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

“So, this is—” Mashu pushed out the silent Jeanne d'Arc from the other side, and was about to introduce her when she was interrupted by the inexplicably excited Marie.

"Joan of Arc, it must be Joan of Arc. The saint who stood up to save France, she is one of the people I have wanted to meet in my lifetime."

"I...I don't think I'm some kind of saint..." Joan of Arc was clearly not good at dealing with the enthusiastic Marie Antoinette. She could only deny it softly.

“Yes, I think everyone knows that’s what you think. However, your way of life was genuine, and everyone knows the outcome. So everyone praises and admires your deeds, and will never forget you, Joan of Arc, the Miracle of Orléans.” Mary’s smile was as pure as a lily.

Meanwhile, Nian Zhuo quietly pressed the Drive watch face in his hand.

The scene before my eyes changed instantly.

What? I've been arrested by the police?

The scene shifts again, and when Zhuo opens his eyes, he sees a sign that reads "Metropolitan Police Department" hanging high above.

Zhuo: "???" Although they had already traveled through the Mirror World several times, Sento and Emu had always met in relatively easy-to-recognize places, such as Sento in the manager's coffee shop and Emu on the rooftop of Popoy. But this time, it was actually at the Metropolitan Police Department, which was quite rare.

"Yo, junior." A male voice came from behind. Without even turning around, Zhuo recognized the person's identity.

Shinnosuke Tomari, the Kamen Rider Drive user and a member of the Metropolitan Police Department's Special Investigation Division.

Nian Zhuo turned around, and sure enough, it was him, dressed in a sharp suit, but—

And there's Ms. Kiriko, smiling sweetly as she holds his hand?!

Luring a dog in on Valentine's Day to kill it?!

Upon seeing this scene, Nianzhuo's lips twitched slightly.

"Nothing special (sour is pronounced as turbid sour)"

"Ahem, getting back to the point, hello, Drive-senpai, I'm Nianzhuo, the new generation Rider. I'm here to—" Her simple self-introduction was interrupted by the outstretched hand of the man in front of her.

"Let's shake hands first. Just call me Shinnosuke." He smiled gently, exuding the energy of an ordinary office worker (just kidding). "Is this the reason you summoned me this time?"

Shinnosuke pulled out the Drive watch face from his hand and gently played with it. "Hey~ so this is the tool that houses my knight power. How interesting."

"Yes," Nian Zhuo replied, shaking hands. Having already stated his purpose, he naturally relaxed a lot. "I came here to gain your approval."

"Hmph~ Interesting. Well then, as a detective, I'll interrogate you first before deciding whether you're suitable to receive this power." Tossing the watch face into his pocket, Shinnosuke whispered to Kiriko to step aside.

Unexpectedly, Ms. Kiriko kicked him in the knee and then walked away angrily.

"Are people showing off their love this hardcore these days..." Nian Zhuo thought to himself, but maintained a calm expression on his face.

"Do you bear the responsibility of others on your shoulders?" Turning away, Shinnosuke seemed to be recalling something. "Once, because of my mistake, my best friend, partner, colleague, lost the ability to work with me on cases. But he entrusted the responsibility to me, saying, 'Use your sense of responsibility elsewhere, and use your free body to run along with my share.' So, thanks to his responsibility, I was able to get out of my confusion. And you, boy."

"I..." Zhuo clenched his fists, recalling the person who had brought him here, Oma Zi-O—no, she was just a girl who would smile happily just because she had gained the trust of a stranger. "Senior, the responsibility on my shoulders may not be as heavy as yours, but my heart will not lose!"

"I want to be her support! I want to one day help her achieve her dream! I want to one day stand under the same sky as her, so that others can see her clearly... So, senior, I will risk everything to make it happen." Zhuo pounded his heart against his chest with his right hand, reminding himself of this feeling. "Similarly, I also have people I need to help, people I need to save." Director Mary, Mashu, Ophelia. And more than that. Since Zhuo chose to change, he had to bear that responsibility.

"Hmm—I see. So, the second question..." Shinnosuke didn't offer much further comment.

The interrogation continued.

"So, in your opinion, what should we Kamen Riders protect? Once, that enemy questioned me, saying that I had clearly witnessed the ugliness of humanity, and clearly understood that protecting humanity was not the same as justice. But," looking at Kiriko beside him, the man suddenly laughed, "it is precisely because of the existence of evil in humanity that there are police, and justice shines even brighter because of ugliness. Therefore, what I protect is not justice, but the citizens. So, junior," turning to point at Nencho, Shinnosuke's second question arrived, "what is it that you want to protect?"

This question silenced Zhuo, but only for a short while.

"I aspire to be that person's subject, that person's knight. That person desires to be a king who brings happiness to his subjects, then I will ensure everyone's happiness endures. Whoever tries to destroy everyone's happiness, I will consider them an enemy, not even my king. I will correct them, by any means necessary!" With a single finger pointing to the sky, Zhuo loudly proclaimed his resolve.

"What I protect is the happiness of my subjects who are my king under this sky! So it has nothing to do with justice; I only protect my subjects."

—A profound silence—

Ms. Kiriko next to me was practically laughing so hard she almost fell to the ground.

"Um, junior, under the sky of this world, there are only the three of us..."

Shinnosuke whispered a reminder, which made Zhuo's face suddenly turn awkward.

"Oh, I see..." "Yeah, that's right..." "Then let's continue." "Okay."

After filtering out the preceding scenes, Shinnosuke began his final "interrogation."

"So, Nenjo, in your opinion," Shinnosuke paused for a moment before posing his long-prepared final question.

"In your opinion, what exactly does the word 'Kamen Rider' mean? Wearing a mask means we've switched identities. It also inevitably means hiding our true selves, concealing our outward appearances. So why do we hide? And what kind of self are we liberated after hiding? For me, the meaning of a Kamen Rider lies in the added responsibility; protecting the citizens is the mission of a Kamen Rider. It's because we wear masks that we are not bound by the various rules of society. Secondly, it's about our quiet dedication. I don't protect anything for any particular reason; my mission is simply here. This is my definition of a Kamen Rider. This is the final interrogation, junior." Awaiting his final answer, Shinnosuke stopped speaking.

"When I put on the mask, I am no longer bound by the rules of society. I can use my own means to protect everyone. But I will not forget the rules either; they are my best weapon to restrain myself. For me, Kamen Rider means that I must put away my arrogance and inner self, uphold the trust and entrustment of the people, and fight and struggle. No matter who it is, I will throw a punch hard. Even if it is an opponent I cannot defeat, I will still fight! Because of everyone's trust! My responsibility, my mission." He took out the Zi-O watch from his hand, looked at the mask, and seemed to see his own reflection in it.

"The future is unpredictable, so protecting the present is my mission as a Kamen Rider."

"I don't need any flowers or applause. I just want to be a hero behind the scenes. That's all." With a soft smile, Nian Zhuo pressed the dial on his watch.

The gears dissipated, and what remained was not Nian Zhuo, but rather him, the Kamen Rider.

"So just you wait and see, seniors, I'll keep running. With your trust in me."

"Congratulations." Taking Kiriko's hand, Shinnosuke tossed the watch face from his pocket over.

"Self-defense is established, you are innocent." The two looked at Nencho standing behind them. Suddenly, Ms. Kiriko kissed Shinnosuke's lips.

"Happy Valentine's Day, juniors!" The two laughed happily.

"I'm a star, you're a star," he excitedly chanted.

Then the world shattered once more, and Nianzhuo's figure vanished.

"Let's go back and have a nice meal together," Shinnosuke said, taking Kiriko's hand.

"Okay! Let's all go together. Let's call out to Belt-san and Heart." With a sweet smile, the two disappeared.

--Back to the First Singularity--

"Congratulations, host, you have obtained 1 Drive watch face."

Congratulations on completing the hidden quest: You have obtained a Signal Axe x1 (no activation item required)

"It said, 'It's okay to go in now?'"

Looking at the people around the campfire, Nianzhuo suddenly spoke.

Reconnecting after disconnection

"Hmm? What are you saying, Mr. Nianzhuo?" The sudden voice attracted the attention of those around. Mashu looked at Nianzhuo, who was slowly waking up, and thought he had some problem.

"Ah, sorry, I was a little distracted just now. Where were you guys?" Zhuo waved his hand to indicate that he was fine, and had no choice but to divert everyone's attention in order to cover up the fact that he hadn't been listening.

“We were just talking about how Joan of Arc’s life has gone a bit off,” Amadeus glanced at Nian Zhuo, then continued, “You agree, Joan of Arc? There’s been something unusual about your life.”

"It was not others who were hurt by being called a 'perfect saint,' but Joan of Arc herself. Listen carefully, Maria, you always praise others too much; it is also important to occasionally reprimand and criticize them."

“This… I know this even without Amadeus lecturing me! No, you nag about this every day, don’t you?” Marie’s response was naturally one of denial. “This… is this enough? You musical idiot! Useless!” Few people would dare to say such a thing to a world-renowned musician, which is probably proof of their good relationship.

"A one-dimensional fetishist who only gets horny for scales! If you like sheet music so much, why don't you just become musical notes?!" Mary continued to list all of Amadeus's faults; in fact, it was probably only she who knew Amadeus to this extent.

"These two have such a good relationship." Zhuo looked at the two bickering on the other side and patted Mashu's head beside him.

"Hmm? Mr. Nianzhuo?" Meeting Mashu's gaze, Nianzhuo simply smiled and remained silent. Mashu withdrew her questioning look and squinted to enjoy the moment.

“Marie Antoinette, your words please me. But that is precisely why I must confess to you that I was not a saint in my lifetime.” Joan of Arc’s face showed a smile she had never seen before, the most ordinary smile she had retained since she was a country girl.

"I only raised the banner for what I believed in, and as a result, my hands are stained with blood." Joan of Arc's gaze pierced through her gauntlets, as if she could see the blood of the lives lost on her hands.

"Of course, I don't regret it. Including the impeachment I faced during the trial for heresy, and my death. But so much blood was shed for it. The country girl believed in her dreams, yet—"

“However, so many lives have been lost for this, haven’t they?” Zhuo interrupted Joan of Arc. “Back then, you didn’t know, and you wouldn’t have known, how many soldiers would die for your ideals, how many lives would be lost. You probably never imagined it back then.” Looking at Joan of Arc’s suddenly widened eyes, Zhuo gave a bitter smile.

"War inevitably leads to death; it's something that can never be avoided. You have indeed caused too many lives to be lost, but at the same time, you have created a future for many more new lives in France. This is not a simple addition or subtraction problem; it's impossible to say that exchanging one hundred lives for two hundred is worthwhile. But you don't need to regret it, nor do you need to be afraid, because this is your sin. Taking lives and saving lives are both your achievements. Since these are engraved on the Throne of Heroes, why do you still refuse to face them? Even so, people still acknowledge you as a saint; isn't that enough?"

“You’re right, Tsuru. But—” Joan of Arc turned her head away as if she were shy about what she was about to say. “I will be called a saint, but that’s just a consequence. I feel it’s a bit inappropriate to call a mere little girl a saint.”

“Little… girl?” Nianzhuo’s gaze shifted downwards by thirty centimeters, and he murmured in disbelief, “Really… fake?”

As he spoke, he was hit on the head with a small fist, and met Mashu's displeased gaze. "Just now, Mr. Nianzhuo, were you thinking about something very rude?"

"No, I just remembered something happy." Nianzhuo waved his hand to appease the dissatisfied Mashu, making excuses.

"...Then, you're not a saint, are you? In that case, may I call you Joan of Arc?" Mary suddenly became excited and grasped Joan's hands, which were clasped together.

"Ah, yes, of course. It always makes me feel nostalgic when you call me that." Joan of Arc was clearly surprised by Mary's enthusiasm, but then she realized what she meant and nodded in return.

“Great! Then you can call me Mary too~ If you’re not a saint, but Joan of Arc, then I’m not a queen, but Mary.” Mary’s blue eyes met Joan of Arc’s blue eyes.

"Hey, please, Joan of Arc. Call me Mary and give it a try!" Her voice was cheerful and hopeful. Joan of Arc, somewhat embarrassed, slowly began to speak.

"Well, alright then, I won't stand on ceremony... Thank you, Mary."

"I should be thanking you! I'm so happy, Jeanne!" The two girls hugged each other excitedly, laughing happily. It was a beautiful sight.

"And, I'm sorry, for imposing my own ideas on you. You've lost sight of your own answers, haven't you?" Marie blushed, fiddling with her fingers. "Just like I was back then, clueless. Since that's the case, you'll have to find it yourself. I really want to wholeheartedly side with Joan of Arc! But I'll try my best to hold back and remain silent! I won't blindly believe you, but I'll support you—that's what a female friend should do, isn't it, Amadeus?"

"Hmm, this is a sweet sentiment, but it's too empty." Amadeus simply smiled as he waved his staff, tracing a few notes in the air.

“The same goes for you, Miss Jeanne d'Arc. We believe in you too.” Mashu smiled and raised her hand as well.

"As someone with blood on my hands, I will stand by your side." - Nian Zhuo.

"There are quite a few weirdos pretending to be someone else~" - from the lively Fujimaru Ritsuka.

"A fake...a fake weirdo?!" Being called a weirdo because of her own name left Jeanne with slightly mixed feelings. (Then am I really a weirdo? Ugh~)

Tsuru tapped Ritsuka's head and pretended to scold her, "Stop saying things that cause trouble for others, Ritsuka."

"Ugh~ I'm sorry, Takumi." Ritsuka covered her head and squatted down on the ground.

“I’ve never heard of a fake weirdo. But I do know what a weirdo is!” As Ritsuka spoke, Mary, recalling something, stretched out her hand again, pointed in a direction, and said, “Look, it looks like something is coming towards us again.”

Following the direction Mary pointed, the servants saw one after another drooling monsters appearing in their eyes.

"No, I don't think they were attracted by you. But never mind, let's get rid of them quickly before continuing the talk." Amadeus drew musical notes in the air again, but this time, they charged towards the oncoming magical beasts with waves of magical energy.

--The battle resumes--

What are you looking at? You're a dragon too!

After the battle, Mash briefly explained the meaning and goals of Chaldea to Marie and Mozart.

"—I understand what you mean." Hearing about the future where humanity has been burned, Marie couldn't help but become serious. "It's not just France, this is a crisis for the whole world. So, although the form is different... is this also a Holy Grail War...?"

Amadeus's staff also traced a few unstable notes. "When I was summoned without a Master, alarm bells rang in my mind. But the actual situation was far beyond my expectations. There were a total of five Servants confronting us at the time. Including Mash and Nencho on our side, there were ten Servants in total. Although Nencho eliminated two of them, that was the result of a surprise attack. Next time, the enemy will not be so careless. Besides, aren't there too many Servants?"