Ch.197Chapter 8. The Syndicate Is Everywhere (3)

At that moment, at the Osaka branch of the Japanese Hero Association.

“What are you saying, Lord Hayabusa?”

“I mean exactly what I said.”

The black-haired woman kept her eyes fixed on her smartphone, not even glancing at the branch director as she responded.

“We must determine who the true Rider is by testing our mettle against each other.”

“Why?!”

“Because that’s what Riders do.”

Nod.

Hayabusa nodded firmly as if stating something obvious, causing the Osaka branch director to pound his chest in frustration.

“Lord Susanoo! Lady Nadeshiko! Please say something! Lady Nadeshiko is one thing, but Lord Hayabusa doesn’t need to go too! Originally, only Lord Susanoo was supposed to…”

“I have nothing to say.”

Kneeling in a position reminiscent of a samurai about to commit seppuku, Susanoo simply kept his head bowed.

“For the sin of causing harm to everyone with my shortsighted actions, I can only bow my head in apology to all…! For the trouble I’ve caused, I should go to Korea myself and perform a dogeza…”

“That’s not necessary either! Why should Lord Susanoo go to Korea and bow his head? Ah, Lady Nadeshiko already bowed her head that day…”

“Please stop that, Director.”

The narrow-eyed woman who had been smiling pleasantly, Nadeshiko, turned to the director and pressured him with a subtle voice.

“Continuing like this is ‘pressuring’ these two S-rank heroes. They want to resolve this kejime matter with dogeza, so why do you keep trying to burden them?”

“But this kejime matter isn’t serious enough to warrant cutting off fingers or anything like that…!”

“Because of Susanoo’s rampage, Korea couldn’t respond quickly to the Sephirot Knights’ attack.”

“That has nothing to do with us!”

“But it’s undeniable that because of Susanoo, Thunder Empress had to fight, and her attention was divided. Do you intend to just let this slide?”

“Ugh…!”

As Nadeshiko’s voice grew more forceful, the branch director sank back into his seat under the subtle pressure exuded by the S-rank hero.

“This will damage our dignity…”

“Dignity doesn’t matter. What’s important is preventing conflict and discord. Looking at it, Director, it seems like you actually want conflict with Korea?”

“H-how could that be? I-I would never…!”

“Then that’s good. A boy who made a mistake wants to apologize, and someone wants to compete with a villain to determine who’s ‘real.’ There’s no reason to stop them, is there?”

“…Then why is Lady Nadeshiko trying to enter Sejong Island?”

The director played his final card.

“There’s nothing on Sejong Island. Why? I understand Lord Hayabusa searching for that ‘fake Rider’ for a month. But Lady Nadeshiko has no reason to go to Korea. Even the Ministry of Education is wondering about this.”

“Do I need to explain my reasons?”

“…If an S-rank moves without reason, it becomes a serious national issue.”

“Oh my. Is that so? Can’t an S-rank act as they please?”

“Grrr…!”

She couldn’t state her reason.

But she would do as she pleased.

“What is Lady Nadeshiko’s nationality?”

“Hmm, I wonder. Earthling, perhaps?”

“You’ll regret those words.”

“Do as you please. Hehe, I wonder if you’ll try some electronic bullying.”

Despite the director’s thinly veiled threat, Nadeshiko casually fired back with dangerous words.

“I won’t forget today.”

The director left with a flushed face, leaving the three S-ranks alone in the lounge.

“…Sister.”

Hayabusa, who had been watching videos of Goblin and Snow White fighting on her smartphone, turned with a worried expression.

“Aren’t you pushing too hard?”

“No.”

“…There’s no point in making enemies with them. No matter how friendly you are to other countries, they’ll still see us as Japanese.”

“Yes. I suppose so.”

“…Are you leaving Japan?”

At Hayabusa’s question, even Susanoo, who had been keeping his head down, slightly looked up.

“Nah. I won’t abandon my nationality over something so trivial. As long as the country doesn’t pressure me, I’ll continue using the name ‘Nadeshiko.'”

“The Ministry of Education will be gunning for you over this trip to Sejong Island.”

“So what if they are? Let them. I’m going to do what I need to do.”

*Flutter*

“My going means you two can visit without burden. I can’t just send the kids alone.”

“…Stop treating us like children.”

“I’m going with a kid who caused trouble and another who’s about to cause trouble. Bowing your head isn’t important. Not to me.”

Nadeshiko opened her fan and smiled subtly.

“I’m going to cause trouble too, after all.”

“…Sister?”

“Hehehe.”

Nadeshiko covered her lips with her fan and glanced at Hayabusa’s smartphone.

“It’s about time I had a child too.”

On the smartphone.

“Everything is for the sake of the world.”

Goblin was cutting an ice block in half.

*Smirk*

* * *

While Ymir was researching her abilities in her room for personal training, and Qiongqi and Taowu were preparing their “operations” in their respective positions.

“Tavern Owner. What do you think? Does it seem real?”

“Yeah. That’s definitely the real intention.”

I was busy analyzing the issue that had Korea buzzing, together with the Tavern Owner.

[Susanoo, Hayabusa. Heading to Korea.]

[Susanoo to apologize, but what is Hayabusa’s purpose?]

“Hayabusa, S-rank, Tsuji Haruna. 17 years old. High school girl.”

“……”

“What?”

“Why does the term ‘high school girl’ seem to stand out the most?”

“I don’t know what you mean. Manager Do, don’t you know who Hayabusa is?”

“I do know.”

An S-rank and one of the sub-heroines from Japan.

A severe special effects enthusiast.

‘She was originally supposed to come to Sejong Island as an exchange student this year.’

For some reason, she didn’t come as an exchange student.

I didn’t particularly investigate why, but if I had to guess, it was probably because the Japanese government decided they couldn’t casually send an ‘S-rank’ abroad.

Unlike the original work’s world, last year was quite tumultuous in the underworld.

Because of Goblin.

Is it the original work’s forced development?

Or was Hayabusa simply drawn to Goblin’s appearance?

Hayabusa has finally managed to enter Sejong Island.

“Tavern Owner. Could Hayabusa actually be a spy sent from Japan?”

“Hayabusa is genuinely coming to Sejong Island to find Goblin. It’s good for Korea. Japan’s S-rank is coming to Sejong Island and staying for a month. Isn’t this a boost to national prestige? I found her secret SNS account, want to see it?”

“You found it? Really?”

“Yes. In reality, she’s a high school girl, but behind the scenes, she uses a bald middle-aged man concept for her special effects fandom.”

“……”

This was something I didn’t know.

-I-if you use me as firewood, I’ll beat you to death!

That was her tsundere character, but now:

-I-is this Korean special effects? Amazing. Senior, I want to see more!

I knew she liked special effects, but I never imagined her secret account would use a balding middle-aged man concept.

“Let’s see. ‘This guy www now even villains in Korea are stealing my concept www…’ Is this translation correct?”

“Yes. She seems to be using a self-deprecating concept now. Saying she got NTR’d by Goblin for her Rider concept.”

“I NTR’d her Rider concept?”

“Yeah. She’s using a self-deprecating concept on her secret account, while publicly trying to reclaim her Rider concept by defeating Goblin.”

“My goodness.”

I tried not to view her through a biased lens since she’s the original heroine, but when unknown information pops up, the mental impact is greater than expected.

“She’s not even a Rider herself.”

Hayabusa is a physical enhancement ability user.

She’s just an S-rank ability user who wears a high school uniform but has the strength of three tanks.

You know, the kind of person who could grab a bamboo sword from a kendo dojo and sweep away all the zombies on the street.

Her costume is either a school uniform or kendo outfit, not a Rider-style outfit.

“What are you going to do? Will you actually fight her when she comes to Sejong Island?”

“I don’t know what to say. She’s coming all the way from Japan to talk about the fundamentals of being a Rider.”

Someone posted online:

-You know, Riders originally came from Japan.

…I feel like I should strongly deny this, but it’s something I can’t deny even if I want to.

Korea did have special effects shows, but if you look closely, they were heavily influenced by all sorts of productions from the Showa era, before the great upheaval of the year 2000.

I can’t deny that my transformation as Doji Rider was heavily influenced by Rider shows from my world, and I created my costume by gathering the essence of millennium Riders.

But.

It’s different from the ‘post-upheaval Riders’ of this world.

“Tavern Owner. Did you know? The first Rider was actually a monster. He was human, but was kidnapped and modified by an evil organization.”

“…That’s a gloomy setting.”

“Most of the ones that came after were also modified humans, monsters.”

That was the tradition and beginning.

Here’s where a problem arises.

After the upheaval.

From the moment children with abilities started sitting in front of TVs to learn courage and justice, this world’s culture began to be censored.

In other words.

As post-upheaval content completely changed, the world of Riders was completely transformed.

No more Riders battling each other, or Riders who became monsters attacking and trying to kill allies, or monster families transforming into Riders and creating morning drama-like love triangles. Such stories changed considerably from before.

To put it extremely, a world where ‘Super Rangers’ became more popular than Riders.

Friendship! Passion! Victory!

-Huh? Riders? Aren’t those completely relics of the past?

That’s how much things changed.

“…I don’t know what to say about someone coming to Korea to determine who the real Rider is. Seriously.”

“Why? It could make for a good event competition. Especially with this coming up.”

The Tavern Owner pointed to the academy’s academic calendar.

“A month would fit perfectly with this period, wouldn’t it?”

“…It’s been postponed to May 14th.”

Right before Teachers’ Day.

“Sports festival.”

The main episode from the original work, and this time it’s a physical event taking place within Sejong Island.

A sports festival in name, but actually a massive battle.

“Well, nothing’s going to happen just because Hayabusa is coming.”

“Right. …Oh, breaking news.”

“What is it?”

“Nadeshiko is coming too, they say.”

……?

……!

“……Tavern Owner.”

I stroked my chilled nape.

“Is it possible to gather information about that Southeast Asian operation a bit faster?”