Romani sighed as he rubbed the faint red handprint on his cheek, trailing behind Ritsuka with that usual lazy smile of his.
Back in the 48th candidate room, Belle Maya crossed her arms and huffed. "I'll take care of the child. You, Doctor, go sign the registration paperwork before I sign you up for discipline."
Her stern tone had weight, and even without looking up, Ritsuka could tell she wasn't bluffing.
He hesitated for a moment, glancing at Airi sleeping peacefully on the small couch. "Are you sure…?"
Belle turned her eyes toward him—those dark, no-nonsense eyes that said, do you want the same treatment as Romani?
"…Right. Please take care of her."
"Good choice," she muttered, returning to typing something on her console.
Ritsuka and Romani stepped out of the room, the cold hallway oddly quiet.
"I'm Ritsuka Fujimaru," he introduced, trying to break the awkward silence.
Romani gave him a small smile. "I know. Candidate No. 48. The last one to arrive. But call me Doctor, everyone calls me that way."
Ritsuka pointed to the red mark still visible on Romani's cheek. "You okay?"
Romani chuckled. "It's not that bad. Belle's just mad I used my break watching my idol performances instead of sleeping."
"You mean wasted your break."
Romani scratched his head. "That's fair…"
Ritsuka tilted his head. "So… what kind of research does Chaldea do? The security, the secrecy… it's pretty wild."
Romani's smile faded, replaced by a more thoughtful look. "If I put it simply—it's about the future. Ensuring humanity has one."
That cryptic answer left a thousand questions in Ritsuka's mind, but Romani had already started walking off.
"Just… don't get on the director's nerves. Trust me," he said, waving over his shoulder.
---
Chaldea Main Hall – 9:40 A.M.
The moment Ritsuka stepped into the hall, he was met with the sharp voice of the director herself, pacing back and forth in front of a large holographic screen.
A crowd of new recruits—around twenty or so—all dressed in matching black formal suits, sat in neatly aligned rows.
"—This is Chaldea! Our mission is to observe, protect, and correct humanity's future!" Olga Marie Animusphere declared passionately, her tone as polished and strict as her white coat.
'She's intense…' Ritsuka thought, slowly sneaking in from the back and sliding onto the last bench.
'Chaldea's giving off Men in Black vibes…' he mused inwardly.
[Correction: The organization's protocol and attire predates the "Men in Black" fictional agency. Refrain from weak jokes.] Sakura's dry voice replied in his head.
'You ruined the joke…' he sulked.
As Olga turned away, he noticed someone slumped beside him—a girl, softly snoring with her head drooping toward her shoulder. Her bright orange hair stood out among the crowd, untied and slightly messy.
Ritsuka leaned over and lightly pinched her arm.
"Gah—!" she yelped quietly, jerking upright. Her eyes blinked open, meeting his.
He nodded slightly. "Director almost saw you."
The girl rubbed her arm and gave him a half-smile. "Thanks… That would've been embarrassing." Her voice was soft, but her eyes still carried traces of sleep.
"I'm Ritsuka Fujimaru. You from Japan?"
She stretched, stifling a yawn. "Yeah. From Shibuya. I'm Rika Akari—but just call me Gudako, everyone does."
"Gudako, huh?" he chuckled. "Don't fall asleep again. You'll get caught next time."
"No promises," she said with a teasing grin. "But if I do, you're in charge of waking me up."
"I'll keep pinching, then."
She nodded, her smile warming.
Inwardly, Ritsuka gave Sakura a quick command.
'Sakura, record the director's movement and flag any time she turns toward Gudako. Give me five-second alerts.'
[Understood. Predictive model activated. Monitoring Director Olga's eye movement patterns. Preparing wake-up alerts.]
And just like that, without even realizing it, Ritsuka made his first real friend in Chaldea.
---
Outside the Rayshift Chambers, Gudako rubbed her arm with a pout, wincing a little.
"Ow… I think you pinched me too many times," she said, showing her reddened skin.
Ritsuka scratched the back of his head. "Ah—sorry, I got a bit carried away…"
But she just giggled. "It's fine. I'm fully awake now, so mission success?"
They stood side by side before the looming entrance of the Rayshift Chambers, the atmosphere tense with excitement and nerves. Gudako gave a cheerful thumbs-up and smiled cutely.
"Let's do our best, senpai," she chirped, teasing slightly despite the formal tone.
Before Ritsuka could reply, Olga Marie's voice snapped like a whip.
"No idle chatter! Everyone, inside! This is a mission, not a school trip!"
"Best of luck, Gudako," Ritsuka whispered before stepping through the threshold.
---
Inside the chamber, sterile white lights reflected off sleek panels. Ritsuka's eyes scanned the futuristic capsule as it began to close.
"Sakura, can you understand what this is? What Rayshifting really does?"
[Analyzing. I can scan and identify all systems. However, I lack access to the data behind Rayshifting protocols. If you retrieve those files, I can provide all necessary answers.]
"So… you're more of a data-based AI than an all-knowing one," he muttered.
[Correct. My purpose is to assist, not omniscience.]
Just as the countdown began flashing overhead—60…59…58…—Sakura's tone sharpened.
[Alert. Large energy spikes detected. Seven explosive devices active. Estimated detonation in 54 seconds.]
"What?!"
Without hesitation, Ritsuka summoned his Amazon Omega Belt from his system storage. The belt locked in place with a mechanical hiss.
"Amazon…"
The room shuddered as his body surged with transformation energy.
"Omega."
Green light burst outward, red circuit lines flashing across his armor as the chamber around him crumpled like paper. His transformation shredded the equipment, but he didn't care.
Outside, Olga Marie whipped around at the explosion. Her eyes widened as she saw the monstrous green figure emerging.
"A SPY?! I knew it! I knew Director Leff was too soft! WHO ARE YOU?!"
Ritsuka ignored her. Sakura's voice echoed again.
Without wasting another second, he stabbed his hand into the ground, tearing out the first bomb. With an explosive hurl, it rocketed skyward.
[30 seconds. Six bombs remain.]
He was about to move but Sakura calculated it will lead him to fail. So he chose to face the people infront of him instead.
Then, with blinding speed, he grabbed Olga mid-rant with one arm.
"Wha—LET ME GO! YOU—!"
He stretched out his other arm, grabbing the chamber nearest to him—Gudako's.
The bombs exploded behind him.
0:00.
Boom
Flames consumed the chambers. Screams rang out from every corner. Ritsuka shielded Olga with his body, taking the full force of the blast. The fire scorched his armor, but he stood firm. Olga slumped unconscious in his arm, her pristine white coat singed and smoking.
He turned.
Gudako's chamber was still sealed. Trapped.
"No!"
He dug his fingers into the steel shell and ripped it open as if it were tissue paper.
Gudako blinked up at him, stunned.
"Eh?! That voice…?" Her eyes widened. "Ritsuka?!"
"It's me," he confirmed, still in his armored form.
"I… didn't expect this." she mumbled, flustered, but relieved. "You look like something from a tokusatsu show…"
Before they could say anything more, the air suddenly shimmered.
{Rayshifting requirements met.}
{Candidates No. 47 and 48 revalidated.}
{Spiritual Conversion Initiated.}
{First Order: Commencing.}
The world turned white.
And then—
---
Fuyuki City – Ruins of Fire
Flames. Smoke. Screams in the distance.
The city burned, swallowed by a firestorm. Blackened skies hung overhead. Ritsuka stood amidst it all, still in armor, holding his breath as the heat threatened to melt steel.
"Sakura," he whispered, eyes scanning the desolation.
[Scanning. This city matches with host's memory—Fuyuki, Japan.]
"…I never thought I'd see it like this."
[Warning: Host is under attack.]
A guttural roar cut through the flames.
Ritsuka turned—and a colossal dark figure surged through the smoke, wielding a massive, rusted sword. Its body was twisted and monstrous, like a corrupted shadow.
The blade came down with earth-shattering force.
Ritsuka crossed his arms into an X.
BOOM.
The impact flung him like a bullet, crashing through building after building—one, two, six in total—before he dug his clawed hand into the ground to stop.
He groaned, standing amidst rubble, armor cracked but intact.
"What the hell was that thing…?"
The creature stood tall, staring at him through the fire, unmoving.
Ritsuka's instincts screamed. This wasn't just a monster.
His survival instincts awaken finally.
[Using all protein in host body.]
Ritsuka didn't move—his body did.
It wasn't autopilot like Sakura used before. No, this was something deeper. Like instinct. Like survival coded into his muscles from another life.
The Amazon Omega suit glowed with primal fury as he dashed forward. His fist twisted through the air and slammed into the shadow figure's shoulder.
CRACK.
The monstrous arm bent backward unnaturally, the joint bone shattered.
The beast reeled back—but Ritsuka wasn't done.
The two hurled through debris, into fire, through steel beams like they were paper walls. The shadow crashed to the ground in a cloud of dust and broken pavement.
Ritsuka launched high above the wreckage, feet aimed downward.
He came crashing down—
KRA-KOOM.
A massive shockwave burst out as his kick struck the creature's chest, gouging out a massive crater in the earth beneath.
[Warning: Host is using too much Prana. Activating Saving Mode.]
Energy wrapped around him, conserving his power efficiency—not a single drop wasted.
But even as he stood over the fallen enemy… Ritsuka's hands shook.
"…I—I just…"
The violence. The sheer brutality. His own instincts scared him.
"I killed it… I really…"
But the shadow figure roared.
Smoke parted—and the beast stood again, joints regenerating, black muscles knitting together like cords.
Its eyes glowed red.
Before he could react, the beast's massive hand grabbed him, lifting him like a doll. Then slammed him to ground then pinned him to ground. He throw punching rain on Ritsuka.
BAM. BAM. BAM.
Each punch shattered the air, crushing into Ritsuka's armor.
He tried to struggle—but the armor groaned. It couldn't keep up. There were too many flaws in this suit.
"This suit… it's not enough."
Then he remembered.
"…Sakura! I have a ticket in my shop!"
[Confirmed. Using the Gacha ticket to summon from shop.]
A moment later—
A light engulfed the entire battlefield. The beast froze mid-punch, its glowing eyes wide with confusion. This throw the Shadow monster away from Ritsuka Fujimaru.
A figure appeared within the light.
[Summon complete: Kamen Rider 1 (Takeshi Hongo Type) + Bio-Structure Integration.]
Ritsuka's armor burst off in fragments—replaced by something timeless.
Green plates swept across his body like the wind itself. Silver scarf whipped through the smoke. Chrome chest armor clamped in over a black bodysuit woven from flexible bio-fibers.
His eyes lit up—crimson, compound.
A line of classic silver antennae formed atop his helmet.
From his feet to his fists—power radiated clean and sharp. His body, now laced with Takeshi Hongo's physical structure, felt lighter, stronger, more stable. He didn't just wear the armor.
He became Kamen Rider 1.
He raised his head slowly toward the shadow creature.
The scarf fluttered.
The shadow took a step back.
Ritsuka stepped forward.
"Now then," he said, voice modulated but clear. "Round two."
---
Note: Yes, let's Start with Goat Kamen Rider 1 in this journey.