Thanks for the invitation. I'm in Type-Moon, inheriting the legacy of Zi-O.

"What do you know now..." Although Nian Zhuo really wanted to say that, he couldn't let down his guard when he recalled how Kadoya Tsukasa had stabbed him without hesitation the first time they met. So he just kept a minimum level of vigilance and kept an eye on Kadoya Tsukasa's movements.

"Sigh, you still don't trust me. But that makes sense." Tsukasa Kadoya knew exactly what Nencho was thinking, and then suddenly reached out his hand behind Nencho's back. "This isn't the place to talk. Come with me."

The black-and-white blurred screen distorts and blurs everything reflected in it, and behind the screen lies another world.

This is the power that Tsukasa Kadoya possesses: the ability to travel between different worlds or even time using the "dimensional wall." He can use it even if he can't transform into a Kamen Rider.

"Where are you taking me...?" Still unsure whether the knight in front of her was friend or foe, Nian Zhuo slightly swung his hand back. "I really find it hard to believe you, considering you suddenly attacked me with a sword right away and then used your Faiz power to escape."

"Sigh... I knew it." Tsukasa Kadoya scratched his forehead in frustration, but his other hand was secretly pulling on the [Barrier] behind Nencho. "By the way, since you have IO power, do you remember what that guy named Swartz's catchphrase is...?"

"Huh...?" Nian Zhuo hesitated for a second because of the question, but then instinctively tried to run away. "Could it be that you...!"

"Yes, I won't ask for your permission." Then, the hand that was making small movements reached out, and the blurry black and white barrier instantly pulled Nencho and Kadoya Tsukasa into it.

The open space that had once held two people instantly returned to silence. Only the rustling of leaves in the sea breeze and the remaining traces on the ground indicated what had happened here.

The dizziness lasted only a moment. In the next moment of blurred vision, a white light flashed and rapidly enlarged in my eyes until my body was completely submerged in the white light.

"Clang—clang—" The ticking of the clock brought Nianzhuo back to his senses.

The field of vision brightened, and Nianzhuo opened his eyes with difficulty.

“…Eh?” Then, the scene in front of him left Nian Zhuo stunned.

It wasn't a battlefield filled with the smoke of gunpowder, nor was it the photo studio that Kamen Rider Decade remembered.

Rather, it was something I had never seen before, but already knew about. Like my uncle's "Nine-to-Five Room" in Zio.

"Why... did I come here?" Nianzhuo stared blankly around, the scenery around him exactly the same as the memories in his mind.

However, the biggest question is not why he is here, but why Tsukasa Kadoya would teleport him here.

"What are you still standing there for?" A familiar voice came from behind. Kadoya Tsukasa looked at Nencho, who was standing motionless at the door, and couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright, alright, then I guess I'll go in first."

Then, in front of Nianzhuo, he opened the door to the "Nine to Five Hall".

"Whether you come in or not is up to you." With a smile at Nian Zhuo behind him, Kadoya Tsukasa walked inside without closing the door.

"Oh well, what's meant to be will be." Scratching his slightly messy hair, Nianzhuo walked into the still open door.

Countless clocks operate according to the rules people have inscribed for them, and different clocks also reflect the time in different parts of the world.

At this moment in the world, some people are playing games, some are working, some are studying... some are washing up, and some have lost themselves in the darkness.

Some, however, drifted off to sleep.

But in places people are unaware of, the time scales that were originally set by themselves are now, in turn, tightly binding their daily routines.

[Time] Ah... it is a power that cannot be completely controlled.

Of course, that's a story for another time...

Once inside the house and after observing the clocks, Nian Zhuo didn't think much of it.

"You did come in. I wasn't wrong about you, Nianzhuo." The man who had brought her here was now standing in front of her.

"Tsukasa Kadoya, what exactly is your purpose...?" Nencho raised an eyebrow in confusion, increasingly unable to understand the man's thoughts.

"I already said, it was just a 'conversation'." Without offering any further explanation, Tsukasa Kadoya pointed to a table on the side.

“So we need to talk…” When Nian Zhuo followed his finger to look at the table, he felt that he had been in a daze more times today than he had in the previous year.

"Eh--?"

The first thing that caught my eye was... Shotaro Sato, wearing a hat and waving at me?! And Philip, engrossed in reading.

Next was Hino Eiji waving with a smile, and then there was Ankh, who still had a cold face.

And then there's Gentaro Kisaragi, who just jumped up and chuckled because his seat wasn't suitable for him to get out.

Haruto is eating a bagel, Kouta Kuzuha has a goofy look on his face, and Shinnosuke Tomari is constantly checking his watch.

Tenkuuji Takeru, smiling and waving slightly at me; Hojo Emu, playing a game; and Kiryu Sento, constantly writing something on a piece of paper.

Finally, sitting at the very back, with a beautiful smile... a girl with long, straight black hair? — Tokiwa-sou Mai?

Hiss—Nian Zhuo suddenly felt that he was in some danger.

Reunion with the seniors I've met before

“How could this be…” Nian Zhuo looked at the familiar faces and was speechless with surprise.

"Ah—! You must be one of Zhuang Wu's friends, right? Eh... I remember her name is..." Then, an older-looking man walked out from a room inside the house.

Holding a tray full of teacups, the man in front of him glanced at Nian Zhuo and then placed the tray on the table with a friendly smile. He then approached Nian Zhuo with a smile and asked, "Have you eaten yet? These friends all looked starving just now, but they all became calm after I cooked them a meal!" As he spoke, he proudly put his hands on his hips.

"Uh—yes!" Looking at the kind-smiling old man in front of him, Nianzhuo felt his stomach growling with hunger. "Then, I'll leave it to you!"

"Not at all, not at all, you should chat with them nicely, haha! Leave the meal to me, your uncle!" He patted his chest proudly, then the elder picked up the tray and went back into the inner room, whereupon the sounds of busy work could be heard from the kitchen.

"He is indeed a kind and compassionate person. And very hardworking." Unlike the other knights present, Nian Zhuo already knew about the elder.

Rejoice! He is the one who understands time, who controls the power of all the watch faces of the past and future, who can repair the entire Heisei Rider watch face in one night, and who can even repair the Time Train. There is nothing that flies in the sky or swims in the sea that he cannot repair! His name is Kamen Rider Schiff! —Uncle!

"Cough cough cough!" Just as Nianzhuo stopped his random thoughts, he felt a few hard pats on his back. "Whoa—! Who is it—!"

Looking back, it turned out to be Kamen Rider Fourze's healer, Gentaro Kisaragi, who had just flipped over the table and stood in front of Nencho.

"Hey, my friend Nianzhuo! Long time no see!" It was the same smile, the same hairstyle, everything was exactly the same as when Nianzhuo first met him.

"Ruyue—you remember me?" Nianzhuo pointed to his face curiously. After all, logically speaking, since he inherited their power, they should have lost their corresponding memories according to the original story.

"What are you saying? How could our friendship go backwards because of time?" Well, it seems that Ruyue completely failed to understand what Nianzhuo meant. She just laughed and patted Nianzhuo's back hard.

“Of course we’ll remember you, after all, we just recently handed over the power of the knight to you.” Next, it was Tomari Shinnosuke, who had been looking at his watch, who spoke up, and pointed to Kadoya Tsukasa next to Nencho, “Look, that’s the guy who brought us here, saying you had something to ask us for… didn’t you know?”

"..." Nencho glanced at Tsukasa Kadoya beside him, then at Shinnosuke Tomari who looked puzzled, and nodded as if he were completely out of the loop.

"Hiss—" Taking a deep breath, Tomari Shinnosuke looked at Kadoya Tsukasa with some curiosity. "So, sir? Do you have anything else to explain?"

"Shinnosuke Tomari, the Kamen Rider Drive user, is the fifth person to entrust his power to Nencho." Tsukasa Kadoya simply stroked his chin without much explanation, then opened his arms to look at the nine people in front of him. "All of you here are Kamen Riders who have entrusted your power to Nencho, and the reason I have gathered you all here today is—" Tsukasa Kadoya pointed to the girl sitting at the very back, who was smiling at Nencho.

"—The last Kamen Rider of the Heisei era, the Kamen Rider Zio." As Tsukasa Kadoya finished speaking, the girl gracefully rose from her seat and gave a slight bow to the seniors who had turned their gazes to her.

"Hello everyone, I am Tokiwa Sou Mai, the one who summoned you all here." Then, as if she couldn't stand the tone, the girl sat back down in her seat and resumed her lazy demeanor. "The reason I summoned you all is simply to verify the current state of Nencho. My subject!" For some reason, the girl's voice was noticeably raised when she said the words 'my subject'.

"—Is he still the one whose strength can be entrusted to him by his predecessors?"

"Hmm...? You are the one from 68—!" Seemingly seeing through the girl's identity, Nian Zhuo's words were interrupted the next moment by his index finger lightly touching his lips.

Without anyone knowing when or how, the girl moved from the innermost seat to in front of Nianzhuo in an instant, and gently pressed her index finger against Nianzhuo's mouth as he was about to say something.

"Alright, let's not talk about some things~" In a girlishly playful voice, Shun Dan pointed to the old man who was busy in the house with her eyes half-open and half-closed. "Uncle doesn't know yet, I'm not the same person I was in 68, you know?"

“…Mm.” Nodding, Nian Zhuo indicated that he understood, and the girl smiled happily, moving her fingers away.

Then, the girl's figure disappeared from Nian Zhuo's sight again and returned to her original seat, as if she had never been there.

Only the lingering warmth on Nianzhuo's lips silently told him that everything that had just happened was not a lie.

"Hmm...?" Upon hearing this question, Kisaragi scratched his head. "Didn't everyone see what Nencho did, through that black and white screen that man opened... Oh right, what exactly is that screen? It can actually reflect the appearance of another world, it seems so amazing!" Halfway through his sentence, Kisaragi Gentaro, as always, put his arm around Kadoya Tsukasa's shoulder with his familiar manner and asked curiously.

“That’s a secret.” Then, Tsukasa Kadoya brushed away Kisaragi’s hand from his shoulder and pulled out a long watch face with his own knight’s face printed on it from his pocket. “Is this it? The watch face that houses my power.”

"Alright, alright, it's not like you've seen him for the first time, Shi-senpai." Seeing Shi-senpai's curious look, Sho Mai, sitting at the very back, couldn't help but wave her hand. "You've already seen him once in my world, why are you acting like it's the first time?"

“That one is different from this one.” Tsukasa Kadoya picked up his camera and pointed it at the group of Kamen Riders at the table in front of him. “Yours is—”

"Click—" It was still the sound of a camera shutter, but the photo that came out was different from Nianzhuo's.

Every face and expression is reflected in the photograph.

...However, it was still just an ordinary photo, with nothing particularly noteworthy about it.

"...Hiss." Muttering to himself that Kaito was right, that he really wasn't suited for photography, Tsukasa Kadoya quietly put the photo in his pocket and continued talking.

“Yours was an insurance policy I made to preserve my Rider power after I knew Swartz’s intentions. This one is different.” Tsukasa Kadoya’s expression gradually became serious as he played with the Decade watch face in his palm. “I can feel the weight on this watch face. It is the power of a complete Decade. It is the watch face that was formed after I, from a certain timeline outside of this place, infused it with my own belief and hope.”

"Well, so let's get back to the topic." The girl smiled and tapped the table, while gesturing with her eyes that the outermost seat was reserved for Nian Zhuo.

"Do my subjects still deserve the power you entrust to them?"

Well, the road ahead is long.

Now, including God Rider's watch, Nianzhuo has acquired half of the Rider watch faces.

As for why Miss Oma called him over, based on Nianzhuo's own speculation, it probably wasn't to confirm whether those seniors still acknowledged him, but rather—

She was lonely (the thought of eating a peach).

Cough cough cough cough! Seeing that Miss Omo had turned her gaze over because of his cough, Nian Zhuo suddenly felt that his omen of death had quietly brightened a little.

Of course, the correct conclusion should be to make it easier for Nencho, who is her subject, to gain the recognition of the Imperial Knights.

In the original series, Tsukasa Kadoya gave Tokiwa Sougo the Decade Watch in order to preserve his power. However, in Nencho's world, there is no Swartz, nor is there any reason for him to preserve his power.

Moreover—having traversed many worlds, he might be the one facing the most rigorous test.

"Hmm... Does Nianzhuo still have the qualifications to be entrusted with our power?" Of course, the first to speak was Gentaro Kisaragi, who put his arm around Nianzhuo's shoulder. He usually had a smile on his face, but this time he showed a serious expression.

"—" As he drew out the last syllable, Nian Zhuo's heart, which was not originally tense, began to clench.

"Of course! You were at that... uh, what was it called again?" Then, Ruyue suddenly put on a bright smile and patted Nianzhuo's shoulder hard. "Yeah! Well done, you made good use of the power of our friendship!"

"Of course, I also agree with what Kisaragi said." Sento finally finished drawing his blueprints, and a tuft of black hair on his head stood up. "At least for now, I still think he is someone who deserves to have the power of Build."

Tsukasa Kadoya simply sat on a chair to the side, his gaze constantly sweeping over the faces of each knight, while fiddling with the camera in his hand.

"Yay~ Game over~" Emu happily tossed the game console onto the table, then looked at everyone who was staring at him, puzzled. "Hmm...? Why is everyone looking at me?"

Well, it seems that Emu isolates himself from all surrounding sounds when he's playing games. Nianzhuo helplessly covered his forehead.

"Ah... umm, I see." After listening to Ruyue's quiet explanation, Emu showed an "oh, I see" expression, then picked up her game console again. "Then there's no need to listen to my opinion. At least for now, I'm still looking forward to playing games with Nencho, okay?"

“…Hiss.” Although he was happy to receive Emu’s approval, Nencho felt a chill when he thought about playing games with Emu. “Forget it, being one-sidedly beaten seems to remind me of some unpleasant memories.”

"Well, so Build, Ex-Aid, and Fourze have all recognized Nencho's qualifications. What about the others?" She smiled at the other knights, but Oma-san could no longer hide the extremely upturned corners of her mouth.

"Oh—sorry to keep you waiting!" Then, the elder's cheerful voice came from the inner room, growing louder as he approached. The uncle came over carrying many plates. "You're not starving, are you? Nian... Nian Zhuo? Ah, that name is really hard to pronounce." Muttering to himself, the uncle smiled and placed the tray in front of Nian Zhuo.

"Oh—!" The abundance exceeded Nianzhuo's expectations. There was miso soup, a pan-fried cod, rice, and a small bowl of Chikuzen-ni (a type of stew) as a side dish. It was a very ordinary but very tempting meal.

“Then—I’m going to…” Nian Zhuo picked up his chopsticks, just about to start eating the rice in front of him, when he heard a gurgling sound, “Eh—?”