"No, no, it's me who should be thanking you." Akira quickly replied.
"How about this, it's not convenient for you to walk back this way. Let me take you home first, Kazuraba-san," Raven finally offered.
"Mmm... I'll trouble you then," Akira replied, her face slightly flushed.
"Thank you so much today, Boss," Kouta said, quickly expressing his gratitude after learning Raven had saved his sister.
So, with Raven's help, Akira settled onto the Junglaider. All the way there, she held on tightly from the back. Raven got to experience what it meant to hold a "warm, soft pillow," along with the pleasant pressure of the "squeezed water balloon."
Because she lived in an area relatively far from the city center, they rode for quite a while before finally arriving. But for both Raven and Akira, the time seemed to fly by. Both were immersed in the intimate contact of the ride. Although it was their first meeting, feelings were clearly blooming between them.
"Raven-san, my place is on the fifth floor," Akira said a little shyly. The apartment building she lived in was quite old and didn't even have an elevator.
"Here, I'll carry you up," Raven bent down, indicating for her to climb onto his back.
Akira blushed and immediately pressed her soft body directly onto Raven's firm, dependable back. She wrapped her bare arms around him. At that moment, they looked completely like a couple in the throes of passion.
"Hold tight." Raven's hands reached behind him to support Akira's "honey thighs," which were wrapped in flesh-colored stockings. He then took off, heading straight for the fifth floor in one continuous motion. The entire time, his breathing was steady, and the ride was perfectly smooth, making Akira feel that Raven was incredibly reliable.
For a split second, a blissful scene of herself and Raven raising children even flashed in her mind.
But the scene was quickly interrupted.
"We're here." Raven's voice forced Akira to snap out of her fantasy. She was so flustered she couldn't speak. Ironically, Raven, the one carrying the weight up five flights of stairs, wasn't breathing heavily, but she was.
Taking out her key and opening the door, she quickly invited Raven in, preparing a pair of slippers for him.
"My place is a bit cramped, so I hope you don't mind," Akira apologized softly.
"The way you've managed to keep this place so neat and tidy, Kazuraba-san, is impressive. You'll surely make an excellent wife someday," Raven blurted out.
"Haha, no way, you're just joking," Akira was terribly embarrassed by the compliment.
"That's why I think my shop needs someone like you, Kazuraba-san." Raven suddenly leaned in, speaking to her with deep sincerity.
"..." Akira's heart fluttered under his intense gaze. Her body temperature shot up.
"I accept." She blurted out, as if answering a completely different question.
When she used to watch idol dramas, Akira never believed in "love at first sight," but now she had no choice but to believe it. Of course, this was based on the premise that she had already learned about Raven's character from her brother and that her affinity for him had been maxed out by the numerous free desserts he'd sent.
"Then I wish us a happy working relationship!" Raven hadn't expected to get a response so quickly just by trying. He extended his hand toward her.
Akira took it. Perhaps still reeling from her earlier fantasies, she didn't let go of Raven's hand. Raven savored the warm, soft touch of her hand, feeling reluctant to pull away.
Finally, a flush spread across Akira's face, and she broke the stalemate, pulling her hand free first.
A little later, Raven knelt in the living room and gave the injured foot of Akira, who was sitting on the sofa, another massage. To make it easier, she had proactively taken off her stockings, revealing her fair, faintly rosy foot.
Raven held her injured foot in his hands and began to massage and knead it with his advanced technique. With the massage, the bruising quickly subsided a great deal, and Akira felt the pain ease once again.
"I never knew your massage skills were so amazing, Raven-san..." she complimented him sincerely.
"It will likely take about three consecutive days to fully dispel the bruising. It's best to limit your walking for the next few days," Raven said in a completely serious tone.
He then glanced at the clock on the wall; it was already dinner time. Akira's stomach began to rumble. Seeing this, Raven asked, "Do you have any ingredients at home?"
"I haven't bought any yet," Akira replied. She usually bought discounted ingredients at the supermarket downstairs when she went home in the evening because it was cheaper that way.
"Then wait for me a moment." Raven got up and quickly went downstairs. He had noticed three supermarkets nearby on the way over. He planned to go buy some ingredients.
Soon, the meats and expensive vegetables Akira usually couldn't bear to buy were carried back by Raven.
"Why did you buy so much? That's too much, I really..." Akira quickly rose from the sofa, feeling awkward.
"It's fine. Your foot is injured, so you can't stand for long. Just sit back down," Raven insisted.
He then made himself at home, bustling around in the kitchen.
Hearing the sounds coming from the kitchen and smelling the savory aroma, Akira sat alone on the sofa in the living room, feeling incredibly surreal. Oh my god. How can there be such a perfect man in the world? This must be a dream. She couldn't help but pinch her arm.
"I'm home."
Just then, Kouta returned home from the café.
"Smells great..." The moment he stepped inside, he smelled the fragrant aroma wafting from the kitchen. He also saw Raven's shoes at the entrance. Is Raven-san still here? he wondered. Looks like my sister invited him over. I must treat him well this time.
As Kouta was thinking this, he saw his sister, Akira, sitting on the sofa, still lost in thought, and Raven walking out of the kitchen with a plate of food in his hands.
"What in the..." Kouta froze. The scene before him was entirely different from what he'd imagined.
"Ah, Kouta, you're back," Akira snapped back to reality.
"Oneechan, why is Raven-san cooking...?" Kouta asked, baffled.
"You brat, your sister's foot is hurt, so she can't stand for long." Raven immediately flicked Kouta's head, as if he had already stepped into the role of brother-in-law.
"You've really gone to too much trouble, Raven-san," Akira said, incredibly embarrassed.
With the final dish served, Raven joined them at the dining table to enjoy the meal.
"Mmm... this is seriously delicious." Kouta had never eaten food cooked to the level of a Michelin-star chef before. With the first bite, he felt like he had been wasting his life until now.
Akira was completely won over by the dishes, only feeling that Raven was too exceptional to be a person from this world.
After dinner, Raven felt it was time to leave. "I'll come back to check on you tomorrow, Kazuraba-san."
"Mmm," Akira nodded shyly. Despite being older than Raven, she was made to feel like a young girl.
"Walk safely, then." Akira followed him to the entryway, stopping only at the landing to send Raven off with reluctance.
Meanwhile, the "Silly Orange" still hadn't noticed his sister's unusual behavior. His mind was elsewhere, focused on the events of the day: the interdimensional forest, the white Rider that attacked him, and the connection between the Drivers they were all using. A huge secret must be hiding behind it all. Perhaps questioning the people in white protective suits he saw in the forest would provide the answers.
A few days later, Christmas was approaching, but incidents of pedestrians being attacked by Inves in Zawame City were increasing. Space rifts could appear anywhere at any moment.
Kouta and Mitsuzane discussed how to solve this series of mysteries. They decided to enter the forest to investigate.
They planned a ruse: a game to collect Lockseeds, inviting all the teams with Drivers to participate. Since it involved team rank points, Kaito agreed without hesitation.
However, to get all the Armored Riders involved, they needed two extra Lock Vehicles. To solve this problem, members of the various teams went to the fruit pastry shop to find the Lockseed dealer, Sid.
"Are you all gathering to put on a road show?" Sid asked, looking at Kouta and the others.
"Stop playing dumb, Sid. You know perfectly well that those Lock Vehicles are the only way to enter that strange forest," Kouta said testily. One could say this entire mess started with this Lockseed dealer. However they pressed him, he wouldn't reveal the source of the Lockseeds.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. Setting that aside, Lock Vehicles are valuable items. I won't just provide them to you easily," Sid said with a tone of refusal.
"Sid-san, we're planning to have a competition in that world to see who can collect the most Lockseeds. The Lockseeds we collect will be handed over to you," Mitsuzane stepped forward to negotiate. "So, as collateral for this payment, could you provide us with Lock Vehicles?"
Sid showed a slight flicker of interest after hearing the proposal. "Can you guarantee you can bring back enough Lockseeds to justify two Lock Vehicles?"
"You'll just have to trust us," Mitsuzane said meaningfully.
Sid responded, "Fine, I'll make an exception and give you two Lock Vehicles this time."
"Great!" Kouta and Mitsuzane Kueshima were both excited. The plan could proceed smoothly now. Hase and Jonouchi, who didn't have their own motorcycles, were also happy. This game was a win-win for them. Whether they won or not, they got a free motorcycle.
"However, I can't prepare them immediately. I'll give them to you on Christmas Day," Sid finally said. He was secretly pleased. He was looking for an opportunity to cause trouble for Takatora, and this was a perfect chance.
To make the game even more chaotic and unpredictable, Sid even planned to get the outsider with the Driver, Oren, involved as well. Naturally, he couldn't reveal any of this on the surface.
Thus, a few days later, on Christmas Day.
Kouta took the day off to participate in the game. His sister, Akira, officially started her job as the manager of the Amazon café and pastry shop.
It had to be said that Akira had a natural talent for managing the shop. Besides her professional background, she was also meticulous and had raised Kouta from a young age, so she tracked every penny of daily expenses precisely.
Raven had indeed found a treasure. He was finally free from the shop's trivial matters. After all, Yuka had formally returned to the Faiz world to join Saya a few days prior.
Akira had completely fallen for Raven after his continuous visits, foot massages, and cooking over the past few days. However, feeling things were moving too fast, she had yet to formally confess her feelings. Still, in their daily interactions, the two couldn't help but engage in intimate physical exchanges. To an outsider, they already looked like a couple.
"I wonder what Kouta suddenly had to go do. Today's Christmas, and the shop is so busy," Akira said, her hands on her slender waist, sounding a little annoyed.
"He must have something going on. Anyway, Mai will be here to help this afternoon," Raven said, leisurely sipping coffee nearby.
The Amazon café, after the competition with Oren, had become a famous, trendy "internet café" in Zawame City. To better manage it, Raven had to raise the prices and entry threshold. Although customer traffic had decreased, it had become a very high-end coffee and pastry shop. Since the desserts were supplied in limited quantities, Raven mainly had to prepare the pre-set amount, leaving him free of worry. Akira took over the rest.
Fortunately, Akira showed some talent for both pastry-making and coffee brewing. Under Raven's hands-on, close-contact instruction, she quickly grasped the essentials.
As Kouta and the others' game officially began, the news quickly reached Chief Takatora at Yggdrasill. Although furious about Sid's actions, he personally went to a space rift within the tower and transformed.
Using the same Melon Lockseed as Raven, and donning his predominantly white armor, Kamen Rider Zangetsu made his debut.
"I will personally head out and drive those Armored Riders out of the forest. You will assist me," the Chief said to the surrounding, heavily armed, black-suited soldiers.
"Understood!"
They then stepped through the rift and entered Helheim.
At the same time, Raven, who was leisurely brewing coffee and occasionally engaging in close physical interactions with Akira, received a system notification.
Ding!
[System Mission Issued: Go to Helheim and defeat Kamen Rider Zangetsu.]
[Mission Reward: Kachidoki Melon Lockseed.]
Raven's heart skipped a beat upon hearing the mission, and he immediately became interested. Although the Kachidoki Lockseed might not be as strong as the Forbidden Apple Lockseed, Raven thought the form looked quite cool. Moreover, the mission difficulty wasn't high—it was simple, in fact. Being able to beat someone up and get a reward was an incredible deal.
"Um, something's come up suddenly, and I might need to leave for a bit. I'm leaving the shop to you," Raven said to Akira.
"I understand. You can go without worry," Akira said with a smile. She even subconsciously reached out to straighten his collar.
"Huh?" Raven was slightly taken aback.
"I... I just noticed your collar was a bit messy. It was just a reflex," she quickly explained.
Raven knew exactly how Akira felt about him. He offered her a warm smile, reached out, and pulled her waist close. In an extremely suggestive tone, he said, "Wait for me to come back." With that, he let go and left, leaving a faint handprint on her pencil skirt.
Akira was flustered and confused, but after savoring the moment, she felt a wave of sweetness and not the slightest discomfort.
....
In Helheim.
Oren entered and immediately ignored the game rules, attacking the other Riders. Baron was his primary target, and a fierce battle between the two began. Predictably, Kaito in his Banana Arms was no match for Oren.
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