Endless Ending
EMU
I wonder why fate is so cruel.
Just before midnight. That’s when the incident happened.
I was resting on the bed in the CR ward when I received a report from Hiiro-san through the game scope.
To my surprise, the nurse’s station in every department of Seito University Hospital was ringing with nurse’s calls all at once. It seemed that the ventilators and dialysis machines, which were used to prolong the lives of hospitalized patients in each ward, had been infected by the bugster virus and malfunctioned.
The whole hospital was in a state of panic, and all the off-duty doctors and nurses rushed to the hospital to take care of the patients.
In the pediatric ward where I am assigned, there is also a pediatric patient who is receiving life-prolonging treatment with a ventilator.
I was about to rush out of the CR room to go to the pediatric ward, but Parad, who was taking care of me, stopped me.
“Stop. It’s not safe for you to push yourself.”
“Step aside, please. I can’t let my patients die.”
“If you stress yourself out any more, you’ll be in danger too!”
“Parad. You know how I feel! This is a time-sensitive situation!”
When I opened the door to the hospital room and stepped out into the corridor, I saw Poppy running down the spiral staircase on my right side. To be exact, she was wearing a blue nurse’s uniform as her temporary form, Asuna-san.
“Emu! I just checked with the director, and it seems our hospital isn’t the only one with malfunctioning medical equipment!”
As I left the entrance of the CR, listening to Asuna-san’s report, I pressed the call button for the elevator.
“What do you mean…?”
“That’s… all the hospitals in the country at once…”
That’s impossible. This has never happened before. It’s an unusual situation, to say the least.
I immediately realized that there was some kind of malicious intent behind the emergency.
“No way. The medical devices that are malfunctioning…”
“…The director said they were all made by Medictric.”
Medictric is the medical equipment manufacturer that my father works for.
“If that’s the case, then Kuroto-san might have something to do with this problem.”
Just then, the door to the CR entrance opened.
Kiriya-san came running in with a concerned expression.
“Emu! I knew you’d rush out of the hospital room.”
“Kiriya-san. You can’t stop me.”
“Alright, alright. More importantly, I got a call from Saiko-sensei. It seems that a God dummy has appeared at the regenerative medicine center.”
“Could it be Kuroto II!? No way!” Asuna-san started to panic.
“Yeah. The God Maximum Mighty X gashat that we were working with was stolen by that guy.”
“This is bad, Emu. That gashat is troublesome,” Parad said, looking wary.
“Yeah. But we have to deal with the patients first.”
When I arrived at the pediatric ward, I immediately coordinated with the other doctors and nurses, and we split up to take care of the pediatric patients.
I rushed to a pediatric patient with a pediatric nurse, Yumita Ginko-san.
There was no time to restore the ventilator that had been infected with the bugster virus because the situation was time-sensitive.
We set up a manual ventilator and followed the procedure to manage the patient’s breathing.
We managed to avoid the worst case scenario, but this was only a temporary measure. We had to restore the malfunctioning ventilator as soon as possible.
I left the patient in Ginko-san’s hands and ran out of the hospital room.
But Asuna-san and Parad blocked my way in the corridor.
“Emu. Where are you going!?” Asuna-san asked.
“…Parad. Come with me.”
“Emu. You…” Parad seemed to feel my heart.
My father had appeared in the Mighty Novel X stories that had occurred so far. And given the history of the malfunctioning of Medictric’s medical equipment, there’s no doubt that Kuroto II is involved in this problem. We need to find out the cause of the problem as soon as possible.
Perhaps sensing what I was thinking, Parad gave a small nod and fused into my body.
“Asuna-san. Can you keep an eye on the patients?”
“But…!”
“Contact me if anything happens.”
Without waiting for Asuna-san’s reply, I ran out of the place.
There is a large park within a three-minute walk from Seito University Hospital.
The park is about the size of a baseball field with lush green trees, and is a place of relaxation for the residents of the neighborhood who use it to walk their dogs or go jogging. But at this time of night, after midnight, there was no sign of people. It turned into a different world of silence illuminated by a few streetlights.
In here, there will be no damage to the surrounding area. It would be the perfect place for a decisive battle.
I walked to the lawn of the park and waited for the right moment. Kuroto II would surely come to this place. I was convinced of that.
He said the ending of Mighty Novel X exists in the future. It’s up to me to decide it. In other words, the place where the final decision will be made will be the place I choose.
It was as I had predicted.
A black figure appeared from the darkness of the park, dimly lit by the streetlights.
It was Kamen Rider Genm, Action Gamer Level 2. On his waist was a Gamer Driver loaded with the Proto Mighty Action X Gashat.
“You are the one who caused the malfunction of the medical devices.”
“….”
There was no reply from Genm.
The fact that he didn’t reply was proof enough.
“The lives of many patients are at stake. We need to get them functioning again now!”
Genm raised his right arm and wiggled his index finger as if to provoke me.
It’s a waste of time trying to reason with him.
“…Okay. If I win, you’ll do as I say.”
I took out Maximum Mighty X and Hyper Muteki and activated them.
“Maximum Mighty X! Hyper Muteki!”
My eyes glowed red and the other me awoke.
I’ll use Muteki’s power to quickly decide the game.
“Hyper Dai Henshin!”
I transformed into Muteki Gamer and launched a preemptive attack. No holding back. I’ll give it everything I’ve got.
My wave attack hit Genm cleanly.
Genm was in a defenseless stance, and struck out at me. He didn’t use any weapons, just his own body.
…That’s strange.
Genm knows more about Muteki’s abilities than anyone else. He must know that no matter what kind of attack it is, it can’t do any damage.
I took Genm’s attack with no protection. Of course, the damage was zero.
I countered Genm with a one-two punch and kicked him with all my might.
Genm was thrown back with great force and collapsed on the grass. In the blink of an eye, my opponent’s Rider Gauge was depleted, and he only had a few bars left.
…I knew something was wrong.
If you compare the specs of Muteki and Genm Level 2, the difference in power is obvious, but he’s being too defenseless and too careless, and his movements are like those of an amateur. It’s hard to believe that he’s the same Dan Kuroto who’s been through so many battles.
“…Who are you?”
“…It’s all my fault. I am the root of all evil.”
The root of all evil. If it were Genm himself, he would never have said that. It’s because he doesn’t think he’s involved in any wrongdoing at all.
His tone of voice sounded familiar. It’s been years since I’ve heard him speak, but I can’t think of anyone else who speaks in that distinctive, inflectionless way.
“What are you doing? How were you able to transform into Genm?”
“That’s a stupid question. Of course it’s because I underwent the compatibility surgery.”
The compatibility surgery is literally “a surgery to adapt the body” in order to be able to use the Gamer Driver. A small amount of the bugster virus is administered in advance using a special syringe. By injecting enough of the virus into the body to prevent the onset of game disease, the human body’s natural healing ability produces antibodies in the blood and body fluids to protect the body from the bugster virus. In this way, the body becomes able to withstand the use of the Gamer Driver.
However, not everyone can develop the correct antibodies after undergoing compatibility surgery. Only a handful of people have become fit. There are a lot of people who have been treated for game disease, but not all of them are compatible with the Gamer Driver.
Did he break through such a narrow gate?
That man – Hojo Kiyonaga – has obtained a body that is compatible with the Gamer Driver?
“…I’m the one who created the bugster virus in this world and threatened many people’s lives.”
“…”
“If I’m left unchecked, humanity will continue to be exposed to further threats. As a doctor, you can’t overlook my existence.”
It’s a provocative line that sounds like something an enemy character in a video game would say.
But it’s not. Each word lacks persuasiveness. I can’t feel the truth in them. It sounded as if he was just being forced to say the text that someone had prepared for him.
…There’s no point in fighting any more.
I pulled the gashat out of the Gamer Driver and untransformed, returning to my regular self.
“Just because I defeated you doesn’t mean the medical equipment will be back to normal.”
“…”
“It won’t save the patients.”
“…”
“…Kuroto-san sent you, didn’t he?”
“…This has nothing to do with him.”
“Don’t play dumb. Otherwise, there’s no way you’d have that driver and gashat. There’s no way you could transform into Genm.”
“It is inevitable that you and I will have to settle our fate in this way. Mighty Novel X is your life and my life. In order to end it all, I have to settle our story.”
“I’m a doctor. I can’t take a person’s life, including yours.”
“If you don’t do it, I’ll kill you. Are you okay with that?”
“I’m not going to die. I have a responsibility to survive to save my patients.”
“It’s you or me! Mighty Novel X won’t end unless we settle this! You’re going to end the lives of a lot of patients!”
“Of course I’m not going to let my patients die. I’m going to conquer Mighty Novel X with my own hands.”
“…Why won’t you attack me? Even though you have a grudge against me.”
“…I’ve forgotten what it feels like to hold a grudge. I moved past that a long time ago, when I stopped expecting anything from you.”
“…”
“But I… I don’t have the right to blame you.”
When did it happen? When did I stop calling him “Dad”?
I couldn’t accept my father for a long time, so I kept my distance. My heart grew estranged from him.
What was the beginning of it? I couldn’t even look back anymore. It was just my hollow heart and the empty relationship between us that had become a skeleton, and somehow I had lost sight of how to bring us closer together.
But through the story of Mighty Novel X, I was able to take a fresh look at my past. I was able to look back at the heart that I had almost forgotten.
Yes, it all started on that rainy day.
I lost my mother, and for as long as I could remember, I was left alone with my father as the core of my family.
My father was very busy with his work and did not spend much time at home. He was often transferred and our living environment often changed due to frequent moves. I couldn’t make any friends, so I had to play games to drown my loneliness.
That’s it. That was it.
It’s not that my father and I had a fatal feud. Rather, there was nothing between us. Just a hollow space.
Because there was nothing, I could not find meaning in my life.
I couldn’t find the meaning of who I was.
“On that rainy day… I certainly betrayed you.”
I felt like I had vomited out something leaden that had been sealed in my heart for years. Something heavier than anything else, something like black lead.
“When I sent that fan letter to Genm Corp, I had no idea what was going to happen. Later, I received a game from Genm in return for my fan letter. As you know, it was a prototype called Mighty Action C. The game was extremely difficult. I couldn’t clear it no matter how many times I tried. Eventually, something suddenly snapped inside me. Everything became unimportant.”
It was a strange feeling. Playing Mighty Novel X made me feel as if I had gone back in time, and I could clearly sense my own state of mind at that time.
“At that time, I didn’t understand the importance of life. I just thought that life was unimportant. Then I thought, if I get bored with it, I can just reset it like a game. Just like starting a new game, I could be reborn one day and start a new life. That’s all I thought about. You may not believe me when I say this, but one thing is for sure…”
That’s right. I can’t believe it myself, but one thing is for sure.
“Nothing special happened to make me want to die.”
The man who had taken the form of Genm showed obvious signs of being upset. I couldn’t see his face, but I could feel his agitation.
“It’s not that I had greatly despaired in my life, much less that I did it to spite you. I just feel it now. The horror that there was no good reason.”
“After all this time… Do you really think I would believe such a story?”
“You don’t have to believe it. I can’t believe it either. I feel like I’m not the person I was back then. But I don’t know what else to say. It’s the truth.”
A short silence fell.
It wasn’t that I was expecting a witty response. It wasn’t that I wanted him to understand anything.
Just. I felt like my body had lightened up. It was only because of the lead-like something that had been stuck in my heart for a long time.
Now it’s your turn.
“What about you… did you really create the bugster virus? If so, what was your intention?”
“…”
“Did you betray me?”
Genm pulled the gashat out of the Gamer Driver and pulled the lever back.
When he released his transformation, I saw a man in a familiar suit standing there. His beard had turned gray, and he looked older than I had expected.
I thought it was something perfect that would reign absolutely over me whether I was near or far.
But what I saw in front of me was neither a symbolic being nor a perfect something.
It was a human being with life in him.
The father I never knew was there.
“Yes. I… betrayed you, too.”
My father’s shoulders were shaking slightly.
The inflectionless voice told me a story about my father that I didn’t know.
It was before I had my car accident. The year was 1999.
The company where my father worked, Medictric, was facing a serious problem. It was the year 2000 problem, which was said to cause computer malfunctions when the calendar changed to the year 2000.
In particular, a malfunction of a life-saving medical device would be irreversible. As the head of the development department, Dad was busy with his work as the year 2000 approached. As he traveled from place to place across the country, he ran virtual simulations of the year 2000 problem over and over again for all kinds of medical equipment. Medical equipment failure. Effects on the human body. He studied every possibility.
This was one of the reasons why we moved a lot at that time. He no longer had the presence of mind to care about me, his son.
Of course. The lives of patients all over the country were at stake.
One day, Dad discovered that the terminal he was using was infected with an unknown computer virus.
As a result of running a series of virtual simulations of the year 2000 problem, Dad had unintentionally created the bugster virus.
Later, the bugster virus drifted into the Internet world and was lost. But my father was so busy dealing with the year 2000 problem that he turned a blind eye to the existence of the bugster virus. He told himself that it wouldn’t be much of a problem.
Then, on New Year’s Eve, the fateful moment arrived. The year dawned with a countdown, and 1999 became 2000.
In the end, the medical equipment did not malfunction. The year 2000 problem ended without incident. Dad was relieved to know that it was just an afterthought. The only thing he was worried about was the whereabouts of the bugster virus.
Just then, a man appeared in front of him.
It was Dan Masamune, the president of Genm Corp.
He seemed to have caught wind of the existence of the bugster virus floating around the net, and by analyzing the data, he was able to identify the source as Dad’s terminal.
Dan Masamune made this suggestion to Dad:
“If things continue as they are, there is a possibility that the widespread infection of the bugster virus will threaten human life in the near future. In order to prevent the worst from happening, we would like to jointly develop a medical device that can fight the bugster virus.”
That medical device was the Gamer Driver.
At first, Dad was skeptical. He didn’t think it was possible for a computer virus to infect the human body. But after something happened, it was too late. He had no choice but to cooperate in order to clean up his own mess.
At that time, Dad was unaware of Dan Masamune’s true intentions. The development of medical equipment was just a pretext, when in truth he was trying to develop an unprecedented game console. Dan Masamune was trying to develop Kamen Rider Chronicle in order to make Genm Corp the world’s largest game company.
An even more ironic fate befell us, father and son.
I was eight years old and a big fan of Genm Corp, and the fan letter I sent stimulated the talent of Kuroto-san, the only son of Dan Masamune.
I was the first person in the world to be infected with the bugster virus when I played Mighty Action C, which Kuroto-san had sent me. My father knew from my symptoms that I was infected with the bugster virus.
But he couldn’t tell me the truth. He was afraid that the world would find out about his blunder.
Dad stormed into Genm Corp and denounced Dan Masamune.
“What are you doing!? Why did you infect my son with the bugster virus!?”
“I’m terribly sorry. That was something my son did on his own.”
“Don’t play dumb… You must have instigated your son.”
“Kuroto is not the kind of boy who listens to me. However… I knew that if I showed him your son’s fan letter, he would do this.”
When Dad found out what Dan Masamune was really up to, he thought about backing out of the development of the Gamer Driver, but it was too late. Dan Masamune had him in a vulnerable position. If he went against him, everyone would find out was the one who created the bugster virus.
In the end, Dad couldn’t back down.
Then, in the year 2010, when I was in high school, my father gave my body to Kuroto-san as an experimental subject.
At the Next Genome Institute, an operation was performed to separate Parad from my body. The acquisition of Parad accelerated the research and cultivation of the bugster virus, and finally led to the development of the Gamer Driver.
Dad was no longer useful for the Dan family.
In the end, Dan Masamune gave strict orders to my father.
“You and I have never met. You don’t know anything about what has happened. Everything is in the dark. We will not interfere with you in any way, and vice versa. The fact that you created the bugster virus will also remain a secret.”
Dad made up his mind.
He was determined to forget everything that had happened with the bugster virus, and to forget everything that he had done to me, his son.
“…I’m a failure as a father.”
After he told me everything, my father let out an inarticulate voice. There was only a single, inchoate tear flowing from his eye.
“I sold you to save my own skin. I had come to believe that I didn’t care what happened to my son, who chose to die by himself. No, I couldn’t keep myself from thinking that. I kept justifying the mistakes I made by hating you.”
“…That’s enough.”
“No, it’s not! Even when I found out you started working in CR as a Kamen Rider! Even when the world faced Kamen Rider Chronicle! I just kept turning a blind eye to it! I just kept playing the part of an outsider!”
“I told you that’s enough!”
The next thing I knew, Dad’s inchoate tears had turned into tears of regret and repentance.
“…My father did not create the bugster virus intentionally. He didn’t do it maliciously. Just knowing that, I’m already…”
I wonder what I was trying to say beyond “already”. I don’t know either. I was just surprised that such words came out of my mouth so naturally.
I meditated and took one big deep breath.
“But. If you had told me everything earlier, there might not have been so many casualties. Kamen Rider Chronicle might never have been completed, and Zero Day might never have happened.”
“…Yes, I know. I’m not going to run away from my sins anymore. So you, with your own hands, condemn me.”
“I told you. I’m just a doctor. It’s the Ministry of Health that makes those decisions.”
My father stared at me.
There was no need for further conversation. The tears rolling down his cheeks said it all. When all was said and done, he was going to turn himself in to the Ministry of Health… or so I was led to believe.
That’s when it happened.
Suddenly, a particle of the bugster virus appeared behind Dad and formed into a human shape.
It was Kuroto II.
“Dad, run!”
I shouted immediately, but it was already too late.
Kuroto II pointed the Gashacon Bugvisor at Dad and took him hostage.
This is not good. I can’t make a wrong move. If he were to be infected by a large amount of bugster virus, my father would disappear.
Kuroto II spoke into Dad’s ear.
“Don’t let me down. If you do, Mighty Novel X will never reach its ending.”
“Kuroto-san. You said it yourself. I’m the one who decides the ending.”
“So this is the answer. Such a lukewarm ending!”
“Don’t get me wrong. Reconciling with Dad is not the goal of my life. There are other endings that I’ve set my mind to.”
“Hm… that look. You seem to have made up your mind.” Kuroto II was waiting for my answer with a curious look in his eyes.
“I have a patient I really need to save.”
“Patient…”
“Kuroto-san, it’s you.”
It all started with me and Kuroto-san.
Just as I accepted Parad as part of me and decided to face him for the rest of my life – I will continue to face Kuroto-san.
“You think I’m a patient? Don’t be silly… I’m not suffering from any disease. There is nothing to be treated by you.”
“Are you sure about that?”
Kuroto II was confused for a moment and fell silent.
“I haven’t seen it yet… your heartfelt smile.”
A smile is a sign of mental health.
I have a responsibility to continue my psychotherapy until Kuroto-san regains his true smile.
“Don’t get carried away, Hojo Emu…”
Kuroto II took out his Gamer Driver and attached it to his waist.
Originally, Gamer Drivers could only be used by those with human genes. It seems that Kuroto II has even replicated Kuroto-san’s own human genes.
“Then, with my own hands, I’ll lead you to the ending of Mighty Novel X. Will the winner of this game be you, the genius gamer, or will it be me, the genius game creator?”
I know. There is only one way to psychologically treat Kuroto-san.
Kuroto-san is the worst of the worst in terms of means, but he is a pure game creator. I’m sure he will continue to make games. Even if Kuroto-san dies, he will come back with unimaginable means and develop games that are out of the ordinary to test us.
There is no such thing as malice with a clear basis in it. This is Kuroto-san’s creativity, an exploration of his own talent.
Yes. Just as I wanted a game partner when I was a kid, he wants a game partner who will play his games. In other words, Kuroto-san and I are very similar. The only difference is that we are a gamer and a game creator.
If he wants to continue making games, I’ll keep playing them.
I will become Kuroto-san’s playmate so that he doesn’t involve other unrelated people in his games.
As long as it takes, until he regains his true smile.
Just as I made up my mind to take on the game, my eyes flashed red.
“All right. I’ll take on your game. I’m a genius gamer, I’ll clear it.”
“Hojo Emu! The ending of your story is game over for you! Mighty Novel X will end with a bad ending!”
Kuroto II took out the second Proto Mighty Action X Gashat and activated it.
I also took out the Mighty Action X Gashat and activated it.
“Henshin!” The two of us shouted in sync.
We both loaded our Gashats into the Gamer Driver and transformed into Ex-Aid Level 2 and Genm Level 2.
A wide variety of energy items also appeared all around us.
Level 2 specs are almost evenly matched. So it is the gaming talent that decides the winner.
Genm turned his Bugvisor into chainsaw mode and slashed at me.
I responded by turning my Gashacon Breaker into blade mode.
Our weapons clashed again and again, creating a sparking effect.
Genm leapt and got the “Muscleization” item that was floating in the sky.
“Muscle Up!”
It’s an energy item that strengthens your body’s muscles and dramatically increases your attack power.
If you’re going to do it, so will I.
I backstep behind him and got the energy item “Steeling”.
“Steeling!”
My sturdy defense held up against the full force of Genm’s kick.
“You read my movements. Then how about this!”
Genm switched his Bugvisor to beam gun mode and sniped at the energy items in the distance.
“Darkness!”
Suddenly, the surroundings were enveloped in darkness. Genm’s black body was hidden in the darkness, and his figure could not be discerned.
I remembered the location of the energy item that I had memorized beforehand and ran towards it.
“Mwahahaha! Where do you think you’re going? I can see your movements clearly!”
“That’s my line!”
When I got the energy item I was after, my body glowed brightly.
“Luminescence!”
Brightly illuminating the darkness around me, I caught sight of Genm attacking me with his beam gun.
I used the Gashacon Breaker to bounce off the beam and got through it with no damage.
“You’re good. But this item is unavoidable. This is the end!”
Genm stepped hard on the ground and leapt high into the sky. He got the rare energy item that was floating far above him.
“Doomsday!”
Not good. This is the most powerful energy item of all.
The entire battlefield cracked as the earth shook. From the grooves in the cracked ground, a series of super-powerful magma eruptions emerged, automatically tracking me. If the magma were to hit me directly, it would be over.
“Hahaha! There’s nowhere for you to run!”
I looked around at the energy items around me while avoiding the magma.
《Jump Enhancement》《Recovery》《Elongation》《Luck》《Giantification》《Random》
None of these effects are enough to change the course of the war. At this rate, I’ll be fatally damaged by the magma.
Think. Think about it.
I looked over the energy items once more and came up with a strategy to get out of this desperate situation.
Genm fired his beam gun at me. I managed to dodge the beam gun barrage and got two energy items in a row. At the same time, Genm swooped down on me and grabbed me.
“Hahaha! It’s no use trying to fight back! You will fall prey to the magma!”
“Luck! Random!”
“…What?” Genm stopped laughing.
“Energy items can be used in combos, you know?”
First, get lucky with the Luck energy item, then use the Random energy item to draw the best effects!
“Reverse!”
That’s exactly what I was aiming for. The energy item I drew had the effect of turning the tide in a pinch.
The magma eruption caused by the Doomsday effect hit Genm instead of me!
“Aaaahhhhhh!”
The careless Genm was unable to avoid the magma eruption and was hit directly by it. He was launched into the sky. Genm’s Rider Gauge was reduced by more than half at once.
I immediately leapt toward Genm and hit him with a series of aerial attacks using the Gashacon Breaker. He went straight into a steep dive and slammed into the ground. His Rider Gauge was further depleted to the last few bars.
I landed on the ground from above and slowly approached Genm. He was writhing in agony from the heavy damage.
“What’s the matter? Is the energy item battle over?”
“…Kukuku. The item battle was merely a bluff… I got it!”
In the hand that Genm held up, there was a shining golden gashat – the Hyper Muteki gashat that I was supposed to have.
“That’s what you’ve been after all along.”
He grabbed my body and made it look like he was trying to hit me with magma, but he was really trying to snatch Hyper Muteki. It’s a very clever strategy, just like Genm.
“As long as I can block Muteki’s power, you won’t be able to attack me. Now that the preliminaries are out of the way, let’s get down to the serious business.”
You’re not going to use that, are you…!
What Genm took out was… God Maximum Mighty X.
“Grade billion. Henshin!”
Genm placed the gashat in the Gamer Driver!
“God Maximum Mighty X!”
Genm pulled the Driver’s lever!
“Kuroto Dan’s divine talent of the highest order! Kuroto Dan! God Maximum Mighty X!”
He transformed into Kamen Rider Genm God Maximum Gamer Level Billion, a warrior with a powerful body based on black and purple.
The opponent’s level is one billion. It’s a cheat spec that is no longer balanced in the game.
“Cosmic Chronicle Launch!”
Genm stomped on the ground and leapt high into the sky!
In the blink of an eye, he disappeared into the night sky, and a star shone out from within the starry sky. Its radiance grew larger and larger, covering the entire sky.
It was Mars.
Genm, holding Mars in his hands, rushed toward me.
The scale is just too different. With a planet that big as a weapon, there’s nowhere to run. With no way to do anything about it, I was hit all over with Mars and blown away violently.
My Rider Gauge was quickly depleted, until there were only a few bars left.
There was no longer any way to win the battle in a straightforward manner.
Genm threw Mars back into space and started laughing loudly.
“Hahaha! The bad ending is just around the corner. If you have any last words, I’ll hear them.”
“…This is how a game should be played.”
“…You’re acting like you’ve got a lot of leeway.”
“Did you really think I’d let go of Hyper Muteki without a plan?”
That’s right. If I have the power of Muteki, I will not be defeated even against God Maximum. But on the other hand, it is not easy to defeat him. If I’m not careful, it might take me five, ten years, or even a lifetime to defeat him. No kidding.
If that’s the case, the odds are against me. As a human being, I have a time limit, a life span.
Then I’ll have to take a chance and rely on the power of Genius Gamer M.
I made up my mind and took out a new gashat.
“That’s…”
“Genm. I’m going to use the Mighty Novel X that you gave me.”
“Clinging to straws, I see. But it’s a shame. That gashat is not programmed with any combat functions. There is no such thing as a level-up power in Mighty Novel X!”
“…If it doesn’t exist, I will create it.”
I inserted Mighty Novel X into the Gamer Driver.
The gashat didn’t react to anything, as Genm had said, but I focused my attention.
Mighty Novel X is my story. My life. My very existence.
Then I’ll spin the story. I will open up my life. I will evolve my existence.
“I will change my fate.”
In the next moment, my eyes glowed red again.
Parad’s bugster virus that had been hiding in my body combined with my genes, and the data flowed back into Mighty Novel X through the Gamer Driver.
Mighty Novel X glowed a pure white color.
“…Henshin.”
I quietly opened the lever.
“Mighty Novel, it’s as I say! Mighty Novel, my story, X!”
I transformed into Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Novel Gamer Level X, a warrior designed in pure white with black lines all over his body.
The Novel Gamer’s ability is a blank sheet of paper itself. But being a blank piece of paper has its own meaning.
The story from here on out will be spun by me.
My destiny. My future. I have the power to decide.
Genm sighed as if to relieve the tension.
“Hmph… no matter how hard you struggle, you can’t get past the Level Billion barrier… you’re no match for me!”
Genm rushed at me head-on and unleashed a super punch at me!
“Your attacks can’t hit me.”
In the next instant, Genm’s attack slipped past my shoulder and cut through the air.
“…Why? I’m sure I aimed at you,” Genm said, upset.
“Take my attack.”
I hit Genm in the torso with a straight right punch with all my might. With a “HIT” effect, Genm flipped over on his back.
“A level X attack won’t work on me!”
“Feel the pain.”
“…Urgh!”
Genm suddenly started suffering from the damage.
“It can’t be… why…”
“Novel Gamer has the power to determine the future.”
“Determine the future?”
“My words will become reality. They will become my destiny itself.”
“The power to… decide… the future.”
“The game will end soon. You just stand there.”
As I had ordered, Genm stood there, unable to move. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t move a finger.
Because that’s the story I’ve decided.
“…Move…my body…!”
I inserted Mighty Novel X into the Finisher slot holder and pressed the start switch.
“Finisher! Novel Critical Destiny!”
I leapt high into the sky and aimed my right foot at Genm.
“I’ll finish it with a special move!”
My fateful Rider Kick exploded into Genm’s chest. His powerful black and purple body shattered in a huge explosion.
Genm was forced to untransform and returned to his Kuroto II form. Then his body began to pixelate and dissipate.
I untransformed too, and returned to my regular self.
“…As expected of the Genius Gamer. You’re one step ahead of me.”
“This is the end of Mighty Novel X. But my story… my life is not over yet.”
Kuroto II looked at me. With eyes that have accepted all fate.
“Kuroto-san’s psychotherapy will continue. In the near future, when regenerative medicine for game disease is established, the day may come when we can restore Kuroto-san. At that time, I intend to face you wholeheartedly. I don’t want to make you pay for your sins anymore. I’ve realized that it’s useless to say anything to you when you don’t think you’ve committed a crime. I know that I can’t bring back your true smile even if I do that. I’m sure you won’t change until you die. I’m sure you will continue to make games until you die. That’s why I will continue to give you psychotherapy. I will continue to clear the games you make until I die.”
“…It’s endless. Until I see your ending.”
I didn’t answer anything, just smiled.
Kuroto II, on the other hand, turned his face down. His bangs hung down, hiding his expression, and his shoulders began to shake quietly. From the outside, some people might think that he was crying. But that would be a big mistake. I can tell.
I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
Kuroto II threw his head back, bent his spine, and started laughing high.
“BWAHAHAHA!!!”
Other than him, I don’t know of anyone else who can laugh in a voice that could reach the other side of the planet.
“Interesting that you would challenge me, a man of divine talent. All right. I’ll create a game that you will never be able to clear.”
“Whatever the game is, I’ll clear it. Without fail.”
Kuroto II quietly placed Proto Mighty Action X, God Maximum Mighty X, and the Gamer Driver that he was using on the ground.
“…I’ll see you soon. Let’s go on a journey of talent.”
With those last words, Kuroto II’s body pixelated and dissipated into the clouds.
The system voice announcing the end of everything resounded.
“Game Clear!”
The sizzling sound of the grill echoed through the restaurant.
It was the last night of the consecutive holidays. We were at a long-established okonomiyaki restaurant near Seito University Hospital.
It was a cozy restaurant with about six tables for four people, each with a teppan.
The members were me, Poppy, Parad, Hiiro-san, Kiriya-san, Taiga-san, and Nico-chan. Seven people in all. There were no other customers.
Looking back, this was the first time we had ever gone out to dinner together like this. It was partly because each of us was busy with our own work, but the main reason was that no one had taken the initiative to organize such an event.
I was the one who initiated the idea. Nico-chan was going back to the US on tomorrow morning’s flight, so I wanted to get together with everyone.
Kuroto II, the Mighty Novel X bugster, disappeared, and the worst was avoided.
The bugster viruses that had infected ventilators and dialysis machines across the country had all died, and all medical equipment had been restored. The life-prolonging treatment of patients had been successfully restored.
There were no casualties in this incident. That’s what I believed.
On the night of the incident, I probably should have ignored the conversation with my dad and Kuroto II and finished Mighty Novel X as soon as possible. But I didn’t do that.
Because I believed in the medical professionals all over the country.
Every hospital has a manual for caring for patients in the event of a natural disaster, power outage, or other emergencies.
Even if the medical equipment were to malfunction in some way, we are prepared and ready to save the patient’s life.
That’s why I was so sure that there would be no casualties.
My father used to be afraid of the year 2000 problem. He sweated hard for fear that the medical equipment would malfunction and the situation would be irreversible.
But I think even if the year 2000 problem had actually happened back then, there would not have been a single casualty. The lives of patients would have been saved by the power of excellent doctors and nurses all over the country.
There is no other hero like them when it comes to saving lives.
“All right! I’m going to make the best okonomiyaki!” Nico-chan, who was at the next table, announced.
We were sitting at two separate tables.
At one table, Kiriya-san and I sat side by side, with Poppy and Parad across from us. At the other table, Hiiro-san and Taiga-san were sitting side by side, with Nico-chan across from them.
Nico-chan was in charge of the okonomiyaki at Hiiro-san’s table. She was meticulously grilling up the standard pork balls on the teppan.
At that moment, however, a waitress brought another okonomiyaki filling in a stainless steel bowl in front of Hiiro-san. Apparently Hiiro-san had taken the liberty of ordering an okonomiyaki for himself.
Hiiro-san thanked the waitress and started stirring the ingredients. Then he started to grill on the half of the teppan Nico-chan wasn’t using.
“Hey Brave, when did you order this? Are you unhappy with my cooking?” Nico-chan looked upset.
“To your presence, I say no thank you. I’ll take care of my part.”
As he said that, Hiiro-san started to bake a marron cream ball.
This restaurant has an unusual menu that I didn’t think anyone would order from, and this is the first time I’ve seen anyone order it before. Well, it seems that Hiiro-san has a sweet tooth.
“Okay. Half of this teppan is my surgical field. Don’t ever touch it.”
Even though it’s okonomiyaki, Hiiro-san is still acting like it’s an operation. Yeah, it’s business as usual.
While she was distracted by this conversation, Nico-chan’s okonomiyaki, which she was cooking first, started to burn, and she hurriedly turned it over with a spatula.
“Damn. It got a little burnt…”
Nico glanced at Taiga-san awkwardly.
“…It’s all the same when it’s in your stomach,” he spat.
“Huh!? It’s like you don’t care about the food that people have worked so hard to make for you!”
“It’s not that, Nico-chan. It’s just Taiga-san’s way of being kind,” I intervened.
“No, no, Emu, you don’t understand anything. He’s really that kind of person,” Nico-chan said without pause.
“It’s just flour, meat and vegetables anyway,” Taiga-san spat again.
“Then why don’t you just eat the flour by itself!?”
“Hah? You’ll choke if you only eat flour!”
A skirmish between Taiga-san and Nico-chan began. This was also business as usual.
“Emu, don’t get tangled up with that table over there. You’ll get burned.”
While saying that, Kiriya-san was carefully cooking pork balls on the teppan over here.
“That’s true. You’re really good at cooking, Kiriya-san! You’re really handy.”
“Huh? Didn’t I tell you? My family owns an okonomiyaki restaurant.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m not going to play along with your lies anymore.”
“Come on, don’t be boring.”
Poppy and Parad were silently listening to our silly exchange. If you look closely, you can see that both of them were frozen with chopsticks in one hand and a small plate in the other.
“Hey Poppy, Parad. Are you going to keep doing that until it’s done?”
“…It’s just that. It’s my first time making okonomiyaki. I don’t know what to do,” Poppy said, squirming awkwardly.
It’s only natural.
It’s been thirteen years since Poppy and Parad were born in this world. In human terms, they’ve only lived as long as junior high school students. There are a lot of things they’ve never experienced before.
“My heart is dancing. I want to taste it soon.” Parad’s eyes lit up like a child’s as he tried to dip his chopsticks into the okonomiyaki on the teppan.
“Hey! Be quiet and stay put!” Kiriya-san swatted away Parad’s chopsticks.
Parad’s mouth twitched and he looked annoyed.
“Is there anything I can do to help? Shall I sing a cheer song?” Poppy suggested.
Kiriya-san completely ignored her and concentrated on the okonomiyaki.
“…He pignored me,” Poppy’s face turned gloomy for a moment. She looked pretty bummed out.
I couldn’t help but smile when I saw such an exchange.
I had my own important reasons for inviting everyone out like this.
Until now, I hadn’t been fully honest with everyone. About my family. About my past.
But after conquering Mighty Novel X, I felt something new.
I was saved because everyone was there.
They’re all my true friends who have supported my heart. From now on, I want to share more casual moments with them. I want to spend more time laughing from the bottom of my heart.
And some day, I wonder if the day will come when Kuroto-san will join this circle.
Maybe it’s impossible. But. Maybe not completely.
There was only one reason for me to think so.
In this case, we were dealing with a copy of Kuroto-san, not him. However, Kuroto II was so much like Kuroto-san that it would not be wrong to say that he was the real him. Just before Kuroto II disappeared, he laughed out loud in a voice that could be heard as far as the other side of the world.
It seemed to be the usual Kuroto-san, but I didn’t think it was his usual laugh.
I couldn’t help but feel that Kuroto-san was laughing from the bottom of his heart.
Maybe it was just my imagination, or maybe I just wanted it to be that way. But I couldn’t feel any provocation, contempt, or self-deprecation in his laugh. I felt that Kuroto-san’s laughter – without any other intentions at all – resonated honestly in my heart.
…No. I think I’m mistaken.
Maybe it was because my heart has changed, or maybe it was because I remembered my childhood, when I had once been a fan of the games he made.
If so, that wouldn’t be so bad.
Research on regenerative medicine for game disease will continue in the future. The day will surely come in the near future when we will be able to restore those who have disappeared.
At that time, I will hear your laughter again.
See you soon. Let’s go on a journey of talent.