please call me the magenta devil

Chapter 891. Takumi Inui and Mari Sonoda

Lu Xingzhou rode the Mechanical Tenth and arrived at the Kikuchi Western Laundry Shop at the address.

"Welcome to Kikuchi Western Laundry Shop. How can I help you?"

As soon as Lu Xingzhou entered, he saw Sonoda Mari, who had become an aunt.

However, to be fair, although she is already of middle age, she still retains her charm.

"Hello, I have some clothes that I need you to wash."

Lu Xingzhou lifted the large bag that was on the ground onto the counter.

"Wow, are there that many? But it's okay, just leave them to us."

Sonoda Mari was slightly startled by the large bag of clothes that Lu Xingzhou carried onto the counter, but then her face returned to its signature sweet smile... well, she does look quite approachable now.

"Takumi (Chiao)! There are a lot of clothes, could you help me carry them?"

Sonoda Mari turned her head and called out to a man inside who was still busy wearing a work apron.

"Oh, here it comes."

Qian Qiao responded and then came to the front desk from the workroom. He reached for the bag of clothes, but withdrew his left hand as if he had been electrocuted.

Qian Qiao stared blankly at her left hand as gray dust slowly fell onto the counter.

"skillful……"

Sonoda Mari looked at the stunned Inui Takumi with concern and murmured softly.

Then, as if remembering something, he suddenly looked at Lu Xingzhou.

She only just remembered that besides her and Qian Qiao, there was another customer in the shop!
Oh no! If he suspects him and reports him to Smart Brain... Takumi Inui will be arrested or even eliminated!

“Um… I’m sorry, sir. He just had some dust on his hands and hadn’t washed them properly. Takumi Inui… you’re so careless! How could you come to pick up clothes without washing your hands? Hahaha…”

Sonoda Mari racked her brains and forced a smile as she offered an explanation.

"Miss Sonoda Mari?"

With a knowing look on his face that seemed to say, "I'll just watch you perform quietly," Lu Xingzhou spoke with great interest.

"Eh?"

Sonoda Mari was taken aback. Had she told this stranger her name? No, right?
"Mr. Qian Qiao?"

Lu Xingzhou turned to look at Qian Qiao, who was still staring blankly at her own hand, and asked a question.

"Ok?"

Qian Qiao finally came to her senses, briefly reviewed Lu Xingzhou's question, and her expression changed.

This strange man just called out our names and Sonoda Mari's names? Does he know us?
Or perhaps... people from Smart Brain found this place?!

Of course, this is the worst-case scenario. But for now, Inui Takumi has no choice but to consider it this way.

The Smart Brain, originally controlled by the Orphnochs and secretly preparing to rule the human world, has been reorganized and is now cooperating with the government to eradicate all the Orphnochs. This is almost exactly the same as the situation in the movie where humans were besieged and reduced to a very small number, or even worse, only the roles have been reversed.

Qian Qiao lowered his left hand, hid under the counter, and quietly clenched his fist, ready to transform into the wolf Orphnoch at any moment.

His expression shifted from sadness and confusion at the realization that his graying process was accelerating to determination and vigilance.

Sonoda Mari noticed the change in atmosphere and vaguely suspected that Lu Xingzhou might be an employee of Smart Brain. She slowly took a step back.

"Don't be nervous, I'm just an ordinary customer who came to ask you to help with my laundry. It's just that... I've happened to know you for quite a while. Of course, you don't know me."

Lu Xingzhou naturally noticed Sonoda Mari and Inui Takumi's wariness, and smiled easily, his signature warm and sunny smile making people feel particularly friendly.

"Who are you? Are you sent by Smart Brain?"

Qian Qiao asked calmly in a low voice, clearly not letting her guard down.

"Smart Brain has no right to order me around."

Lu Xingzhou smiled dismissively, clearly not taking Smart Brain seriously. "Of course, I do have connections with Smart Brain. But like you, I know them, but they don't know me."

"Hanagata, Murakami Kyoji, Kiba Yuji. You haven't forgotten these names, have you?"

Lu Xingzhou leaned against the counter, his eyes scanning back and forth with interest the expressions of Qian Qiao and Sonoda Mari.

Inui Takumi and Sonoda Mari were both startled, then looked at each other in bewilderment.

"These are all very old names..."

"Ichiko said with a complicated expression. He thought of Kiba Yuuji, the 'Little Ma' who had a love-hate relationship with him but a tragic life."

Qian Qiao's expression softened somewhat; in his mind, he had already ruled out Lu Xingzhou as an employee of Smart Brain.

If Lu Xingzhou were truly an employee of Smart Brain, then Smart Brain's Orphino annihilation force would have already stormed in.

They won't waste their time on something like this.

So who exactly are you...?

Sonoda Mari asked tentatively.

"You're asking about the Grim Reaper's name? Just a Kamen Rider passing by, no need to remember him."

Lu Xingzhou waved his hand and smiled silently.

"Kamen Rider? So you also have a belt? But that shouldn't be the case, Faiz (555), Kaixa, and Delta are all in our hands."

Sonoda Mari was completely baffled.

"It's very simple, I come from another world."

Lu Xingzhou snapped his fingers, and a small gray-white dimensional wall appeared in front of Sonoda Mari and Inui Takumi, acting as a display screen and showing the great battle in the Outsider world that Lu Xingzhou had just experienced.

Is this... another world?

Inui Takumi and Sonoda Mari were both shocked, their eyes widening in disbelief.

After all, this world view is independent and there is no trace of other Kamen Rider series.

"Yes, I am Lu Xingzhou, a traveler from another world."

Lu Xingzhou nodded.

“Oh, I see. That’s great. We thought… you were from Smart Brain. Qian Qiao… he’s an Orphnoch, currently being purged by Smart Brain. Orphnochs have done a lot of bad things in the past, but the Orphnochs that Qian Qiao and I know are all good people, completely different from the Orphnochs of the past. But they’re down to a very small number now, so I chose to protect them. But I don’t know how long I can protect them. Maybe one day Smart Brain will find out about this.”

Sonoda Mari seemed to see a glimmer of hope, but still spoke at length with great concern.

"Truth! You've said too much..."

Takumi Inui looked helplessly at the incessantly chattering Mari Sonoda, feeling a bit of a headache.

How did you say so much so quickly...?

"Sorry, sorry, I accidentally became a chatterbox. I just... felt there was hope. Coincidentally... your body is already collapsing... perhaps this Lord from another world has a solution? I just saw it, the King of Orphnoch was inside!"

"It's melancholic," Sonoda Mari said.

Sonoda Mari certainly has a good eye; she spotted the King of Orphnoch amidst the chaotic battle of the Outsiders.

The King of the Orphnochs has the ability to resolve the issue of Orphnoch bodies collapsing and turning to ash, granting them eternal life and freeing them from the torment of physical collapse and ash decay.

So... what is the price?

A: It means that you will permanently lose your human form and can only live as an Orphnoch.

"The truth... I know my own body... It's... time to stop here."

When faced with death and disappearance, Qian Qiao, who had experienced many storms, found that he could not remain calm and his emotions would also become uncontrollable.

"Bingo! Miss Sonoda is right. I really do have a way to solve your physical problems. You don't have to worry about losing your human form. There are no other side effects or any additional conditions."

Lu Xingzhou snapped his fingers, instantly igniting a light in the eyes of Qian Qiao and Sonoda Mari.