Shiraishi Shin chuckled softly, then said seriously, "Others might not know, but I don't think that way. Who didn't dream of being a hero who defeats enemies and saves the world as a child? It's just that most people gradually forget their childhood dreams and give up as they grow up. You, however, have not only persevered but also forged such a powerful physique. Even if you don't have the ability to transform, you can still do the same things as a Kamen Rider, inheriting their Rider Spirit and protecting the myriad lights of every home."
"Nani! Rider Spirit!"
Shiraishi Shin's words seemed to strike directly at Tojima Tanzaburo's soul. This feeling of being understood moved him deeply, especially the part about continuing the Kamen Rider Spirit, which made him feel truly recognized.
"In Kamen Rider Episode 13, although Kamen Rider was defeated by the Venomous Lizard Dragon, after special training, he faced the resurrected army of Monsters without a single trace of fear in his heart, never retreating an inch. Because Kamen Rider knew that if he fled, the world would suffer a devastating blow, with countless people dead or displaced. That is... the Rider Spirit!"
Tojima Tanzaburo was moved to tears. He hadn't expected that after living half his life, he would be comforted by a young man more than a decade his junior.
"Young man, what is your name?"
"Shiraishi Shin. And yours?"
"My name is Tojima Tanzaburo, forty years old. As you can see, I'm just an old chuunibyou, hahaha."
Tojima Tanzaburo laughed out loud. Yes, even if he couldn't transform into a Kamen Rider, as long as he possessed the Rider Spirit, he was a Kamen Rider.
"It's a rare fate that we've met. Uncle Tojima, how about we spar a bit?"
Shiraishi Shin wanted to test this powerhouse's strength. He had trained for eight years, but this man's training time was likely four times his own.
"Sure."
Tojima Tanzaburo's eyes lit up. He also wanted to test the strength of the young man before him. Of course, he would hold back.
After creating some distance, the two faced each other. Shiraishi Shin took a starting stance—the Hung Ga 'One Finger Pointing to the Central Plains.' His left hand was clenched in a fist at his waist, while his right hand extended forward with the thumb and index finger upright and the other three fingers slightly curled. Then, he quickly sprinted forward, spun, and swept his heel out.
"Ha!"
Tojima Tanzaburo bent his knees slightly. Watching the incoming kick, he raised his right arm to block it while simultaneously using his left hand as a knife-hand strike toward Shiraishi Shin's calf.
Shiraishi Shin had anticipated this. When the kick failed to land, he didn't give his opponent time to counter, instantly performing a backflip to pull away and reset the distance.
"Such fast reactions, such heavy power."
Tojima Tanzaburo looked at Shiraishi Shin in surprise, inwardly marvelling at the youth's strength. From that kick alone, his arm felt a sharp pain deep in the bone. It showed that although Shiraishi Shin didn't look as muscular as him, his strength was definitely not weak, and his leg bones were hard.
It was like the difference between eggs; even though they were all eggs, a goose egg could easily smash through chicken or duck eggs.
Moreover, his reactions and speed were fast. It was clear that Shiraishi Shin was the type who focused on technique and speed.
He stopped overthinking and sprinted forward to attack, shouting with great momentum, "Rider Punch!"
He threw his right fist just as he shouted 'Punch.' Shiraishi Shin leaned back to dodge, watching the fist graze past his chest. Seizing the opportunity, he stepped forward, hooked his right arm around Tojima Tanzaburo's neck, and tripped him at the ankle, using technique to slam him heavily to the ground.
Shiraishi Shin knew he was no match for this powerhouse in terms of raw strength. Coupled with the fact that the opponent wasn't very fast, he was clearly a high-attack but low-mobility type. This was where his own technique could shine.
Furthermore, Tojima Tanzaburo had a weakness: he shouted 'Rider Punch' while attacking, and only actually threw the punch when he reached the word 'Punch.' The 'Rider' part was his wind-up. Once he saw through this, dodging the attack wasn't difficult.
Tojima Tanzaburo quickly scrambled to his feet. He hadn't expected to be taken down by Shiraishi Shin. Back when he dealt with delinquents, he could sweep through twenty or thirty of them at once.
"Uncle Tojima, here I come!"
Shiraishi Shin gave a warning and sprinted. Using his superior mobility to reach Tojima Tanzaburo, he threw a straight punch. The older man quickly crossed his arms in defense, and the impact of the punch sent out an invisible wave of force.
Tojima Tanzaburo's feet skidded half a meter across the ground before he stopped. He then raised his leg high for a counterattack.
"Rider Kick—Haa!"
The target wasn't the head, of course; this wasn't a life-or-death battle. He aimed for Shiraishi Shin's shoulder.
Unable to dodge in time, Shiraishi Shin could only turn and stack his arms vertically to block. However, Tojima Tanzaburo's strength was immense—this was the first time he had felt it so directly.
His defense was broken on the spot. Shiraishi Shin stumbled back four steps before stopping. Seizing the advantage, Tojima Tanzaburo followed up immediately with a Rider Punch, intending to end the match with this blow.
"It's over, Shin!"
"Not necessarily."
Shiraishi Shin timed the incoming fist. Instead of meeting it head-on, he grabbed the wrist and arm joint with both hands, then stepped back and pulled, simultaneously twisting the joint to the left.
"Hiss!"
Tojima Tanzaburo gasped. He could clearly feel the tearing sensation between the bone and flesh of his arm joint. If he resisted by force, his arm would break.
Left with no choice, he followed Shiraishi Shin's movement and was twisted down to the ground. Shiraishi Shin didn't let go, pinning Tojima Tanzaburo beneath him while maintaining the hold on his arm.
"Stop, stop! I lose."
The pain in Tojima Tanzaburo's twisted arm was bone-deep, and he quickly conceded.
Shiraishi Shin let go and stood up, saying, "Good match, Uncle Tojima."
Tojima Tanzaburo didn't take it to heart; it was just a spar. He laughed loudly, "Haha! A fine display of 'Using four ounces to move a thousand pounds.' You knew you couldn't match my strength, so you won with skill. And speed is indeed my shortcoming. However, Shin, your combat techniques are so impressive—you must have studied them specifically, right?"
Although he framed it as a question, his tone was certain. While his own strength was great from thirty years of training, he had never studied systematically; his style was entirely self-taught.
Thus, he had no technique and relied entirely on instinct to throw punches. When facing a trained technical fighter, he would end up failing like this.
Of course, while he hadn't used his full strength, he still wouldn't have had much of a chance of winning.
"Yes."
Shiraishi Shin nodded. He had trained his body to provide a foundation for learning, and he had indeed studied some Martial arts.
"Fighting you has helped me realize my own weaknesses. In the past, I always won by brute force, and I've never encountered anyone who has studied Martial arts like you."
At most, Tojima Tanzaburo had encountered some boxers or wrestlers, but those were sports—quite different from true Martial arts.
*Tap, tap~*
Someone was coming?
Shiraishi Shin and Tojima Tanzaburo, who were resting and chatting, heard the footsteps and glanced at each other before turning to look.
They saw a man in his thirties looking at them as if they were gourmet food.
The man's throat bobbed. Wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth, he said, "Two people... and with such physiques, the protein in their meat must be incredibly delicious!"