He would die, and so would his little sister.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced toward where his sister was. She was still there.
"Silly girl… why aren't you running?"
He sighed inwardly.
One death is better than two.
The mutated crab did not care about the bond between these two humans. To it, they were nothing more than food.
It casually raised a claw and strode toward the boy.
At the same time, in Brandon White's home—
A red figure suddenly tore through the void and vanished into the room.
Sensing something, Brandon looked toward Haicheng.
"Ever since we came back from the Holy Lord's world, I noticed you went out once—but I didn't expect that after Kuuga, the second Kamen Rider would be you."
"That does surprise me."
"After all, the way I set you up is different from the other transformation devices."
"Will the real world truly harbor someone like him?"
After watching for a moment, Brandon withdrew his gaze.
These transformation devices were gifts he had given to everyone. If they could find a bearer that suited them, he would be pleased.
Back to Haicheng—just as the mutated crab lifted its claw to kill the human before it, a red figure flashed down out of the sky. Sparks seared across the crab's carapace where it struck.
The mutated crab cried out in pain and staggered back several steps.
"This is—"
The boy stared at the strange insect—red like a beetle yet with a distinctive mechanical look—and his whole body flushed with excitement.
He knew it!
Of course he knew what this was.
The insect device called Kamen Rider Kabuto from that mysterious website.
The first aura tide had awakened abilities, but there hadn't been any real crisis then; life had remained relatively peaceful.
He was a boy, after all. On friends' recommendation, he had watched those shows.
And the one he loved most was Kabuto!
It wasn't only Kabuto's design that matched his aesthetics—the protagonist Tendou Souji inside the show was someone he yearned to emulate.
He dreamed of becoming a person like Tendou Souji.
Suddenly he remembered what people online had said: that they'd obtained Devil Fruits from the One Piece world, Teigu from Akame ga Kill, even the Clow Cards from Cardcaptor Sakura.
"Could all that be true?"
"Are you choosing me?"
His face went a little flushed. If he could be acknowledged by the Kabuto Zecter, he not only could resolve the threat in front of him and gain the power to protect his sister—it would also be a kind of recognition.
A recognition that he, too, had the potential to become as strong as Tendou Souji.
He reached out his right hand, wanting the Kabuto Zecter to come to him the way it did for Tendou in the show. Under his gaze, the Zecter indeed flew straight for his right hand.
But in the instant he was about to grasp it, the Zecter arced away to the left—then settled into the hand of a man the boy did not recognize.
"The chosen one… is me."
At that moment, the sunlight fell just so upon the man. It dazzled the boy's eyes—and pricked at his heart with a twinge of sourness.
Why did this feel like he was playing the role of Kagami Arata?
His temperament wasn't like Tendou's, true—but it wasn't anything like Kagami's either!
"Bang!"
Suddenly the man flashed forward from afar and kicked the mutated crab—now far closer than anyone had realized—sending it flying.
"Now is not the time to zone out."
Holding the Kabuto Zecter, the man spoke to the boy in an even tone.
"Y-you… who are you?"
The boy stared at him and asked.
"My grandmother once said: 'Walk the path of heaven and rule over all—Souji to everyone.'"
"Tendou Souji!"
The man raised his index finger to the sky and spoke calmly.
Then he let out a soft laugh and added:
"Just kidding."
"Of course I'm not him. I'm merely a Simulator."
"Simulator?"
The boy asked, baffled.
"My ability is peculiar. I can mimic another person's appearance."
"If it were only that, this power would be no different from disguise. But unlike disguise or simple imitation, my Simulator ability has one special feature."
"It allows me to fully convert into a person."
"Appearance, body, personality."
"But I can only do this once."
"I thought I'd go my entire life without converting myself into someone else—until curiosity made me alter my appearance into that tokusatsu character, Tendou Souji."
"And then it came to me. But later, it left again."
The man looked down at the Kabuto Zecter in his hand, his expression complicated.
"Perhaps it was because the one it acknowledged as master was Tendou Souji—and at that time, I shared only his face."
"But now… I don't think I have a choice."
To convert appearance, body, and personality all into Tendou Souji—even if his memories remained his own—would he still be himself?
But now, he no longer had the luxury of choosing.
These past days, he had seen too much death. Even without much pity in his nature, a sadness had welled up within him.
A sadness born of weakness.
Even if Haicheng was saved now—what about the future?
Without strength, he would die one day. The people would die.
If so, shouldn't he do something?
Use his ability.
"Compared to me, wouldn't it be a greater pity for this world to be without him?"
"No—not him. Them."
From Kuuga to Zi-O, he hadn't missed a single series. Every lead in those shows was a hero hard to find in reality—
Protecting the world. Unafraid of death.
Compared to an ordinary person like himself, weren't they the heroes this world truly needed?
"I've been selfish for more than twenty years. It's about time I did a little for the country too."
The man smiled. Slowly, before the boy's eyes, he began to change into someone else.
Aura, musculature, features…
"What's your name?" the boy asked suddenly.
"Me? You can call me—Chen Feng."
The man froze a moment at the question, then smiled as he answered.
After that, his transformation completed; his gaze shifted from gentle to tranquil, as if nothing could disturb his composure.
"My grandmother once said: among the myriad living beings of this world, all life is equal."
"Human beings change themselves for others, not the world for themselves; change yourself, and the world will change with you. That is the way of heaven."
"Chen Feng will always be Chen Feng, and Tendou will always be Tendou."
"Right now, I am—Tendou Souji."
He raised his head and looked forward. The mutated crab—perhaps sensing the threat he posed—had grown wary. His eyes went cold.
"He has always been waiting for this moment."
"And I was born for this very instant."
In Chen Feng's (Tendou Souji's) hand, the Kabuto Zecter thrummed with exhilaration. Yes—this was the feeling. This was the bearer it had been created to seek.
"HenShin! (Transform!)"
(End of this chapter)