I want to become a Kamen Rider

"Is that guy laughing at me?"

'Your loyal subordinate, seeing his minister in trouble, not only didn't try to help him out, but instead sat there watching and laughing, perhaps even using it as a source of amusement. Isn't that a bit despicable?'

"is a bit."

Naturally, some radicals, eager to seize this golden opportunity to build a harem of contractors, said in a sinister tone:

'I have a plan, its name is... Better to die than see me die!'

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Fake Girlfriend (4K)

From Tina Hiiragi's perspective, Kyubey's statement that Tina Hiiragi was watching the fun wasn't entirely wrong; more accurately, she was barely holding back from laughing out loud.

The air conditioner was blowing cold air, and she huddled in her oversized hoodie, feeling a chill run down her back, while her palms were sweaty.

Hiiragi Tina stared intently at the spectacular "show" unfolding diagonally in front of her, her heart pounding, half with nervousness and half with... indescribable excitement!

'Fight! Fight already!' she cried silently in her heart.

Serves him right! You scumbag minister!

Serves you right for stealing my magazines! Serves you right for exploiting your staff! Serves you right for playing dumb and stringing girls along! Now you've finally gotten your comeuppance!

Caught between two such formidable girls, what are you going to do? Go catch them cheating! Go pin him to his seat! Hahaha, this is the best karma of the year!

Perhaps it was because she was usually bullied too much by the minister, or perhaps it was because the fact that Fan Kang was Kuuga shattered her beautiful fantasies completely. Even Hiiragi Tina herself couldn't explain why she was so gloating at this moment.

Just as Tina Hiiragi was watching with great interest, thinking to herself, "So even you've met your match, Captain," and "Let the flames of this chaotic scene burn even brighter," she suddenly realized—

The minister's gaze, like a radar locking onto a target, pierced through the noisy crowd and the branches of the potted plants in the restaurant, landing with unparalleled precision on her dark corner!

They even made eye contact.

Perhaps because the minister, who was out there posing as a conman, was wearing contact lenses, she saw a fleeting glint of molten gold in his eyes.

But that's not the point. The point is the minister's expression. She recognized that expression. Every time the minister tried to snatch her magazine, that malicious smile was exactly the same as it was now. But this time, in addition to the maliciousness, the smile also had a sharp "I've found you" look and a resolute "we'll go down together" attitude.

The minister's bloodline suppression over his members surged forth, and Hiiragi Tina froze instantly, as if her blood had frozen. The little flame of schadenfreude in her heart was extinguished by a bucket of ice water, leaving only a bone-chilling cold and a huge sense of foreboding.

What does he want to do?

The next second, Fan Kang moved.

The man over there seemed to have finally found the key to escape, and his face instantly switched to a guilty expression. No, this guy was bound to have something to hide, so why was he able to sit so confidently in the middle of the carnage before?

"Excuse me, Mizutani! Oh, Ms. Toyokawa is here too! I saw someone very important! Please excuse me!"

Before she could finish speaking, the guy had already rushed towards her like a gust of wind, with an air of "I'll make a fool of myself and not let you off easily."

Hiiragi Tina's mind went completely blank.

From inside the bag, Venerita urged, "Danger! Tina Hiiragi, he's spotted us! Activate the power of the Otherworldly Knight! Quickly...!"

Start? How do I start it? She was so scared her legs went weak.

And even if she really had the courage to confront the minister, she couldn't possibly defeat Kuuga, right? Because of Kuuga, even the reputation of those useless police officers has improved a bit. There's no need to list any data or achievements; this alone is enough to explain everything.

In an era where even high school detectives are hailed as "saviors of the Japanese police," many police officers now keep a statue of Kamen Rider Kuuga at home and offer incense to it.

"Kirigami, so you were here. Let me explain..."

The man who hadn't shown any remorse or guilt towards the woman who had caught him cheating or the woman who had been sitting in the middle of the chaotic scene was now acting all meek and submissive in front of her, and even reached out his hand to her.

Seeing the minister like this, knowing that the other party was definitely going to do something big, Hiiragi Tina was terrified and instinctively wanted to shrink herself even smaller and hide deeper into the sofa.

But it was all in vain; the hand wasn't targeting her at all.

Stab it--!

The minister acted quickly, swiftly, and forcefully.

Without even glancing at it, he reached directly into the canvas bag she had brought. Everything happened so fast that Venerita inside the bag only had time to let out a short whimper before the minister, like squeezing a chick, forcefully pulled her out from the opening of the canvas bag.

“Wu——?!”

Completely powerless to fight back, he was nowhere to be seen with the air of complete control he had when he had coerced her earlier.

Holding Venalita firmly in his grasp, ignoring her futile struggles, the minister moved closer to her. His face, which usually wore an eccentric or shameless expression, was now extremely close, so close that Wu Tina could clearly see the reflection in his eyes—a version of herself that was utterly incomparable to the bento girl or the woman who caught her cheating, plain, panicked, and wearing a ridiculous disguise hat and glasses.

The minister once again revealed his villainous side to her, the same one he used to steal her magazines and comics:

"Tina Hiiragi, who was there to help you out when you were being harassed by delinquents last time?"

"It's the minister."

Hiiragi Tina's mind went blank, and she nodded subconsciously.

Yes...it was the minister, that's right...but wasn't it him who sent me to run errands, which is why I got harassed by that group of thugs...?

"And the time before that, when you almost got caught for not finishing your math homework, who 'cleverly' got you out of it?"

"It's the minister."

Fan Kang continued to patiently guide him, his eyes "sincere".

Seriously, wasn't it you who didn't want to do your homework and lied to me, saying you'd buy me a magazine so I could help you write it and even imitate your handwriting, which is why I didn't finish my math homework...?

"And that limited edition Kamen Rider BD-BOX and related merchandise that you hid at the very bottom of the cabinet in the activity room..." Fan Kang's smile deepened, "Who covered for you and prevented Yukinoshita from finding out?"

Wu Tina shuddered. That was her prized possession! The minister knew?! And... and even helped her keep it a secret?! Wait! Could he be using this to threaten me?!

"Don't worry, it's not my style to take advantage of someone's kindness. You probably already guessed what I'm going to do next, so I'll offer you a price you can't refuse."

The moment the words fell.

The hand that was holding Venerita was stretched out in front of her eyes. Then, the golden cross pattern on Venerita's body flashed wildly. Her limbs struggled in vain, but she could not shake the minister's iron-like fingers even a little. Right in front of her, under the minister's absolute power, the platinum light burned away the filth like the blazing sun and instantly enveloped Venerita.

Like an ice cube thrown into a raging fire, or like a painting being forcibly erased from paper by an eraser, Venerita vanished in that platinum-gold light.

Silently and cleanly, Venalita, who had troubled her for two days, was eliminated by the minister.

The Alien Knight Driver in the bag seemed to have fallen silent as well.

Dead silence.

"..."

Hiiragi Tina stared in disbelief at the captain's empty hand, which seemed as if nothing had happened.

"It...it will come back to life, won't it?"

"Then kill it a few more times, until it dares not come near you again."

"But...but it also threatened to spread my personal information online..."

"I delete it every time it's sent."

It was only at this point that the minister's claim that he was a kamikaze minister truly came to mind.

But she still couldn't equate the despicable department head who bullied her and stole her magazines with Kamen Rider Kuuga, who traveled through the human world to protect everyone.

"Now that I've saved you from those suspicious, evil alien creatures twice, it's not too much to ask you to do me a favor, is it?"

"……Oh well."

The voice that answered was barely audible.

"very good!"

The minister smiled knowingly, then extended his hand. As their hands clasped, he said calmly:

"From now on, you are my girlfriend!"

"????"

Seeing her utterly dejected and morally bankrupt expression, the minister clicked his tongue, seemingly annoyed by her slowness, and quickly added:

"Pretend, temporarily, pretend, understand?!"

Pretending won't work either. Without a doubt, the minister was just annoyed by her watching the show and forcibly dragged her into the fray to divert attention and share the blame.

But now, is it possible for her to rebel against the minister? Should she launch a heroic challenge here, taking on the world-class boss, the strongest knight Kuuga, as a novice, or should she endure it for now, avoid the limelight, and remember this grudge? It's no longer necessary to say more.

After offering a "kind" explanation, the minister didn't loosen his grip at all, forcefully dragging her towards the center of the already boiling battleground. At the same time, he gestured with his eyes for her to look towards the woman who had packed lunches and the woman who had caught them in the act, saying, "Look over there! Help me block them! This is the glorious mission entrusted to you by the Knights Department!"

Following his gaze, Hiiragi Tina mechanically turned her head.

The woman who caught her husband cheating had a cold gaze that cut through her like a scalpel, while the woman who brought the bento box stared at her with a confused yet intensely scrutinizing look. She was a "very important person" who had suddenly appeared.

The restaurant's bright lights, however, were like a spotlight of judgment in Tina Hiiragi's eyes, illuminating her as the "fake girlfriend" who had been forcibly dragged into the mess by the department head, leaving her nowhere to hide.

The world was shrouded in gray.

……

……

"My daughter is so jealous. She suspects I'm out fooling around. I'll go out and explain to her first. Sorry, you two."

Dragging the despairing Tina Hiiragi, Fan Kang rushed out.

The tinkling of the wind chimes as the glass door opened and closed seemed to press the pause button on this absurd farce.

To Fan Kang's utter surprise, after his temporary retreat, Mizutani Migen and Toyokawa Shoko, who had previously seemed like sworn enemies, sat together and appeared quite amicable.

"fake."

"It's fake."

The two of them, without prior arrangement, exchanged a glance and came to the same conclusion.

"I came first!"

Mizutani Migen was the first to speak.

"I am my master's disciple! We share a deep bond as master and disciple!"

“‘The bond between master and disciple is not for you to do this kind of thing,’”—if Fan Jun were here, he would definitely say that. Besides, I knew your master a long time before you became his disciple.

The girl, wearing the same uniform as her and quite famous at Haneoka Girls' Academy, seemed to have been faking her earlier gritted teeth. She picked up her glass of ice water, swirled it, and spoke calmly:

"I lent Fan Jun money to buy his motorcycle. We met when he first became a Kamen Rider and didn't even have a decent place to stay, so he had to sleep under bridges. Even the clothes he wore to see you today were bought with coupons from a group purchase."

"Gulp, that just means you're a regular friend who has a good relationship with Master!"

"And what about you? Aren't you just an ordinary disciple with whom you have a good relationship?"

"you……!"

The girl said lightly.

"That person has always been fighting, always been there. It would be strange if you could develop any other kind of relationship with him. True support is not about making a big fuss about expressing your feelings, but about being there for him."

Despite being somewhat overwhelmed in terms of momentum, when it comes to companionship, Mizutani Migen quickly recalled his absolute advantage.

She was always watching over that person closely, trying to make him happy. Although she was often scolded for being noisy, and often got chopped in the hand, and although her master was always proud and not spoiled at all, when it comes to companionship, even if she wasn't the first person to meet her master, she was definitely the one who accompanied him the longest.

She had always been watching him from the closest distance, and had no reason to be swayed by a few words from others.

"I will fight alongside my master forever."

“I don’t deny that Fan Jun gave me the chance to give up, and also gave me the courage to face myself like he did. I will support Fan Jun in my own way as well.”

A few casual words, a few arguments, a few sarcastic remarks—perhaps the person's strategy was just too difficult, and the appearance of an enemy and opponent at this time actually gave rise to a sense of mutual respect.

"It's strange that someone other than me would be interested in such a bitter, self-righteous, talkative, and troublesome master. Anyway... it's fair competition."

Mizutani Migen raised his water glass.

"Fan Jun isn't as bad as you make him out to be, that's good..."

The girl in front of him also raised her ice water and clinked it against the glass she was holding.

"--Each relies on their own abilities."

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Desire and Impossibility (4K)

Beyond family restaurants.

The afternoon sun was a bit too bright, casting a bright white light on the restaurant's glass doors and separating the hustle and bustle inside from the world outside.

The minister dragged her, who looked utterly dejected, to a relatively quiet back alley on the side of the restaurant. The walls were mottled, and sunlight could only slant into a small area, with most of the place shrouded in the shadows of the buildings.

Hiiragi Tina watched as the creature crouched on the ground in the shadows, seemingly somewhat melancholy.