Weird Tales Hold a Meeting

In Izumo, at a shrine whose exact location is hard to describe, various Humanoid Supernatural Tale sit before a round table. Although it is a round table, one can tell at a glance that four of the "people" are different from the others.

One was Woman with Nine Fluffy Beast Tails behind her.

One was a burly young man with a bare upper body and a pair of huge horns on his head.

One was Robe-wearing Old Man in a robe with wings sprouting from his ribs and an unusually long nose.

Finally, there was a mysterious woman dressed in a blue kimono, her face hidden behind a demon mask.

However, upon closer inspection, one will discover that those sitting at the table are actually all phantoms—the very existence here is a Companion Phantom associated with a Weird Tale, and its name is "The God Gathering".

(In contrast to the Month of No Gods) in other places, Izumo calls it Month of Gods), because it is said that during this month, all the gods of the eastern country gather in Izumo for a meeting. So when "Month of No Gods" became Weird Tale, a corresponding shrine called "Kami-shu" (shrine of gods) appeared, which could accommodate Eight Million Deities for God Gathering.)

After a brief silence, the Robe-wearing Old Man in his robes, with a Red Face and a long nose, finally spoke:

"Did he succeed in Face Stealer before he died?"

"Judging from the information sent back by Hundred-Eyed Demon, the Face Stealer has indeed stolen the Kamen Rider's abilities, and the strength is not low." The horned youth glanced at the empty seat next to him, which was Hundred-Eyed Demon's seat.

However, he is not dead; he is monitoring Chiba and therefore unable to attend the meeting.

"So, Weird Tale with elements like 'Face Snatching' and 'Identity Snatching' are actually effective against Kamen Rider?" The beast-tailed woman rested her chin on her hand, her eyes slightly unfocused, while the horned youth nodded.

"It can be basically confirmed."

"Then this year's Midsummer Night Festival could try increasing the proportion of these kinds of Weird Tale," said the long-nosed old man in a monk's robe. He turned to look at the Woman in Demon Mask and Blue Clothes, and seeing her nod slightly, he continued:

"Speaking of which, did you manage to catch Kamen Rider by the tail?"

"No, the method that can evade Hundred-Eyed Demon's surveillance seems to be Phantom Object with the ability to split and mass-produce, or it may not be Phantom Object at all. Currently, based on the extent of the damage, we can only pinpoint three locations with a base in Chiba, Nara, and Kumamoto. However, the Transformation System they use are somewhat different, so we cannot rule out the possibility that the three do not belong to the same faction."

The horned youth said with a headache, then changed the subject:

"Compared to these rats, we can pinpoint the location of the 'Superhero' in Colombia. Should we take action?"

"Leave them alone for now; those 'Defective Products' can't cause any trouble. The key is to follow this lead and track down the organization behind them."

The masked woman shook her head, and the horned youth immediately nodded in agreement. However, the beast-tailed woman beside her frowned and said:

"Hasn't that Kamen Rider Weird Tale who was dragged over been caught yet? And what about those Kamen Rider from Yan Country?"

"The Kamen Rider from Yan should be in Kanagawa Prefecture, but the exact location is still uncertain. As for that orca... we've confirmed he's in Chiba. We even found the door he came through, but we haven't found his Main Body yet. Akaname hasn't even collected any of his remaining [consciousness]. That guy definitely has abilities like Hermit or stealth."

The horned youth spoke with a hint of helplessness, while the masked woman said in a serious tone:

"We must eliminate him before he fully digests it! This Kamen Rider Weird Tale is our only hope; we must take it into our own hands!"

"How did you become Kamen Rider? And even transform into a human?!" At Rinka's house, Baihe Hua chatted casually with her best friend about Weird Tale stories and Kamen Rider, but the question kept repeating in her mind.

Feng Xue grew impatient with her nagging, so she deliberately adopted a somewhat listless tone and said:

"Just take the Transformation Belt and you'll Transformation Belt. That's what it is; you can transform if you take it. As for turning into a human, it's simple. My ability is 'The Unknowable.' If I completely deactivate it, it will become 'knowable.' Then, by adjusting the 'tiniest bit' of the knowable range, it will give people the feeling that 'this is a person,' but they can't remember 'what kind of person' it is."

"You can do that?" Baihe Hua was clearly surprised, but Feng Xue said nonchalantly:

"Why not? My precision is A! As long as I know the specific structure of something, I'm confident I can reproduce it. Take that Kamen Rider belt, for example. If you want it, I can make one for you."

"This isn't a matter of precision anymore, is it? Or is your ability actually to create Magical Item or something?" For a moment, Baihe Hua felt a strong Heart Moving, but she still harbored deep doubts about her Stand's abilities.

"No, what we call an ability is simply something you can do without knowing the underlying principles. What you can do even if you know the principles is just a technique. Otherwise, all Stands would be multi-powered Stands. For example, Star Platinum can extend his fingers, draw, enlarge photos, take deep breaths, and so on, in addition to stopping time. But you can't say that Star Platinum's abilities are a printer, Magnifying Glass, and a vacuum cleaner, can you? As for why I can do it... just consider it my Growth Potential."

Feng Xue explained it in a way that even JoJo fans could understand, Baihe Hua finally managed to accept the explanation.

Then...

"Then make me a Kamen Rider belt!"

"Sure, let's go catch Weird Tale!" Feng Xue responded decisively.

"Huh? What are you doing catching Weird Tale?" Baihe Hua was taken aback by Feng Xue's question, but Feng Xue replied matter-of-factly:

"The essence of Kamen Rider is that Enemy and Ally Share the Same Origin the same origin. The Rider System itself is made from Weird Tale as raw materials. So if you want the Transformation Belt, we have to kill a Weird Tale first, then use it as raw material to make the belt. And because there are Weird Tale..."

"Then forget it." Baihe Hua decisively interrupted Feng Xue's rambling, her unwavering resolve surprising even Feng Xue.

"Giving up so easily?" Feng Xue asked, somewhat puzzled, while Baihe Hua replied matter-of-factly:

"What else? I'm fine as I am. It's not like you can't beat the Weird Tale, and those Weird Tale seem to reveal the appearance of Kamen Rider. Having an extra belt would actually be unsafe."

"..." Feng Xue emerged from Baihe Hua's body, giving the girl a strange look. He had seen many cowardly and decisive people, but these two traits rarely coexisted in the same person. As for her... was it cowardly decisiveness, or self-awareness?

Thinking of this, Feng Xue's gaze involuntarily focused on the girl beside her who was still enthusiastically describing the awesomeness of Kamen Rider—

Would it be more interesting if it were her instead?

People have commented on this before when I wrote about martial arts, and they're still commenting on it now with Kamen Rider, so I might as well just address it all at once.

If it were a purely fictional world, that would be fine, but since it involves the Real World, it should resemble the Real World.

I personally find storylines like "foreigners' food concepts are refreshed after eating Chinese Cuisine," "every country follows the same logic," and "you can get by using the same formula all over the world" extremely distasteful.

Different countries have different food cultures, beliefs, customs, and ways of thinking. If you want to succeed in different countries, you need to adapt to local customs instead of sticking to your own ideas and thinking they will work everywhere.

Many people find Colombia's rejection of vaccines strange, but if you know that Colombia has repeatedly used sterilization drugs, toxins, bacteria, and other substances disguised as vaccines to conduct human experiments on civilians and ethnic minorities, you can understand why they are so resistant.

Weird Tale are essentially about propagation, as I've clearly stated in this book. In Yan Kingdom, a beggar handing out secret manuals is a classic trope, but in Victoria, it could be mistaken for pedophilia and lead to an alarm. If you give someone accustomed to heavy oil and salt to bland food, no matter how delicious it is, they won't appreciate it.

Therefore, I will follow different logics in different countries. The ambulance prison industry chain in Colombia, the inhumane official practices in Victoria, the martial arts of Yan Country, and the Kamen Rider of Dong Country are all things that conform to the local style and perception.

I know readers can't possibly be familiar with all the references, so I'll explain them. But if you're looking for the kind of Weird Tale that are eerie and thrilling, not martial arts or Kamen Rider, then I'm sorry, this book isn't for you.