"Are you feeling good?"
How was he supposed to answer that?
Right now, Ken's hand was still full of a heavy guilty feeling. How could he lie? But if he told the truth... Was there anything softer than that moment just now? If he said it out loud, the whole train would see him as a creep.
He could not deny it, he could not admit it, and staying quiet felt like admitting it anyway. Every path led to trouble.
After about three seconds of thinking, a light came to Ken's mind. He remembered a line from a teacher who never learned how to use a phone.
"Of course. Just from that one moment, I could eat three bowls of rice tonight. If you let me do it again..."
She did not say a word. One look told Ken he was rejected.
The girl with the cool, cold face was Sakurai Haruka. People often thought she was a boy because she looked so handsome. At first sight, she gave a quiet, self-controlled air. Her style and personality leaned a bit boyish, yet her skin was more white and smooth than most girls.
Ken had already learned this in his first run, so he was sure. Knowing her meant she was one of the heroines of the game.
Haruka's height and long legs made her stand out. Her body had a fine shape, as if it was the dream body of many girls.
She was one year above Ken and a main member of the school's girls' track team. At one meter seventy-two, she was shorter than Ken's one eighty-two, but in this country, she was seen as very tall for a girl.
Here, girls often got nicknames because of height. Over one sixty-five was called a "monster". Over one seventy was "Tokyo Tower". Someone like Haruka was even called "Tokyo Skytree". The words held a hint of mockery and pushing away.
Many boys here liked girls around one fifty to one fifty-five. They called that "cute". Over one sixty was seen as "ugly". To them, Haruka fit that group. Even with a beautiful face, she was still alone and made fun of at school.
"How long do you plan to keep your hand there?"
Haruka's cold voice reached his ear. Before she truly got angry, Ken pulled his hand back.
"Sorry. Your hand felt so good that even if I'm reborn in eighteen years, I won't forget it. If I can touch it again, I could remember it for another eighteen years!"
Ken said that on purpose. In this second run, he had no plan to win anyone's heart, so he did not need to be liked.
"You're a bold kouhai, aren't you."
Haruka took off her earphones, her voice strangely playful and a bit happy.
"Senpai, you're not angry?" Ken asked.
"I'm not so stupid I can't see you only did it to save me."
She gave a cold look at the middle-aged man beside her, then thanked Ken.
"Thank you."
Her reaction was a surprise, and Ken made a small sound of shock.
"You thought I would shout 'don't do extra things' and get angry at you?"
"Yes."
"That makes sense. Being 'attacked' by a strange masked guy and by that gross pig would both feel awful."
"Then please stop saying it out loud."
Haruka looked into the black eyes behind his mask with a hint of doubt. "The frog kamen rider (masked rider) from the news two days ago... is that you?"
Ken nodded. The mask hid his face, so admitting it was safe.
She stared a little longer, then thanked him again before looking away.
Haruka looked down at the middle-aged man, who was a full head shorter than her, and clicked her tongue just like Ken did.
"Tch! You know what happens to a train molester, right!?"
Her face turned cold again. This time she was truly angry.
Here, if someone was seen as a molester, the result was very serious. Forget jail and fines—the worst part was social death. Losing a job, being kicked out of a company, and maybe never getting work again.
"Y-you... don't make false claims about a good man... I didn't... Who would want to touch someone like you... not man, not woman... not gentle, not cute... I don't even want to touch you if you beg me."
Haruka's face did not change much. She had heard such words, even worse, since she was young.
Maybe because everyone in the train was now watching, the man took out his wallet and threw down two ten-thousand-yen bills, hoping to end it and leave.
Inside, he was not scared. He did not "succeed", and she had no proof.
"Wait, uncle. Don't hurry."
Ken stopped the man from slipping away.
"What now?" the man said with an angry face, as if saying, "I already paid, what more?"
"You want me to take it by force, or will you take it out yourself?"
Ken stepped to the front of the car's passage and blocked his way.
"T-take out what..."
"Stop acting! You recorded it, right?!"
Ken's voice grew heavy. The man felt the pressure and began to sweat.
Haruka needed a few seconds to understand, then her eyes turned sharp like ice as she stared at the man. Even if her usual style was boyish, she was still a girl, and she wore a short school skirt.
"You... What are you saying... Why would I like someone like her... I was taking a photo of my shoes... Yes, that's right... my shoes..."
Ken walked to the back corner of the car train and picked up a phone that had been recording the whole time. The video showed everything.
"Anything to say now?" he asked.
"But I... I didn't watch it yet... Can I see it first..."
"Look. Now!"
Most people here feared trouble and cared a lot about others watching them. Under Ken's firm tone and the eyes of the passengers, the man handed over his phone with shaking hands.
"Password."
"114514..."
Ken entered it and opened the gallery.
Oh.
He was shocked by the huge number of photos. All ages, jobs, angles... Very clear. This man was a repeat offender.
Ken clicked his tongue again, and after a short thought, he only deleted the photos of Haruka.
The man checked the phone when Ken returned it. When he saw his "study material" was still there, he let out a long breath and even gave Ken a thankful look before escaping to another car.
"You're a good person, in many ways."
Haruka crossed her arms and leaned on the train pole, looking at Ken with interest from head to toe.
"You didn't care about the other photos, right."
"You say it like you know me well."
"You're right, but why did you care about me being filmed? Even if you ignored such a small matter, it has nothing to do with you, right?"
Haruka stared into his black eyes again, as if she wanted an answer.
Ken's calm words made her face move for the first time.
"You think your own problem is small? I think it's more important than anything, at least to me."
His voice was plain, but his eyes spoke more than words.
Haruka froze, unable to move. The strange air between them stayed until the train's arrival sound broke it.
When they got off, Haruka called to him from behind.
"Your name."
"Hm?"
"Your name. You seem interesting. Won't you tell me?"
Ken waved his hand and walked away without looking back. "Just a passing kamen rider, don't mind me."
Haruka watched his thin figure go. A strange feeling hit her head, like a memory trying to return.
In the next moment, her pale purple eyes shone with a hungry look, like a hunter watching prey.
* * *
Later, Ken contacted the train staff he had reached before. They caught the man before he could leave the station. Except for Haruka's photo, which Ken deleted, the rest would become proof.
After things were settled, Ken mixed in with other passengers and walked toward the exit gates.
Outside, he took a taxi to meet Kondo Yuuichi and Amamiya Iori.
In the back seat, he remembered the photos he deleted and spoke to himself in a soft voice.
"Why was Haruka wearing black today..."
Notes:
• Sakurai Haruka - Tall, athletic senpai; cool/stoic exterior; boyish style; often mislabeled and bullied due to height; shows gratitude and curiosity toward Ken; pale purple eyes; track team member.
• Amamiya Iori - JK heroine; targeted; her mother is the hostage. Long-haired and busty.
• Kondo Yuuichi - Original main protagonist; timid; Iori’s childhood friend; freezes despite push.