Chapter 3: An Anime Expert with a Life-Draining Rider Belt.
....
"Lady Yukari, I really can't find that pair of your stockings!"
"It's fine, Ran. I already know where they are."
"Then I'll continue cleaning."
"Mm."
Yukari's expression was a little strange.
Even she hadn't expected that, in order to create a residence for Kihara, Gensokyo would literally repurpose the belongings of its residents into furniture.
Her stockings had become the curtains in his house.
As for the underwear of the two young mistresses from the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
They had been turned into pillowcases.
As for the rest of the missing items…
Yukari casually opened a gap and glanced inside.
Then shook her head helplessly.
"…Looks like Kihara's debt just increased again."
She paused slightly.
"But first, he needs to pass this beginner trial. Otherwise…"
She didn't finish that sentence.
If not for Kaguya personally vouching for Kihara's character as the Moon Princess, Yukari would never have entrusted something this important to a mere human.
Kaguya had compared Gensokyo's crisis to a game losing active players at an alarming rate.
And Kihara?
He was the chosen "developer" tasked with adding new maps and DLC to revive the player base.
Kaguya would decide which worlds he traveled to.
Yukari would act as the "driver," sending him there.
That had been the plan.
But plans rarely go smoothly.
When Remilia Scarlet discovered her favorite underwear was missing.
She exploded in rage.
Relying on her mysterious ability to manipulate fate, along with sheer instinct, she immediately dispatched her most trusted maid:
Izayoi Sakuya.
Her mission—
Capture Kihara.
The vampire mistress, whose dignity had been offended, clearly wasn't interested in explanations.
Yukari had no choice but to hurriedly "relocate" Kihara.
Throwing him into a strange dream-bubble world she had discovered.
At the same time, she stuffed a peculiar item, personally made by Kaguya, into his arms.
"…I'll explain things after Remilia calms down in a few days."
Yukari sighed.
Then, with great interest, she grabbed some tea and sunflower seeds.
And began watching everything unfolding in the dream world.
Kihara only realized he had been transported in his sleep when he woke up the next day.
Looking at the modern interior around him and the device in his hands.
He froze.
It was the transformation belt from Kamen Rider Faiz (555).
"…What the hell? I got isekai'd while sleeping?"
After confirming he could still open his Stardew Valley status panel, he quickly guessed.
Yukari had sent him here without even telling him.
"First priority: gather information."
Although Kihara had a lazy personality, once he set a goal, he would push forward stubbornly.
Kaguya often called him a "reckless brute" because of this.
After searching the room, he found only a phone, a wallet, and a student ID.
"Duguantai High School, Class 1-A… huh. It sounds familiar, but I just can't remember."
Given his deep knowledge of anime, this shouldn't have happened.
Usually, just hearing a school name would instantly remind him of the series.
Like:
Sakurai Academy → Seitokai Yakuindomo
Sakakino Academy → School Days
Kuoh Academy → High School DxD
But this time.
Nothing.
Just a vague sense of familiarity.
Of course, this was Yukari's doing.
As the youkai of boundaries, manipulating the boundary between memory and forgetting was trivial for her.
She had deliberately erased Kihara's knowledge of this world.
She wanted to see.
What he would do without recognizing the heroine.
Only by observing his actions in this trial could she determine his true nature.
If he failed to meet her expectations.
Eliminating him as the source of the anomaly was also an option.
It wouldn't completely solve the Hakurei Barrier problem.
But it would buy time.
"Blindly trusting what you think you know… can be very dangerous, Kihara."
Yukari smiled playfully.
Her mature figure shimmered.
Then shrank into a blonde, barefoot girl wearing an oversized white T-shirt.
Meanwhile.
Kihara got dressed, stored the Faiz belt in his four-dimensional inventory, and stepped outside.
The modern streets looked normal.
Except for one thing.
A thick, unnatural fog filled the entire city.
"…Don't tell me I got dropped into some Lovecraftian world?"
He rubbed his arms as goosebumps rose.
Then he looked up.
And froze.
"What the hell is THAT?!"
A massive shadow loomed within the fog.
It looked eerily similar to Godzilla.
Yet it stood completely still, towering over the city without causing any destruction.
Kihara took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart.
He blinked—
And in the next moment—
The fog and the monster were gone.
As if everything he had just seen was an illusion.
"…Something's wrong. This city is seriously wrong."
He became extremely cautious.
Right now, he was still just an ordinary human.
No powers. No protection.
Even though Yukari had given him the Faiz belt.
He didn't dare use it.
That thing could only be safely used by Orphnochs.
If a normal human used it.
They'd die, turning into sand.
Just like Masato Kusaka.
No matter how reckless he was, Kihara wasn't suicidal.
While browsing for information on his phone, he headed toward the nearest convenience store.
He needed food—his house was completely empty.
"Total is 2100 yen."
"Here."
"Thank you for your purchase! Please come again!"
Walking out of the store with a bag full of groceries, Kihara felt a hint of frustration.
He had found nothing useful online.
Everything suggested this was just an ordinary modern world.
But clearly—
It wasn't.
"…Forget it. One step at a time."
He sighed.
"The money in my wallet should last about a month. No way I can't figure things out in that time, right?"
"…If Kaguya finds out, she'll definitely laugh at me."
Just as he was lost in thought—
A scream suddenly echoed from a dark alley nearby.
"AAAH!!!"
Kihara's eyes lit up instantly.
This is definitely a triggered event!
With years of gaming experience (especially dating sims), his instincts kicked in.
He shoved the groceries into his inventory.
And sprinted into the alley.
Under the faint light filtering in—
He saw it.
A grotesque humanoid creature, Its head damaged, exposing tangled red, yellow, and blue wires.
And in front of it—
A trembling, delicate girl with light purple hair.
.....
Thank you for reading.