The second day of guard duty.
Early that morning, the sun rose in the east, and a ray of dawn slipped through the window, bathing the room in a warm, golden glow. Morning birds chirped among the flowering trees, and dew-covered green leaves gleamed translucently in the dawn light. The morning mist around the trees gradually thinned, and sunlight streaming through the window filled the room with brightness.
A villa district on the outskirts of Tokyo.
Ring, ring! Ring, ring!
A phone rang insistently.
Click!
"Hello?"
"Hello, this is Satoru Gojo. Amaha, come on, let's go to Okinawa!" Satoru Gojo's energetic voice came through the phone.
"Not going. Sleeping."
"Come on, come on."
"I refuse. Goodbye."
"All right, then. I guess I'll just have to send these premium cigarettes I took from the Gojo Clan back."
"...Where?"
"The airport. Waiting for you, Amaha-chan~"
Click! The call ended.
Igarashi Amaha rubbed his eyes, which still wouldn't open all the way. "You really know how to bribe someone."
His gaze gradually cleared. Sunlight fell through the window and spilled over him like gold, bringing warmth. He moved his neck, and his cervical joints gave a faint crack, as though his entire body were coming back to life in the stillness.
Click!
"Whew, I'm alive again. Never staying up late again." Igarashi Amaha lit a cigarette and walked over to the window in his boxers, looking at the peaceful scenery outside.
On that lazy summer day, cicadas called endlessly, and green leaves had formed a canopy of shade. Occasionally, a breeze passed through, making the emerald foliage sway and rustle. Everything was so beautiful that Igarashi Amaha could hardly imagine how great watching Kamen Rider in such a pleasant setting would be. Unfortunately, all of it had been shattered by a phone call from an idiot. There was no helping it; he was offering a little too much.
Revived, Igarashi Amaha quickly washed up, then went downstairs, picked a Kawasaki motorcycle at random, and headed out. He had dressed simply that day: a loose, custom-made short-sleeved shirt on top and a pair of pale white shorts below. His perfect muscle definition was exposed, adding a touch of youthful vitality.
Vroom, vroom! Vroom!
The motorcycle roared like a beast.
Igarashi Amaha released the clutch and shot forward like a sharp sword.
Half an hour later, at the airport.
Satoru Gojo, Suguru Geto, Riko Amanai, and Kuroi were waiting for Igarashi Amaha at the airport entrance, bored out of their minds.
"Why isn't that guy with the weak kidneys here yet?" Riko Amanai sat on a suitcase, swinging her legs nonstop.
Hearing that, Kuroi hurriedly covered Riko Amanai's mouth. She glanced around nervously, then whispered, "Miss, I've told you so many times not to say things like that anymore. That man isn't as good-tempered as those two. He really has an awful temper. One disagreement and he'll crush someone's head."
"Oh? Really?" Just then, a flippant voice sounded beside Kuroi's ear.
"Really, that guy... uh... n-no way." Kuroi abruptly stopped talking. Her face pale, she slowly turned her head, and sure enough, Igarashi Amaha's flawlessly handsome face came into view.
"Long time no see, Miss Maid Who Likes Talking Behind People's Backs." Igarashi Amaha straightened up and looked down at Kuroi, who was much shorter than him.
Kuroi forced a stiff smile, quietly edging toward Suguru Geto as she spoke. "Ahahaha, yes, it's been a while, Mr. Igarashi."
At the sight, Igarashi Amaha gave Suguru Geto a teasing smile. "Not bad, Geto. You've got a knack for winning girls' hearts."
Suguru Geto shot Igarashi Amaha a glare, then addressed everyone. "Okay, everyone's here. Let's go."
"Let's go, let's go!"
Whoosh!
The plane landed smoothly, and an SUV drove along a seaside road.
Inside, Igarashi Amaha was driving in sunglasses, chatting with one arm resting outside the window and his other hand on the steering wheel.
"You guys really came prepared. Looking at it this way, flying really is much safer than traveling overland."
In the front passenger seat, Satoru Gojo propped his head up with both hands and declared smugly, "Of course. Before you came along, Geto and I were the strongest duo. With my Six Eyes screening for threats and Geto's Rainbow Dragon on top of that, how could anything go wrong?"
Igarashi Amaha's lips curled. "You were the strongest duo before I came along. What about after?"
"The three of us are the strongest."
Igarashi Amaha shook his head in outright rejection. "Leave me out of it. I'm just an ordinary person."
"Isn't that right, Geto?" Igarashi Amaha glanced in the rearview mirror at Geto, who sat in the back looking deeply resentful.
Suguru Geto was still steeped in regret. "Why? Why did I lose rock-paper-scissors to that idiot Satoru? Damn it."
Half an hour earlier, because neither of them had a driver's license, the two had fought over the right to enjoy the front passenger seat, deploying the forbidden Cursed Technique: rock-paper-scissors. In the end, Satoru Gojo had narrowly beaten Suguru Geto through luck, successfully claiming the right to enjoy the front passenger seat.
As for why Igarashi Amaha had a driver's license, sorry, ever heard of an international driver's license with the highest level of authorization? It could be used anywhere in the world.
Before long, they arrived without incident at the hotel they had booked.
Riko Amanai couldn't wait to change into her swimsuit and head straight for the sea. The three behind her wandered aimlessly along the beach. Unlike Igarashi Amaha, who was genuinely relaxed, Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto remained constantly vigilant, carefully observing everything around Riko Amanai.
"Is that really necessary? There's no one here. No need to stay so tense, right?" Igarashi Amaha said, glancing at Satoru Gojo.
"What the hell do you know? You think everyone's like you, surviving a few stabs to the heart?" Satoru Gojo said, punching Igarashi Amaha.
"It's better to stay alert. But Satoru, you haven't deactivated your Cursed Technique since yesterday, have you? And you haven't slept at all. You aren't planning to sleep tonight either, are you? Will you really be okay keeping this up? Besides, Amaha's here now, so nothing should go wrong," Suguru Geto said.
Satoru Gojo stopped, his blue eyes glinting behind his sunglasses. He tapped both of their chests with his fists and said, "It's fine. I promised the brat I'd make sure she had fun. Besides, like you said, I've still got you guys, don't I?"
Suguru Geto smiled helplessly, then glanced at Igarashi Amaha, who had been studying his new cigarettes this whole time, and felt even more helpless...
"Amaha, stop playing with that. Want to go surfing?" Satoru Gojo asked Igarashi Amaha and Suguru Geto.
"Surfing? Let's go." Igarashi Amaha seemed very interested and agreed without hesitation.
It was rare for Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto to see Igarashi Amaha interested in anything besides smoking and killing, so they wasted no more words, grabbed him, and ran toward the sea.