Naturally, Raven wasn't surprised by the result.
In fact, after issuing the challenge to Oren, he had taken the time to thoroughly study pastry-making. With his astonishing Max-Level Learning Ability, he had already reached an unparalleled level in the craft. The taste of the desserts he created now was completely incomparable to when the café first opened, hence the lopsided outcome of the competition.
"That's amazing!" Kouta and the others jumped up happily.
Mai and Akira, the two dessert enthusiasts, were equally excited and thrilled. The two girls even embraced each other.
As they hugged, Mai felt the suffocating sensation from the ample bosom pressed against her own, immediately feeling a little inadequate and envious.
On the stage, the 'Durian-nee' was experiencing a complete existential crisis. How was this possible...? Does effort truly pale in comparison to talent in this world?
"You lost. Time to make good on your promise," Raven said calmly.
"That, I will naturally do." Oren was a good sport and accepted his defeat.
Finally, just as Raven had requested, Oren publicly apologized and admitted that Raven's desserts were superior to his own. These words, coming from him, were incredible to everyone. Oren's public image had always been one of conceit and arrogance, always reigning supreme in the realm of sweets. Yet today, he was utterly and sincerely defeated.
"Very good." Raven nodded with satisfaction.
The massive spectacle Oren had orchestrated had, indirectly, significantly boosted the reputation of his café and served as a huge advertisement.
He then scanned the crowd below, instantly spotting two particularly beautiful figures: Yuka and Saya. He offered them a slight smile, which in turn charmed countless other female fans among the onlookers.
"He's smiling at me!" A female high school student in a miniskirt and black stockings immediately got excited.
"No, he's clearly smiling at me!" countered a beauty in an office lady uniform nearby.
Raven's handsomeness and unrivaled talent garnered him a massive following of female admirers in that moment. Since almost everyone gathered there loved sweets, the audience was naturally dominated by women.
Raven's gaze then shifted to the other side of the stage, where he immediately noticed Akira Kazuraba. This was the first time he had met her. Their eyes inadvertently met.
He... he's looking at me! The little deer in Akira's chest began to stampede again. She felt completely flustered.
Nearby, Mai also blushed shyly when Raven looked their way. After all, standing on the stage having just won, he felt even more handsome and charismatic than usual.
However, at that very moment, a swarm of Inves suddenly poured out from somewhere near the plaza. Among them was an A-Rank Inves.
Instantly, the spectators who had been lingering fled in a panic.
"How did so many Inves suddenly show up!" Kouta immediately realized something was wrong.
"The crack from last time must have appeared again!" Mai quickly surmised. The strange interdimensional rifts seemed to be appearing more frequently lately.
"Ah!"
A few girls who had been standing near Yuka and Saya stumbled and fell to the ground in their frantic rush to escape, dangerously close to being attacked by several Inves.
"Ah! Help me!"
Saya immediately used her powers, firing red electricity from her fingertips to repel the Inves. This was a special ability residual in those who used the Delta Driver. As one of the strongest Deltas, Saya naturally possessed it.
Yuka was completely unfazed. After being granted the blessing of the Orphnoch King by Raven, she not only obtained eternal life but also had her abilities upgraded to the level of the Lucky Clover. She could use incredibly powerful abilities even in her human form, effortlessly kicking one of the Inves away.
Fortunately, the scene was extremely chaotic, and no one noticed the astonishing sight.
"Are these what Raven-san calls Inves? They don't seem like much," Yuka said to Saya, back-to-back. Her feeling was normal; after all, in terms of power level, Yuka was currently equivalent to an Over Lord among the Inves.
"Where did these monsters come from?" Saya wondered. It seemed this world wasn't peaceful either, concealing such dangers.
Oren snapped out of his defeat. Seeing the cluster of Inves appear, he thought, "How dare you interrupt me here!" He quickly took out his Driver and transformed into Kamen Rider Bravo.
Kouta on the other side also took out his Driver and transformed.
"Mai, take my sister and get out of here fast. Leave this to me," Kouta said to his teammate.
Mai nodded, urgently pulling the still-dazed Akira away towards safety.
"Ah!"
During their escape, Akira, wearing flesh-colored stockings and high heels, twisted her ankle. Her heel snapped, and she tumbled to the ground.
"Akira!" Mai rushed to help her up.
"Mai, you go on ahead!" Akira didn't want to drag Mai down. Despite being terrified, she shouted this to her.
"No way!" Mai said firmly.
Just then, several Inves charged toward them.
Raven dashed over immediately, kicking them away with a few swift blows. Since he didn't pull his punch, one of the Inves even exploded, though thankfully no one noticed. This showed the sheer physical strength Raven possessed, even without activating his Amazon cells; it was the power of a pure human body.
"Are you two alright?" Raven asked the girls.
"I'm fine, Boss, but Akira seems to have twisted her ankle," Mai said worriedly.
Akira was on the heavier side for a girl—the reason for her full, explosive figure. Her curves were well-developed, and Mai alone couldn't lift her.
"I'll carry you."
Raven didn't wait for permission. He quickly bent down, placed one hand under her knees, and effortlessly lifted her into his arms.
"Th-thank you." Akira was completely flustered, unable to articulate anything else.
"Hold on tight." Raven held the beautiful woman in his arms and felt that she was indeed a handful—completely different from a small, petite girl with no curves.
"M-mm." Akira wrapped her arms tightly around Raven's neck and body.
"Oof..." Raven instantly felt something press hard against him, like a tightly squeezed water balloon. After a brief moment of daze, he snapped back to attention and sprinted with Akira toward a safe street in the distance.
He couldn't help but wonder why so many Inves had suddenly appeared. Could a space rift have opened directly into an Inves nest? That was the only plausible explanation. Otherwise, the Yggdrasill personnel wouldn't allow a situation beyond their control to erupt in Zawame City without taking immediate action.
Raven quickly settled Akira in a safe location.
"If you don't mind, I can take a look at your foot," Raven suddenly offered.
"Raven-san, you know how to do that, too?" Akira asked curiously, but still extended her fair, stocking-clad foot toward him.
Raven took a good look, then placed his hand on the injured area.
"..." Akira showed a pained expression.
Raven quickly performed a set of genuine massaging and bone-setting techniques, significantly easing her pain.
"It really works?" Akira exclaimed in surprise. She even tried wiggling her foot in front of Raven.
"This is just temporary relief. You'll need several more massages to completely dissolve the bruising," Raven said very seriously. Don't ask why he suddenly knew this; it was simply plot necessity.
"Thank you so much. Will I be able to bother you to massage my foot later?" Akira asked, her face turning red as she spoke. The question sounded a little suggestive.
"Of course, no problem. After all, you're Kouta's sister," Raven said with a faint smile, then turned and took out his Sengoku Driver.
"This is... Raven-san, you have one of those too?" Akira saw it and remembered her brother Kouta carrying the same thing around all day, constantly transforming and making a terrible noise. She had assumed it was just a new popular toy for kids.
"Ahem. This... it's not convenient to explain right now. Just stay here for the time being. I'll be right back. I can take care of those monsters quickly," Raven said.
He locked the Melon Lockseed into the Driver and transformed in front of her. The blue-and-white armor looked incredibly cool, without Gaim's garish complexity.
Akira was momentarily stunned, her mouth slightly agape.
Raven glanced back at her. The feeling of holding her earlier returned to him. It truly is big, he sighed inwardly. And especially soft.
He quickly shook off his wandering thoughts and charged alone into the distant cluster of Inves.
The low-level Inves were eliminated quickly, one by one, with a single slice from Raven's sword. Kamen Rider Gaim and Bravo, who had been under immense pressure, finally got a chance to catch their breath. The sheer number of Inves that appeared this time was too overwhelming.
After Raven's chaotic, slaughtering spree, only the most troublesome enemy remained: an A-Rank Bat Inves. Because it could fly, it was continuously spewing flames to attack, leaving Gaim and Bravo completely helpless against it.
....
Meanwhile, in the Yggdrasill Tower conference room, Takatora Kureshima, who had been preparing to send out personnel to eliminate the Inves, watched the live feed from a remote monitor. He was completely shocked by the astonishing power Raven displayed.
"How is that guy able to withstand such immense power?" Takatora naturally assumed it was entirely the Driver and Lockseed's doing, as their previous tests were aimed at finding the limit of what the human body could endure.
Ryoma was positively ecstatic. This was the first time he'd seen someone utilize the power of the Sengoku Driver to such an extent.
"Chief, it looks like we don't need to intervene. That guy has completely solved the problem," Sid said from the side.
"I hope you're not playing with fire, Ryoma," Takatora said to Ryoma, giving the screen a deep look. He assumed Raven was one of Ryoma's test subjects.
"Prepare for cleanup."
Takatora leaned back in his chair with a headache, considering how to smooth over this public disturbance and conceal the incident from the masses.
"I'd love to play with fire, but I didn't start this one," Ryoma muttered to himself in the lab, a slight smirk playing on his lips. He still couldn't figure out where Raven got the Sengoku Driver, but he was completely captivated by his strength. Perhaps he's a potential partner worth collaborating with.
"But how are you going to deal with that guy?" Ryoma's gaze shifted to the flying Bat Inves on the screen. As the Designer, he knew the Sengoku Driver didn't have adequate long-range offensive capabilities, unlike the powerful bow-and-arrow weapon of the Genesis Driver he was currently developing.
"That guy's flying so high!" Kouta tried everything but couldn't hit the target.
Raven, seeing this, pressed the Cutting Blade twice in succession, preparing to charge the long sword in his hand. He then adopted a throwing posture.
He aimed at the airborne Bat Inves and threw his sword from a distance.
Everyone watched as the charged sword transformed into a javelin and, with incredible speed, pierced the Bat Inves's body before it could even react!
BOOM!
Its body subsequently exploded.
The last Inves was killed, and the crisis was resolved.
"That was just... too strong." Kouta was completely unable to describe Raven's power with words. Lacking the vocabulary, he could only offer a simple "holy cow."
Oren was equally shocked. "He's simply a born warrior." If he weren't personally attracted to elegant men, he would definitely be drawn to Raven now.
If Raven knew this, he'd probably only be relieved that he wasn't elegant enough, or he'd want to cry. Hopefully, Oren will continue to obsess over the Chief from now on. Don't harbor any inappropriate thoughts about me.
Ryoma and Takatora were similarly stunned once more.
"How fascinating. To be able to wield the Sengoku Driver to this degree... I truly hope he'll test my latest research," Ryoma murmured.
Takatora immediately objected: "The Genesis Driver is too powerful. It absolutely cannot fall into the hands of an individual with an unknown background." He instantly warned Ryoma against doing anything of the sort again.
....
With the disturbance over, Raven personally brought Akira back to the café. Yuka and Saya brought out the first-aid kit to bandage her foot.
"Thank you all so much," Akira said to Raven and the others. She could now manage to walk with some difficulty.
"Kazuraba-san, you really should rest up for the next few days and not go out," Raven kindly suggested.
"Raven-san, thank you for your concern, but my job situation is complicated..." Akira replied, looking conflicted. Her monthly salary was already barely enough to cover her expenses, and if she took time off, how would she manage to make ends meet?
Hearing this, Raven's heart secretly cheered. He then tentatively asked, "Kazuraba-san, are you interested in coffee and desserts?"
"Of course I am! I absolutely love sweets. Truthfully, I ate all the ones you sent over right away," Akira said, a little embarrassed.
"Well, our shop just opened recently, and I'm a bit lazy myself, so Yuka has been handling all the affairs here," Raven explained. "However, she and Saya will soon be leaving for certain reasons, so we urgently need a smart and capable person to manage things."
"I think you, Kazuraba-san, are exactly the person we need." Raven proposed this directly to Akira.
"Huh...?" Akira was momentarily bewildered.
Kouta and Mai were also shocked. Although Kouta vaguely remembered Raven mentioning wanting his sister to be the manager, he had dismissed it as a joke. Since other things happened, he hadn't thought much of it.
He couldn't believe it was actually true!
"Raven-san, this is a bit sudden. Could you give me some time to go home and think about it?" Akira wasn't sure how to respond immediately.
"Of course, no problem. I apologize for putting you in such a difficult position right after meeting you," Raven said, expressing his regret.
———————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over here ——— pa-tre-on.c-om/AlexandrusTL [remove the hyphen for normal access]