Just as the man was about to lay his hands on Amamiya Iori, something made a sound and rolled to his feet. It was a white baseball.
"A baseball?" The man shifted his gaze to the rolling baseball. As he bent down to pick it up, a figure rushed in at extreme speed.
"W-what?!"
Before the man could react, a baseball bat struck his shoulder hard, and the knife in his hand clattered to the ground.
"Kid, who the hell are you? Stop meddling!"
The sharp pain in his shoulder made the man lose his temper, and he cursed at the "frog" who had suddenly attacked him.
"Stay still! The police are already at the next station!"
The voice from under the Kamen Rider mask, belonged to Shimizu Ken. This was something he had prepared in his backpack.
Shimizu Ken had planned for the worst from the beginning. If a situation like this occurred and he had to intervene, as long as Amamiya Iori didn't recognize him, he could save her while minimizing the impact on the game's ending.
"You brat, die!"
The man roared and tried to pick up the fruit knife on the ground again, but his hand froze mid-air. This was because the baseball bat came down once more, hitting him squarely in the face. The man lost consciousness and collapsed.
"Iori, are you alright?" Amamiya Iori's mother rushed to her and hugged her. Her remorseful expression showed how much she blamed herself for not protecting her daughter.
"Mom, I'm fine." While comforting her mother, Amamiya Iori kept a wary eye on the man wearing the masked mask. Having just been attacked, she was understandably on guard.
"Who are you?"
"Just a passing Kamen Rider, don't mind me." Shimizu Ken blurted out.
As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt so embarrassed he could have dug a hole and buried himself. However, the effect wasn't as bad as he feared. Hearing his words, Amamiya Iori relaxed her shoulders and couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. Her familiar, gentle smile momentarily stunned Shimizu Ken.
"Um... you should button up your shirt first." Shimizu Ken's gaze inadvertently flickered to Amamiya Iori's collar, where the second button was undone, revealing a hint of her pale skin. He quickly averted his eyes and gestured for her to fasten it.
Seeing Shimizu Ken's shy reaction, the smile on Amamiya Iori's lips widened.
After that, the train arrived at the next station, and the police arrested the man. Fortunately, neither Amamiya Iori nor her mother was injured, which was a small mercy.
Time skipped ahead to the next day.
Due to the train hijacking incident, Shimizu Ken and Amamiya Iori were unavoidably detained by the police for statements and further investigation, so they didn't go to school the entire previous day. Fortunately, they were interviewed separately, so Amamiya Iori never got to see Shimizu Ken's true face.
"Please tell me your name..."
"Please, let me see your face..."
At that moment, Amamiya Iori reached out to Shimizu Ken like a drowning person spotting a piece of driftwood. Though he felt a pang of regret, he still left.
Shimizu Ken sensed from Amamiya Iori's eyes that if he had removed his mask then, the story would have undoubtedly veered in the same direction as before. That was not what he desired.
And so, Shimizu Ken welcomed the dawn of the second day.
On his way to school, the sound of footsteps through the clear air made Shimizu Ken turn around. A boy and a girl came into view. The pair were looking around, and upon seeing Shimizu Ken, they quickened their pace towards him.
"Morning, Ken."
The first to greet him was Kondo Yuuichi, who had a somewhat timid impression. Standing beside him was the beautiful girl, Amamiya Iori.
"I'm late. I'm truly sorry, Shimizu Ken."
Amamiya Iori held her bag with both hands and bowed slightly towards Shimizu Ken, apologizing. Her long black hair cascaded down her back like a fairy tale princess's, and her delicate, perfectly formed face exuded a charming Japanese femininity. In the first playthrough of the game, Shimizu Ken had once suspected that the heroines in anime and manga were modeled after her. But then again, this was a virtual game world...
Shimizu Ken and Kondo Yuuichi had been close friends for a long time, and it was through him that Shimizu Ken met Amamiya Iori. Coincidentally, all three ended up in the same class this year. However, judging by Amamiya Iori's reaction, she likely hadn't recognized Shimizu Ken as her rescuer from yesterday.
"It's alright. I just arrived myself."
Perhaps still shaken by the train hijacking incident, Amamiya Iori had asked them to walk to school together today. The incident had made the news, and the media naturally couldn't ignore it, so its broadcast on television was expected. However, Shimizu Ken thought it probably wouldn't generate much discussion. He was completely mistaken.
This morning, Shimizu Ken checked online via his phone and discovered that almost every social media platform and news program was broadcasting reports about the train hijacking. Amamiya Iori's interview photos were stunningly beautiful, and the girl became an overnight sensation across all social media.
Netizens gave her a nickname.
That was...
"A once-in-three-thousand-years beauty."
Reportedly, netizens were moved by Amamiya Iori's pure sincerity and began desperately searching for the Kamen Rider who had saved her, namely Shimizu Ken. Although Shimizu Ken was wearing his school uniform at the time, at best, people could only deduce which school he attended. Even the most skilled online sleuths couldn't possibly find him with such limited information.
"Yuuichi, you didn't even come to help me back then. You didn't even come to help me back then, how mean!" Amamiya Iori suddenly brought up yesterday's events, a displeased look on her face.
Notes:
• 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.