Two days later, having just been discharged from the hospital, Mumen Rider received a summons from Aomori.
"Chairman Aomori definitely wants to ask about the results of the experiment," Glasses speculated.
"Yeah." Mumen nodded, then looked at Glasses and added, "Chairman Aomori wants you to come along as well."
"Huh?" Glasses was baffled. "What use would I be?"
"He didn't call for me?" Saitama asked, pointing at himself.
"No," Mumen said with a chuckle. "Saitama, you go head back and buy plenty of ingredients. We're celebrating today—my treat."
"You got it!" Saitama agreed instantly.
Mumen and Glasses arrived at the Chairman's office on the top floor of the Hero Association Headquarters. There, they saw not only their esteemed Chairman Aomori but also a beautiful woman with short hair.
"Are you the woman who fought the Deep Sea King last time?" Although they had only met once, Mumen had a vivid impression of her.
"Yes. Thank you for saving my life. Hello, I am the B-Class hero, Ironclad Warrior," Fubuki said with a smile. In front of her Master, she always acted as gentle as water.
"Oh! Hello, I'm the B-Class hero, Mumen Rider. This is my partner, B-Class hero Glasses."
"Nice to meet you."
Once the introductions were out of the way, Aomori looked at Mumen and asked, "How are you? Is your body fully recovered?"
"Yes! Thanks to you, Chairman, I'm completely better," Mumen replied.
"Then tell me about the feeling of the transformation. Specifically, when you put on that red armor."
"Yes!" Mumen recalled the moment. "At the time, I was nearly beaten senseless by the Deep Sea King. I felt like I was at the bottom of the ocean, suffocating. It was agonizing. Then, the red crystal appeared. I borrowed its power and became the Crimson Rider."
"What were you thinking at that moment?" Aomori asked, sounding like a reporter conducting an interview.
"What was I thinking?" Mumen looked a bit embarrassed. "I just felt incredibly unwilling. I didn't want to die like that, so I was struggling with everything I had."
"Good. Never give up hope," Aomori remarked. He continued, "Try to see if you can become the Crimson Rider again."
He followed Mumen's lead and referred to the transformed state as the Crimson Rider. In the hospital, Mumen had tried to transform, but likely due to his weakened state, he had failed. Hearing Aomori's request, he nodded. "I'll try."
He closed his eyes, calling out to the red crystal deep within his soul. Beside him, Glasses and Fubuki watched with bated breath, eyes wide, not wanting to miss a single second of the process.
After about two minutes, a red glow finally ignited on Mumen Rider. Crimson armor covered his arms, torso, legs, and head in sequence, until he stood there fully transformed as the Crimson Rider.
"I did it." Mumen looked at his hands and let out a long breath.
"So cool..." Glasses couldn't help but whisper. Fubuki nodded in silent agreement.
"Two minutes. That's a bit slow," Aomori noted. "An enemy won't give you that kind of time in battle. You'll need to practice until you can shorten that to under five seconds."
"Yes, sir!" Mumen Rider responded respectfully.
Aomori shifted his gaze to the other two. "Do you know why I called you here?"
"I don't," Fubuki answered honestly.
"To use Mumen-senpai as motivation for us?" Glasses guessed.
"That's part of it. But mainly..." Aomori snapped his fingers, and two identical red crystals appeared before him. "Do you want to become stronger, just like Mumen Rider?"
"That's the thing he gave me!" Mumen gave Glasses a pointed look, urging him to accept.
After a surge of excitement, Glasses quickly calmed down. "I want to be stronger, of course. But why choose me for something so precious? There are many in the Association stronger than I am. They would probably perform much better with this."
Looking no further than his own circle, Saitama was significantly stronger. With a crystal like this, Saitama would be unstoppable, perhaps even on par with the S-Class.
"He's right." Fubuki bit her lip and asked, "I want to be stronger more than anything, but I don't want to take something I haven't earned. I'd have nightmares."
"Haha, you're overthinking it," Aomori laughed. "Since I chose you, it means you have the aptitude. Do you really think I'm the type to act without a plan?"
"Of course not! Chairman Aomori is the smartest person in the world!" Glasses blurted out. "I understand. You have your reasons, Chairman. I was being too dramatic."
"Really? Am I really capable?" Fubuki asked, still lacking confidence.
"You are," Aomori nodded firmly. "In my eyes, all three of you have limitless potential. With the right opportunities, there is a place for you among the S-Class!"
"Chairman..." The three of them were deeply moved, a sense of absolute loyalty swelling in their hearts.
"I'll ask once more: do you wish to accept the red crystal and become stronger?"
"I do!" Glasses and Fubuki shouted in unison.
"As you wish." Aomori had them hold out their hands and, just as he had done for Mumen, merged the red crystals into their bodies.
"That's it?" Glasses looked at his hands; he didn't feel any different.
Fubuki followed Mumen's example, closing her eyes to sense the crystal.
"Clear your mind. Picture the shape of the red crystal and keep calling to it," Mumen advised from the side, sharing his experience.
"You can also think about your deepest desires," Aomori prompted.
Red crystal... Glasses began to visualize it.
I want my sister to acknowledge me... Fubuki repeated to herself.
After nearly half an hour, light began to emanate from them as armor materialized. However, unlike Mumen, Glasses was encased in blue armor, while Fubuki wore green armor, and their designs were distinct.
"What happened?" Mumen wondered. "I thought they'd be the same."
"I'm not sure, but I feel overflowing with power." Glasses clenched his fist, feeling a sense of liberation he had never known. "From now on, call me the Azure Rider."
"Then I'm the Verdant Rider?" A small whirlwind danced on Fubuki's fingertip; she felt the wind was much easier to control.
"Excellent. You didn't disappoint me," Aomori said with satisfaction. "Now, let's see just how much you've grown."
Aomori led them to a training hall downstairs. "Come. Use your full strength. All three of you, attack me at once."
"We're fighting the Chairman?" The three exchanged glances, feeling an irrepressible excitement.
"Be careful. Chairman Aomori is strong, incredibly strong!" Fubuki warned gravely.
"You don't need to tell us that, we know," Glasses teased.
"Don't worry, just give it your all," Mumen comforted them. He then asked, "Glasses, do you have a plan?"
"Nope. Let's just go." Glasses didn't even fully understand his new powers yet; he figured a direct assault was best.
"Right! Let's go!"
Mumen Rider took the lead, charging at Aomori with a flaming punch. Aomori casually raised a palm and caught the fist firmly; the terrifying flames didn't affect him in the slightest. With a slight exertion of force, he tossed Mumen aside.
"Good power. Technique is lacking. Flames are average," Aomori critiqued.
"My turn!" Glasses was the second to strike. He circled Aomori at high speed, his movements producing a sound like crashing waves that grew into a literal tsunami. However, before he could land a hit, Aomori kicked him away.
"Water affinity? Good use of momentum, but your patterns are too predictable."
Suddenly, Aomori glanced at a large transparent sphere clinging to the ceiling. In a flash, he appeared behind Fubuki and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"The wind-up is too long. An enemy won't stand around waiting for you to finish."
Experience won out. Even though they had gained the ability to transform into Kamen Riders, they were easily handled by Aomori. A few minutes later, the exhausted trio reverted to their human forms, collapsing onto the floor.
"Your duration is too short. A few minutes of being an A-Class hero isn't enough to earn my recognition. Keep working at it," Aomori said before turning to leave.
"Chairman Aomori is just too strong," Glasses muttered again.
"Yeah. I thought I'd become amazing, but it feels like the gap between us has only grown," Fubuki said, her earlier excitement evaporating as she thought of her terrifyingly powerful sister, Tatsumaki.
She still had a long way to go. The others felt the same.
"This was the Chairman's goal," Mumen said. "To show us the truth so we don't become arrogant."
"Yeah. We aren't ready to be A-Class heroes yet. We have to double our efforts," Glasses agreed.
After resting for a while, they regained enough strength to stand.
"Ironclad Warrior... uh, calling you that feels a bit weird now," Glasses said, scratching his head.
"Just call me Fubuki." Since her silver armor was destroyed and Aomori didn't seem to be requiring her to wear it anymore, she saw no need for the alias.
"Okay." Glasses nodded. "Fubuki, want to celebrate with us? We're having a shabu-shabu party. There's another hero joining us besides Mumen-senpai and me."
"A shabu-shabu party?" Fubuki considered it. She didn't have other plans, and since they all shared the same Rider powers now, it made sense to get to know them. She nodded.
They headed to Saitama's apartment, where Saitama had just arrived with eight overflowing grocery bags.
"You guys are early. Eh?" Saitama frowned when he saw Fubuki. "Who's she? She looks familiar."
"It's you!" Fubuki recognized the largely unchanged Saitama. "You're the one who stole first place from me during the physical exam!"
"Oh, it's you," Saitama remembered. "That weird woman. Why'd you cut your hair?"
"Who are you calling a weird woman?" Fubuki glared at him. "Fine, I don't care about that anymore. I don't give a damn about that 'first place' anyway."
"See? Definitely weird."
"You!"
"Saitama, please stop saying strange things," Glasses said helplessly.
"Alright, we're all starving. Let's get started," Mumen interjected to keep the peace.
Saitama took the food into the kitchen to prep, and Mumen went to help. Glasses, familiar with the routine, set up the induction cooker and started the water. Soon, the aroma of a lavish shabu-shabu filled the room.
For the sake of the food, Fubuki decided to forgive Saitama, just this once.
Transforming was physically taxing. The three trainees began stuffing their faces like they hadn't eaten in days, leaving Saitama stunned. "What did you guys do? You look like you haven't eaten in a week."
"Well, actually... munch munch..." Glasses swallowed his food and explained the day's events.
"What? You can all transform now?" Saitama looked envious. "I wonder if Chairman Aomori has any left. I want to transform too. It sounds so cool."
"He didn't say, but I'll ask for you when I can," Mumen offered.
"Thanks a million!" Saitama eagerly scooped a meatball into Mumen's bowl.
"It's no use. If he wanted to give you one, he would have called for you long ago," Fubuki said, finally swallowing a piece of meat.
"I guess that's true."
"What? Why? Maybe he's just busy and forgot about me?" Saitama said, unwilling to give up.
"I'll ask him for you, don't worry."
"Alright, I'll count on you. You're a good man, Mumen!" Saitama gave him a thumbs up.
"Stop talking and check this out," Fubuki said, using her psychokinesis to lift a large serving of meat into her bowl. "Did you see the new notification from the Association on your Hero Watches?"
"Yeah, I saw it. The 'Title Hero' election, right? The hero forums and the rest of the internet are exploding," Glasses replied.
Mumen and Saitama both looked confused.
"They're selecting outstanding representatives from all the heroes to be granted seven specific titles: Integrity, Diligence, Humility, Hope, Courage, Tolerance, and Justice," Glasses explained. "It's a chance for world-wide fame. Every hero is going to be fighting for one."
"Sounds boring," Saitama said, shaking his head.
"There's a cash prize along with the title."
Saitama's expression shifted instantly. "Let's sign up!"
"Sure. Who doesn't want to be in the spotlight?"
"You can only sign up for one title. Which one are you guys picking?"
Glasses: "I'll go with Diligence."
Mumen: "Justice."
Fubuki: "Courage."
Saitama: "I guess I'll take Hope then."