Kamen Rider, but with a wild start.

Nine to five hours a day.

As the two slowly walked back, night had fallen. The watch shop, located on the street corner, was lit with warm yellow lights, exuding a cozy atmosphere from afar.

Tokiwa Sougo rubbed the bump on his forehead and rushed into the house.

"I'm back! Uncle, I'm hungry!"

"Oh... welcome back!"

Upon hearing the noise, Tokiwa Junichiro quickly walked out of the restaurant, his expression somewhat hesitant: "Um... Sougo, a customer just came looking for you."

Tokiwa Sougo tilted his head: "What?"

Tokiwa Junichiro continued apologetically, "And then, your dinner was eaten by the guests... but I'll go make you a fresh one right away!"

The guest—is unimportant.

But dinner when you're hungry—

Tokiwa Sougo's eyes widened as he rushed into the restaurant, where he saw a familiar young man dressed in a casual suit and burgundy shirt sitting opposite Meikoin Geiz and Tsukuyomi.

"It's you! Tsukasa Kadoya!"

"Yo~"

Tsukasa Kadoya took a bite of his steak and casually raised his fork in a gesture of greeting.

Seeing that his dinner had been completely eaten by the other person, Tokiwa Sougo pursed his lips, suppressing his grievance, and asked, "Did you come here for something?"

"I didn't come here to see you."

Tsukasa Kadoya then ate the last piece of steak.

Kino entered the restaurant a step behind. The seat that Tokiwa Sougo usually sat in was now occupied by Kadoya Tsukasa, so he naturally assumed that the dinner that the other person hadn't eaten was his own.

Upon seeing this, Tokiwa Sougo was immediately annoyed at his slow reaction; he should have eaten that dinner earlier.

Although this might lead to another beating.

Dinner tonight is steak and spaghetti. Kino stirred the black pepper sauce with a fork and looked at Tsukasa Kadoya next to him, saying, "You came to me to ask about the Demon King?"

"Huh? You mean me?" Tokiwa Sougo pointed to himself with great interest.

"No."

Tsukasa Kadoya gave him a half-smile.

Having finished his food, Tsukasa Kadoya leisurely wiped his mouth with a napkin, then stood up, raised the magenta camera hanging around his neck, and took a picture of Sougo Tokiwa.

He then glanced at the bewildered figure in the viewfinder, and then looked at Kino, who was intently eating pasta next to him.

“I have a general understanding of the Demon King’s affairs, but there are some things I feel you don’t know,” Tsukasa Kadoya said cryptically.

You're talking about yourself, aren't you?

Kino glanced at him with a hint of helplessness: "Don't always project your own problems onto others. The Demon King's situation is different from what you learned from the Time Jackers, and it's also different from what you've investigated so far."

"No~ I'm talking about you~"

Tsukasa Kadoya remained unhurried, then turned the camera to the boy who was eating steak with gusto, a smile on his face as he pressed the shutter.

click-

Kino blinked slightly.

Even at such close range, the viewfinder screen still displayed a distorted image. Tsukasa Kadoya, relying on his years of photography experience, managed to piece together a human figure from the fragments of light and shadow.

He didn't show the photo to the person in the camera; instead, he let go of the camera and bent down to approach the seemingly stunned boy.

"If you want to know what happened, would you be interested in coming with me to see the world ruled by the Demon King?"

A world ruled by the Demon King?

Is that the year 2068 where Oma Zi-O is located?

Kino was indeed quite interested; in fact, he had been interested in Oma Zi-O since the first day he came to this world. However, Kouta Kazuha, who was the first to meet him, didn't seem to want him to get into Oma Zi-O's sight so quickly.

But Kino's impression of that Oma Zi-O wasn't actually bad; he felt that the other party shouldn't be that difficult to get along with.

So, when faced with Tsukasa Kadoya's invitation...

……

Chapter 420 Thus, the two saboteurs reached an agreement.

Kino directly exposed——

"What are you spouting about with all those riddles? If you want to go outside and talk to me alone, just say so!"

"..."

Kadoya Tsukasa remained silent, his gaze shifting to the ground.

Kino quickly ate two more bites of steak: "Are you in such a hurry? I thought you would at least wait until tomorrow to come and find me."

Because Kino remembers that after the Another Ghost incident, due to Tokiwa Sougo's frequent alterations of the course of history, Meikoin Geiz, who should have disappeared in Helheim, survived. As a result, the Demon King of 2068 not only released the seven Great Demon Machines that would only appear on the "Day of Twilight" ahead of schedule, but also sent a mechanical soldier to eliminate Meikoin Geiz and Tsukuyomi.

However, considering Oma Zi-O's later act of releasing the sea, Kino felt that the other party's actions were probably just to show his presence and, incidentally, to give his past self a warning.

It feels rather morbidly funny.

As for Tsukasa Kadoya's actions in coming tonight...

To be honest, the other person's "what exactly happened?" attitude was so strong that Kino found it hard to believe that this guy really knew the situation.

After he had finished eating, he stood up and said, "Let's go. If there's anything you really don't understand, I don't mind answering it for you."

Because this guy didn't play by the rules, Tsukasa Kadoya's face no longer had that pretentious smile from before; he simply turned and walked away expressionlessly.

Sitting across the table, Meikoin Geiz and Tsukuyomi exchanged glances. The latter seemed hesitant to speak, as if she also wanted to know what was going on, while Tokiwa Sougo simply raised his hand and asked.

"Wait, what are you going out to talk about? Can't I listen?"

"I don't know what he's planning to do later either. I'll come back and tell you after I ask him," Kino honestly offered a word of comfort.

"Oh……"

So Tokiwa Sougo watched them leave with bated breath.

……

After leaving the nine-to-five office.

It was pitch black outside.

There were few stars in the sky shortly after nightfall, and the moon was only a narrow arc, so the two people, both dressed in dark clothes, could only be seen as silhouettes when they stepped into the darkness.

"So what exactly did you come to me for? You're not really going to find Oma Zi-O in 2068, are you?" Kino asked curiously.

"I just find you strange. Why are you helping that demon king?" Tsukasa Kadoya said casually.

"That's really dishonest. If that's the case, then why is Kamen Rider Geiz, who traveled from 2068 to defeat the Demon King, now helping him? Aren't you curious?"

"..."

Although Meikoin Geiz kept insisting that he wouldn't help the Demon King, even the newly arrived Kadoya Tsukasa could see that the guy was fighting alongside Kamen Rider ZiO!

Of course, in Kino's mind, the "destroyer of the world" next to him was just as stubborn as Meikoin Gates.

It's just that Tsukasa Kadoya didn't make it as obvious.

"I didn't originally plan to contact you now."

He said that.

Whether in the distant past or the present, even though he has companions with whom he can truly connect on his journey, Tsukasa Kadoya still prefers to act alone due to his somewhat aloof nature.

Therefore, his original plan was to travel around the world on his own to investigate the causes and consequences, and he never had the option of "establishing connections with people".

He doesn't need such a thing.

but now……

Tsukasa Kadoya looked at the boy in the darkness with complicated eyes. If his encounters and battles with those Kamen Riders were to find his own reflection in countless mirrors, then meeting this person was like encountering a mirror directly, seeing his own image on the other side so unexpectedly.

His absolutely confident intuition told him that this person might hold the answers to all questions, including the ending of the world—

If we follow Tsukasa Kadoya's usual practice, after discovering something like this, he should continue to remain a "bystander," exploring the truth from the sidelines until everything comes to light, at which point he will reappear and solve the problem in the most direct way.

That's just Tsukasa Kadoya's style!

But how can a person resist looking in the mirror?

He really just came to take a look.

Then he couldn't help but say a few more words, and as a result, the other party saw through his thoughts. Now he is also considering whether to really take people to 2068 to take a look.

After all, it's already been said.

But not long ago...

Someone specifically called him over and asked him for a favor.

Thinking of this, Tsukasa Kadoya lowered his eyes and said, "But what I said during the day was no joke—this world is heading towards its end, and other worlds connected to it are gradually disappearing. If this continues, perhaps all worlds will be destroyed."

Kino tilted his head: "Are you talking about the world of Kamen Riders?"

"Who knows?" Tsukasa Kadoya replied vaguely.

“If this is the world of Kamen Rider, then there’s no need to worry for now; their current disappearance is only superficial,” Kino stated directly.

"The history of knights is in the hands of the Demon King."

"It's because history is with ZiO that we don't need to worry about it disappearing for the time being. After all, compared to a world with Kamen Rider, a world without Kamen Rider is the most dangerous."

"Ok?"

Tsukasa Kadoya couldn't hide his doubt.

However, he quickly realized another point: "Is this related to the purpose of those Time Jackers?"

Kino pondered for a moment and said, "Emmm... I can tell you more, but you have to promise me you won't do anything reckless."

Tsukasa Kadoya scoffed at this, saying, "I only act according to my own ideas."

"never mind……"

Kino clicked his tongue, feeling that no matter what he said, Tsukasa Kadoya would never rely on the instructions and judgments of others; this guy had his own set of standards.

Therefore, after thinking it over, he said, "If you're bored, you can go outside and look for the world where the 'Time Clan' is located. The power of the Time Jackers comes from there. But you'd better not get too close to their royal family members, otherwise if you get stuck there, there may not be anyone to save you."

Tsukasa Kadoya didn't respond, but judging from his expression, he definitely listened, though how much he actually heard was another matter.

The two slowly walked to the sloping path. Looking into the distance from here, the whole city seemed to be a miniature model, with neon lights flashing in the night and countless points of light spreading to the edge of the city.

Everything still seems harmonious and stable.

But after dawn.

Such scenery will disappear.

Tsukasa Kadoya suddenly steered the conversation back to the previous topic: "You still haven't told me why you're helping the Demon King."

Kino said matter-of-factly, "What's there to investigate? Sougo is my child, I'm his father. If I don't help him, who will I help?"

Tsukasa Kadoya: "..."

Tsukasa Kadoya: "???"

Even the world's destroyers, when they're looking for trouble, wouldn't utter such a nonsensical remark.

Kino continued, "Of course, to get to the bottom of it, I'll help any Kamen Rider! You might see him as a demon king who will destroy the world, but to me he's just 'Kamen Rider ZiO.' Similarly—even if you're called the destroyer of the world, to me you're just 'Kamen Rider Decade.'"

Kadoya Tsukasa seemed slightly taken aback, not expecting him to say that, while the boy turned to look at him, his eyes, adorned with neon lights, as pure as ever.

The moment their eyes met, Tsukasa Kadoya instinctively looked away to gaze at the city lights in the distance.

"Kamen Rider ZiO?"

Tsukasa Kadoya said nonchalantly, "Whether you're a Kamen Rider or not, I'll find out for myself, and I'll also—"

Kino didn't give him a chance at all: "I am Kamen Rider Chronicle. You have the Kamen Rider card, right? I don't believe that Kouta Kazuha didn't mention it to you when you came here."

Since the "Man of Origin" was not expelled from this world as in the original Trails, that guy must still be hiding somewhere observing how things are developing. Even Kino was stopped when he passed by. And with the world destroyer causing such a commotion, it's impossible for the other party to have no reaction at all.

Kadoya Tsukasa was speechless for a moment: "..."