"I'm home."
It was a little after 4:30 PM when Asagi Aiba returned home. With her blonde hair and fashionably disheveled uniform, she looked like a flashy "gyaru" at first glance.
"WELCOME BACK."
The only response that came from her mansion-like home was the synthesized voice of a home security robot.
Asagi didn't reply and headed toward her room.
She didn't have a part-time job today. Her friends also had plans, so she came home early after school. Recently, this had been happening more often. The reason for it was...
"Seriously, what was Motoki thinking, suddenly transferring to an Assault-prep high school?"
Born and raised on the Academy Island, Asagi had a long-standing, "rotten relationship" with Yase, who had also lived on the island since childhood. Although she wouldn't call him a childhood friend, they had always attended the same school. Then, all of a sudden, just before summer vacation ended, he announced he was transferring. Asagi didn't think he was suited for it, but it wasn't her place to say anything. She just told him to do what he wanted.
As a result, she now had more free time.
"I'm so bored, maybe I should pick up more hours at my job..."
Muttering to herself, she opened her bedroom door.
"...Huh?"
There was a person in the room.
It was a man in a ridiculous outfit: a tuxedo and a laughing mask. He was leaning against the wall, casually reading a book from her bookshelf.
Asagi was an island native. She had lived her whole life on this island where various gifted individuals and species coexisted. Even though she attended a regular school, she had smelled gunpowder more than once and had encountered scenes where supernatural abilities were unleashed.
But...
"(What is this guy...!?)"
She had never faced someone with such dense, palpable malice. She couldn't even laugh at his outfit. Sweat poured from her entire body. It was all she could do to keep from collapsing on the spot.
Unconsciously, she tried to step back.
"Don't."
A sweet, childlike voice came from behind her, and something hard pressed against her back. Asagi only moved her head to look at her assailant.
"Heh heh."
"..."
Her eyes met a pair of blood-red irises.
It was a girl in a black dress. The hard object pressing against Asagi's back was a gleaming black piece of metal held in the girl's hand.
"If you move strangely, it might stab you, you know?"
The innocent voice only amplified her terror. Asagi knew it wasn't a joke. She realized that the object against her back was not just a metal rod, but some kind of blade.
"Get in the room, Asagi Aiba."
"..."
The man in the tuxedo said in a calm voice. It was a de facto command. Asagi silently entered the room. The girl followed her in and closed the door.
"What do you want? This isn't just a home invasion robbery, is it?"
"Hmph."
The man in the tuxedo chuckled at Asagi's attitude.
"My, I'm impressed by your composure in this situation. There's no doubt you feel fear."
"Don't underestimate an island native. Do you really think you can scare me with just a weird outfit?"
Though her body was trembling, Asagi was starting to regain her composure. She had concluded that she was safe for a logical reason.
"If you were going to kill me, you would have already. I'm just an ordinary high school girl with no powers."
The fact that they were talking meant they had some business with an "ordinary" high school girl like her. The word "ordinary," however, was up for debate. She figured that was their real objective.
"So, what do you want? A spy program? Or something more direct, like an application for sabotage?"
"You're quick on the uptake, 'Empress of Electronics.'"
"Can you stop using that nickname?"
Asagi grimaced at the mocking tone in Kagetane's voice. "Empress of Electronics" was the alias given to Asagi for her genius-level programming skills. Although she insisted it was just a hobby, she managed a large part of the Artificial Island Management Corporation's system as a side gig. That was her part-time job.
"You don't need to be modest. This isn't the first time something like this has happened, is it?"
"True. But you're the first ones to actually come and meet me in person."
Asagi didn't exactly hide her skills as the Empress of Electronics. She kept it secret online—in the sense that she left no hacking traces—but she didn't advertise it in the real world. Still, industrial spies and terrorists had occasionally approached her to create various programs for their operations.
"Well, I just bait those guys with the finished product and then hand them over to the Management Bureau or the Assaults."
Of course, Asagi wasn't one to simply comply. The people who requested her to commit crimes always ended up getting caught.
"So, you two should be careful. If you ask me to do anything strange, you'll get caught."
Asagi provoked them, asking if they were okay with that. In response,
"Of course."
It felt as if the laughing mask's mouth widened even further, deepening the smile.
"For our wish is destruction."
"You're... a strange one."
Asagi sat down in her favorite chair. Her setup was far beyond what a high school girl would own: multiple monitors and a high-spec PC.
She booted up the computer.
"So, what's your request?"
Asagi switched to work mode. Frankly, there was no need to create a new, run-of-the-mill program. Combining what she had already made would be enough. It was a casual statement, but then Kagetane spoke.
"Everything on this island."
"...Huh?"
Asagi frowned at the abstract request.
"I want control of the five supercomputers you've been entrusted with to run this island."
"Huh!? What are you talking about!?"
The unexpected demand made Asagi kick back her chair and stand up. Kagetane was asking her to hand over control of the Academy Island.
Ignoring Asagi's panic, Kohina spoke to Kagetane.
"After she makes it, we're taking her with us, right, Papa?"
"That's a good girl. You remember well, Kohina. Just as you said, I'll be taking you with me. Your skill is undeniable, but it would be troublesome if you planted some strange backdoors. We'll need you to fix it on the spot if anything goes wrong."
"..."
Asagi bit her lip. She had been thinking of complying now and then forcibly taking back control later, but it seemed that plan was out.
"I'll release you once everything is finished. I promise no harm will come to you as long as you don't do anything unnecessary."
"...I can't trust that."
Asagi flatly dismissed Kagetane's cliche line.
"Besides, I have the right to choose my jobs. And I absolutely won't take this one."
She stated it clearly.
Their goal was control of the Academy Island, and Asagi's power was essential. If they killed her on the spot, it would take an enormous amount of time to undo the locks she had put in place. This meant they had no choice but to get her to agree.
The man in front of her might torture her to get what he wanted. But even if she could imagine that scenario, she wouldn't give in before anything had even happened. Asagi had that much integrity.
And Kagetane should have been able to imagine that.
"Kohina."
"Yes, Papa."
Kohina ran out of the room. After a moment, she returned carrying a woman.
"..."
"It seems your father remarried."
Asagi managed to hold back a scream. The woman Kohina was carrying was Sumire Aiba, Asagi's stepmother. She was tied behind her back and gagged. She couldn't speak clearly, but she was desperately trying to say something to Asagi.
"What are you going to do to her?"
Asagi didn't particularly like Sumire, her father's new wife, but she wasn't going to bring that up now.
"You can probably guess, can't you?"
"I asked what you're going to do!"
He was going to do something to Sumire instead of torturing Asagi. Asagi was prepared for harm to come to her, but she couldn't stand the thought of someone else being hurt because of her. Kagetane had gambled on Asagi's sense of right and wrong.
"It all depends on your answer and your actions... So, what will you do?"
"...Fine. I'll do it, okay, I'll do it!!"
Asagi's fear was heightened by the fact that he wouldn't tell her exactly what he would do. She saw the sword in Kohina's hand in her peripheral vision. She imagined Sumire might be cut at any moment without warning.
"Oh, and one more thing."
"...Is there something else?"
Asagi turned back with an exasperated look.
"I'd be troubled if you were to procrastinate on the job. So, for every ten minutes that pass, we'll cut off one centimeter from her feet, starting from the toes."
"Yes, Papa."
"...!!"
Kohina pinned down the struggling Sumire and placed the blade against her right foot.
"Now then," Kagetane ostentatiously took out a watch. "You may begin."
"Tch! You've got to be kidding me! Mogwai!!"
Asagi spat out the name and turned to her computer. At the same time, she pulled out her smartphone and called her partner.
"Heh heh heh. Looks like the little miss got herself into a mess."
The screen of her smartphone showed the avatar of a grotesque doll. The doll was a personification of the island's supercomputers, an AI that had taken up residence in Asagi's smartphone.
Asagi didn't bother with the banter. She placed the phone on a stand-up charger and launched her development applications on the PC. Every second counted now.
"Shut up and process it!! You know what to do!!"
"Alright, alright, and this is..."
Mogwai's murmur was swallowed by the sound of furious typing.
"Just process it!!"
"Right, right."
The avatar was waving its arms in a pop-art fashion, but it was quickly processing the code Asagi was typing.
For a while, only the sound of typing filled the room. Kagetane and Kohina seemed to be giving Asagi some space to work, not saying a word. Even Sumire, the hostage, was still and quiet under the tense atmosphere Asagi was creating.
"Tch."
Asagi clicked her tongue at a typing mistake she wouldn't normally make, but she continued her work.
Then she hit the Enter key with a forceful press.
"Phew..."
She let out a long breath.
"That's splendid. You're already finished."
"Just be quiet..."
Nine minutes and thirty-two seconds. Considering the time it took to boot up her PC, Asagi had completed the task in even less time. Thanks to this, no harm came to Sumire.
She installed the control program onto a laptop.
"It seems you're ready."
"...I guess so."
Asagi shoved the laptop roughly into her bag and stood up. This wasn't the end of it; she had to go with Kagetane as he requested.
"(Figures, I couldn't make it in time... Oh well, I'll go with them and look for an opportunity.)"
Asagi was thinking this with a sour face when...
"Papa."
"They've sniffed us out. But..."
Kagetane noticed a powerful magical presence heading straight for them.
The gaze from behind his mask pierced Asagi. Asagi stared back, unafraid of his intimidation.
"What is it?"
"No, I just realized you're more tomboyish than I thought."
Kagetane had managed to get into the house without triggering any alarms or causing a disturbance. There was no way the Management Bureau would have detected him. That meant Asagi had to have done something.
And she had.
While complying with Kagetane's request, she had activated the home security system, sending an alert to the Management Bureau without setting off the alarm herself. Her plan had been a near-complete success.
The problem was...
"(The timing is terrible...! It's already finished!!)"
The program was complete. The laptop with the program was in her bag. If Kagetane snatched the bag, she wouldn't be able to resist.
"Papa, what are we going to do?"
"Our guest seems to be a decisive one. They're coming."
The next moment, two figures crashed through the wall, sandwiching Kagetane and Kohina.
---------
"What's the plan?" Claudia asked as we approached our destination. She was probably asking how we were going to break in. I felt like leaving it up to her since she was more experienced in this kind of thing.
"We'll hit them with a pincer attack. Is it... okay to break the wall of the house? Is it okay to break a house?"
"I think the Management Bureau will charge you for that. There's a limit, of course."
"Human lives are more important than a house, right? We have no choice."
"That's right."
I infused myself with my [Gale Lightning] and took out my golden sword. Claudia activated her [Pandora's Box].
Then, as planned, we broke through the wall and rushed in.
But...
"Urgh!?"
"!"
I saw two, no, three familiar people inside the room. The moment I saw them, Claudia and I were both blown backward in opposite directions. It was an invisible force field—Kagetane Hiruko's [Imaginary Gimmick].
"Hmph."
Kagetane snapped his fingers, and another invisible field spread around us.
"Tch."
"This is [AMF]."
"Yeah. Just like the intel said."
According to the combat records from Yukina and the others, Kagetane used not only his original Imaginary Gimmick but also AMF. He was touted as a human weapon against mages, and it was no exaggeration; he had overwhelmed Yukina and Vita-san in close combat.
The moment the AMF field was deployed, my magical armaments were thrown into chaos. I couldn't maintain them no matter how hard I tried.
Claudia's magical blades were also disrupted, though she seemed less affected than me. She must have switched to an AMF-compatible spell. Unfortunately, I wasn't skilled enough to do that.
I abandoned my magical armaments.
"Guess that won't work."
"We'll have to fight in a different way."
With Replica's voice in my head, I took out my Ziku Driver.
ZIO!
DE-DE-DE-DECADE!
"Henshin!"
RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER ZIO!
ARMOR TIME!
KAMEN RIDE! DECA! DECA! DECADE!
I transformed into Zi-O with the Decade Armor, brandishing the Jikan Girade and Ride Heisaber in a two-sword style. Claudia also readied her two Pandoras, one red and one blue.
"I have what I came for. I think it's time for me to go."
"Like hell I'll let you!"
The battle began.
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