“Huh?”
“Just answer.”
The master lightly pokes my chest with his index finger.
My name.
The name my sister taught me.
“Katsuki Shirakawa.”
“Right? Then that’s fine, isn’t it? …There’s no need to force yourself to remember the past. You are who you are.”
I am… me, huh?
While I think that’s fine, I can’t help but picture my sister’s worried face.
“But I can’t keep worrying Hakua nee-san forever…”
“Is that so? To me, your memories coming back… No, it’s nothing. Forget it.”
“?”
After mumbling something in a low voice, the Master ends the conversation and stands up.
Just as I finish wiping the dishes, I move away from the spot. He rolls up his sleeves and starts taking ingredients out of the refrigerator.
“Alright, I’ll make you some staff meal. Take some to your sister Shirakawa too.”
“Really? Is that okay!?”
You’re going to cook for us!?
And even for my sister…! I’m so grateful…!
“Wow, you’re really excited about this.”
“Yes! Because we’re really tight on food expenses!! Hakua nee-san eats a lot!!”
“Are you indirectly asking for a raise? Well, I know she’s a big eater… but enough to make your living expenses tight? Should I say something to her?”
I shake my head at the Master, who’s pulling a face.
“No! I like that my sister eats a lot, so it’s fine!! I’d be more worried if she didn’t eat much!!”
“She’s something else, but you’re quite something too, you know.”
Excited about getting a staff meal, I take a seat.
It’s been about two months since I started working, and I truly felt from the bottom of my heart that this workplace was very fulfilling.
“Can’t be helped. I’ll make extra, so wait.”
“Yes!!”
Not only will we save on food expenses, but the Master’s cooking is genuinely delicious, so I’m incredibly happy!!
After getting the staff meal from the Master, I left the coffee shop in high spirits and was walking the way back to the apartment.
“Hakua nee-san will be so happy.”
The surroundings are already dark, and I’m walking on a deserted street.
“I am… me, huh.”
Suddenly, I remember the words the Master said to me.
“It’s true, I’m the one living right now…”
I have no memories from before, and I don’t know when I’ll wake up.
If that’s the case, maybe it’s pointless to worry about it.
“Alright! I’ll do my best tomorrow too!”
I am very fortunate.
I have a caring sister and a considerate Master.
Even the regulars at the coffee shop have warmly accepted me.
I have no complaints about my current daily life.
“Hm?”
Is there a woman under the streetlight?
When I look closely, I can see hair that’s close to a pinkish color, un-Japanese-like, peeking out from under a deeply pulled hood… Is she some kind of cosplayer?
The gold watch-like thing on her arm also feels out of place.
The figure notices me and sways closer.
“Hello there, I’ve been looking for you.”
“…Me?”
The woman waves at me as if she’s mistaken me for someone else.
Is this a case of mistaken identity? At least in my memory, I’ve never met her, but maybe she knows the me from before I lost my memories.
“Good evening? Um, have we met somewhere before?”
“…You forgot? You forgot? About me? After ruining everything?”
“R-ruining!?”
Oh no, did I do something terrible to this person!?
Seeing me visibly flustered, the woman chuckles and removes the hood covering her head.
“It’s me, Axe-chan! Come on, we met three months ago!”
The face revealed under the hood was a bit eerie.
Although her face alone had a friendly atmosphere, the creepiness couldn’t be completely hidden.
“Huh? Could it be you’ve mistaken me for someone else?”
“I-I have amnesia. I’m sorry, I don’t know you. If you’d like, you could tell me what happened between us—”
Before I could finish my sentence, something comes rushing towards me.
Separate from my surprised consciousness, my body moves reflexively, avoiding whatever was coming at me. With a clang, the bento box containing the staff meal the Master made is split in two and falls to the ground.
“Huh?”
“That movement. So it really is you after all.”
What was that? Did she throw something at me?
As I struggle to make sense of the situation, the woman’s demeanor becomes increasingly strange.
“But you say you’ve forgotten. Unforgivable. I can’t forgive this… You’ve forgotten, you say? Are you kidding me…”
Static runs through the woman’s figure.
What’s this? Some kind of magic trick? I don’t understand, but this seems bad.
As I back away, ready to flee at any moment, Axe, as she called herself, who had been looking down, suddenly raises her face.
Seeing that face, I almost let out a scream.
“Ugh!?”
“After putting me through this, how dare you live such a normal life!!”
Static runs through the woman’s figure, revealing what’s inside.
Half of her face is missing its skin, with machine-like parts exposed underneath. Her abdomen appears to be stuffed with various components, presenting a broken-down appearance right before my eyes.
“My hologram has broken down, but I don’t care anymore! I can’t stand it!!”
“!”
“I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you!”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
[INVASION START!!]
The woman, with her exposed mechanical eyes glaring at me, touches the watch-like device on her left hand.
In an instant, her appearance changes—she’s now wearing a golden suit with ominous armor.
Even the golden suit has parts and gears protruding here and there, and the eye area isn’t covered by a visor, leaving the mechanical face directing its killing intent towards me.
“A-A monster?”
While there’s a resemblance to a sentai hero, the thing that transformed before my eyes is undoubtedly a monster.
“Die!!”
Something is released from the golden monster’s hand.
As I stand frozen in front of it, Shiro leaps out of my bag and deflects everything, protecting me.
“S-Shiro!”
[Gaao!!]
“L-Let’s run!!”
“I won’t let you escape!”
As I try to start running while hurriedly holding Shiro, my arm is grabbed.
While my arm is being crushed with vise-like strength, my body starts moving reflexively.
“Uooooh!!”
I kick her knee to throw her off balance, then deliver a knee strike to her face.
“Gah!?”
I then wrap my arm around her back, swing her around, and slam her against the wall—then I come to my senses.
“Huh? W-What!?”
As her hand releases my arm and she groans, I quickly start running away from the scene.
“I’ve never been in a fight or anything… How!?”
As I run, I’m surprised at how well I was able to move.
I can’t escape towards the apartment where my sister is.
In that case, the park should be deserted and have places to hide. There’s also a police box beyond that, so I’ll try to wait it out in the park and then run there.
“Hah, hah, hah”
[Whine]
“It’s okay… It’s okay…”
I catch my breath while hiding inside the playground equipment in the park.
I ran at full speed, but I’m surprisingly less tired than I expected.
“W-What was that monster… Could it be, that was a kaijin?”
Of all things, why is it targeting me?
I don’t understand.
“Why…”
—Fight
“!?”
—Fight
Suddenly, I hear a hallucination.
I look around, but there’s no one there.
I feel fear at the voice that resonates directly in my head.
“W-Who…”
“Found youuu”
“Ugh, gah!?”
As soon as I hear that voice from the entrance of the playground equipment, I’m grabbed by the collar and thrown into the middle of the park.
As I groan from the pain of being slammed into the ground, the monster’s hand grabs my neck and lifts me up.
“Gu, uah…”
“Is this all you amount to after losing your memories? As expected, you’re just an inferior creature!!”
[Growl!!]
Shiro tries to pounce on the monster to help me as I’m being strangled, but is immediately struck and slammed to the ground.
“Did you honestly think a mere transformation device could defeat me in my transformed state?”
“Shiro!”
“I’ll thoroughly torment you after I’m done with this man!!”
I’m carelessly thrown and roll on the ground.
I can’t accept dying like this.
In my blurring vision, I can see Shiro trying to comfort me.
Even though he’s cracked and sparking, he’s still worried about me.
“I won’t… lose.”
—That’s right
Again, a voice echoes in my head.
I stand up, following the voice that seems to be pushing me, urging me on.
—Fight
“You don’t need to tell me, I’ll do it.”
—Shout
“I’ll fight!!”
I shout with all my might at the monster approaching me.
In that instant, Shiro responds to my voice and lets out a roar.
His eyes glow yellow, and a yellow belt-like object wraps around my waist. With a leap, Shiro transforms and changes his body to fit into my palm.
—Ah, that’s good
I look at Shiro, now in my hand, and then at the monster.
Somehow, I understand what I need to do next.
But such questions have disappeared somewhere.
“I don’t understand what’s going on. I don’t even know why you’re targeting me or trying to kill me!!”
“Aha, at this point—”
“But!!”
I lightly raise Shiro, who has transformed into a belt buckle, and press the switch on its side.
At the same time, Shiro’s cracked surface explodes off, changing into a shining silver form.
“I know what I need to do!!”
[AWAKENING!!]
With that voice, I forcefully slide the buckle onto the belt from the side.
In an instant, a strange field forms around the buckle.
[DUST→→→LUPUS DRIVER!!]
As if I’ve always known the procedure, my body moves, and I lightly tap the top of the buckle with a smooth motion.
“Transform!!”
[FIGHT FOR RIGHT!!]
In an instant, a black suit covers my body from the neck down, and white armor forms within the field.
These pieces attach to my body one after another, and finally, a helmet that had been disassembled around my head is constructed, completely covering it and completing the transformation.
[SAVE FORM!! COMPLETE……]
And with that sound, the transformation is complete.
Reflected in the golden sheen of the monster—is a warrior in a white mask.
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