I want to become a Kamen Rider

He strode across the scorched earth and puddles, and walked up to Hachiman Hikigaya, who was soaking wet and pale as a sheet.

"it's your turn."

Rain streamed down Hachiman Hikigaya's soaked hair, streaking across his lifeless eyes. He looked up at the knight who had saved him twice, forcing a smile that was more like a grimace. He took a deep breath of the cold, damp air, as if drawing on his last ounce of courage.

"Fine, at least in the end, he leaves as a human. Considering we've known each other, I'll go easy on him and try to give him a quick death."

"You recognized me?"

There has always been speculation.

"That's it."

The knight raised his fist, and Hachiman Hikigaya closed his eyes in despair.

"Remember to tell Komachi that my brother loves her."

The expected excruciating pain of being torn apart did not come. There was only the faint, cold touch of metal falling into my palm. Rainwater washed over the cards, and the numbers engraved on them were faintly visible.

"You should say those things yourself, you dead fish eyes."

"...Aren't you going to kill me?"

"You didn't kill anyone, did you?"

Hachiman Hikigaya fumbled for the number plate in his hand, shook his head, and raindrops wet his face.

"That woman, that wolf, was right. Someone like me, a piece of trash who has neither awareness nor courage, can do nothing, whether as a human or an Orphnoch."

"It's not like she said. It takes courage in itself to refuse to hurt others even in death."

The knight extended his hand to him.

Hachiman Hikigaya looked at the hand, hesitated, and finally trembled as he reached out his cold hand and grasped the hand covered in armor that conveyed an incredible warmth.

A force pulled him up from the cold mud.

"Take this and go to Qinglan Island the day after tomorrow. Wait outside according to your number and enter according to your number. You can ask Zichuan or Wutina how to get to Qinglan Island."

"that……"

"I am very sorry about what happened to your parents. It was just a regular car accident. At least you still have your sister."

The knight patted him on the shoulder.

Hachiman Hikigaya clutched the number plate in his hand.

"that……"

"Please accept my condolences and take it easy. We should always look to the future."

Hachiman Hikigaya finally mustered the courage to interrupt the Second Minister's rambling. He had wanted to criticize this guy for a long time. Being arrogant is a dead end for men, and besides, you have no idea how to comfort people.

"Um, Second Minister, aren't you going to kill me?"

"Why should I kill you?"

"I am a monster, an Orphnoch."

"Listen up, Hachiman Hikigaya. Kamen Riders are warriors who protect humanity, and they cannot harm humans. You are human too, not a monster..."

At this point, he paused.

"And I can turn back to normal after a trip to Blue Island the day after tomorrow."

"Wait, can it change back?"

"Of course. It's just a bit of a hassle, which is why I'm having you take a number and queue up according to your number."

The boy deactivated his transformation, and the armor and the darkness dissipated like flowing water. Finally, raindrops fell on his face.

The boy wiped the rain from his face, then forced a tired smile and gave him a thumbs-up:

"Moreover, I became a Kamen Rider to end the tragedies that befell others."

The rain pattered down, washing away the scorch marks on the ruins, and also washing away the weariness and determination on the boy's face.

Remembering what he had heard before, Hachiman Hikigaya gave a thumbs-up and asked with a smile.

Even if it's a crime?

Even if it involves committing a crime.

Chapter 85 Abandoning the Name of Justice

One afternoon, the Service Department.

Sunlight streamed lazily through the blinds onto the table, the air filled with the smell of ink from books and a faint scent of dust. Hiiragi Tina was engrossed in reading a latest action manga when a sharp "snap" shattered the tranquility.

Looking in the direction of the sound, one could not help but see that the minister, who was ugly and extremely evil, was making trouble again.

"Why is it always this kind of plot?"

Fan Kang slammed the comic book on the table, instantly provoking the displeasure of the comic book's owner.

"You don't have money to buy comics yourself, so you borrow mine, and then you smash my comics when you see a part you don't like?!"

Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Hiiragi Tina's violet hair was almost standing on end. She waved her weak little fists, which were easily caught by Fan Kang. The two of them started tugging at each other across the table, like two little animals having a tiff.

The comic book slipped during the shoving and fell to the clean floor with a "thud".

The commotion startled Nai, who was by the window.

She frowned slightly, closed the hardcover book in her hand, and glanced at the two playfully fighting before finally settling on the comic book on the floor. She sighed silently, stood up, gracefully bent down to pick up the comic book, dusted off non-existent dust, and handed it back to the fuming Tina Hiiragi.

"Ah, thanks."

After thanking her, Tina Hiiragi gave Fan Kang another glare.

Then, the nominal head of the Service Club looked curiously at the transfer student:

"What part of the story made you complain so much, Fan Jun?"

"It's nothing much. A monster invaded the city, and its reason was perfectly legitimate: humans polluted the ocean, taking away its habitat. So the monster wreaked havoc in the city, skyscrapers collapsed like building blocks. The protagonist, who should have been fighting the monster, became confused again, starting to wonder, 'Are humans guilty?' 'Are the monsters victims?' In the end, humans reflected on their actions and repented, and the protagonist even let the monster go. The monster returned to the ocean, and everyone worked together to protect the Earth."

Hiiragi Tina pouted.

"Isn't this a great happy ending? I think it's because you, Minister, are heartless that you think this hopeful, righteous path is problematic."

"Then let me ask you, Mutina, if we don't stand in the monster's shoes, and don't consider humanity as a vague whole, suppose you're just a hardworking office worker who took out a 30-year loan to buy a house that collapsed during this monster rampage, even if you survived when the protagonist was confused and the monster was causing chaos, could you still generously forgive the monster for losing your house?"

"……this."

Hiiragi Tina imagined the scene, and her expression became conflicted.

The young man said with a smile.

"If it were me, I would not only resent the protagonist for not defeating the monster, but also resent the monster for not killing me as well, so that I wouldn't have to face a house shattered into pieces and a 30-year mortgage."

"That's your twisted logic, Fan Jun. Shouldn't humans reflect on their mistakes?"

Then he presented his correct argument.

"Humans threaten the environment in which monsters live, so does that mean monsters are not wrong to kill people? Yukinoshita, you have good grades and a good memory, but do you remember how many species have gone extinct since the birth of humankind, especially since the Industrial Revolution?"

“……根据世界《红皮书》的统计，20世纪有110个种和亚种的哺乳动物以及139种和亚种的鸟类在地球上消失了。此外，目前世界上已有593种鸟、400多种兽、209种两栖爬行动物和20000多种高等植物濒于灭绝。”

Hiiragi Tina's mouth dropped open, not from shock at the "brutality" of humans, but from astonishment at the boy and girl in front of her remembering such an accurate number. It was a mixture of fear and awe that came from someone who was a poor student.

"At least three-quarters of these deaths are caused by direct hunting by humans, and another quarter are caused by human destruction of their habitats. Today, 75 species go extinct every day and three species go extinct every hour. Many species have disappeared from the earth before scientists even have a chance to describe and name them."

Fan Kangtie finished filling in the remaining data and then asked a question.

"If we are to hold humanity accountable for every extinct species for the environmental damage we have caused, and to speak up for monsters, then by now, we have committed so many crimes that we can't even count them all. Yukinoshita, do you remember how many slices of bread you have eaten?"

"..."

Yukinoshita offered no effective rebuttal.

"Even if things really turn out as Fan Jun says, if we don't protect the environment, it will eventually endanger humanity itself."

"Yes, protecting the environment is just to prevent it from endangering humanity itself one day. And within humanity, it can be infinitely subdivided. Those who participate in global environmental forums are political figures from various countries who fly around every day. The carbon emissions from a single private jet flight by celebrities who promote low-carbon travel and green environmental protection are enough for us to save by riding bicycles for a lifetime."

He proposed a hypothesis.

"If you weren't a powerful or wealthy person, but just an ordinary citizen, would you be willing to take concrete actions to protect the environment and this blue planet? When you're riding your electric scooter through the cold wind or scorching sun, the private jets of those who urge you to 'take responsibility' fly overhead. They enjoy resources far beyond your imagination, yet they distribute the responsibility for 'global climate change' equally among you. Do you think this is reasonable? Is this fair? In the hands of some, won't the banner of environmental protection become another form of exploitation?"

That's sophistry.

"This is not sophistry; I believe I have made some insignificant contributions compared to politicians who shout slogans all the time."

"I'm going to class."

After glancing at her watch, Yukinoshita decided to make a tactical retreat.

"Minister, you've angered Yukinoshita again."

Hiiragi Tina sighed and tossed her purple hair.

"The minister's views are indeed quite different from the mainstream opinion."

"It's not that I hold a belief that goes against the mainstream view. It's just that I've seen too much ugliness and greed in humanity over the long term, and I've found that it's hard to find absolute justice in this world. So I gave up claiming to be righteous and instead do things that, even if they are considered sins in the eyes of other life forms, are absolutely not wrong for humanity."

The girl tilted her head, seemingly understanding but not quite.

"I have a feeling that even if humans are wrong, even if you have to fight Ultraman, you would not hesitate to do so, Minister."

"Even in a hypothetical scenario, you shouldn't make me, a Kamen Rider, fight Ultraman. That's going too far."

With a gruff chop to the head, Fan Kang sighed, a rare occurrence for him.

"If it were Ultraman, I'd be crazy to go and confront him head-on. Given their moral standards, if humans apologize sincerely and repent genuinely, they'd most likely forgive us. If we played the victim a bit, we might even get them to help us rebuild Earth..."

The only regret is that the distant M78 nebula offered no help, and humanity had to rely on its own courage to become "knights."

What they were about to face was not the embodiment of truth, goodness, and beauty, who could be forgiven simply by apologizing and repenting, but rather... a colossal beast of darkness that heralded the end.

The boy looked out the window; the direction was towards the ocean.

He ruffled the girl's hair.

"Hey, Minister, my hairstyle!"

The girl was about to fly into a rage, but then she saw the weariness written all over the boy's face.

"It's alright, Minister. Even if we really have to fight Ultraman, I'll still be on your side."

She put her hands on her hips.

"That's what you said."

"You're not really going to fight Ultraman, are you? You'd better figure something out yourself..."

"Don't betray me so soon, hey..."

After briefly venting his frustrations, he said...

"It's even more terrifying than Ultraman. It will never forgive us humans. It's a fight to the death."

Only in front of Tina Hiiragi, who had that dream, could he share some of the despair in his heart. In the story, most of those who stood on the same side as him and had similar missions were heroes who still held hope until the very last moment, but he was not such a great person.

The girl casually touched the minister's shoulder, only to find that the boy's shoulder was trembling.

"Minister, are you afraid?"

"How could I not be afraid? Even if I'm afraid, I still have to go."

Chapter 86 Artificial Knight [6K]

The western Indian Ocean, an endless expanse of blue.

Where the sea meets the sky, a crimson figure stands motionless, like a wedge driven into the surging waves.

Kamen Rider Kuuga stands on the sea.

The seawater beneath his feet was not frozen; rather, it had formed a boiling, churning vortex several meters in diameter under the terrifyingly high temperature emanating from his body, which nearly distorted space.

The steam rose like a white dragon, yet was restrained by an invisible force field, unable to dissipate. He stood there on the boiling sea, like a god in mythology who wielded fire and destruction.

He held no physical weapon, only condensed, crimson-gold flames that flowed like molten lava. The flames churned and shaped in his palms, instantly solidifying into blazing spears that were dazzlingly hot and exuded an aura of destruction.

His gaze, deep and unfathomable, peered through the mask, fixed on the deep, yet deadly sea beneath his feet.

With a swift, decisive movement, a flaming spear shot forth like an arrow, tearing through the air and piercing the boiling sea with a sharp whistle.