On the other side. Jyuka was tricked by the mimic of Yuzuki Misaki to leave the house.
After swimming together in the pool, the two got into a taxi. Jyuka fell asleep inside, while the mimic of Yuzuki Misaki revealed a smug smile.
Just then, the taxi suddenly drove toward a certain intersection.
"Where are you going?" the mimic Yuzuki Misaki noticed something was wrong.
The car suddenly stopped in an deserted area.
"What do you think?"
The driver suddenly turned his head, revealing Raven's face. He had been secretly following this mimic Yuzuki Misaki the entire time.
"It's you!" The mimic Yuzuki was shocked to run directly into Raven.
After opening the car door, Raven confidently walked toward the back seat.
The mimic Yuzuki, seeing this, immediately grabbed Jyuka, intending to use her as a threat. This commotion instantly woke Jyuka from her deep sleep.
"Raven-nii!"
Jyuka first looked out the window with surprise. She quickly realized something was wrong. Yuzuki Misaki, who was beside her, had dropped her previous gentle demeanor. She suddenly looked vicious and forcibly locked her arm around Jyuka's neck.
Even the carefree Jyuka realized what was happening.
"It hurts! Let go of me!" Jyuka started struggling.
The fake Yuzuki Misaki then revealed her true form: an immature Worm larva that hadn't fully molted yet.
This sight immediately drained the color from Jyuka's face in terror.
"Jyuka, don't be afraid. Close your eyes right now," Raven said calmly, standing where he was.
"Okay!"
Upon hearing Raven's voice, Jyuka immediately complied without hesitation. Even though she had only met him once before, his voice gave her an intense feeling of safety.
Zeeeng!
In an instant, before Jyuka could even react, she was out of the car and in Raven's arms. Meanwhile, the Worm that had mimicked Yuzuki Misaki turned into ashes in the distance.
Raven had used his Time Stop ability just now. That was how he was able to rescue her so easily.
At this moment, Tendo, having received the news, rushed to the scene on his motorcycle. Although he hadn't figured out exactly what happened, seeing the remnants of the Worm's explosive death nearby, and Jyuka safe in Raven's arms, he sighed in relief.
He couldn't help but inwardly chastise himself for neglecting the safety of those close to him just to investigate ZECT. He felt like a complete failure as a brother.
Raven gently set Jyuka down.
"There, you're safe now." He spoke very kindly.
"Mwah~"
However, Jyuka suddenly leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.
"Thank you, Raven-nii."
She smiled brightly, surprised that a scene of "hero saving the damsel" straight out of an idol drama had actually happened to her. She didn't know what Raven had done in those few seconds to destroy the monster, but it didn't stop her from thinking he was incredibly cool.
This sight made Tendo, who had just parked his bike and hurried over, nearly stumble and fall to the ground.
What is happening?! My sister just kissed Raven!
"Oh, it's onii-chan!"
Jyuka heard the noise from behind and immediately reacted like a child caught doing something wrong, looking at him guiltily.
"Jyuka, are you alright?" Tendo tried hard to regain his composure from the shock and asked with concern.
"I'm fine... Raven-niichan saved me!"
The look in Jyuka's eyes as she looked at Raven held the shyness of a girl experiencing her first crush. At her age, she was easily prone to romantic fantasies, and it was inevitable that she would be attracted to another handsome and excellent man comparable to her own brother.
"Th-thank you," Tendo said to Raven out of politeness.
It was widely known that Tendo was a severe sister complex. Whenever anything involved one of his two sisters, his composure would completely shatter. His arrogant "King" aura vanished, and he became a different person entirely.
"It was nothing." Raven offered a slight smile.
But in Tendo's eyes, it looked like Raven was mocking and showing off to him. This was difficult for the ultimate sister-complex to accept. It felt like his own prized cabbage had been plucked by someone else.
After saying goodbye to the Tendo siblings, Raven returned to his café. He noticed that Beroba, who was supposed to be tending the shop, was absent.
Predictably, it had something to do with the Worms. Using his senses, he located her in a small, nearby factory.
Beroba was currently perched atop a concrete pipe. One of her high-heeled, black-stockinged feet was planted firmly on the body of a severely injured woman lying below.
The woman was the Worm who had tried to capture her. After a brief battle, she had been effortlessly subdued by Beroba and had completely lost the ability to resist.
"Hurry up and tell me who sent you." Beroba ground the thin heel of her shoe hard into the woman's body, a cruel smile on her face. She felt a sense of cathartic relief, venting all the frustration she had built up while working for Raven recently.
"W-who exactly are you?!" The woman looked terrified, completely shocked by the strength Beroba had displayed. She looked like a young girl on the outside, yet her physical combat ability was so strong. On top of that, she possessed a weapon that could easily immobilize her.
"Still not talking, huh? Then I guess I'll have to personally bear witness to your misfortune." Beroba finished, then roughly used her foot to kick the woman, sending her tumbling onto the ground.
As a woman from the future, Beroba's naturally enhanced body, specially customized from birth, was incredibly durable. An unmorphed Worm larva was naturally no match for her. She didn't even need to transform, subduing her opponent with simple dirty tricks.
"Beroba, why aren't you looking after the shop? What are you doing here?" Raven's voice arrived.
Beroba instantly tensed up. The expression of a 'wicked woman' vanished entirely. She put on a pitiful, innocent act.
"She was the one who attacked me first! You have to protect me!" Beroba flung herself into Raven's arms, even shedding crocodile tears. It was clearly fake crying.
This completely dumbfounded the woman mimicked by the Worm.
What the… Are you putting on a show?! You weren't like this just a minute ago!
Raven, of course, knew Beroba well.
"That's enough. I know you. Who in this world could possibly get the better of you?" Raven pinched her fair "cheek."
"You, of course," Beroba said, looking at Raven with a resentful expression.