Just as Raven and the others were preparing to leave, Tendo brought up the idea he had been considering earlier.
"Oh, you actually have something to ask of me?" Raven looked at Tendo in surprise. Judging by the seriousness of his expression, the only things that could make Tendo this anxious were his two sisters.
"I would like Jyuka to stay with you for a while," Tendo requested sincerely.
"Onii-chan, why are you suddenly saying this..." Jyuka was stunned upon hearing this, but a moment later, she felt a slight thrill of excitement. This meant she could see Raven every day and eat his cooking.
"Tendo, I will absolutely help you with this," Raven said, a deep smile spreading across his face as he patted Tendo's shoulder.
He was highly surprised that Tendo, the ultimate sister-complex, would willingly send his sister away. Since this was the case, there was no reason for him to refuse. He absolutely had to take advantage of this time to bond with Jyuka.
"That sets my mind at ease." Tendo breathed a sigh of relief. Now he could focus on investigating ZECT and fighting the Worms without distraction.
Jyuka, having heard the news, immediately ran to her room, grabbed her suitcase, and began stuffing clothes inside. Her speed was almost comparable to Clock Up.
"Then I'm going with Raven-nii!" Jyuka came back out, wearing a JK uniform with knee-high socks and loafers. She was dressed like a standard Japanese high school girl.
"Jyuka... you..." Tendo was stunned by his sister's quick action. He had been worried she might object to suddenly going to an unfamiliar environment.
It seems I was overthinking things entirely.
"Tendo, go do what you need to do. Your sister is mine to raise."
With that, Raven took Jyuka's hand and led her away.
"Goodbye, Onii-chan!" Jyuka didn't forget to turn back at the door and wave goodbye to Tendo. "Onii-chan, you work hard, too! I'll miss you!"
She thought Tendo was just very busy with his newly joined police work, which was why he was sending her to Raven's for a few days.
Shortly after, Raven brought Jyuka to his café.
"Well, well, bringing over another woman, are we?" Beroba looked at the young girl, who was about the same age as herself, being led in by Raven. A vague sense of hostility immediately arose.
"Jyuka, this is Beroba. If you need anything later, just ask her. She'll help you out." Raven said, while subtly signaling Beroba with his eyes to curb her temper and act appropriately.
"Fine," Beroba reluctantly replied, forcing a welcoming smile.
"Hello, Beroba-neesan." Jyuka greeted her politely.
Jyuka was immediately captivated by the black stocking maid uniform and high heels Beroba was wearing. She thought it was beautiful. She had always wanted to try wearing something like that, but she was too afraid to do so. Buying that kind of clothing would surely earn her a scolding.
"Raven-nii, do you have more of these clothes? I want to try them on too," Jyuka said, clinging affectionately to Raven's arm, whining slightly.
"Beroba should have some extra. You two are similar in size, so they should fit." Raven rubbed his chin, carefully assessing the figures of both Jyuka and Beroba. They looked roughly similar.
"But are you sure you want to wear it? That's not a child's outfit," Raven cautioned.
"Beroba-nee doesn't look much older than me, and she's wearing it," Jyuka retorted dismissively.
"Exactly! I'm just a kid myself!" Beroba interjected, feigning innocence.
Raven gave her a look of exasperation, nearly blurting out her 350-year-old age.
With that, Beroba took Jyuka's hand and led her away to change.
Not long after, two beautiful and alluring black-stockinged maids appeared before Raven.
Jyuka's legs were wrapped in long black stockings, and her feet were tucked into ten-centimeter stilettos. This boosted her entire aura and physique to an incredibly mature level, completely erasing the impression of a young girl.
"How is it, Raven-nii, do I look good?" Jyuka walked over awkwardly in the high heels, clearly still unused to them. Beroba had to support her.
"Of course, you look good," Raven replied. What else could he say?
Jyuka's beauty was top-tier. It was highly unusual that she could withstand the abuse of Toei's "pig farming" (a reference to how female characters often fall out of focus) until the very end. Moreover, Kabuto had a distinct feature that set it apart from other Rider series—it was half a cooking show. Every episode featured food, and later the main plot was often interspersed within the everyday cooking subplots. It was completely absurd.
These cooking-related storylines were largely carried by Jyuka's sheer cuteness. Audiences loved watching the little sister eat, eat, eat.
Raven had initially wondered why Jyuka, who ate so much, wasn't heavier. Only after she changed into the maid uniform with a slightly lower neckline did he realize where all the weight had gone.
With such potential at such a young age, what would she look like when she grew up? She might turn out to be the next Akira Kazuraba. A picture flashed in Raven's mind.
And so, Jyuka settled down temporarily at Raven's place. During this time, Raven arranged for her to share a room with Beroba while he slept alone.
The next day. Raven woke up early. Without the demanding little pixie Beroba causing trouble in bed, he felt quite refreshed.
He was instantly drawn to a news report.
The famous makeup artist, Daisuke Kazama, was implicated in a murder and was currently wanted across the city.
"It seems the general plot hasn't changed. This famous scene is still going to happen," Raven said with an amused smile.
He remembered this part of the story very clearly. The warrant for Daisuke Kazama was a trap set by Rena Mamiya in collaboration with Kageyama. The goal was to eliminate the Drake user, Daisuke Kazama.
First, a Worm would mimic Daisuke Kazama's appearance to commit murder, framing the real Daisuke Kazama. Then, the Worm-corpse would be discovered by ZECT, leading Tendo and Kagami to believe the real Daisuke Kazama was dead. The one wanted by the city would actually be the fake.
———————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over here ——— pa-tre-on.c-om/AlexandrusTL [remove the hyphen for normal access]
