As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider.

That evening, not far from the park entrance, Lin Chen, as always, hid in the shadows, his mental energy already firmly locked onto the battlefield a hundred meters away.

After several failed attempts to reach Orphnoch, with Faiz having already cleanly and efficiently taken its life by the time he arrived, leaving him no chance to even touch the evolution point, he completely changed his strategy. Whenever he sensed Onoue Takumi's presence, no matter what he was doing, he would immediately turn back and follow, guarding the opportunity for the final blow and never giving the opponent the chance to end the battle first.

On the open ground, Faiz's silver-black armor gleamed coldly in the night, his red photon veins flowing intensely. Onoue Takumi's movements were no longer clumsy; wielding his photon sword, each strike was swift and efficient, his footwork agile as he dodged counterattacks. The Orphnoch was firmly suppressed, unable to mount even a proper counterattack.

"Exceed Charge!"

A high-pitched electronic sound pierced the night as the photon sword charged, energy flowing through its blade, ready to unleash its deadly attack. Lin Chen's Orphic factors surged instantly, preparing him to transform into an Orphic being. Just as he was about to burst out of the shadows, an unfamiliar aura suddenly crashed into his sensory network.

He had never sensed that aura before in the academy. He completely concealed his presence, pressed himself against the cold metal sheet, and fixed his amber pupils on the alleyway from which the aura originated.

As the electronic sound faded, Faiz's photon sword erupted with a blazing red light, swiftly slicing through the night and piercing the core of the Orphnoch. The monster twitched a few times before turning into a cloud of black ash, swept away by the night wind. Tail-up skillfully sheathed his sword, deactivated his transformation, hopped onto the motorcycle parked nearby, and twisted the throttle to drive away.

The instant the motorcycle roared to life, a figure leaped from the rooftop of a nearby low building. A black cloak fluttered in the night wind, and a palm strike aimed directly at Takumi Onoue, who had just settled into his seat; the target was clearly the Faiz belt around his waist. Onoue reacted with lightning speed, twisting the throttle to its limit. Sparks flew as the motorcycle's rear wheel scraped the ground, and with a sharp drift, it swerved and disappeared into the night.

The figure missed its target, landing heavily only brushing the back of the motorcycle. Without hesitation, he sprinted towards the motorcycle, his cloak billowing as he moved faster than a normal Orphnoch. But legs could not keep up with the speed of a machine; after less than a hundred meters, the motorcycle's lights became a faint glow in the distance, disappearing completely at the alley entrance.

The figure stopped, panting and cursing under his breath. He bent down and picked up a fallen photograph from the ground where Faiz had just passed. His fingertips traced the photograph, and a strange look flashed in his eyes.

In the shadows not far away, Lin Chen leaned against the cold wall, his amber pupils fixed on the black figure. He had already recognized the other party's identity—Didiend, the treasure hunter who enjoyed stealing knight belts and was jokingly called "Lady Haidong".

He slowly concealed his aura, already understanding the situation. The appearance of Kaito Daiki was the clearest signal. Before long, Kadoya Tsukasa, the so-called "passing-by Kamen Rider," would step into this Smart Brain Academy, and this cage controlled by the Orphnochs would eventually be torn apart by the storm.

...

The next day, sunlight filtered through the sycamore leaves, casting dappled shadows on the school's stone path. Lin Chen, dressed in his patrol uniform, slowly patrolled along his predetermined route, his mental energy casually spreading out, scanning the surroundings. As he reached the corner of the garden, two familiar figures came into view: Onoue Takumi and Tomita Yuri.

He already knew their names, and now he saw them taking pictures around a pot of blooming hydrangeas. Yuri Tomoda was half-squatting in front of the flowers, carefully adjusting the angle of her camera, while Takumi Onoue stood beside her, holding a sun visor, bowing slightly as he listened to the girl's instructions. His expression was docile, and even the way he held the sun visor was somewhat cautious. His timid and submissive demeanor was completely different from the knight who transformed into Faiz at night and ruthlessly killed the Orphnoch.

Just then, cheers and applause suddenly erupted from the tree-lined path in the distance. A group of students surrounded four figures, offering them water and flowers. Lin Chen glanced up, his eyes unmoved, already used to this.

These were the lucky four-leaf clovers, their crisp white school uniforms accentuating their tall and straight figures, making them the undisputed idols of the school. By day, they were popular figures among students, with gentle smiles and impeccable manners, perfectly embodying the image of sunny, cheerful young men. But Lin Chen knew that this was nothing more than their most perfect disguise.

Beneath that seemingly gentle exterior lurked the four most ferocious Orphnochs in the academy, the true rulers of the entire school, their hands stained with the ashes of countless out-of-control Orphnochs. He scoffed inwardly. If these students, kept in the dark, knew that their idols were monsters lurking among them, devouring anyone they could get their hands on, would they still be so fanatical? They would probably be left with only endless fear and despair.

Lin Chen suddenly noticed that the lucky four-leaf clover was walking towards him, surrounded by excited students.

This caused a flicker of surprise in his heart. Ever since his resistance in the interrogation room, where he used the ruthlessness of a wild tiger-type Orphnoch to force the four of them to their knees, they had been wary of him to the core. They hadn't run into each other in the past six months, but every time they did, he was always followed by armed members of the disciplinary team, fearing that he would suddenly erupt and tear them apart. They never dared to confront him directly in private, let alone approach him so unguardedly.

Could it be that he was so bold because he was surrounded by ordinary students and assumed that the boy would not dare to reveal his Orphnoch form in public?

As the cheers grew closer, Momose's gaze swept over the crowd and landed on Lin Chen, her eyes filled with apprehension.

A wave of cheers surged from all around. Momose's gaze lingered on Lin Chen for a moment, but the hint of apprehension vanished quickly before she looked away. Lin Chen raised an eyebrow, his surprise deepening—things weren't as he expected. The Lucky Four-Leaf Clover, halfway there, had all turned around and headed towards Onoue Takumi and Tomoda Yuri, with the surrounding students following suit, the noise spreading far and wide.

Lucky Four-Leaf Clover walked up to the two from the photography club. Genda, being a sports student, took the lead, kicking over a plastic chair blocking their path and sweeping away the flowers that Onoue and Takumi were posing for a photo.

The cheers and applause around them stopped abruptly. The students fell silent, looked at each other, and took a few steps back. No one dared to step forward to stop him. Genta didn't care about the mess on the ground. He walked heavily to Yuda Yuri. His tall figure cast a shadow, enveloping the girl. His eyes were filled with undisguised oppression.

Momose and the other two followed behind.

Lin Chen leaned against a short distance away, his amber pupils slightly narrowed, his mind racing. Lucky Clover was always arrogant, never looking down on ordinary human students, and would never bother two photography club students for no reason. Such a large-scale mobilization must have another reason.

Could it be that Takumi Onoue's identity as Faiz has been exposed? Are they using the pretext of looking for Yuri Tomoda to cause trouble, but are they actually after the hidden Kamen Rider?

"What are you going to do?" Yuri Tomoda was also a little scared when she saw Genda coming at her aggressively.

"Did you just take a picture of us?" Genda questioned. As he asked, he walked around Yuri Tomoda, with Shiro Kin, who wore glasses, and Shukawa, the only woman in the Clover, following closely behind. The three of them formed a triangle around Yuri Tomoda.

Takumi Ogami, standing next to him, was filled with worry.

"We Clover fans aren't idols, it's annoying that you take pictures of us like that," Genda said.

At this moment, Takumi Oogami came up to explain. But the Clover group still wouldn't let it go.

Genda, seeing that Onoue Takumi didn't believe his explanation, grew even more aggressive. Before Onoue could speak further, Genda forcefully reached out and snatched the camera from Yuri Tomoda's hand, then flung it directly onto the concrete ground in the distance.

The camera shot out with a gust of wind, and just as it was about to hit the ground, a figure leaped out from the side, moving as nimbly as a gust of wind, and caught the falling camera steadily. The newcomer was wearing a black, high-collared school uniform, with a pink camera hanging on his chest, leaving everyone astonished.

Lin Chen, who was in the distance, realized who he was: Kamen Rider Decade – Tsukasa Kadoya.

Tsukasa Kadoya weighed the camera in his hand, completely ignoring the three glaring angrily at him, raised his hand and pressed the shutter, snapping a few photos in quick succession. He immediately developed the pictures and pasted them one by one onto the foreheads of Genda, Shirokin, and Akikawa. The images in the photos were distorted and warped, completely losing their usual school idol glamour, leaving only hideous and comical outlines.

The three men instantly flew into a rage, tearing off the photos and smashing them on the ground. But Kadoya Shiri ignored them, walking straight to Momose, who was not far away, and snapping another picture. He looked at the developed photo and scoffed, lamenting that Momose's face was rather ugly. He casually placed the camera on a nearby table and turned to leave.

Just then, Momose flung the photograph between her fingers, the paper slicing through the air like a steel-hardened blade. Kadoya Tsukasa paused, dodging to the left, barely avoiding the attack. The photograph embedded itself in the metal water pipe behind him, emitting a piercing buzz. Kadoya Tsukasa slowly turned around, his nonchalant expression vanishing, replaced by undisguised anger in his eyes, his aura instantly turning icy.

In that tense moment, a figure emerged from the shadows of the school building. Kaito Daiki smiled, grabbed Kadoya Tsukasa's arm, and asked him what he was doing there before pulling him away.

Genda and his two companions wanted to give chase, but Momose stopped them. At that moment, Akikawa said, "Could that guy be Faiz?"

Lin Chen stood not far away, witnessing all of this. His fingertips unconsciously rubbed the five-cent coin in his collar, and a glint of light flashed in his amber pupils.