AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter was delayed due to personal problems, from both the author and editor. I hope you forgive us and continue supporting Kamen Rider Sin.

...

"Why!? Why do you have to be so much better at everything than me!?"

"B-But Naoki, I-I…"

"This is all your fault! Everything that's happened is because of you! And it's because of you that I didn't-"

Naoki shot up in his bed, the blanket he had been using being flung off to the side in his state of panic. He brought a trembling hand to his chest and desperately tried to get his breathing under control. Sweat was streaming down his face and his eyes stung from unshed tears. Reaching over to his nightstand, he grabbed his clock; the display read 5:55 in the morning.

Swinging his legs out of the bed, he shakily got to his feet and walked over to the nearby window, slowly pulling the curtains back and allowing the first few rays of morning sun into his darkened room. The light blinded him for a moment and he reeled back, furiously rubbing his hand over his eyes to restore his sight. When he pulled the hand away, a small amount of moisture had collected in the palm of his hand. "Why…?" he whispered. "That nightmare… why does it have to keep coming back?" Memories flashed through his mind – images and sounds thrown together in a horrible montage that drained the strength from his legs and made him fall back on his bed.

Emotions began to bubble up in his chest as he stared at the ceiling. "I'm sorry," he said aloud, his voice echoing off the empty walls of his apartment. A lump was forming in his throat and he brought his arm to rest against his eyes. He began to tremble slightly, and a single tear escaped from beneath his arm. "I'm so sorry…" he whispered as his voice finally began to crack.

"Please… forgive me…"

...

"Sir, I'm very sorry! I'm working on the story right now!"

It was a rather relaxing morning for the people of Tokyo, save for one young woman. Karin was seated at one of the many tables of her favorite café, an untouched cup of coffee sitting next to her laptop. She was typing away on it with her phone nestled uncomfortably between her shoulder and her ear, a position made only more uncomfortable from the fact that she was still getting over her injuries from the Vine Krimival's assault. They had healed considerably but she was still a bit sore in some spots. Unfortunately for her, she'd used up all of the sick days her boss had given her, and she'd had to bribe him with information on the Deviant Riders just to get a few extra days of recovery.

Let it never be said that her boss was a nice man to deal with, let along understanding.

Flinching – and consequently wincing – after a verbal tirade erupted from her phone's speaker, she laughed nervously. "I understand completely, sir," she said as she continued to pound away at the keyboard. She paused for a moment, reading the line she'd just typed, and frowned. Her hand moved towards the backspace key, and she began to stab at it with her index finger, ignoring the concerned looks her clearly frustrated actions were earning from those nearby. Seeing the offending sentence wiped clean from her article, she let out a small sigh. "I promise you that I'll have this article finished for you by tomorrow. I'm sorry for how long it's taken me – yes sir, I agree completely; I am an absolutely horrible reporter. No, I'm not entirely sure why you hired me either, sir."

Her boss, seemingly satisfied with the tongue-lashing he had given her, disconnected the call. Karin groaned in frustration as she grabbed her phone and snapped it shut, fighting off the momentary temptation to throw it on the ground as hard as she could and instead settling on just jamming it into the pocket of her jeans. She reached for her coffee and took a large drink, only to spit a bit of it out when she realized how cold it had gotten. She pushed the cup off to the side and fell back in her chair, letting out a huge sigh as she looked at the screen of her laptop.

In one corner of the screen was the article she was currently working on completing, the blinking cursor seemingly beckoning her to hurry up and get back to work. Karin ignored it and instead looked to the images and reports that took up the rest of her laptop's screen. It was all information regarding the Krimivals, from news and police reports to idle chatter she'd scrounged up in chatrooms. The information dated all the way back to the sighting of the first Krimival, the Spider Krimival who had attacked Tokyo Tower and set off the entire scare, up until more recent events, such as the Ram Krimival that had attacked Tokyo and the more recent appearance of what was being referred to as the Sulfur Krimival, who had appeared outside the city limits and had rampaged for what seemed like hours before simply vanishing.

Karin had a veritable goldmine of information at her fingertips… if only she knew what to do with it all. She again looked to the article she was writing; she hadn't even managed to write the first paragraph. Her head suddenly banged against the table as she let out a groan of defeat, a mix of dread and despair flooding throughout her body. "What am I supposed to do?" she muttered to herself. "There's nothing new that I can write about! How am I going to write a decent article if everything about Krimivals is already known? And it's not like I can write about Naoki being Deviant Rider Sin; it wouldn't be fair to sell him out just so I can keep my job."

"You know, I'm actually kind of happy to hear that." Karin lifted her head to see Naoki standing just next to the table, his usual smile on his face displaying his surprisingly white teeth. The smile got wider when he saw her look up, and he waved causally at her. "I mean, I'm happy that you're not willing to sell me out to the media. I think Mr. Tanaka would have my head if something like that happened." Taking the seat across from her, he folded his arms on the table and leaned forwards. "So, work troubles?"

"You don't know the half of it," Karin groaned as she laid her head back down on the table. "My boss is expecting me to write something impressive, either about the Krimivals or you Deviant Riders. The problem is that everyone's covered all we know about the Krimivals and no one really knows about you Deviant Riders." She glanced up at Naoki. "I'm stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place, with my job on the line." She lowered her gaze again. "I swear, life just isn't fair sometimes…"

"Sounds… tough," Naoki replied, his smile faltering slightly. He bit his thumb and began to wrack his brain for some way that he could help his friend out, even if it was only a tiny bit of help. He blinked as an idea made its way into his mind and he snapped his fingers. "You know, you could just ask me about a couple of things." Her head lifted up off the table and Naoki could see a glimmer of hope in Karin's eyes. "Just think of it as me paying you back for how Isamu acted."

Karin rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Tell you what: you give me information on the Deviant Riders and I'll forgive that little creep the next time I see him."

Naoki winced slightly. "…I kinda can't say anything about us," he admitted, much to Karin's displeasure. His smile crumbled into a frown upon seeing the disappointment on her face. "Sorry. It's not that I don't want to tell you about us – I could care less if someone knew, to be honest. The problem is that everything regarding the Deviant Riders is supposed to be kept under a tight lid. All information is considered super top secret, and if you wrote an article with that information in it and it got traced back to you…" He trailed off, clearly uneasy about the potential consequences.

Not that Karin seemed to pay them any mind. Rather, she looked annoyed. "Oh, of course it's all top secret stuff! Why can't I just catch one little break?" she groaned, slapping a hand down on the table. Her fingers drummed against the table's surface for a few moments before she spoke up again. "Well, do you have any information on the Krimivals that I can use? Maybe something on the more prolific ones? I mean, the government and police have some files on some of the well-known Krimivals, right? If I can find out something interesting about them, it might get my boss of my back for the time being."

Naoki considered this for a moment before nodding his head. "I suppose there won't be too much to worry about if I tell you about the Krimivals," he said. Seeing Karin getting interested, he hesitantly added, "But I'm not sure if it isn't stuff that you already know." He thought about it for a second before snapping his fingers. "Oh yeah! There's these Krimivals that Mr. Tanaka told us to stay away from at all costs! You know anything about them?"

"Not yet!" Karin replied, a pen and notepad suddenly in her hand – where they had come from, Naoki had no clue; he hadn't even seen her move! She had a large, eager smile on her face and her eyes were filled with anticipation. "Tell me everything! Names, powers, appearances, where they'd likely show up – I need all of the details!"

With each word, Karin had unknowingly been scooting towards Naoki. He, in turn, had been scooting back until his back was pressed uncomfortably against his chair. Her sudden shift in mood had surprised him, and Naoki had to slowly reign in his composure. Thankfully, Karin seemed to realize what she had been doing and quickly moved back, a small reddish tinge of embarrassment on her cheeks. "Well, I really don't know much about them other than their names and that Mr. Tanaka said we're not allowed to fight them under any circumstances." Looking up, he began to count off their names on his fingers. "There's the Tiger Krimival, the Shell Krimival, the Gear Krimival, and… oh, right! The Steel Krimival," he finished, a small, proud smile on his face.

Karin nodded as she jotted all of this down, her mind already creating mental images for how these Krimivals would look… and involuntarily shuddering when she considered what kinds of powers they may have. "Well, it's not much, but it's something," she admitted as she finished scrawling down the names she'd been given. Looking up at Naoki, she tapped her pen against her chin. "Any reason in particular as to why you're not allowed to fight them?"

Naoki shrugged. "We've been told that they're just too strong for us right now," he answered. "As much as I hate to admit it, we're supposed to ignore them for the time being and focus on getting stronger. At least, that's what Mr. Tanaka told us to do." Thinking over it for a moment, he added, "There is a rumor that I've heard about these four, though."

The mention of a rumor had Karin interested. "A rumor? Mind sharing it with me?"

"Well, from what I've heard, these four Krimival are supposedly part of some group," Naoki said, not noticing how Karin had stopped writing when he mentioned the word 'group'. He continued, saying, "Mr. Tanaka said that some Krimivals have gathered to form a group to control Japan. The four I just told you about are supposedly some of the higher-ups in that group." He leaned back and cupped his chin in thought. "It's kind of like… a Krimival Yakuza. Yeah, I think that's the best way to describe it."

Karin could hardly believe what she was hearing. "A Krimival… Yakuza?" she repeated, the very thought sending a shiver down her spine. How could it not? A single Krimival could possibly hold the power to level an entire city if it wanted to, but it had always been assumed that their attacks had been random and unprovoked. If there was some kind of organization behind this, one that was organizing the Krimivals… "Are- Are you positive that this… Krimival Yakuza exists?" she asked nervously.

Naoki finally seemed to notice the worry that was overtaking Karin, as he quickly put up his hands in a placating gesture. "Like I said, it's just a rumor! You know how rumors can get all twisted and mixed up – it's just a whole lot of guessing, really!" He chuckled nervously, then silenced himself. "But," he began, his voice dropping to a whisper, "there is one other thing I heard about…"

"Another rumor?" Karin asked. Naoki nodded, and she felt a knot form in her gut. Even if Naoki was right and the whole 'Krimival Yakuza' thing was nothing more than a rumor, the very thought was enough to terrify her. And yet, she had to know more; not just for her job, but to satisfy her own curiosity. "What's this one about?"

Naoki shook his head. "I don't know… I mean, this one's more worrisome than the first-"

"Please, Naoki! I can handle it, alright? Just… just tell me what this rumor's about, okay?"

For a moment, the young man was silent. Then, he sighed heavily. "Okay. I'll tell you." He leaned in, his eyes refusing to meet hers. "Its… about the supposed leader of the Krimival Yakuza. We- they think that…" He sucked in a deep breath and let it all out in one go. "…they think it may be the Lord Krimival."

Karin felt her heart skip a beat as Naoki dropped a verbal bombshell right in front of her. "…what?" she whispered, the terror she felt the day she first heard that name rushing back to her in an instant. The color drained from her face and her pen fell from her grasp as she thought back to the Lord Krimival's appearance.

In the earliest days of the Krimival attacks, the results were always devastating. A rampant Krimival could level entire sections of a city, and only sustained fire from the heaviest artillery could put one down. It was still a scary time to live in; everyone looked at each other with suspicious looks, trying to figure out if they were standing next to a Krimival just waiting to rampage.

But while the appearance of the Spider Krimival had started the fear of Krimival throughout Japan, it was the appearance of the Lord Krimival that had cemented them as the greatest danger the country had every faced.

Karin had seen it on television. It had been an emergency news broadcast detailing the appearance of a new Krimival. It hadn't started off as anything special, as such broadcasts popped up almost weekly. But from the moment the camera had brought the Lord Krimival into focus, Karin, and possibly all of Japan, had known that there was something more to this Krimival. It had been… just standing there, right at the edge of the city, as the SDF and the police force unloaded everything they had into it. Its appearance had been obscured by the black flames coating its spiky body, and the explosive flashes of the weaponry being used against it only made it harder to make out any detail, but the one thing Karin remembered seeing… were two yellow eyes, glowing from within the flame and staring straight into the camera, as if it were staring at her personally. In its right hand it clutched a black Khakkara, the staff's rings swaying only slightly from the force of the explosions going off around it. For the longest time, it didn't act, but then it raised its staff and brought it down on the ground.

The last thing Karin remembered seeing before the camera feed had cut out were those piercing yellow eyes.

At first, everyone had assumed that the Lord Krimival had simply gotten tired of being attacked and had finally begun to fight back, and that the lost camera feed was a result of the cameraman being caught in the ensuing counterattack. Yet when the reports came in saying that all signs of combat had ceased, everyone knew something was wrong, and when the emergency crews that were dispatched to the area arrived, they sent back horrifying news.

There was absolutely nothing. No remains. No bodies. Not even scraps of clothing. All of the men and women, members of the SDF or the police, or even the camera crew, had seemingly disappeared. And slowly but surely, people began to realize the horror of what had happened:

The Lord Krimival's attack had disintegrated every human in a three mile radius.

And it had just disappeared along with them.

Shaken out of her thoughts by Naoki placing a hand on her arm, his face expressing just how worried he was, Karin shook her head and looked down at her notepad. "The Lord Krimival…" she whispered, beads of sweat dripping down her face and onto the paper. The ink began to run, but she didn't even care. She was too busy thinking about what she'd just been told, her mind trying to process just how that monster could still be around. "If… if the rumor's right," she began, her voice unsteady, "and there is a Krimival Yakuza, and the Lord Krimival is leading them, then… does that mean that you're going to fight it at some point?"

"Of course. And we're going to make it beg for mercy where everyone can see."

Karin looked up at hearing Naoki's sudden answer. The young man was leaning back in his chair, his arms folded over his chest, eyes shut, and fists clenched tightly. His teeth were clenched and he looked upset, like he was remembering something he didn't want to. His eyes opened slightly, burning with passion. "It's the Lord Krimival's fault that Japan's so afraid of the Krimivals," he said with confidence, yet there was a subtle ferocity to his tone. "If the Deviant Riders beat the Lord Krimival and make it beg for mercy on all fours, then that will make the other Krimivals too scared to show their faces ever again. Japan will never have to be afraid of the Krimivals again!" He looked up, a smile working its way onto his face. "I promise you, we'll take him down."

Hearing the youth's words, Karin felt the corners of her mouth curl up a bit. For someone to say that they would beat the Lord Krimival… had it been anyone else, she would have called them crazy and walked off. But with Naoki… she believed what he said. She believed that the Deviant Riders would be able to beat the Lord Krimival.

And if any of the Riders were to do it, she believed it would be Naoki himself to finish the Lord Krimival off.

...

Smoke escaped Shou's mouth as he scanned the streets below, eyes searching for any hint of the person calling themselves Deviant Rider Sin. He was on the roof of a five-story building, wearing his suit as usual with a cigarette clutched between his fingers. He took a deep drag from the cigarette, exhaling with a heavy sigh before tossing the cigarette into his mouth and chomping down on it. As he did, he reached into his breast pocket and pulled another out, ready to light it when he heard the sound of heels on concrete.

"Those will kill you, you know?"

Shou turned around to see Rika walking towards him, a smug look on her face. She was wearing a suit very similar to his, but with various modifications to make it suit her style. Buttons of various colors had been stuck on the suit in various locations, with small stuffed animals hanging from its pockets. She twirled the pink parasol she was holding in her gloved hands as she stepped past Shou to stand on the ledge of the roof, her pink heels clacking loudly. "Really, you should've dropped dead a long time ago, considering how many of those things you smoke," she said, the smile still on her face.

Shou said nothing as he lit his cigarette and put it in his mouth. Rika frowned as he made her wait, taking in a long drag before looking at her. "You should know this by now, Rika. We Krimival have no reason to take care of our bodies anymore," he said. "Our Cores provide us with everything we need, so long as they aren't damaged. I could have every organ in my body removed and I would be just fine, so long as I had my Core."

Rika rolled her eyes. "I know that, you arrogant smokestack!" she snapped, stomping one of her heels. She glared down at him; he looked up at her calmly. Taking a calming breath, Rika stood up straight again. "All I'm saying is that I can't help but wonder what your lungs look like by now. Have they shriveled up into tiny, black prunes? Maybe they don't even exist anymore, considering I never see you without a cigarette in your mouth!"

Shou stared at the young woman with an exasperated look. Reaching up, he slowly took the cigarette out of his mouth as he regarded her. "You shouldn't be here, Rika. Why are you here, attempting to talk to me about my body, when you've been given the task to hunt down Sin?" he questioned. Putting the cigarette back into his mouth, he turned away from her. "Get back on task, Rika, before you disappoint the boss."

"I am on task!" she yelled back, tightening her grip on her parasol. When Shou looked at her with one eyebrow raised, she blushed lightly and looked away. "Well… it's just that… it's not easy to find someone when you don't know what they look like, alright?"

Shou sighed in irritation. "A Krimival of your supposed caliber has more abilities available to them than the average Krimival. Surely one of them could be used to find Sin or draw him out, or have you forgotten that you have them in the first place?"

Rika pouted and looked back to Shou. "Of course I have something to use… I just forgot about it." Before Shou could say anything, she stomped her heel against the concrete again, a pink liquid beginning to form around the heel. "Forgive me for not being in enough situations that require me to use them, but I can handle this!" The pink liquid began to trail away from her, spilling off of the roof and landing on the ground below, slowly forming a larger puddle.

Men and women all stopped as they watched the puddle of strange pink liquid begin to expand, growing larger and larger. One brave young man moved towards it, curious about what it could be, when an arm suddenly sprang out of the liquid and backhanded him. A woman's scream was all the signal that the crowd needed to disperse, and people began to flee in all directions as more and more limbs began to spring up from the liquid. The arms began to grab at the solid ground around the puddle, straining as they began to pull the bodies connected to the arms free.

Finally, one of the creatures pulled free, throwing its head back and letting out a horrifying howl, revealing the razor sharp teeth it had, that was soon joined by more creatures that looked exactly like it. The creatures appeared to be made of playing cards that had been twisted and warped to form humanoid forms, all as tall as a fully grown man. Their heads were covered with a steel-like helmet, each bearing a different suit of a playing card on the forehead. Dozens of the creatures emerged from the pool, and when the last one finished forming, they looked up at their master as one.

Rika raised a hand to the crowd of monsters. "Go and cause some havoc! Rob banks, steal from stores, attack civilians – whatever you have to do to draw attention to yourselves. Enough attention that Sin will show up." With a smile, she added, "And when he shows up, you're going to kill him." Her minions threw their heads back and howled as one before they began to splinter off into packs. A dozen or so began smashing in storefront windows, taking all they could lay their hands on; others leapt onto nearby cars and began to tear the vehicles apart. The rest chased after the men and women who had fled the area, intent on stealing whatever valuables they could find.

"Imps, huh? Interesting choice," Shou remarked as he looked down on the chaos that was taking place. With an aside glance to Rika, he added, "You realize that they're not going to be able to kill Sin, right? They're good for gauging an opponent's strength, but they'll crumble with a hard enough hit."

Rika sighed in annoyance, a frown taking the place of her smile. "I know that, Shou. They're more or less useless in a fight," she admitted. Turning around, she started to smile again. "But they make excellent servants, doing everything their princess asks them to do, all without question!" Looking over her shoulder, she called out to her Imps: "Whoever finds Sin first gets a thank-you kiss from your princess!"

The Imps sounded their approval and redoubled their efforts.

Shou sighed in annoyance as Rika simply walked off, leaving him with howling monsters and a lit cigarette.

...

"Did you hear that?"

Naoki looked up from his food at Karin's words. The young woman was looking around, a look of concentration on her face. "I thought I heard a scream," she said. "It was faint, but it was definitely screaming." Just as she said that, another scream sounded out – faint, but loud enough for Naoki to hear it this time. The two of them jumped to their feet, and Naoki took off in a dead sprint to the source of the noise. Karin hesitated for a moment, only to remember that, if she followed, it might help her at her job later.

A few minutes of running later, they came to a stop when they rounded a corner and saw dozens of strange, humanoid monsters running rampant through the street. The creatures were running from store to store, grabbing whatever looked valuable. Others were going after fleeing women, tearing the straps of their purses off with a single pull and running of, and a few of them were even scavenging through cars, grabbing loose change. What was odd about all of these creatures – aside from the fact that there were so many – was that they looked like they were made out of playing cards, of all things.

"What are those things?" Naoki wondered aloud, surprising Karin. "They aren't Krimivals!"

This revelation stunned Karin and she looked at the young Deviant Rider in confusion. "What!? What do you mean, they're not Krimivals!? Have you seen what they look like!?"

"I know! They look like a Krimival, but…" He shook his head in frustration. "If they had been Krimivals, I would've sensed them the moment they took on their Krimival forms, remember?" Karin nodded absently as she remembered that small bit of information. "I don't know what these things are, but I know it's impossible for them to be Krimivals!"

Watching one of the monsters bare its razor sharp teeth at a pair of terrified young women, Karin grimaced. "Well, if teeth are anything to go by, they definitely aren't human," she muttered.

Just then, one of the creatures turned its head and spotted the two of them. It howled in delight upon seeing new prey and lunged at them. Naoki, acting quickly, pushed Karin behind him and threw a hard punch at the monster. The hit connected, and the monster stumbled backwards, clawing at the place where Naoki had struck it. More monsters, seeing the pair, charged at them, only for Naoki to extend his leg and swing. The monsters jumped back just before the kick connected, tilting their heads to the side as they tried to understand why one of their victims were fighting back, rather than running away like all the others did.

Naoki frowned as he looked at the creatures in front of him. "Karin, go and find somewhere to hide," he said as he took out the SIN Driver. Karin didn't argue, running back the way they came and ducking behind a nearby car. She peered out from behind her cover, just enough to watch as Naoki slapped the belt buckle to his waist, ignoring the snarling monsters that were surrounding him. Emerald green liquid shot from the Driver and formed the familiar belt and Naoki, deciding to end this fight as quickly as he could, slapped the emblem on the front of the belt.

"ARE YOU JEALOUS!?"

"Henshin!"

With the familiar cry, Naoki struck the emblem, causing it to spin and spit out a torrent of black-and-green liquid. One of the monsters leapt at the young man, only to jump back and yowl in pain when the liquid burned its body.

"SIN OF ENVY!"

The liquid shooting out of the Envy Driver covered Naoki's body, rapidly hardening and forming the armor of Deviant Rider Sin. With the transformation finished, Naoki pounded his fists together before thrusting one of them forwards. "I don't know what you things are, and I don't care," he said. "All I know is that if you're terrorizing the people of this great country, you're going to be answering to me! Deviant Rider Sin!" Naoki lowered himself into a boxing stance, getting ready for battle. "So you better start begging for mercy!"

Instead of charging him immediately, however, the creatures stared at Naoki. "SIN!" one of them cried in a rough, distorted voice. More of the creatures began to chant his name, some pointing their fingers at the armored man. "SIN! SIN! SIN!" they chanted. Throwing their heads back, they howled loudly enough to make Karin cover her ears. All the monsters in the area stopped what they were doing and looked to see Sin standing nearby; they dropped whatever they were carrying and raced towards the Deviant Rider, adding their cries to those of the rest.

With a unified roar, they all rushed Sin. Naoki, not phased in the slightest by their sudden rush, held his ground. One of the monsters leapt at him, intent on ripping him to pieces, but was quickly knocked out of the air by a swift and powerful fist. The young man swept forwards, his fists lashing out and becoming little more than a blur of motion as he knocked more and more of the creatures to the ground. Knocking one of them away with a powerful uppercut, Naoki then raised his foot and brought it down on the ground. A powerful shockwave erupted from where he'd struck, hitting the rest of the monsters and driving them away.

Karin, in the meantime, had a small smile on her face as she dug her phone out of her pocket. "Perfect opportunity to snap a few photos of Sin in action!" she squealed. The pictures wouldn't be the best quality – she'd need her actual camera for that, and it was sitting in her apartment collecting dust right about now – but as long as someone could tell it was Sin fighting, it didn't really matter to her. As she watched Naoki fight through the crowd of monsters, she couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh, the boss is going to have to stop calling me useless after this!" She watched as Naoki delivered a hard blow to one monster's temple, sending it to the ground, but what she saw next surprised her:

Instead of getting up, the monster crumbled into a pile of playing cards.

"Naoki!"

"Kinda busy here, Karin!" he replied, throwing one of the monsters over his shoulder before kicking another away. Spinning on his heel, he quickly knelt down and delivered a powerful blow to one of the monsters on the ground, rising up and hitting another with a strong uppercut. "Can this wait for a moment!?" he asked as he ducked beneath a claw intent on taking off his head.

Rolling her eyes, Karin cupped her hands around her mouth. "One of them turned into cards after you hit it hard enough! They aren't all that strong – just hit them and they'll go down!" she shouted.

"Really!?" Naoki exclaimed, looking towards Karin in surprise – a perfect distraction for one of the monster, as it quickly jumped on his back and began clawing at his head. "Ah! Get off of me!" He threw an elbow into the monster's side, the blow causing it to loosen its grip on him, before grabbing one of its arms and flinging it into the ground. He finished with a powerful punch that tore straight through the monster's chest; the creature seized up for a second before exploding into a shower of playing cards, just as Karin said they would. Naoki picked up one of the cards, studying it in surprise. "Well… I'm definitely sure these things aren't Krimivals now; normal Krimivals don't turn into playing cards when I punch them." A monster leapt at him, only for him to idly smack it away with the back of his hand. With a shrug, he threw the card back into the pile before rejoining the fight in earnest.

"SIN! SIN! SIN! SIN! SIN!"

Karin looked past the ensuing melee and blanched when she saw another horde of the monsters approaching, dropping every item they had collected – jewelry, clothes, and other valuable objects – and stampeding towards the Deviant Rider. Naoki looked up just as the horde got close, his eyes widening in surprise beneath his helmet. "Aw, come on!" he shouted as he sidestepped one of the monsters. "My fists aren't going to be enough for this… I need a weapon!" Throwing one of the monsters aside, he looked over to where Karin was hiding. "Karin! Can you get me a sword!? I could really use a sword right now!"

Karin stared at the young man, trying to process his request. "What?" she asked, shaking her head. "Naoki, where am I supposed to find a sword around here!? Do you see a blacksmith, or an antique shop somewhere," she asked, motioning at the surrounding area, "because I don't! Where the hell am I going to get a sword!?"

Naoki kicked away another monster before turning back to reply. "I don't need a real sword, it just needs to look like one! Please Karin, just help me out here!" he pleaded. A moment later the monsters had surrounded him again, and all that could be heard were the vicious howls of the monsters and the sound of powerful strikes coming from Sin.

Karin sighed, slapping a hand to her forehead. "Still… where am I supposed to find something that looks like a sword around here?" she wondered, eyes shooting around until they landed on something resting in the display of one of the smashed storefronts. "…Well, he said it just had to look like a sword… and I guess a toy sword would work…"

With a sigh, Karin ran to the nearby toy store, silently bemoaning her luck all the way.

...

"Where the hell am I now?"

Rika sighed as she stepped out of the train car she had just been in. The young woman had been eager to see her Imps fight against Sin, and had decided to head to the ground floor to get a front row seat to the battle. However, Rika was not the kind of person to possess any sense of direction… or anything that even resembled a sense of direction. She had managed to somehow wander away from the howling cries of her Imps, board a train, and arrive in the next district over, only realizing her mistake when the train had come to a stop.

In hindsight, it was still better than the time she had meant to go to Shibuya and had instead wound up in Hokkaido.

Rika sighed again, placing a hand against her forehead as she accepted the realization that she had managed to get herself hopelessly lost… again. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her phone. "Hideaki should be able to tell me where I am and how to get back to the fight. I really wanted to see my Imps fight Sin!" she huffed as she quickly dialed the young man's number. Just as she was about to press 'Call', however, the phone's screen turned black. "It's dead!?" she cried in shock, nearly dropping the device. Quickly stuffing it back into her pocket, she looked around and spotted a payphone. "That'll have to work," Rika grumbled as she reached for her wallet… and found said wallet missing. "Oh no! Don't tell me I left it at another restaurant!"

Indeed she had.

Rika nearly fell to her knees in despair. "This- This isn't right!" she sniffled, fighting desperately not to start crying; it would not befit a princess to cry in public, after all. "A princess… can't be lost without any money…!" She looked around, a small idea forming in her mind – an idea she promptly killed when she realized what she was thinking. "No. I can't transform here just to steal some money! I'd lose all of my respect as a Krimival!" she whispered. Rika had only joined the family four months ago, and if she acted like a newly-born Krimival after all she had gone through…

Then again, wouldn't she also lose respect by acting like a lost child?

"I need to find one of the family's offices! They'll take me to where I need to go!" she whispered to herself, a small but confident smile on her face. "Now I just need to find one without it looking like I managed to get lost, and I should be fine…"

Rika was about to move when she felt something that made her jump slightly: a hand firmly grabbing hold of her rear. Wondering just who and why someone would place their hand on such a place, she turned her head to see the culprit. It was a young man, close to her age if she had to guess, wearing a hoodie and glasses. On his wrist was a rather bulky watch, and he was smiling at her innocently. "Remove your hand from my buttock," Rika said in the most regal tone she could muster up, "and present yourself so that your princess may know the name of the one to be punished for this act."

The young man removed his hand as told, though his smile just got wider. "Wow, now here's a surprise. An actual Ojou-type," he remarked, surprised by the regal tone Rika had used when addressing him. "Man, I never thought I'd run into a girl like you in real life!"

"Name!" Rika repeated, pointing her parasol at his throat.

The young man, to his credit, didn't seem to mind that. He simply pushed it aside and bowed low to the young woman. "My name is Isamu, milady," he said. Taking her hand, he gave it a quick kiss before rising back up. "I am but your humble servant, my dear, beautiful princess. Punish me as you wish."

Rika blushed madly, her mind unable to think of something to say. Never in her life – not once – had someone actually addressed her like this young man, this Isamu, had before. His demeanor, his words, his actions – they all reminded her of an actual knight! Her minions had never acted like this; they only saw her as their boss, but never a princess, but now this young man had just called her his princess. He was treating her with the respect a true princess deserved, which certainly made Rika feel happy.

Being called beautiful only made her feel happier…

"Milady?" Rika was brought back to reality by a concerned Isamu speaking to her. "…What happened to the punishment?" he asked, scratching the back of his head in confusion. "I mean, I was honestly expecting to get beaten to a pulp and called a pervert… like usual."

Rika turned around, hoping that he hadn't noticed her blush. "Um… Your princess has decided that no punishment will be necessary!" she declared, crossing her arms and doing her best not to stammer over her words as she kept her regal tone of voice. "I am willing to overlook your crime… if you act like a proper servant and help your princess with her current problem, that is."

Isamu was dumbstruck. Never, in all of his life, had something like this ever happened to him. "W-Wait a second! Are you serious?" he asked. "So I'm not getting punched, or slapped, or kicked in the balls for once?" He shook his head in surprise and muttered, "I never thought someone would actually buy that act…"

"Are you saying that you want me to punish you?" Rika asked. Now she was confused… again. "What kind of servant would want to be punished by their princess?"

Isamu shrugged. "It's actually a pretty common fantasy, you know," he answered, much to Rika's shock. "There are a lot of men out there who want to be dominated by a stronger woman, and what kind of woman could be more powerful or beautiful than a princess?"

Rika spun around to face Isamu, not noticing the young man's smile widen upon seeing the blush on her face or the innocent confusion in her eyes. "R-Really? There are men out there who like getting punished by women?" Isamu nodded, and Rika's eyes widened in surprise. "B-But wait! Wouldn't that really hurt?"

"Yeah, it would hurt," Isamu replied. "The thing is, that's where the men get the pleasure from! They want to be stepped on like the insects they are, they need to be told that they're scum! To them, it's a whole new level of heaven!" he proclaimed.

Rika covered her mouth in surprise. "I never knew," she whispered. For a moment, she was tempted to keep asking this young man more about what he knew, but she quickly remembered what she was trying to accomplish in the first place. "O-oh! That's right! I'm your princess, right?" When Isamu nodded, she breathed a small sigh of relief. "Good. Then I need your help."

Isamu bowed again. "Whatever you want, princess," he replied. "Your wish is my command. What is it that you need help with?"

Rika glanced down, biting her lip nervously. "…I'm lost…" she whispered, hardly loud enough for someone to hear it.

Isamu, though, did hear it, and he looked at her in surprise. "Lost? Really?"

"Yes, I'm lost, okay!?" Rika yelled, stomping a foot in annoyance. When she saw the odd looks she was receiving from those nearby, she laughed weakly and tried to regain her composure. "So, as your princess, you should do the proper thing and let me borrow your phone so I can call someone."

Isamu shook his head. "Yeah, I don't have my phone on me right now. Left it at my place. Sorry."

"WHAT!?" Rika shrieked, the volume making Isamu cover his ears. Rika, in the meantime, was doing everything in her power not to just break down in the middle of this train station and start crying – she couldn't do that, she was a princess! Yet all she wanted to do at the moment was curl up into a ball somewhere and cry until someone found her. At least the family couldn't see how she was acting right now…

While massaging his ringing ears, Isamu noticed how upset the young woman was. Frowning, he knelt down and looked her in the eye the best he could. "Hey now, aren't you a little too old to be crying, princess?" he asked, a small smile on his face.

Rika looked away. "Shut up! A princess can do whatever she wants! Especially in situations like this, when she has no idea how to get home!"

Isamu frowned slightly and he closed his eyes as he tried to come up with a plan. Something in his oddly wired mind clicked after a few moments and he smiled broadly. "Well, I don't have a phone on me right now, but I know somewhere we can find one!" Rika turned back to face him, a hopeful look on her face. "A friend of mine lives nearby, and I've got a key to his place. I'm sure he won't mind if I borrow his phone." Standing back up, he added, "Especially if it's to help such a beautiful princess as yourself."

Rika wiped away the tears that were forming in her eyes, a smile back on her face. Straightening out her suit, she turned and pointed towards the exit, her regal bearing regained. "Very well then! Lead the way to your friend's house, servant!"

Isamu bowed again. "As you wish, princess."

...

"I really hope this works!" Karin muttered as she ran out of the toy store, her newest acquisition in hand. She looked around for any sign of Naoki, only to stop when she saw all of the monsters in a massive, squirming pile. She couldn't see Naoki anywhere else, and the monsters were still here, so that meant… "Naoki!" she cried, fearing for her friend.

One of the monsters suddenly went flying back as a fist punched through the squirming heap. The hand gave her a quick wave before going back into the pile. A moment later, several of the monsters went flying, and very soon the pile had been reduced to a loose circle of monsters that had surrounded Naoki, who really looked no worse for the wear. "Hey Karin! Did you get me a sword?"

She nodded. "Catch!" With all of the strength she had, she threw the toy sword through the air. Naoki saw it coming towards him, jumped on top of one of the monsters, and used its head as a springboard to launch himself at the sword. He caught it in midair, landing in a crouch. "Alright- Wait a second!" Standing up, he held the sword up to eye level, turning it over in his hands as he inspected it. He looked at Karin. "This is a toy sword! What'd you get me a toy sword for?"

Karin stared at Naoki open-mouthed. Was he having some kind of memory issue? "You said to get something that looked like a sword! I got you a sword!" she yelled. For extra measure, she held up her wallet and added, "I used my own money to buy that stupid thing, so be grateful!"

Naoki groaned and turned around. He struck the nearest monster with the sword's blade, which just bounced off as a sound effect played. "But this sword's useless! It won't cut anything, and it keeps saying 'Nin Nin' for some reason!" As a test, he struck another monster, only to get the same result. "I think you got ripped off; this thing's broken!"

Karin could feel her blood start to boil as Naoki kept complaining. "Stop acting like some whiny little brat, why don't you!? Just shut up and use the stupid thing for whatever you need it for!"

Naoki sighed but nodded his head all the same, throwing himself in to the crowd of monsters and continuously striking them ineffectively with his toy sword. Karin kept waiting for him to do something, but as the seconds ticked by, she saw that all Naoki was doing was whacking his opponents on the head. The monsters themselves actually stopped attacking and just started to watch the young man effectively hit them with a noisy stick. To the casual observer, it would have been rather amusing: a man in black in green armor running around striking scary monsters with a toy sword. All amusement quickly disappeared when the monsters' murderous intent returned to them and they all charged Naoki. Despite the young man's best efforts, one of them managed to land a solid punch to his helmet, knocking him back and staggering him.

"Ah, this is so stupid!" Naoki cried, stomping one foot in frustration. He swung the sword in front of him a few times, only for nothing at all to happen. "This is just a stupid toy! I didn't want a toy, I wanted a real sword! Why couldn't this be a real sword!?" he whined, stomping his foot a few more times for good measure.

Meanwhile, Karin was slowly sinking to her knees, her hands pulling at her hair. "I'm going to kill him…" she muttered. "Those monsters had better leave a piece of him for me, because I'm going to murder him!"

"And that should be enough!"

The change in Naoki's tone of voice caught Karin's attention; he sounded a lot less like a spoiled brat and more like the confident fighter she knew. Looking over at him, he had the toy sword resting on one shoulder with his other hand resting on his SIN Driver. "Now, it's about time to make you guys start begging for mercy!" he said as he pressed down on the belt's emblem.

"JEALOUS CHANGE! LEVIASWORD!"

The same liquid that formed Sin's armor shot out of the emblem, but instead of covering the young man it all seemed to flow straight to the sword he was now holding out in front of himself. The green-and-black liquid coated every inch of the sword, then began to harden and change its shape. Karin's jaw dropped as she watched the weapon change from a pathetic toy sword into something far more impressive: the blade was made out of something that resembled jade, while the hilt was covered in black scales.

"Now this is a real sword!" Naoki remarked as he gave his new toy a few test swings before letting it rest at his side.

"…How…?" Karin muttered, still in a state of shock from what she had seen. It had just been a toy! But now it was an actual sword, and a pretty menacing looking one to boot! But how!? …Karin was slowly starting to think being around Naoki was going to be hazardous for her mental health.

Meanwhile, the Deviant Rider in question charged towards the monsters, who responded by charging at him. Reaching his nearest opponent, Naoki swung his sword; the monster's head was cut clean off of its body, which then promptly exploded into a pile of cards moments later. The young man became a deadly emerald blur as he delved deeper into the horde. Monsters exploded from nearly every strike he dealt with his sword, some getting cut clean in half from the sharp blade. Eventually Naoki managed to work himself back into the center of the horde of monsters, surrounded on all sides by creatures that now seemed hesitant to attack him. They wanted nothing to do with the sword that he wielded, not after seeing it effortlessly cut through others of their kind.

Naoki just chuckled and slapped the emblem on his belt. His armor began to glow with emerald energy, which slowly began to flow into his sword. Grabbing the sword's hilt with both of his hands, Naoki spun around in a complete circle, slashing at all of the monsters. Green energy extended from the blade and struck the monsters, causing them to cry out in shock as they were cut in half before exploding.

Karin kept staring at Naoki as the young man stood in beneath a rain of playing cards, his sword resting on his shoulder. She simply couldn't process the things she had just seen, not that she thought anyone would be able to. When the cards finally stopped raining down, they suddenly all caught fire, even those that hadn't been the result of Naoki's final attack, and within moments they were nothing more than piles of ash. The wind picked up and carried the ashes away as Naoki's sword started to crumble into dust; he was already reaching down to remove his Driver.

As the Sin Suit melted off of his body and dissolved, Naoki dusted his hands off before turning to Karin. "Thanks for the assistance! I promise to pay you back for the sword, too!"

The word 'pay' snapped Karin out of her daze, and her eyes fell to the dust that had been a brand-new toy sword only moments ago. Looking back at Naoki, she smiled when she saw him take a step back in surprise. "Oh, you're damn right you're going to pay me back for that stupid thing!" she screamed, rising to her feet and stomping towards Naoki. "Do you know how much that thing cost!? That was a week's worth of groceries, at least!"

...

From his vantage point on the rooftop, Shou watched as Sin fought off Rika's Imps. He hadn't been surprised when he'd seen Sin effortlessly beat back the creatures with nothing but his fists; he'd been slightly amused at how Sin had reacted to finding out the Imps turned into playing cards when destroyed; and he had been momentarily disappointed when he watched Sin trying to fight them away with a toy sword, but that disappointment vanished the instant he watched the Deviant Rider somehow turn the toy into an actual weapon and use it to cut the Imps down. To say that Shou was impressed by Sin's strength would be an understatement – after all, he had just witnessed him destroy a horde of Imps with a single attack – but all that he witnessed only helped confirm Shou's worst fears:

Sin was a potential threat to his family; he had to be eliminated before he had the chance to actually become a true threat.

Shou took out his smartphone, his eyes staying fixed on his unsuspecting enemy, and prepared to call the other members of the family, but he stopped himself from hitting 'Call' when he saw the Deviant Rider remove his belt. Shou's eyes widened in surprise as he watched Sin's armor melt, revealing a smiling young man to be the man behind the mask. Thinking fast, the man grabbed his right sleeve and ripped it off, revealing a muscular arm. He grabbed the skin of his forearm with his free hand and began to pull; the flesh began to change color as it came off of his body, until he had a palm-sized sheet of grayish skin his palm. The skin began to harden and change shape, becoming a square sheet of steel.

Without taking his eyes off of the young man, Shou brought his right hand against the steel. His fingers began to smoke, then burst into flame; when the fire dissipated, it revealed that his right hand had become made of molten metal. Using his index finger, Shou began to trace out an image on the steel sheet he held, burning the face of the young man who was secretly Sin both into his memory and the metal he held.

Within a few moments, he had a perfect drawing of the young man's smiling face drawn into the steel he held.

"So… this is Sin," he breathed, hardly able to believe the fact. He studied every inch of the young man's face, but for some reason he kept coming back to the smile on his face. Every time he saw that carefree smile, Shou could feel his blood start to boil. Steam began to roil out from beneath his collar and sleeves, and small patches of fire began to break out on his suit. He paid them no mind – the only thing that mattered was the smiling face of the young man before him.

"All you have to do is let me out, Shou."

Half of the man's face disappeared into a cloud of dark mist, the crudely drawn face of the Steel Krimival peering out from within. The creature's smile grew wider and its eye grew wider. "We both want him dead," the Krimival whispered enticingly. "If you let me out, just for a few moments, then that would be it. He'd be dead, and the family would be safe. We could do it far quicker than Rika ever could…"

For a moment, Shou seemed hesitant, as though he were considering the offer. Then, with a shuddering breath, he slowly shook his head. "N-No… It isn't my job…" he growled. He gritted his teeth as he felt the Krimival inside of him make its displeasure known, and he clutched at his breast pocket. The Steel Krimival was screaming inside of his head, every cry of anger sending a jolt of pain through his skull.

"LET ME OUT! I WANT OUT!" it screamed. "I WANT TO KILL! I WANT TO BURN, SHOU! I NEED TO BURN EVERYTHING TO ASH! I NEED TO BE FREE AGAIN! SHOU, LET ME OUT! SHOU! SHOU!"

Shakily drawing a cigarette from his breast pocket, Shou lit it with one of the flames coating his jacket. He brought it to his mouth, bit down on it, and breathed deeply. The effects of the smoke were almost instantaneous: the flames died out, leaving his suit badly burnt but mostly intact, and the shrieking face of the Krimival disappeared with the mist, the Krimival's own cries of rage fading from his mind.

"Rika was chosen for this job, not me. The boss' orders are absolute," Shou whispered to himself. He took the cigarette out of his mouth and looked at it thoughtfully. Quietly, he muttered, "I must never lose control again…"

...

"So you can make stuff stronger somehow?"

"Only if I'm feeling jealous, for some reason. It won't work otherwise."

"So that's why you were acting like a child earlier; you needed to feel jealous so you could turn that stupid toy into that badass sword?"

"Yep."

Rika frowned at Naoki's explanation of his powers, though the young man's smile never left his face. They were walking down the hallway that led to his apartment, both of them wanting to rest a little after the events that had just taken place. In all honesty, Karin couldn't help but feel that it was strange that Naoki had to be feeling jealous just to be able to use his powers, but then again, what did she know about how the Deviant Riders and their equipment worked? It at least explained how he'd gotten that motorcycle he'd ridden to Shibuya…

"Those monsters still have me stumped, though," she admitted as the two of them arrived at his apartment door. "I mean, you said that they weren't Krimivals, but they were acting like any other Krimival would: looting stores, stealing from people…"

"Something tells me they were just following orders," Naoki said as he searched his pockets for his key. His smile vanished as he spoke. "Do you know why I think that?"

Karin thought it over for a second, then snapped her fingers. "They were just the bait!" she exclaimed, receiving a nod from Naoki. "All they were doing was causing a panic so you – or any other Deviant Rider, I guess – would show up. And when you did show up, they all dropped what they were carrying so they could focus on you! If they were just trying to make money for a Krimial, why would they go after you?"

"Exactly!" Naoki said, his smile coming back to his face. "Not to mention that, because they turned into playing cards when I beat them, they were probably just made by a Krimival who wanted to kill me without having to meet me face-to-face." Finally fishing his key out of his pocket, he put it in the keyhole and began to unlock his door.

Karin tapped a finger to her chin in thought. "So… that only leaves one question: what kind of Krimival could make monsters like that?"

Naoki shrugged. "I don't really know, but I'm sure I'll find out soon. Its minions failed, so the Krimival itself is probably going to show its face soon enough." Turning the doorknob, he stepped into his apartment. "And when it does, I'll-"

"Oh, that's great!"

Naoki and Karin both froze as they saw the scene that was unfolding in the middle of Naoki's living room. Isamu was lying on the ground, his hoodie thrown over the back of Naoki's couch. The perverted young man was wearing a lecherous grin on his face – or at least, from what they could see of his face. Most of it was covered by the foot of a blushing young woman, her face apprehensive and confused.

"L-Like this?" she asked.

"Just like that, princess," Isamu said. He was panting heavily and sweat was streaming down his face. "Go ahead! Punish me like the worthless servant that I am!"

"What the hell is going on here!?" the two newcomers shouted at the same time. Karin's face was crimson, both from embarrassment and utter rage, while Naoki was honestly confused as to what was happening in his home… and a little disgusted by the fact that it was happening in his home.

The young woman jumped back with a small 'eep' of surprise. Her blush intensifying, she looked to the side and muttered, "Princess training, of course…"

Isamu groaned and picked himself up with his elbows. Looking over to Karin, he gave her a lopsided smile. "Yeah, what she said. Just a little princess training. Nothing for you to worry over, mosquito bi-"

Whatever Isamu had to say was interrupted by an incredible display of speed and agility as Karin raced across the room, grabbed the unknown young woman by her shoulders, spun around, pushed her away from Isamu, and, keeping the momentum of the spin, delivered a kick straight into Isamu's stomach with enough force to throw him against the wall. Before he could even try to stand, the furious reporter was on him, stomping on him and calling him the worst things that she could think of, even coming up with a few in the process.

This continued for a solid minute, with the young woman terrified by Karin's brutality and Naoki honestly impressed by just how quickly his friend had acted.

When she finally relented, breathing heavily, Karin stepped away from Isamu, who was lying on the ground. His nose was bleeding, and there was a bit of blood at the corner of his mouth, and he had several bruises developing all over his body. Naoki let out a low whistle of amazement. "You actually hurt Isamu," he said. "That really shouldn't be possible."

Karin ignored him and focused her attention on the young woman. She took a deep breath as she put her hands on the terrified girl's shoulders, making the girl jump from the touch. "Don't worry, I'm not mad at you; just the insufferable pervert over there. But you really need to head home," she added in a more serious tone of voice. "This isn't the kind of life you should be living, not if it means hooking up with creeps like him. Just think about how your parents would feel; what would they say if they saw you like this?"

The girl blinked. "I- What? I-I don't quite understand – what are you trying to say?" she asked, her eyes wide and confused.

Isamu weakly raised a hand. "The old hag… thinks that… you're… a pros-"

"SHUT UP!" Karin screamed, whirling around and delivering a kick to the one place that would hurt even a Deviant Rider. Naoki actually winced in pain, while Isamu seemingly passed out from shock.

"Um… I don't know why you did that, but… my servant here was just trying to help me be a proper princess," the girl said. She raised her chin and took on a more refined posture. "I am a princess, you know!" she said, throwing her hair back as a regal gesture.

Karin looked at the young woman, her lips forming a tight line. "I'm sure you are," she said after a moment's hesitation. "Just like I'm the Prime Minister."

The girl gasped in shock. "You're the Prime Minister!? I didn't even know that Japan had elected a woman to be Prime Minister." Stepping backwards, she gave Karin a small curtsy. "A pleasure to meet you, madam Prime Minister."

Karin groaned in annoyance. "I'm not actually Prime Minister – it was a joke!" Hearing a light chuckling coming from the entrance, she saw Naoki struggling to contain his laughter. She threw him a murderous glare that quickly made him sober up. Satisfied, she looked back to the girl and put on her kindest smile. "Listen, honey, you must have had a long day. Why don't you tell me who you really are?" she asked sweetly.

"I am Princess Rika," the girl – now known as Rika – proclaimed.

Karin tilted her head to the side. "Princess? Of… what exactly?"

"Of Japan, of course!"

Karin slapped a hand to her head in frustration. "We have an Imperial Princess but I'm pretty sure that you're…" Slowly, she trailed off when she felt something at the back of her mind tell her not to finish that sentence. Somehow, she felt that if she had said what she was about to say, something bad would have happened.

A small groan came from behind the two. "The princess just needed to use Naoki's phone," Isamu said, seemingly recovered from his injuries; he still looked a little pained from Karin's last hit, though, which made Karin very happy. "Now, was that really necessary, mosquito bites?"

Karin glared knives of pure rage at Isamu, but before she could attack him again, Naoki jumped into the conversation. "Hey, I've got no problem with letting the princess here use my phone. In fact, I'd find it quite an honor." Looking at Rika with a bemused smile, he glanced over to Isamu. "Though, if you don't mind me asking, how did you meet Isamu?"

"He grabbed my buttocks when I was lost, then said I could use his friend's phone in exchange for his princess' forgiveness," Rika replied simply.

Karin turned to face Isamu again. "He did… WHAT!?"

Naoki walked over and placed hand on Karin's shoulder before she could explode… again. Turning to face Rika, he smiled and held out his hand. "Well, it's not the strangest way I've met someone. My name's Naoki Akuzaki," he said. "It's a pleasure to meet a princess such as yourself."

Rika smiled and took his hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you, as well." Looking between the three people gathered in the apartment, she added:

"I find it nice to find someone like yourself and Isamu."

….

NEXT TIME ON KAMEN RIDER SIN!

"Wait, are you sure this is Sin!?"

"There's a Krimival coming after me! You've got to help me!"

"Give a big round of applause to your host, the Jack Krimival!"