After a whole day of cutting down zombies, the three girls were a mess—splattered and stained with blood from head to toe. Kouga, however, walked in completely spotless, not even a speck on his armor.
"…How did you all end up like this?" Kouga asked, honestly surprised. It had been a long time since they got this drenched.
"Eh, it's not our fault!" Kiana protested, waving her arms. "Some zombies got too close and your support robots totally blew them apart. Guess who got sprayed?"
Kouga turned slowly, giving the Plamonsters, the Candroid, and the Foodroids a long, suspicious stare. The little machines chirped innocently, as if they had no idea what she was talking about.
This was a problem. Sure, they had found a few working bathhouses scattered around the ruined city, but with zombies everywhere, chances were slim they'd stumble on one anytime soon.
Mei sniffed her own clothes and winced.
Bronya leaned closer, gave a serious sniff, and announced flatly, "The Bronya detects odors of the infected we slew. Said odors do not pose a hazard to the Bronya."
"Really?" Mei asked, clutching Bronya's sleeve desperately. "Bronya, does it smell that bad? Please… tell me the truth…"
Kiana leaned in to sniff as well. Instantly, her face twisted, and she stumbled back, waving her hands in front of her nose. "AMAGAD! It smells like puke… and like… things that make me wanna puke!"
"YOU'RE TOTALLY MAKING THAT UP!" Mei cried, mortified.
Her shoulders slumped as her confidence sank. Kiana quickly backpedaled, waving her hands. "Come on, Mei! I was just fooling around with you, don't be mad—"
"Stop… just stop, Kiana." Mei buried her face in her hands, voice miserable. "My skin feels rotten already. I could really use a hot bath."
"A hot shower would be fine too," Kiana said with a dreamy sigh. "But a hot spring bath? Ohhh, that'd be heaven right now."
Bronya blinked, tilting her head. "The Bronya is confused by the phrase 'hot spring bath.' It is not springtime. And springtime tends to be cool, not hot."
Kiana threw her hands up. "It's not about the season! It's hot water that comes from underground! Y'know, like, near volcanoes and stuff!"
Bronya's eyes lit up with sudden realization and understand. She snapped her fingers and declared proudly,"Geo-thermally heated aquifer! Da!"
Kiana blinked. "…Huh?"
"It means hot spring," Mei whispered, trying not to giggle.
Bronya adjusted her cap and turned to Kouga, who was still giving the support robots his patented I-know-you're-guilty glare.
"May the Bronya acquire Project Bunny," she asked with her usual monotone, "so she could locate the hot spring."
Kouga finally looked at her, arms folded. "…Request denied."
"Denied?" Bronya repeated, almost offended.
"Yeah." Kouga smirked faintly and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Besides—" he glanced at the girls, then back at the robots "—I've got a better idea.
They arrived at a wide-open park, the grass long dead, dirt stretching across a forgotten playground. Kouga sent his support robots fanning out to check every corner. Once the all-clear was given, he dusted his hands.
"Ok, why are we here?" Kiana groaned, stomping her foot. "We wanted a water bath, not some… dirt pit."
"Wait a bit," Kouga said calmly.
Before anyone could question further, his belt gleamed and—
"Henshin!"
Armor snapped onto him, reshaping into Kamen Rider Gotchard. With a single swipe, he began manipulating matter, opening up a vast pit in the earth. Dirt shifted as if sculpted by invisible hands until it formed a wide pool, deep enough for them to stand in and comfortably soak to their shoulders when seated. He refined it further, smoothing the floor into polished stone and raising clean, even walls to contain the basin.
Kiana's jaw dropped. "H-He just… dug a whole hot spring spa in, like, ten seconds…"
Mei's eyes widened as she covered her mouth in awe. "It's… beautiful…"
Bronya tilted her head. "Subject Kouga's terraforming potential is statistically concerning."
But Kouga wasn't done. With another transformation, he became Kamen Rider Fourze, snapping on the Water Module. Jets gushed out, filling the improvised basin with crystal-clear water until it rippled to the brim.
"Still not done," Kouga muttered as he switched again, this time into Kamen Rider Ryuki. Dragreder roared into existence, its serpentine body circling above like a fiery comet.
"Dragreder—fire."
The dragon obeyed, unleashing controlled flames into the water. Steam curled upwards, warmth spreading through the air as the once-cold pool became a perfect, bubbling hot bath.
Kouga de-transformed, dusting his hands like he had just finished basic yardwork."Done. A Rider-made jacuzzi."
Kiana and Mei both stood frozen for a second before bursting out at the same time:"THANK YOU, KOUGA!"
They practically sparkled with excitement.
Bronya, meanwhile, stared at the steaming pool without blinking. "…Expressionless face.exe still processing."
Kiana rolled her eyes. "Can't you at least act surprised, bratya?"
"The Bronya is surprised," she replied flatly. "Internally."
Steam rolled lazily from the freshly made hot spring as Kiana nearly dove in, tugging Mei by the wrist."Come on, Mei-senpai! First one in!"
Mei followed with a soft smile, folding her fresh change of clothes neatly on the stone ledge—Kouga had already prepared them for afterward. The moment she sank into the hot water, her tense shoulders softened.
"Aaah… this is heavenly," Mei whispered.
Kiana, meanwhile, was sneaking sidelong glances at her, mind wandering to all sorts of perverted thoughts. Her hand began drifting through the water—
"Hand to yourself, Kiana," Kouga's voice cut in from where he sat on guard, eyes fixed firmly on the horizon, never once looking their way.
"Wha—! I wasn't—!" Kiana yelped, cheeks red as she splashed the water in frustration.
Just then, Bronya approached, still in her worn, blood-stained clothes. She stopped at the edge, staring down at the water."The Bronya does not believe she is dirty enough to require cleansing."
"Too bad." Kouga walked over, scooped her up with one hand, and unceremoniously tossed her into the spring.
"DA—?!" SPLASH!
Kiana burst into laughter, Mei gasped in protest, and Bronya surfaced with her usual blank face, though her wet twin-tails stuck to her cheeks."…Subject Kouga will suffer for this indignity."
Unbothered, Kouga gave an order to a hovering group of Plamonsters. "Scout the area. Find clothes for her size. Bring them back clean." The little support robots beeped in acknowledgment and flew off.
Minutes later, while Kouga kept his vigil against wandering zombies, the sound of soft footsteps reached him. Mei emerged, her damp hair tied back, wearing the fresh outfit Kouga had found for her earlier. She looked calmer, though her eyes carried a glint of reproach as she crossed her arms.
"You shouldn't have thrown her in like that," she said, frowning. "She may not show it, but she's still just a girl."
Kouga raised an eyebrow but didn't argue. "She needed it. That smell would've attracted half the city."
Mei sighed, clearly wanting to press the point but letting it go. Then, after a pause, her expression softened. "…Actually, I wanted to ask you for a favor."
Kouga turned his attention fully to her. "What is it?"
"When we were bathing, I… I noticed something." Mei hesitated, her gaze lowering. "Bronya has a lot of scars on her back. Deep ones. Old ones. It's… painful just to look at them." She bit her lip. "I don't know what she's been through, but… could you heal her? Somehow?"
For the first time in a while, Kouga didn't answer immediately. He folded his arms, his eyes narrowing in thought. "…Scars, huh?"
Mei nodded earnestly. "She tries to act strong, but no child should have to carry those kinds of wounds."
Kouga let out a slow breath, the weight of her words settling on him. "…I'll see what I can do. But healing scars like that… sometimes it isn't just the body."
Mei's eyes widened slightly, caught by the seriousness in his tone. "…Then, please—at least try."
Kouga gave her a small, reassuring nod. "Alright. I'll try."
Kouga approached quietly, the steam rising off the hot spring curling around him. Kiana was already dressed, wringing out her hair with a towel, but Bronya still sat at the edge of the water, letting it wash over her shoulders as she scrubbed the grime from her skin.
The faint lattice of scars on her back caught his eye immediately. Some thin, some deep—etched into her like marks of a past no child should bear.
He stepped closer.
Bronya stiffened instantly, spinning halfway to cover herself with her arms. Her expression stayed flat, but her cheeks colored just slightly. "What brings you here, pervert Kouga?"
Kouga didn't flinch at the accusation. Instead, his tone was steady. "Mei asked me to heal your scars."
Bronya blinked, lowering her guard just enough to glare at him. "They are scars. They won't heal. The Bronya has accepted them."
"Well…" Kouga crouched near the edge of the pool, his eyes level with hers. "I've made a habit of doing the things people call impossible. So yeah—let's try."
Before she could argue, he tapped his Driver. With a flash, the armor of Kamen Rider Fourze encased him. The Medic Module shimmered to life, glowing softly as he placed his armored hand just above her back.
Warm, cosmic energy flowed over Bronya's skin. The lines of her scars shimmered, dissolved, and then… vanished, leaving smooth, untouched flesh behind.
Bronya reached back in disbelief, running her fingers over where the scars had been. Her usually impassive face cracked for just a second, showing genuine shock. "…They're gone."
Kouga powered down, returning to himself, and stood up. "There. Now hurry up and finish. I want my turn in the water too."
Kiana, who'd been watching the whole thing with wide eyes, suddenly smirked. "Alright, but only if we get to see your body, Kouga-senpai."
WHACK!
Kouga's hand came down in a sharp chop on her head. "Stop with your nonsense."