Starting with the Decade Driver, Messing with School Beauty

In Kamen Rider Zi-O’s Kabuto Arc.

There was once a mimicry Worm resembling Kagami Arata.

This Worm descended from the cosmos into the world of the Time King over a decade after the conclusion of the Armor Arc’s worldview.

It had never come into contact with Kagami Arata before.

However, it strangely assumed Kagami Arata’s appearance and even possessed some of Kagami Arata’s memories.

This led Qing Mu to suspect whether Worms had the ability to mimic others across space.

If that were the case, it would be astounding.

Worms could mimic the leaders of countries from all over the world from a distance, easily conquering or destroying this world.

Now, hearing Si Mu say that Worms couldn’t accomplish such a feat, Qing Mu finally felt somewhat relieved.

At the same time, a conjecture appeared in his mind.

“Do you think it’s possible that your friend Si Mu didn’t die but was imprisoned or detained by those Worms, so those Worms could mimic Si Mu’s appearance to deceive me?”

“It seems like a possibility!”

Si Mu’s eyes brightened.

Worms couldn’t mimic others from a distance.

To mimic other targets, they had to approach them.

Since there was now a Worm mimicking Si Mu’s appearance.

It was highly likely that the real Si Mu hadn’t died and was still in the hands of those Worms.

It’s just a matter of not knowing where he’s being held.

Thinking about his missing friend, Mimic Si Mu had been constantly worried and couldn’t stop thinking about the other.

Now that he knew there was a possibility the other was still alive, Mimic Si Mu became excited.

Listening to Qing Mu and Mimic Si Mu’s conversation, Li Ling’er’s head was a little muddled: “Wait a minute! What are you guys talking about? Qing Mu, is this Si Mu not the real Si Mu? Is he a monster? Where is the real Si Mu?”

“He is indeed not the real Si Mu; his true identity is a Native, a kind of creature very similar to Worms, but their power is relatively weak, unable to compete with Worms. They have been chased by Worms all along, and in order to survive, they fled to this world…”

Qing Mu briefly explained the relationship between Worms and Natives to Li Ling’er and Tian Mi.

And told the two the story between Si Mu and Mimic Si Mu.

After listening to Qing Mu’s narration, Li Ling’er and Tian Mi were no longer as bewildered as they were just now.

At the same time, they were also deeply moved by the friendship between Si Mu and Mimic Si Mu.

A friend went missing.

To take care of and protect a friend’s loved ones.

Assuming the appearance of a friend and living in their place.

This was a divine friendship that could only be found in fantasy stories.

I didn’t expect it to exist in the real world.

“If the real Si Mu is still alive, we must find a way to rescue him. He is also one of the 500 warriors who fight monsters for humanity. We can’t leave him in danger.” Li Ling’er’s heart overflowed with kindness.

She wished she could go and rescue Si Mu immediately.”

In order to continue this celestial friendship with a joyful ending instead of a sorrowful one, Qing Mu said, “To save him, we first need to locate him. Right now, we have no idea where those Worms are hiding. How can we save them? Once the Worms go into hiding and do nothing, we won’t be able to find them at all. It’s frustrating, unless…”

Li Ling’er and Tian Mi, anxious, couldn’t help but ask, “Unless what?”

“Unless we can create something to locate the hidden Worms within the crowd. Only then can we quickly find Si Mu’s whereabouts,” Qing Mu explained.

In the world of Kamen Rider Kabuto, the ZECT organization developed a green stone necklace with the help of Native that could detect Worm identities. Whenever a Worm appeared nearby, this green stone necklace would emit a faint red light as a signal.

Qing Mu’s target was this item.

Si Mu was also a Native, and a highly skilled one at that. Perhaps he could create a similar device with similar abilities.

However, this kind of thing had its pros and cons.

While the green stone necklace could identify Worms concealed within the crowd, it had significant drawbacks. Prolonged wear of the necklace would gradually transform a human into a Native, just like in the world of Kabuto.

The main objective was to use the power of the green stone necklace to turn all humans worldwide into Natives, thus taking over the entire world and creating a new paradise for Natives.

Kagami Arata, wearing two green stone necklaces, suffered from excessive radiation energy. As a result, he didn’t survive until the final showdown and was transformed into a Native under the influence of the necklace’s energy. He met his end as a Kamen Rider at the hands of his older brother, Yaguruma Sō.

However, if the wearer of this item was already a Native, there would be no adverse effects.

Qing Mu planned to have Si Mu, a shapeshifter, develop this item and use it himself to locate Worms in the crowd, bearing any side effects himself.

“Is it really possible to do something like this?” Tian Mi asked curiously. These matters were beyond her understanding.

“It’s quite possible,” Si Mu confidently replied. “Give me some time, and I should be able to create such a device.”

As a Native, he understood Worms better than anyone else, given that they were essentially siblings.

How different could they really be?

Regarding Qing Mu’s detection tool, Si Mu already had some ideas.

Qing Mu hadn’t originally come to see Si Mu for these matters today; it was just a chance encounter. So he briefly mentioned them before moving on to more important matters.

Also, it was his main purpose for coming to see Shapeshifter Si Mu today.

“By the way, did you bring what I asked for? You said you would give it to me today, so you should have it with you, right?”

“I did bring it, but there are too many people here. It’s not suitable to take it out. Why don’t you all follow me to the back kitchen?”

Shapeshifter Si Mu led Qing Mu, Li Ling’er, and Tian Mi to the back kitchen.

Li Ling’er and Tian Mi were curious about what Shapeshifter Si Mu was going to give Qing Mu. They understood that anything Qing Mu cared about wouldn’t be of low quality. It had to be something valuable.

The back kitchen was Shapeshifter Si Mu’s private domain, and without his permission, no one else dared to enter.

As lunchtime passed, the kitchen became empty and quiet.

Si Mu took two belts from a storage cabinet in the back kitchen and handed them to Qing Mu, saying:

“These two items were originally developed for me and Si Mu to use, but their power is too unstable. So, I abandoned them and went on to develop the second-generation Rider system. However, since they are a product of my hard work, I couldn’t bear to throw them away. I’ve kept them until now. Since you want them, it’s time to part ways with them. I hope they will be useful to you.”

Just as Qing Mu had anticipated.

Si Mu gave him Rider Belts, specifically the ZECT Buckles used by Kamen Rider KickHopper and Kamen Rider PunchHopper.

Using these belts, coupled with the KickHopper Zecter or PunchHopper Zecter, one could transform into the respective Kamen Rider.

“Wow! Qing Mu! It’s actually two Rider Belts! Si Mu is so generous! He gave you two Rider Belts in one go!” Tian Mi was amazed by Si Mu’s extravagant gift.

Giving out two Rider Belts in one go was quite a generous gesture.

Tian Mi’s eyes were filled with envy.

Qing Mu already had the Decade Driver.

Now, with these two ZECT Buckles added to his collection, Qing Mu had a total of three belts.

Who wouldn’t envy someone with three Rider Belts?

And these were genuine, not some knockoffs.

Qing Mu put away the two ZECT Buckles and then said, “These two belts are the reward he gave me. I had to help him in return. Don’t think I got these two belts for free.”

As a condition for the exchange of these two belts, Qing Mu had to allow Shapeshifter Si Mu to research the secret of the Faiz Accel Form.

Even though this power came from hacking and didn’t belong to him in terms of copyright, Qing Mu didn’t care much. He was merely lending one of his forms to Si Mu for research.

As for what Si Mu could come up with through his research, that was entirely up to Si Mu’s abilities and had nothing to do with Qing Mu.

When the time comes, even if Yancheng Defense Base causes trouble, he’ll say the same thing.”

“By the way, what about the Zecters? You’ve given me the belts, but without the Zecters, they seem pretty useless.”

Qing Mu hadn’t seen where the KickHopper Zecter and PunchHopper Zecter were.

He became curious.

Among the various transformation tools used by the Riders, the Zecters were unique. They seemed to possess a form of consciousness and sometimes acted according to their own will. For example, when Kamen Rider Gatack initially sought the approval of the Gatack Zecter, it promptly attacked him. Fortunately, Gatack Zecter eventually recognized him and revived him. Otherwise, Gatack might have become the first Rider killed by his own transformation tool.

Si Mu whispered, “They’ve always been here.”

“Here? Where?” Qing Mu looked around.

He didn’t see any signs of the KickHopper Zecter and PunchHopper Zecter.

“Buzz!”

“Buzz!”

Suddenly, two fist-sized grasshoppers jumped onto the shoulders of Li Ling’er and Tian Mi, respectively.

On Li Ling’er’s shoulder was a tea-brown grasshopper, while Tian Mi had a green one.

“Ah!” Both Li Ling’er and Tian Mi were startled by the sudden appearance of these grasshoppers and hurriedly waved their hands to swat them away. The two grasshoppers were knocked to the ground with a thud.

After calming down a bit, the two women examined the grasshoppers more closely and realized that these were no ordinary insects. They had a distinct electronic style and were mechanical devices made to resemble grasshoppers on the outside.

“What on earth are these?” Tian Mi exclaimed in surprise.

As the creator of these two items, Shapeshifter Si Mu proudly introduced them to the two:

“These two are the first-generation Rider systems, KickHopper Zecter and PunchHopper Zecter. By using these items along with the Rider Belts, you can transform into Kamen Rider PunchHopper and Kamen Rider KickHopper. To combat Worms, I developed a special ability for these belts called ‘Clock Up.’ When in Clock Up mode, you can have the speed necessary to go up against adult Worms.”

“The speed to go up against adult Worms? Is it really that powerful?” Tian Mi found it hard to believe and couldn’t help but ask Si Mu.

She had just witnessed firsthand how formidable adult Worms could be. Their speed was beyond imagination. Even as an Agito, she couldn’t track the movements of adult Worms. And now, these two seemingly small devices could grant a person the speed to match adult Worms. It was almost unbelievable. Tian Mi was eager to confirm how Shapeshifter Si Mu had developed such an incredible technology.

Challenged by Tian Mi’s question, Shapeshifter Si Mu didn’t get angry. He simply smiled faintly and said, “Because the main purpose of developing them was to combat Worms. If you can’t keep up with a Worm’s speed, how can you confront them?”

Hearing how impressive these small Zecters were, Tian Mi and Li Ling’er no longer found the Zecters, which resembled grasshoppers, unattractive. Even their somewhat ugly appearance gradually became cute in their eyes.

Qing Mu watched their attitudes change so quickly and couldn’t help but sigh internally, thinking, “Ah, women, your name is reality.”

Tian Mi crouched down and reached out to touch the Zecter in front of her. Her green Zecter was the KickHopper Zecter, while Li Ling’er’s tea-colored one was the PunchHopper Zecter. KickHopper Zecter curiously watched Tian Mi and made no effort to avoid or resist her touch, allowing her hand to make contact.

Tian Mi felt the KickHopper Zecter, noticing its hardness, coolness, and mechanical texture. She asked with curiosity, “It feels hard and cool to the touch, with a mechanical texture. Is this lifelike thing really just a mechanical device?”

Seeing Tian Mi touch the KickHopper Zecter, Li Ling’er also became intrigued and slowly reached out to touch the PunchHopper Zecter. The PunchHopper Zecter seemed livelier, as it actually hopped onto Li Ling’er’s hand when she reached out. With the experience from earlier, Li Ling’er wasn’t scared this time and allowed the PunchHopper Zecter to stand on her hand, curiously observing it.

The PunchHopper Zecter also looked back at Li Ling’er, and they locked eyes for a moment. It was as if they had exchanged a knowing glance, confirming their connection.

“It seems like both of them have a strong affinity with these Zecters and have gained their approval,” Shapeshifter Si Mu remarked to Qing Mu.

This was because Zecters were transformation tools with self-awareness. Only those approved by them could use them for transformation, and this approval wasn’t permanent. If a person lost the Zecter’s approval along the way, they could be rejected at any time. For example, Kagami Arata and Yaguruma Sō, the Hell Brothers, had both been rejected by the Hopper Zecter and had fallen into the hellish path, becoming the Hell Brothers. However, this wasn’t an absolute rule.

If one’s personal strength is powerful enough, they can forcibly use a Zecter for transformation without gaining the Zecter’s approval. In Kamen Rider Kabuto, one of the main antagonists, Souji Tendou, forcibly used the Sasword Zecter in front of Kagami Arata to transform into Kamen Rider Sasword.

There is a third scenario where one can transform without gaining the Zecter’s approval, and that is being a Native. Since Zecters were originally developed by Natives, they naturally have a high affinity with them. If both a Native and an approved user simultaneously call upon the same Zecter, the Zecter will prioritize the Native over the approved user.

Now that Li Ling’er and Tian Mi have gained the approval of the two Zecters, it means they have the qualifications to transform into Kamen Rider PunchHopper and Kamen Rider KickHopper.

Qing Mu nodded and said with a smile, “Yes, they seem to have a good connection with these two little things. It looks like I’ve helped them acquire these two.”

Qing Mu didn’t mind these mere two belts. The base attributes of Kamen Rider PunchHopper and Kamen Rider KickHopper weren’t particularly strong. The only aspect worth considering was their ability to enter Clock Up mode. However, for Qing Mu in his current state, this ability was more of a luxury than a necessity.

On the other hand, this ability was crucial for Li Ling’er and Tian Mi, who couldn’t accelerate like he could. What Qing Mu primarily wanted were the PunchHopper and KickHopper Rider cards to increase his own power. Once he obtained these cards, these two belts would hold little value to him.