It had been four days since I first met Isadora. Despite how rocky that initial encounter was, we somehow managed to reach a shaky consensus.
During those days, I focused on testing my body. The results were… unsettling. My stamina had increased dramatically—I ran five times my usual limit without even feeling winded. I accidentally snapped a window handle clean off, and my senses felt unnervingly sharp, as if the world had been turned up a notch.
And yet, despite all of that, doubt gnawed at me.
How was I supposed to kill a Shuuki with this?
None of it felt special. Plenty of women were already capable of similar feats. Worse, I had no access to blessed weapons—the only things proven to actually harm Shuuki. I didn't have a military background, no connections, no stockpile of sacred tools.
When I voiced my concerns, Isadora only shrugged.
"It's a surprise," she said lightly. "Just get used to your new body as fast as you can."
That was all I got.
As for Isadora herself, she'd taken it upon herself to start living in my apartment. She didn't ask. She didn't negotiate. She outright refused to turn back into her bracelet form—even though she could—claiming it was boring.
I returned home later that day, unlocked the door, and froze.
Isadora was sitting at my table, casually eating potato chips while using my laptop to watch a movie.
"Oi. Who told you you could use that?" A vein throbbed on my forehead.
She glanced up at me, utterly unfazed, and lazily bit down on the chip hanging from her mouth, snapping it in half as she stared back.
"Oh, Hideo. Welcome back~~" she said.
Damn it. This woman's face was a cheat code. Even now, lazing around like a bum, she somehow looked unfairly good. To make matters worse, she was wearing my shirt—and the shorts we'd bought along with other things yesterday after she insisted on getting something other than that dress of hers. The clothes hung loosely on her, doing things to my nerves they had no business doing.
That said… she wasn't completely useless.
Despite being a freeloader, she turned out to be a good cook. Instead of my usual store-bought meals and preserved junk, she made an actual, proper dinner. On top of that, she'd cleaned the apartment so thoroughly not a single speck of dust survived. Even the bathroom hadn't been spared.
I'd also made it clear she was to stop calling me "Master" and use my family name instead.
She refused. Flat out.
After far too much arguing, we reached a compromise that she'd call me by my first name.
Granted, I almost lost my goddamn mind when she barged into the bathroom while I was taking a bath yesterday.
No warning.
No hesitation.
And absolutely no clothes.
Her body was just as unfair as her face—her chest neither too big nor too small, balanced in a way that felt deliberately designed to mess with my head
…...Why the hell was I still remembering that?
Moreover, what made it worse was that she didn't even look embarrassed. Not even a little. She casually said she could help me bathe since I was her master.
Obviously, I kicked her out immediately. Because no sane girl would act like that toward someone she'd met less than a week ago. Abnormal didn't even begin to cover her actions.
Now, sitting across from her, I decided to pester her again.
"So," I said dryly, "what are you actually going to make me do?"
"Just wait for tonight," Isadora replied with a lazy grin. "I promise it'll be a more enjoyable experience for you."
She crushed the empty chip wrapper in her hand and flicked it toward the trash can. It sailed through the air in a perfect arc and landed cleanly inside.
"Also," she added, "do you know the word Kamen Rider?"
I shook my head. "Kamen Rider? What's that? Some kind of biker gang?"
"I thought so," she sighed.
She searched it up on the internet. Frowning when the results came up empty. The search engine even congratulated her for looking up an unknown word.
"They were everywhere in my world," she said, standing up from her chair. "Basically, humans with super-powered suits."
Oh. So like those mystical warriors I used to watch as a kid. The word stirred a weird sense of nostalgia. I vaguely remembered begging my aunt to buy me those transformation devices they wore.
"Just swear to me you'll do this later," she said, already moving around my apartment, picking things up.
"What? And don't open that box!" I warned as she crouched and reached under my bed.
She pulled out one of my random belts and wrapped it around her waist. Then she grabbed a bowl from the kitchen, fastened it to the side, and attached a small box with three circular slots to the center.
I stared at her. "What the hell is with that getup?"
"Shh. Let me talk for a moment," she said, pressing her index finger to her lips.
She took three circular items in her hand and began writing something on the back of each one.
Deciding to humor her, I focused as she began her explanation.
"See these lines?" she said, turning one of the circular pieces around to show me the back.
I nodded.
"These horizontal lines represent parts of your body."
She held one up.
One line is the head
Two lines are the torso
Three lines are the legs
She tapped the box attached to the belt. "These lines tell you which slot each piece goes into."
From left to right, I watched as she inserted them accordingly—the head on the left, the torso in the middle, and the legs on the right. Once all three were in, she twisted the box with a sharp click.
"Then—" she said, touching the bowl on the side of the belt and sliding it downward.
"Henshin!" she shouted proudly.
…You looked dumb as hell with that smug face, you know that?
She turned to me, eyes gleaming. "Now it's your turn"
"Eh? I have to?"
"Of course. This is critical knowledge for later."
"Then why the hell didn't you tell me this earlier?!" I snapped. "And stop being so damn vague"
"Just shut up and wear it, Master"
"I already told you to stop calling me that!!"
========
After spending the entire day enduring lessons I had no idea when—or if—I'd ever use it, I finally gave up pressing her for answers. Every serious question I asked only earned me laughter.
It was nearing nine at night.
Isadora wore her gothic dress, looking completely out of place in the dark wilderness near my town. Meanwhile, the average guy—that would be me—was dressed for convenience: sneakers and a tracksuit loose enough to move freely. There was barely any light as we hiked deeper into the trees.
"Looks like we've found the perfect spot!" she said, coming to a stop.
I stared at her, silent, waiting for whatever insanity she had planned.
"Then, let's do this" she clapped her hands together.
Her blue eyes suddenly shimmered—no, fractured—splitting into rainbow hues. She thrust one hand forward, and a glowing circle began to form in the air.
Don't tell me—
"Good luck to us!" she chirped. "Especially you, Hideo~"
Before I could react, she kicked me.
The force behind it was completely disproportionate to her slender build.
I flew straight into the circle.
The world twisted—and then I was there.
The same fog-choked wasteland. The same desolate land where I'd almost gotten my ass killed before.
I scrambled to my feet and spun around.
The portal was gone.
…Now wait just a damn minute. Since when could you do portal shit?!
"Why are we in Mato, Isadora?!" I yelled, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her.
"Tadah~!" she said cheerfully, completely ignoring me. "Do you like the playground?"
Yeah. I'm thrilled. Overjoyed, even. I'd love nothing more than to slap that smile straight out of you—
Except a horde of Shuuki was staring at us with naked hostility.
"Good luck~~" she sang.
Then she leapt away, landing effortlessly on elevated ground above me. She sat at the edge, legs dangling, chin resting in her hands.
Watching.
Fantastic. Just fantastic.
Now I have to face a Shuuki again? Where's the refund?! I never even agreed to that goddamn bracelet!
I glared up at Isadora.
She waved something in her hand, grinned, and tossed it toward me.
"Time for a test drive"
I barely caught it.
It was a black core with a silver frame. The centerpiece stood out—three circular slots arranged neatly.
My instincts screamed.
I slapped it against my waist.
The moment it touched, a belt formed automatically, wrapping around and locking into place. A circular handheld device slid into position at my side.
Isadora opened her palm. Three medals materialized and dropped into her hand.
She tossed them at me like she didn't care whether I caught them or not.
"Oi—watch it!" I snapped, fumbling before securing them.
Red. Yellow. Green.
A hawk
A tiger
A grasshopper
"You better hurry," she giggled.
You're dead later. But that can wait.
I inserted the medals into the slots—left to right—tilted the core, and grabbed the circular handheld. The Shuuki closed in, snarling.
I slid the device downward, scanning the medals.
"Henshin"
___________________
Author's Note:
Gurenya