"Back then, I bruised my knee while playing and cried alone in the park," Sougo recalled, his voice wistful.
"Then, a girl in a sailor suit walked by and put a band-aid on me."
"She stayed and played with me for a long time. When we said goodbye, she lifted my chin and said, 'Goodbye, cute boy!'"
"Really?" The uncle smiled, reaching out to lightly tap Sougo's chin. "Like this?"
"Yes, exactly!" Sougo grinned brightly.
Gates groaned. "Are you a cat or something?"
"Wait—don't tell me you're in love?!" Ora asked, her tone filled with disappointment. She had hoped for juicy gossip, but it turned out to be nothing more than a childhood crush. "So boring! Just elementary-school-level unrequited love."
"No way!" Sougo shot back defensively. "That girl's face has been engraved in my heart ever since!"
"Then describe her to us," Ryuga challenged with a smirk.
"Uh… that's the thing…" Sougo scratched his head awkwardly. "I can't really remember."
"Typical," everyone scoffed at once.
Only Woz offered comfort, placing a hand dramatically over his chest. "Do not worry, my Demon King! In time, countless women will vie for your affection!"
Sougo: "…"
The watch shop was unusually quiet, so while the uncle continued fixing watches, Sougo sulked in a corner, drawing circles on the ground like a moody cat. The rest of the group returned to finishing the desserts.
"This watch is well-made! Does it have a story behind it?" the uncle asked, examining it closely.
"Yes—it commemorates the first lawsuit I won as a lawyer!" the middle-aged man smiled proudly.
"A lawyer? That's admirable. Someone who upholds justice," Sougo said, intrigued.
"Not really," the lawyer sighed. "I've never managed to protect an innocent client."
"Do… injustices really happen like that?" Sougo's mood shifted again, more quickly than a weather app.
"They do—but not in the case he's referring to," Ryuga said bluntly.
Everyone's attention turned to Ryuga. "Wait, you know something about this case?"
Ryuga crossed his arms, face darkening. "Unfortunately, yes."
"What do you mean?" the lawyer asked, puzzled.
"The defendant… was a woman, wasn't she?"
The lawyer nodded.
"She was delusional. Once she convinced herself of something—true or false—she believed it entirely. In your case, she committed murder, but told herself she didn't. She wasn't lying; she genuinely believed it."
"So... in her heart, she thought she was innocent," the lawyer muttered, stunned.
"Exactly."
"That's terrifying…" Sougo shivered.
"You won't think so for long," Ryuga replied cryptically.
"Huh? Why?" Sougo blinked.
Ryuga simply smiled and said nothing more.
Once the uncle had issued a repair slip, the lawyer left in a hurry. He wanted to revisit the case files, now burdened with fresh doubt. But he forgot his wallet at the shop, and the uncle quickly asked Sougo to chase after him.
"Quick! We've got juicy gossip to unpack!" Ryuga waved excitedly the moment Sougo stepped out. Of course, the uncle was too absorbed in his repairs to notice.
Everyone gathered around like seasoned gossipmongers.
"Let me tell you…" Ryuga lowered his voice.
"Oh?! The woman from that case—she turns into an Another Rider, right? Alien Kiva? And Sougo still believes she's his long-lost first love?" Gates blurted out.
Tsukuyomi quickly covered his mouth. They all looked at the uncle, who, thankfully, was still lost in his work.
"What do you think Sougo will do when he finds out her true identity?" Ora asked, excited.
"Well, if we're talking about the 'first love' angle," Tsukuyomi began, "he won't let her go."
"What if he learns the truth, that she's not actually the girl from back then?" Ora pushed further.
"That's harder," Ryuga mused. "Once Sougo decides on something, no matter what we say, he won't believe it. To him, he knows her. We don't."
"So we shouldn't tell him?" Gates asked.
"Exactly. If he's going to become a worthy Demon King, he needs to experience heartbreak. Once he stops believing in love, he'll finally become the king of 3,000 beauties!" Woz said dramatically.
Everyone: "…"
"Oh, this one's on you," Ryuga said, clapping Woz's shoulder. "When it all backfires, we'll leave you to clean it up."
"Agreed!" everyone chimed in.
Woz: "...Why do I feel like I've been set up?"
Meanwhile, the lawyer drove off—but he didn't get far before someone suddenly appeared in front of his car.
Kitajima Yuko.
He slammed on the brakes as the woman stepped onto the hood in high heels. Furious, he got out, ready to yell—until he recognized her.
"You… you're Kitajima Yuko! The defendant?!"
[Kiva!]
Without a word, Yuko transformed into Another Kiva and slammed the lawyer to the ground. She could have finished him off in a single strike—but something held her back.
That hesitation gave Sougo just enough time to arrive.
"Another Rider? Stop right there!" Sougo shouted, immediately rushing in to pull the lawyer away.
"Who the hell are you?" Yuko snapped. "I'm the queen who will rule this world! Kneel before me!"
"Queen?" Sougo blinked.
"Attack!" she snapped her fingers.
From thin air emerged three monsters—Pasha, Dogga, and Garulu—the three iconic weapon-beasts of Kiva.
"Long time no see!" Garulu howled before charging. Who he was greeting, no one could say—maybe even the audience watching this twisted play.
Sougo fought valiantly, dodging and countering their attacks, but he hesitated—something within him resisted transforming into a stronger form.
It cost him.
Yuko, now wielding Garulu Saber, Pasha's spear, and Dogga's hammer, struck him hard. Sougo flipped through the air three and a half times before slamming into a wall, his transformation undone.
"What a cute boy," Yuko said with a smirk, gently lifting his chin—just like that memory—and walked away.
Back at the watch shop, everyone watched as a dazed Sougo finally returned, his expression dazed with infatuation.
Tsukuyomi quickly pulled up the case details on her tablet.
"It looks like she escaped prison to take revenge on the people who 'wronged' her back then."
"I get how she feels," Sougo said, eyes dreamy. "Nobody wants to be wrongly accused."
"I'm sure she didn't kill anyone. She's my first love!"
He had clearly failed to connect the dots between Yuko and Ryuga's earlier story.
"Sure, sure!" everyone replied in unison.
"Huh? You guys agree with me?" Sougo blinked. "Where's Gates? Doesn't he usually shoot me down by now?"
"Of course we believe you!" Gates said, patting Sougo on the shoulder.
Tsukuyomi followed, nodding silently with a light pat of her own.
Sougo: "???"
Then he spotted Woz moving toward him too. He narrowed his eyes.
Woz paused, sighed, and sat back down—quietly returning to his dessert.