Rikuo walked back to his seat, feeling quite at ease sitting at his desk, not having to think about any Anomalies at this moment.
"Rikuo-kun, I've seen you in the news these past two days."
Tomori sat in Anon's seat and took out many penguin-shaped band-aids from her pencil case, clearly having gone to the Astronomy Club beforehand to get them.
"Hmm, was it Kichijoji and the train? Rikuo-kun seems to have had a tough time... Are you hurt at all?"
'Tomori actually watches the news? Anon doesn't know anything. It must be because Anon only watches female streamers!'
"After getting used to it, it's alright. Because of the armor's protection, my body rarely gets hurt, it's just the side effects."
"Hmm, is that so? It's a pity we can't help."
Rikuo wanted to pat Tomori's head but pulled his hand back. Tomori tilted her head, looking at Rikuo with confusion in her eyes.
'No, Tomori's number one fan isn't here. What am I afraid of?'
Rikuo boldly patted Tomori's head again.
"Rikuo-kun, are you afraid of something?"
"What are you talking about? I'm Kamen Rider Blade! How could I be afraid of Taki!?"
"So you're afraid of Taki-chan? But Taki-chan seems to have been mentioning Rikuo-kun a lot lately."
'Holy crap, Taki can't have a cheat, can she? I can be targeted by Taki even at Haneoka? Tomori radar? So Taki was at the RiNG entrance every time Tomori appeared because she could sense her in advance? That makes sense!'
Rikuo felt that since this world could have Anomalies, it wasn't strange for Taki to have superpowers! After all, Taki's powerful strength might be a gift from her superpowers.
'Mutsumi's multi-headed monster rolling down the stairs! Kokoro's third-floor invincible roll frame! So Taki having Tomori radar isn't a problem! I feel like I've discovered the truth of this world!'
Rikuo's eyes were filled with the light of wisdom; he felt he had comprehended the origin of the universe!
"Taki-chan has been telling everyone lately that Rikuo-kun has helped everyone a lot. She said we all need to perform well at the next live show and not disappoint Rikuo-kun."
"Oh, is that so? Then never mind."
Rikuo's eyes lost their light.
"Rikuo-kun, why do you seem so disappointed?"
"No, I'm actually fine. By the way, Taki's song should be finished, right? And my song, has Taki rehearsed it with everyone?"
"Yes, we've already started rehearsing. Taki-chan even said she wouldn't let Rikuo-kun's song down."
"Is that so? Then I'll look forward to it. I'll invite Sakiko and Mutsumi to come along."
"Saki-chan said my singing is the cry of my heart, and we will definitely do our best to perform."
Tomori's tone of voice rose a few points; her determination was palpable.
...
'I heard in the room earlier that Rikuo mentioned another Joker's relic? And there was only one Heart card seen in Kichijoji.'
The class bell had already rung, and the teacher had begun the lesson on the stage.
However, Sakiko, the recognized top student in the class, had not entered study mode. She was still processing the information she had overheard at Rikuo's room door that morning.
'Almost every Anomaly calls Rikuo Joker. Plus, Rikuo only gained his abilities after his father left, but there was a long time gap... Was my guess wrong?'
Sakiko opened her backpack and took out the books needed for class. After all, even if she didn't listen to the lesson, she still had to show respect to the teacher on the stage. As Sakiko rummaged through her books, she touched the apartment key and suddenly thought of something.
'That's right! Rikuo became Kamen Rider Blade after that explosion! So that's when he inherited his father's relic!'
'Also, that day, Father awkwardly said he was approached by thugs. Now that I think about it, it must have been fake! Rikuo's face was also green that day, which was because the side effects were more severe at the beginning. And, the first thing Rikuo asked when he woke up was about the Undead Card.'
'Moreover, at that time, Rikuo had the 2 of Hearts, but he didn't seem to have used it despite his abnormal mental state.'
Actually, Rikuo's mental state was normal at the time; it was just that Teacher Sakiko thought he had been hit in the head.
'So, he clearly didn't understand the abilities brought by the Undead Card either. All these phenomena indicate that it was Rikuo's first time becoming a Kamen Rider!'
Sakiko's thoughts cleared, and she stood up excitedly.
All the classmates looked at her; they had never seen Sakiko with such a rich expression.
"Togawa-san, did I say something wrong?"
The teacher saw Sakiko's excited look when she stood up and, because of Sakiko's usual demeanor, thought she had made a mistake.
"No, Sensei, you taught very well. I'm not feeling well and would like to ask for leave."
Sakiko bowed slightly, her expression returning to normal.
"Is that so? Then Togawa-san, please go to the infirmary to rest."
"Thank you, Sensei, I won't disturb everyone's studies."
Sakiko left the classroom, but of course, she did not go to the infirmary. After easily getting a leave slip from the homeroom teacher by utilizing her status as an honor student, she left Haneoka directly.
"So, the first thing to investigate is the road along the ruins of the old apartment where Rikuo lives. And then, Kichijoji?"
Sakiko walked towards the train station, her amber eyes filled with determination.
"This time, perhaps, I can truly help Rikuo. But I must never let him know. After all, with Rikuo's personality, he would definitely stop me."
...
"No! Where's my Sakiko-sensei? The BanG Dream! world really has fantasy elements, right?"
Rikuo went to the next classroom to look for Sakiko during several breaks, wanting to discuss buying a keyboard in the afternoon. The first few times he didn't see her, he assumed Sakiko had gone to the restroom or had something to do.
But at lunchtime, Rikuo still didn't see Sakiko, so he asked her classmates.
"Togawa-san? She went to the infirmary during the first class."
Rikuo then went to the infirmary to look for her but didn't see Sakiko, and he also asked the infirmary teacher.
"Togawa-san? I don't think any student named Togawa has come here today."
The infirmary teacher flipped through the records in her notebook, and indeed, there was no record of Sakiko having visited.
Seeing that Sakiko wasn't resting in the infirmary, Rikuo guessed it wouldn't be a situation where she couldn't answer the phone. Unless she encountered an Anomaly... "But it's not even Ouma ga Toki yet!"
Rikuo took out his phone and dialed Sakiko's number; Sakiko quickly answered.
"Hello, is that Sakiko? Where did you go?"
Hearing Rikuo's anxious words, Sakiko did not directly reply.
"There's something related to 2 of Hearts that needs to be dealt with. Didn't Rikuo entrust me with helping?"
'It is indeed related to 2 of Hearts. Aren't Joker, Kamen Rider Blade, all related to 2 of Hearts? So this isn't deceiving Rikuo.'
"Is that so? Wakaba Takafumi is sending messages at this time? As expected of someone who can treat his daughter like a servant. If you encounter something like this next time, just refuse!"
"Okay, I'll tell Rikuo if I encounter similar things, but this matter is quite troublesome, so I might not be able to prepare dinner today."
"It's alright. If it's too much trouble, just let me know, or come back directly. As for dinner, Kiyotsugu and I will handle it."
After hanging up the phone, Rikuo felt something was off, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was.
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