Fighting for the Little Sister

Once the three girls left, Hozer finally looked at Arata Kagami.

“Huh? Do I have to leave too?”

Hozer thought for a moment. There was a high probability that Riku Kagami was involved in this. As Gatack, Arata Kagami theoretically had the right to know the situation.

But Arata Kagami's impulsive, thoughtless personality made him highly hesitant.

However, if he didn't tell him, Kagami would just cling to the matter relentlessly, perhaps even investigating on his own and causing even greater trouble.

“Brother Hozer?”

“First of all, you are not to reveal a single word of what I am about to say, nor are you to investigate on your own. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless.”

Arata Kagami was stunned for a moment, then nodded solemnly.

“No problem.”

Hozer extended his fist.

“This is a promise between men.”

“Yes, I will keep our promise.”

Arata Kagami also realized the gravity of the situation and extended his fist to bump Hozer's.

Hozer lowered his hand and turned to look at Souji Kusakabe, who was wearing a mask beside him.

“Kusakabe, take off your mask.”

Souji Kusakabe did as he was told, removing his mask. The face that was revealed made Arata Kagami take several steps back in horror, only stopping when his back hit the ward wall.

His finger pointed at Souji Kusakabe, his voice trembling.

“He... He...”

“Not human... a Native?”

Sou Yaguruma was much calmer, tilting his head to look at Souji Kusakabe.

However, these words instantly triggered Souji Kusakabe's pent-up emotions, and he passionately lunged forward to grab Sou Yaguruma's collar.

“I am human!”

“Calm down, Kusakabe.”

Hozer quickly stood up to pull Souji Kusakabe back, explaining to Sou Yaguruma, “He is human. Originally human.”

Originally?

Sou Yaguruma adjusted his disheveled collar, his expression thoughtful.

Hozer lightly clapped his hands to ensure there were no eavesdroppers, then began to recount everything he knew about the Natives, Worms, and ZECT.

During his explanation, Hozer interrupted Arata Kagami's shocked exclamations several times. With Souji Kusakabe adding details from the side, the narrative of the entire event quickly became clear.

Thirty-five years ago, the Natives descended upon Earth. Afterward, they integrated into human society, and due to the threat of the Worms that could arrive at any moment, they reached a cooperative agreement with humanity.

During that time, both sides jointly developed the Kamen Rider system and established the Kamen Rider Project with the goal of destroying the Worms.

Riku Kagami and Soichi Kusakabe were highly likely involved in the Kamen Rider Project, choosing their unborn sons, Arata Kagami and Souji Kusakabe, to become Gatack and Kabuto.

This plan was very likely revealed to them by Souji Tendou, who had traveled back from the future.

Souji Kusakabe was originally an ordinary human but was remodeled into a Native. For reasons likely related to Soichi Kusakabe, he copied and mimicked the childhood appearance of Souji Tendou, undergoing countless experiments during the development of the Kamen Rider system.

Souji Tendou possessed other Zecters and could summon them, which meant he could also transform into other Kamen Riders.

This had been proven through experiments with the Sasword Yaiba and the Drake Grip.

In theory, the selection criteria for each Zecter's qualified user differed. Hozer had always assumed it was because Souji Tendou possessed many unrevealed qualities.

But now he understood. Since the development of the Kamen Rider system was based on Souji Kusakabe—who copied and mimicked Souji Tendou—it was no wonder Tendou could summon the other Zecters.

And similarly, Souji Kusakabe also possessed this ability.

Regardless of the relationship between them, for this ability alone, Hozer would not give up on Souji Kusakabe.

Of course, the prerequisite was to heal his body first; otherwise, every battle would only accelerate the consumption of his life force.

However, there were still inconsistencies in this matter. For instance, regarding the deaths of Soichi Kusakabe and Mayumi Kusakabe—if Riku Kagami hadn't been killed and replaced by a Native, why were those two replaced?

What exactly had happened that forced the Natives to eliminate them? From the current information, perhaps only Riku Kagami knew the answer.

As Hozer spoke, he regulated the injuries within his body.

These injuries were mainly caused by the teleportation of the Hyper Zecter, coupled with the massive consumption of temporal power during his subsequent return, causing his old wounds to flare up.

But fortunately, it was just a sudden flare-up that looked severe. After some treatment and another two days of rest, he would likely be fine.

However, the time required for a full recovery would probably be delayed quite a bit.

“So that's how it is.”

“Ah, Tendou, when did you wake up?”

Arata Kagami, who was still digesting this shocking information, suddenly heard Souji Tendou's voice and let out a soft cry of surprise.

Souji Tendou glanced at Arata Kagami, ignored him, and turned to Hiyori Kusakabe, saying gently, “Little sister.”

The sudden change in address left Hiyori Kusakabe somewhat at a loss.

Souji Tendou's heart was also filled with deep emotion.

He had always tried to keep Hiyori Kusakabe away from these matters, wanting to secretly resolve the threats of the Worms and Natives so she could live as an ordinary human, completely oblivious.

But unexpectedly, fate was unpredictable, and Hiyori Kusakabe had only been drawn deeper and deeper.

However, Hiyori Kusakabe seemed much stronger than he had imagined. Even after learning she was a Native and that her parents had been...

Thinking of this, Souji Tendou sighed, then turned his head to look at Souji Kusakabe.

This guy had been glaring at him fiercely ever since he uttered the words "little sister."

What? You want to fight me for my sister!

Souji Tendou glared back without showing any weakness, and Souji Kusakabe refused to back down. The two stared each other down, giving Hozer a massive headache.

Although it was rare to see Souji Tendou act so childishly, which Hozer personally found quite amusing, he didn't know what to do in this situation.

“Idiots.”

“Huh?”

“Ah?”

Souji Tendou and Souji Kusakabe both looked at Hiyori Kusakabe, their faces filled with surprise.

Suddenly finding herself the center of attention, Hiyori Kusakabe instinctively shrank closer to Hozer. Then, as if deciding she shouldn't back down, she gritted her teeth and said, “Children.”

*Pfft.*

Hiyori Kusakabe turned to look at Hozer, who couldn't help but laugh, and said embarrassedly, “What are you laughing at?”

Hozer quickly suppressed his laughter and waved his hand. “Sorry, I just thought of something funny.”

After such an interruption, Souji Tendou and Souji Kusakabe stopped their standoff.

“Right, Tendou, who injured you?”

At the mention of this, Souji Tendou's face darkened. Touching his chest, he said in a low voice, “It was Masato Mishima.”

“That guy... Hiyori felt something summoning her. Did you feel it too?”

“Yeah. When I opened that door, I ended up at the beach. Masato Mishima was there too, and we clashed. That form of his must be the molted form of a Native.”

“He was probably furious about losing the Hyper Zecter, which is why he fought you. Since the threat of the Worms still looms, the Native higher-ups likely won't let him cause conflicts with us, at least not until all the Worms are wiped out.”

“However, they must believe the Hyper Zecter is in our hands. But since no one knows where it went, Tendou, you are in great danger right now.”

Souji Tendou didn't care in the slightest, saying, “It's fine. If he comes again, I'll just beat him down.”

Hozer didn't offer an opinion, nor was he overly worried.

Although Masato Mishima was strong enough to heavily injure Souji Tendou, Hozer didn't believe Mishima was a match for him. This was the confidence he gained after fighting the Overlord of Darkness, further advancing his strength and mastering temporal power.

Before the nurse came to chase them out, Hozer and the others left the ward.

Having Souji Kusakabe take Juka Tendou and Hiyori Kusakabe home first, Hozer told Yuzuki Misaki to leave ahead. He then grabbed Arata Kagami with one hand, walked out of the hospital, and found a place to sit down.

As for Arata Kagami, he was still somewhat uneasy about him.