Kamen Rider Zi-O, Dimensional Descent

"But... the reason they came to me, it really is because of my personality, right?"

But even the girl herself realized this.

She looked at Yan Ming, and he simply nodded slightly.

"I see. So those... magical girls must all have personalities similar to mine, and were all turned into that way by that man..."

"That's probably why he chose people with personalities like yours; it's likely that it makes it easier for him to exploit them."

"Easy to use..."

Yan Ming bluntly told the other party what sounded a bit excessive.

Because there's no point in hiding it at this point, it's better to let her know the truth herself.

The girl's expression wavered again because of what Yan Ming said.

"After turning those people into that form, it's just to satisfy his own needs... If I also become a magical girl, will I just become someone he uses? Will my life completely lose its luster?"

"Perhaps."

Yan Ming answered her again.

"But at least you haven't agreed to him yet, so you haven't become that kind of person, nor have you been used by him... You are still yourself, and your life hasn't changed, has it?"

The girl fell silent once again because of these words.

--------------------------

at the same time.

In a colorful, desert-like world of time and space…

A colossal entity capable of swallowing up timelines is rapidly approaching this spacetime.

Volume Nine: The Demon King Appears: Chapter 393 The Train Carrying the Undead

With the girl from earlier, Yan Ming and she went to a coffee shop.

He simply ordered a basic coffee, while the girl sitting opposite him ordered a coffee with an iced topping.

"...Was it necessary to bring me to a place like this?"

"Consider it compensation for getting you involved in my fight with that guy."

This is clearly not your fault or responsibility, and you don't need to say anything about compensation or anything like that... The girl couldn't help but think to herself.

The girl picked up her coffee, took a sip of the cream foam on top, and looked at Yan Ming tentatively.

"What exactly is a magical girl?"

"By making a contract with a certain being, one can gain superhuman power and abilities, and thus become a superhuman being... That is the magic girl."

Yan Ming explained it to her very straightforwardly.

"But in contrast, everyone who becomes a magical girl has to pay a price: they have to sell their soul to the entity they have a contract with, and can never turn back into a normal human."

"...I don't quite understand what you mean by that. What does it mean to sell one's soul...?"

"Separate your soul from your body, and as long as there is magic, your body will never age or get hurt, and you will be completely free from the so-called human category."

The girl in front of him was startled when he said those words out loud.

She seemed to have never imagined that the true nature of magical girls would be like this... but the reality was far more terrifying than she had imagined.

"Besides magical girls, the news also reports on another type of monster called witches. How do you think they are created?"

"..."

"When magical girls' hearts are filled with despair, the vessel that holds their souls will collapse, and they will completely transform into the monsters seen in the news."

There were hardly any people in the coffee shop, and even if there were, hardly anyone would pay attention to the conversation between the two.

Therefore, only the girl heard about this kind of revelation.

For about a minute, the expression on her face remained that of someone who couldn't come to their senses.

"...Is this what that man wants to turn me into?"

Yan Ming didn't speak, but simply took a sip of his coffee, but both of them knew the answer.

Now, the girl opposite has completely understood the truth about magical girls.

But the expression on her face... after the initial shock, turned indifferent.

"If that's the case, then it's not a big deal."

"…you."

Yan Ming turned his gaze back to her.

The girl couldn't help but whisper.

"Anyway, for me, even if I became a monster that is not human, it would still be better than my current life."

The atmosphere seemed to grow cold and desolate.

The girl in front of her noticed the gaze of the person sitting in front of her, and she slowly put down the coffee cup in her hand.

“I…have been living with my mother for a long time.”

That was her past experience.

“My father abandoned us. I don’t know when he stopped coming home, and we couldn’t find him anymore. It had been like this since before I started junior high school. Back then, I was always being laughed at by my classmates… But I could still hold on because I still had my mother with me.”

"Then, on the day I successfully entered the third year of junior high school... my mother also left me."

Yan Ming noticed the sadness in her tone of voice.

"I tried my best to finish junior high school. I always thought that if I relied on myself, there would be no problem... But my mother's illness could not be cured and she eventually left me. At that time, all I wanted to do was finish my studies as soon as possible and leave this school."

"Once I leave that place, no one should care about my past anymore... At least at the new school, everyone should be a stranger, right? I think that's a normal thought, isn't it?"

She couldn't help but laugh at herself.

"On my first day of high school, right after class, I was mocked by passersby."

"The rumors that circulated at the school at that time said my father abandoned my family, my mother died because she couldn't afford medical bills, and I ran away from the truth because I was afraid of being ridiculed, and ended up in a high school that was far away from my original school."

"Shortly after that, many people started saying it was because of me... that my gloomy personality caused my father to leave home and my mother to die, calling me a jinx or something, which is understandable... but none of them know that my personality actually became like this after my parents left."

"Then, every day... I would be bullied by many people. The money I earned by working in order to survive was mostly taken by them. You should have seen that back then, right? It was like that every day."

“I’m already used to it, so… when I heard that man say he would give me the power to take revenge on others and make me someone that no one can bully… I was actually looking forward to that happening.”

…silence.

Yan Ming didn't say anything; he just looked at her quietly, and the girl seemed to have anticipated her reaction.

"You know what...? At school, I've tried to talk to my teachers about these things, more than once... What did they say to me?"

“‘I will help you find a way’... When I heard them say that, I was genuinely happy and expectant. Then, there was no follow-up. All the teachers only made verbal promises to my request, simply because the parents of those students had secretly bribed the school to give those students special treatment and not report what they had done to the school.”

"That's the response from everyone. The police and the school all just gave me verbal promises. Nobody really dares to touch those guys. I can't even transfer schools because I don't have enough money... Isn't that ridiculous?"

"After seeing the news about those magical girls, my thoughts were confirmed... If I had agreed to him back then, I think I would have killed everyone in the school by now."

The girl in front of me, whose name I don't even know, has this kind of experience.

All of this was just as Yan Ming had predicted. All of this experience... was why Tide was willing to seek out people with similar experiences.

She has basically given up all hope for her current life.

So when she heard Tide say that she would become capable of taking revenge on others... she genuinely had that thought.

"If that's the case, why did you refuse that guy's contract?"

Instead, Yan Ming asked her a question.

"You clearly had the opportunity to get revenge on those you hate, so why? Why did you refuse?"

"…yes."

The girl laughed softly.

"When my mother was nearing the end of her life, she told me..."

"Don't become like Dad, someone who would hurt others at will," that's what she told me. She wanted me to... strive for what I want to do, and no matter what life throws at me, I must persevere...

"I'm so stupid... I had a chance to get revenge on those scumbags, but I just gave it up. I told myself I had to work hard and stick to what I wanted to do, but with my life like this, how could I possibly do that..."

Yan Ming didn't say much more. After thinking for a moment, he continued to ask questions.

"I want to know, what...is it that you want to do?"

"It's okay to tell you, it's just drawing..."

Thinking about her current life, she shook her head again.

“I have been working hard to learn painting since I was very young, and it was the same when I was in high school... Although I don’t think that I can have the opportunity to fulfill my dream by helping with my spare time.”

"Not to mention in the current situation..."

The girl seemed to feel utterly hopeless about her current situation, but... she did not choose to give up.

Even in the most difficult times, when she remembered her mother's words to persevere, she still dared to work hard for it.

That's why she was able to endure all of this and continue living in this world.

Yes, they do look very similar.

Upon hearing these experiences, Yan Ming instinctively recalled his past memories.

The boy who lost his parents and worked hard from a young age to give full play to his greatest talents, yet is still rejected by countless people today.

"I'm sorry, what I'm telling you is rather complicated... even though we don't really have any connection."

"You don't need to worry about it."

Yan Ming then called over a waiter and paid for the two cups of coffee.

"In fact, you were dragged into this because of my conflict with that guy. You're the one who's willing to tell me these things, which are practically the truth. I should thank you for trusting me like this."

"Do I believe you...? Maybe I do, who knows?"

That concludes the interaction between the two.

Seeing that Yan Ming was about to leave, the girl couldn't help but cast her gaze down and quietly stare at the table.

“…Akutagawa Sakura”.

It's time to tell the other person my name.

"I don't think I've told you this yet, my name... wait, I've already left?"

But when the girl turned around, she found that the other person had already disappeared into the shop.

She tilted her head helplessly, a somewhat gloomy expression appearing on her face.

"There are very few people like you who are willing to help someone like me."

"I hope I'll have the chance to see you again in the future... but it's probably impossible, isn't it?"

At least, the girl learned one thing.

In the shadows of this world... there always exists an unknown man, fighting against a ruthless force to protect the happiness of others.

"Keep it up... Don't lose to that kind of guy!"

Secretly, even girls who have only met a few times will cheer for the man named Shilun Yanming.

Outside the coffee shop, Yan Ming, who was about fifty meters away, was now walking calmly on the street.

"Hey... is this okay?"

A figure as small as a grain of sand appeared beside him.

It's Momotaros.

Although he had only possessed the girl once by chance, Momotaros was still worried about the girl who was struggling to make ends meet.

"That girl seems to be having a hard time, especially with those bastards who keep bullying her... Are you just going to stand by and do nothing?"

no respond.

Yan Ming just kept walking forward, which made Momotaros increasingly anxious.

"Hey! You little brat—could it be that I actually misjudged you?!"