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Did the President trick this blonde girl?
That thought flashed through Tsubaki's mind—
And was immediately rejected.
"No, no... The President would never deceive a young girl, Clearly, this blonde must be misunderstanding something due to… special circumstances."
Because Anos held such an upright, almost radiant image in her mind, any possibility of wrongdoing shifted entirely onto Jeanne instead.
Anos, meanwhile, frowned slightly.
They couldn't continue this conversation here.
"Tsubaki, I can't just ignore her, I'll step away for a bit."
Before Jeanne could say anything potentially catastrophic, Anos grabbed her wrist and pulled her along.
Tsubaki watched them leave.
can't he ignore her…? So she requires supervision? A psychiatric case, perhaps?
Her internal theory was instantly reinforced.
Jeanne, on the other hand, arrived at a completely different conclusion.
Can't he ignore me? Did he fight the evil dragon because he likes me?
..Kiss?
..Marriage?
..Honeymoon?
..Children?
....?
She was overthinking's final boss...
Anos' words were deliberate.
He knew exactly what kind of assumptions both girls would make.
As a result, he successfully dragged Jeanne out of Tsubaki's line of sight.
Explaining their relationship would have been exhausting.
"We just happened to meet, and I called myself a Kamen Rider to brush her off"?
If he had known they would reunite this quickly, he would never have used something so embarrassingly easy to trace back.
It worked on simple-minded enthusiasm.
Not on normal people.
"Well… what's your name?"
Jeanne suddenly realized she hadn't asked.
"Anos Kanzaki."
He sighed softly.
For a fleeting second, he considered two options:
Eliminate her here.
Or use her to approach the Hero Faction and eventually Ophis.
The thought lingered.
"Anos Kanzaki.…" Jeanne repeated proudly. "I'm Jeanne, as in Saint Jeanne d'Arc."
Her chin lifted slightly.
Yes.
She was the descendant of the French saint. The inheritor of Jeanne d'Arc's bloodline and spirit.
Impressive, wasn't it?
Even compared to a "Kamen Rider," she felt she held her ground.
"I see... The legendary Jeanne, your courage and spirit certainly live up to the name."
Anos spoke gently, as if praising a child.
To be fair—
Charging a dragon's remnant soul on sight did deserve recognition.
"Well… It's merely one chapter in a hero's journey."
Her lips curved upward before she could stop them.
"So what happened to the black dragon?" she asked earnestly.
"I sent it into the Dimensional Gap," Anos replied smoothly. "A mindless remnant like that won't find its way back."
He had no intention of admitting he'd suppressed and absorbed it.
"Oh… then I suppose the incident is resolved."
She nodded without suspicion.
In her view, Anos had no reason to lie.
"By the way," she continued brightly, "you still haven't told me about the legend of the Kamen Rider! And what level are you, exactly? Anyone who can relocate an evil dragon must be powerful. You could join us and accomplish true heroic feats!"
She chirped beside him like an energetic bird.
"I just want an ordinary life," Anos replied with a faint, weary smile. "Heroic epics have nothing to do with me."
"What I want to protect… is just this town."
He met her eyes directly.
"So please—don't spread what you saw."
If she revealed his involvement in suppressing the dragon, his power would become public knowledge.
If she revealed the "Kamen Rider" line—
He might never recover socially.
He had considered silencing her permanently.
Or imprisoning her.
He had run the calculation.
Result:
She was merely scouting and gathering intelligence. If she disappeared, the Hero Faction would immediately lock onto Kuoh.
That would complicate everything.
So instead—
He chose charisma.
Suppressing the lingering strain in his body, he subtly activated a trace of the Biblical divinity.
His gaze grew warmer.
Deeper.
Jeanne faltered.
"Y-you… you just want to protect this place quietly?"
She looked unexpectedly serious.
"Yes."
He nodded.
According to his limited prediction window—
This angle was highly effective.
Jeanne clenched her fists.
"To protect a land in silence is also a hero's duty! Don't worry, Anos. I won't reveal your identity!"
She declared it solemnly.
"Thank you, I trust you, Jeanne."
Internally, Anos relaxed.
His final decision had been clear:
For now, he would not approach Cao Cao or the Hero Faction.
Absolute Dichotomy had already evaluated the branches.
And it had never once been wrong.
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~Support with 300 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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