Chapter 81 - W

————————————————————————

[Nagami]: @Reimu, as ridiculous as it sounds, the chat group isn't wrong. That really is a divine artifact.

————————————————————————

As she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, a subtle expression crossed C.C.'s delicate and striking face.

————————————————————————

[Reimu]: You want it, boss? I can give it to you~

————————————————————————

A sudden spark of inspiration flashed in Reimu's mind.

The red-and-white shrine maiden sprang to her feet—she was trying every trick in the book to win Nagami's favor.

————————————————————————

[Nagami: ...I think I'll pass.]

————————————————————————

C.C.'s lips twitched. What was she supposed to do with that thing anyway?

Seeing that most of the group members were focused on the newcomer's world, C.C. redirected her attention to the so-called "Card Pool."

Honestly, this thing looked even more scammy than the worst gacha systems in mobile games.

She browsed the backend—there wasn't even a disclosed drop rate.

————————————————————————

"Final interpretation rights belong to the chat group."

————————————————————————

If a mobile game tried that, it would be a death sentence.

The developers would be buried under user backlash.

Well then—let's see how far the luck of a certified gacha queen could go!

Counting her time in the spider girl's world, it had been almost three and a half months since Nagami got access to the chat group.

After spending 300 points on three travel cards, Nagami still had 365 points left.

Not sure how much those points were actually worth, C.C. gave a barely perceptible nod and made her decision.

Time to test the waters.

She tossed in 1 point.

Without opening the resulting white orb, she quickly spent another 1 point four more times.

Then she opened all five white orbs at once.

————————————————————————

Normal Handgun ×1 (Note: No bullets)

Sweet Flower Chicken ×1

Explosive Charm ×1

Gold Coins ×5

Damaged Katana ×1

————————————————————————

Lying on the cold metal deck, her long lashes fluttering slightly, C.C. stared blankly at the five items she got for 5 points.

Her expression turned contemplative.

After examining them over and over, she finally concluded—there was only one explanation:

Mystical nonsense.

A trace of confusion flickered in her golden eyes.

C.C. lowered her head in thought for a few seconds, then looked back up at the center of the screen—the card pool.

The backdrop was a vast, star-filled galaxy.

As her will stirred, the thousands of stars began to swirl like silver comets toward the center.

Her points drained at a visible pace, right down to zero.

She threw all 360 remaining points into the card pool.

All-in.

If you're going to gamble, then go big.

This is it—the ultimate draw that would decide the fate of her dignity as a gacha master!

Amid radiant, pure light, a deep violet orb slowly emerged from the swirling vortex.

No rituals.

No lucky charms.

As a true believer in her own luck, she needed no superstition.

'Open!'

With a push of her will, the violet orb burst into sparkling, multicolored particles, revealing the item nestled inside.

————————————————————————

[Double Driver]:

From Kamen Rider W. A Rider system where two people transform as one.

Only by transforming together can their power be fully unleashed.

This is a chat group exclusive version.

· The Rider armor will automatically adjust based on the user's gender.

· Includes "Cyclone Memory" and "Joker Memory."

· No matter who ends up with this device, remember—being a Kamen Rider, and what that title represents, may not be as lighthearted as it seems.

· With true resolve, the user can eventually forge a unique Memory of their own.

Note: A "Rider's Heart" is required to use it.

[Rating: ★★★★?]

————————————————————————

(Note: This is the base form rating. "?" indicates requirement of a Rider's Heart.)

————————————————————————

"NICE!"

C.C. leapt up from the deck like a spring, a look of pure joy lighting up her face like a child receiving their dream toy.

Her eyes sparkled with uncontainable excitement.

Of course, that was mostly because she hadn't finished reading the entire item description.

She saw the included Cyclone and Joker Memories and immediately stopped reading.

'Screw the rest—I'm transforming right now!'

Sure, it wasn't super powerful in her current situation, but hey—transformation into a cool armor is a sacred part of every guy's fantasy!

She was already imagining pulling a Gundam next.

Or maybe a Light of Zillion transformation stick.

But... maybe it was best to stop here.

Even for someone who knows she's a gacha queen, this kind of luck was unnerving.

Better not tempt fate again for a while.

If it was just gambling away her lifespan, she wouldn't care—she was immortal, after all.

But this kind of absurdly good luck?

It probably meant she was going to die a lot later to balance it out.

Shaking off the swirl of complicated thoughts, she turned her focus back to the transformation device.

No more overthinking.

Her slender fingers reached out, and from the void emerged the red-accented Double Driver, slowly descending into her hands.

————————————————————————

Meanwhile back to Nagami a grin slowly stretched across his face.

Glancing at the girls enjoying the sunset, he leaned toward the heiress KIana beside him and gave her a light poke.

"I'm stepping out for a bit. I'll be right back."

Without waiting for a response, he activated his skill—and vanished like a phantom.

"…Sigh." Before she could even ask what was going on, all the heiress Kiana could see was his fading silhouette.

Turning her head back toward the horizon, she gave a resigned smile and joined the others in watching the sunset.

Her slender fingers gently tapped on the railing as her icy blue eyes reflected the crimson-streaked clouds.

No matter what world we're in, the skies are always so beautiful...

We will defeat the Honkai.

We fight for everything beautiful in this world!

As she gazed at the breathtaking sky, a rush of emotion surged through her chest.

Something deep within her began to burn with quiet determination.

————————————————————————

Nagami landed in front of C.C. in a smooth leap and took the red Double Driver from her hands.

Armor that changes depending on the user's gender? That's a first.

To keep things authentic, he decided to try it with his male form first.

He fastened the Driver to his waist, and with a mechanical hum, a black belt extended and locked into place.

At the same time, a second, identical red Driver manifested from the void and floated to C.C.'s slender waist.

[JOKER!]

[CYCLONE!]

With dramatic flair and deliberately cool movements, the two of them inserted their Gaia Memories into the Driver at the same time.

"Transform!"

————————————————————————

A dry breeze swept through the air, leaving an awkward silence in its wake.

If this were an anime, there'd be a crow cawing in the background right now.

"…What the hell?" Nagami looked down at the red Driver on his waist. "Did it break or something? Why didn't the transformation go through? Was my pose wrong?"

He placed his hands on C.C.'s waist, blinking in confusion.

Golden question marks practically rained down over his head.

"Transform!"

"Transform?"

"Transform~"

He tried several more signature Kamen Rider poses, but the Driver remained totally unresponsive.

"This can't be right! It even generated the other half of the Driver, so why won't it work!?"

Then it hit him—he hadn't actually finished reading the item's description.

With growing suspicion, Nagami returned to the item screen.

He looked exactly like someone who skipped the tutorial and now had no clue how to play the game, reluctantly going back to re-read it.

"Goddammit. I want a refund!!"

He threw the Driver on the ground, and flames began to gather in his palm.

"This busted thing dares to claim I don't have the spirit of a Rider!?"

He started listing his "heroic deeds" with the righteous indignation of a wronged man:

— Beating up broke kids with dreams.

— Hunting rare primitive tribesmen.

— Brawling with Cairo's underground gangs.

— Harassing honest, hard-working salarymen.

— Ganging up on mob bosses.

— Plotting against African priests.

— Assassinating a patriotic president.

— Destroying model families.

"My golden spirit is pure as hell, you hear me!? And this stupid belt dares say I don't have a Rider's heart?!"

A stream of fire burst from Nagami's Honkai-charged hand as he hurled a real fireball at the red Driver—but it didn't leave so much as a scorch mark.

Frustrated, he picked the Driver back up.

C.C.'s eyes glowed, a spinning purple hexagram replacing her golden irises as she fully activated her analysis.

"Tch. So it's got a protection mechanism, huh?" She muttered softly as the symbol in her eyes faded away.

The belt was wrapped in multiple layers of system-level protection coded by the chat group.

There was no way Nagami could decipher it in his current state.

"…That doesn't make sense. Even if I don't have the so-called Rider's spirit, the 'Fated One' tag should've let me use it…" C.C. murmured, deep in thought.

Her eyes eventually landed on one key phrase in the item description:

"Two-in-one."

Wait a second…

Could the issue be that she and Nagami are technically the same person?

'Is this soul problem again…'

"…Guess I'll have to try it with someone else."

———————————————————————

Daily Uploads!

Unlock bonus chapters by reaching specific milestones with [Power Stone] votes!

Go to p-atreon.com/InsomniaTL to access more than 50 advanced chapters.