The things on the internet happened that night, and Rikuo naturally didn't know about them.
All he needed to do now was return to RiNG early; Anon and Soyo were still waiting for him.
"Speaking of which, that girl just now looked a bit familiar. It was too dark to see clearly, but I heard her voice distinctly! I felt like she was about to say: 'Doctor, you still have a lot of work to do, you can't rest yet...' Anyway, as long as she doesn't turn into a sauce, it's fine."
Rikuo used the Kamen Rider Blade's Jack form, moving very quickly. He arrived at RiNG in 3 minutes. After using concealment and magnetic field control to temporarily stop the surveillance, he deactivated his transformation.
"It's much more convenient now; I don't have to be so cautious every time I transform."
Walking into RiNG, he saw the two girls chatting in the drinks area. Rikuo became a little interested and hid nearby to eavesdrop.
"Soyorin, Riku seems to be getting busier and busier. It's a pity we can't help him."
"Anon-chan, if we don't become a burden to him, that counts as helping, right? We ordinary people are powerless against Anomalies."
"That's true, but can't we also use the power of undead cards? If used properly, we could help, couldn't we?"
Hearing this, Rikuo walked out and lightly tapped Anon's head with the 2 of Hearts.
"Pink Husky, don't even think about fighting. Don't faint halfway through due to side effects; you don't have front armor for cushioning."
Anon jumped in fright and quickly looked back.
"Riku! You were eavesdropping on a girl's whispers! And, of course, 'Pink Husky' refers to that, doesn't it! You scoundrel!"
"How could that be! Actually, Pink Husky is a very cute creature, very much like Anon."
"Really? Let me search for it on Google. If you're lying to me, I'll bite you!"
Anon bared her fangs, making tiger claw gestures with both hands, roaring at Rikuo! Although, no matter how you looked at it, she just looked like a kitten...
"Go search when you get back; it's getting late."
Rikuo handed the 9 of Clubs to Anon, thought for a moment, and also gave her the 2 of Hearts.
"You might as well take the 2 of Hearts and practice with it for a while. I'm faster now, so you can just find me when needed."
"Okay, thank you, Riku. I'll head out now; it's a bit late, and my parents will be worried."
"Bye."
"Goodbye, Riku."
Soyo: "Anon-chan, see you tomorrow."
After a simple farewell to Anon, Rikuo turned to Soyo, who was waiting beside him.
"Well, let's go."
"Okay, Rikuo-kun, my mother has also called several times, urging me to come home."
...
It was still that duplex high-rise overlooking the sea and river.
"Soyo-chan! And Rikuo-kun! You're finally back? With so many Anomalies around, I was so worried about you two."
As soon as the door opened, Mrs. Nagasaki hugged Soyo.
"With Rikuo-kun here, there's no need to worry."
"That's right, with Rikuo-kun here, I can indeed rest assured."
Mrs. Nagasaki looked at Soyo playfully, but then, thinking of Sakiko, she secretly sighed.
'Soyo-chan, you're still not brave enough.'
"Let's not talk about that for now. I made dinner for you two today. Soyo-chan rarely gets to experience it, so look forward to it, Rikuo-kun."
"Then, thank you, Nagasaki-san."
'The meal Soyo made last time was very good; she must have learned it from her mother. I should be in for a treat, right?'
...
When Rikuo was led to the dining room by Soyo, his first impression of the dishes was good.
The first dish he saw was Emerald Jade Rolls, with emerald green cabbage leaves wrapping translucent shrimp filling, neatly arranged in a flower shape, adorned with golden crab roe in the center, and a lotus pattern outlined with sauce at the bottom of the plate. Under the soft lighting, the entire dish exuded an enticing luster.
'Holy crap! It looks so delicious!'
The second dish was the Golden Thread Shrimp Balls, a favorite of the beef offal master, with large shrimp wrapped in golden crispy threads, standing on a special rack, surrounded by edible flowers and green leaves, like a modern sculpture.
"Rikuo-kun, don't be reserved. Let's just start eating, treat it like your own home."
"Thank you, Nagasaki-san, then I'll dig in."
Rikuo picked up a piece of Jade Roll and tasted it.
'The taste is very good!'
"By the way, Rikuo-kun, you are Kamen Rider Blade, aren't you?"
Rikuo almost spat the half-chewed food onto Soyo's face opposite him.
'Although I was startled, it's not surprising that Soyo told her mother. It's just, can Nagasaki-san not do surprise attacks?'
"Yes, Nagasaki-san, so you don't need to worry about Soyo's safety."
"Hmm, with Rikuo-kun here, of course I won't worry. The main reason I invited you today is to thank you for taking care of Soyo-chan during this time."
"I didn't do anyth—"
"I know everything. Soyo-chan and Sakiko-chan have made up, haven't they? That was probably thanks to Rikuo-kun's help, too, right?"
"Mama, how did you know?"
Soyo, who had intended to maintain her refined etiquette (not speaking while eating), was instantly broken by Mrs. Nagasaki.
'Speaking of which, Soyo in this worldview didn't turn into her later MyGO!!! state; she's always been a little shy. Perhaps... she thinks we don't know her true self, so she wants to maintain her best appearance in front of friends?'
"I recently ran into Sakiko-chan, and she told me about it. Soyo-chan, have you properly thanked Rikuo-kun?"
"Of course..."
'It seems I really haven't specifically thanked Rikuo-kun, nor have I been able to help him. Why is that?'
"It seems Soyo-chan is very shy."
"Mama!"
Mrs. Nagasaki stopped teasing Soyo and turned to look at Rikuo.
"Rikuo-kun, as you can see, Soyo-chan is actually a very shy and awkward girl. But her heart is very kind, and I hope you can continue to take care of Soyo-chan in the future."
Rikuo: "Okay, Nagasaki-san."
Soyo: "Mama! I don't need any care! I'm already an adult."
Mrs. Nagasaki looked at Soyo's shy appearance and then thought of Sakiko's resolute eyes.
'Soyo-chan, I can only help you this far. Sakiko-chan looks like she's invincible right now.'
This dinner gathering passed with laughter, and it was also this night that the information fermenting on the internet spread like a flood, becoming unstoppable.
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