As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider

The screen on the table was lit up, displaying information about children who had survived great calamities and various disasters.

Then he looked up at his subordinate and said, "Very good, then please continue to collect the information I need!"

"Okay, is it alright if it's similar to these?" Upon hearing Murakami's words, the subordinate bowed slightly and asked.

"It would be great if it were the same as this one!" Murakami clicked on the mouse, the pointer hovering over one name after another.

Just then, his subordinate raised a question he shouldn't have: "But Mr. Murakami, I don't understand why you're collecting information on these children? I've heard from others that President Hanagata did the same thing, and even adopted a large number of these children and established a special welfare institution for them!"

Upon hearing his subordinate's question, Murakami's expression darkened: "Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask! Get out!"

He raised his hand to shoo away the subordinates who came to organize and collect data. The office door closed, completely cutting off outside noise. The small space fell into a deathly silence, and a gloomy, oppressive atmosphere permeated the air, making it hard to breathe.

In the midst of this deathly silence, his phone suddenly vibrated. The caller ID showed Lady. Murakami suppressed his pent-up frustration and answered the call expressionlessly. But the new president's order came through the receiver—he was ordered to immediately withdraw all orders to kill Kiba Yuji, Nagata Yuka, and Kaidou Naoya.

Every word and phrase was meant to strip him of his remaining control, negate all his past plans, and utterly crush his last vestiges of power.

New and old grudges surged into his heart, and the accumulated anger broke through his restraint. Murakami Kyoji's eyes flashed with ferocity, and a chilling killing intent surged uncontrollably. With a sharp crack, the phone was crushed by his bare hands, and small parts and fragments fell and scattered messily across the entire desk.

Anger surged through his chest, but he could only grit his teeth and suppress it. Now that he had lost all power and status, he no longer had the means to act recklessly. His only trump card to turn the tide and reclaim everything was the two knightly belts of Faiz and Caesar that were scattered outside.

Murakami slowly rose, straightened his clothes, concealing the surging rage and malice in his eyes, leaving only a chilling indifference. He turned and walked out of the cramped office, riding his bicycle straight to Bar Clover.

Murakami pushed his bicycle to the entrance of Bar Clover, pushed open the door and went into the bar. Inside, there was only Sae Kageyama, Itsuro Takuma, and J, who was petting his dog.

Takuma was the first to look up and see him. He immediately stood up and went to greet him, his tone straightforward: "Murakami, what brings you here? We need to talk to you about something."

"What's gotten into you that you can't even care about manners?" Seeing Takuma so different from usual, Murakami Saeko ordered a drink and asked him.

“We’ve already met that new president,” Takuma said.

"Really? How strong are they? Have you tested them?" Murakami asked.

“Very strong, and a monster too. But we have something else to ask you. The new president said that the Orphnochs have a genetic defect and will eventually turn to sand and perish. Is that true or false?” Zhuomo’s expression was solemn. Ever since he heard Lin Chen’s words, he couldn’t even turn the pages of his poetry collection.

Saeko Kageyama put down the drink she was mixing and looked at Murakami, waiting for his explanation.

Murakami pulled up a chair and sat down. When he heard Takuma say that Lin Chen was also a monster, his face darkened considerably. He slowly said, "Is he very strong? As for the sandification, I have some guesses based on the information Hanagata left behind, but I've been keeping them to myself."

Zhuomo frowned deeply: "So you knew all along, and kept it from us for so long?"

“If we rashly release the news that everyone will turn to ashes, the Orphnochs below will panic completely, and the entire Smart Brain will fall into chaos and become uncontrollable. I didn’t expect that the newcomer Lin Chen would also know about this?” Murakami’s expression was solemn. He only vaguely learned about this matter after becoming the president.

"Is it believable that the new president claims to have a way to cure defects?" Takuma pressed.

Hearing this, Murakami frowned: "So that's why that old fox Hanagata suddenly picked an outsider to replace me as president!"

Sae Kageyama asked softly, "Is the new president's method reliable? If it can really solve the desertification problem, perhaps we can temporarily follow his new rules."

Murakami chuckled coldly and shook his head: "It should be feasible, otherwise that old fox Hanagata wouldn't have suddenly returned. But even if the flaw can be resolved, there will definitely be other problems, otherwise the new president wouldn't have issued a new rule prohibiting attacks on humans. But don't panic, I also have a way to completely break the shackles of Orpheus' lifespan, which is far superior to his method."

Chapter 196 The Legend of the King

Upon hearing Murakami's words, Takuma and Saeko Kageyama were both taken aback and took half a step forward in unison.

"Are there any other options?"

Murakami lowered his voice, his eyes sweeping over the three men with a dark look: "Have you ever heard of—the King of the Orphnochs?"

Upon hearing this, J, who had been silent in the corner, paused in stroking the puppy, glanced at Murakami, then lowered his head again, not joining the conversation.

Zhuomo asked with a look of astonishment, "The King of Orphnoch? That's just a legend passed down among our people. Does he really exist?"

Saeko Kageyama frowned slightly, quietly waiting for Murakami to continue.

Murakami lowered his voice, deliberately suppressing his tone, afraid that passersby outside would hear him: "Do you remember those sealed research materials that Hanagata left at the company in his early years? They mentioned clues about the King of Orphnoch."

Zhuomo scratched his head, looking completely bewildered: "Information on the flower shape? I've only heard of the term 'King' at most, and I know nothing else. What does this have to do with our desertification problem?"

Saeko Kageyama continued mixing the drinks Murakami had ordered, her faint smile fading. She had only ever heard the name "King of Orpheus" and knew nothing about the information or related clues.

Seeing their confusion, Murakami said directly, "The information says that the King will reside in the bodies of children who have suffered fatal disasters and should have died but have survived by chance. And I am already collecting information about those children."

Zhuomo was quite surprised: "So you've been doing this kind of thing in private? How come we didn't receive any news about it?"

“This matter is too risky. The fewer people who know about it, the safer it is, so I haven’t mentioned it to you. I’ve already sped up the city-wide screening to identify the right child as soon as possible. As for how to awaken Wang, the records are incomplete, and I’m still checking them.” Murakami took the drink that Kageyama Saeko had mixed and took a sip.

After handing the prepared drink to Murakami, Saeko Kageyama frowned slightly: "It's just an incomplete research record from the early years, and it doesn't mention any consequences of awakening the spirit. Isn't this path a bit too risky?"

Murakami scoffed: "Lin Chen only released information that he had a way to solve the desertification problem. As I said before, it's definitely not a perfect method, but what exactly it is and what price we have to pay are unknown."

Instead of placing all our hopes on an outsider who appeared out of nowhere, let's follow the clues left by Hanagata to find the King. If we can find the King, all these new rules that restrict us will be meaningless.

After thinking it over, he immediately sided with the village: "Indeed, we can't just passively wait for others to give us a way out."

Saeko Kageyama hesitated before agreeing. If Wang Zhen could solve everything, why would Hanagata abandon her original plan and instead accept the new president's method?

J remained silent throughout, only stroking the fur of the puppy Chuck in his arms.

After the group finished discussing the clues about the King of Orpheus, the bar fell silent for a moment. Murakami looked at J, who was holding a puppy in the corner, and took the initiative to start a conversation.

"Mr. J, there's something I need to ask you."

J raised his eyelids slightly, his fingertips still tracing Chuck's back, his tone indifferent and detached: "What is it?"

“Continue to help me recover the Faiz and Caesar belts.” Murakami’s tone was serious; this was his only remaining crucial bargaining chip. “The belts are currently scattered and could fall into the hands of others, which will inevitably become a problem sooner or later.”

Upon hearing that they were going to fight for the Knight's Belt, J instinctively tightened his grip on the puppy, a clear resistance flashing in his eyes. He had died twice, and each resurrection had been accompanied by excruciating pain. He didn't want to be involved in dangerous battles again and almost wanted to refuse outright.

But when he was about to speak, he paused, silently pursing his lips, a barely perceptible hesitation hidden in his eyes.

Murakami took in his hesitant look, then leaned forward slightly, his tone carrying a hint of pressure: "Although I am no longer the president in name, the whole process of reclaiming the belts has been for the sake of Smart Brain and the future of our Orpheus clan. This plan absolutely cannot be stopped."

Murakami sighed, his expression growing increasingly grim, and continued, "There's something else. Lin Chen just sent an order through Lady, commanding me to withdraw all pursuit and killing plans against Kiba Yuji and the others. I'm not willing to obey this order at all, but as you said before, that new outsider president is a monster himself, with unfathomable strength."

He looked up at Zhuomo, his tone carrying a hint of deliberate concern: "If I insist on disobeying orders, and we run into Lin Chen, you will be the first one to rush forward. I cannot risk your life, nor will I stand by and watch you die in vain. The plan to hunt you down will have to be put on hold for now."

Zhuomo felt a warmth in his heart upon hearing this, and was about to say something when Murakami changed the subject, clearly indicating that he had other plans: "The hunting is temporarily suspended, but I have another task for you."

As he spoke, Murakami pulled a laminated photograph of a little girl from his inner pocket, gently pushed it to the center of the bar, and placed it in front of Takuma. The little girl in the photograph was petite.

“This girl is the most likely host I’ve screened for after a long time. According to the incomplete information left by Hanagata, only children who have survived death can contain the power of the king. Her experience perfectly matches all the characteristics in the records.”

He picked up the photo and examined it closely, his brow furrowing slightly: "Just stare at her? No need to do anything else?"

“I’ve already arranged for people to secretly probe her, but those people are clumsy and prone to making mistakes.” A calculating glint flashed in Murakami’s eyes as he said in a deep voice, “You will secretly follow behind and keep an eye on her. Don’t make any rash contact with her. Just keep watch over the surroundings. If things get out of control or an unexpected accident occurs, take immediate action to stabilize the situation. Don’t let anyone unrelated to humans or Lin Chen’s people notice anything unusual.”

He clutched the photo tightly in his hand, pondered for a moment, and then agreed: "Okay, leave this to me."

a few days later.

Sunlight streamed into Keitaro's laundromat through the glass windows facing the street, and the air was filled with the faint scent of fabric softener. However, the shop was unusually quiet, lacking the usual arguments between Soga Masato and Inui Takumi.

Not long ago, Soga sent Mari a short text message saying that he had some things to do and had to leave for a while, and then he left on his own.

Sonoda Mari placed her phone on the table, lightly tapping the message still in her inbox on the screen. A hint of worry lingered between her brows: "Sōka only sent a message saying that he had something urgent to attend to and was going out, but he didn't say where he was going or when he would be back. It's a bit worrying."

Keitaro, who was bending over to straighten the clothes he had just ironed, straightened up and sighed upon hearing this: "I'm quite worried too. What about you, Takumi?"

Qian Qiao leaned back in the chair by the window, one hand in his pocket, his gaze casually fixed on the street, showing no sign of anxiety: "He always has his own plans, so there's no need to worry too much. Anyway, he's quite skilled and he has the Kaixa belt."

Truth pursed her lips slightly, still feeling uneasy: "That's true, but some Orphnochs have targeted those of us who carry belts before. It's too easy for him to fall into a trap if he acts alone."

“There’s no use thinking about it anymore; we can’t control his decision.” Qian Qiao looked away. “Instead of worrying about that guy, we should focus on the laundry shop and manage the cleaning orders we have.”

As the group chatted, the sound of a wind chime came from the shop doorway. A nearby resident walked in carrying several shirts, indicating a new laundry order.

Keitaro quickly stepped forward to greet him and took the clothes offered by the other person. However, when he unfolded the shirts, his enthusiastic smile instantly froze on his face.

The white shirt, which had just been thoroughly washed and ironed and returned to the customer a few days ago, now had several dark mud stains on it. The mud was firmly stuck to the fabric fibers, clearly indicating that someone had deliberately thrown mud clumps onto the dried clothes as a prank.

Keitaro gently traced the glaring mud stain with his fingertips, his tone filled with anger and heartache. He couldn't help but sigh softly, "This is just too much. Clean white clothes clearly symbolize happiness. Who is so mean as to deliberately dirty other people's clothes that are drying outside, time and time again? There have been several such pranks in this neighborhood recently."

Qian Qiao glanced at the mud-stained clothes, still looking nonchalant, and casually joked, "It's a good thing for the laundry shop. Orders are pouring in, and they can earn a lot more cleaning fees."

"Takumi, how could you say that!" Keitaro immediately frowned. "My original intention in opening this laundry shop was to carefully clean every piece of clothing and protect the ordinary, small happiness of others. Intentionally soiling other people's clothes is simply trampling on their good mood, and such pranks must not be tolerated."

Seeing Keitaro's indignant expression, Sonoda Mari gently comforted him.

Keitaro clenched his mud-stained white shirt, secretly determined to find the culprit behind the repeated pranks and stop this increasingly egregious farce.

Next morning

After carefully folding the repeatedly washed clothes and putting them into a dust bag, Keitaro handed them to the employer. After watching the employer thank him and leave, he closed the glass door of the laundry shop again. The faint fragrance of fabric softener still lingered on his fingertips, but the depression in his heart did not dissipate in the slightest.

After a simple lunch, he packed his belongings and went to wait quietly near the drying area outside the residential building. The afternoon sun grew increasingly intense, and after waiting for a long time under the shade of the trees, he finally saw a slender little girl holding a ball of mud, cautiously hiding in a corner, preparing to throw it at the white shirts hanging on the line.

He quickly stepped forward and stopped her. The girl, named Keiko Kurata, was caught on the spot. When questioned, she neither panicked nor admitted her mistake, but remained silent with her head down.

Keitaro couldn't bear to see her suffer, so instead of handing her over to her employer for a scolding, he took Keiko back to the laundromat and kept her there temporarily. Little did he expect that Keiko Kurata's sweet tongue would offend everyone in the blink of an eye, her words filled with rebellious sharpness.

Keiko feigned loneliness, claiming that her parents had long since passed away and that she barely made a living by drawing portraits of passersby on the street. To prevent Keiko from being scolded by her "big-faced sister" after he left, Keitaro had no choice but to take her with him when he went out.

While delivering clothes on the way, Keitaro wanted to talk to Keiko, expressing his wish for her to be happy. Keiko, however, looked at him with a disapproving expression, saying she was happy just to eat shaved ice, but it wasn't the right season for it, and there were no shaved ice shops on the street. She asked if Keitaro could make ice cream instead. But Keiko threw a tantrum, leaving Keitaro with no choice but to agree and try to figure something out himself.

Chapter 197 A Child Who Survived a Near-Death Experience

The little girl was sensitive and stubborn, and nothing he did could make her happy. In order to get her to smile, Keitaro simply went to the supermarket and splurged, buying a whole ice shaver and bringing back a whole box of ice and various flavored syrups.

He parked his car in a roadside park, squatted down beside the car, and made a bowl of shaved ice by hand.

Keiko merely picked up her spoon and took a small bite before expressionlessly pushing the bowl aside, showing absolutely no interest. Keitaro, puzzled, scratched his head and asked, "Why did you only take one bite? Is it because it doesn't taste good?"

Huizi shook her head gently, her small face full of loneliness: "You can't find happiness just by eating shaved ice."

Keitaro pressed her for details, and she looked up at him, saying, "I want to be an idol." Keitaro was willing to do anything to make her happy. He was, in short, a complete pushover.

Without a word, he took out his savings and took Huizi to a clothing store to pick out a clean and pretty new dress. After Huizi changed into the dress, she looked delicate and lively, but she was still not satisfied and said that she wanted to hold a concert.

This put Keitaro in a difficult position. Ordinary people can't just hold a concert whenever they want, but looking at Keiko's expectant eyes, he really couldn't bear to refuse.

He bought a simple microphone, found an open-air square, and gathered some customers with spare time in his shop to barely manage to gather a few listeners.

Keiko finished singing the entire song, her voice pure and clear. As the song ended, everyone applauded and left, with Keitaro thanking them one by one. He approached Keiko cautiously and asked, "Now...do you feel even a little bit of happiness?"

All she got in return was Keiko's indifferent reply: "Being an idol is too boring."

Before Keitaro could even catch his breath, Keiko had a new idea. She wanted to be a portrait artist and asked Keitaro to help her find passersby as models. Keitaro, as usual, went around soliciting people. But everyone was busy with their own things, and no one was willing to stop and pose for a portrait of a strange child. After working hard for a long time, Keitaro had to return empty-handed.

But when he returned to his car, the scene before him shattered his composure. Huizi had somehow managed to leave his freshly washed, neatly folded white clothes, which he had prepared to return to a customer, on the ground. The clean, tidy white garments were now covered in dust.

At this moment, all the pent-up frustration exploded. For the first time, Keiko lost his temper, scolding her sternly, "How could you do this? These are clothes that other people cherish, clothes that I painstakingly washed and cleaned! You don't appreciate other people's kindness at all; you're so willful!"

Keiko, scolded, remained silent, her eyes reddening. She clutched her easel tightly, turned, and rushed into the woods outside the city, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Keitaro, still angry, couldn't let go of the child in his heart. After a moment's hesitation, he quickly chased after her.