided up the night watch, with Zhou Yang taking the first half and Na'er taking the second.
That night, Zhou Yang walked out of the cave and looked up at the stars filling the sky. A card deck bearing a bat emblem appeared in his hand.
He summoned a Mirror Monster that was also a denizen of the Mirror World and Kamen Rider Knight's Contract Beast: Darkwing Bat.
The enormous bat hung upside down in front of the cave entrance, occasionally flying out to patrol the surroundings and scout for enemies for Zhou Yang.
His enormous wings beat without a sound, like a knight of the night turned phantom, watching over them.
As a fellow creature of the Mirror World, Darkwing Bat had naturally enjoyed a feast alongside Dragreder that day. Zhou Yang had not favored one over the other.
Seeing Darkwing Bat work with an enthusiasm that rivaled Dragreder's, looking ready to bow his head and wear himself to the bone for his boss, Zhou Yang could hardly imagine what kind of life he had led before.
Look how badly Ren had starved the poor kid.
Under Darkwing Bat's protection, the two naturally passed a peaceful night.
Na'er, however, seemed to be sleeping too soundly and still had not woken when her turn came.
Watching Na'er drool in her sleep and giggle as though she were dreaming of something delicious, Zhou Yang did not disturb her again. He had already called Darkwing Bat out to help keep watch anyway, so she did not necessarily have to stand guard.
Luckily, he had made an extra mat as a spare. Lying down on it, he closed his eyes, slowly emptied his mind, and sank into a dream.
In the dream, Zhou Yang retained the appearance he had had before falling asleep, after canceling his transformation.
Today's dream was somewhat special, however. Instead of making him fight nightmares as usual, it placed him in a chaotic, distorted world of mirrors.
"Haven't you played your sham hero game long enough?"
The abrupt voice caught Zhou Yang's attention, and he looked toward its source.
There, within the reflection, he saw another version of himself looking at him with a peculiar smile.
"Seriously, dude, this is an event too?" Seeing his other self, Zhou Yang roughly guessed how the plot would unfold.
"I am you, the one who understands you better than anyone else in this world."
"Stop!" Listening to his other self ramble on, Zhou Yang could not resist interrupting with a quip.
"...I'll save you the rest of the spiel. Don't tell me this is the whole fake-you-wants-to-replace-the-real-me routine?"
"Hmph. Such arrogant nonchalance. Soon, you won't be able to laugh."
Mirror Zhou Yang took out a Zi-O Ridewatch and transformed on the spot.
Kamen Rider Zi-O descended, but everything was the reverse of his own. Whether it was his movements, his attire, or the actions of his transformation, everything corresponded to Zhou Yang's, as though he were a reflection in a mirror.
But Zhou Yang was no pushover either. Faced with Mirror Zhou Yang's provocation, he transformed without hesitation and faced his other self.
"A rotten orange is still a rotten orange. A fake reflection can never replace the real me!"
Zhou Yang had originally thought it would be a grueling battle. Who could have known that when they actually clashed-
"Aaargh!"
Going all out, Zhou Yang beat Mirror Zhou Yang back into his original form within just a few exchanges, leaving him collapsed on the ground.
Huh? Were Mirror World knockoffs really this lame?
He remembered a certain little demon king getting thoroughly drilled by his Mirror World self back then.
Just as he was puzzling over this, Mirror Zhou Yang took advantage of his distraction and fled in a panic after playing dead, never letting up on his threats.
"Damn it, what's with this power? It's practically cheating."
"Don't think you've won just because of this!"
"I'll keep haunting you until I replace you!"
Zhou Yang answered Mirror Zhou Yang with the Time Zikan Girade in his hand. The shot instantly sent him flying backward, but he quickly rolled to his feet in some bizarre fashion and kept running.
Zhou Yang hurried after him, but his opponent had already fled quite a distance. With identical equipment, the two maintained a delicate, shifting gap as they began a chase through this world.
The following day, Zhou Yang opened his eyes and woke on the spare mat. The first thing out of his mouth was a curse:
"Fuck, that marathon-running bastard. I'm speechless!"
In last night's dream, since they wore the same Zi-O Armor, his opponent had escaped by exploiting the distance he had gained when Zhou Yang let his guard down.
Even chasing with all his might, he had failed to catch him. Only just before the dream ended, when his Mirror World knockoff's body began to dissipate, did the incident come to a temporary close.
Zhou Yang was a little muddled, unable to understand what purpose that dream had served.
Was it something like a prophetic dream, or was that some nightmare disguised as him?
Forget it. Doesn't matter. Just forget about it.
After all, he was just a loser who went down in a few punches. If Zhou Yang had not spaced out then and had instead pinned him to the ground and kept punching, he did not believe that marathon-running bastard could still have escaped.
Next time I see him, I'll definitely beat every last snack out of him.
Beside him, Na'er also woke from her sleep at the sound of Zhou Yang's voice. Still groggy, she rubbed her eyes, a little drool from her dreams lingering at the corner of her mouth.
Seeing Zhou Yang worked up over something she did not understand, she gradually grew more alert. Feeling the sunlight shining into the cave, she realized something.
"Sorry, Brother Yang. I forgot."
She remembered that she was supposed to take over for the second half of the night. She had not expected it to be daylight already.
They had clearly agreed to take turns keeping watch, yet she had slept blissfully while someone else watched over them the whole night. How could she not feel embarrassed? Her cheeks flushed, full of shame.
"It's fine. I got some rest too. With a Spirit Soul around, it can take my place."
Zhou Yang waved it off without dwelling on it, got up, and packed up their things, ready to set off again.
"Let's go. We'll head deeper in today and see if there are any powerful Soul Beasts."
"Mm."