With all the dishes set out on the table, the starving Nakano sisters naturally couldn't hold back any longer.
Nakano Ichika still remembered to call Nino, though, and after learning she was almost home, stopped the others from picking up their chopsticks: "Hold on a bit, Nino's nearly here."
"But I'm soooo hungry," Yotsuba whined, resting her chin helplessly on the table.
"I'm hungry too," Miku muttered darkly.
Only Itsuki, having already filled her stomach with meat buns, was the most at ease. Yet even she couldn't truly remain indifferent in the face of such tempting food.
"Shirase-kun, would you like to stay and eat with us?" Ichika offered warmly.
"No, thanks—I'll eat at home," Shirase politely declined.
Knowing Kojima Kana, she definitely would have left food for him—she might even start warming it up the moment he stepped through the door.
Since Itsuki was no longer angry, and he'd successfully cleaned up after the damned system's mess, it was time for him to excuse himself.
"I'll walk you out."
Surprisingly, the person who said this wasn't the ever-enthusiastic Yotsuba, but Itsuki.
Not only Shirase, but the other three sisters were equally stunned, staring at her in astonishment.
Itsuki pretended not to notice their stares, feigning composure. "Let's go. I'll walk you downstairs."
"You can just see me to the door; there's no need to go down."
"Nino hasn't returned yet, and I can't eat right now anyway. Watching the food is making me hungrier, so I'd rather not look."
Ah, so that's why.
Suppressing a smile, Shirase stepped into the elevator with Itsuki following close behind.
When the elevator doors closed, the atmosphere grew quiet. Neither said a word.
Yet upon reaching the apartment's entrance, Shirase noticed Itsuki was still following him, showing no sign of going back. He couldn't help but ask, puzzled, "How long do you plan to keep following me?"
Itsuki coughed softly. "Let's just walk a bit."
Does she have something she wants to ask me?
Realizing this, Shirase nodded without further questions.
After a short distance, Itsuki's pleasant voice indeed rang out: "Shirase-kun, what you said earlier about me having a 'big heart'…you just made that up on the spot, didn't you?"
"Why do you say that?"
Itsuki looked at him with clear dissatisfaction. "I'm not stupid, you know. The excuses you made earlier wouldn't even fool Yotsuba, let alone me."
"As expected of Itsuki—you figured out the truth right away," Shirase praised generously.
Itsuki laughed bitterly. "I'm not asking for compliments!"
Then, her gaze became slightly more serious. "What I'm more curious about is, why did you choose me for your prank?"
Now that's a good question, but unfortunately, the damned system won't answer you.
Shirase calmly responded, "Maybe it's because…aside from Nino, you're the one I'm most familiar with?"
Itsuki stared blankly at him. "Another lie. If anything, both Yotsuba and Ichika are much closer to you. As for Miku…well, okay, you haven't talked much with her."
"Just treat it like the truth, that way it won't be awkward for either of us," Shirase kindly suggested.
"How could I possibly do that?!" Itsuki glared at him angrily.
Do you even realize you've piqued my curiosity now?
If my curiosity isn't satisfied, I won't be able to sleep tonight!
Inside, the girl was roaring furiously like a frustrated dragon.
But Shirase remained unfazed. "Anyway, that's what I meant to say. If you don't believe it, then I'm afraid I can't come up with any better excuses."
"You just admitted they're excuses, didn't you? You really did make it all up!"
Shirase didn't reply, hoping silence would let him bluff past this point.
Unable to get the answer she wanted, Itsuki deflated a bit, muttering quietly, "I really don't get it. Why pick me for your prank? Logically speaking, you should've picked Ichika. She's always smiling at you—even we'd probably misunderstand and think she liked you if we didn't already know what she's like."
"Ichika liking me? Impossible," Shirase laughed dryly at the thought.
Considering that short-haired girl's personality, her taste in guys would have to shift dramatically before she'd ever take interest in someone like him.
"You never know. What if, as you two get to know each other better, she ends up falling for you?" Perhaps due to frustration at not getting her answers, Itsuki chose to stubbornly push back.
"What then? At most, we'd have an honest conversation and end things there."
"Hmm? You could be that decisive?"
"You can't tell that I'm actually quite a decisive person?"
"Not in the slightest!"
Ending the topic there, Itsuki felt mentally exhausted.
Now she finally understood why Nino always complained about Shirase at home—this guy seemed to have allocated all his skill points into 'spouting nonsense.'
Put nicely, he was eloquent; put bluntly, he was simply making shit up.
"You can stop here, right? You should head back now." Shirase paused. If they continued forward, they'd soon reach Kojima Kana's apartment.
Itsuki also stopped, about to speak, but her attention was drawn away by a group of children playing in a nearby open area.
"Onee-san, can you perform that again? You know, that super cool move from last time!"
"I wanna see too!"
Several kids bounced around excitedly; judging by their heights, they appeared to be around second-grade elementary students. Their parents stood chatting nearby, likely taking their kids out for a post-dinner walk.
At the center of the kids stood a petite, slender girl with pale skin and an eyepatch. Her conspicuous uniform was accessorized by strange bandages wrapped around her left arm, a long-outdated gothic-style belt, and well-shaped legs accentuated by black thigh-high stockings.
"What are you looking at?" Shirase followed Itsuki's gaze. At just one glance, he froze completely.
Isn't that the Wicked Eye?
What's she doing here?
"That girl's outfit is so…" Itsuki opened her mouth, intending to say embarrassing, but quickly changed it to, "…so strange."
Under Shirase's astonished gaze, the eyepatch-wearing girl, with her trademark ahoge bobbing atop her head, suddenly burst out into strange laughter: "Fu fu fu…"
The next second, she struck a dramatic pose, legs forming a slightly awkward, pigeon-toed stance. In a confident yet composed tone, she grandly declared:
"Rejoice! The one who inherits the power of all Riders, transcending time and space, the sovereign of time who sees past and future, Kamen Rider Zi-O. This is the very moment of his birth!"
Shirase: "…"
Itsuki stared, completely dumbstruck.
"So cool! That was super awesome!" The kids cheered, eyes sparkling with excitement.
Their praise clearly delighted the eyepatch girl, causing the corners of her mouth to curl up involuntarily.
At that very moment, she noticed Shirase watching her. Their eyes met, and she smugly smirked.
"She… she…" Itsuki pointed blankly, unable to finish a single coherent sentence for a long while.
Shirase's expression was complicated.
Takanashi Rikka became the 'Rejoice Monster'…does that mean Togashi Yuuta doesn't exist in this world?
Then what should her covered eye be called now?
The Eye of Kamen Rider?