3rd POV
The next afternoon, Ace was lying on Lala's lap while watching TV when the doorbell rang.
"Craftbot, can you check who it is? Maybe it's Uncle," Ace said to Craftbot, who was busy playing on his phone.
"Yeah, yeah," Craftbot replied lazily as he floated toward the front door.
"Yo, long time no see, Craftbot," said the guest.
"Oh, Uncle Masumi, come in," Craftbot greeted.
"Ace! Uncle Masumi's here!" Craftbot shouted.
"Okay, let's go, Lala. We should greet him," Ace said.
"Sure, I also want to see what a treasure hunter looks like," Lala replied.
They entered the living room and saw Masumi placing a box on the table.
"Yo, how's my favorite nephew doing?" Masumi asked.
"I'm fine, nothing serious. Oh, this is Lala," Ace said.
"Oh, so this is the fiancée you told me about," Masumi said teasingly.
"Nice to meet you, Uncle Masumi," Lala greeted politely.
"Nice to meet you too. I'm Inou Masumi, but you can just call me Uncle," Masumi replied.
"What's inside this box?" Ace asked.
"A gift from the Chief," Masumi answered.
"A gift from Dad?" Ace said.
'How did they even send it? Is there interstellar delivery now?' he thought.
"Oh, what's inside?" Craftbot asked curiously.
"See for yourself," Masumi said.
Ace opened the box and widened his eyes in surprise.
"This… a Power Sphere! They sent this as a gift, and a letter," Ace said.
"Oh, you mean one of those spheres that gives you power?" Masumi asked.
"Yeah. Do you want it, Uncle?" Ace offered.
"No, I can find my own. That's what treasure hunters do," Masumi refused.
"So that means you're leaving for space soon?" Ace asked.
"Yeah, in about five months. I can't keep the Chief waiting," Masumi said.
"Speaking of treasures, I found this ring. Do you know anything about it? According to my research, it might be from Solomon's era," Ace asked.
"Let me see," Masumi said, pulling out a device resembling a cellphone, his Accellular and scanned the ring.
"This! It's one of Solomon's Rings!" Masumi said, shocked.
"Solomon's Ring? How do you know, Uncle?" Ace asked.
"It has the same energy and hazard level as the Solomon Ring we kept inside the empty Pandora's Box," Masumi explained.
"Wait, before I freak out about it being a Solomon Ring… what do you mean by 'empty Pandora's Box'?" Ace asked.
"Well, to put it simply, back then the Chief, our team, and I found an empty Pandora's Box. It was extremely durable, and its interior seemed bigger than it looked. So, we used it to store various artifacts we called Precious," Masumi explained.
'Fuh… at least that Pandora's Box didn't split Japan into three parts. Wait, Precious? That sounds familiar… System, tell me why that word feels familiar.'
[You find the word "Precious" familiar because it comes from the TV show GoGo Sentai Boukenger you watched.]
'Boukenger? Ah… no wonder. Wait, Inou Masumi, that's Bouken Black's name! Uncle Masumi is Bouken Black! And he called Dad 'Chief' there's only one person Bouken Black calls Chief: Akashi Satoru, Bouken Red! That means Dad is Bouken Red! That makes sense, at the end of the series Bouken Red went to space with Bouken Pink, Bouken Pink is Mom! How did I not realize this when their names are the same?!'
"Ace, hello? Earth to Ace, come in! Stop daydreaming," Masumi said, waving and snapping his fingers in front of Ace's face.
"Huh? Oh, sorry, I was just thinking. So, will you secure it, Uncle?" Ace asked.
"No, you can keep it. My rule as a treasure hunter, whoever finds it, keeps it. But tell me, why is this Power Sphere inactive?" Masumi asked.
"It's not inactive, just not awakened yet. Some Power Spheres are active like Craftbot, some aren't. The difference is whether they can move on their own or not," Ace explained.
"So, what Power Sphere is this?" Masumi asked, pointing at it.
"No idea. Maybe it's written in this letter," Ace said as he opened it.
"What does it say?" Lala asked.
"Just a congratulatory note, some exploration stories, and an explanation about the Power Sphere," Ace replied.
"Its name is Mirrorbot. Its power is creating mirrors," Ace read.
"That's it? Doesn't sound very useful," Masumi said.
"Maybe, but usually there's more to it. Creating mirrors might just be its basic ability. It could have deeper powers related to reflection," Ace explained.
"I see… anyway, Ace, you're starting school again tomorrow, right? Got everything ready?" Masumi asked.
"Don't worry, I'm all set," Ace replied.
"Good. Then I should head back. Need anything else from me?"
"I'll call if I do."
"Alright, see you soon," Masumi said, walking toward the door.
"Take care, Uncle."
Lala was holding Mirrorbot, examining it closely.
"Ace, how do you activate it?" she asked.
"With premium chocolate? Do you want to keep it? I don't mind," Ace teased while preparing tea.
"No, just curious," Lala said, sitting back on the sofa with Mirrorbot.
While Ace was making tea, Craftbot suddenly shouted, "Ace! Buy me the new manga and novels that just came out!"
"Your manga and novels are already piling up," Ace said flatly.
"Come on! I've read everything I own!" Craftbot pleaded.
"That's the ugliest begging face I've ever seen."
"Hey, at least I tried! So you'll buy them, right?" Craftbot nudged Ace with his elbow.
"Fine, but you'll cook for two weeks."
"Deal."
"Lala, I'm heading out. Want anything?" Ace asked.
"Ice cream! The one in the fridge is gone!" Lala said.
"Got it."
While Ace was on his way to the store, someone approached him.
"Ex-excuse me."
"Hm? Yes, can I help you?"
"T-this might sound strange, but were you the one who saved me from that evil spirit at the store?"
"The store? Before that, may I know your name?"
"Ah, right! I'm Yotsuya Miko."
"Akashi Ace. And about your question, maybe? I don't really remember."
"But… you can see them, right?"
"Oh? So you can see me?" Ace grinned menacingly.
"Eek!"
"Just kidding! Haha. Yeah, I can see them."
"Please don't scare me like that!" Miko protested.
"Alright, alright, relax. You've been tense since we met. So, what's wrong?" Ace asked.
As their eyes met, ka-ching!
'That feeling again… the same as when I met Lala.' Ace thought.
'Wh-what was that feeling? Focus, Miko! Ask for help!'
"C-can you help me? I don't want to see those things anymore."
"I can give you something to suppress your sight, but are you sure? Even if you can't see them, that doesn't mean they disappear. They'll still be around."
"I don't care, as long as I don't have to see them."
"Alright." Ace pulled out a simple bracelet he had just made. "I can't completely erase your ability, it's part of you but this bracelet will let you suppress it. Though if a spirit is strong enough, it might still appear even to normal people. Here's my number, call me if you're in trouble."
"Thank you," Miko said gratefully.
"You're welcome."
Just then, someone shouted
"Acee! Well, well, what's this? I leave for a bit and you're already flirting with another girl?" Masumi teased with a smirk.
"Uncle, you're still here?" Ace asked.
"Why, you nervous I caught you red-handed? I'll tell Sakura-neesan her son's a playboy," Masumi said.
"Don't tell Mom! And it's not what you think, she just needed help, right, Yotsuya-san?"
"Y-yes! I was just asking for help from Akashi-san, nothing more!" Miko stammered.
"Hmm… not very convincing."
"W-well then, Akashi-san, I'll go now," Miko said quickly.
"Yeah, take care," Ace replied.
Miko walked away, cheeks slightly flushed.
"So, where are you off to, Ace?" Masumi asked.
"Craftbot asked for some manga and novels. What about you, Uncle?" Ace asked.
"I thought I'd buy a few things while I'm here," Masumi said, walking beside him.
"Why are you following me?"
"I want to buy novels too."
After buying everything, they headed to get Lala's ice cream. Suddenly, Masumi stopped and ran off.
"Hey, Uncle! Why are you running?" Ace shouted.
"Sorry, but my treasure hunter instincts are tingling!" Masumi said.
"Huh?"
They ran into a quiet alley and saw a Stray Devil attacking someone.
"A Stray Devil in broad daylight? He must be insane," Ace muttered.
Masumi pulled out his Accellular, pressed a button, and shouted, "Boukenger! Start up!"
He slid the device across his hand and transformed, then punched the Stray Devil, sending it flying.
"Ace, get that person to safety," he ordered.
"Got it. Let's get you out of here," Ace said, helping the person up. Once they were far enough, he erased their memory using Fenghuang Down.
—With Masumi—
Masumi stood facing the Stray Devil.
"The Fast Adventurer," he clapped his hands once, "Bouken Black."
The Stray Devil roared and charged. Bouken Black fired repeatedly with his pistol, each shot knocking the creature back. It lunged again like a bullet, slashing with its claws. Bouken Black blocked but was pushed back.
"Not bad, but not enough," he said. The light on his visor shifted to his palm, summoning a massive hammer.
"Radial Hammer!"
(Author Note: I think it's funny because he is fast adventurer with big hammer)
Bouken Black swung the weapon hard, smashing it into the Stray Devil's chest, sending it crashing into a wall.
"Foolish human!" the devil growled, transforming its body grew hairier, claws longer.
"You got uglier," Bouken Black taunted.
The Stray Devil dashed forward, claws slicing through the air. Bouken Black dodged and rolled, then fired a volley from his pistol. The creature barely flinched. It slashed the ground, creating a sharp wind wave that shredded nearby walls. Bouken Black blocked another claw strike with the hammer's head, sparks flying from the clash. He spun, countered with a strike to its stomach, and shattered part of its metallic fur. The monster staggered back.
"Let's end this. My nephew's waiting," Bouken Black said.
"Radial Hammer! Hammer Break!" He unleashed the GoGo Formula's Parallel Engine power, smashing the Stray Devil with a devastating blow.
The Stray Devil dropped a fang-like object. Bouken Black approached, scanned it with his Accellular.
"Hazard level 56, definitely a Precious."
"Uncle! Are you okay?" Ace arrived.
"Of course," Masumi said, canceling his transformation.
"What's that in your hand?" Ace asked.
"A Precious. My instincts are still sharp."
"I see. What will you do now?"
"I'll return to SGS headquarters and secure it."
"Need any help?"
"No, you should go home. You've got school tomorrow. I can handle this."
"Alright then. See you later, Uncle."
"Take care! Now, let's secure this," Masumi said, placing the fang into a box before leaving.
Ace's POV
I finally made it home. A Stray Devil in broad daylight what a day.
"Lala, Craftbot! I'm back," I said.
"Welcome home," they replied in unison.
"Here are the manga and novels you wanted."
"Yay, new manga, new novels! Speaking of novels, aren't you publishing one soon?" Craftbot asked.
"Yeah, in about three weeks, if nothing gets delayed."
"Oh, Ace writes novels?" Lala asked.
"Just for fun," I replied.
"What's the title?" she asked.
"the Lord of the Mysteries."
"Yeah, he wrote it while mumbling weird stuff like 'Praise the Fool,'" Craftbot teased.
"I poured everything into that story. Anyway…" I said, sitting beside Lala and relaxing for the evening.