Chapter 10 – Beginning of the End

 

“Ah, you’ve woken up. Here, have a seat, I’m almost done cooking.”

When he got out of his tent in the morning, Daisuke was greeted by the fresh air and Seir’s sweet sounding voice.

He stretched a bit while inhaling the fresh morning air some more, then joined Seir, Shana, and Rhonia around the small kettle filled with what seemed like soup. The soup itself looked worrying considering how a piece of bone was sticking out from the boiling white surface, and unknown green herbs could be seen floating as Seir gave it a stir with a wooden ladle.

But it smelled tasty. And it’s not like this is the first time Daisuke ate a food that Seir cooked. And judging by how Rhonia and Shana looked at the kettle with impatience and watery mouths, the girls also shared his opinion regarding the food.

It’s hard to believe that someone whose taste buds and sense of smell aren’t working properly–at least to human’s standard–  was capable of cooking something so delicious.

 

It’s been more than a week since Amaya left. The dimensional curtain was still sealed off, leaving Daisuke pretty much stranded in this world for the time being.

Other than that one time a few days ago, when she truly insisted to ignore it for some unknown reason, Seir didn’t sense any other greater demonoid. So the past few days had been peaceful. It’s a boon, considering how his used up hero reels didn’t show any sign of recharging.

Normally the reels would fully recharge after 24 hours. But here, not a notch in the gauge even after a week. It’s a bit worrying, but there’s nothing Daisuke could do about it. He’ll have to treat the hero reels like disposable items as long as he’s stranded here.

 

During the lull period, Daisuke carried out more experiments to better understand Seir’s nature and parameters. 

He helped Seir better understand the characteristics of each lock attached on the outer side of her belt. Apparently each one has a different attribute, and while the first and second release simply laced her kicks and punches with that particular attribute respectively, the third release allows her to use the attribute in a way akin to magic. As in conjuring said attribute from thin air and controlling it.

The fourth release, on the other hand, could spread the effect of said attribute to her surrounding area–much like aura-based abilities in rpg– albeit lacking in power compared to the more focused third release.

Also, Daisuke found out that Seir regained her precognition ability on the third release. He was not prepared for this at all, that she ended up toying with him for a while until he realized what was going on during the sparring sessions.

Transformed Seir is also physically stronger than the basic performance of A-Cross suit once all 4 outer locks had been released. Her suit is so durable that he couldn’t possibly crack it unless he’s using a finishing move. But for all that durability, the protection it provides to the body inside it was rather questionable.

A-Cross suit could disperse a good amount of shock it receives, preventing indirect damage to its user’s body. So while fighting as kamen rider A-Cross, Daisuke never truly felt the full brunt of an attack. Most of the time he’d only end up with bruises, when in reality, without the suit he should’ve been dead. That said, the suit could only disperse a constant amount. Which means that if his opponent has sufficient strength to inflict enough shock to surpass the suit’s limit, his body would still be wrecked from taking the attack head. 

Seir’s suit provides very little in this matter. Not that she’ll have to worry about bruises or wounds, since her human form’s skin doesn’t bruise and is probably just as resistant to slicing and piercing damage as her suit. Not to mention that she doesn’t need medicine nor a healing solution to heal herself. She could heal herself slowly, or almost instantaneously by absorbing the green flames that burn the body of slain demonoids.

However, she’s not exactly immune to damage. 

He did see her losing an arm when she fought the rampaging demonoid the other day. Which means that her skin and flesh are not completely immune to breaking. Enough impact or blunt force, while may not break her skin or rupture her flesh, would still damage her much more fragile innards if the attack hit her torso. 

She’s both very durable and fragile at the same time…

Perhaps that’s why she has precognition ability? So that she could avoid damage and plan ahead for the most effective offensive method?

 

Daisuke shook his head, realizing that his mind had wandered away

Seir was extracting things from the soup. The bones, what appeared to be leeks, carrot peelings, and some other things that were now too soggy to recognize. She said that those are what give the soup its taste. She had to go out to collect these additional ingredients herself very early in the morning since, apparently, these things are pretty hard to find around here.

But of course, only Daisuke knew about this, as she specifically wakes him up every morning to watch over the campsite. Honestly, he felt sorry for Seir that she needs to extract everything out since the kids don’t seem to like it. 

Well, he doesn’t either. 

But at least he knows enough to simply set aside the things he doesn’t want to eat so that he could get rid of them later. The kids however, Rhonia in particular, immediately lost their appetite upon seeing the additional ingredients floating inside their bowl.

He could only guess because it’s not something the sisters were accustomed to eating. 

…it’s a little too sophisticated perhaps. For what the kids considered as ‘soup’ was pretty much just small cutlets of meat and root vegetables boiled in a pot of water. With a small pinch of salt if they’re lucky. 

This one Seir cooked, not only has meat cutlets, it also has various vegetables in it. Reminding Daisuke of soup made from what was called ‘white stock’ in his original world. While he’s not really into cooking himself, Daisuke at least knows that the white stock part was a lot more complex than just adding salt into boiled water for sure.

But either way,  there’s no denying that it’s delicious. 

Once again, Daisuke was left wondering just what kind of person Seir was before she died and turned into a greater demonoid. What sort of purpose pushed her human self to learn and train to be proficient in so many things?

Tendou Souji of Kamen Rider Kabuto trained himself to be very good at nearly everything in order to become worthy to use the Kabuto zecter. But it’s not like Seir trained to become a kamen rider like Tendou. And with that numerous proficiencies, what was she doing in a frontier village in the first place?

Too many questions floated in his mind the more Daisuke thought about it. And no answer came up no matter how hard he…

 

“Are you done daydreaming? Come on, eat up.”

Seir’s voice made Daisuke realize that he’s been sitting there gazing at nothing in particular. 

He smiled in embarrassment while receiving his portion of soup. 

As usual, it’s only after everyone had their portion that Seir would take the leftover for herself. She would then silently recite some sort of prayer, then ate her portion along with us.

At first she didn’t even bother. Understandable, because aside from her wonky taste buds, she never feels hungry nor does she need nourishment from regular food–she feeds on something else altogether. But the kids won’t have any of that. As a result, starting from the next day, Seir would cook for four, just enough to give off the illusion that she’s eating along with us.

“Rhonia, what did I tell you about eating too fast?”

“Bwub idz hust soopz!” (But it’s just soup)

“And what did I tell you about not talking with your mouth full?”

“Mumumumuuu…”

“Hihihihi–uhh…”

The elder sister, Shana, giggled seeing her little sister being reprimanded by their ‘great sister’. But she immediately shut up and continued eating once she realized that Seir’s attention had shifted  to her. 

It’s both amusing and relaxing to see this kind of scene unfolded before him. Daisuke couldn’t help but smile throughout the breakfast thanks to that. While it doesn’t happen everyday, a little color like this really brightens up the mood, and in turn, makes the food all the more delicious.

 

Breakfast time was over five minutes later.

The kids picked up the now empty bowls and cooking utensils then headed to the riverside. Normally Seir would follow them since she’d help them bathe after cleaning up the utensils. After they’re done, it’s Daisuke’s turn to bathe if he so wishes. 

But today, Seir lingered on.

Daisuke picked up on this peculiarity and took the initiative to ask.

“What is it?”

“...I know I said a few days ago that the build up has slowed down to a crawl. But…”  

“But?”

“It started to build up at a faster rate this morning. So I was wondering if you could…”

“Oh, that.”

“Yes, that. But I understand if you don’t want to…”

Daisuke sighed. He at least had an idea on what Seir was talking about. The thing is, she actually already has a simpler alternative solution to her problem–discounting the fact that it’s not proven yet how effective it is. She opted for something else instead. One that requires more effort–and not hers alone. This one would need his assistance as well. And he’d rather avoid it for various reasons. 

Yet, deep down he knew that there’s a part in him that is not really against it–yearn it even.  

And that part won over this time.

“Later tonight?”

Daisuke replied.

And that reply certainly brightened Seir’s face considerably. It’s so rare to see this glow in Seir’s face—during the day at least. She’d smile from time to time, but it’s usually either an amused smile or a teasing smile. Or even worse, a smile to maintain a facade.

At night she tends to sneak into his bed for a cuddle and small talk, sometimes also performing a little bit of ‘service’. All of that was without his verbal approval, but it was during these moments that he saw the same glow in her face. So Daisuke could only guess that this is among the moments when she’s genuinely happy. 

He just wished that her happiness doesn’t mainly come from only one thing.

 

 

And just like that, breakfast time came to an end today.

After saying a silent thank you, Seir left to join the kids on the riverside. Daisuke headed back to his tent to take a towel since he felt like he needed a cold refreshing bath if he wanted to be able to focus for the rest of the day. Though he still needed to wait until the three finished their turn.

While waiting, Daisuke would give his equipment some check, to see if there’s anything that requires maintenance. Not that he had the skill to do the maintenance himself, but knowing which item he could still use will help in the long run.

This is especially important since his hero reels didn’t seem to recharge as normal. Usually a spent reel will recharge automatically after 24 hours. But even up to today, the ones he used to battle Kimaris hadn’t finished recharging. He could only guess that it’s because Amaya isn’t here with him, since the reels recharged normally before she left, and this was also the first time she left his side for more than a day.  

He also tried to use the dimensional curtain, again–he’d actually try every time he’s alone. He could still summon it, but was limited to quick teleport to places in this world. Interdimensional travel was still disabled. Meaning he couldn’t leave this world even if he wanted to. 

Nothing much he could do about that. All he could hope for is for Amaya to fetch him back, so that he could continue his regular mission. 

But what if Amaya is having the same problem on the other side? No. Surely, she’ll find a way. He just had to hold on until then. 

But what if she… no. Daisuke pushed that thought away.

His belief still stood strong, but he couldn’t deny that doubt had begun to creep into his heart.

Sighing at the feebleness of a human's heart, Daisuke finished his inspection and exited his tent.

Outside, he saw that Shana and Rhonia had just returned from their bath time. They were coming from the direction of the river, and their hair was still slightly damp, so Daisuke could only guess that they finished taking a bath in the river just now. Behind them he noticed a silhouette of an adult woman–must be Seir, walking relaxedly toward the camp.

Daisuke hurriedly went back to his tent to get his towel and bathware, then immediately headed to the river. Thinking that he’d better be quick since there might be more things he needs to do afterward.

 

 

==================

 

 

“Hmm? Where did Daisuke-niisan go?”

Rhonia muttered as she watched the older young man rush out of his tent and toward the shrubberies.

“I saw him carrying a towel just now, so I guess to the river to take a bath?”

Shana replied to her sibling’s question with a flat tone.

Hearing her less than enthusiastic sister, Rhonia tried once again to deliver her concern.

“But great sis Seir is still in the river… it’s not his turn to take a bath yet!”

Shana finally relented, although only to the extent of turning her head to look at the direction where Daisuke was heading. It was then that the silhouette Daisuke saw emerged to the campsite.

It was a near perfect copy of Seir. in appearance at least. Though the kids wouldn’t be fooled as they saw the original pretty much ordered the black mare to shapeshift into this current form. 

Yes, the silhouette actually belonged to Glasya, the black mare. 

There were actually differences to Seir in the way Glasya carried herself, so the fake would be easily seen if the observer is pretty thorough and is familiar with the original. But Daisuke apparently was too hasty and ended up not paying it too much heed to be able to tell the differences.

Then it clicked.

Recalling what she accidentally saw when she happened to be out for a pee several nights ago, Shana finally came to a conclusion.

“I think it’s intentional… but if it’s not, I don’t think our great sis will mind having Daisuke-niisan for company anyway.”

“Really?”

“Uhuh. It's an adult thing. We should not disturb them.”

Rhonia who was still oblivious about the two adults’ relationship couldn’t help but tilt her head in question.

 

 

==================

 

 

"Here I thought… ahh… we're going to do this later to–ohsshit– tonight?"

*slurp* *lick* *lick*

"Consider this… *lick* a warm up. Look at this cute one leaking a lot of clear, gooey liquid"

"Can't really help it. You're just too–"

*lickety lick* *slurp* *slurp*

"--good at it. Ohh god"

 *spurt* *spurt* *spurt*

“Mmhhhaaa… *gulp* *gulp* ssoo good. So thick, so tasty, and– *lick* *slurp* *gulp* –a lot.” 

 

–a little later–

 

*splash* *squelch* *smack* *splash* *squelch* *smack*

“Ahn, ahn, ahn, this– ah, ah… still counts as–  ahh, ahn… warm up– ahh… yesshh?”

“This is… I don’t know. Hah, hah… fuck… How come your body is so… sinful”

*splash* *squelch* *smack* *splash* *squelch* *smack*

“It’s just– ah, ahn, nhh… how I am… nnghh, ghh, haahh…Do you hate it? Hhhah, hahnn, nghh…”

“I wish I could… hhhhghh… but I couldn’t”

*splash* *squelch* *smack* *splash* *squelch* *smack* *splash* *squelch* *smack*

 

 –later still—

 

*shmop* *suck* *suck* *lick* *suck*

“Yeshh… you really did— haahhnn… wonder there~… ”

*lick* *suck* *shmop* *suck* *lick* *suuuck* *pop* *spurt* spurt*

“Aaaaahhhnnnn~~”

 

–even later still–

 

*splash* *squelch* *smack* *shmop* *shmop* *splash* *squelch* *smack* *shmop* *shmop* 

“Ah, ah, ah, ah~, ah, ah, ahn, nnnhh, hhnn, ah, ha, ha~”

*splash* *squelch* *smack* *shmop* *shmop* *splash* *squelch* *smack* *shmop* *shmop* 

“I’m… mmmmnnnnhhh… close”

“Ahh, hhah, let it all out, ah, ah, nnhh, mmmhh, me too, ohhhh~”

*splash* *squelch* *smack* *spurt* *spurt* *spurt* *spurt* *spurt*

 

 

===============

 

 

Seir watched Daisuke, both in pity and satisfaction as the young man wallowed in misery over his lack of self-control. 

She knows she’s mostly guilty in this, as she facilitated the small incident, be it tricking Daisuke into thinking that nobody else was at the river, or her stellar ‘service’ that ignited his lust. But well, if Daisuke thought it’s his fault, then there’s nothing she can do about it. 

At the very least it’s quite satisfying…

Both of them were already clothed, though still lingering around the riverside.

“Human’s mind and flesh really are feeble…”

She could hear him muttering in a low voice, followed by a tired sigh. 

I want to comfort him, but I’m afraid that it will only aggravate the situation even more. I feel like I will instinctively turn it into something more… wet…

Seir sighed too. Knowing full well that she has this tendency to turn any situation that involves Daisuke–other than when they’re sparring– to be more ‘intimate’ in nature, even if she originally didn’t intend to.

Talking to him would give her an urge to cuddle with him.

A simple cuddle–for instance when she really-really needs to ease her mind from the dreams of her past life, would usually end up with her having the urge to do something more.

Depending on Daisuke’s self control, that ‘something more’ may end up into a full-on intercourse.

And so on.

The river accident earlier was an example of “And so on”. The second time it happened, actually.

I’m starting to believe that being able to gauge the build up of this so-called hidden energy reserve is a mistake…

Seir thought to herself. 

To be able to sense the hidden energy source, her body basically drilled a small channel into the container that acted as a seal to this energy source. But doing so made the content of the container, her desire to feel a certain something—which she could only understand as lust, to leak out even more. And her body greedily absorbs it–like it’s meant to, before the seal could secure the leaking lust.

Originally, even without the channel, the lust would still seep out and affect her, albeit not too overpowering. Now that it has a path to come out, regardless of how small, it’s influencing her more. Especially with Daisuke around.

She soon realized this mistake, but was unable to repair the container, as it was not her who created it. As a result, her body grew more and more aroused with each passing day she was left unfulfilled. 

Before long, she found out that self pleasuring or the orgasm her body produces in response to Daisuke’s climax only serves to temporarily cease the feeling of arousal. The arousal was still there, waiting to be ignited again. And when it does ignite, it’s almost always worse than last time.

Her prank this morning was actually meant as just a temporary stopgap, because she’s starting to have difficulties in keeping her composure with the arousal bothering her. But thankfully, Daisuke gave in this time. 

 

 

Hmm? What’s that sound?

Seir suddenly heard a sound. It was a fleeting and muffled noise, but she could still make out the most of it thanks to her sharp hearing. The noise was foreign sounding sounds followed by a voice that spoke foreign language. Both were foreign to her ears, yet the sounds and the voice harmonized, complimenting each other, gradually increasing in tempo and volume until they seemingly reached a climax, before returning to the beginning to repeat the cycle.

It’s just like…

Out of curiosity, she approached the source of these noises, finding Daisuke there wearing some sort of a device in his ears. The noises came from that device.

“What is that?”

Seir asked out of curiosity.

Daisuke didn’t seem to hear her at first. Probably momentarily deafened from the surroundings by the noise that the device produced. Fully absorbed in it to the point that he was not even aware that she had crouched right next to him.

Oh, the sounds and the vocal change. This one is a little faster and energetic. Ah, I think I recognize a few words here and there. Is this one spoken in Daisuke’s mother tongue?

Even if she had to strain her hearing a bit, Seir continued to listen along. It was something new to her. Something that not even her buried memories of past life could identify. Which means, not even her human self had ever encountered it before. 

And in a weird way, it thrilled her. Not the sexual sort of excitement, but simply a pure thrill from finding something new.

…I want to learn it.

Thinking so, she ended up leaning closer to listen along for a bit more while…

 …closer…

….closer…

…until Daisuke inevitably realized that someone was right beside him and freaked out, which in turn also startled Seir.

 

 

====================

“Are you saying that you don’t know about ‘music’ and ‘song’?”

“There are ‘plays’ and ‘poems’ –though unfortunately I’m not well-versed in any of those. I have no memory about this ‘music’ or ‘song’ you are talking about either.”

“I see…”

“That’s why I found the sounds peculiar and unique. I want to try to study it.”

“....wait a minute. Did you just say that you are not well-versed in poems and plays? And you never know about music and songs as well?”

“Hmm, yes?”

Daisuke suddenly stood up, startling Seir once more. He balled his knuckles into double fists while raising his head toward the sky, looking seemingly very relieved.

Why does he act like he’s relieved to know that there is something I couldn’t do well?

“Is there anything wrong with that?”

She had to ask to ensure that she wasn’t taking his reaction the wrong way.

“Oh, nothing is wrong. I just feel relieved for no reason. Haha.. Anyway, how do you plan to study it? It’s not like I can teach you these subjects. Well, not all of them.”

–was his reply.

He’s trying to change the topic. Very well, I’ll play along for now.

“I at least want to listen to more of those… ‘songs’ and ‘musics’. Then I could try to replicate the vocal part.”

“Sounds like a plan. It’s almost impossible to learn the music part without the required instrument anyway. That said, I– and in fact, the kids, can give you our opinion on your replication of the songs.” 

“Good, that settles it then. I’ll listen to the device for a bit after the sparring session is over.”

“Wait, after the sparring session? Do you even need to train anymore? You’ve been kicking my ass all the time”

“As it is, I don’t. But from my point of view, and your own account just now, you need it.”

“B-but I…”

“If you think that you are not lacking, then I suppose we can use the time for something else more fun instead?”

“You mean…?”

“Oh, come on now, no need to play dumb. Surely by now you understand what I find to be the most fun? And I reckon you enjoy it as well… if our earlier encounter in the river is of any note” 

She coyly smiled while leaning her upper body slightly forward, even going as far as making her breasts sway left and right, tracing it with her fingers seductively while ensuring that it didn’t look deliberate. 

Of course, it’s all intentional. Seir was testing Daisuke’s resolve. 

“Well…”

Here comes the answer…

Daisuke stepped forward and Seir found herself getting pulled into his embrace. Her breasts squished into his chest, her face only several hair breadth away from his. His gaze was fixated into her eyes, as if trying to read her. 

No… this is…

Moments later she realized that the distance between their faces was closing in. She could feel the heat of Daisuke’s breath becoming more apparent on the surface of her lips.

…this is not the answer I want…

Seir instantly turned her face away. Her face seemingly drained out of blood. Her mind blanked for a moment. Not due to being flustered, but because she was so shaken. 

What should I do now? What can I do to fix this? What? Should I just leave? Then what about the kids? Should I just leave them with Daisuke? No, I can’t. They are my responsibility. I have burdened him enough as it is, there is no way I–

Her train of thoughts went on and on. But even with all that long line of thought, she couldn’t think up a coherent next move. Her mind was too chaotic for that at the moment.

….

“Nan da? Don’t tell me you can’t handle a little teasing?”

….

“Always on offense, but can’t take it back. Tsk, tsk, tsk. I know being a glass cannon is your schtick, but going as far as… hey, are you okay? Hey?”

….

“C’mon, I was just teasing you. It’s just a joke. Don’t make me worry. Hey!” 

…..

 …a joke…?

“Eh, what’s with the tears?”

“...it was… a joke…?”

“Of course it was. I can tell for a fact that you’re just teasing me. So I came up with my own teasing. I just thought it might be funny to see your reaction. I.. uh…”

His words finally registered to Seir’s ears. But she didn’t know what to make of it. Whether she should be rejoiced or saddened.

In the end she ended up burying her face in Daisuke’s shirt and started sobbing.

“Why are you crying? I told you I'm just kidding…. Did I do something wrong? If I did, I'm really sorry"

Seir refused to explain, continuing to sob and cry instead. Too embarrassed to admit anything.

 

 

Or at least, that’s what was supposed to happen. One of the possibilities.

I guess this is not the approach I want to do…

Seir thought to herself. Knowing full well she can ill afford to handle the fallout after such an embarrassing breakdown. 

To be really honest, she felt funny insisting on hearing the answer from Daisuke directly, when she already knew the answer all along. She had gone through this particular moment several times, trying to see different outcomes with her future vision. Daisuke’s answer had remained the same.

And yet, Seir still couldn’t shake off the feeling of apprehension. The feeling had persisted for a few days now.

It’s all because of those dreams….

Yes, she’s been having weird dreams lately.

It’s only after a few more ‘peering into the future’, that Seir gave up and went with the most conservative approach.

 

 

“....wait a minute. Did you just say that you are not well-versed in poems and plays? And you never know about music and songs as well?”

“Yes. There was no such thing as ‘music’ or ‘song’ in this world. At least as far my memory serves. These ‘songs’ do feel similar to poems, albeit different in how it is performed. Based on the dreams I have seen so far, if I have to guess, my human self was a mute since birth. I suppose there was no use in teaching me poems and plays when my mouth couldn’t even produce any voice to begin with.”

“Oh…”

“But I can now. So all the more reason for me to learn.”

“True. But how do you plan to study it? It’s not like I can teach you these subjects. Well, not all of them.”

“I at least want to listen to more of those ‘songs’ and ‘musics’. Then I could try to replicate the vocal part.”

“Sounds like a plan. It’s almost impossible to learn the music part without the required instrument anyway. That said, I– and in fact, the kids, can give you our opinion on your replication of the songs.” 

“Good, that settles it then. I’ll listen to the device for a bit after the sparring session is over.”

“Wait, after the sparring session? Do you even need to train anymore? You’ve been kicking my ass all the time”

“As it is, I don’t. But from my point of view, and on your own account just now, you need it.”

“B-but I…”

“I’ll hear your complaint after you defeat me once.”

Seir shrugged and started to walk away. Knowing that Daisuke will go along with it despite initially complaining. As she expected, the young man sighed, and relented.

“Fine… I could use any improvement I can get. However, can you please change into a less distracting outfit during the spar?”

She stopped her pacing, turning around and giving Daisuke ‘But how?’ look. Perhaps realizing what she meant, he sighed for who knows how many times already today, and approached.

“I forgot we haven’t really touched upon how to use your clothing bracelet properly…”

Hearing other new things that needed to be learnt being mentioned there, Seir’s ears perked up.

The clothing bracelet, is it? If I can use more of its features, can I finally try out the clothes from Daisuke’s world? 

She was quite excited at the prospect. Aside from learning parts and bits about Daisuke’s home world, she’ll probably find some attire that may arouse the young man better…

…what am I thinking right now…?

Letting out a silent and short sigh, Seir lamented at her own incapability to keep herself from straying into lust territory. All she could do is to hope that her dread was unfounded, and Daisuke remained upright to his goal.

Maybe I should just talk to him about it later… Keeping this as a secret while playing coy about it will only torment me.

With that in mind, Seir directed her focus back into listening to Daisuke's explanation about the bracelet.

 

 

=============

 

 

-later that night-

 

“Okay, I did have a feeling that something has gone wrong recently, what’s with you sneaking into my tent almost every night.”

“Uhuh”

“And your fear that I’ll stray from my chosen path is not at all unfounded, as I’ve been feeling slightly under the weather lately. I guess you can tell that somehow.”

“Hmm hmm”

“It’s just that… you aren’t going to make this any easier for me, are you?”

Daisuke palmed his face as he sat on the side of his bed. 

Seir was standing near the entrance of his tent, wearing what appeared to be a sleeveless turtleneck ‘sweater’ that was missing its sides and back part–better known as the ‘virgin killer sweater’ in his home world. 

Since the so-called ‘sweater’ was apparently one size smaller for reasons only the professor-–the creator of the bracelet itself would know, the already skimpy by design apparel was barely enough to cover the necessary titbits, ending up showcasing plenty of Seir’s sideboobs just shy of actually showing the areolas. Let’s not forget how this one was the ‘updated’ version which sports a long slit that starts under the clavicle to just below navel at the front, letting the girl’s cleavage and smooth but slightly toned abs in the open. The lower size caused the material to cling tighter into her flesh than it’s supposed to—pretty much the only thing that prevented the outfit’s front side from accidentally unraveling when she moved around.

Unfortunately for Daisuke, the fact that he’s no longer a virgin didn’t really prevent him from finding the entire thing alluring. While he’d seen Seir in a more revealing attire, the change in her look made it all the more striking.

“I could certainly make it easier for you.”

Seir said as she walked closer and sat right next to him. Pausing for a moment before continuing.

“We can part ways, as early as tomorrow. I will bring the kids along with me, so you won’t have to worry about us anymore. You can do whatever you want while waiting for the whatchamacallit mist to finally open up after I leave.”

The suggestion came out of the left field that Daisuke immediately sobered up after hearing it. Even so,

“What!?”

…was the only word he could muster in response.

Seir smiled, seemingly expecting this reaction. 

“I know it’s sudden. I know I said I would like to learn singing just earlier this morning. But after some more consideration, I honestly believe that parting ways would be best for both of us.”

She paused for a moment, turning her gaze toward the ceiling with her upper body leaning back on her arms. This unintentionally made her exposed side to be more visible from Daisuke’s point of view, but he was more concerned with the melancholy behind her smile at the moment to even care about that.

Then Seir suddenly turned to him, causing their gazes to meet each other for a while. Though she broke the eye-contact not too long after by hurriedly looking away.

“Look at me, getting all worked up just from a short eye contact.”

Seir giggled. Even so, it was fairly obvious to Daisuke that her tone was laced in self-mockery.

And given her previous explanation regarding her condition, he immediately understood what she implied there.

He sighed.

“You’re afraid that your libido is getting the better of you? And I suppose, it’s because I’m around you?”

Seir replied with a silent nod. After a short silence, she spoke,

“I can’t help but feel afraid. Especially with how during my waking hours whenever I go idle, it fills my mind with ideas and urges.”

She turned her body toward him, still leaning on her left arm while her right was raised to chest level, hovering above her breast.

“Look at me now, for instance. I came into your tent fully intending to talk about this seriously, yet I found myself dressed specifically to seduce you. When our eyes met just now? I started having the urge to pounch you, rip your pants open, and… ”

“Okay, I get it already.”

Daisuke had to stop Seir before her explanation veer closer to the lewd territory. He didn’t want this conversation to prematurely end without a proper conclusion.

“So, you’re afraid that your lust will eventually overpower your mind if you stay close to me.”

“That is only a small part of my fear.”

Seir returned to her previous sitting position. Once again staring at the ceiling. Then she continued.

“I have come to terms with regardless how hard I try to pass myself as a human, I am still essentially a greater demonoid. Just like my hate toward my kind, the lust seems to be a part of my being. I can always try to go against it, but I’ll inevitably have to embrace it.”

“Hmm? Then what else?”

Indeed. What else would make her so worried? Daisuke was still a bit clueless about this.

“I’m afraid that I’ll grow even more attached to you than I already am, and I’m afraid that you’ll grow too attached to me.”

“Eh?”

Both of them fell silent afterward. 

Daisuke was rather perplexed by this. Afterall, he thought that everything Seir said during and after sex was meant to give her a sense of satisfaction—sweet lies to make him feel good and special. She was some sort of a succubus/sex demon, right? There’s no way she really meant all of that. He always had those thoughts floating in his mind. The only time he could take Seir seriously was when she’s not acting like a clingy seductress.

He didn’t know that she really meant everything she said.

Apparently noticing his bewilderment, Seir laughed, perhaps finding it funny. She let herself fall backward into the bed, still laughing. 

“Ohh, my dearest Daisuke. Sometimes I cannot tell whether you are empathetic or ignorant. You catch on to things—even if it’s just from simple gestures or short quips very quickly, yet you oftentimes ignore what is obvious for some reason.”

“Sorry, I guess?”

“Don’t be. It is through my own foolishness and naivety that my heart be moved by a man like you, who, as kind and valiant as you are, will inevitably leave me to chase after his grand dream. Ahh, woe is this poor me.”

“Now you’re just waxing eloquent…” 

“Ahah, am I now? I don’t think my badly conceived words just now can even be considered as eloquent by my memory’s standard.”

“Your standard is just too high…”

“Do you think so?”

“Yeah. It’s like your past self was specifically trained to be some sort of ‘jack of all trades, master of all’ type of person. That’s not exactly what regular people like me would experience. So… well, I was quite envious of your multitude of expertise, yet at the same time can’t imagine what kind of youth you lived through to achieve such accomplishment.”

“What does ‘Jack of all trades’ even mean?”

“Oh, it’s just my world’s way to refer to someone who is capable in a lot of skill sets. Though the original term uses ‘master of none’ instead to imply that despite learning many things, this person never reached the pinnacle of any of their learned skills.”

“I don’t think my past self had reached the pinnacle of everything that she learned.”

“It’s good to be humble, but be warned that some will probably find your humility an insult to their own effort.”

“Does my dearest Daisuke feel insulted by my humility?”

“Not really… well, maybe just a bit.”

“Then should I brag more from now on?”

“...please don’t…”

“Ahah. I’m starting to envy my past self. As a mute, she wouldn’t have to worry about spouting words that may hurt others. But we have digressed.”

“Yeah…”

At one point during their conversation, Daisuke had joined Seir lying down on the bed. It’s just that he had to stare at the ceiling while talking, for he didn’t want his mind to wander elsewhere for now. He waited until the woman continued the conversation.

“As I said, I fear that I’ll grow even more attached to you than I already am the more time I spend with you.”

She opened.

“Even now I can’t imagine how I would feel if you left this world in this instance. Let alone if my feelings have grown stronger and deep rooted than it is at present. But I figured the aftermath shouldn’t be as bad if we go our separate ways sooner.”

It’s a valid concern. Daisuke concurred inwardly.

While he could only witness Seir in real battle for only a couple of times—only twice in fact—further observation has shown that her power is closely tied to her emotions. Her transformation cannot stay for longer than a few minutes top without the presence of another greater demonoid. And her energy seems to become chaotically fatal to herself if she were to remain in grief for a period of time.

The first case of quick detransforming is most likely tied to her well-documented hatred to her own kind. Without her hatred fueling it, she cannot stay transformed for long. As for the second case, Seir herself made it clear that it was caused by her grief.

If she were to feel an extreme feeling of loss and heartbreak, what would happen to her? Daisuke shuddered just from thinking about it.

As for her second concern…

“The rest is just me being selfish.”

“How come?”

“Because it concerns you.”

“Me?”

“Yes. I fear that should we choose to stay together, our relationship will eventually grow to a point where you choose me over your lifelong goal. Or worse still, you use it as a justification to give up. Those are the very last thing I need.”

“....how can you be so sure about it?”

“Take it from someone who could peer into the future.”

“But…”

Daisuke couldn’t really argue against that since Seir does have that kind of ability—even in her human form. But her forecast only extends to a few minutes into the future, so how could she foresee something that might happen in the far future?

As if reading his mind, Seir continued on.

“I’ve been having dreams since two days ago.”

“The one where you see your human self’s memories? What does that have anything to do with this?”

Before Daisuke knew it, Seir had swiftly moved on top of him. Straddling his pelvis, her hands on each of his shoulders, seemingly trying to keep him from getting up. It was actually a futile effort, as he could easily lift her up due to her lightweight. But Daisuke let her be, as he knew she was being serious.

“These recent dreams were different. Obviously, because you were in it, and I actually had my voice. So chances are it’s a vision of the future instead of the past.”

Daisuke was intrigued. Something must’ve happened in that dream that prompted Seir’s fear. 

“What happened in those dreams? Did something really bad ha…”

The gears in Daisuke’s mind whirled, figuring out the reason once he put the pieces of the puzzle together.

“... I died, didn’t I?”

“...yes…”

“How did I die in those dreams?”

Seir looked as if even trying to recall those dreams pained her. But she persevered.

“The killing blow was done by a different individual in each dream, but you died all the same. And there is also one other common occurrence in these dreams.”

“...which is?”

“That killing blow… it was originally meant for me.”

Now most of the puzzle pieces are here. Frankly, Daisuke understood why Seir was worried. 

He always kept himself mostly unattached to anything or anyone in any world he had visited so far. He knew that it would cause unnecessary trouble in the future. As it turns out, that future is coming.

And yet, Daisuke was intrigued. He admits that he’s physically attracted to Seir. But by the time he dies in the vision, just how much he cares for Seir that he is willing to use his own body to shield her from a fatal harm? Has he really abandoned his own goal—and also Amaya? Is there no other way to remedy it, so that he’d survive the ordeal?

That aside, he could just follow Seir’s suggestion, taking the easier way by separating from her as soon as possible to avoid his own demise.

However…

At the same time Daisuke felt he was being challenged.

It was a weird sensation.

Sure, he fears death just as much as the next guy. But at the same time, his mind was filled with ‘I could’ve done something to see a better result, couldn’t I?’ or ‘there must be something else’. Thoughts that filled him with enough curiosity to actually make him willing to see through the so-called prophecy to its fruition. Just so he could prove it wrong.

The two feelings, ‘fear of death’, and ‘the need to disprove something that doesn’t sit right with him’, were clashing in his head.

 “Can you describe to me these different people that ended up killing me?”

Daisuke asked. It was the last piece of puzzle he needed.

Seir let go of her hold on his shoulders, but was otherwise still sitting on top of him.

“There were four. Three were greater demonoids–one of which was the one whose presence I sensed several days ago. It looked like a giant armored direwolf. The second one was a winged giant who could temporarily make its body intangible, and the third looked like a stag beetle-person that could displace its body parts to another place at will.”

“What about the fourth?”

“A person.”

“A person?”

“Yes, a person wearing a suit of armor similar to yours, but much more powerful”

 

 

===============

 

 

From Daisuke’s sudden change in expression, Seir knew almost immediately that the last person she mentioned means much more than just ‘someone with a similar suit of armor’ to him. She could sense an emotion that Daisuke rarely exhibited—hatred, shining from his eyes. But it was soon gone, replaced by the seemingly calm and collected look on his face.

Strangely enough, she recalled that the Seir in the vision was also seething in anger, hatred, and disappointment. And that was even before this person killed Daisuke, which is strange to say the least. 

Why would I feel so much hatred for a human who I don’t even know…?

“Is he someone you know?”

She had to ask, because she found it odd that she’d hate someone who is obviously not from this world. Hoping that perhaps Daisuke’s answer will shed some light into this peculiarity.

“Yeah, kind of.”

“Kind of?”

“I’ve only met him a few times before. Speaking of familiarity, I think Amaya knows that guy more. Now that I think about it, that guy seemed to have a strange obsession with Amaya.”

Seir had to valiantly hold her giggle. Daisuke’s initial answer made it sound like the other guy was his love rival. It’s funny in hindsight, but she reckoned laughing would be inappropriate for the occasion. That aside, she believed that there’s more to it still left unsaid.

“There must be more than that, yes?”

“Well, yeah. But...”

Daisuke sounded hesitant. 

While Seir was still curious, she didn’t want to push Daisuke too much. Thus she chose to not say anything and wait. But apparently Daisuke perceived her silence the other way around, since he started speaking again after a defeated sigh.

“You already know that I and Amaya travel across worlds that were encroached by kaijins to help give rise to a new kamen rider from the local residents, so that they could protect their world from extinction.” 

Seir nodded as a response. She had heard of this from Daisuke’s mouth a couple of times. Judging from how foreign his appearance and–on occasion– language, there was no reason to doubt him.

“Most of those worlds I have visited had no kaijins by nature. Someone either brought kaijins from another world in, or instigated an unnatural mutation to the natural wildlife–sometimes even to the humans of that world—which resulted in the outbreak of kaijins.”

“You mean…”

“Yes, the guy who wears a suit of armor similar to mine is most likely this instigator I talked about. Because the other possible candidate is unlikely to appear here anytime soon, seeing how I’m still stuck here. But this guy, he is probably strong enough to break through whatever is preventing dimensional travel.”

Seir fell into thoughts after hearing Daisuke’s explanation. 

That still hasn’t explained the hatred. But if this person really is the mastermind behind the kaijin outbreak on many worlds that Daisuke has visited, could he be…

“Truth be told, me and Amaya were in the middle of tracking him when we came to this world. But it seemed that he had already long gone by the time we arrived here. Either that, or he is somehow able to hide himself in this world—which is very unlikely. In any case, if he shows himself again in a world he instigated, that only means he’s coming to check out the effect of his handiwork. Or worse…”

“Worse?”

“He’s coming to reap the result. Which means, by the time he reappears, this world should be nearing its end already.”

“How could you be so sure?”

“It’s… I just know.”

“...Alright.”

From Daisuke’s tone and his expression, Seir knew that the man wasn’t willing to elaborate any further. She chose to really stop now. At the very least, she now had a good guess on why Daisuke emitted such hatred for a short moment earlier.

And perhaps, also why I bear the same hatred for this person whose name I don’t even know.

Now knowing her silence might be perceived as her pushing for more answers, Seir opted to change the topic instead. Back to what she’s originally coming here to talk about.

“Then, what do you intend to do from now on?”

In turn, Daisuke looked back at her. As if asking with his gaze what she wants him to do.

What do you want me do? If it’s up to me, I…

Seir swallowed back the words that almost leaked out from her mouth. Unable to endure Daisuke’s face at the moment, she looked away. Then after a brief pause, she climbed down from on top of Daisuke and the bed. She said before leaving the tent,

“I will wait a few days for your answer. Please, think about it carefully. Good night, my dearest Daisuke.”

Not waiting for Daisuke’s response, Seir left to return to her own tent. 

 

==========

 

 

Author's note: Sorry it took me a lot longer to finish this chapter....  lots of IRL work in the way, and sometimes I can be such a slowpoke and easily distracted...

Arghh. I should stop making excuses.....

Anyway, I need you guys to help me a little on deciding which path the plot should take. One will lead to more smutty scenes, while the other will lead to more action/fighting scenes. Though each path will still end up on a same end.