I want to become a Kamen Rider

Good morning, Cupid.

I didn't think I would be asked this question, but Cupid asked it anyway.

"Kang Jun, why are you crying?"

"It's probably because I was reminded of some things from the past. I dreamt of my past self, the one who was so useless, and he gave me a good scolding."

After a long time of fighting Godzilla, even if it was in a dream, Fan Kang stretched.

"I thought that if it were the rebel, he would beat up his former self."

"That guy was too pitiful; even now, I couldn't bring myself to do it. And..."

Fan Kang sighed.

"After this dream, I realized that I had indeed betrayed my former self, betrayed him completely and cleanly. So, now that I have some free time, I will try to fulfill the wishes of my former self within my capabilities."

It's not that growing up and spending a lot of money on pinball machines, ice cream, mobile phones, and computers will bring back the happiness you missed back then.

What's missed is missed, and can never be found again; what's lost is lost, and can never be regained.

He became a Kamen Rider not to find something he could never find for his past self, but simply because he didn't want others to experience that pain again.

Fulfilling one's past wishes is simply giving an explanation to one's former self.

"So, does that also include the desire to date cute girls?"

For some reason, Kewpie became quite excited.

In response to this expectation, Fan Kang nodded:

"of course."

"Then let's hurry up and find Toyokawa Shoko, Mizutani Mikoto, No, Takanashi Rikka, Takanashi Touka, and Hiiragi Tina!"

Cupid jumped onto his shoulder and offered happily.

However, Fan Kang took out his phone, looking puzzled.

Why would you choose them for a romantic relationship?

"Could it be that you want to start from scratch, Kang-kun? You really are Kang-kun, even when you're eating grass, you want it to be fresh. Although I, Kyubey, would like you to stuff several into your mouth at once, in that case, let's go find a new hunting target!"

It quickly adjusted its strategy, its tail tip twitching expectantly.

Fan Kang swiped his phone screen, his fingertip pausing at a certain point. He shook his head, his tone calm:

"As for goals, I've had them for a long time."

"hiss--"

Kewpie gasped. Making its contribution to global warming... wait, does this thing really expel carbon dioxide when it breathes?

"I knew I wasn't wrong, Kang Jun really does have the qualities to become the number one scumbag! So, as for the target, is it one, two, or... three?"

It tentatively increased its stake.

Fan Kang, scrolling through his phone, scratched his head.

"A dozen or so, or maybe several dozen?"

"hiss."

Cupid gasped again, his voice now filled with ecstasy.

"While I'm somewhat... well, shocked by Kangjun's extreme strategy of either 'sealing off his heart and locking away his love' or 'going straight to heaven,' adding more of these measures to maximize efficiency is indeed a good choice! So, how often does Kangjun plan to rotate these measures? A week? Three days?"

"Change it every day."

Even Kyubey sensed something was wrong at that moment.

Changing partners every day—at this rate, even if the host is indeed good-looking and has an extremely powerful identity, it's still pushing their physical and mental limits... This isn't like going to a red-light district to pick out customers.

Moreover, it suspected that the boy in front of it couldn't afford to go to the red-light district.

Wait a minute, if we use force or drugs, or hypnosis and mind control, it seems technically feasible?

However, the solutions it could come up with were unlikely to be adopted by the boy in front of it; otherwise, the one standing in front of it would be a Fallen Rider, not the unchanging Kamen Rider.

Seriously, this guy didn't take a single suggestion that could have increased the power of the contract knights, so how did he become so powerful?

"...May I ask, who exactly is the first target of the resistance against the emperor?"

Fan Kang turned his phone screen towards Qiu Bi, where a stunning illustration was displayed—a blonde, blue-eyed female knight king wielding a holy sword, clad in blue and white armor, with a dignified expression.

"It is this one, King Arthur. Artoria Pendragon. Legend has it that she possessed an ancient and noble demeanor, but because she did not understand human nature, she ultimately lost her kingdom."

"...Isn't this a manga image? Could the girl in the anti-king's portrait be the voice actress, illustrator, or actress of this character?"

"No, it's her personally."

Cupid finally understood.

For the first time, its lips, which always seemed to be slightly upturned as if in a smile, visibly turned downwards by a single pixel. It jumped off Fan Kang's shoulder, landed on the ground, looked up at him, its small body radiating a silent accusation and... a sense of defeat.

And at that moment, Fan Kang, in a tone announcing a major discovery, revealed the answer to the mystery:

"Is there any way to date girls without hurting their true feelings because I might die on that long road? Yes, there is. Although I can't change my heavy fate, I can change my goal! There's a type of girl who is pure, kind, perfect, and innocent, to whom I can place all my best hopes and love, and I can change her every month, every day, or even every few hours without worrying about moral burdens or emotional harm. That is..."

He announced loudly.

"—A two-dimensional character!"

Cupid let out a scream and a wail.

"Do you guys think it's funny to tease me?"

Fan Kang expressed his doubts.

"We?"

"So, Kang Jun doesn't deny that he was just teasing me?"

"Using the word 'teasing' isn't quite right; it carries a connotation of intimacy. To be more precise, I'm just teasing you."

Chapter 56 The Fallen Knight, Makoto Ito [1/5, Second Update Starting at 1 PM]

The sky was as gloomy as cotton wool soaked in ink, with thick, leaden clouds hanging low, making it hard to breathe. The wind carried a damp, cold, salty smell, stirring up dust from the overgrown weeds along the roadside.

In the distance, a dilapidated residential building stands alone in the center of an abandoned community, like a huge skeleton abandoned by time. Peeling paint, broken windows, and rusted steel bars are exposed, silently telling a story of decay and death. This is a microcosm of countless forgotten corners under the wave of declining birth rates.

A heavy motorcycle rolled over the potholes and puddles, splashing up muddy water, and finally came to a stop at the edge of the ruins. The two people on the motorcycle got off one after the other.

On the edge of this forgotten land, Sakuta Azusagawa stared at his phone's front-facing camera, trying to maintain a serious expression. Rain had begun to fall sporadically, dampening the stray hairs on his forehead. His voice sounded somewhat abrupt in the empty space:

"My name is Sakuta Azusagawa, I am 17 years old, a second-year student at Chiba Municipal Soubu High School, an ordinary high school student who got caught up in an unimaginable incident—well, now I might not be so 'ordinary' anymore."

"After being captured and reformed by Shocker, an organization with an evil secret plot to rule the world, and being rescued by Kamen Rider Kuuga just before losing myself, I also became a glorious Kamen Rider."

"Originally, my worries were just some minor issues of adolescence, and how to help my sister with some troubles. Now, I bear the weight of an entire world on my shoulders. The so-called hero is never easy. Someone who can easily create and shape things is not a hero. As Kamen Rider Kaiser, I train in the sand, growing stronger little by little in the sea of ​​sand. As I wield more and more, my anxiety and hesitation gradually disappear."

"I joined the Knights Club of Soubu High School. Every day, school ended at 3:30 pm, but club activities would make me squat in a horse stance for three hours and then be beaten for half an hour. Thanks to this, I made rapid progress. Although I am still far from being able to match the senior who rescued me, I have made some progress in basic combat skills."

"Because I have a reliable and handsome senior who leads by example, I don't touch cigarettes, alcohol, gambling, or drugs. Even if it's sex, I only dabble in it... Okay, since this is a will, I won't say anything against my conscience."

"In short, my first battle is going to be very heavyweight - the battle against the Fallen Knight is about to begin."

"Why did it take so long to record?"

Fan Kang glanced at Azusagawa Sakuta, who had been recording audio on his phone for a long time, and looked somewhat impatient.

"Didn't you tell me to write my will in advance? In order to leave Feng with the last images and memories of her poor brother, I chose to record it."

Fan Kang's lips twitched.

"That's what you say, but it's just a formality. With me accompanying you this time, you'll be fine unless something really unexpected or unexpected happens."

"So, senior, you're making me write a will?"

"It's just a formality. I can't possibly be with you in every battle. Since we've stepped onto the battlefield, we must be prepared to face the end."

Fighting is a high-stakes gamble with one's life at stake. Those who lack awareness, courage, self-doubt, or attachment will be inherently weakened.

Fan Kang was not surprised by Azusagawa Sakuta's statement.

"...What if I fight because my only wish is to survive?"

"Because you have a younger sister?"

"Because I have a younger sister."

"Then let's become stronger for her sake."

The rain gradually intensified, turning from a few scattered drops into a torrential downpour. Large raindrops pounded on the muddy ground, rotting planks, and rusty iron sheets, creating a noisy and monotonous roar.

Visibility blurred, and the abandoned residential buildings looked like a lurking beast in the rain.

That was their destination, a phenomenon not uncommon in this country with a severe low birth rate.

"Senior," Sakuta Azusagawa wiped the rain off his face and asked loudly, trying to drown out the sound of the rain, "The Fallen Knight you mentioned, since he would specifically come to such a deserted place, does that mean he still has some sense of reason?"

"Maybe so. After all, corruption is falling into despair, not going insane. You always ask me why I repeatedly warn you to accumulate power with your own hands in the most clumsy way, when the most important way for a contract knight to become stronger is to fall in love."

Thinking of yet another rider departing, Fan Kang sighed.

"Once you meet that person, you'll understand why I'm so demanding of you to hone your fundamentals. Ultimately, only the body and will you cultivate yourself will not deceive you. Power gained by deceiving others, which is based on lies, is subject to loss."

Sakuta Azusagawa's heart skipped a beat. He pulled a waterproof folder from the inside pocket of his soaked jacket. In the dim light, he glanced at the printed documents inside. The ink was slightly smudged, but the key information remained clear:

[Target: Makoto Ito]

[Status: Fallen Knight]

Threat Level: High

[Note: Originally ranked second in the overall strength rankings of all Contract Knights in Japan (unofficial comprehensive assessment)]

"The second-ranked... former Kamen Rider in all of Japan..."

He muttered to himself, his voice mostly drowned out by the sound of the rain.

Although this ranking is still insignificant compared to that senior, it is still a remarkable achievement for a newcomer like him.

The text below the document is somewhat somber:

[Simultaneously dating multiple women (including a contracted knight), cheating, time management... After the affair was exposed, his pregnant girlfriend died at the hands of another man... He went mad and fell into depravity...]

At that moment, he caught a glimpse of his senior colleague out of the corner of his eye, who calmly pulled out his phone from his pocket. The screen glowed faintly in the rain as his senior colleague skillfully tapped on a flashy, pay-to-win gacha game.

"Um, senior? You... play this?"

"Hold on. Just asking, do you think I'm a penniless wretch?"

Sakuta Azusagawa nodded with difficulty, rainwater running down his hair and into his collar.

"Then you should update it."

Accompanied by the "ding-dong" sound effects of gacha pulls in the game, the boy, who had become somewhat more lively than before, explained:

"I recently sold a lighter, a loot dropped by the boss of the Deep Sea Shocker, which was picked up by a discerning collector. After confirming that the thing was free of any curses or trackers, I made the purchase without hesitation."

He swiped his finger across a screen displaying a ten-pull gacha pull, and a dazzling special effect burst forth on the screen. "Not only have I paid off all my previous debts, but I'm also preparing to move out of the underpass and achieve a great leap in housing status!"

This "declaration of poverty alleviation" seemed particularly absurd and tinged with sadness amidst the torrential rain and the imminent threat of a powerful enemy. Sakuta Azusagawa opened his mouth, unsure how to react.

Amidst this eerie atmosphere and the increasingly torrential rain, the two trudged through the mud, finally approaching the abandoned residential building that exuded a rotten smell.

The rain lashed its dilapidated exterior, and the dark windows resembled the greedy mouths of a giant beast. An invisible, unsettling sense of oppression permeated the air as if it were a tangible reality.

Less than ten meters from the building entrance, the world's strongest knight abruptly stopped. He put away his phone, his eyes sharpening like knives, all his ease and comfort vanishing.

"Prepare."

He only uttered two words.

Sakuta Azusagawa immediately tensed up, his hand already on the Kaixa Driver at his waist.

However, to everyone's surprise, the senior who asked him to prepare did not "prepare" at all, but instead walked straight ahead.

There was no physical mechanical transformation of the belt, no exaggerated bursts of light. Only an invisible yet immense energy erupted from its center, shattering the rain curtain and finally revealing blue light particles that combined to form the armor.

Raindrops pattered on the brand-new armor, splashing up a fine mist.

The knight stood there, neither the ancient warrior Kuuga who had rescued him that night like a star in the long night, nor the undead beast Kalis who held the Awakening Bow and relentlessly pursued him on the sand dunes. Instead, he was a deep, calm, silver light like a star in a cold night, sharp as... a sword.

The knight in the rain extended this invitation to him: