Chapter 904

The scene before the rewind is still frozen in her mind: Hua stands at the doorway, holding the cough syrup, and the light in her eyes dims inch by inch.

Interpretation: Before the rollback, that scene remained frozen in her mind; Hua stood at the doorway, holding cough syrup in her hand, the light in her eyes dimming bit by bit.

We need to keep meaning. Use natural English: "Before the rollback, that scene remained frozen in her mind: Hua stood at the doorway, holding a bottle of cough syrup, the light in her eyes fading bit by bit."

She was holding the cough syrup.

The light in her eyes dimmed bit by bit.

Thus: "Before the rollback, that scene remained frozen in her mind; Hua stood at the doorway, holding the cough syrup, the light in her eyes dimming bit by bit."

Make sure no extra.

That image makes her very uncomfortable.

Translation: "That scene made her feel very uncomfortable."

The discomfort isn't emotional; it's tied to the mission's failure, and she keeps stressing that to herself.

Translation: "Her discomfort had nothing to do with feelings; it was due to the mission failure, and she kept reminding herself of that in her heart."

All right.

Translation: "Alright."

Calm analysis.

Translation: "Calmly analyze."

The reason the first attempt failed is clear: she was late.

Translation: "The reason for the failure of the first attempt was clear: she arrived too late."

Hua's father had already been killed before she arrived; the killer's identity and motive are unknown, the scene left insufficient clues, and the system permissions were suppressed so heavily that tracing and resurrection both failed.

Translation: "Hua's father had already been killed before she arrived; the killer's identity and motive were unknown, the scene left insufficient clues, and the system permissions were suppressed too heavily, causing both traceback and resurrection to fail."

So the solution is simple: go earlier.

Translation: "So the solution is also simple: go earlier."

If she can reach the dojo before the killer acts, she has a chance to stop the crime.

Translation: "If she could reach the Martial Arts Hall before the killer struck, she would have a chance to prevent the murder."

The original plan was to go after school, a twenty‑minute walk, but judging from the corpse, the time of death was within twenty minutes before she would have arrived, meaning the killer struck shortly before school let out.

Translation: "The previous plan was to go after school, a twenty-minute walk, but judging from the corpse's condition, the time of death was likely within twenty minutes before she arrived, meaning the killer acted shortly before school let out."

If she leaves earlier—say, right now—and rides a faster vehicle, she should be able to reach the dojo before the killer.

Translation: "If she moved up her departure time—for example, leaving now and riding a slightly faster vehicle—she should be able to reach the Martial Arts Hall before the killer."

With luck, she could even catch the killer in the act, punch him into the wall, and then naturally fulfill Hua's wish, restoring Hua's father to health with tears of gratitude, completing the mission and clearing everyone's stage.

Translation: "If luck was on her side, she might even catch the killer in the act, punch him into the wall, then naturally fulfill Hua's wish, letting Hua's father recover his health in tears of gratitude, completing the mission and letting everyone clear the stage."

So this time she doesn't intend to be a good teacher at all.

Translation: "So this time she didn't intend to be a good teacher."

Forget his schedule, forget his after‑school.

Forget his schedule, forget his after-school.

She goes straight there, sets up an early ambush, and sees what surprise this painted world has prepared for her.

Translation: "She went straight over, set up an ambush in advance, to see what surprise this Painted World had prepared for her."

Heimo straightens her posture and smooths her collar.

Translation: "Heimu straightened her body and adjusted her collar."

Then she strides down the stairs with a swagger.

Translation: "Then she strode down the stairs."

A few scattered students pass through the first‑floor lobby of the teaching building; each greets her politely with "Hello, teacher," and she replies with a smiling nod and "Good afternoon," her expression flawless, nothing like a woman who has just experienced a time rewind.

Translation: "In the lobby on the first floor of the Teaching Building, a few students walked by sparsely; seeing her, they politely called out 'Good morning, teacher,' to which she uniformly smiled, nodded, and added 'Good afternoon,' her expression flawless, completely unlike a woman who had just undergone Time Reversal."

After leaving the teaching building, she doesn't take the main entrance but turns toward the side door beside the bike shed.

Translation: "Leaving the Teaching Building, she didn't go out the main gate but turned to the side door beside the bicycle shed."

Outside the side door is a narrow alley that's usually empty, with a dense clump of wild grass growing at the base of the wall.

Translation: "Outside the side door was a narrow alley, usually deserted, with a thick patch of wild grass growing at the base of the wall."

She walks the alley to its end and then spots the motorcycle.

Translation: "She walked to the end of the alley and then saw that motorcycle."

It's parked beside a fire hydrant at the alley's mouth, painted in purple‑black, its body sleek and sharp, the paint shimmering with a deep luster in the sun as if an entire night sky had been compressed and coated onto it.

Translation: "It was parked beside the fire hydrant at the alley's entrance, in a purple-black color scheme, with sharp, smooth lines; the paint gleamed with a deep luster in the sunlight, as if a whole night sky had been compressed, solidified, and then coated onto it."

The LED headlamp is a dark red, like the half‑closed eye of a predator in the dark.

Translation: "The LED headlights on the front were dark red, like the half-closed eyes of some predatory creature in the darkness."

A ring of icy‑blue ambient lights encircles the instrument panel, pulsing slowly in a breathing rhythm.

Translation: "On the instrument panel, a ring of ice-blue ambient lights was embedded, now slowly pulsing in a breathing rhythm."

Heimo stands beside the motorcycle, scanning it from head to toe.

Translation: "Heimu stood beside the motorcycle, examining it from head to tail."

cool~—as expected, it's me!

Translation: "Cool~ As expected of me!"

She kicks her foot out, swings her long leg onto the seat, feeling the leather's soft‑but‑firm texture through her skirt.

Translation: "She kicked up the stand, swung her long leg onto the seat, and felt the leather's texture through her skirt—soft and just right."

Both hands grip the handlebars, fingers naturally resting on the brake and clutch; her wrist angle is just right, as if every dimension of the bike were custom‑fitted to her height and arm length.

Translation: "She gripped the handlebars, her fingers naturally resting on the brake and clutch, her wrist angle just right, as if every dimension of the bike had been tailor-made for her height and arm length."

She twists the throttle, and the engine growls lowly, sounding less like machinery and more like a awakened creature stretching its muscles beneath her.

Translation: "She twisted the throttle, and the engine let out a low growl—not mechanical, but like some awakened living thing stretching its limbs beneath her."

A small stream of pale‑blue flame shoots from the exhaust tip, flipping a few dead leaves on the ground multiple times.

Translation: "A thin stream of pale blue flame sprayed from the exhaust pipe, blowing the few dry leaves on the ground into several flips."

She reaches into the storage compartment at the front and pulls out a helmet.

Translation: "She reached into the front storage compartment and pulled out a helmet."

It's a full‑face helmet in purple‑black, the visor dark tea‑colored, with a sleek silver reflective stripe on each side; once on, her whole face disappears into shadow, leaving only a sliver of pale skin on her chin and a faint curve at the corner of her mouth.

Translation: "A full-face helmet, purple-black in color, with a dark tea-colored visor and a silver reflective strip on each side; once worn, her whole face was hidden in shadow, revealing only the faintly reflective white skin of her chin and the subtle curve of her lips."

She pulls her ash‑gray long hair out from behind the helmet, the ends fanning over her shoulders and drifting lightly in the wind.

Translation: "She pulled her gray-white long hair out from the back of the helmet, letting the ends fall over her shoulders, where they swayed lightly in the wind."

The motorcycle bursts out of the alley, and as it turns onto the main road the tail swings into an ultra‑smooth arc.

Translation: "The motorcycle rode out of the alley, and as it turned onto the main road, the rear swung out in an extremely smooth arc."

Ginkgo leaves on the road are lifted by the wheels, twirling a few times in the air before gently settling back down.

Translation: "The ginkgo leaves on the road were swept up by the wheels, flipping a few times in the air before gently drifting back down."

She twists the throttle again, the engine's roar rising a pitch, and the speedometer needle climbs rapidly.

Translation: "She twisted the throttle again, the engine's roar rose a notch, and the numbers on the speedometer ticked up quickly."

"So good!"

Translation: "'Awesome!'"

The wind slams into her, split by the visor, rushing past both sides and turning the ash‑gray hair behind her shoulders into a flag.

Translation: "The wind hit head-on, split by the helmet's visor, howling past on both sides, blowing her gray-white hair behind her shoulders into a flag."

It takes her less than a minute to ride from the school to the main road at the gate.

Translation: "From the school to the main road at the gate took less than a minute."

At the school gate, Kosumo is carrying out her security duty.

Translation: "At the school gate, Kesi Mo was carrying out her security duty."

Dressed in a full Kamen Rider‑style armor on the inner side of the gate, her ice‑blue pauldrons jut upward in the sun, the metal cut‑lines along the edges sharp and refined, a cape fluttering in the afternoon breeze; a fully enclosed helmet hides her entire face, while warm orange geometric patterns on the visor pulse with her breathing.

Translation: "Wearing a full set of knight‑style armor, she stood inside the school gate; her ice‑blue pauldrons rose high in the sunlight, the metal cutting edges on their rims finely sharp, her cape fluttered lightly in the afternoon breeze, the full‑face helmet covered her entire face, and the warm‑orange geometric pattern on the visor pulsed with her breathing."

She has been standing at the gate for almost two hours.

Translation: "She had been standing at the gate for nearly two hours."

As a rookie security officer, Yingjie's professionalism is exemplary: posture perfectly upright, motionless, hands clasped behind her back, chin slightly raised, the fully enclosed helmet slowly rotates left‑to‑right and right‑to‑left, performing the standard "fan‑scan" as she repeatedly surveys everything inside and outside the gate.

Translation: "As a Yingjie who had never been a guard, her professionalism was exemplary: she stood ramrod straight, motionless, hands clasped behind her back, chin slightly raised, the full‑face helmet slowly turning left to right and right to left, repeatedly scanning everything inside and outside the gate along the standard 'fan sweep' pattern."

Passing elementary students slow down; some pull out phones to snap pictures from afar, others tug a companion's sleeve and whisper, "Is that a Kamen Rider?" "You're blind, that shoulder pad is clearly a male rider." "So cool, I want an autograph." "Would you dare go?" "I wouldn't."

Translation: "Passing elementary school students slowed down, some pulling out phones to take distant photos, others tugging their companions' sleeves and whispering, 'Is that a Kamen Rider?' 'You're blind—those shoulder proportions are obviously male.' 'So cool, I want an autograph.' 'You dare go?' 'I don't dare.'"

The face inside Kosumo's helmet warms slightly at the murmurs, but she maintains an immovable composure—just kidding, she's one of the Thirteen Flames, has faced Law‑keepers and Collapse Beasts, and a handful of elementary onlookers won't make her lose her edge.

Translation: "Kesi Mo's face inside the helmet warmed slightly at the whispers, but she kept her expression immobile as a mountain—after all, she was one of the Pursuing Fire Thirteen Yingjie, having faced Herrschers and Collapse Beasts; a few elementary school onlookers wouldn't make her slip."

Whether she internally debates if she counts as a "knight" after becoming a Kamen Rider is a mystery no outsider will ever know.

Translation: "As for whether, in her mind, she was endlessly debating whether becoming a Kamen Rider still counted as a 'knight,' outsiders would never know."

Then she hears the engine roar.

Translation: "Then she heard the engine sound."

That sound could only come from a vehicle, and the vehicle is speeding down the main road deep within the campus toward the gate.

Translation: "That sound could only come from a vehicle, and that vehicle was speeding toward the school gate from the deep part of the campus main road."

Kosumo's helmet turns toward the source.

Translation: "Kesi Mo's helmet turned toward the source of the sound."

A purple‑black silhouette appears at the far end of the main road, the paint flashing a dazzling streak in the sunlight.

Translation: "A purple‑black silhouette appeared at the end of the main road, the paint on its body reflecting a dazzling bright line in the sunlight."

Her visual sensor completes target identification in a fraction of a second: an unknown‑model motorcycle, purple‑black, rider in a black teacher's uniform, ash‑gray hair streaming from the helmet's rear edge.

Translation: "Her visual sensors identified the target in a fraction of a second: an unknown model motorcycle, purple‑black, rider wearing a black teacher's uniform, gray‑white long hair pulled out from the back of the helmet and fluttering in the wind."

It's Ms. Heimo.

Translation: "It was the Black Curtain Lady."

Behind her there's no Greesh or Hua, just herself, so nothing major should be happening.

Translation: "Behind her were neither Ge Lei Xiu nor Hua—just her alone—so there shouldn't be any big trouble."

When Heimo is about twenty meters from the gate, she begins to decelerate; the motorcycle carves a smooth arc on the asphalt, tires whispering a faint hiss, and she comes to a precise stop less than a meter in front of Kosumo.

Translation: "Heimu began to slow down when she was still twenty meters from the school gate; the motorcycle traced a smooth arc on the asphalt, the tires whispering against the ground, and she came to a precise stop less than a meter in front of Kesi Mo."

She plants one foot on the ground, pushes the visor up, revealing dark‑purple eyes and a face forever wearing a lazy curve.

Translation: "She planted one foot on the ground, pushed the visor up, and revealed dark‑purple eyes and a face perpetually curved with a lazy smile."

"Ms. Heimo."

Translation: "'Black Curtain Lady.'"

Kosumo's voice emanates from the fully enclosed helmet's speaker, layered with an electronic effect.

Translation: "Kesi Mo's voice came from the speaker of her full‑face helmet, layered with an electronic effect."

She hesitated briefly, probably feeling that merely calling a name without asking what was needed didn't suit her current Security Test Staff role, so she added, "Need any help?"