Chapter 26: The Moment of Farewell and the Lost Driver
"Are you feeling excited?" Dick and Damian asked, noticing Kaito Haruno's barely concealed excitement as he trembled with anticipation over the rewards hinted at by his system. It was just about having taken down three crime organizations—was it really worth getting this worked up?
"Of course! It's my first time getting rewards! Ugh, taking out so much trash makes me feel like I can brag a bit." Kaito caught himself almost letting slip too much, quickly backpedaling on his words. Dick and Damian didn't dwell on Kaito's slip-up. Seeing the police arriving below, they planned to leave.
By the time they returned to Dick's place, it was nearly four in the morning. Although Kaito had the physique of a Showa hero, he still felt the weight of sleep pressing down on him, wishing he could just turn around and dive into the warmth of his own bed. But that wasn't an option now. Having dealt with the major players in the human trafficking ring in Naxinor City meant that Damian's vacation there was over; it was time to head back to Gotham.
"I booked a train ticket for 10 AM tomorrow to Gotham. I'll take you back to see Alfred," Dick said, handing a glass of juice to Damian.
"Whatever," Damian replied, taking the juice but turning away, sulking as he drank.
Seeing Damian act so childish made Kaito want to laugh. This side of Damian seemed so much more like a kid; usually, he wore a frown that screamed, "It's not me, it's the world." Why take life so seriously? Life is short; if you don't let yourself enjoy it, aren't you just making it harder on yourself?
"It looks like you both have your plans set. I'll take my leave now. Dick, can we chat for a moment?" Kaito said as he prepared to exit, waving goodbye to Dick.
Dick was curious about Kaito's request, so he followed him outside. As they reached the door, Kaito glanced back at Damian, who was still sipping his juice, and turned to Dick, saying, "Although this is your family business, I have a suggestion. If you have time, take Damian out to relax more. He's a good kid but can be a bit obsessive. I doubt Batman knows how to interact with kids like him very well. You and I have been through it; it would help to talk to him more."
"Wow, you're actually concerned about Damian? That's quite the news," Dick teased.
"Come on, I'm just looking out for you. Life's tough; find more things to make yourself happy. Don't always make it so dark. Anyway, see you, and have a pleasant trip back to Gotham."
Kaito shared a few encouraging words with Dick before leaving. On his way back, he tried to recall what he'd read in the DC comics. It seemed this world leaned more toward a blend of animated films, comics, and TV shows, disconnected from the still-expanding film universe. Kaito wondered if events like the Injustice storyline would ever occur. He figured it was best to prepare for the worst; at the very least, he needed to ensure that Dick and Damian built a good relationship. If an incident arose where Robin killed Nightwing, that would be catastrophic.
Yes, Kaito had figured it out. He was laid-back, sure, but if he didn't have the system forcing him to undertake dangerous missions, even knowing he was in this fantastical DC world wouldn't motivate him to alter his fate. If he survived, great; if not, then that was just destiny. But now that he had the system—one that coerced him into completing perilous tasks—Kaito knew he couldn't escape it.
No matter what, he would be swept into various major DC events. He even felt he might already be on the radar of the Justice League and Batman. If that was the case, he needed to work hard to earn points and unlock the Knight suit, giving himself a better chance of survival. In the old Heisei era, aside from Decade, most limits had been reached, but in the new Heisei era—setting aside the unfinished Zio—there were plenty of knights still to be explored. Combined with his tri-colored aura training system, Kaito wasn't without the skills to take on Uncle Dick.
[Forget about that for now; I should focus on counting the rewards from this mission. You still need to be tough to forge iron.]Pushing aside those scattered thoughts, Kaito jumped and maneuvered through the buildings until he reached his home, ready to tally up the rewards given to him by the system. The Drive ambulance was a great find, having saved his life countless times when the veteran driver was on the brink of collapse. However, Kaito still hadn't figured out if this little gadget could be used directly, since the veteran could use it because he had the Drive belt, and Kaito had nothing.
"System, can this ambulance be used alone?"
"Of course, host. Every mobile speed vehicle is equipped with an intelligent program and does not require the Drive belt for operation."
The system's explanation reassured Kaito; otherwise, it would be awkward to summon a vehicle that was of no use to him. He wasted no time and, while he still had some energy, decided to use his three lottery chances. The three wheels with the Dream Vegas design from the veteran spun in the space around him. Since he missed out on five draws initially, Kaito's luck seemed to have changed for the better, as he managed to draw decent items each time.
"Congratulations, host! You didn't draw anything~" Kaito was utterly flabbergasted, seriously suspecting that the lottery was rigged by the nefarious system. Just moments ago, he had thought his luck was decent, only to be greeted with this cruel reminder from the system.
"Congratulations, host! You have received a single Lost Driver. It can be carried with you or stored in the system space for summoning."
"Congratulations, host! You have used all three lottery chances."
Before Kaito could curse, he was bombarded by the two extreme pieces of news from the system, leaving him dizzy. The Lost Driver was a good item—used for transformation in the W world and came with a built-in microphone feature. But without a memory card, he wouldn't even be able to use the mic. Why did this thing have to be so cruel?
"Damn it, system, that's just unfair! At least give me a memory card! What's the point of this without it?"
"I can't help it; luck in the lottery works that way. But you can buy one."
"Seriously?! If I could afford it, I wouldn't need to ask!" Looking at the memory cards for the W series, which easily cost hundreds of thousands of points, Kaito almost cried. Especially the Eternal Memory card from the theater version villain, E, which had the same exorbitant price as the Heisei brother's card—Kaito felt it was a strong condemnation from the Main Rider Protection Association!
Grumbling to himself, Kaito placed the Lost Driver into his storage. He thought he might finally be free from the G3 armor curse, but it looked like he'd still need to wear it for a while. Feeling somewhat disheartened, he checked the items he currently possessed: ten cans from San Egg, the veteran's mobile speed vehicle, the W Lost Driver, and a time-unlimited original training card for minions. With no good knight armor to use, he thought of compensating with his tri-colored aura and clicked to use the training card.
"Ugh!" Another familiar voice echoed, announcing the arrival of 15 battle minions, slightly different in attire but with a bone emblem on their chests. They charged at him with machetes. He managed to block one with his armed color, but it still sent him flying with a horrific scream.
"Damn! Is this what you call minions?! Are you messing with me, system?!" Kaito cursed, clutching his bleeding arm.
"Oh, I forgot to mention, the minion training card you used earlier had the lowest combat power. Considering it's been around since the Showa era and has mingled in the Heisei films, did you think their strength would be subpar? These are elite Bone Soldiers, with combat power ten to fifteen times that of a normal person. You can think of them as super soldiers. Otherwise, do you think the title 'Old Showa Perv' is just for show? Host, you still have to work hard!"
Listening to the system's taunts, Kaito lost all will to curse. It turned out he'd been stuck at a level where he could only fight super soldiers and still get countered. The contrast was disheartening. Without a second thought, Kaito summoned a high-fidelity Lake Toya, removed the gravity field, enveloped himself in armed color, and charged straight at the 15 elite super soldiers, preparing for a painful night of training.
(End of Chapter)