I want to become a Kamen Rider

"I see. Although I may have different opinions on the idea of ​​compassion for the wealthy, I admire Yukinoshita's philosophy. Therefore, it's fine for you to be the department head."

"You have different opinions, but you don't intend to refute them?"

"I'm busy, and I don't think Yukinoshita-san is wrong. On the contrary, I admire you for choosing to stay true to yourself by helping others, even though you clearly have some unpleasant past."

"...May I ask what you're busy with?"

["What are your thoughts on your country's declining birth rate, Yukinoshita-san? Please summarize briefly in one sentence."]

"When there are more adults crying, there are fewer children crying."

"So, I just don't want to hear anyone else crying anymore."

【“…”】

"Oh, right, although I'll leave this place alone for now, I'll try to sideline Yukinoshita later when I have time, take over the Service Club, and take over Soubu High School."

"...Welcome to your challenge."

……

……

Service Department.

The afternoon sun slanted through the glass windows of the Soubu High School activity room, dividing the room into distinct geometric blocks of light and shadow. Nai sat upright in her usual spot, her back ramrod straight, like a lone pine tree on a snowy mountain.

A hardcover book lay open on her knees, its pages flat, yet it remained untouched for a long time. Her gaze wasn't on the book; instead, it shifted slightly, fixing on the empty seat opposite her.

There used to be a... strange person sitting in that spot.

She rarely debated with anyone, but she rarely lost. However, that one person was quite interesting; he expressed respect, reserved his different opinions, yet always seemed eager to do something else.

It's not that they disdain arguing, but rather that they genuinely don't have time to argue.

There are self-evident truths in this world, such as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, and water flowing from high places to low places. That person seemed to be carrying such truths with him, not caring about other people's opinions at all, skipping classes and truant, not acting like a student at all.

At first, I thought it was just a case of someone with a strong sense of conviction and a touch of adolescent angst, until what happened last week.

I took out my phone, and the screen lit up with a cold light. I typed keywords into the search bar, and the news headlines that popped up immediately caught my eye:

Police crack major kidnapping case in the city, rescuing multiple victims.

Shocking Explosion at a Family Restaurant in the Western Suburbs: New Medical Technology Deployed, Almost No Fatalities at the Scene

……

The dates... all subtly coincided with the time he disappeared.

Of course, given that the person's disappearance is common and the time spent at school is relatively rare, it doesn't prove anything. However, once it's connected to the previous commission, it makes one wonder.

If I remember correctly, a foreign transfer student named Fan Kang initiated a request to "obtain Sakuta Azusagawa and Houtarou Oreki". Then, after learning from Yuihama that Sakuta Azusagawa had disappeared, he skipped class again.

Then, Sakuta Azusagawa actually came back to class.

Moreover, he had submitted an application to join the Knights Club a few days ago. After being reminded, Azusagawa Sakuta corrected it to an application to join the Service Club. This may be a signal that echoes Fan Kang's fictional declaration.

A faint sense of crisis lingered between his brows, but what was more concerning than being sidelined was that Azusagawa Sakuta's return was related to him, and if so, in what form?

I've heard of news stories about high school detectives before, so that person is a detective too?

He helped the incompetent Japanese police solve a case and found the missing Sakuta Azusagawa. Out of gratitude and admiration for Sakuta Azusagawa, he applied to join the club he belonged to.

"So, I just don't want to hear anyone else crying anymore."

The phrase that she remembered so vividly meant helping others as a high school detective? If so, although it was a breach of student duty, it wasn't entirely incomprehensible why the school had tolerated him until now, since he had indeed helped others, which was a remarkable thing.

In short, I'm very curious.

When I arrived at the Service Club at 3:30 pm, which was the end of the school day, everyone in the Service Club was there, including Fan Kang, who was usually absent, and the new member, Sakuta Azusagawa.

Generally speaking, when there are no requests, the Service Club is similar to other clubs like the Literature Club or the Reading Club. Everyone does their own thing in the club, such as reading literary classics, Hachiman Hikigaya reading paperbacks, and Yui Yuigahama playing on her phone. When it's time to go home, everyone goes home. If there's something to do, they simply don't come.

He then looked around.

As always, Hachiman Hikigaya stared unfocusedly at the paperback in his hand by the window. When Nona's gaze briefly lingered on him, he seemed to notice, his body stiffening almost imperceptibly. He then raised the book even higher, trying to completely shut out the outside world.

Yui Yuigahama was still playing on her phone, while the shy Tina Hiiragi huddled in a corner, looking at comics and occasionally letting out a strange laugh. Sakuta Azusagawa was a little different; he was doing his homework... in the department activity room.

Across from her usual seat, the long-empty seat finally welcomed its occupant—Fan Kang. He was practically slumped in the chair, his school uniform jacket casually draped over the armrest, his head tilted back slightly, and his eyes closed. He looked exhausted; even the sunlight couldn't dispel the heaviness emanating from him.

This phenomenon is very common, and we've gotten used to it. We feel so tired when we're resting, but when we open our eyes, we're incredibly sharp.

After this seemingly calm but inwardly secretive atmosphere lasted for about ten minutes, Fan Kang woke up. He opened his eyes and began calling roll:

"Sakuta Azusagawa, Tina Hiiragi, let's go."

The voice wasn't loud, but it was enough to break the silence.

Sakuta Azusagawa seemed to have been waiting for this moment. Without any hesitation, he immediately dropped his lazy demeanor, quickly stuffed his phone into his pocket, put his homework in his bag, and stood up. He even pulled out a chair for Tina Hiiragi.

"Ah? Yes, yes!"

Hiiragi Tina was a little flustered, but more so because she was being stared at by everyone than because she was surprised. She hurriedly closed the comic book, hugged it tightly to her chest as if it were a shield, and followed Fan Kang with quick, small steps.

In just a few days, the Service Club not only gained new members, but Tina Hiiragi's social anxiety also improved significantly. Although she still only dared to act arrogantly in front of Fan-kun, she could now speak relatively normally with others. It's hard to imagine what kind of experiences could have led to such a dramatic change in someone who was extremely introverted and shy.

Azusagawa's attitude towards Fan Jun is also quite interesting. There is a bit of gratitude towards her savior, and a lot of admiration. Is being a detective such a respectable profession?

Nai watched as Fan Kang turned around, watched as Azusagawa Sakuta silently followed, and watched as Hiiragi Tina followed closely behind. The three of them were about to step out of the quiet activity room divided by sunlight and head towards a completely unknown territory for her.

It was agreed from the very beginning of the merger that she would not interfere with the activities of the Knights Club, and in return, the members of the Knights Club would help complete the mission. The other party had fulfilled the agreement well. Although the main thing was to drive away Hiiragi Tina to help, she really had no reason to interfere with the other party.

Just as they were about to step across the threshold, Nai's clear, cold voice broke the silence, surprising even herself:

"You..." She paused, her icy blue eyes fixed on Fan Kang's retreating figure, "What are you going to do?"

The question was asked.

This wasn't quite in line with her usual style. But the curiosity ignited by the news, by Azusagawa Sakuta's condition, and by the many contradictions and mysteries surrounding Fan Jun overwhelmed her perfect self-control.

Fan Kang stopped in his tracks.

He slowly turned around, sunlight streaming in from behind. This enigmatic and unconventional young man, whom she had known since the beginning, calmly met her gaze and said indifferently:

"Go do adult things."

Chapter 48 Azure Island [4/5]

"boom."

The door closed gently, shutting out the sounds from the corridor.

The activity room fell into an even more stagnant silence than before.

She remained seated, the book on her lap still on the same page. Her delicate face was expressionless, but upon closer inspection, one could see that the tips of her fingers gripping the edge of the page had tightened slightly, her knuckles turning a faint white.

"...something about adults?"

Yui Yuigahama murmured, her face inexplicably turning red, her eyes darting around, clearly led by the phrase in some unhealthy directions.

Hikigaya Hachiman silently raised the paperback again, completely obscuring his face, but he was certain that he heard him let out an extremely faint, ambiguous sigh of "Ha..."

Nai's brows finally furrowed slowly.

Yui Yuigahama continued to speculate:

"Could it be... that Xiao Kang has already stepped onto the ladder of adulthood?! Then, what about Xiao Ti's changes these past few days...?"

Hachiman Hikigaya put down his paperback and interrupted Yui Yuigahama with a tone that was a mixture of surprise and "you're really bold": "You called the Second Minister Koko? You really dare to call him that, Yui."

"That's why I don't dare to call him that to his face."

"That's very rational."

"Little Qi, don't you yourself call Fan Kang 'Second Minister'?"

"That's a term of respect for me."

Although he wasn't a real bad guy, given his terrifying record and the backing of the rocky school that had kept him from being expelled, most students at Soubu High School held Fan Kang in awe.

Hachiman Hikigaya counted on his fingers:

"So I'm 'Little Enterprise,' Yukinoshita is 'Little Yuki,' the Second Department Head is 'Little Katsuki,' Hiiragi-san is 'Little Ti'... And what about Azusagawa Sakuta?"

Obviously, since Sakuta Azusagawa only joined the club a few days ago, Yui Yuigahama hasn't had time to pick it up yet.

Yuihama thought seriously for two seconds, then her eyes lit up as if she had discovered a new continent, and she probed in her unique, slightly sticky, cute voice:

"'Little Mrs'?"

"What's the difference between this and 'Sakuta'?"

"...It seems there's no difference."

While Nai was lost in thought, Yui Yuigahama and Hachiman Hikigaya continued their conversation.

In every sense, this boy, who ranks first among campus ghost stories and possesses unparalleled action and destructive power, is extremely entertaining and worthy of discussion.

"So 'Little Kang' and 'Little Ti' wouldn't really be..."

"Calm down, Yuihama. Judging from the way the Second Minister speaks, things are definitely not what you think, not to mention that they also have Azusagawa Sakuta with them."

"That's right, he said last time that he wanted to get Sakuta Azusagawa and Houtarou Oreki."

"Wait, it seems he has actually gotten one."

The two exchanged a glance and simultaneously gasped.

"If I remember correctly, 'Xiao Kang's' original words were that he wanted to get close to them and then make them follow him, obey him in a social sense, and fight to the death. Judging from Azusagawa's reaction, he seems to be quite obedient?"

"...Wouldn't the next victim be Houtarou Oreki?"

After careful consideration, Hachiman Hikigaya overturned his own conclusion.

"It's not necessarily a victim's reaction. Azusagawa's reaction doesn't seem like she was fooled; it's more like she was rescued. Besides, wasn't Azusagawa missing before? It's very likely that the Second Minister found her."

"Xiao Kang is so amazing..."

"After all, it's impossible for someone who isn't good to skip school every day and still get good grades. I even specifically asked the second minister why he would take the exam when he doesn't even attend classes. Do you know what the second minister said? He said he was fed up with being insulted by math and wanted to experience our test papers."

"And that's how he managed to get second place in the grade?"

"It's said that if it weren't for the fact that the national literature team was dragging them down, they might have been able to defeat Yukinoshita."

Zongwu High School, a key high school with a good deviation score, has exams that are quite difficult. How Fan Kang, who doesn't even attend classes, managed to get such a score remains a mystery to the students of Zongwu High School. However, there are too many mysteries surrounding him. Compared to the huge mystery of why he hasn't been expelled yet, no one pays much attention to his grades.

The topic veered off course, from what exactly "adult matters" were to the nickname given to him by Yui Bin, then to Fan Kang's grades, and finally, somehow, it veered back to the beginning.

"Speaking of which, although I don't know what kind of adult things the Second Minister is going to do with Azusagawa and Hiiragi, it must be very exciting and tense, considering his personality."

"I think it was probably shock."

"In short, I hope Azusagawa and Hiiragi can rest in peace. Amen."

In a strange place, Yui Yuigahama and Hachiman Hikigaya reached an agreement.

.........

……

Meanwhile, above Zongwu High.

"Minister, help me! I'm going to be thrown out!!"

A piercing scream shattered the tranquility between the clouds.

Hiiragi Tina almost shrank into Fan Kang's oversized school uniform jacket. She clung tightly to Fan Kang's left arm and let out screams.

Even Azusagawa Sakuta wasn't much better off. He gripped Fan Kang's right arm, trying his best to remain calm, but his voice still trembled and cracked noticeably at the end.

"Senior, you're driving too fast! This isn't a means of transportation, it's a catapult!"

The strong wind lashed at his face like an invisible giant hand, making it almost impossible for him to breathe. He could only squint and barely make out the immovable figure in front of him.

The beetle-shaped aircraft, named "Golem," was originally designed to carry only one person, but now it is carrying three people, which is seriously overloaded. Even so, it is magnified several times and is still tearing through the clouds with an unreasonable and ferocious manner.

Lacking streamlined elegance, its flight path carried an overbearing and unreasonable efficiency. The engine emitted a deep and continuous roar, and the exhaust nozzles that shouldn't exist now trailed long, almost solidified blue flames, leaving behind a constantly twisting and breaking cloud trail.

The severely overloaded fuselage trembled violently, each passage through the turbulent air accompanied by a sickening metallic groan, as if it were about to disintegrate in mid-air at any moment. The city below had long since become a blurry patch of color; the weightlessness and visual dizziness brought on by the high-speed movement combined to drive any untrained person to the brink of collapse.

Crossing the sky in an instant, amidst the screams of Azusagawa Sakuta and Hiiragi Tina, Fan Kang calmly said:

"We're in a hurry. Just bear with it, we'll be there soon."

As soon as he finished speaking, "Golem" suddenly swooped down, the roar of its engines intensifying abruptly. The view below magnified abruptly, the azure sea rushing towards them at an astonishing speed.