7:00 AM.
Rikuo was woken up early in the morning by the sound of the morning news.
"Old man, can't you turn down your TV? It's finally the weekend, no early classes, and no activities planned."
Rikuo rolled over, trying to get further away from the source of the sound.
"Rikuo-kun, come look! It seems the Anomaly's influence is expanding!"
Hearing that it was news about the Anomaly, Rikuo immediately got up, threw on a jacket, and walked into the living room.
On the TV, the female anchor, with a professional smile, was reporting today's top story:
[Last night, multiple locations in the city experienced 'abnormal meteorological phenomena.']
The camera on the TV switched: In the surveillance footage of a commercial street in Osaka, streetlights suddenly twisted into a pretzel shape, as if being contorted by some invisible force.
[According to expert analysis, this may be a rare electromagnetic interference phenomenon. Citizens are advised to avoid going out at night.]
"Experts, just go back to your day jobs, no need for analysis."
Rikuo snatched the remaining piece of bread from Togawa Kiyotsugu's hand and complained about the content.
'Spatial-related power? Then it's an Anomaly activated by a superior Undead Card.'
Rikuo munched on his bread, analyzing the information from the TV in his mind.
The camera on the TV switched again: Trees in Asukayama Park withered overnight, and the screen showed tree trunks covered in claw marks, with black resin oozing from stripped bark.
[According to expert analysis, this may be trace elements from chemical pollution, leading to large-scale tree wilting.]
"Experts, do you believe what you're saying? Chemical pollution only near high-end residential areas? Asukayama Park? Old man, isn't this your and Sakiko's hometown?"
"Yes, it's a blessing in disguise. If I hadn't been kicked out of the family, I might have encountered danger. Now, I wouldn't have met Rikuo-kun. Alas, with these frequent anomalies, ordinary people are probably..."
Rikuo, of course, understood the implications.
'If this continues, not only will there be Anomalies activated by existing Undead Cards, but even derivative Anomalies will appear.'
The news continued to report: "Singing" was heard from train compartments, with multiple passengers claiming to have heard nursery rhymes, followed by temporary memory loss.
The train company responded: [Audio system malfunction.]
"Alright, the spirit of craftsmanship, just apologize, the cause of the problem isn't important. What's fortunate is, is it just memory loss? Or are those with memory loss the ones who escaped, and those who didn't escape have already..."
There was one last piece of news:
[Zoo animals collectively went into a frenzy, with fierce beasts like lions and elephants suddenly prostrating themselves in the same direction.]
A zookeeper testified: [They seemed to be...worshipping something.]
Rikuo's pupils constricted.
"Animals have stronger perception. Categories J and 10, which have appeared before, didn't cause animals to react. So, is it at least Category Q?"
The TV screen suddenly blurred with static, the image flickered, and the female anchor's voice subtly distorted:
[Here's a breaking news update.]
The bottom right corner of the screen flashed an abnormal frame for 0.5 seconds, a pale hand reached out from behind the female anchor's shoulder, then quickly disappeared.
Low-frequency static was mixed into the audio; listening closely, it was a groan of "help me."
"Heh heh, can it already affect things remotely? But, it's only 0.5 seconds, which means it can't break through the 'door' barrier. However, once someone flees the room out of fear, the influence will lock onto the target and act during the Ouma ga Toki?"
Rikuo felt a trace of black aura lingering at the doorway. After failing to find a target, it left. He quickly grabbed the remote control to replay, wanting to verify his idea, and indeed found that the footage had completely disappeared.
Rikuo called Nyamu. It rang for 40 seconds before she picked up.
"Nyamu, did you see today's news? Are there any Anomaly-related messages in your fan DMs?"
"Kamiyama-san actually watches morning news? I was editing videos very late last night and just woke up when you called. Let me see. Ah~ ah."
'Nyamu's vocal skills aren't great, she needs to train at Fuji-Q.'
Nyamu was clearly startled by the private messages from her fans.
"Fans filmed the pale ghost hand from the news. One fan said, 'My dog barked wildly at nothing for three hours last night!' Also, in my pinned post, a fan sent a picture of a 'humanoid dark cloud' in the twilight sky. The comments section is a mess."
"Ugh! These can't be clues, they all look like they're just trying to gain attention. Anyway, these kinds of messages will probably be very frequent lately. Nyamu, just send me everything, whether it's accurate or not. I'll try to sort through them; it'll be troublesome if any of them are real."
"No problem, that's what I should do. But Kamiyama-san, can you handle all this by yourself?"
"Even if I can't, I have to. I can't just ignore it, can I?"
"Why don't you, like those monks and shrine maidens, establish an organization similar to a temple? Then, people can come to you, pay money, and get rid of their troubles?"
"Heh heh, then I probably wouldn't be Kamen Rider Blade, and my abilities probably wouldn't acknowledge me either. Maybe someone like you, Nyamu, wouldn't understand."
"What are you saying? Nyamuchi has seen Kamen Rider Kuuga too!"
"I defer to Nyamu's wisdom."
Seeing Rikuo hang up, Nyamu, feeling uneasy, spoke to herself in her native Kumamoto dialect.
"Kamiyama-san seems very reluctant to get involved with me... Are Mom and Dad okay? If an Anomaly appears there, will Kamiyama-san help me the same way he helps strangers?"
...
Rikuo got dressed and walked out of the apartment.
"Anyway, for now, I can only take it one step at a time. I'll start by looking for the Anomaly that seems to pose the lowest threat. Although it's not yet the Ouma ga Toki, I can at least investigate nearby clues."
Rikuo prepared to go to an uninhabited jungle to summon his Blue Spader, and then head to the vicinity of the clues provided by Nyamu's netizen and Asukayama Park.
"Rikuo, are you going to look for the Anomaly?"
The apartment door next door opened, and Sakiko walked out. Behind the door, Mutsumi was still peeking out.
"Yes, a new storm has appeared, how can I stand still?"
Rikuo shrugged, putting on a relaxed but helpless expression.
"Is that so? Then I can only be responsible for bringing back Rikuo when he's unable to move."
"I will help too."
Sakiko looked at Rikuo with a gentle smile, and Mutsumi also walked out of the apartment, looking eager. Rikuo sighed.
'Sakiko is very stubborn. However, it's much better to have someone to look out for me, and now I have the Blue Spader to protect her. At worst, in a crisis, I can just have the Blue Spader drive away on autopilot. If it's the space of a superior Undead Card, then I'll just have the Blue Spader take Sakiko away directly.'
"Hey, Mutsumi, my Blue Spader can only carry one person, so you stay home. Sakiko is enough to look after me."
Rikuo made a compromise. After all, with Sakiko's stubborn personality, she might ride her bicycle to pick him up every time. What if she encountered an Anomaly or other dangers on the way? He had to find an uninhabited area to de-transform every time, after all, a uniquely existing Kamen Rider was too special.
"Let's go, Sakiko."
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