A few minutes passed in silence before Mei stirred awake. Her eyes fluttered open, and the first thing she saw was Kiana staring far too intently at Kouga.
Kouga, for his part, paid her no mind. His focus was on the two mechanical companions perched near him — the birdlike Takadroid and the insectoid Battadroid. Both machines clicked and shifted quietly as he stood guard at the rooftop door, ever watchful for more zombies.
"Kouga-kun… Kiana-chan," Mei's soft voice cut through the air.
Kiana snapped her head toward her instantly, breaking her stare. She practically launched herself forward and wrapped Mei in a tight hug.
"You're awake!" Kiana said, her voice trembling with relief.
Mei returned the embrace with a gentle smile, though her eyes soon drifted around the rooftop. Cracks spread across the concrete like spiderwebs, remnants of the chaos that had shaken the building earlier.
Letting out a quiet breath, she looked at the two of them. "Can either of you tell me what's going on?"
The explanation took several minutes. Kouga remained by the stairwell, bat in hand, listening for the groans of the infected while Kiana recounted everything that had just unfolded. Mei's unease grew with every word — especially the part where Kiana claimed she had saved Kouga from being overwhelmed by zombies.
"That's not how it happened," Kouga interjected flatly, without turning from the door.
Kiana waved him off, still smiling brightly. "Anyway, after he knocked you out, you woke up, and now we're here!" she finished, grin wide and proud.
Mei, however, wore a grim expression. Her hands tightened against her skirt as she stared at the cracked floor beneath her feet.
"So… all of this. Everything that happened just now…" her voice wavered. "It's all because of m—"
"No," Kouga cut in firmly before she could finish.
Both girls turned to him. The Battadroid hopped onto his raised palm, projecting a flickering holographic display.
The image showed a figure on the rooftop: a girl, weapon drawn, aiming her gun directly at Mei. The feed zoomed in, revealing how the Battadroid had intercepted the attack before Mei could be harmed.
"You were pushed over the edge and had a reaction," Kouga said, his tone steady. "But none of this is your fault."
He remembered the story Siegfried once told him — about why he kept his distance from Kiana — and the emotions the Battadroid had shown him during Mei's attack. Herrschers were born not from choice, but from those drowning in overwhelming negative emotions.
Kouga tightened his grip on the bat. "But we don't have time to dwell on that now. We need to move."
Kiana, however, wasn't letting it slide."Hold on—you still haven't explained what you just did," she demanded, jabbing a finger at Kouga.
Kouga blinked, dumbfounded. "Really? Now, of all times?"
The two immediately slipped into a sharp back-and-forth, voices rising as they argued.
Neither noticed Mei drifting toward the edge of the rooftop. Her steps were slow, heavy. She stopped at the railing, eyes staring down at the dizzying drop below. A sob caught in her throat as she climbed onto the rail, balance wavering.
Then, she stepped forward—
Only for two hands to seize her arms at the last possible second.
"Got you!"
Mei gasped, tears welling as she looked up. Both Kouga and Kiana clung to her desperately, their faces strained with effort. Kouga's forehead glistened with sweat, while Kiana exhaled shakily in relief.
"Please… let me go!" Mei cried, her voice breaking. "As long as I'm alive, this… this thing inside me will—"
"Then we'll save you again!" Kiana cut her off, her words ringing with raw conviction. "Kouga-senpai already saved you once, and I know I can do the same! Next time she shows up, I'll beat her down myself!" She forced a grin through the tension. "So don't worry, Mei—I'll always be here!"
Mei froze, her breath trembling at Kiana's fierce declaration. "But…"
"No buts," Kouga interrupted firmly. With one final heave, he and Kiana pulled Mei back over the railing and onto the rooftop. Mei collapsed to her knees, head bowed, tears streaming freely down her cheeks.
"Besides," Kouga added more quietly, "I already told you. None of this is your fault. I'll explain later—when we're someplace safer."
The rooftop was silent for a moment… until Kouga's head suddenly snapped toward the stairwell. His sharpened hearing had picked up something. The slow, dragging shuffle of many feet.
"Mei," he asked without looking back, "can you walk?"
She sniffled and nodded.
"Kiana," Kouga said, eyes hard, "stay by her side. If she falters, help her."
The two girls exchanged confused glances—until they heard it too. The hollow groans and scratching at the stairwell door. The zombies were coming.
Kouga brought two fingers to his mouth and blew a sharp whistle.
In an instant, a swarm of Kamen Rider support drones shot out from the sky, their metallic bodies glinting in the dim light. They formed a defensive line around Kiana and Mei as Kouga stepped forward.
His belt buckle flared to life. "Henshin."
A ripple of crimson energy engulfed him as armor materialized across his body, its motif unmistakable—a Chinese dragon. On his left arm, a gauntlet shaped like a dragon's head locked into place, glowing faintly with power.
From the buckle, Kouga drew a card and slid it into the gauntlet.
"Advent!" the device roared.
The surface of the nearby rooftop glass rippled like water—and from it surged a massive mechanical dragon, scales gleaming red. Dragreder. Its roar shook the air, making both Mei and Kiana reel back in shock.
Kouga's hand moved again, pulling another card. He slid it into the gauntlet.
"Strike Vent!"
A second gauntlet appeared on his right arm, this one identical to Dragreder's head—Dragclaw. Flames licked across its jagged teeth as Kouga raised both arms.
The rooftop door burst open.
Zombies spilled through—only to be instantly engulfed by blazing fire. Dragreder's breath scorched them to ash, while Kouga's Dragclaw carved through those that dared step closer. In mere seconds, the horde was nothing but drifting embers.
The rooftop fell silent again.
Mei and Kiana stood frozen in awe, staring at him.
Kouga turned back toward them, flames reflecting in his visor."Are you two ready?"
After several minutes of dodging stragglers—though in truth most of the zombies had been incinerated by Kouga—the trio finally found a brief respite. They holed up inside a small clinic, dragging a locker against the door to keep it shut.
Kouga stood at the center of the room, his armor shimmering before dispersing into fading sparks. The Rider was gone, leaving only the man.
He exhaled, steadying himself. "You both deserve the truth. About what I am… and why I'm here."
So he told them—about being a Rider/Sentai, about traveling through worlds, about the powers he carried within. He left out Siegfried, of course; a promise was a promise. But the story itself was already unbelievable enough.
When he finally finished, the silence in the clinic was heavy.
"…What?" Kiana muttered at last, her face twisted in absolute confusion.
"Believe it or not," Kouga said, arms crossed, "it's the truth."
Kiana blinked at him, then gave a short, sarcastic laugh. "Yeah, sure. Because an interdimensional super-warrior with the powers of, what, thousands—maybe millions—of other heroes? Totally realistic. Doesn't sound like bad fanfiction at all."
Kouga's lips twitched into a wry half-smile. "I mean, it's about as realistic as a zombie apocalypse. But… I get your point." Inwardly, he had to admit—if someone told him the same story without proof, he'd think it was ridiculous too.
He took a slow breath, bowing his head. "Still… with everything that's happened, I owe you an apology. I should've told you sooner."
Kiana leaned back against the counter, arms folded. "Alright then, Mr. Superwarrior. What made you 'enter our reality,' anyways?" Her tone was sharp, suspicious.
Kouga only shrugged. "Nothing in particular. I'm just… a traveler. No destination. No goal."
Her eyes narrowed. "Uh-huh. Sounds like the kind of thing a shady drifter would say."
Kiana then turned to Mei, softening a little. "What do you think, Mei-senpai?"
Mei hadn't spoken since his explanation. She stared at Kouga, her voice trembling as she finally asked:"…Why didn't you tell me the truth about my father?"
The words hit him harder than any blow. Kouga froze, composure breaking. For a rare moment, he looked… small. "I… I didn't know how to tell you," he admitted, shame written on his face.
"How about," Kiana cut in dryly, "you start with: two morons framed your dad for their own evil reasons? You know, basic honesty?"
Her comment did nothing to help. Mei's eyes remained fixed on him, searching for something he couldn't provide.
Kouga lowered his gaze. He had fought countless battles across countless worlds—but here, before Mei, he had failed. Completely.
Finally, with no words left, he did the only thing he could.
He dropped to his knees.Then bowed until his forehead touched the floor.
"…I'm sorry, Mei." His voice was firm despite the posture. "I failed you. I should've protected you from this pain. I should've told you the truth."
Kiana clapped a hand over her mouth, her shoulders shaking—not from anger, but from barely-stifled laughter. She had never seen Kouga, the stoic Rider, humbling himself like this.
Mei, on the other hand, could only stare in shock, her lips parting but no words escaping.
For a long moment, Kouga remained on his knees, head still pressed to the cold clinic floor. Neither Kiana nor Mei said anything—just the sound of rain dripping faintly through a cracked window.
Finally, Mei moved. She stepped closer, her hands trembling slightly, then leaned down to gently pull Kouga upright.
"It's alright, Kouga," she said softly, her eyes warm despite the storm of emotions inside her. "I wish you'd told me sooner… but thank you—for trying to protect me all this time."
Kouga looked up. Her gentle smile met his guilty eyes, and the weight of it only deepened the ache in his chest. He wanted to say something more, but the words caught in his throat.
Before the silence could linger, Kiana crossed her arms and broke in, her voice sharper than usual."Alright then. Touching moment's over. Let's get everything together and leave before the dead things outside decide to knock again."
Her tone was casual, but Kouga didn't miss the faint edge of jealousy under her words. He gave a quiet, self-deprecating laugh—more at himself than anything else. Somehow, even here, he still found ways to be the fool.
With the air eased just enough, he shifted focus. "Sentiment aside, we need weapons. Guns, blades, anything we can use to fight our way out."
Mei nodded quickly. "We could head to the school storage , My father's old company… they had a weapons facility built into the complex. It should still be stocked."
Kiana, however, frowned. "Wait—why does a research corporation even have weapons lying around in the school?"
Mei's expression darkened, her gaze slipping to the floor. "I… don't want to talk about it. Not right now."
The clinic fell into uneasy silence again—broken only by the distant groans of the infected outside.
The pounding at the door grew louder. The lockers they'd shoved against it rattled with each thud, dust sifting down from the ceiling.
Kouga glanced at Mei and Kiana. "Before we move… what kind of weapons do you prefer?"
Both girls blinked at him, caught off guard.
"Eh? You're asking us now?" Kiana tilted her head, thinking. "Well… I've always been more of a guns girl. Two hands, two barrels—pew pew pew." She mimed firing pistols with a cheeky grin.
Mei, on the other hand, hesitated, her gaze lowering. "…A blade. Something precise. A katana would be best."
"Got it," Kouga said simply.
He raised one hand, energy crackling around his palm. In a burst of crimson light, weapons materialized before their eyes, floating weightlessly for a moment before dropping neatly into Kouga's grip.
"Whoa—" Kiana's jaw nearly hit the floor.
For her, Kouga held out two sleek handguns—one heavy and imposing, the other leaner, built for speed. "The D-Magnum 01 is high-powered, absorbs ions from the air, and fires concentrated energy light bullets. The D-Magnum 02 is a pulse-beam gun—rapid-fire, twenty shots per second. Capable of shattering solid iron spheres."
Kiana snatched them up with stars in her eyes. "They're beautiful! I think I'm in love." She twirled them in her hands, already comfortable with their weight.
For Mei, Kouga presented two weapons—first, a small ray gun resembling a sleeker version of the Magnum. "The SP Shooter. Compact, reliable. Easy to carry."
And then, in his other hand, gleamed a katana forged from energy itself—the D-Sword Vega. The blade hummed faintly, vibrating at an ultrasonic frequency that made the very air shimmer. "This blade can slice through anything. Ultrasonic edge. Sharp enough to cut clean through a hundred enemies without dulling."
Mei reached out reverently, her fingers brushing the sword's hilt. Her expression softened, admiration glowing in her eyes. "It's… incredible."
"Yeah, no kidding!" Kiana spun her pistols, grinning ear to ear. Then her eyes snapped to Kouga. "Wait a sec. If you've got these lying around, why are we wasting time with the school storage ? We could just fight our way through with your magic toy box!"
Mei nodded slightly, the same question in her gaze.
Kouga shook his head, expression firm. "I don't like the risk. These weapons are tied to me. If I accidentally resummon them while you're holding one, it could vanish mid-fight and leave you defenseless. With zombies swarming, even one mistake could be fatal."
He paused, then added, "I doubt it would happen… but I'm not willing to gamble with your lives."
Kiana groaned dramatically. "Ugh, stingy." She stuck out her tongue at him, crossing her arms with mock annoyance.
Kouga rolled his eyes. "Childish."
Mei covered her mouth, giggling softly at the two of them bickering . For just a heartbeat, the storm and the zombies felt far away.