C403

"What in the world is this?"

Gil gazed at the Kamen Rider Ruby armor worn by Miyu, captivated by those gleaming red eyes.

What a flawless design! Especially those large compound eyes...

It perfectly resonated with his sense of aesthetics!

Honestly, he had always thought that the gold armor he wore as an adult was a bit too vulgar.

Sure, he understood that as an adult, gold symbolized the dignity of kings, but it just wasn't his style. Now, though, he had found an armor that perfectly matched his tastes.

With excitement in his eyes, he opened the Gate of Babylon and began searching through its contents, hoping to find something similar to that fantastic armor.

Shirou ignored Gil's antics and turned his attention to Illya and Miyu. "Let's start with a practice battle so I can assess your basic abilities."

Both Illya and Miyu nodded in agreement.

Chloe pointed to herself and asked eagerly, "What about me, onii-chan?"

"You already possess knowledge, memories, and the records of the Card. You don't need any special training for now. Just observe from the sidelines."

"Oh," she pouted, feeling a bit disappointed.

Ruby's laughed maniacally, "Come, magical girl! Let me show you what true justice is!"

"Sister, please snap out of it." Sapphire said with a headache, "If you keep going like this, Master will get angry."

"Enough nagging! Magical girls are outdated!" Ruby yelled.

The bickering between Ruby and Sapphire didn't stop, sounding just like squabbling sisters.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed, Illya turned to Miyu and said, "I'll take the first shot, Miyu."

"Sure," she nodded in response.

"Shotgun!" Illya said as she waved Sapphire, causing several blue magic bullets to fly towards her opponent.

Unfortunately, the aim was a bit off, and most of the bullets missed their mark, hitting other areas instead.

Ruby let out a mocking laugh, "What's this? A magical girl? So weak, so weak! Miyu, show them what true justice is!"

In a dazzling display, Ruby emitted a crimson light and transformed from a belt into a Gatling gun, which Miyu held in her hand.

Illya was left dumbfounded, stuttering, "Wha... what is that?"

"Behold the power of justice! This is the armament of Kamen Rider Ruby, the Ruby Gatling!" Ruby proudly declared.

Miyu held the Gatling and pressed the trigger.

"Ratatatatatata—!!!"

The barrel's tongue of fire flickered as a barrage of tiny magical bullets rained down on Illya.

Panicking, she swiftly erected a magical barrier and hurriedly fled, "What is this, what is this!?"

"This is justice!" Ruby proclaimed proudly.

"Sister, please, you're heading down the path of evil!" Sapphire shouted sadly.

"Stop blabbering! Next up, the Ruby RPG!"

Ruby transformed into a crimson RPG, ready for action.

"Leave it to you, Miyu!" Ruby encouraged.

Miyu hesitated for a moment, "Will this hurt Illya?"

"No, it won't. Trust me," Ruby reassured her. "You have to believe in me~!"

"I understand."

Miyu took a steady aim at the fleeing Illya in the sky, calculating the variables in her mind, "Target approximately 1.75 kilometers away, wind speed about 2, minimal ballistic interference. Illya's evasive pattern is left three, right one... based on the sequence formula, there's a 73.8% chance it will hit here."

After carefully calculating the angle, she pressed the trigger.

"Boom——!!!"

The Ruby RPG unleashed a crimson magical cannon that surged forward and blasted into an empty space.

At first, it seemed like the shot had missed its target, as there was nothing in that spot. However, in a twist of fate, the next moment, Illya happened to land exactly where the blast was heading.

"What is this? What's happening?" Illya exclaimed in panic.

Reacting swiftly, she constructed a conical magical barrier to protect herself from the magical blast of Ruby RPG, avoiding any harm.

Just as Illya let out a sigh of relief, she was engulfed in darkness.

Looking up, she saw Miyu soaring high in the air, radiating with magical energy, ready to deliver a meteor-like kick straight at her.

Ruby shouted, "Face the judgment of justice, evil magical girl! This is the final blow, Ruby Rider Kick! Tear apart the dark era of magical girls, Kamen Rider Miyu, the embodiment of justice!"

Shirou: "…"

He couldn't help but cover his face, finding the whole scene too bizarre for him to watch.

Meanwhile, Gil, who had been rummaging through his treasury, came to an abrupt halt. He was captivated by Miyu's Rider Kick, stopping in his tracks to stare in fascination.

"Illya…" Chloe sounded somewhat worried.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Illya screamed in bewilderment.

However, to everyone's relief, the imagined flying kick didn't land on her face; Miyu missed her target.

Instead, she kicked a large tree right beside Illya.

"Boom!"

The tree exploded into a fiery burst.

As the flames settled, she turned her attention to Illya, peering through the pink compound eyes of her mask, "Are you alright, Illya? Did I hurt you?"

"Miyu... you were so scary." Illya teared up, trembling like a frightened little rabbit.

Miyu gently patted her head, "Don't be afraid, Illya. I won't hurt you."

"Such a disgrace, Illya. And you still want to be my big sister?" Chloe mocked with a sneer.

"Uuu~!" Illya trembled even more intensely.

Miyu stepped in to comfort her, gently petting Illya's head. "Good girl, good girl..."

But the taunting didn't stop there. Ruby chimed in, tauntingly addressing Sapphire, "Hahaha! Evil Sapphire, can you feel it? The power of justice! Tremble, magical girl!"

Sapphire: "…"

Sapphire let out a weary sigh and warned, "Sister, be careful not to be sent back and reforged by Master."

Ruby shouted defiantly, "What a joke! I stand for justice! Justice will never yield!"

Shirou clapped his hands to draw their attention. "Alright. I already understand your individual abilities. Illya, you have abundant magical energy. Miyu, you excel in data analysis. And Chloe, you possess the most extensive combat experience."

After a brief pause, he continued, "The three of you complement each other perfectly, forming a team that can work together. So, I won't train any one of you individually, but rather focus on enhancing your teamwork skills."

Shirou took out two bells and said, "Your training this afternoon is simple. Take these two bells from my hands. The one who can't take them will..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Illya excitedly interrupted, "Oh! I've seen this plot before. It's from Naruto!"

Shirou: "…"

He calmly put the bells away and said, "Team up and attack me together. Actions speak louder than words, and we'll build your teamwork through muscle memory. I'll keep it simple and only use projection to create a sword. No need for anything fancy, and I promise I won't go all out."

Illya and the others trusted him and launched their attacks against him.

True to his word, he only used a blunt sword from his projection. He smoothly dodged Chloe's intense Noble Phantasm bombardment and Miyu's powerful Rider Kick. Then, he shifted his focus to Illya, chasing her with the sword in hand.

"Why are you only chasing me?" Illya protested, panting as she ran.

He replied casually, "You have the most magical energy among your team."

"Liar! I know you're still holding a grudge from earlier!" Illya ran and cried.

Shirou chuckled, "Onii-san isn't that petty."

Hearing this, Gil showed a subtle smile.

After the afternoon team training, Shirou looked at the three disheveled girls and commented, "You all did well, but to unlock your team's true potential, each of you needs to find your own role within the team."

Shirou took a moment to pause, then he projected three weighted vests and handed them to the girls, saying, "Okay, put on these weighted vests and infuse them with your own magical energy. Let's run back home together."

"Oh!" Illya couldn't resist interjecting, "Onii-san, I know this plot too! It's from Dragon Ball, where Master Roshi trains Goku and Krillin with weighted turtle shells!"

Shirou: "…"

He put away the vests and calmly said, "Alright, now it's my turn to chase after you. Practice your evasion skills as I come at you."

Gripping the blunt sword, he started pursuing Illya and the others, causing a sense of fear to bubble up within them, urging them to run even faster.

However, he was much faster. After realizing they couldn't outrun him, they quickly made the decision to split up and flee in three different directions.

And then —

"Why do you keep coming after me!?" Illya glanced back at him, who was hot on her heels with the sword, and cried out as she desperately tried to escape.

"You have the most magical energy, so you need more training." 

"You're lying!" she cried.

Meanwhile, Miyu and Chloe stood together, watching the 'training'.

While Miyu's expression remained calm, Chloe was unable to hide her satisfaction. A pleased smile formed on her face as she watched her sister's struggle.

At this moment, Gil approached Miyu with a slightly awkward expression and said, "Um... onee-chan..."

"What's the matter, Gil?" she asked curiously.

With a radiant smile, Gil asked, "Do you think you could lend me your armor for a little while?"

Chloe rolled her eyes and sneered, "Who would've thought the King of Heroes would turn out to be such a pervert!"

"I'm not a pervert!" Gil protested, looking displeased. "How could I resist the allure of such a perfectly crafted armor when it's right in front of me?"

Chloe couldn't resist taunting him with a disgusted expression.

Miyu shook her head, "Sorry, but I can't lend it to you. This armor is mine, and besides, Ruby..."

Ruby quickly chimed in, "Yeah, as for me, I'm just not into boys."

Gil pouted, muttering, "You're all so stingy. What's so great about it? I can make my own armor anyway!"

With that, Gil turned and walked away.

Despite the weird moments, the day remained joyful, except for poor Illya, who spent it being chased and crying in misery.

As the day came to an end, Shirou returned home with Miyu, and Ruby playfully floated around her as they went about their evening.

Back at home, Sakura and Gray had already prepared a delicious dinner. As they all sat down to eat, Ritsuka's eyes occasionally wandered towards Ruby, who was hovering beside Miyu.

Once dinner was over, both Miyu and Gray helped Sakura with the household chores.

At this moment, Ritsuka discreetly asked Miyu if they could have a private conversation with Ruby.

Sakura seemed concerned and was about to step in, but Shirou gestured for her to let them be.

Miyu understood and took Ruby with her to a separate room to have a private conversation with Ritsuka.

Ritsuka looked at Ruby and asked, "Ruby, he didn't do anything to you, did he?"

Ruby shook her head reassuringly, saying, "No, not at all, Ritsuka. He didn't do anything to me."

Then, with a hint of remorse, Ruby added, "Sorry for getting you into trouble with your brother."

"It's okay, we're still good friends!" Ritsuka's voice choked with emotion.

Miyu remained quiet, uncertain of how to respond. It was a delicate situation because Ruby now belonged to her, and it felt as though she had taken something important away from Ritsuka.

"Miyu..." she spoke up, looking at her with a serious expression.

"What is it?"

She placed Ruby into Miyu's hand and said, "As a senior magical girl, I pass on Ruby, the symbol of love and justice, to you, my junior."

"Are you sure about this, Ritsuka?"

Through tearful eyes, she said, "It's because... if I keep using Ruby, my brother will never let go of her. I'd rather give up being a magical girl than let Ruby disappear!"

Ruby was deeply touched by her words.

Come to think of it, why was her Master so obsessed with a magical girl...? 

Perhaps it was because of the pure and beautiful innocence of the magical girls.

Ritsuka cried, "Miyu, promise me, you must take good care of Ruby! Treat her just as I did!"

Miyu nodded solemnly, "I promise, I will."

"Then... then, as I pass the wand to my junior, I will retire... Wah!" 

Ritsuka ran away crying.

As a senior magical girl, she entrusted love, justice, and her own ideals to her junior. 

It was such a beautiful scene. 

However...

"We should let her know that we're no longer magical girls, but Kamen Riders now."

Miyu hushed Ruby, placing a finger on her lips, "Let the magical girl have her beautiful ending."

"Wow, Miyu, I didn't expect our tastes to match so well!" Ruby laughed heartily.