The Strange Cat from Fuuto

Just then, the guest sitting next to him, after hearing Shotaro's exclamation, chimed in, "I'm just like you, bro!"

"I come here whenever I'm feeling down!"

"Right, boss!"

The shop owner, who was mixing shaving cream, nodded eagerly and said, "Yes, yes!"

Upon hearing this, Shotaro was delighted and crossed his legs.

"Then you've really come to the right place! Only the most discerning people can come to this Wind Barber Shop!"

"It's not as amazing as you make it out to be!" The young man with his face covered by a towel said modestly, then added, "You know the mascot of Fengdu, Fengdu-kun, right?"

"Of course! Fengdu-kun is a mascot that everyone in Fengdu knows!"

Shotaro, intrigued by the conversation, quickly replied. The other guy chuckled, "But I designed that!"

"real or fake!"

Upon hearing this, Shotaro excitedly tried to get up, but was pressed down by Boss Jiangcao.

"Don't move around, Xiao Xiang!" Jiang Cao, the shop owner, was still mixing shaving cream when he warned, "You're a regular customer, you know you can't move around before the time is up!"

"Sorry, boss, I just got excited and acted on my own!"

Shotaro quickly begged for mercy, while the guest next to him continued, "I designed Fuuto-kun when I was in the third grade of elementary school, and it won a competition. You could say it's infused with my deep love for Fuuto!"

"I'll give you one after the service is over. It's a collector's edition, one of the first fifty available!"

"Thank you so much, thank you so much!"

"What a kind person!"

Drip, drip, drip...

Just then, the alarm clock rang, and the two, their joyful smiles still lingering, eagerly pulled off the towels covering their faces and stared at each other. For a moment, they froze!

There's no other reason than that the other one is Kirihiko Ensaki, a cadre that Shotaro knows.

"How could it be you, you bastard!"

"That's what I wanted to ask too!"

The two men, grumbling and cursing, ignored Jiangcao's advice and headed towards a nearby shrine.

The shrine, with its fallen leaves scattered everywhere, tightly closed doors, and the occasional cawing of crows, reveals its desolation.

"I really didn't expect to see you here!" Kirihiko Ensaki walked ahead with his hands behind his back, then turned around with his usual friendly smile. "Kamen Rider!"

"Oh right, you might be more used to it this way!"

As he spoke, Kirihiko took out the Earth Driver and fastened it to his waist. Holding the Nazca Memory directly in front of Shotaro, he suddenly pressed it.

Nazca!

After docking with the Earth Driver interface, Kirihiko's entire body was enveloped in a dark blue triangular halo, and in an instant he transformed into the executive that Shotaro knew well.

"Gaia Memory can lead species to a more perfect evolution!" At this point, Wu Yan thought of his irritating fat cat at home. He paused for a moment, then continued, "It's my duty to make it available on the market, so that more people can embrace the wave of evolution!"

"I see!" Shotaro's eyes showed understanding. "But you clearly love Fuuto deeply, yet you still treat her like this!"

Do you know how many people have cried because of the circulation of memory?

"That was just a purge to make Fuuto a better place!" Kirihiko said, hands behind his back, looking at Shotaro. "It's normal to sacrifice some dirty adults for a better Fuuto!"

"It's like removing cancer cells!"

"I can't reason with you!"

Shotaro took out the driver, fastened it to his waist, and established a link with Philip at the agency. With a transformation, light shone forth.

Holding a metal rod, he met Kirihiko head-on. Kirihiko drew Nazca's battle sword, and the rod and sword clashed, sparking a fine burst of sparks.

"Why do you always have to stop me, Kamen Rider!"

"Because I deeply love this city!"

"Blazing hot!"

After extracting the Gale Memory, it transformed into the Blazing Memory. The emerald green right half turned fiery red, and a blazing flame erupted from the metal rod, causing the rod's temperature to rise continuously. The flame spread across the metal rod, and unable to withstand the intense heat, Kirihiko had no choice but to retreat.

With the advantage gained, Shotaro immediately quickened his pace and pressed forward again. At that moment, Kirihiko gave a low shout.

"Super high speed!"

Two bright yellow, linear wings extended from his back and shoulder blades and disappeared from Shotaro's sight.

"Damn it, it's that type of enemy again!"

"This guy is much stronger than when we last met!"

Philip chimed in as well.

Clang!

Amidst the sparks, Kirihiko's sword struck Shotaro from behind. "Ugh..." Shotaro, severely wounded in the back, couldn't help but lean forward. But Kirihiko disappeared again, reappearing in front of Shotaro and delivering another blow.

Using his super-fast speed, Kirihiko, like a nimble hummingbird, constantly toyed with Shotaro.

Shotaro, constantly being attacked, was completely unable to withstand Kirihiko's onslaught.

Hummingbirds can have a heart rate of up to 500 beats per minute.

Hummingbirds can fly at speeds of up to 50 kilometers per hour, and when they dive, they can reach speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour.

Hummingbirds can flap their wings 40-50 times per second, and up to 80 times per second!

Hummingbirds are the smallest birds in the world!

The fact that two completely different attributes, small and large, are placed on a single creature proves that this creature's explosive power is astonishing!

This is also perfectly exemplified in Kirihiko!

This is why he can completely dominate Shotaro now!

"Xiao Xiang!"

"Xiao Xiang!"

"Are you here, Xiaoxiang!"

The owner of the Wind Barber Shop, Egusa, kept calling out Shotaro's name. When Kirihiko saw Egusa's figure appear in his line of sight, he sheathed his sword.

"I'll let you off the hook for today, Kamen Rider!"

"I hope that next time we meet, you won't be so easily beaten!"

After reverting to his original form, Kirihiko, with a warm smile on his face, turned and left with his hands behind his back.

Shotaro also deactivated his transformation and stretched his body. He looked at Boss Jiangcao with a puzzled expression and asked, "What's wrong, boss?"

"Well, I mentioned before that I needed your help with something!"

"That's exactly why I came here!"

The kind smile on Jiangcao's face disappeared, replaced by deep worry. "Xiaoqian, I don't know what's going on. She hasn't come home for two days since she left the day before yesterday!"

As Shotaro listened to the story told by the owner of the hair salon, he pictured the owner's daughter, Akane, a sweet-looking girl who was well-liked by the salon's customers.

"How old is Akane this year?" Shotaro asked the owner of Jiangcao, wanting to find out the owner's daughter's age. After all, different age groups always have different worries. Even now, the owner of Jiangcao hadn't forgotten to stir the shaving cream in his hand. "Akane is fifteen years old this year and is currently in the third year of junior high school!"

"She's grown up so much!" Shotaro exclaimed, comforting his boss, "Don't worry too much. Maybe she'll come back on her own. After all, at this age, a little rebellion is normal, isn't it?"

"But Xiaoxi isn't that kind of child, you should know that very well!"

Looking at the anxiety on Boss Jiang Cao's face, which seemed genuine, and considering his previous interactions with Jiang Caoqian, this girl didn't seem to be the rebellious type!

"You're right, then I'll take this commission!"

While Shotaro was talking to Boss Egusa, Kirihiko, who had left earlier, returned and overheard the entire conversation from a short distance away. After watching Shotaro's figure disappear, he thought for a moment and then followed him.

Inside the main hall of the Ensaki Mansion.

The three members of the family, including Madoka and her father, were sitting at the table, beginning their lunch. Two maids stood on a serving cart nearby, awaiting their master's summons.

"Ruocai, it's about time you took over the family business!" The old man put down his knife and fork, wiped his mouth, and said, "Before, it was because of Miku that he took over the family affairs in your place!"

"But so much time has passed, you should have learned to be more mature by now!"

“I know, Father!” Wakana looked at the old man and said resolutely, “I will accept the family business, but can you give me some more time?”

"Of course! I'm already very happy that you're taking over the family business, so giving you a little more time won't hurt!"

The old man got up and came to Wakana's side, put his hands on his daughter's shoulders, and said earnestly, "I am really happy that you have grown up, but you must not forget the bonds of family!"

"Yes, Father, I will never forget!"

After saying that, Wakana hurriedly returned to her room. The old man watched her retreating figure and smiled with deep emotion. This scene, witnessed by Saeko, left her with rather complicated feelings.

"I'm finished eating, Father!"

"Saeko, as the eldest daughter, you must live up to expectations! The development of this new type of memory is in your hands!"

"Yes, Father!"

...........

Futo, a park located under the Kazama-cho Expressway.

Four young boys and girls gathered together, chattering away. Just then, the roar of a motorcycle engine came from behind. Shotaro arrived on his family's half-black, half-green motorcycle, with Akiko on the back. He spotted Egusa Akane at a glance.

"Xiao Qian!"

Shotaro called out as he walked towards Akane Egusa. Akane Egusa, seeing Shotaro, said somewhat timidly, "Shotaro-nii-san!"

"Your father was very worried about you, so he specifically asked me to come and bring you home!"

Shotaro, extending his hand to Jiang Caoqian, said seriously, "Alright, hurry up and come home with me. Don't let your father worry anymore!"

"Hey, sir, who are you?"

The boy next to Jiang Caoqian looked at Shotaro with disdain, "Xiaoqian can go back whenever she wants!"

"I advise you not to meddle in other people's business, uncle!"

Shotaro was a little disappointed by being called an "old man" and retorted, "I'm only in my twenties, how am I an old man!"

"And you guys, what are you doing here all the time? Go home!"