"By the way, I think I've seen the background of Sakiko's selfie somewhere before?"
Rikuo re-entered Sakiko's Line interface, looking at her selfie.
"Hmm, indeed, my wife is so cute. No, that's not right!"
Rikuo recalled for a moment.
"This should be the Kadokawa Musashino Museum. Was Wakaba Takafumi's first client in Musashino City? What a coincidence, the first Heart type was obtained in Musashino City."
Rikuo put away his phone, not paying too much attention, as the Kadokawa Museum was quite far from Kichijoji.
Walking out of Asukayama Park, Tomori and Anon were still waiting on a bench by the roadside.
"Riku, already?"
Anon picked up her guitar case, stood up, and jogged over. Tomori also followed behind Anon.
'Are you insulting me? I'm not fast!'
"Cough cough, the Anomaly ran away, we didn't even get to fight. It seems this isn't an Anomaly like an Earthbound Spirit, we'll have to wait until it appears again."
"Is that so? Then shall we go practice? We can use the 2 of Hearts today, I want to perform well in front of Taki! She's not allowed to criticize me anymore."
"For Taki not to pressure you, you'd have to maintain your skill level without using the 2 of Hearts at all, right? Taki knows everything now, and you can't use the 2 of Hearts to play guitar every time at a live performance, can you?"
Anon touched her head, thinking for a moment. Although she was very annoyed, she couldn't find any reason to refute.
"Alright, Riku, I'll practice hard."
"Hmm, Anon-chan is already working very hard! She'll definitely perform well at the live performance!"
Tomori took Anon's hand and encouraged her.
"Alright, then keep up the good work. I'll come listen to your practice today."
"Hmph hmph, today's Anon-sama is in her complete form!"
...
Kichijoji.
"It seems I managed to fool him."
Sakiko saw that Rikuo hadn't sent another message, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Good thing I thought of it on the way here; Rikuo would most likely message me after school. I got off the train one stop early to take a selfie."
Looking at Kichijoji with the police tape pulled across, Sakiko found a hidden, deserted corner and slipped in.
"Is this where Rikuo fought? The destruction this time isn't small either."
Sakiko looked at the massive collapse at the temple entrance, where a cherry tree should have been, now a large crater with a five-meter radius. Cracks extended from the surrounding paving stones, and there was a large hole in the temple wall.
"Rikuo said something about bread interfering with his battle here. Was that also an Anomaly's ability? But isn't this a plant Anomaly? Did the cherry tree mutate into a bread tree?"
Just then, a figure emerged from behind the Buddha statue in the temple's main hall. He wore clothes similar to Tibetan folk attire, a cloth robe, a headscarf, and carried a birdcage.
"Girl, I guess you're looking for Joker, aren't you? I sense the aura of the 7 of Spades."
Sakiko saw a figure emerge from the seemingly empty temple, instantly became alert, and took out the only Undead Card, the 7 of Spades, placing it in her palm, ready to use it at any moment.
"Haha, there's no need to be so afraid. Your Joker also has friends, right? I have the same relationship with this Joker as well, similar to 2 of Hearts? But because he passed away early, there was no one to entrust, so I could only use the power of the 10 of Clubs to unseal me. Of course, don't worry, not all Undead Cards will be unsealed; all category 10 abilities are one-time use."
Sakiko looked at the man's gentle demeanor, relaxing her guard, but still gripping the 7 of Spades tightly in her hand.
"Excuse me, who are you? And how do you know I'm looking for Joker?"
Seeing that Sakiko still wasn't completely relaxed, the man just smiled.
"Vigilance is a good thing. I sense the aura of the previous generation's Joker on you. But you shouldn't be his descendant; I remember the last one I saw was a boy. You must be a good friend of his, right?"
"As for my identity, you can call me Shima Noboru. Although I don't like that code-like name, you should be more familiar with this: I am the King of Clubs - Tarantula Undead."
Upon hearing Shima Noboru's explanation, Sakiko's pupils constricted, and the 7 of Spades in her hand almost dropped.
"You're the King of Clubs? And a friend of Joker's? Why didn't you help Rikuo? He has to fight alone, and since you're the strongest of your category, a K, you should be able to defeat Anomalies easily!"
Sakiko's hair stood on end, her eyes reddened, and she cried out to Shima Noboru, feeling distressed for Rikuo's plight.
"Oh, don't be so anxious. I originally intended to help him. I already witnessed his battle during that fight in Kichijoji."
Shima Noboru looked at Sakiko's panting expression, just shaking his head and slowly replying.
"Then, you clearly saw it! Why didn't you help him?"
"Girl, you need to let people finish speaking. I did want to help him, but if I helped him too much, it would interfere with his resolve to overcome fate. He is someone who can change fate. Moreover, I am an Undead Card who has lost his qualifications and cannot interfere with the Battle Fight."
Upon hearing Shima Noboru's words, Sakiko's expression immediately deflated.
"Then, I can't help Rikuo either? Why must he bear all of this alone?"
Shima Noboru looked at Sakiko's rapidly changing expression, smiled, walked over to her, and stroked her head to comfort her.
"I can't, but for you, it might be different."
Sakiko immediately became excited again, pulling on Shima Noboru's sleeve, almost tearing off his cloth robe.
"Really? Then how can I help Rikuo?"
Seeing Sakiko's excited demeanor, Shima Noboru shook his head and chuckled a few times.
"You really do like Rikuo, don't you? It feels like every sentence you say mentions him."
Sakiko's face turned crimson, and she opened her mouth to speak. Before she could reply, Shima Noboru continued.
"Even the strongest resolve needs salvation, and destinies can be intertwined. I am someone who has lost his qualifications and has no bond with Rikuo. But you, you can become his salvation, and in doing so, you will also become a part of his destiny."
"Become Rikuo's salvation? How exactly do I do that?"
"Gain the recognition of the Ace of Hearts. As for how to meet the Ace of Hearts, and how to obtain it, you must ask your own heart."
"Ask my own heart? Such a vague question..."
Sakiko looked down at the only Undead Card in her hand, then thought about how Rikuo looked every time he was injured, the side effects.
"Although I'm still not sure how to do it. But thank you, Shima Noboru-san! After saying so much, I haven't even introduced myself, how rude of me. My name is Sakiko, and I want to become Rikuo's salvation."
Sakiko stepped back two paces and performed a perfect 90-degree bow.
"You're welcome, Sakiko. If you have any problems in the future, you can still come find me. As long as you come to Kichijoji, I will appear. Also, if there's ever an Anomaly you can't fight, take this King of Clubs of mine."
Shima Noboru smiled in response to Sakiko and walked out of the temple.
"I'm going to explore this brand new era for a while. This is the future that everyone worked tirelessly to create. I hope you all can protect this era well."
Shima Noboru waved his hand, and his figure gradually faded away.
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