Kamen Rider from the ancient times

Tetsuya Sawaki stood on the second-floor terrace, watching Kawahara's figure gradually walk away.

He recalled what had just been said.

"Don't do things you'll regret. If one day in the future Agito needs your help and you can't offer it, won't you regret choosing to 'escape' just as much as you do now?"

"So while you can still offer help, try your best not to leave yourself with any regrets."

Will I regret it?

Just like that guy said, if it's a sin, then do everything you can to atone for it.

Tetsuya Sawaki wasn't unaware of this matter.

only……

I was just too tired.

Can Setsuna understand this feeling?
Zeki Tetsuya looked up at the sky. The floating sunlight looked particularly bright under the blue sky and white clouds. He closed his eyes slightly, as if he felt a gentle warmth whispering in his heart.

Setsuna will understand him.

However, we also hope that he can live well, just as he hoped that Setsuna could live.

It turns out they all felt the same way.

……

……

Kawahara left the Tsugami residence and rode his motorcycle down the winding mountain road.

It had been a long time since the Ultimate Chaser had enjoyed a smooth ride on the highway. As it drove through dense forests and entered the coastal road, the cool sea breeze and the sound of crashing waves came together.

There weren't many tourists on the beach in the early spring, but there were quite a few pedestrians strolling around, and children chasing each other on the sand with small buckets, collecting seashells.

The motorcycle sped past, its unruly hair, which wasn't covered by a helmet, was tousled by the sea breeze, and Kawahara gazed indifferently at the scenery along the way.

As they approached a port, the long, drawn-out sound of a ship's horn echoed across the sea, and a huge white ship pushed wave after wave of spray away from the dock.

As if sensing something, Kawahara suddenly turned to look at the ship.

On the top deck, a woman in a white coat leaned against the wall. Her long, seaweed-like hair was partly tied up and hung over her shoulders. The strands of hair covering her forehead were blown away by the sea breeze, revealing a white flower tattoo between her eyebrows.

The woman raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, watching the black motorcycle drive past on the coastal highway, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Kawahara frowned slightly.

Why did that woman leave Tokyo again?
The timing was perfect.

The highway leading into the city quickly left the port behind. Kawahara drove into Chiba Prefecture and parked his motorcycle in front of the same building that hadn't changed much.

When he entered the Science and Technology Research Institute, he found it rather empty, unlike its usual bustling atmosphere.

Kawahara followed the scent and heard voices coming from the storage room.

"Director, how should we handle this?"

"Let me see... Ah, I'll just leave it here. I doubt anyone would come to steal something like this now, right?" Enokida Hikaru's voice rang out.

"Not always……"

The staff member's voice was full of doubt.

Kawahara leaned against the doorway and looked around. He saw two people discussing a familiar stone coffin, and his expression immediately turned strange.

Why is that kind of thing still in the Science and Police Research Institute...?

Enokida Hikaru, who had his back to him, seemed to sense something and suddenly turned around. His eyes lit up when he saw the person at the door.

"Kawahara, you're back!"

Then she pulled Kawahara over directly: "Perfect timing, you can decide for yourself whether you want to keep this as a souvenir or not."

Enokida Hikaru seemed to already know about Kawahara's return, while the staff next to him were somewhat surprised, looking him up and down for a while.

Kawahara smiled helplessly: "Just dispose of it however you like, there's really no need to keep it as a souvenir."

Who keeps their own coffin as a keepsake?

He hadn't even expected that the Sealed Hall still existed in the Science and Technology Research Institute. It was actually just made of ordinary ancient minerals, and the only thing that worked was the sealing power that Mio had originally placed on it.

Moreover, Kawahara was more curious about something else than this.

What happened to the Science and Technology Police Research Institute?

"This..."

Hikaru Enoki shrugged and said, "Now, the task of dealing with monsters has basically been handed over to the 'G3 team' and their workshop. The Institute of Scientific Research hasn't developed any new weapons in recent years, so in order to reduce expenses, the Metropolitan Police Department plans to close this research institute!"

Kawahara was somewhat surprised: "Then you guys..."

While vigorously developing the G3 and AgitΩ squads, they actually forced this place to close down, which Kawahara really didn't expect.

However, although Enokida Hikaru said this with a sigh, he also looked relaxed and did not seem to have any regret about losing his job.

Hitsugata Enoki smiled and said, "The people from the Science and Police Research Institute will be transferred to other research institutes. I just want to rest for a while and plan to take Sae out for a while!"

Although he hasn't reached the level of a genius scientist, Hikaru Enoda's abilities as the young director of the Science and Police Research Institute are not to be underestimated. However, he has neglected his family education for many years, so he plans to take this opportunity to accompany Sae to see the world.

Hearing this, Kawahara recalled the scene he had witnessed in the flow of time and space, and a thought struck him as he asked, "So, what about you and Gene now...?"

"Alas?!"

Hikaru Enoki was startled and immediately looked away, somewhat embarrassed. He smoothed his hair as if trying to cover up his embarrassment and said, "Gene went to Moscow a while ago. He said he discovered some ancient ruins there. I might take Sae with me to check them out..."

Kawahara raised an eyebrow slightly.

It appears that the two are not married yet.

Although I already knew that Gene would eventually get what he wanted, seeing this long run, I still really admire his perseverance!
Hikaru Enoki quickly changed the subject, saying, "By the way, Ichijo-kun is also at the Institute of Police Science right now!"

After saying this, she turned around and led the way without waiting for Kawahara's response.

Kawahara knew, of course, that Kaoru Ichijo was at the Institute of Police Science, which was why he came here, also hoping to find out how Hikaru Enoda was doing.

……

Because the Science Police Research Institute was shut down, many important scientific research equipment and materials needed to be transferred or sealed, most of which were related to research on the ancient past. Kaoru Ichijo was brought in by Hikaru Enoda to handle this matter.

When Kawahara met Ichijo Kaoru, the latter was muttering to himself in his workshop while talking to a large beetle.

Hikaru Enoki laughed and called out, "Ichijo-kun, look who's coming!"

Upon hearing the sound, Kaoru Ichijo turned around, paused for a moment, and then her usual approachable smile appeared on her face, which was even more gentle and warm than her mature and steady demeanor back then.

"Officer, it's been a long time." Kawahara smiled.

"Long time no see." Kaoru Ichijo nodded with a smile.

Standing to the side, Hikaru Enoki looked back and forth at the two who had only exchanged greetings and then ended the conversation: "You two really don't have much to say." If it were Yusuke Godai, he could probably grab someone and talk happily for a long time, mostly about his various adventures and anecdotes.

Upon hearing this, Kaoru Ichijo was slightly taken aback, then shook her head with a laugh.

He looked at the golem beside him and said, "If the Science Police Research Institute is to close down, then the golem is no longer suitable to stay here. I want it to return to Godai's side, but it seems that the golem has been sleeping ever since Godai stopped fighting."

If they can't wake Golem, then they'll have to find a way to move him themselves.

Perhaps there's nothing much to study about a coffin, but if some interested people find out that Golem is still in the Science and Technology Research Institute, it's hard to guarantee that it won't be dragged away.

Upon hearing this, Kawahara looked at Golem and then slapped it on the beetle's head.

"There will be no more food here. Fly back to Jiulang Mountain!"

tie!
The slap was solid. Golem's compound eyes, which had been silent for a long time, suddenly lit up red, and he moved his horns, turning them towards Kawahara.

Enokida Hikaru was dumbfounded when he saw Golem wake up, then chuckled and said, "No wonder it didn't react when I kept replenishing its energy, it was doing it on purpose!"

They thought that Golem would only wake up when Yusuke Godai called out to it!

“If Kuu doesn’t go into slumber, Golem won’t go into slumber either; maintaining this state simply reduces energy loss,” Kawahara said.

When not in combat, the Golem will choose the optimal way to maintain its state so that it can respond to the Kuuga's call at any time.

Just like when he first awoke in the modern world, Golem chose to stay in the familiar mountains and forests to maintain his form because he didn't have a clear understanding of his surroundings.

Later, it was discovered that the Science and Technology Research Institute had been providing it with energy and metals, so it naturally felt that staying here was the best option.

"A~gu~ru~"

Golem tilted his head, making a crisp sound.

Kawahara said, pointing at its horns, "It's going to get dangerous here. You either have to go back to Kurotake or find a secluded spot to stay somewhere in the mountains."

The red light in Golem's compound eyes flashed.

It thought for a moment with the simplistic understanding of a child, then stretched out its claws and flew away. Hikaru Enoda, who was watching this scene, suddenly realized something and rushed to the workbench to press the switch.

ka ka ka-

The doors on all four walls and the dome of the workshop opened rapidly, and the floating golem accelerated and shot out from above!

Kawahara was somewhat surprised by Enoda Hikaru's speed.

The latter slowly breathed a sigh of relief: "I don't want to have to repair the ceiling before I leave."

These words immediately made the two people next to him laugh.

Enokida Hikaru said irritably, "What are you laughing at! When UltChaser was here, he would always suddenly fly out recklessly. He must have learned it from you guys, and he still hasn't changed!"

Kawahara pursed his lips and fell silent.

Kaoru clenched her fist to cover her mouth, turning her head away as if nothing had happened, even though they both knew it was an expedient measure taken in an emergency.

Back when the Gurongi ravaged Tokyo, the Science Police Research Institute did mostly repair walls, besides manufacturing weapons.

The first breach in the wall was actually made by Kawahara.

……

After resolving the Golem problem, Kaoru Ichijo packed up some research materials on the ancient past, intending to take them back to Nagano Prefecture for safekeeping.

Although he had returned to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department because of the Agito incident, Kaoru Ichijo's main base was still in Nagano Prefecture, and it was safer for him to keep these things there.

Hikaru Enoki stood at the main entrance, waving goodbye as the two left. Then he let out a long sigh and looked back at the now quiet Science Police Research Institute.

I never expected that she would also be leaving this place.

It's hard to describe the feeling of such a change in reality.

But today, many of them have new lives that are completely different from what they used to live, and they don't dislike them. Their adventures have become cherished memories.

……

Kawahara didn't ride the motorcycle; he simply had Ultimate Chaser follow beside him, while he sat in the passenger seat of Kaoru Ichijo.

As Kaoru Ichijo drove, she said, "From what I can tell, it seems like you're not going to stay here forever?"

This naturally refers to the world.

Kawahara rested his elbow on the car window and his chin on it: "Yeah, I do have that plan... People really do change, don't they? I used to be content with a peaceful life without any troubles, but now I prefer to experience new things."

Just now, Zeki Tetsuya thought that everything would be fine after he came back, and he could relax and drop everything. But he didn't expect that he didn't plan to stay long at all!

Kawahara felt inexplicably pleased when he thought about it.

Kaoru Ichijo laughed upon hearing this, "That's good too. We can do whatever we want freely, which was the reason we fought in the first place."

"So, what Officer Ichiro wants to do isn't just to stay an ordinary detective in Nagano Prefecture forever, is it?" Kawahara asked him.

"Yes, this is what I want to do, and it's within my power!" Kaoru Ichijo nodded firmly.

"Is that so... But now that Ms. Enokida and Ms. Sasayama have already made plans, Officer Ichijo still doesn't have a girl he likes? I think you must be quite popular in the police department." Kawahara suddenly asked curiously.

"..."

Kaoru Ichijo glanced at Kawahara, then looked embarrassed: "Wait, why are you suddenly bringing this up..."

Kawahara didn't say anything more.

He just suddenly remembered that this guy was still single ten years later, and he wondered if Kaoru Ichijo had met his soulmate after catching the bouquet back then. If he did, it was quite late.

Could it be that his fiancée is still in school?
When the car finally arrived at PolePole Cafe, Kawahara gave Ichijo Kaoru a strange and meaningful look, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

"What's wrong?" Kaoru Ichijo asked patiently.

"It should be nothing." Kawahara said seriously.

“Alright, I won’t go. I need to send these documents to Nagano Prefecture first. We’ll meet again sometime,” Kaoru Ichijo said with a smile.

Kawahara nodded and said, "Officer Ichijo, there will be many things in this world that will need you in the future, so no matter what happens, you don't have to bear it all by yourself. You have many people you can rely on now."

Upon hearing this, Kaoru Ichijo paused for a moment, then a smile appeared on his increasingly resolute and composed face, radiating a harmonious and calming aura.

"oh, I understand now!"

"..."

Kawahara watched the unchanging black car drive away until it was completely out of sight before turning his gaze away and walking into the PolePole café behind him.

After pushing open the door, the sounds of the clear wind chimes hanging on the eaves, and Old Man Shiyu's unchanging, warm yet lukewarm greetings could be heard.

“Welcome~”

...(End of chapter)