"Is this guy's stomach a bottomless pit?"
At the eating contest venue, a burly man over two meters tall stared blankly at the man beside him, who had already eaten dozens of bowls of noodles and two full steamers of buns. Judging by his expression, he still seemed to have plenty of room for more.
There was no suspense left in the competition.
The man accepted the medal and prize money from the restaurant with a dazed expression. He had only been collecting trash nearby to earn enough money for a meal. When he saw that the food here was free, he rushed over to eat.
How had he somehow ended up winning money?
"What is your name, sir?"
"Hmm... I forgot."
Faced with the reporter's question, the man scratched the back of his head and gave a helpless expression.
Just then, an explosion rang out from the street, followed by bursts of screaming.
The crowd surged toward them in a panic, while a huge figure came charging from farther down the street.
It was a monster that looked as though it had been assembled from countless snack wrappers.
The monster cackled arrogantly as it ran, its voice resembling the sound of plastic rubbing together.
"I am Packaging Monster! You humans always tear open our bodies just to take the food inside! Have you ever considered how we packaging bags feel? I will punish humanity on behalf of all packaging!"
Although its speech sounded absurd, Packaging Monster's strength was undeniable. Every step it took shattered the concrete beneath its feet.
The man's formerly dazed and helpless expression suddenly changed.
He still did not know what truly made someone a hero. However, he knew that anyone who ignored the suffering and disaster before them could never be called one.
He ran against the flow of the fleeing crowd and charged toward the monster.
His voice changed, and he once again transformed into a crimson figure.
The sound of beating insect wings rang out.
Everything around him slowed to a crawl.
The panicked civilians moved as slowly as snails. Even the tears falling from the eyes of those who were crying in fear hung almost motionless in the air, descending at an incredibly slow pace.
Meanwhile, he continued moving at extraordinary speed.
He appeared in front of Packaging Monster and delivered a roundhouse kick directly into its chest.
Then he remained in place, still holding the finishing pose.
The sound of beating insect wings rang out once more, and the flow of time around him returned to normal.
Packaging Monster let out a strange cry as it was sent flying backward. While still in midair, its body burst apart into countless wrappers that scattered across the street.
The man canceled his transformation, retrieved the bags of trash he had left nearby, and began collecting the scattered wrappers from the ground.
They counted as garbage, but he was not sure whether the recycling center would accept them.
He had no way of knowing, but he gathered them anyway. It was worth trying.
At that moment, a man in a black suit hurried out from the crowd and approached him.
"Are you the crimson Beetle Hero who previously defeated Safe Monster, the same monster that even Fubuki, the top-ranked B-Class Hero, was unable to defeat?"
"What kind of strange name is that?"
"Uh, my apologies. The survivors all saw you wearing crimson beetle-like armor, so that is what they started calling you."
"That was me. Do you need something?"
"Yes. I am here on behalf of the Hero Association to formally invite you to join us. Would you be willing to become an A-Class Hero?"
"A hero... Does joining the Hero Association automatically make someone a hero?"
"Of course. Once you join the Hero Association, you officially become a professional hero. You will also receive various benefits and subsidies."
"All right. I have no objection."
"Then may I ask your name?"
"I can't remember it."
"Then perhaps you should choose one for yourself. Having a name will make it much easier to live and work in society."
The man fell silent.
He scratched his head and thought for a long time. Then, recalling what he looked like after transforming, he finally made his decision.
"Kabuto. Kamen Rider Kabuto. That is my name."
"Doctor, what do you think of Carnage Kabuto's current condition?"
From a distant rooftop, two people sat watching everything that had just happened.
"It is truly unbelievable. The desire for slaughter and destruction rooted in his very genetics has actually disappeared?"
Dr. Genus adjusted his glasses, his voice filled with disbelief.
In the past, he had exhausted every possible method in an attempt to suppress Carnage Kabuto's desire for slaughter and destruction. He had even sacrificed countless clones in the process.
Yet now, the problem had been resolved so easily.
The current Carnage Kabuto, no, he should now be called Kamen Rider Kabuto, was actually obeying the laws of human society, even though he had once regarded humans as nothing more than insects.
He was even willing to protect and help them.
"I used a special power to partially rewrite his body and memories, allowing him to undergo a certain transformation. The power of Double Abundance is currently active within his body. However, I did not erase the desire for destruction and slaughter rooted in his genetics. I merely buried it deep inside him."
"What surprised me, Doctor, is that you actually used your own genes in the modification process."
In his human form, Carnage Kabuto now resembled a younger Dr. Genus by roughly sixty to seventy percent, though his features appeared more robust and energetic.
"Of course. I do not know how my intelligence would compare in that other universe, but in this world, I am unquestionably among the greatest minds alive. Using the genes of a genius like myself as part of the human genetic foundation should naturally have produced a stronger human."
"Unfortunately, while the experiment succeeded, it also created an uncontrollable monster."
"Then let us observe what happens."
"In this relatively idealistic world, suppose he continues to grow, learns what it truly means to be a hero, sincerely embraces that identity, and genuinely wishes to become one."
"When he eventually recovers his memories and the overwhelming desire for destruction and slaughter in his blood awakens once more, will he still choose to remain a hero?"
"Or will he revert to Carnage Kabuto?"
Caelus was deeply curious about the outcome.
He wanted to see whether someone once ruled entirely by animal instinct, after losing all memories and beginning again as a blank slate, could resist the instincts of his own flesh after developing a firm sense of humanity.
It would be a conflict between human reason and animal instinct.
It would also make for a fascinating story.
Meanwhile, inside the Hero Association headquarters, the staff member responsible for managing records heard a sound from behind the door.
He turned around and saw the newly appointed S-Class Hero, Spirit Blade Ren Kanzaki, walking into the room.
Before the staff member could say anything, Ren smiled and slowly drew the sword at his waist.
The moment everyone present saw the blade, their vision blurred.
They shook their heads, turned back toward their screens, and completely ignored Ren's presence.
Ren then sheathed the sword.
He manipulated the senses of one staff member, making the man believe he was still working normally. In reality, Ren moved him aside and openly began searching through the Hero Association's database.
At last, he found what he was looking for.
"New A-Class Hero, Rank 20, Kamen Rider Kabuto."
Ren's eyes flickered as he stared at the handsome man displayed on the screen.
He then noticed the note attached to the file.
[Suspected amnesia. No matching records for this hero were found in the personnel database. He is suspected to be a cyborg created by an unknown scientist or secret organization.]
"...What kind of Showa-era plot is this?"
(To be continued.)
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)