Unable to pay off my debts, I had no choice but to become a Kamen Rider.

There is only one convenience store on the beach—the others are all small vendor stalls.

It's nothing more than opening a shop and selling drinks or snacks. Those shops are all on the beach, on the side closest to the road.

The convenience store that Asano Yu wanted to go to was on the other side of the road. To get there, you first had to go up the stairs, then cross the busy road, and finally arrive at the 711-Eleven chain store.

As soon as Asano Yu stepped into 711-Eleven, he immediately felt the comfort unique to this large chain store – air conditioning!

The sweltering heat was instantly swept away by the cool air conditioning, and the helplessness and displeasure that Asano Yu had felt before entering the room also vanished in an instant.

He thought that if it was this air conditioner running at full power, it might be the reason why Kirishima Chinatsu hadn't returned yet.

But...

That's been a bit too long.

Asano Yu has two tasks: one is to help Kirishima Chinatsu, who went to buy water alone, carry her things, and the other is to find Kirishima Chinatsu, who went to buy water alone.

According to Hayami Mitsuki, Kirishima Chinatsu volunteered to buy water for the entire crew because of the hot weather.

Before setting off, Hayami Mitsuki carefully asked Kirishima Chinatsu about her destination, which was the 711-Eleven. That's why Hayami Mitsuki asked Asano Yu to go there to find her.

But the question is, this journey shouldn't take much time, so why does it seem so long?

That's why Asano Yu found it strange.

Asano Yu stood in front of the automatic door, took a step forward to get out of the sensor area so that the door could close and she wouldn't be looked at with a complaining gaze by the shop assistant.

He raised the camera from his chest and scanned the store.

In the viewfinder, a confused shop assistant, a curious child, a disdainful old man, and two blond-haired boys appear one after another.

The shop assistant didn't say anything, the child didn't say anything, and the old man didn't say anything either. Instead, it was the man who looked obviously a bit irritable who came over.

Great, this time there are no weirdos and no aliens.

What about Kirishima Chinatsu?

What are you filming?

The tall, blond-haired man approached. He had a short buzz cut, and if he could dye such short hair yellow, his scalp must be yellowish too.

Asano Yu looked up and found that all she could see was the top of the other person's head. She glanced at it and saw that it seemed to be clean.

However, some residue remains.

The other one is to keep long wolf tail hair that looks like it will definitely cause rashes.

Do I still need this hairstyle to go to the beach...?

Have you ever seen a very pretty and cute girl?

Asano Yu casually asked the other a question, but to his surprise, the two exchanged a smile and then scoffed:

"You're eyeing her too? Give me a break, buddy, forget it, I mean forget it..."

A short-haired blond man walked over and tried to put his arm around Asano Yu, but Asano Yu dodged him.

Seeing that Asano Yu was unmoved, the man with the wolf tail hair stepped forward, believing he was offering kind advice:

"That girl is pretty, but she has a weird temper. She doesn't respond when you talk to her, like she's looking at a dead person. Don't mess around, bro—"

Immediately afterward, the short-haired man added:

"And that girl was incredibly strong; she lifted so much water all by herself, without even showing any expression!"

Was Kirishima Chinatsu really that strong?

Asano Yu suddenly remembered that she had helped her carry things, move her luggage, and open bottle caps before. It turned out that she was not only an ordinary tomboy, but could even carry so many things by herself.

However, before that, Asano Yu had something very important to ask—

"So you've failed?"

Asano Yu smiled, seemingly able to picture the scene from that moment:

The two men tried to strike up a conversation with Kirishima Chinatsu, but she ignored them.

However, here's the problem: Kirishima Chinatsu is an exceptionally polite and well-behaved girl. Even when faced with someone trying to strike up a conversation, it's unlikely she would simply ignore them. So there must be something fishy going on here.

When Asano Yu pointed out their mistake, their expressions turned slightly displeased, and the short-haired brothers were immediately ashamed and blushed.

"So, do you know where she went?"

Asano Yu raised his head and gave a very kind smile.

After Asano Yu asked them in a "kind" manner, the short-haired and wolf-tailed boys pointed in a direction and then slunk away, covering their cheeks.

They wouldn't listen to reason; they insisted on playing the protector, and only after Asano Yuu showed them a photo of himself and Kirishima Chinatsu did they finally back down.

What a unique kind of "warm-heartedness" in this cold and impersonal Japanese society!

Asano Yu didn't see anyone who was angry because their advances were rejected; he only saw two enthusiastic citizens who wanted to act as her protectors!

As for what role Asano Yu played in this, it's not very important.

In short, he received information that Kirishima Chinatsu was carrying two large bags alone and walking eastward along the road, near the hotel where Asano Yu and the others were staying, but he didn't understand—

Why did Kirishima Chinatsu take those things back to the hotel?

It seems like calling for help via mobile phone would be faster, right?

So Asano Yu felt there was something fishy about this. It's not like you can't just leave your things at a convenience store and take out your phone to make a call, so why does it have to be so complicated?

Could it be that you've encountered some situation where you can't make a phone call?

"That's strange..."

Asano Yu hurried towards the hotel, when he inexplicably saw two children huddled around a plastic bag, seemingly trying to take something from inside.

"Hey! Don't touch the older brother's food!"

Asano Yu shouted loudly, and the two children immediately ran away.

Asano Yu took a closer look and, sure enough, it was the largest size plastic bag, and inside were drinks and disposable plastic cups.

So this must be the drink that Chinatsu Kirishima bought?

Asano Yu looked around the plastic bag and found another bag in the alley to the left. He carried the bag in and followed it in, but failed to find Kirishima Chinatsu.

But unexpectedly, I saw a set of clothes—

It's a short-sleeved shirt and shorts worn by Chinatsu Kirishima.

I think I also saw a few light blue things; she was wearing her swimsuit underneath.

Asano Yuu was unaware of this, and since no one was around, he raised his voice slightly:

"Chinatsu-chan?"

After calling out a few times but not seeing anyone, Asano Yu decided to take all the items, stuff them into a bag, and take them back to the hotel. After all, he couldn't just leave the pretty girl's clothes on the roadside and ignore them, could he?

However, as Asano Yu bent down, she suddenly heard Kirishima Chinatsu's voice:

"Pervert! Yu-kun is a complete pervert!"

Asano Yu was startled and shuddered. His gaze shifted to the left, where he noticed a slime-like substance among the piles of cardboard boxes by the roadside. It was mercury-colored but slowly moving.

solu?