"It's alright now."
Raven spoke gently to Yuka, who was hiding in the distance. In this state, it was hard to connect him with the monstrous killer who had just brutally dismembered two Orphnochs.
Yuka immediately ran over and threw herself into Raven's embrace.
"Mr. Raven."
Although Raven had previously displayed immense power, seeing him face two enemies had made her a little worried. However, based on the outcome, her worries were clearly unnecessary. No matter how many Orphnochs came, they seemed unable to harm Raven.
"Let's go back."
Raven held Yuka for a moment, letting his hand rest on her back, savoring the delicate feeling before reluctantly letting her go.
"Okay." Yuka said contentedly.
She stayed pressed tightly against Raven's side the entire way back, feeling secure in his presence.
....
In the underground parking garage of the Smart Brain headquarters.
Smart Lady still looked shaken, the memory of Raven's terrifying, vicious appearance fresh in her mind. The way he had gutted and dismembered the Orphnochs in his hands was gruesome.
It took her a while to compose herself before she headed to the elevator, taking it straight to the President's office.
Inside, she found Kyouji Murakami seated on a sofa, savoring a freshly brewed cup of green tea.
"President, I have something important to report." Smart Lady's expression was grave.
"What is it that has you this tense? That's rare," Murakami asked, intrigued.
"It's about..."
Smart Lady recounted every detail of her investigation into Raven.
"The owner of a Café, who possesses a strange Driver..." Kyouji Murakami thoughtfully considered the information, clutching his teacup. "Could it be that former President Hanagata secretly developed another Driver without our knowledge?"
Hanagata was currently the Orphnochs' biggest enemy, which was why Murakami had staged his takeover. Hanagata had stolen the Drivers that were originally intended to protect the Orphnoch King. Now, the user of the newest Faiz Driver was constantly attacking Orphnochs, and many had already died by his hand.
Now, another Driver had appeared, one he had never seen before. Based on the description of its combat power, it was far stronger than Faiz.
"President, should we bring in the Lucky Clover?" Smart Lady suggested.
The Lucky Clover members were the strongest Orphnochs under Smart Brain's jurisdiction, though they were known for being individualistic and difficult to control.
"Don't be so hasty. We'll observe the situation for a while. Our primary mission is still to retrieve the three missing Drivers," Kyouji Murakami said, reasoning carefully. The Lucky Clover was his ace in the hole, and he couldn't afford to use them unnecessarily.
"Also, I hear the recent disappearance cases are causing quite a stir. If we let it go on, the investigation will eventually lead back to the company. Go handle that," Murakami added.
The Orphnochs were still at a major disadvantage compared to humanity and couldn't afford to be exposed to the public eye. This was why Smart Lady was tasked with approaching the naturally awakened Original Orphnochs and guiding them to avoid making a fuss.
However, the commotion caused by Yuka Osada and Yuji Kiba was far too great. One was being watched by the police, and the other had killed dozens of people shortly after awakening, all near a school—a place that drew immediate public attention. Smart Brain had no choice but to deploy special forces to suppress the scandal.
"Understood." Smart Lady nodded and withdrew.
....
Meanwhile, at the Kikuchi Laundry.
"Keitaro, why have you been so down in the dumps for the past two days?" Mari Sonoda asked Keitaro Kikuchi. It was a day off, so she wasn't at the beauty salon.
"This guy here thinks he got dumped by an online friend he's never even met. He keeps moping about being heartbroken..." Takumi said, holding an iron and pressing clothes on the table, relaying what he'd seen.
"Oh, I see," Mari nodded knowingly.
"I've decided. I need to pull myself together, starting now! If I don't, how can I help anyone else?" Keitaro, who had been dejected, suddenly declared.
"Alright, enough with the nonsense. We still have to deliver clothes to the school," Takumi said with a weary look after finishing his work.
"Ah, I almost forgot!" Keitaro slapped his forehead and quickly got up.
The two of them gathered the freshly washed and dried clothes and prepared to make their deliveries to the customer.
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