[Street Interview Time! As everyone knows, this City has always been a hotbed for Kamen Riders and Magical Girls. The debate over who’s stronger between the two sides has never ceased. But today, we’re not here to discuss combat power. Instead, we want to talk about another question— Among the heroes guarding the City, who is actually more popular?]
The exaggerated, over-the-top voice of the host on the screen echoed in Cloud You’s ears, accompanied by a flood of bullet comments calling him a “National First-Class Fire-Stoker.”
Cloud You didn’t bother looking at those.
He kept his head down and gently cracked an egg against the edge of the pan, letting the clear yolk slip into a heart-shaped mold.
The translucent egg white spread across the heated pan bottom, soon sizzling in the hot oil, releasing a faint fragrance that wafted throughout the kitchen.
Meanwhile, the street interview continued.
In this city brimming with vigilante spirit, many were clearly willing to join such interviews and share their opinions.
“Of course it’s the Kamen Riders! Nothing beats the romance of a masked hero!”
shouted a boy no taller than the host’s waist, dressed head to toe in a T-shirt covered with Kamen Rider faces, and wearing a matching toy belt around his waist.
“Magical Girls,” replied a black-rimmed glasses girl in a school uniform, pushing up her glasses shyly.
“When I was a baby, I was saved by the Magical Girl Red Maple. Want to see the video of her holding me while beating up a Magical Beast? …Anyway, rounding it off, it was basically me and Red Maple going in and out of monster territory seven times, so of course I support her.”
“Where’s my Transformation Device? When will I finally get mine? I’ve been waiting for twenty years!”
A white-collar man in a suit, bloodshot eyes glaring with frustration, dramatically shouted and even grabbed the camera…
The screen conveniently cut to static effects, making one wonder about his mental state.
But the video didn’t end there.
The last interviewee was a casually dressed boy with a backpack, only fifteen or sixteen years old.
When the host called out to him, he calmly stopped, propped his chin on his hand, and put on a thoughtful expression.
“Who do I prefer…? That’s a tough question.”
That was it.
Cloud You reached out and tapped the edge of the screen, coming face to face with the young man in the video—himself.
Seeing his own face on the screen was a strange feeling.
It seemed that vlogger really did edit him into the clip, probably because his answer made for good TV.
But now wasn’t the time to leisurely browse videos.
He hit pause and pulled down the status bar, glancing at the time—6:54 AM.
Of course, this wasn’t to check on the eggs.
Having prepared breakfast for his father Cloud Li for years, his skill at frying eggs was already perfected, the timing impeccable.
He could cook the perfect soft-boiled egg his mother Lin Zhifeng loved, all by instinct, and receive a string of wholehearted compliments… all on Cloud Li’s behalf.
Time held a different meaning in their home.
“Not much time left,” he whispered.
Almost immediately after his words fell, the refrigerator door at the other end of the kitchen gave an odd creak.
This double-door refrigerator, won by Cloud Li on a Game Show, suddenly started moving on its own.
With the grinding sound of its wheels against the marble floor, it rolled forward several dozen centimeters from its original position pressed against the wall.
This scene, which could easily be featured on several episodes of “Approaching Science,” did not catch Cloud You’s attention.
He knew it wasn’t paranormal—since gaining awareness, he had witnessed this countless times and was long accustomed to it.
A hand wrapped in leather armor reached out from behind the fridge, pushing it completely aside to create a passage wide enough for a person.
The mysterious figure who could single-handedly push a fully loaded refrigerator weighing over a hundred pounds emerged from the gap.
He was clad in a peculiar suit of armor colored red and black.
The shoulder and knee guards gleamed metallically like some kind of alloy, though it was impossible to tell exactly what it was made of.
His arms and lower legs were wrapped in pure black material that looked like leather, but the way it hugged his body was unique—more like a second skin than cloth.
This was gear far beyond current technology, signaling the arrival of a Kamen Rider.
Though wearing such visibly heavy leather armor should have made his movements sluggish and cumbersome, he moved with none of that.
His steps were light and easy as he came up behind Cloud You and said something that clashed with his imposing outfit: “Heart-shaped, right?”
Cloud You removed the heart-shaped mold and tilted the frying pan, sliding the perfectly cooked soft-boiled egg onto a plate.
He shifted his body slightly to the side, allowing the Kamen Rider who had just returned from outside, chilled by the cold, a better view of the food.
“Yes.”
The Kamen Rider immediately relaxed, instinctively reaching out to take off the Bear-Print Apron from Cloud You and tried to put it on himself.
Cloud You quickly reminded him, “Deactivate your transformation first.”
That fiery flame-shaped shoulder armor was tough.
Last time, he had scratched one of the Bear-Print Aprons by forgetting to revert back.
The strange scratches puzzled Lin Zhifeng for a long time—she couldn’t figure out how it happened—leaving both father and son sweating nervously.
Cloud You wouldn’t let a repeat happen.
The Kamen Rider suddenly understood.
He quickly pulled the Transformation Device off his waist, and after a faint glow, the red-and-black armored Kamen Rider disappeared.
Standing before Cloud You now was a man who resembled him about sixty or seventy percent.
It was Cloud You’s father, Cloud Li.
He was also the first-generation Kamen Rider who had appeared originally and remained a childhood hero to countless people—Kamen Rider, Epic.
Cloud Li’s face was filled with emotion as he pulled Cloud You into a tight hug and ruffled his hair.
“Good thing you reminded me! Almost caused another accident!”
Though over forty years old, the first-generation Kamen Rider still maintained his fitness routine.
His body wasn’t bulky but lean and strong.
Time hadn’t weathered him; his eyes were still full of vitality and eagerness.
At least, as far as Cloud You knew, there weren’t many people his father’s age who could patrol the City at five in the morning, then engage in fierce battles and still be full of energy, showing no sign of fatigue, before starting their daily grind.
To put it diplomatically, Cloud Li was a man with a youthful and energetic mindset.
Despite years of hardship and the harshness of society, he hadn’t changed much and still carried a passionate heart.
Less diplomatically, he was a bit childish and unreliable.
“The eggs are ready. The toasted bread’s in the Air Fryer. Just assemble everything and heat the milk. Don’t forget to wash your hands first.”
Although he knew Cloud Li was probably more familiar with this routine than himself, considering his father’s impressive past achievements, Cloud You still couldn’t help but nag a little.
“Yeah, yeah, I taught you all this. No problem.”
Cloud Li waved to him and took over the kitchen.
“Alright, go wake your mother.”
Cloud You wordlessly pointed at the refrigerator, reminding him to put it back and not reveal anything in such a strange spot.
Then he went to his mother Lin Zhifeng’s room as instructed.
***
“Mom, time to get up.”
He knocked on the door.
As expected, there was no sound from inside.
She hadn’t returned yet either…
Cloud You grasped the doorknob and pushed the door open.
A dazzling pink light spilled through the crack.
He squinted.
Inside, a girl in a pink dress was holding a difficult pose, one foot inside the window and one foot outside, staring stiffly at the doorway.
The girl had long, fiery red hair like maple leaves, tied into twin tails atop her head.
Her eyes matched that vivid red.
Both the shine of her hair and the depth of her pupils seemed natural, as if she were born this way—something wigs or colored contacts couldn’t replicate.
The irregular edges of her pink skirt were adorned with large lace pieces, fanning out behind her like a blossoming flower.
Underneath the skirt were pale pumpkin pants—both gorgeous and eye-catching, yet not restricting her movements.
It was a design that was hard to forget.
Though the outfit and color scheme were extravagant, they harmonized perfectly on her, giving the impression that it was meant to be this way.
If not for the unmistakable panic and distress clearly written all over her face—
“I’m caught, I’m exposed!”
—which softened quickly upon recognizing Cloud You and changed into a classic Drunken Sword Style expression…
She would have looked like an extremely dependable Magical Girl.
Cloud You didn’t expose her.
He calmly said, “Mom, breakfast’s almost ready.”
The beautifully featured Magical Girl exhaled deeply, her tense shoulders falling.
“Oh, it’s just You! You scared me!”
She raised her right hand, wrapped in white silk gloves, and the pink light once again enveloped the entire room.
Within the glow, her figure stretched slightly taller.
When the light faded, the striking outfit and red hair were gone.
In their place was a black-haired woman wearing a fuzzy otter-fur pajama set.
She looked almost exactly like the girl, only more mature with age, and taller than her youthful self.
It was hard to connect her to the Magical Girl from before.
The first-generation Magical Girl, Red Maple, transformed under Cloud You’s watchful eyes into his mother, Lin Zhifeng.
The time Cloud You mentioned earlier wasn’t just about Cloud Li.
That’s right—Cloud You’s father was a Kamen Rider, and his mother was a Magical Girl.
And to this day, their secret identities remained hidden, even from each other.
7:00 AM.
Breakfast time for the family.
If Cloud Li came home a moment late, Lin Zhifeng might run into him just as he slipped out from behind the fridge; conversely, if Lin Zhifeng was late, Cloud Li would go to her room to wake her—and witness Magical Girl Red Maple breaking into their home.
No matter how clever their disguises were in the outside world, in the safety of their home, their cover was utterly shattered.
Yet, despite how easily it could all be exposed, they had managed to keep it from each other for years… even with Cloud You’s help.
He couldn’t help but ask, “Mom, what if Dad had come in just now?”
Lin Zhifeng broke into a cold sweat at the thought, clearing her throat guiltily.
“Cough… it’s no big deal, don’t worry, You! I’d just put on a serious face and say I’d just finished dealing with nearby Magical Beasts and happened to stop here to rest for a bit!”
“What a lousy excuse.”
Cloud You was about to say when Lin Zhifeng proudly lifted her chin.
“Haha, this trick never fails! Your father’s never doubted me once!”
Cloud You swallowed the rest of his retort.
No wonder she was so confident—this kind of situation had already happened before.
Lin Zhifeng hummed a tune as she left the room, leaving Cloud You staring at her retreating back, utterly baffled.
…Well, they say, not family, no entry, after all.
He turned around and closed the wide-open window behind Lin Zhifeng.