Flash
That day was Souji Tendou’s fourteenth birthday.
But his mother and father, the people who would’ve been the first to celebrate it, had passed away.
It was the loneliest day of the year for him.
Tendou’s feet naturally began guiding him towards Shibuya.
It wasn’t as if he had something to do at Shibuya.
Tendou’s mother and father had worked at Shibuya when they were still alive, and it was for that reason alone that he had a habit of absentmindedly walking around Shibuya once per year on his birthday.
However, Tendou unexpectedly brushed past his mother and father’s murderers.
Tendou found himself coming to a stop.
But the murderers continued walking without noticing Tendou.
Ironically, those murderers had the exact same faces as Tendou’s mother and father.
That was because they were some kind of unknown life form that had taken on the forms and faces of his mother and father after they killed them.
To Tendou, they were the nostalgic smiling faces of his mother and father that he hadn’t seen for eleven years.
But at the same time, they were the despicable faces of the murderers that he had sworn to take revenge on.
Love and darkness swirled inside his heart, boiling his blood.
That horrible turn of events occurred when Souji Kusakabe was three years old.
His mother and father were murdered by two giant insects right before his eyes.
And then those two terrifying insects transformed into the forms of humans.
Those humans were Souji’s mother and father.
At the time, Souji didn’t quite understand what had happened.
It was a kind of ridiculous event that even an adult would have trouble taking in.
But Souji’s instincts told him that he had to run.
And by some miracle, he managed to survive.
He was taken in by his grandmother on his mother’s side, receiving the last name of Tendou. He was no longer Souji Kusakabe, but Souji Tendou.
Tendou wasn’t able to talk for a while due to shock from having his parents killed right before his eyes, but as he grew up, he gradually began to understand what exactly had happened on that eventful day three years ago.
“They probably weren’t humans… They’re some kind of monster that humanity has yet to realize exist… That’s why even when I tried to explain what I had seen on that day to the police and the adults around me, no one believed me… But I know for sure that they exist. And even now, they’re wandering around without getting arrested by the police, wearing the same faces as my mom and dad, and enjoying the happy family life they stole from me…”
Tendou was merely seven years old when he had sworn to take revenge on those monsters and began training his body.
“I swear I’ll make them pay for what they did…”
That became Tendou’s sole reason for living.
Enacting revenge was everything for him.
There was one other reason that strengthened his resolve for revenge.
At the time, there was a baby inside his murdered mother’s stomach.
They already knew that it was going to be a girl.
His mother and father decided on the name “Hiyori”.
Hiyori Kusakabe.
Whenever the three-year-old Souji had the chance, he would call out to his little sister that was still hidden from sight inside his mother’s stomach.
“Hiyori, I’m your big brother. Can you hear me? I want to see you already, Hiyori…”
And that one and only little sister of his had perished inside of the cradle known as the womb, without ever getting a chance to see the world.
“Hiyori died before she could get born.”
Whenever Tendou thought that, the flames of hatred would burn from within him.
He wanted to get revenge no matter what.
He swore to take revenge not only for his mother and father, but for Hiyori as well.
And those despicable targets of his revenge were now walking through Shibuya.
Tendou took care in making sure his presence stayed hidden as he followed them.
“I’ll kill them. Decisively, no matter what.”
By chanting those words within his heart, he squeezed out every ounce of courage he had.
After all, they were the cold and violent monsters that had murdered his mother and father like it was nothing.
They were beings that even an armed adult would struggle to finish off.
A fourteen-year-old like Tendou who was still in the middle of his growth spurt was severely inferior to them both in physique and strength.
Furthermore, they weren’t human.
“But that’s why I trained my body. Everything I’ve done was for the sake of this day… I’ve lived this long solely for the sake of avenging my mother, father, and little sister…”
At some point, Tendou had begun keeping his customized weapon on person at all times so that he would be ready to enact revenge if he ever happened to come across his enemies.
It was just a cheap knife he had bought off the internet, but it had been sharpened to the point where it could cut someone just from touching it. Furthermore, the grip had been taped with multiple layers, making it so that it wouldn’t slip from his hand even if it got splashed with blood.
Tendou slipped his hand into his pocket and grabbed the knife as he trailed his enemies with burning bloodlust.
His enemies went down Dogenzaka, heading to the area in front of Hachiko.
As he pursued them, Tendou thought to himself.
“How should I kill them? I could sneak up from behind and first stab the man’s heart before he gets a chance to turn around. But if I do that, then the woman would pose a problem. If she tries to counterattack, that would work in my favor, but there’s still a chance that she would suddenly try to run. If she were to run, I’d likely never get a chance like this ever again. I can’t let that happen. I won’t be satisfied until I know that both of them no longer draw breath… The best course of action is probably just to be patient and determine the location of their home. That’ll be the best way to ensure that I can enact my revenge. I’ll give up today for the sake of tomorrow.”
The hand Tendou was using to grip the knife was dripping wet with sweat.
“This won’t be good enough. When the time finally comes to do the deed, my knife might slip, costing me the opportunity of stabbing their heart.
Tendou tried to let go of the knife, but because he had been gripping it so strongly, it required quite a bit of effort.
When he finally managed to let go, he took his hand out of his pocket.
It was covered with sweat and slightly trembling.
Tendou wiped off the sweat on his pants.
His enemies headed for the underground shopping center.
Tendou followed them underground as well.
It seemed that they were heading towards the ticket gate.
That was convenient for Tendou.
He mentally confirmed his change of plans.
“When the train’s about to arrive at the platform, I’ll shove both of them off into the tracks. If any of them try to run, I’ll just finish them off by stabbing them with my knife. That way I can kill both of them in one go. That’ll be less risky than trailing them all the way to their home.”
Tendou simulated how he would push them off the platform in his head.
It seemed like it would go well.
His enemies passed through the ticket gate.
Tendou did the same shortly afterward.
They got off at the Hanzomon Line.
Tendou did the same, making sure to put a slight distance between him and them.
For some reason, they moved to the end of the platform.
“Are they meeting someone?”
Tendou thought to himself as he followed them.
They went all the way to the end of the platform, but they were looking around as if they couldn’t find whoever they were waiting for.
Tendou hid himself so that he wouldn’t be noticed.
Eventually the voice announcing that the underground train was arriving soon could be heard.
“It’s time.”
Tendou mentally spoke to himself to psyche himself up.
And then he began walking towards his enemies.
They still hadn’t noticed his presence.
Step by step, he gradually closed the distance.
Even he could notice the amount of bloodlust he was emitting.
“Hold back your bloodlust. It’ll all be over if they notice.”
Tendou’s excitement showed no sign of settling down even after telling himself that.
His sweat-covered hand within his pocket tightly gripped onto his knife.
There were only two or three meters between him and his enemies.
The approaching train could be heard.
“Can I actually do it? Could I commit murder?”
A touch of uncertainty arose in his mind.
“Don’t hesitate. They aren’t even human. Just finish it in one go.”
After resolving himself once again, Tendou drew even closer to his enemies.
The train’s horn didn’t sound too far off.
“Now.”
Tendou approached his enemies.
Just a single push would be enough to send them onto the tracks in front of the approaching train.
But right then…
“Dad.”
He heard a girl’s voice.
Upon turning around towards the source of the voice, Tendou saw an adorable girl run up to his enemies.
“Dad?”
When Tendou thought that, he then heard his enemies speak.
“Hiyori.”
Tendou found himself immobile upon hearing his enemies speak that name.
“Hiyori? Did they say Hiyori?”
Tendou mentally repeated those words.
The train slid onto the platform.
Its wind pressure brought Tendou back to reality.
The train gradually slowed down.
Tendou had lost his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enact revenge.
But more than anything, he had his heart taken from him upon seeing Hiyori for the very first time.
“Why is Hiyori here…? She should’ve died inside Mom’s stomach back then… Wait. What if that monster copied not just Mom’s appearance, but even the baby inside… Does that mean that that girl is…?!”
Tendou tried to take another look at the girl’s face.
But his enemies were in the middle of bringing her into the train.
And that’s when it happened.
Boooooom!
An impact strong enough to submerge his vision in darkness.
Without even getting a chance to process what had happened, he blacked out.
Later on, that incident came to be known as the Shibuya Meteorite.
However, needless to say, both Tendou and everyone else that was there had no way of knowing that it was due to a meteorite.
All they could tell was that there was a sudden crash.
Tendou felt like the ceiling and the floor beneath him had crumbled apart, but he wasn’t completely sure of that.
Struck with the fearful sensation of falling down, he had shut down his consciousness.
He felt like his ears were ringing.
But all that was before him was darkness.
An unknown amount of time passed…
He couldn’t breathe.
After violently coughing, Tendou woke up.
All around him was covered with dust, and the single ray of light that shone down from a crack in the rubble made him feel even more suffocated.
As he coughed, the pain from the bruises and scratches on his body gradually began to settle in.
But Tendou couldn’t afford to lose to that pain.
Right before his eyes were his enemies, trapped under the rubble.
It appeared that the one with his mother’s face had already perished.
But the one with his father’s form was still on the verge of death, suffering severe injuries.
“Uwaaaah!”
Tendou shouted.
Enduring the pain all over his body, he somehow managed to stand up.
He stumbled as he dragged himself to the monster wearing his father’s face.
“I’ll kill you… no matter what!”
That spirit of his alone drove his injured body forward.
And finally, he arrived right in front of his father’s mimic.
He noticed Tendou as well.
“You’re… Souji.”
It seemed that just a single look was enough for him to recognize him as the fourteen-year-old Souji.
Tendou didn’t understand why that was the case. But he didn’t care.
Tendou took out his modified knife.
“This is for what you did to Mom and Dad. And for what you did to Hiyori who was still in Mom’s stomach.”
Tendou readied his knife and approached his father’s mimic.
His father’s mimic said nothing, simply staring at Tendou.
His face could be seen as nothing other than the face of a father that desperately wanted to see his son again.
But that wasn’t Tendou’s father. He had to enact his revenge.
The knife’s blade glinted in the sunlight as Tendou raised it up in the air.
Just then, he heard a voice from behind him.
“Don’t kill him!”
Upon turning around, he saw the desperately screaming Hiyori, who was trapped under the rubble as well.
“Please! Don’t kill him!”
Her screams were filled with sorrow.
“Hiyori…”
“We copy everything… We copied not just your parents’ appearances, but their memories too… As well as the baby that was inside your mother…”
Tendou then understood everything upon hearing his father’s mimic’s words.
“So that Hiyori is my little sister…”
Tendou’s hardened desire for revenge loosened apart.
But he shoved away his feelings for Hiyori and resolved himself.
“I won’t get anywhere until I kill Dad’s mimic in front of me”
And then his father’s mimic spoke.
“You can do whatever you want with me… Just please don’t kill Hiyori… She’s your one and only little sister.”
He then took out something.
It was a strange-looking belt made of metal.
“Take care of… Hiyori…”
Tendou didn’t understand what kind of meaning the belt held.
But he still couldn’t forgive his father’s mimic.
“Shut up… I will… kill you.”
When Tendou once again approached him, the rubble began to collapse. To Tendou, it was a second impact.
Another blackout.
When Tendou came to, his surroundings were covered in dust once again.
But this time, Tendou was stuck under a large piece of rubble as well.
Next to him was his father’s mimic who had perished from being crushed by the rubble.
His hands still held that metal belt.
The dust eventually dispersed, and Tendou’s vision cleared up.
There was a horrifying amount of dead corpses around him, all trapped under rubble.
As he endured the pain that periodically ran across his body from the heavy concrete on top of him, he attempted to crawl out from underneath the rubble.
But the heavy concrete refused to move even by an inch.
The weight of the rubble crushed his lungs, compromising his ability to even respirate.
Tendou could do nothing but endure the stinging pain.
“My enemies have both died… I’ve succeeded in avenging Mom and Dad… My goal’s been accomplished… I finally did it… And that’s enough for me…”
Tendou had relied on his intense desire for revenge to keep him going for almost his entire life, and now that it had dissipated, his spirit had become surprisingly fragile.
With his consciousness fading away, Tendou accepted his death.
But then he suddenly heard a voice.
“Help me…”
It was Hiyori.
“Mom, Dad, where are you…?”
Tendou saw a ray of light within that hellish world.
And that light was Hiyori.
“Hiyori…”
Upon muttering that name, he could feel something growing inside his heart.
For the first time in Tendou’s life, he experienced what it felt like to cherish someone.
“Even if she was born from Mom’s mimic, she’s still my one and only irreplaceable little sister…”
“Help… me…”
Hiyori was barely managing to survive the massive weight of the rubble crushing her body.
It was then that Tendou suddenly spoke the following:
“It’ll be okay, I’m right here with you.”
He had no evidence to back up his claim, but he spoke confidently regardless.
Hiyori didn’t have the energy to look for the owner of the voice that was encouraging her.
But those words would later on serve as her emotional support, granting her courage.
A single tear dropped from Hiyori’s eyes.
In order to save Hiyori, Tendou tried to crawl out from under the rubble.
But the rubble was much too heavy for a fourteen-year-old to do anything about.
It was then that he noticed the belt that his father had handed to him before he died.
When he held it out to him, he had said:
“Take care of Hiyori.”
Tendou stretched out his hand.
He managed to grab onto the belt.
Tendou dragged the belt towards him and wrapped it around his waist.
He could feel a burning energy rising up from deep inside him.
“Uwoooh…!”
Tendou instantly shrugged off the rubble like it was nothing.
On the other hand, Hiyori was about to fall unconscious from pain and despair.
“It’ll be okay, I’m right here with you.”
Hiyori looked up at the source of that voice.
A young boy was standing in front of the light with a belt wrapped around his waist.
Hiyori’s consciousness was too faint to tell that it was the same boy that had attempted to kill her father not too long ago.
If anything, the boy with a belt looked like an angel to her.
Tendou grabbed onto Hiyori’s right hand.
He then dragged her out from under the rubble.
Hiyori fell unconscious, perhaps due to relief. But it was clear that she was still breathing.
Tendou picked up Hiyori in his arms under the ray of the light that peeked in through the rubble. And then he looked at Hiyori’s face and thought to himself.
“That monster who copied my mother and gave birth to Hiyori… Those mysterious creatures might one day become an enemy to all of humanity. If that were to happen, then Hiyori might end up having the entire world as her enemy as well… But I…”
Tendou recalled his grandmother’s words.
“Grandma once said. There are some things you have to protect even if that means making the entire world your enemy.”
Tendou came to a decision.
“I’ll protect Hiyori. No matter what!”
Tendou’s belt recognized his strong will and shone brilliantly in the light.
Tendou’s figure was divine, like an angel with outspread wings.
Kamen Rider Novel Translations 