Takumi Inui, failing to transform dramatically, tumbled awkwardly onto the ground.
This sight panicked Keitaro Kikuchi, who was hiding some distance away.
Kaido didn't understand what the man was doing, fiddling with a mobile phone, but he was furious and charged forward to attack again.
This time, Takumi executed a timely roll and dodged the assault. After pressing the 555 code, he snapped the flip phone onto the Driver at his waist.
He successfully completed the transformation.
Instantly, Photon Blood spread across Takumi's body, forming armor that attached itself to him.
Kamen Rider Faiz made his entrance!
This sight completely dumbfounded Kaido. What in the world was this thing?
The counterattack from Takumi, the "Boss," began in the next second.
Facing Takumi Inui, who had already defeated multiple Orphnochs and was highly skilled in using the Driver's power, Kaido, a rookie Orphnoch, was naturally no match at all.
He was brutally beaten and on the verge of collapsing.
At this moment, Yuji Kiba, who happened to be passing by, witnessed the scene. After leaving the Amazon Café yesterday, he had been wandering the streets, contemplating how to live the rest of his life.
He quickly reached a conclusion and found a goal: to seek out others who had also unfortunately become Orphnochs. If they banded together, they could surely survive without harming humans.
Seeing an Orphnoch being cruelly beaten by a strange figure, Kiba immediately felt a protective urge and wanted to save the fellow Orphnoch.
"Stop! Don't hurt... my comrade!"
Kiba, highly agitated, momentarily forgot Raven's warning and immediately transformed into his Horse Orphnoch form.
He summoned a long sword and rushed forward, fiercely slashing down at Faiz's back.
Bang!
Takumi was struck as if by lightning and had no time to continue attacking Kaido. Kaido, who was barely holding on, finally got a chance to breathe.
Mid-battle, Kiba noticed the Smart Brain logo on Faiz's armor. He instantly assumed Takumi was an assassin sent by the company specifically to eliminate disobedient Orphnochs.
This made him even angrier. He unleashed astonishing power and began to overpower Takumi.
It had to be said that Kiba, who was known as the "Little Horse Brother," possessed a power level in his Orphnoch form that was beyond what an ordinary Orphnoch could match.
However, the power of the Faiz Driver was far from spent.
Takumi quickly switched the Faiz Phone into Burst Shot mode, firing an attack that drove Kiba back. He then immediately spun around and repelled Kaido, who was trying to flank him.
Even when attacked by two Orphnochs, Takumi remained remarkably calm. He swiftly attached the Faiz Pointer to the energy anklet on his right leg.
Then, he pressed the confirmation button on the Faiz Phone.
[Exceed Charge!]
Takumi immediately leaped into the air, locked onto Kiba, and delivered a Crimson Smash kick. Once used, this finishing move almost never missed its target.
But astonishingly, Kiba absorbed a direct hit from the Crimson Smash and remained standing!
As a recently awakened Orphnoch, this was an extraordinary display of raw talent. This was the first time since transforming into Faiz that Takumi failed to finish an enemy with the Crimson Smash.
"Urggh—!"
In a critical moment, Kiba unleashed a burst of incredible power, actually knocking Faiz out of the air. Takumi plunged toward the area beneath the bridge.
Keitaro, who was watching the fight, immediately rushed down to check on Takumi.
Meanwhile, Kiba had exhausted his power and reverted to human form, collapsing unconscious on the ground.
Kaido breathed a sigh of relief. He initially wanted to just walk away, but his conscience wouldn't allow it, so he helped the unconscious Yuji Kiba to his feet.
After all, the man had saved his life.
Kaido, still clueless about what was happening to him, wanted to ask Kiba, who could also turn into a monster, a few questions.
But just as he was supporting Kiba and walking away, a luxury car suddenly pulled up beside the road.
A scantily clad, glamorous woman stepped out of the car.
It was Smart Lady, the president's secretary from Smart Brain.
"I know you. Aren't you that woman who's always on TV?" Kaido stared directly at her.
Because Smart Brain's advertisements were everywhere, Smart Lady, as the face of the company, had high visibility among the general public.
"Hi, boys. Oh, isn't this Yuji?" Smart Lady said with an exaggerated tone and expression.
She had originally come specifically to coax Kaido, the newly born Orphnoch. But she hadn't expected to find a bonus—the missing Yuji Kiba.
"You know him?" Kaido asked blankly.
"Of course, I do. Yuji left without a word and made me so sad! Come on, get in the car. I'll take you somewhere," Smart Lady pretended to cry, then opened the car door for Kaido.
"Well... thank you," Kaido felt a little creeped out by her awkward performance but still helped the unconscious Kiba into the car.
....
The next morning.
Raven had just woken up when he saw that Yuka had already prepared breakfast for him: boiled eggs and pan-fried steak.
She had also gotten up early to clean and tidy the second floor of the Café again. She gave off a distinct feeling of being the lady of the house.
"Yuka, let's close for the day. We'll take a break and go out for some fun. We can also buy you some new clothes," Raven suggested.
Since she had been kicked out of her home, Yuka hadn't brought anything with her. She had been wearing her school uniform for the past two days.
"Really?" Joy shone in Yuka's eyes.
"Of course. I've got enough money for that," Raven said casually.
Happily, Yuka finished her chores, then went to the room to quickly freshen up. Although she didn't even have proper makeup, her natural beauty was stunning without it, easily surpassing most women on the street.
Raven watched all of this. A hint of affection and pity filled his eyes.
It was truly an injustice that such a beautiful, kind, and considerate girl had been subjected to constant bullying. She was tormented by classmates at school and tormented by her adoptive uncle's family at home. It was truly unbearable.