Am I a Kamen Rider or the real young master who was switched at birth?

Ye Yang stood at the entrance of Guangzhao Photo Studio, as if he were nailed to the spot.

This Japanese retro-style street-front shop is quietly located in the alley behind the busiest main street in Kowloon City.

Above the entrance hangs an old-fashioned wooden signboard with the words "Guangxie Zhenguan" written in traditional Chinese characters.

The storefront was simple and old, with a half-length white gauze curtain hanging on the wooden-framed glass door, and several potted green plants whose names I didn't know on the windowsill, their leaves glossy from the afternoon sun in Kowloon City.

Ye Yang raised the magenta camera on his chest and pressed the shutter button very lightly and quickly.

The camera clicked sharply, and a photograph popped out from the bottom, its edges marked with the signature magenta ghosting.

In the picture, the entrance of the photo studio gleamed with a warm, wooden sheen in the afternoon sunlight, just like he had seen on the television screen in his previous life.

"Wow—it hasn't changed at all." He put down his camera and said in a very soft tone.

Guang Xiahai walked up behind him, carrying a bag of oranges he had just bought at the alley entrance.

Hearing Ye Yang's exclamation, she turned her head slightly to look at the young man in the burgundy shirt, a gentle smile appearing on her lips:

"Have you been to our photo studio before? But we've only been in this world for a short time. You just said you'd seen our story far away—so you saw the Light Photo Studio in another world?"

Ye Yang put the camera down and scratched the back of his head somewhat embarrassedly:

"No—this is the first time I've seen it in person. But it feels very familiar, like I've known it for a long time. When we go inside, I'd like to take a picture with Shi and Onodera-senpai—if the old man is free, I'd like to ask him to take it for us."

Hikari Natsumi cupped her cheeks in her hands, her eyes, which had just been glaring fiercely at Tsukasa Kadoya, now curved into two shallow crescent moons, her tone filled with a heartfelt emotion:

"This is the first time we've met a fan like you in all this time we've been traveling. In other worlds, most people don't know us; we're just a group of people passing through. We never imagined that someone in this world would be waiting for us all this time."

"It feels so different—usually we're the ones chasing after other people's stories, but today someone is finally chasing after ours."

Tsukasa Kadoya pulled his hand out of his pocket, pointed to himself, and corrected him in a matter-of-fact tone:

"Although he's a fan of our team—ultimately, you guys are still benefiting from my fame. Look at the color of his clothes—magenta. Whose color is magenta? Mine."

"The armor he transforms into is Decade, the camera he uses is the same model as mine, and even his transformation moves are copied from mine. When he first met me, he was so excited that he could hardly speak."

"So to be precise, he's my fan, and you guys just happened to become fans of him. You're at most a—relatively important background character."

After hearing this, Hikari Natsumi gently placed the bag of oranges on the windowsill beside her, raised her right thumb again, aimed it at the back of Kadoya Tsukasa's neck, and said in an extremely calm but intimidating tone:

"Are you asking for a beating again? Wasn't that enough at the village entrance?"

Before her fingers could touch his neck, Tsukasa Kadoya decisively took a step forward, pushed open the wooden-framed glass door of the Hikari Photo Studio, and went inside.

"I'm back! Grandpa—there's a fan outside. He said he'd like you to take a picture with him. And what about Onodera? Is he dozing off in there again?"

Ye Yang followed Kadoya Tsukasa into the photo studio, with the three Lin sisters close behind.

Upon entering, the warm yellow light in the reception area envelops everyone in a soft, retro filter.

The walls were covered with all sorts of photos, some black and white, some color, some artistic photos with double images taken by Tsukasa Kadoya, but most of them were proper portraits taken by the old man himself.

A faint aroma of coffee filled the air, and a small blackboard hung on the wall behind the counter, displaying today's special menu.

In the main photography hall, a soft off-white background screen was lowered today, with an elderly woman with gray hair and a kind face standing in the center of the picture.

Today, Tang Yanqiu made a rare exception by changing out of her blue apron, which was covered in flour, and put on a neat dark gray cardigan with a tiny silver eagle badge pinned to the collar.

She stood in front of the backdrop, her posture upright yet relaxed, a warm smile on her lips.

An elderly man with gray hair and reading glasses was pointing an old-fashioned film camera at Tang Yanqiu.

He is Koei Jiro, the owner and chief photographer of Koei Photo Studio, an old man who is always smiling and has an almost obsessive pursuit of photography.

While adjusting the focus, he slowly guided Tang Yanqiu's posture in a leisurely tone:

"Very good—this pose is good. Look at the camera—yes, right here. Professor Tang, your smile is particularly good, very natural. Don't move—hold on a little longer—okay—taken."

He pressed the shutter, and the flash cast a soft white halo on the background screen.

Then he straightened up, carefully placed the camera back on the tripod, and gave a kind and satisfied smile:

"All done shooting—what style would you like to shoot in? We also have retro style, pastoral style, and what my granddaughter Xia Hai recently got into—artsy and fresh style."

"If you want to change the background, you can do that too. There are several backdrops you can switch between, including cherry blossom season limited edition backdrops and starry sky themed backdrops, all of which are quite beautiful."

Tang Yanqiu stepped down from in front of the backdrop, waved his hand and laughed, "No need, no need. Just give me the photos as soon as they're ready. It's rare to find someone willing to take my photos today, and they're so good. Your skills are truly excellent; no wonder you run a photography studio."

The young man who had been holding up the reflector board finally put it down.

He was wearing a red short-sleeved shirt with a golden Kuuga crest tattooed on his chest.

His facial features are strong and sunny, and he looks very energetic.

He is Yusuke Onodera – Kamen Rider Kuuga, and the one who pulled Ye Yang out of the ruins along with Tsukasa Kadoya.

He leaned the reflector against the wall, tilted his head back to stretch his aching shoulders, and let out a long sigh of relief that it was finally over.

"It's finally over—Grandpa, could you use a lighter lighting board next time? This board weighs at least several kilograms. I've been holding it for a while now, and I feel like I'm going to build up my biceps."

As Koeijiro carefully removed the film from the camera, he replied without looking up:

"You kid, you complain about being tired just by lifting a board. Look at those guys, they can take down hunters without even breaking a sweat. You still need to practice your airmanship."

Onodera smiled helplessly, about to retort, when he turned his head and saw Tsukasa Kadoya leading a group of people in through the door.

He immediately raised his hand and waved towards the door, a sincere and bright smile appearing on his sunny and handsome face: "Shi—Xia Hai—you're back. Why is it so lively today, bringing so many people back?"

His gaze swept behind Tsukasa Kadoya, first landing on Daiki Kaito, who was leaning against the doorframe, head down, playing with a gun. He blinked.

"Haidong, you're here too. What's the occasion? All the acquaintances are gathered here. Didn't you say you were going to find some new treasure? Why are you back again?"

Hai Dong twirled the Diend driver between his fingers and said in a helpless tone, "Just passing by. I happened to run into a taxi, so I thought I'd stop by. Don't worry about me, I'm just here for a free coffee."

Onodera clearly didn't believe Kaito's "just passing by," but he didn't press the matter, as his gaze was already drawn to the boy standing next to Kadoya Tsukasa.

Ye Yang's hands hung at his sides, his fingers gently rubbing the seams of his pants several times, his gaze sweeping from Onodera's face to the Kuuga crest on his chest.

His lips moved several times, then he took a step forward, stood up straight, and bowed very earnestly to Onodera:

"Hello, Onodera-senpai. My name is Ye Yang. You and Mr. Kadoya saved me during a trip when I was just a child. The three girls behind me are my family—Lin Yumin, Lin Xingran, and Lin Ying."

After hearing these words, Onodera was stunned for a long time.

He looked down at the boy bowing to him, then at the camera around the boy's neck that looked exactly like Shi's, and at the three Lin sisters behind him who were smiling politely.

Then he reached out and gently patted Ye Yang on the head, the same pressure he used when he crouched in the ruins and touched his head:

"Ah—you've grown so much. I remember you! You were only this tall when we pulled you out of the rubble—now you're taller than me."

"Time flies. You've even gotten the Kuuga armor—Tsukasa told me you fought pretty well when you transformed into Kuuga. I haven't seen it in person yet, let me see it sometime."

Ye Yang straightened up and looked at the smiling man in front of him. He suddenly felt that it was a very lucky thing to be able to stand here and say thank you to him in this lifetime.

"Yes. In the blink of an eye, the Heisei era has passed, and now we've entered the Reiwa era. I'm not a child anymore."

Just as Onodera was about to say something, a hand reached out from the side and lightly patted Ye Yang on the back of the head.

After taking the picture, Tsukasa Kadoya put his hands back in his pockets and said in an extremely calm tone:

"Why bring up these sentimental things? Alright—you've seen the person, you've visited the photo studio, the fan meeting is over. Now let's get down to business. Principal Tang is sitting over there, aren't you going over there?"

Ye Yang rubbed the back of his head where Shi had patted him, gave an embarrassed "Oh," and then turned and walked towards Tang Yanqiu's direction.

After he walked away, Onodera took a step closer to Tsukasa Kadoya, crossed his arms, and said softly in a sighing tone:

"Sigh—this is the meaning of our journey. Back then, when we were traveling around, we didn't even know what we were doing. Now that we see this kid all grown up, we suddenly feel that all those fights weren't in vain."

Tsukasa Kadoya glanced at him sideways, then said expressionlessly, "I think you're about to cry. Your eyes are red, and your nose is red too. Onodera, when did you become so prone to tears?"

Onodera's eyes widened suddenly, and he turned to Shi with a severely offended expression: "Shi! You're at it again! I didn't cry! I just—I just held the lighting panel up for too long while taking pictures, and my eyes got a little red from the light!"