A transforming warrior who loves stealing toilet seats

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[According to the latest weather forecast, Typhoon Opei will pass through Sector X on the city’s outskirts. Employees returning home around 2 AM are advised to take necessary precautions.]

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[Choose faster! Choose stronger! A hero’s dream never ends! I am Transformation Warrior Huang Zhanyan, believe in Steel Dragon Corporation! You too can become—the next strongest warrior!]

Under the dazzling, kaleidoscopic lights, the towering skyscrapers of Marine City no longer pulsed with vibrant energy, yet numerous vehicles still traversed its streets.

In stark contrast, the company building at night was so quiet that only the advertisements from the colossal outdoor screen could be heard. By this hour, the building was almost entirely deserted, with lights extinguished in many areas to conserve electricity, leaving Xiaoxin to clean by the dim glow of a single row of night lights.

The faint blue luminescence of these so-called night lights was even less brilliant than the glare cast by the enormous screen outside, which paradoxically illuminated the floor with greater clarity.

Such was the company’s arrangement: after everyone else had departed, he was expected to perform one final round of cleaning.

Xiaoxin had no choice but to silently endure it all, working with a bowed back.

Humming a small tune, his heart would invariably relax, for solitary cleaning was infinitely easier than enduring the taunts and bullying of others.

In these quiet moments, he couldn’t help but indulge in fantasies, hoping to inject a little joy into his otherwise dull routine.

What if, while cleaning, he were to suddenly discover a forgotten belt redemption coupon?

That would finally allow him to embark on his dream.

But that was unrealistic.

No one would waste spare money on a second belt.

Even if someone were lucky enough to draw another belt redemption coupon, they would surely convert it to cash immediately, or perhaps gift it to a relative’s child as a New Year’s present.

To pass the time, one needed fantasies.

If life offered no hope, then one had to find it oneself.

He considered his twenty-six years, how more than two and a half decades had already slipped by in the blink of an eye.

Perhaps the decade under his contract would pass just as swiftly; life was but a fleeting moment, and it might soon be over.

When that time came, he would find a decent, stable job, earn good money, and see if he could finally realize a dream.

“Grumble…” His stomach rumbled loudly.

He was hungry, having skipped lunch entirely and only consumed an incomplete sausage for breakfast.

Fortunately, his work was drawing to a close, and he had pre-prepared food at home that would be ready with a quick reheat.

As he pondered this, a series of footsteps announced the senior’s approach.

“You’ve truly worked hard, staying busy until so late again.”

‘Would I be like this if you didn’t keep adding to my workload, you old devil!’

Cursing internally, he could only offer a forced smile and say, “It’s fine, I’m used to it, truly.”

“That’s not a good habit, my boy.” The senior pinched out the cigarette between his fingers and flicked it to the ground.

‘Ugh, does he really enjoy needlessly increasing people’s workload? What a scumbag! No! I can’t strike him, I can’t win… Oh, wait, I should respect my elders and cherish the young!’

“Ha… haha.”

“Why don’t you escape?”

“Escape?”

“Precisely.

In a city like this, where people are devoured whole, an honest person like you is destined for a dead end.

I’ve seen your file; you’re not from around here, are you?

Your original home is quite far from here.

If you wished, you could simply not come to work tomorrow, take a train back to your hometown, and find a stable job.”

Though he initially thought it was sarcasm, Xiaoxin noticed the senior’s voice had softened considerably.

Unlike the usual rogue, he now sounded like a genuine elder advising a newcomer not to fall too deep into a trap.

“No, not at all.

That so-called 500,000 contract is nothing but a predatory clause.

If you truly disappeared, the company wouldn’t care about your existence.

A standard 50,000-unit machine could fully replace your work, and they would simply label you as missing.

They wouldn’t be willing to spend so much money and effort to find you and bring you back for some supposed appeal.”

“But I won’t just go back.”

“Is there anything you’re still attached to in this city?”

“Not at the moment, no.”

“Then why?”

‘Yes, why indeed.’

‘More than a decade ago, my mother brought me to this city.

She would constantly nag about my shortcomings, repeating every little flaw over and over again.’

‘Fed up, the unbearable irritation had prompted the young Xiaoxin to ask a question back then.’

‘What exactly do I need to do to satisfy you? What kind of future do you truly wish for me?’

‘She thought for a moment, then pointed to this very towering skyscraper in the city.’

‘”Mom hopes you can climb to its peak and become an extraordinary person.”‘

‘But honestly, the last person told something similar by their family couldn’t even go to the moon anymore.

And for an older tokusatsu fan who simply wanted a peaceful life and the occasional thrill of being a transformation warrior, wasn’t this expectation far too heavy?’

Ultimately, it was just a memory from the past, yet parental words often shape a child’s perceptions and behavior.

Few had ever truly asked Xiaoxin for his own thoughts.

Confronted with the current question, he felt compelled to speak, but swallowed his words instead.

Was it because he refused to admit defeat?

That felt too cliché, a stubbornness bordering on foolishness.

As someone who had experienced a few years in society, he ought to have some discernment.

This job had been obtained through a [Hero Recommendation Letter].

Perhaps his next job wouldn’t be as fortunate?

Yet, doing this kind of work for minimum wage was arguably worse than just running away.

Even a small restaurant job would offer more income and status than this.

Was it to escape his family?

To find true love?

To stumble upon a rich woman in this city?

To await some kind of miracle?

‘Ah! I’ve got it!’

“Ha, why indeed? I’m still searching for the answer myself.”

“…”

“…”

A moment of silence passed, and an expression of disdain involuntarily surfaced on the senior’s face.

“That’s far too chuunibyou.”

‘Why did I even say that? “It’s a hobby,” or “I don’t want to give up,” would have been so much better!’

‘When others said it, it sounded so cool, but when I said it, it just fell flat!’

Xiaoxin’s mind began to mock himself, his face flushing faintly.

If he could, he truly wished to flee immediately.

But he couldn’t leave.

As he realized this, an invisible pressure seemed to pin him to the spot.

With no other option, he could only launch a desperate counterattack!

“So… why did you steal the toilet seat?”

Rather than being cornered into saying something that would completely mortify him, he figured asking about *that* might help him regain some ground.

“As expected, you truly struggle to understand.”

‘Don’t suddenly change the subject!’

“So…”

Completely disregarding Xiaoxin’s words, the senior began to speak, uttering things that made cold sweat trickle down Xiaoxin’s back.

“Despite never participating in any variety shows, auditions, or major events, you still secured the 7th position on the Magical Girl Popularity Ranking.

Why didn’t you leverage this to promote yourself?

Your image has been stolen to endorse various products, yet why have you never asserted your rights?”

‘Because my transformation time is uncontrollable, and the methods for asserting my rights are too complicated.

Moreover, considering the danger of exposure, I’ve never pursued it.’

The reason was deceptively simple.

But could he say any of that?

No.

“What are you talking about? Magical girl and all… I’m a guy, you know.”

“Rather, what are *you* talking about, Magical Girl—Xiaoxin? What are you doing? What are you thinking? What do you desire?”

[Click-thud] The sound of a belt echoed.

An ominous power surged forth the moment he produced a belt from behind his back, an unfamiliar aura of darkness washing over them.

Not only did Xiaoxin’s body become sluggish and unable to move, but it felt as though his very ability to breathe had been stolen.

The power emanating from that never-before-seen belt was unlike anything Xiaoxin had ever encountered.

It was strong, undeniably strong! Unquestionably powerful!

Even the night lights instantly flickered out, and a sense of impending death flooded his brain, his heart pounding faster.

‘Why does he know?’

It couldn’t have been through the Hero Recommendation Letter.

To protect a hero’s personal safety, their information was typically safeguarded with security measures akin to national gold reserves.

This was especially true for magical girls, who were mostly minors, meaning their true identities were protected with even greater strictness than other hero types.

And to be even more cautious, he had always chosen to enter the women’s restroom every time.

Had even that been useless?

Yet, there was no time for speculation.

The senior had already placed the belt around his waist, his previously languid expression now utterly serious, his pupils appearing deep and shadowed under the glow of the advertisements.

As a child, Xiaoxin had watched countless transformation warriors, deliberately mimicking and memorizing every single movement.

Their transformation poses, their finisher poses, their signature actions—all possessed such charisma that Xiaoxin adored them, and his imitations earned him much admiration and affection among his peers.

Among them was a warrior who exuded righteous awe.

When people cast envious and worshipful gazes upon him, he would respond with the most cheerful voice:

‘”Everyone can become a hero; being a hero is everyone’s right.”‘

‘Yes, from that moment on, I wanted to become a tokusatsu hero.’

It was he and his closest friend who had created the belt system, granting everyone the opportunity to transform, illuminating Xiaoxin’s hopes.

‘But why…’

“Why are you striking *that* pose?” Xiaoxin couldn’t help but blurt out.

“Transform.”

A weathered voice, striking a signature pose, so strikingly similar to that hero of old.

‘”Justice! Super Power! The invincible Dream Heart, gathering all radiant hopes into one, the hero watched by all! Warrior—Just!”‘

Memory and reality echoed each other, yet the scene before him was entirely different.

“Hatred! Despair Power! A long-held wish to destroy all falsehoods, burning everything to ashes, the fallen Withered Knight, Dark Warrior—Gast!”

The past overlapped with the present; the hero of his childhood had become a warrior of darkness.

‘No…’