Kamen Rider Hitomi 001: A Dangerous Situation?

Mochida Hitomi hits her alarm clock and yawns. She rushes through a morning routine with incidental sounds eventually coalescing into the song that the Oni typically sing while making up their own lyrics.

"The sun is shining now on me, now I am feeling warm. Warm, warm, warm, warm, too bad I have to spend the day inside ..."

She rides on her bicycle to school where fellow students join her in song.

...

After school a tired Hitomi tries to leave.

"Hitomi!"

Oh no. Risako and Kanon. "What's happening?"

Risako steps between Hitomi and her way out of the school building. "I'm very surprised that you've joined the go home club. You know that you can rejoin us in cheerleading if you want."

Kanon invades Hitomi's personal space. "There's still plenty of room for more people in the drama club."

"I've been taking a break. I wanted to keep my grades up."

Risako gets in Hitomi's face. "Suspicious, very suspicious. I'll bet that you're having problems with your boyfriend and that's why you been running off early."

"Boyfriend? Since when do I have a boyfriend?"

"Come off of it. You dropped out of cheerleading around the same time that Asumu-kun was dropped from the brass band. And, you would look at him constantly during practice. Don't think that I wouldn't notice stuff like that."

Hitomi giggles. "Asumu is a childhood friend. I care about him, but he's not a boy friend."

Kanon nods. "So, is he not doing well?"

"No, no. In fact, he's on an upward spiral now. He's decided he wants to be a doctor."

"Eeeeh?"

"I think he has aptitude for it, and he's working really hard. I'm pretty happy for him."

Kanon ponders this. "I've known Asumu for a while. He's not the most focused person in the world. Did he develop magical powers that have allowed him to concentrate on this journey?"

Hitomi smiles. "Not magic powers, but he did meet an older guy who became like a mentor for him."

Risako's eyes double in size. "Older guy? Is he handsome?"

Hitomi looks shocked. "I guess he is. I have talked to him many times and he's sort of the guy who can make you feel at ease. I must not have noticed his looks that much."

Kanon also looks shocked. "Hitomi, Asumu is a cute innocent young boy. For him to be hanging out with some handsome older guy, don't you think that's d-d-dangerous?"

"Dangerous?"

"You know, that this guy would try to seduce Asumu?"

Hitomi laughs very hard. "Impossible."

"But, what do you know of this guy?"

"Not that much. I do know where he hangs out from time to time. It's a tea shop where the owner is into orienteering."

"Tea shop?" Risako eyebrows rise. "We don't have practice today. Let's go."

"Okay."

...

Ichirou greets Hitomi and her friends. "Welcome to Tachibana's."

"Thank you."

"How are you doing Hitomi?"

"I'm good."

"Great." Ichirou leads them to a table. They sit down. Ichirou gives them a menu and goes to the back.

Risako smiles. "Hitomi, I take what I said back. If Asumu wants to hang out with that guy, I approve. He's very smooth."

Hitomi looks shocked. "No, no. That's the owner, Tachibana Ichirou-san, not Hibiki."

"He seemed to know you really well."

"I did some part time work here to raise some cash."

Hinaka brings out some tea. "Hitomi! Are you here to see Hibiki?"

Hitomi blushes. "Well, um."

"You're in luck. He's due back from a job in five minutes. Kyousuke and Kasumi were helping him."

Kanon and Risako exchange shocked glances. "Kiriya Kyousuke?"

Hinaka nods and takes their orders and goes to the back.

Risako sighs. "Well, there's no way that Asumu could have competed with that."

Hitomi looks confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, let's say that some bishoujo wanted to hang out with Asumu. You would be left in the dust, Hitomi. In the same way, Asumu must have been left in the dust by Kyuosuke. That's why he trying to be a doctor now."

Hitomi blushes. She remembers the time when she saw Asumu talking with Akira, not realizing that Hibiki had asked Asumu if Akira could follow him in school. "I don't think that it was like that at all. I don't think Hibiki would be that impressed by Kyousuke."

Risako raises an eyebrow. "He's that dreamy?"

"That's not what I meant."

"I'm back!" Hibiki announces his return.

Hinaka comes out. "Welcome back. You have some guests."

Hibiki, Kyousuke, Kasumi enter the tea shop. "I do? Where's Asumu?"

Hinaka giggles and leads Hibiki to the booth with Hitomi, Risako, and Kanon.

"Hitomi-kun. Are you drumming up new business for the shop?"

Hitomi giggles. "These are my friends Risako and Kanon. They wanted to meet you because of the good influence you were having over Asumu."

Kyousuke sneers. "Hitomi-kun, I have seen these girls before. I know that isn't the real reason."

Hitomi looks hurt.

Risako comforts Hitomi. "It's okay. I can handle this." Risako turns to Kyousuke. "Yes, you're right. We came here because we were worried about Asumu and wanted to make sure that Hibiki wasn't a suspicious person."

Hibiki points at his nose in disbelief. "Suspicious? Me?"

Kyousuke gets a devilish expression on his face. "Hibiki, I am surprised you don't see their point. A handsome guy with a flashy motorcycle who hangs out with cute boys half his age? Who would not be suspicious?"

Hibiki gives Kyousuke a scolding look. "Kyousuke, why are you teasing me? I know you can't be serious. After all, how many times before have you said anything nice about Asumu and here you are calling him cute?"

Kanon and Risako giggle.

A brief flash of disappointment falls over Kyousuke's face before he regains his composure. "Oh that? Well, I am doubly cute, so me and Asumu average out to cute."

Hinaka comes out with the girls' order.

"Hinaka, am I suspicious?"

Hinaka laughs. "Hibiki isn't suspicious. He may not always have good style, but he isn't suspicious."

Kanon nods. "Hinaka-san, are you and Hibiki, ... you know?"

Hinaka gets embarrassed. "No, no." Hinaka leans in closer to Kanon. "Actually, I'm going out with Hitomi's cousin."

"Eeeeh?"

Hibiki looks indignantly. "Hey, I know Todoyama-kun. He's not someone for whom getting a girl should be considered surprising."

Hitomi face plants. "Hibiki, I think they were surprised at the cousin connection."

"Oh, sorry."

Kasumi giggles at the multiple misunderstandings and tries to squeeze past the crowd to get to the back room.

Kanon notices her. "Hibiki, is this lady your girl?"

Kasumi waves her hand in front of her face. "No, no. We just work together. I also work here. Tachibana is a family business. I'm Hinaka's sister. We're both daughters of the owner."

Risako and Kanon nod in understanding.

"But, to answer your real question, Hibiki is definitely not suspicious."

Risako nods. "It doesn't matter, really. I'm no longer worried about Asumu."

Hibiki smiles. "That's good."

"Even if you were a hentai, I would envy Asumu, not feel bad for him."

"Risako!" Hitomi and Kanon yell at Risako in shock, then start smacking her on the head.

To be continued.