Yuzuki Misaki immediately jumped up in excitement. "That's fantastic!"
She had been worried that the suddenly powerful Worm would defeat all the Riders. Thankfully, Raven had successfully weathered the pressure and still displayed overwhelming power.
Hiyori also smiled, the look in her eyes toward Raven filled with a special warmth. After all, their relationship had already crossed the final line. However, because she was naturally poor at expressing her emotions, their relationship currently appeared unchanged to outsiders, and no one else noticed anything amiss.
Raven approached Rena Mamiya and asked, "You're the one who sent people after my employee?"
He walked right up to Rena Mamiya, looking down at her from his height. A pair of black-stockinged legs were vaguely visible beneath her gauze-like skirt. Truthfully, Rena Mamiya was quite alluring, fitting the same type as Saeko Kageyama. She wasn't a standard beauty, but she possessed a certain seductive charm.
"What do you want..."
She reluctantly climbed to her feet, having gradually recovered. Raven hadn't delivered a fatal blow with that slap. However, it still terrified her. She hadn't expected a single strike to leave her this weak.
Just how strong is he?
She thoroughly understood now that she was no match for Raven. The only one capable of dealing with him now was likely the strongest of all their Worms.
"I'm giving you a choice: become my slave," Raven stated bluntly.
"You bastard!"
"Don't dream about it!" Rena Mamiya's expression changed drastically. She hadn't expected Raven to intentionally hold back just to make such a proposition. It was an absolute humiliation to her.
She quickly transformed and used Clock Up to escape the scene.
Looking at the empty beach before him, Raven wore a deep, knowing smile.
"You will agree," he murmured, as if he had already guaranteed her compliance.
Raven then left the beach without hurry. He mounted his vehicle and drove over to Hiyori, who was still with Yuzuki Misaki.
"Hiyori, let's go together." Raven stopped his bike in front of her.
Hiyori was overjoyed to see Raven and quickly got on the bike, affectionately wrapping her arms around him from behind.
This made the nearby Yuzuki quite envious. Honestly, after her "working" period at Raven's café, it was impossible for her not to have developed feelings for him. She thought that, given her charm, if she left him alone for a while, Raven would naturally come looking for her.
She hadn't expected him to be so promiscuous, quickly moving on to other women. He had completely forgotten about her.
Vroom vroom...
"We'll be going now, Yamako-san (Mountain-Armor)," Raven quipped, putting on his helmet and teasing Yuzuki.
"Hey! How can you get my name wrong like that!" Yuzuki stomped her foot in frustration.
But Raven was already speeding away with Hiyori.
Tendo watched the scene from a distance. While he felt a pang of loss, he was mostly relieved. At least with Raven, he didn't have to worry about Hiyori's safety.
He was even considering letting Jyuka stay with Raven for a few days. After all, the Worms had started targeting Jyuka recently, and he was busy investigating ZECT and couldn't always look after his sister at home.
"That seems like a good decision." Although he hated to admit it, Tendo knew Raven's power far exceeded his own, and Raven was currently the most available, spending most of his time at home.
"Wait, tomorrow is our cooking contest, isn't it? I wonder if that guy remembers." Tendo suddenly recalled something.
…
Early the next morning. Tendo bought a large amount of ingredients. He also went to the café to notify Hiyori and Kagami to come over.
Raven, as the one challenging Tendo, was naturally ready to show up on command. He arrived shortly after.
This was the first time he had visited Tendo's home. It was indeed the residence of a wealthy family. In the most luxurious, prime area near the Tokyo Tower, Tendo owned three detached villas. This was the kind of property that money alone couldn't easily buy. The grandmother who adopted him truly was extraordinary.
"Yes! I finally get to eat Raven-niichan's cooking today!" Jyuka jumped up excitedly. She was extremely enthusiastic about Raven. It felt as if Raven were the elder brother instead.
"Alright, I'll be the judge today," Kagami said like a goofball, sitting down and knocking on his bowl, eagerly awaiting the food. "I won't be biased towards either of you."
"Kagami, I called you here to help, not judge. Hurry up and chop the vegetables." Tendo ordered Kagami without ceremony.
"Do you think it'll be that easy to eat our food?" Raven joked from the side.
Like Tendo, he had changed into a professional chef's apron. It seemed he intended to truly show off his culinary skills today. He looked serious about the competition.
"Ugh, always ordering people around." Kagami reluctantly stepped forward and began helping out in the kitchen.
After a long time of busy preparations, the aroma of delicious food finally wafted from the kitchen. Jyuka and Hiyori, sitting in the living room, looked expectant. Kagami was practically drooling. After all, he had been helping in the kitchen and personally witnessed the creation of each delicacy; just watching was almost too much for him to bear.
"You may begin tasting now."
Raven and Tendo had made different dishes. However, today was primarily a Tofu Feast. Most of the dishes were made from tofu.
Tendo's side included Mapo Tofu, Cold Tofu Salad, and Tofu Soup—common Japanese dishes. Raven's dishes used everyday Chinese cooking methods for tofu.
Because they were new dishes that Hiyori and Jyuka had never seen or tasted before, they paid special attention and gave them perfect reviews.
"Let me try..." Tendo took a bite and instantly felt like he had opened a new world. He had no idea such tofu dishes existed.
You have no idea how much you don't know, Raven thought.
As the birthplace of tofu, China had countless ways to prepare and eat it. Mapo Tofu was just one of them.
Therefore, Raven was naturally confident of victory in this Tofu Feast.
In the end, the contest concluded without suspense. Tendo finally conceded defeat.