Chapter 175: I Am Just a Passing Kamen Rider, Nothing More

"Although Lord Tian Yu Tianyu Kongling and Lord Kagura Shimizu are indeed powerful, and we are indeed the only two nations in the world currently known to possess two holders of the Heavenly Treasures,"

"but other nations do have them too; they are just perhaps hidden."

At this moment, a slightly helpless female voice suddenly came from beside him.

Shinken Shinken Shishi turned his head to look and saw a girl in a cherry blossom school uniform standing beside him; she was looking up at the large screen with a lollipop in her mouth.

"Playing in a continuous loop, even Lord Tian Yu Tianyu Kongling and Lord Kagura Shimizu would make people feel exhausted."

The girl sighed, only then noticing Shinken Shinken Shishi's gaze.

Her eyes suddenly lit up:

"Uncle, are you a cosplayer of Shinken Shinken Shishi?"

"Uncle?"

Shinken Shinken Shishi raised an eyebrow, automatically ignoring the word "cosplayer," focusing entirely on the address.

He touched his own face, thinking: Have I reached the age where I am called uncle?

"But uncle, your cosplay is really good!"

"It's exactly like Inoue Masahiro!"

The girl completely failed to notice the subtle change in Shinken Shinken Shishi's expression; she excitedly leaned in to inspect him, her eyes shining brightly:

"I've seen many cosplayers of Shinken Shinken Shishi, but this is the first time I've seen one so much like him! It's as if you walked straight out of the television!"

"Inoue Masahiro?"

Shinken Shinken Shishi was somewhat curious.

"Yeah, the actor who plays Shinken Shinken Shishi!"

The girl tilted her head, somewhat surprised.

"Uncle, you cosplay Shinken Shinken Shishi, yet you don't know Inoue Masahiro?"

However, she soon smiled with relief, after all, there are indeed many people in the circle who only like the character itself and do not know the actors.

"Speaking of which,"

"there is something very moving in the Knight circle recently."

The girl suddenly lowered her voice, her expression becoming serious,

she took out her phone from her pocket, swiped it a few times quickly, and handed it to Shinken Shinken Shishi; the screen displayed a news item:

【A mother posted seeking help: Can you let my child meet a Kamen Rider?】

"This little friend has leukemia; the doctor says his life is probably left for only about a month."

"His mother hopes to do something for him in the last days of his life."

"Because the little friend likes Kamen Riders, the mother requested help from Kamen Rider actors online."

Shinken Shinken Shishi's gaze fell on the photo; the frail little boy on the hospital bed wore a toy transformation device, yet his smile was exceptionally brilliant.

"Now many Knight actors have left messages of encouragement, and some have even personally visited the hospital!"

"The Knight in Great Xia who obtained the Gatack Zecter, after hearing this matter, also encouraged the little boy; it is just that the Great Sea is not safe nowadays, so he was unable to come and visit."

The girl scrolled through the comment section, pointed at a string of familiar actor names, and then said:

"But what impressed me the most was Build's Kamen Rider Sento Kiryu."

"He secretly went to the hospital to visit the little boy during filming breaks, gifted extremely rare props, and the agency's response was very considerate."

She imitated the tone of the agency's announcement:

"The agency has not received any relevant reports; if this indeed happened, the one who went might not be Takashi Inukai, but Kamen Rider Sento Kiryu himself."

"It's so nice~"

The girl cupped her heart with both hands, tears glistening in her eyes.

Shinken Shinken Shishi silently noted the hospital address in the news, then returned the phone to the girl.

"I heard Mr. Inoue Masahiro is going too, Uncle, you..."

The girl took the phone back, but before she could finish speaking, her eyes suddenly widened.

Behind the man, a blurry gray-white wall appeared out of nowhere.

Those distorted patterns, that chaotic texture; as a veteran Knight fan, she was all too familiar with them.

"Subspace Wall?!"

Her voice got stuck in her throat, her whole body froze in place; the man in front of her turned around and smiled gently at her, the hem of his black suit jacket fluttering lightly in the wind.

"You are, you are..."

"I am just a passing Kamen Rider."

The familiar line rang in her ears.

"Then, goodbye."

As his figure, hands in pockets stepping into the Subspace Wall, gradually faded, the girl finally found her voice:

"Shinken Shinken Shishi is the real Shinken Shinken Shishi!"

Her cheeks flushed red, her excitement uncontrollable.

"Kamen Riders really descended into reality! Not just the driver, but the person himself!"

The news about the holders of the Heavenly Treasures was still playing on the large screen in the distance, but at this moment, the girl's mind held only that figure disappearing into the dimensional rift.

That's right, Shinken Shinken Shishi can travel to any world where a Kamen Rider exists, and now, in their world, hasn't a true Kamen Rider appeared!

In a room that was not spacious but warm, the curtains were tightly closed, with only a white floor lamp lit.

Inoue Masahiro sat on the carpet beside the sofa; before him was a very weak boy wearing a white short-sleeved shirt; several boxes of pills were scattered on the coffee table, with a space deliberately left empty in the middle, where a brand new Decade Driver model was placed.

Watching the little boy happily pick up the Decade Driver, stroking the patterns on the Decade Driver, with a smile on his face, Inoue Masahiro, though smiling as well, was smiling as if he were crying.

He came in the identity of Shinken Shinken Shishi, gifted him the Decade Driver, yet knew he was not Shinken Shinken Shishi, but merely the actor.

He did not have the power to save the little boy.

Never before had there been a moment when he wished more than now that he was Shinken Shinken Shishi.

After taking his leave and walking out the door, Inoue Masahiro felt a gentle breeze brush his face; he took a deep breath, striving to calm the sense of powerlessness in his heart.

Just then, his footsteps suddenly stopped.

Not far away, a slender figure was leaning against the wall.

Dressed in a black suit and a magenta shirt, with a magenta camera hanging from his chest standing out starkly in his gaze, the person tilted his head up slightly, revealing a familiar smile tinged with a hint of amusement.

Inoue Masahiro's heart gave a sudden jolt.

Perhaps it was the influence of his emotions, or perhaps the other person truly resembled too closely the "himself" from his memory.

As if possessed, he walked forward and said softly:

"You have come."

"You knew I would come?"

Shinken Shinken Shishi was somewhat surprised, and indeed very surprised; after clarifying the information of this world, he also knew that the role he played in this world was portrayed by the person before him, not the real one.

Although due to the so-called "dimensional invasion," fake roles could appear in reality, and a true Kamen Rider Kabuto was indeed born, a Kamen Rider appearing in reality like him had never existed before.

How did he know I would definitely come?

"I know, of course I know."

"Because there is no Rider with more love than me."

Inoue Masahiro unconsciously broke into a smile.

Hearing his words, Shinken Shinken Shishi also involuntarily smiled.

"You are merely my actor, yet you dare to speak so boldly."

The atmosphere between the two suddenly became strange.

Inoue Masahiro looked directly into the other's eyes and asked seriously:

"Can you do it? In the identity of the real Shinken Shinken Shishi?"

"I am originally the real one."

Shinken Shinken Shishi said calmly; a card appeared between his fingers at some unknown moment, clearly displaying the form of Zi-O II on the card.

"In consideration of how much he loves me, I will make an exception and restore him."

"Just as well, I have gained new power in that world."

Hearing the words of "Shinken Shinken Shishi," Inoue Masahiro nodded with a smile; a sense of relief unprecedented surged into his heart. He turned slightly to the side, making way for "Shinken Shinken Shishi" to the path leading to the apartment.

"Then, I leave it to you."

"Shinken Shinken Shishi."

【KAMENRIDE (Masked Ride)——】

【Decade (Emperor Rider)!】

Brilliant magenta energy coiled around his body like flowing water; several phantoms overlapped in an instant. When the light dispersed, Kamen Rider Decade stood tall.

Black armor with magenta accents, his compound eyes flashing with green light.

The little boy's breath halted, his eyes wide open.

But Shinken Shinken Shishi's actions did not stop; with a card held between his fingertips, he drew a dazzling trajectory in front of the Driver:

【KAMENRIDE (Masked Ride)——】

【Zi-O II!】

Time and space seemed to freeze at this moment; a silver clock phantom unfolded behind Shinken Shinken Shishi. His armor reconstructed itself in the light, a new form interwoven with silver-white and purple, the precise clock device on his chest piece spinning rapidly in reverse.

"It is time to reverse the flow of time."

Shinken Shinken Shishi's voice came through the mask, gentle yet carrying a sense of divinity.

He reached out and lightly touched the little boy's forehead; the power of time belonging to him spread out like ripples. The boy's body began to shrink at a speed visible to the naked eye; time gently rewound upon him.

When the light dispersed, standing before everyone was a younger child, yet healthy and ruddy.

"It is already fine."

The armor dissolved; Shinken Shinken Shishi returned to his normal attire. He turned his head to look at the mother who had long covered her mouth; tears streamed down her face, and she could only repeat endlessly:

"Thank you... thank you..."

His gaze swept over the white first-edition Decade Driver on the coffee table; a trace of nostalgia flashed in Shinken Shinken Shishi's eyes. He squatted down, meeting the gaze of the reborn boy:

"He gave this to you, did he?"

"In that case, you are the new hero, young man."

"Live well."

As he rose, the dimensional wall had already unfolded behind him.

With the closing of the dimensional wall, only the little boy's now healthy body proved that this miracle was not a dream.

The ripples of the dimensional wall slowly dissipated outside the apartment door. Shinken Shinken Shishi stepped out with his hands in his pockets; he glanced at the spot where Inoue Masahiro had been earlier, but the person had long since left.

"Saying 'I knew you would come,' yet in the end, you still treated me as a cosplayer?"

Recalling the expression on Inoue Masahiro's face that said "I knew you would definitely come," Shinken Shinken Shishi couldn't help but shake his head.

However, he did not pay it much mind; he simply picked up the Zi-O II card and took a look.

That kid's card is truly useful.

But now it belongs to him.

Pity that the last two forms are a bit troublesome; Grand Master is somewhat like his own God, but Ohma is completely on a different level.

Reshaping time and space so easily; he is simply as strong as a monster.

Thinking thus, he put away the Zi-O II card, turned to glance at the large door behind him, and a smile traced the corners of his lips.

The reason for specifically using the dimensional wall to teleport outside the door instead of walking out normally was, of course, because it was cooler that way.

"From today on, that boy's favorite knight will definitely be me, right?"

(End of this chapter)