Jojima Yuuki looked up in horror: "Why has the sky turned black? Isn't it just three o'clock, right after school?"
Kisaragi Gentaro scratched his pompadour and said, "Yeah, what exactly is going on? Is it related to that junior classmate's transformation?"
"Kamen Rider! The sky turned black at the same time he transformed into Kamen Rider!"
Jojima Yuuki covered her mouth and stared blankly at the now fully transformed Shiraishi Shin. She had thought that Utahoshi Kengo would become the legendary Kamen Rider after using Fourze to transform, but now, a true Rider had appeared!
"Kamen Rider? Is it that Kamen Rider?"
Kisaragi Gentaro seemed to know about Kamen Rider as well.
"Sh... Shi... Shiraishi-san, you, you really transformed?"
The most shocked was still Okada Yuriko. Although she loved the special warrior Denpa Ningen Takkuru among the Riders, she was also fond of the Kamen Rider series.
Now, her own student had transformed into a Kamen Rider right before her eyes. This sense of shock caused huge waves to surge in her heart. Sure enough, Kamen Riders truly existed in this world. This wasn't Tokusatsu; it was reality!
Shiraishi Shin took a step forward, his tone no longer as amicable as before, but instead aloof and arrogant: "Teacher Okada, could you please step back? The upcoming battle is no longer something you can interfere with."
Okada Yuriko opened her mouth, then stepped back a few paces, saying, "Indeed, my strength isn't enough. Staying here would only hinder you. Could I talk with you after the battle is over."
Shiraishi Shin turned his head and looked over, saying, "You may."
"Who exactly are you? Why can you transform? And did you cause this darkness too?!"
The Orion Zodiarts grew terrified upon seeing Shiraishi Shin's transformation and the oppressive feeling it created. Why could the guy opposite him transform too? He had gained superhuman strength; shouldn't this be his home turf?
Shiraishi Shin calmly said, "Kamen Rider Cronus. I will fight you in this form next, but I wonder, facing me like this, how will you win?"
"Damn it, don't underestimate me! I'm very strong!" The Orion Zodiarts rushed forward, throwing punches fueled by the anger of being looked down upon.
Shiraishi Shin stood his ground, allowing the opponent's punch to land squarely on his chest. To orion's surprise, Shiraishi Shin, who took the punch head-on, stood firmly in place without even flinching.
"Oh? Is this what you call strength? You don't even qualify to make me take a single step back."
Shiraishi Shin clenched his right fist and struck the Orion Zodiarts in the abdomen. A visible white energy burst spread out from the Zodiarts' back, and the Orion Zodiarts immediately clutched his stomach and bent over.
Shiraishi Shin, expressionless beneath the mask, raised his arm and elbowed the Orion Zodiarts on the head, smashing the already bent-over Zodiarts onto the ground.
"Hiss!"
Okada Yuriko gasped sharply. Shiraishi Shin had knocked the big guy down with just one punch and one elbow, and it didn't even look like he was using his full strength; he was completely at ease and composed.
"Why are you lying down? Weren't you very strong? While confidence is good, that's the only thing I can praise you for."
After speaking, Shiraishi Shin kicked the side-lying Orion Zodiarts onto his back, then stepped on his chest and pressed down. Everyone could clearly see blue electrical currents, like a bad connection, running across the Orion Zodiarts' body.
Shiraishi Shin narrowed his eyes slightly and instantly increased the strength in his leg. The Orion Zodiarts let out a painful scream before exploding without any ability to resist.
"Boom!"
The explosion's flames spread out. After the fire disappeared, an item resembling an ice cream cone fell to the ground, and the Orion Zodiarts' user reverted to his original appearance.
"Huh! He turned back into a person?"
"What's going on? Wasn't he a Monster? Why is he a student?"
Kisaragi Gentaro and Okada Yuriko were confused as to why the Monster, after being destroyed, was replaced by a human.
At this moment, Jojima Yuuki stepped forward to explain: "That student transformed into a Zodiarts using a Zodiarts Switch. By pressing the button on that item, the user's negative emotions react with cosmic energy, causing their body to evolve and transform them into a Zodiarts. Naturally, after being defeated, they revert to their pre-transformation appearance."
"Such a thing exists? Classmate, you seem to know a lot."
Okada Yuriko frowned. This wasn't the modified Monster she had imagined, but transformation via an item. This suggested that Shiraishi Shin was likely similar—not a modified Rider, but someone who transformed using a tool.
Jojima Yuuki said sheepishly, "Ehehe, I know a little bit."
Shiraishi Shin looked at the unconscious transformer beneath his feet, unenthusiastically deactivated his transformation. His full Rider armor dissolved into data and vanished, and the darkness reverted back to daytime.
"Oh my god, how did you do that?"
Kisaragi Gentaro excitedly stepped up next to Shiraishi Shin, examining him curiously, his eyes filled with fervor.
"Hey, I'm not interested in men."
"Ahem, me neither. I'm just curious how you transformed just now."
"Telling you would be the same as not telling you."
"Hey, hey, are you looking down on me? Yosh! I've decided, starting today, you're my friend! My name is Kisaragi Gentaro. Please take care of me from now on, junior classmate."
"You're forcing a friendship even though you don't know my name. Has anyone ever told you that you're a strange person?"
While the two were having this awkward chat, Okada Yuriko and Jojima Yuuki walked over.
Okada Yuriko looked at Classmate Jōjima, saying, "Jōjima-san, why don't you start by telling us what you know?"
"Oh, okay. The student just now transformed into a Monster called a Zodiarts. From the star arrangement on his body, you can tell it was the Orion Zodiarts. Because there's a Cosmic Energy Wormhole directly above our school, anyone in the entire school who gets one of these brand new, unused switches can theoretically randomly transform into a Monster of a different constellation."
Jojima Yuuki's words surprised Okada Yuriko and Kisaragi Gentaro. Although Shiraishi Shin didn't remember the exact details of the plot, he knew the general idea, so he remained calm.
"If the Zodiarts Switch isn't turned off, the user can still continue to transform even after being defeated. So, after defeating a Zodiarts, we must turn off the switch."
Jojima Yuuki pressed the upper red button on the Orion Switch in her hand to turn it off. The switch then emitted a cracking sound before being swallowed by a small black hole and disappearing.
Okada Yuriko sensed that this matter was unusual, suggesting a huge conspiracy behind it, and that the entire academy's population was equivalent to test subjects. She immediately asked, "Then how did he get this switch? Did someone intentionally give it to the students?"
Jojima Yuuki shook her head and said, "It must be someone specifically giving these to students at school. I don't know the specifics."
Okada Yuriko clenched her fist and said, "Whoever is distributing this kind of thing to students at school is unlikely to be a student. It's highly probable that someone like a teacher is secretly controlling all of this. Damn it, using students as test subjects is unforgivable!"