I want to become a Kamen Rider

"That form is the pride of the Equipment Department, and it's the only form that surpasses the power of the original Kamen Rider Faiz even though it's a fake. Its firepower is incredibly amazing. However, I don't recommend you use it."

"What, is Your Excellency the Speaker afraid?"

Hachiman Hikigaya raised his gun, ready to fire.

"No, it's because 'Final Burst' also consumes your life. Unless it's a life-or-death battle or I'm nearby and can replenish your life at any time, it's best to use it sparingly."

Forcibly suppressing the urge to throw the guns and cannons in his hands to the ground, Hachiman Hikigaya finally couldn't hold back any longer and loudly complained:

"Then what about my ranged attacks outside of life-or-death combat?"

"The European Knights Council can provide you with individual equipment such as RPG-7D rocket launchers, portable mortars, and M-DN31 fragmentation grenades. Rest assured, they have all been enhanced by Shocker technology, and their power is guaranteed."

Hikigaya Hachiman: "..."

Three times speechless.

He roughly imagined what it would be like to set up a rocket launcher and a grenade launcher while the other knights were using flashy and cool moves... It didn't seem so bad, did it?

"Could we add two more heavy machine guns? Preferably the kind with belt-fed ammunition."

"Yes. But you can take the Kamen Rider equipment directly to the street because it is discreet and portable enough. However, regular individual equipment cannot be used. You need to obtain permission and approval before going into battle."

"That's it."

Hachiman Hikigaya wanted to say something more, such as asking about the specific application process and ammunition quotas, but he saw the "Magic Knight" in front of him suddenly de-transform.

The blazing flames dissipated and collapsed rapidly like the receding tide, revealing Eleanor Andbell's stunning face and beautiful figure. Her long golden hair fluttered in the sea breeze, but her face now bore no trace of the composure she had displayed during the battle or the ease she had shown when discussing weapons.

Instead, there is something... deeply ingrained, impossible to conceal—

fear.

She abruptly turned her head to look in the direction of Tokyo.

Then, they started running.

Very quickly, without the slightest hesitation.

After running for more than ten meters, she suddenly remembered something and, without turning her head, shouted sharply at Hachiman Hikigaya, who was still standing there in a daze:

"Keep up, the 'big fish' is coming."

……

……

Japan, Chiyoda Airport.

The international arrivals hall was bustling with activity, passengers hurrying along with their luggage, and announcements echoing through the spacious area. Tina Hiiragi stood somewhat awkwardly beside Touka Takanashi, her gaze darting back and forth between the exit passage and the welcome sign she held up. The sign, clearly written in bold black letters, read, "Welcome, Ms. Izumi Konata."

"Miss Toka, what kind of person is Izumi Konata who's coming later?"

"I met that SS-class knight once when I was sent to Europe. As for his personality, well, how should I put it, he was extremely powerful. I wonder how Kuuga-senpai managed to persuade the chairman of the European Knights Council to send an SS-class knight to Azure Island for permanent residence."

"..."

They persuaded me through a card draw.

And it was she who smoked it.

Thinking that Toka-san actually admired the club president quite a bit, Hiiragi Tina clicked her tongue and chose to keep quiet.

Toka is a woman she greatly admires—cool, capable, and independent. If she could become as outstanding and strong as Toka, she would probably have the courage to punch the club president in the face the next time he tries to steal her manga.

However, despite being a Kamen Rider who travels with Rikka Takanashi, Toka only received an A rating.

Because she did not enter into a contract with Cupid.

The white, suspicious alien creatures tend to target underage children, tricking them into brutal battles, and then... they die in despair.

The minister chose the most foolish way to fight, which no one could call wise. However, this foolishness gave the other contracted knights, who were not yet prepared to face life and death, a chance to withdraw and give up.

Even though most of the unprepared Contract Riders chose to give up or retire due to the meddling of the foolish minister, Toka's sister did not give up the opportunity to become a Kamen Rider. Worried about her sister, Toka resolutely stepped into the world of Kamen Rider and chose to fight alongside her sister.

She secretly glanced at the distance.

Rikka Takanashi was sitting on a lounge chair, swinging her legs, intently munching on a nearly melted popsicle, her signature eyepatch askew on her forehead. The suspicious white alien creature she had a contract with was quietly crouching at Rikka's feet, its red eyes like jewels.

Soon, the flight information screen showed that the target flight had arrived.

Tina Hiiragi quickly followed Toka's instructions, raising her sign high with the words "Izumi Konata" clearly written on it. She was a little excited, looking forward to seeing the super cute and energetic girl she had glimpsed on the captain's phone's gacha screen earlier.

The crowd began to pour out of the gate. Hiiragi Tina stood on tiptoe, her eyes searching anxiously through the throng. Finally, she spotted a petite figure.

It's definitely cute, but... it seems a little different from the photo?

The skin tones don't quite match. The girl in the photo is as fair as a porcelain doll, while the girl in front of me has fair skin that leans towards a wheatish tan, with traces of sunlight kissing her skin.

Tina Hiiragi reasonably suspects that the photos she sees on the gacha interface have been "processed".

The blue-haired girl also saw the arrival sign. Pulling a suitcase that looked even smaller than herself, she walked over briskly, a relaxed smile on her face.

"Hello! This is Izumi Konata. Thank you for coming to pick me up at the airport!"

"Hello, Ms. Izumi Konata."

Ms. Toka, who belongs to the same group of handsome adults as Ms. Izumi Konata, who is a university student, stepped forward and extended her hand:

"I am Kamen Rider Takanashi Touka from the Blue Island Knights Council. This is Mai Hiiragi Tina."

"Hello, senior."

Hiiragi Tina followed suit, bowing and greeting, looking somewhat nervous.

The meeting was simple and the atmosphere was relatively harmonious. The addition of the new SS-class knight meant an unprecedented increase in the combat power of the Azure Island Knight Council, but there was also a hint of something unusual about it.

If Hiiragi Tina remembers correctly, the Speaker of the European Knights Council, who is also an SS-rank knight but covets the Minister, is still stuck on Blue Island and hasn't left.

Of the ten SS-class knights in the world, two are already in Japan, basically representing the highest level of combat power of the European Knights Council.

Considering this is the minister's permanent residence, does this mean something is about to happen in Japan?

Although she was already able to converse normally, Hiiragi Tina, who was still not very good at it, watched the two talk and interact, occasionally chiming in with a comment. However, Toka-san and Izumi Konata-san stopped halfway through their conversation.

The two of them looked in the same direction at the same time.

Hiiragi Tina was completely baffled, and then she saw the two of them looking at her at the same time.

"Something's coming."

"Something has happened in Tokyo."

The noisy background noise of the airport terminal seemed to disappear instantly, leaving only these two short but earth-shattering sentences echoing in Hiiragi Tina's ears.

A chill crept up her spine.

Chapter Ninety-Three: Going Beyond the Limits and Losing One's Qualifications (5k, 2/?)

Tokyo, Prime Minister's Official Residence, Crisis Management Center.

The air was heavy, a mixture of the smells of high-end printed paper, instant coffee, and an indescribable anxiety.

The huge screen wall is divided into several images: traffic monitoring, weather cloud map, a messy tunnel entrance, and the most eye-catching one—deep in Tokyo Bay, a thick, turbid column of water carrying unidentified debris is violently tearing the surface of the sea, steaming up a white fog that blots out the sky.

Rando Yaguchi, Chief Cabinet Secretary, frowned deeply, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the smooth tabletop. He glanced at the man sitting upright beside him.

"Koriyama Crisis Management Supervisor, what's the situation?"

The man known as the Koriyama Crisis Management Supervisor maintained a rigid professional demeanor, his tone calm and unwavering:

Regarding the Tokyo Bay undersea tunnel accident, it has been confirmed that multiple serious, consecutive car crashes occurred. The preliminary assessment is that the cause was a sudden, violent tremor that led to structural cracking and loss of vehicle control. The tunnel entrance has been closed, rescue operations are underway, and the number of casualties is still being tallied.

"shock?"

Pressing for answers, he pointed to the towering column of water vapor on the screen.

"Meteorological disasters? Geological activity? And this...this eruption, is there a direct connection?"

"Preliminary feedback from the Meteorological Agency indicates that there are no meteorological conditions in the near future sufficient to cause severe seafloor tremors. The Geological Survey states that the area is not a known active fault zone. Regarding this phenomenon..."

He paused.

"We are urgently requesting depth analysis data from the Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology and the Japan Meteorological Agency. It will take time."

A slightly plump administrative vice minister standing next to Yaguchi couldn't help but interject, "The timing? The scale, the commotion—isn't this an underwater volcanic eruption? Does this even need analysis?"

"It appears to match, but the heat source is abnormal. The diffusion pattern, water column composition, and accompanying infrasound characteristics all differ from typical volcanic eruptions. Something still feels off."

Upon hearing this, Yaguchi Rando shook his head slightly, trying to grasp the inexplicable sense of unease.

One of the participating officials put forward a hypothesis:

"An accident involving a nuclear submarine from another country?"

"The possibility is extremely low. The waterway at the entrance to Tokyo Bay is complex, with an average depth of only about 40 meters. Large military submarines simply cannot navigate covertly at this depth, let alone cause such geological damage. Neither radar nor sonar detected any suspicious underwater targets."

The meeting fell into a strange stalemate. On the screen, the terrifying jet of water continued to rage, silently mocking the tranquility. The officials began to exchange opinions in hushed tones, their viewpoints varied:

"Perhaps it was a sudden release of methane hydrate?"

"Could it be a massive explosion in an undersea pipeline?"

"Industrial accident?"

"Let's wait for detailed data first; acting rashly will cause panic..."

"The immediate priority is to ensure tunnel rescue and traffic control in the surrounding area..."

The debate revolved around "what it is," but failed to focus on "what it should be done."

Time ticked by amidst lengthy technical discussions, subtle shifts in departmental responsibilities, and an endless enumeration of "possibilities." No one made a decision, and no one dared to take responsibility for "overreacting." Yaguchi Randou's brow furrowed deeper and deeper. Several times he tried to forcefully steer the discussion toward countermeasures, but was diverted by more "pragmatic" topics.

The heavy door was pushed open, and the Prime Minister walked in, looking travel-worn and visibly exhausted. The conference room fell silent instantly, all eyes fixed on him.

The Prime Minister walked straight to the head of the table and sat down. He rubbed his temples, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic scene on the screen. His voice was impatient as he asked directly:

"You still haven't determined the exact cause of the cracks inside the undersea tunnel and that eruption?"

Koriyama immediately stood up to report.

"Prime Minister, preliminary analysis points to intense, unknown geological activity on the seabed. The specific cause is still under urgent investigation. The Geological Survey's deep-sea probes are being dispatched, but it will take at least two hours to reach the core area..."

The Prime Minister waved his hand, interrupting his lengthy technical explanation, his tone increasingly impatient:

"I don't care how it happened specifically, or whether it caused large-scale casualties."

"Casualties inside the tunnel are being confirmed, and the figures we have at present are... limited. The eruption occurred in the deep waters of central Tokyo Bay, and no reports of casualties directly caused by the eruption have been received."

An official from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare answered cautiously.

The Prime Minister seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and leaned back in his chair.

"Since there were no large-scale casualties and the cause wasn't an attack by those 'organizations,' let's hand it over to the relevant ministries and agencies. Establish a joint investigation team, coordinated by the Cabinet Office. Mr. Yaguchi, you'll be in charge of overseeing the subsequent briefings and public statements."

"Yes, Prime Minister."

Yaguchi immediately agreed.

The Prime Minister's secretary stepped forward at the opportune moment and whispered a reminder:

"Prime Minister, the Disaster Response Headquarters has activated the Level 2 Disaster Response mechanism, and representatives from relevant ministries are on their way. In addition, considering the situation, I have cancelled your afternoon visit to the new energy project. There will be an emergency briefing on this matter in half an hour, where various departments will give their initial reports. The media are already waiting outside."

"I see."

The Prime Minister nodded, satisfied with his secretary's arrangements. He stood up, straightened his suit as if he were about to face reporters' cameras rather than an unknown disaster, and then left.

After the Prime Minister left, the atmosphere in the meeting room seemed to relax a bit, but efficiency did not improve.

The specific measures for a "Level II Response" have sparked a completely new round of discussion. Rather than discussing how to respond, it's more accurate to say they should not respond at all.

When someone suggested increasing patrols along the Tokyo Bay coast, others immediately questioned the budget and necessity; when someone mentioned notifying coastal businesses to prepare contingency plans, they were reminded to consider the "economic impact" and "business sentiment."

The sky outside the window changed in an instant.

At this moment, a middle-aged man who had been sitting silently in the corner, wearing a special countermeasures department uniform, connected to the communication, his voice carrying a hint of urgency and gravity:

"The Azure Island Knights Council has just sent a top-priority message."

"What did you say, Kuuga?" Yaguchi asked immediately.

The middle-aged man's voice was clear and heavy:

"I demand that the highest level of evacuation and refuge be initiated immediately and unconditionally for the low-lying areas along the Tokyo Bay coast, especially Koto Ward, Shinagawa Ward, and Chuo Ward. Repeat, evacuate immediately, without delay."

The conference room was deathly silent, then erupted into a suppressed commotion.