I want to become a Kamen Rider

All unsecured objects in the conference hall, including broken table and chair wreckage, scattered parts, and even dust particles, suddenly "fell" upwards. The nutrient solution in the incubation chamber surged upwards eerily, and the bio-beast embryos inside floated in terror in the inverted liquid.

The octopus-headed monster was using its tentacles to pry at the man with the military knife when it was suddenly and violently "sucked" towards the ceiling, producing a dull thud and a sticky, squeezing sound. The snake-haired female monster from the Execution Department let out a suppressed hiss; her head of snakes stood on end, stiff and bristling as if electrocuted by the reverse gravity, her scales opening like those of a startled venomous snake. The shark monster's massive body was suddenly lifted off the ground; it gripped the edge of the heavy alloy conference table tightly, its claws carving deep furrows into the surface, barely managing to maintain its balance and avoid being thrown off.

Even Dasmada, the most unruly man who dared to call the Butcher by his own name, had a drastic change in expression. He abruptly plunged his sword into the inverted floorboards, which was actually the ceiling, to steady himself, and his gaze toward the throne now held a mixture of fear and respect.

The deathly silence of the deep sea enveloped everyone, with only the hum of the instruments and the uneasy howls of the bio-beasts echoing in the inverted space.

Are you calmer now?

"leader."

After a brief silence, the strange figures present, regardless of their disheveled appearance, all nodded with difficulty toward the throne.

"The psychological warfare plan continues."

The figure on the throne made a calm decision, and this time, no one objected. He looked at the Medusa:

"By the way, Snake Woman, has the execution department found a suitable candidate for that plan?"

Despite the discomfort of being upside down and the trembling that came from the depths of her soul, Medusa tried her best to keep her voice clear and respectful.

She answered with utmost respect:

"Reporting to the leader, the adaptee has been found, but... if I may be frank, even if our anti-knight armor is developed to its limit, the possibility of this adaptee defeating [The Butcher] is infinitely close to zero."

The reason it's called the Anti-Knight Armor instead of the Anti-Kuuga Armor is because all those who fought against Kuuga are dead, and they can only fill in the gaps by collecting data on active Contract Knights.

"The more chips you have, the better," the leader's voice rang out again, carrying an all-knowing indifference. "Ultimately, it's not necessary for us to defeat the Butcher. But at least, we can't let the situation remain stagnant. At least, in a month..."

The scepter tapped lightly, and the gravitational field instantly returned to normal. All the suspended objects crashed to the ground, and the strange creatures tumbled back to earth in a sorry state.

"...We need to create some momentum."

The leader's words were exceptionally clear in the deathly silence that came with the return of gravity to normal.

He seemed to be preparing to leave, and the throne began to slowly sink.

Before it completely disappeared, it spoke again, with a barely perceptible hint of curiosity in its question:

"By the way, what's that adaptor's name?"

The Medusa immediately knelt on one knee, bowing her head deeply, her posture extremely respectful, daring not to show the slightest disrespect.

"Hirai Mai Tina".

Chapter Twenty-One: The Tragic Knight

Tina Hiiragi has been having the same dream repeatedly lately.

Amidst the roar of the waves, the colossal beast ascended to the earth.

As far as the eye could see, the sky was torn apart, the leaden clouds ripped open by invisible giant claws, revealing a deeper, darker red beneath, like congealed blood.

The earth trembled and cracked with a mournful groan. The once prosperous port city was now like a sandcastle trampled by a naughty child. Towering skyscrapers collapsed in pieces like rotten wood, and steel skeletons twisted and pierced the despairing sky. Burning fragments, like crimson raindrops, pelted down on the fleeing ants below.

Those were the moving mountains, the surging torrent of destruction.

The outline of the behemoth appeared and disappeared in the billowing smoke and sea fog. Each heavy step caused the earth to tremble, easily crushing dikes and leveling streets. It didn't need to roar; its mere existence was enough to crush everything.

The air was filled with the salty smell of the sea, the stench of burning, and... a deep-seated despair.

This is probably the biggest disaster in the world. It's natural that she wanted to escape. No creature would not be afraid of such a thing. No one would not want to escape. No one!

So she blended into the crowd.

Then, defeat.

People were no longer "hiding" or "running away," but were swept, pushed, and trampled by a torrent of fear amidst hysterical cries.

A mother tightly embraced her crying, hoarse child, her face a blur of tears and seawater; an old man stumbled and fell, never to rise again, instantly swallowed by countless fleeing feet; even strong men lost their dignity, their eyes filled with the madness of survival, pushing their companions into the ruins for a narrow crevice… The whole world was collapsing, burning, screaming; order, civilization, hope—everything was easily crushed and swallowed by that invincible colossal shadow.

They were not abandoning the earth they inhabited; the earth itself was crumbling beneath their feet. What they were abandoning was the will to live and their dignity as human beings.

On the very backdrop of this apocalyptic scene, painted with the deepest shades of despair, that person appeared.

It didn't abruptly "ascend to a high place," but rather pierced through the fleeing human wall, like a sharp blade going against the current, resolutely cutting through the turbid current of fear.

The surging crowd rushed toward him, then parted as if hitting a reef, leaving behind bewildered, panicked, and even resentful gazes. Some called out to him, some pleaded for help, some shouted for their lives, some vented their curses, and some cheered him on with emotion, but he did not respond.

He just kept moving forward.

Go forward, against the tide of people, against all things in the world.

Everyone else was fleeing for their lives, but he walked towards the giant beast.

He limped across the rubble and broken beams, heading towards the top of the ruins, completely shrouded in the shadow of the giant beast and where the sea was raging in. The wind tore at his tattered clothes, and a downpour of ashes covered his shoulders.

Whenever she dreams of this place, this question arises in her mind:

Was that person crying?

Even though she couldn't see his face clearly, she would have this question every time.

Walking towards such a monster, it's perfectly normal to be scared and cry. But if it's out of fear, why walk forward? If it's not out of fear, then what is he crying for?

Tina Hiiragi couldn't find the answer.

All I could do was watch the dream continue.

The roar of the tsunami swallowed all cries, and the shadow of the behemoth obscured the last rays of sunlight. The world was irrevocably sliding into the abyss.

Just as the all-consuming roar of the waves reached its peak, about to completely engulf the last high ground...

That tiny, lonely figure, facing the earth-shattering behemoth, the overwhelming torrent, and the despair of the entire world, suddenly raised its arms!

He neither prayed to heaven nor to God.

A voice pierced through the layers of dreams and reality, exploding like thunder in the depths of Hiiragi Tina's soul, and seemed to echo over the apocalyptic ruins, tearing through despair, carrying... the blazing heat of igniting sparks.

"Kuuga—!!!"

……

……

Hiiragi Tina woke up in bed with tears in her eyes.

"Oh, did I cry again...? Why did I say 'again'?"

Morning light filtered through the gaps in the curtains, cutting away the lingering nightmare atmosphere in the bedroom.

The soft clatter of dishes and the warm aroma of food drifted from downstairs. She took a deep breath, trying to dispel the lingering despair in her lungs, and got out of bed.

Hiiragi Tina sat at the dining table, blankly poking at the fried egg on her plate with her chopsticks. The golden egg yolk had slightly charred edges, like burning fragments of a skyscraper falling in a dream.

The rising steam from the miso soup blurred the concerned faces of his parents across from him.

"Tina, today is your first day at Soubu High School. Cheer up!" Her mother's voice was gentle.

"Oh, I see."

Hiiragi Tina gave a vague reply.

The father put down his newspaper, his gaze behind his glasses steady: "Yes, Zongwu High School has a rigorous academic atmosphere and many opportunities. Make the most of them, and most importantly..."

He paused, then emphasized, "Make good friends, Wu Tina. Being alone is too lonely."

Are you alone?

The person in the dream was also walking alone towards the giant beast.

Was he crying because he was lonely?

Parents' admonitions are like a thin, warm veil, gently covering us.

Effort, making friends... these ordinary yet important expectations seem so insignificant and precious in the face of that heart-wrenching cry of despair and the tragic figure going against the tide.

She chewed her food mechanically, finding it tasteless, her thoughts already drifting back to the torn sky and the mountains she had walked through.

That person... that knight limping towards the end of the world...

She didn't know why she cared so much. It was just a dream that had repeated itself countless times, and no matter how tragic the knight in the dream was, it had nothing to do with her in reality.

Although she fell in love with Kamen Rider Kuuga because of this, the gentle and handsome Kuuga on TV who brought hope to others seemed to be different from the one she saw in her dream.

After quickly finishing breakfast, Tina Hiiragi changed into her brand-new Soubu High School uniform. The dark uniform fabric was crisp and carried the unique scent of new clothes.

Her mother straightened her collar, and her father handed her her schoolbag at the entrance.

"Be careful on the road."

"Well, I'm going out."

Pushing open the door, the cool morning air rushed in instantly, mingled with the fresh scent of plants in the courtyard. Sunlight streamed in unobstructed, the streets were clean and quiet, occasionally punctuated by the crisp sound of bicycle bells. In the distance, the announcement of a tram arriving at the station could be heard; everything was orderly and vibrant, a stark contrast to the chaotic, burning, screaming world of her dreams.

She took a step forward, her feet landing on the solid, undamaged concrete.

In that ordinary and peaceful moment, the question, like a dormant tide, once again fiercely crashed against the shore of consciousness, clearer and sharper than ever before:

That person, that knight...

Why was he so sad?

You were already so brave, so why did you cry?

That sorrow—not the trembling of fear, but something deeper, heavier, as if it had seeped into his very bones, spreading silently with each heavy step he took, with the tattered clothes billowing in the gale, with the rain of ashes falling on his shoulders.

It pierced through the veil of dreams, coldly permeating the reality she was now basking in the morning light.

He was clearly walking towards death, so why did he seem to be carrying a sorrow far greater than that world-destroying beast?

Tina Hiiragi stood in front of her house, enveloped in the bright sunlight. She shook her head, tightened the strap of her schoolbag, and stepped into the ordinary flow of people heading to her new school.

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Strange Transfer Student and the Strange Cat

A week later.

Sobu High School, Chiba City, 11th Ward.

The shape of the school buildings at Soubu High School is somewhat peculiar. When viewed from above, it resembles the Chinese character "口" (mouth). Adding a multimedia building at a lower point creates an aerial view of the school. The teaching buildings are on the side of the road, and the administration building is opposite. On the second floor, corridors connect them to form a quadrilateral. The space enclosed by these four school buildings is the sanctuary for "normies"—the central courtyard.

People who are currently enjoying life have lunch together, play badminton together, talk about love against the backdrop of the school buildings after school, and gaze at the starry sky while enjoying the sea breeze. Some people play the role of "trees" in this setting, while others do not.

Even in this haven for socialites, there are occasionally clueless individuals who, unable to read the atmosphere, rashly trespass.

"Then, the last knight said something incredibly cool like, 'If I run away, wouldn't the word "hero" seem pathetic?' and charged forward with a knight's kick..."

The girl held a magazine with "Kuga the Masked Kamen Rider" on the cover and excitedly told the story to the "friends" she thought were in front of her.

"Hey, Hiiragi, you really like Kamen Rider, don't you...?"

"Because Kamen Rider is super cool!"

The girl, engrossed in her own world, didn't notice her "friend's" slightly troubled expression. People always speak with a natural enthusiasm when talking about things they like.

In a place like District 11, it takes considerable courage to express one's passions without reservation and to speak one's mind without fear of others' opinions. The girl did not have such courage, and her voice would even become softer unconsciously when talking to strangers.

Therefore, she especially cherishes time like this to share her interests with her "friends," but...

The other party doesn't seem to think so.

"Alright, Yuihama, let's not waste time with her."

With her beautiful face and long blonde hair, Miura Yumiko, who could be considered one of the most popular girls in the class, forcefully entered the relationship between Hiiragi Tina and Yuigahama Yui.

She grabbed Yui Yuigahama's hand and was about to leave when her pink-haired "friend" seemed a little hesitant.

"But Yumiko, that... Shizuka-sensei's task..."

"Oh right, I had forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it."

As if reminded of something, Miura Yumiko stopped and looked in her direction, and Hiiragi Tina immediately had a bad feeling.

Then, the ominous premonition came true.

Yumiko Miura placed her hand on her shoulder and gave her a reasonably friendly smile. Even someone as timid as her could tell that this friendliness was at most a symbolic gesture when she needed something from someone.

"We're friends, right, Mutina?"

"……Um."

The girl nodded hesitantly.

"So, friends should help each other, right?"