Kamen Rider Zi-O, Dimensional Descent

"I'm about to explode from the tension between you two! It's so suffocating!"

"Although I often enjoy watching girls with all sorts of personalities, this is the first time I've seen a girl like this."

"She seems really unhappy. Is it because she was scared by Momotaros?"

"What are you saying, you brat! In the end, all three of you were possessed by her, so none of you can escape responsibility!"

While the four alien gods were arguing with each other, Yan Ming simply sat down on the sofa to the side.

"...I've figured out the general situation."

"The...general situation?"

This sentence immediately left the four otherworldly gods slightly bewildered.

"What does this mean... Could it be that you've guessed what that guy from the Time Tribulation... is going to do?"

"I've figured out everything, everything."

"Ah—?!" The four otherworldly gods were all shocked.

Yan Ming, on the other hand, remained calm and tapped the armrest of the sofa lightly with his fingers.

"The girl was afraid to tell me her name, and she kept stammering. Her overreaction when I mentioned the classmates who had beaten her before suggests she's frequently bullied at school,"

"Is...that's how it is?"

She also said that Tide mentioned giving her the strength to "not be bullied by others anymore," which likely refers to this situation.

"And then what? What exactly does that Time Jacker plan to do to that child?"

"When it comes to signing a contract, there are only two things that come to mind: one is Another Knight, and the other is... the magical girl system unique to this world."

However, judging from the circumstances at the time, Tide's actions were definitely not intended to turn the girl into an outcast knight.

"Even if he does have the Another Rider's Ridewatch, there's no need to consider his request. Just activate the Ridewatch and insert it into his body."

"Well, if that's the case, it seems like he wasn't carrying anything in his hands..."

"But...wait, magical girls? What are those? I've never heard of them before! Why would something like that be associated with those Time Jackers?"

Although the four alien gods were still at a loss, Yan Ming vaguely grasped the subtle flow.

The magical girl he defeated earlier seems to have been following Teedo all along, which makes him a connection to the concept of a magical girl.

But... why would Teedo want to turn this girl into a magical girl? Given that the conditions for turning people into magical girls no longer exist in this world, how could he possibly do it?

Furthermore, through observation, Yan Ming had basically discerned the other party's personality. Given his disdain for everyone except himself, why would he keep such a magical girl by his side? What was the reason?

Although the basic information had been summarized, allowing Yan Ming to figure things out, he still hadn't fully understood the content.

That will require further effort later.

"By the way, why don't you just stay next to that girl? Wouldn't that be more convenient?"

Momotaros, who was standing next to him, couldn't help but ask.

"Since that guy named De is going to attack her anyway, why not just stay by her side and keep an eye on her all the time until he shows up?"

"Yes... what the senior said makes sense."

"And it seems that the girl, just as you described, is often bullied in her life..."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's just rush to that child's house and take care of everyone who bullied her! We don't need their answers anyway!"

Faced with such a response, Yan Ming simply waved his hand.

"If she does that, it will only make her life more fragmented."

"Well…?!"

The otherworldly gods all looked surprised.

“A person with her personality wouldn’t want me to solve all her problems… She doesn’t even want me to know about her situation.”

"Why...why is this happening?"

"As you all saw at the beginning, she didn't even want to tell me her name, and she didn't want anyone to get involved in her affairs... I don't know why she became like this, but this is her current personality."

"There are two reasons why I'm not going to help her directly. First, I can't focus all my energy on her. In the meantime, it's very likely that Tide and the monsters he summoned will cause other chaos in the city, so I can't possibly keep an eye on her 24/7. And secondly..."

"What is it?"

"Even if I really did keep a close eye on her 24/7 and help her solve all the problems that happened, given her personality, it would only have a huge counterproductive effect."

Yan Ming took a deep breath. He knew what he should and shouldn't do.

"In her mind, even if we are some kind of supernatural or fantastical beings, our communication and acquaintance with her has only lasted for less than a day."

"In such a short period of time, it's impossible for her to let us, who are essentially 'strangers she's only met a few times,' easily become involved in her life, let alone help her."

"Then, what should we do...?"

“Maintain a distance from this girl. Since we are just strangers to her who have only met once, let’s keep that distance and offer help accordingly, rather than trying to solve everything right away. We must proceed step by step.”

Even so, Yan Ming still told the girl that she could ask him for help with any difficulties she might have... although she certainly wouldn't do that now.

For a child who has had a tragic past and whose personality tends to be gloomy, any overly proactive behavior will be met with resentment. However, if relatively helpful assistance is offered based on a clear understanding of each other's relationship and social standing, and this process is gradual, there is a chance to truly help her.

That's right.

Yan Ming not only wanted to help her resolve Tide's issue, but also wanted to help this young girl solve the real problems in her life.

Even though they had only just met, he had already considered the issue to this extent.

That's why the four otherworldly gods in front of them all showed expressions of disbelief.

"you…"

"They actually considered things to this extent...?"

"Waaah! I can't understand a word!"

After the various Otherworldly Gods shared their thoughts, Momotaros... stroked his chin as if deep in thought.

“...You are completely different from that kid named Tokiwa Sougo.”

"Perhaps."

"What do you mean, 'maybe'? Well, if you ask me, that guy is quite unconventional in some ways..."

Momotaros stared at Yan Ming and said these words in a deep voice.

"But your way of thinking and acting is truly... more so than anyone I've ever met before—"

"…fear."

Volume 9, The Demon King Appears: Chapter 376 Magical Girls are the Embodiment of Justice!

Mami Tomoe followed them all the way here.

Led by a girl named Yuzuki Hana, they arrived at a huge, empty warehouse.

"What...what are you going to do by bringing me to a place like this?"

This place looks dilapidated; it seems no one has been here for a long time.

The girl named Yuzuki Hana did not answer him.

“If you come with me, you will know everything.”

"What do you mean you know everything... What are you even talking about?"

Jie Yuehua smiled, and with a light leap, she flew directly to the roof of the warehouse.

Although Mami Tomoe had her doubts, she eventually jumped up with him.

The two stood together in the center of the warehouse roof, where there were two windows that opened onto the roof, allowing them to see the interior of the warehouse.

"...Huh?"

Then, through the two skylights, Mami Tomoe was able to see the environment inside the warehouse.

In this warehouse that has been abandoned for many years, many people are now gathered inside.

"What... what's going on? Why are these people in a place like this...?"

Mami Tomoe asked, puzzled, while Yuzuki simply put her finger to her lips, signaling her not to speak.

Then, they all saw it.

A huge black shadow slowly emerged in front of those people.

This shadow is almost identical to the witch-like creature that Mami Tomoe defeated before; it seems it's another witch...

Will my life end here?

The sound came out.

Those were the words spoken by one of the people standing in front of the witch.

Noticing this, Mami Tomoe began to scrutinize him closely... This man was about thirty years old, but looked to be almost forty, and his clothes were clearly those of an office worker.

“I don’t think my life has any value anymore. When I first joined the company, I was really looking forward to my work life. I thought life would be more interesting after I graduated from university... but it’s just endless work, and there’s not even anyone who likes me.”

"Oh, I'm in the same situation as you. What's worse is that my family needs a lot of money for medical treatment. I've already borrowed so much money from relatives and friends, but it's still not enough!"

“My wife and child have been waiting for me. My child has a serious congenital heart disease. Even if I work my hardest to earn money for him, current medical technology still cannot solve his problem. The doctor told me that his condition is getting worse and worse.”

"The lives of adults are so wonderful, haha... Every day I'm subjected to the silent treatment from my classmates. It's not my fault that I'm ugly, but whenever we do something, they all gather together to form a small group, and they always isolate me. I guess I'm just a useless piece of trash who doesn't belong in this world."

"I wish I could die soon, so I wouldn't have to face the daily routine of my dad and mom taking turns slashing me with the back of a knife."

"That's true, it would be easier to die."

"I really want to die..."

Everyone below was uttering these extremely depressing words.

Mami Tomoe was completely dumbfounded by this scene.

The witch in the very center was constantly drawing some kind of black substance from these people into her own body.

"Did you see that clearly? This is what the witch did."

"What is it...absorbing? And what exactly happened to the people over there?"

"It's nothing. These people are just saying what's been buried deep in their hearts."

Compared to Mami Tomoe's shocked expression, Yuzuki Hana seemed quite relaxed.

It was as if she had seen this scene countless times before.

"These are the things that these people think about every day. The reason they don't usually say it is because of various social problems. For example, if they say it, it will increase the burden on their families, they will be annoyed by their boss and get fired, or even if they say it, no one will care. In short, what the witch does is just to bring out all the negative emotions deep in these people's hearts."

"Why do this?"

"The existence of witches is equivalent to the embodiment of 'despair,' and they feed on the despair of all things. Witches often choose those with dark minds and tragic lives as their prey."

Buzz—Then, the witch in the very center began to slowly wriggle.

"Let's go, let's take care of it."

As Jie Yuehua opened the skylight, she spoke.

"Our job as magical girls is to do things like this."

Boom! Then, the girl's body fell directly to the ground below.

Mami remained silent for a long time. By the time she came to her senses, the being known as the witch had been beaten beyond recognition by Yuzuki Hana. Only then did she land directly in the warehouse.

"I told you, this was the chance I gave you to fight, but you made me do it all... There should be a limit to slacking off, right?"

"...That's not the case."

It seems that Yuzuki Hana is very strong; she had already knocked that witch to the ground in the short time that Mami Tomoe was thinking.

With one of the syringes slung over her shoulder, Yuzuki stepped aside, gesturing for Tomoe Mami to come forward herself.

"Defeat it. You've probably never encountered a witch before in your life, have you?"

"How did you know...?"

"If you knew, you wouldn't be surprised by what just happened, right? Alright, let's defeat it quickly, otherwise these people around us will continue to be so gloomy."

Looking once more at the people behind her who kept muttering to themselves, Mami Tomoe's expression became extremely depressed again.

She took out a flintlock pistol, held it in her hand, aimed it at the witch, and pulled the trigger.