As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider.

His voice, carrying the savage pressure of an Orphnoch, exploded across the tennis court, clearly indicating that he had already noticed Lin Chen's presence.

Lin Chen knew he could no longer escape. He slowly stepped out of the shadows, his face expressionless, and bowed slightly to Bai Se, offering no explanation or hesitation.

"Transform, and come with me to take him down." Momose's command was cold and direct, leaving no room for negotiation.

Lin Chen sighed inwardly, having no other choice but to activate the Orphic Factor within his body. Silver-black scales rapidly emerged from his neck and wrists, spreading across his entire body. Sharp claws shot from his fingertips, sharp tiger ears stood erect on his head, and his amber pupils narrowed to slits. An aura of power belonging to a high-level tiger-type Orphic emanated from him. In the blink of an eye, he had transformed into a tiger-type Orphic form like Momose, though his aura was slightly weaker. He also lacked Momose's heavy armor and the fist blades in his hands. This was his initial form.

Without the slightest hesitation, he raised his foot and charged towards Tsukasa Kadoya, his tiger claws carrying a fierce wind, aiming straight for Kadoya's face.

When Tsukasa Kadoya saw Lin Chen suddenly rushing towards him, a clear look of surprise flashed in his red compound eyes. He obviously hadn't expected there to be another high-level tiger-type Orphnoch. He quickly raised his hand and used his Card Sword to block Lin Chen's tiger claws, and a crisp metallic clang rang out.

Lin Chen's attacks appeared fierce, with each swing of his tiger claws aimed at Kadoya Tsukasa's vitals. However, he was not actually using his full strength. He deliberately held back three-tenths of his power with every attack. The angle at which his tiger claws landed seemed tricky, but it always left room for dodging. Even the output of his power was precisely controlled so that he could just contend with Kadoya Tsukasa without actually exerting his full strength.

He was just acting, putting on a show of "giving it his all but falling short." He knew very well that Tsukasa Kadoya was the key to breaking the deadlock, and Momose and Lucky Clover were both staring intently at him. He had to appear to be fighting with all his might to dispel their suspicions.

The two exchanged several blows when Lin Chen deliberately created an opening. Kadoya Tsukasa seized the opportunity, raising his sword and striking Lin Chen in the chest. The force wasn't great, but it was enough to send him flying. Lin Chen was propelled backward by the force of the blow, crashing heavily onto the tennis court with a dull thud.

He smoothly withdrew the Orpheus factor within his body, the silver-black scales slowly disappeared, and the tiger ears and claw blades vanished, transforming back into human form. He lay on the ground, panting heavily, his face pale, and he even deliberately squeezed out a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, pretending to be exhausted and seriously injured, remaining motionless, completely activating the "corpse-lying" mode.

Momose looked at Lin Chen lying on the ground, a flash of intense contempt and anger crossing her amber vertical pupils. She couldn't help but growl, "Useless!"

He no longer bothered with Lin Chen and charged towards Kadoya Tsukasa. The Tiger-type Orphnoch unleashed its full speed, its claws carrying immense power as it unleashed a series of lightning-fast and ruthless strikes at Kadoya Tsukasa. Having just finished a fierce battle with Genda and Shirokin, and then unleashing his ultimate attacks, Kadoya Tsukasa was already nearly exhausted and unable to withstand Momose's onslaught. In just a few moves, Momose's claws slammed into his chest, shattering his armor and forcing him out of his Knight form, where he crashed heavily to the ground.

Just as Momose was about to step forward and deliver the final blow to Kadoya Tsukasa, a crisp bell suddenly rang out from afar, breaking the tense atmosphere on the tennis court.

Momose abruptly stopped, a hint of resentment flashing in her amber vertical pupils, but she still suppressed the Orpheus factor within her and transformed back into human form. Genda, Shirokin, and Shukawa also deactivated their transformations, reverting to their human appearances. The four glanced at Tsukasa Kadoya on the ground, then turned and left without lingering, their steps unhurried, as if the fierce battle just now was nothing more than an insignificant game.

Only after the lucky four-leaf clover had completely disappeared from sight did Lin Chen slowly get up from the ground, pat the dust off his body, wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, and his complexion instantly returned to normal, showing no trace of the serious injuries and exhaustion he had just suffered.

He didn't even glance at Tsukasa Kadoya on the ground, and walked towards the edge of the tennis court, still with that calm and indifferent expression, as if the battle just now had nothing to do with him.

The scene of him turning away was witnessed by Tsukasa Kadoya, who slowly stood up from the ground.

Tsukasa Kadoya wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, watching Lin Chen's retreating figure, a hint of amusement and doubt flashing in his red compound eyes. In truth, he had sensed something was amiss the moment Lin Chen transformed into a tiger-type Orphnoch and charged forward. Lin Chen's attacks seemed incredibly fierce, but the force landing on him felt light and airy, lacking the overwhelming power expected of an Orphnoch. Those seemingly tricky moves were actually deliberately held back, as if intentionally designed to complement his movements.

His sword strike just now didn't use much power at all; it was just a casual slap. Yet, Lin Chen was sent flying as if struck by a heavy hammer. He even deactivated his transformation and lay motionless on the ground. It all looked like a deliberate act.

Seeing Lin Chen stand up unharmed, dust himself off, and turn to leave, directly confirmed his guess—the battle with this tiger-type Orphnoch was nothing more than a performance for Lucky Clover.

"Interesting." Tsukasa Kadoya watched Lin Chen's figure disappear into the shadows of the trees, a playful smile playing on his lips, and murmured to himself.

The Smart Brain Academy, the strange tiger-shaped Orphnoch, and Faiz lurking in the shadows all piqued his interest.

Lin Chen walked out of the tennis court and returned to his patrol route, his fingertips once again rubbing the five-cent coin tucked into his collar. His mind was racing, calculating his next move. Tsukasa Kadoya's appearance had disrupted the school's balance, the Lucky Clover's trump card was being revealed, and Momose's ability to revive and evolve Genda far exceeded his expectations.

Just as his thoughts were racing, the walkie-talkie on his chest crackled again, and Kurosawa's cold voice came through: "Lin Chen, what's the situation at the tennis court? Why did the energy fluctuations suddenly disappear?"

Lin Chen paused slightly, quickly concealing his thoughts, and replied in a deep voice into the walkie-talkie, "Reporting to Captain Kurosawa, it was just a few adults from Clover disciplining an arrogant transfer student. There's nothing unusual, and it's all over now." He deliberately downplayed the incident, portraying a fierce battle between a high-ranking Orphnoch and a knight as a simple student conflict, hoping to gloss over it as quickly as possible and avoid getting too involved with Kurosawa at this moment.

But as soon as he said that, Kurosawa on the other end of the walkie-talkie became clearly interested, and his originally calm tone became more inquisitive: "Clover has made a move? Report the details to my office."

The order was not to be questioned. Lin Chen sighed inwardly, knowing he couldn't avoid it, and could only reply, "Yes, Your subordinate will be there immediately." After hanging up the walkie-talkie, he adjusted his expression, suppressed all his thoughts, and turned to walk towards the disciplinary team's office building. His steps were steady, and his face showed no sign of anything unusual.

Pushing open the door to Kurosawa's office, the familiar scent of cigarettes mixed with the cold metallic smell wafted out. Kurosawa was still sitting behind his desk, dressed in a sharp white suit, a lit cigarette between his fingers. Amidst the swirling smoke, his sharp eyes were fixed on Lin Chen with an unreadable expression.

"Sit." Kurosawa raised his chin, pointed to the chair in front of the table, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable authority.

Lin Chen sat down as instructed, his back straight, maintaining a respectful posture. He recounted the events on the tennis court in detail, from the cause of the conflict between Tsukasa Kadoya and Lucky Clover, to Genda's death, Momose's revival and evolution into Genda, and then to his transformation to assist in the fight but being overwhelmed and knocked away. However, he omitted all the details about hiding his strength and deliberately acting, portraying himself only as an ordinary high-ranking Orphnoch who lacked strength, tried his best but was powerless.

His tone was calm, his narration was clear and logical, without embellishment or deliberately concealing the core details of the battle, except for his own actual actions.

Kurosawa listened quietly, the cigarette between his fingers burning down to almost nothing, the ash falling softly into the ashtray. He didn't interrupt, but his sharp eyes remained fixed on Lin Chen, as if trying to see through his skin to his innermost thoughts. A brief silence fell over the office after Lin Chen finished speaking, broken only by the crackling of the burning cigarette.

"An unknown knight, capable of forcing the four members of Clover to join forces, and even killing Genda..." Kurosawa murmured, his fingertips rhythmically tapping the wooden surface of his desk. The tapping sound was particularly clear in the quiet office. "It seems that this academy has some interesting guests."

A strange light flashed in his eyes—a mixture of inquiry, wariness, and a barely perceptible calculation. No one knew what he was thinking. Lin Chen sat opposite him, his eyes lowered, feigning respect.

After a moment, seeing that Kurosawa didn't intend to speak again, Lin Chen stood up slightly, bowed, and said, "Captain, I have reported the situation in detail. If there are no other instructions, I will return to my patrol post." He just wanted to leave as soon as possible. Kurosawa's aura was too oppressive, and every second he stayed increased the risk of being seen through.

But just as he finished speaking and was about to turn around, Kurosawa spoke first, breaking the silence in the office. He stopped tapping his fingers on the table, leaned forward slightly, and fixed his gaze on Lin Chen, his tone probing with a hint of playfulness: "Lin Chen, looking at the power of the four-leaf clover and that unknown knight's armor, are you envious?"

Lin Chen's heart skipped a beat, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes before he quickly concealed it. He looked up, meeting Kurosawa's gaze, his face displaying a perfectly timed hesitation and longing, feigning being caught off guard, his tone carrying a sincere yearning: "Your subordinate... is envious. If I could possess the formidable power of Lord Clover, or the formidable armor of a knight, I could certainly serve the academy better, purging those out-of-control Orphnochs and taking down Faiz."

He deliberately linked his desire with serving the academy.

Kurosawa observed the expression on his face, the probing in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by a barely perceptible smile that seemed quite satisfied with the answer. He slowly leaned back in his chair, stubbed out his cigarette, and said in a calm yet authoritative tone, "Since you're envious, then I'll give you a chance. Come to my office alone at midnight tonight, and don't let anyone see you."

Lin Chen was startled, but he maintained a respectful demeanor and quickly bowed, replying, "Yes, Your subordinate obeys." He was filled with doubt. Kurosawa's sudden show of goodwill was too unusual. The midnight meeting must have a complicated arrangement, but he had no room to refuse at the moment.

To his surprise, Kurosawa then added, "You don't need to go on the rest of the patrol today. I'm giving you a day off. Go back and get some rest, recharge your energy, and prepare for tonight's events."

The unprecedented holiday, coupled with the secret order at midnight, deepened Lin Chen's suspicions. He suppressed his turbulent thoughts and bowed again: "Thank you, Captain."