"It was just a simple gesture, don't worry about it," Raven said calmly.
Seeing this, Kageyama immediately scrambled away, escaping alone in fear that he would become the next target of their focused attack. By the time the others reacted, he was gone.
Kagami then asked curiously, "By the way, how did you and Tendo figure out that Kageyama was trying to trick us?" After all, Tendo hadn't joined the group attack earlier.
"It's simple. You just have to use your brain more," Raven replied, patting Kagami's shoulder. "Didn't you notice anything wrong with Kageyama's behavior today compared to his usual self? That guy was practically screaming with laughter."
Hearing this, Kagami didn't get angry; instead, he felt ashamed.
"That bastard! How dare he lie to me?"
Tsurugi also wore a look of indignation. Being fooled by Kageyama without realizing it meant he wasn't as smart as Raven and Tendo. He was a man destined to reach the pinnacle in every field!
However, Tsurugi suddenly received a phone call.
"Yes, delivering it right away!" Tsurugi said confidently to the others. "I am a man destined to reach the pinnacle of food delivery! I won't waste any more time here with you commoners!"
"Huh?" Daisuke and Kagami were left speechless.
"Come to think of it, Tsurugi is actually willing to go out and work now," Tendo noted, surprised.
"His family's decline must have been explained to him by the old man," Kagami sighed.
"Alright, enough about that. We still have one problem to solve," Daisuke interjected, suddenly remembering something. Although the Worm impersonating him had been destroyed, he was still officially a wanted fugitive.
"I know. Don't worry, this whole incident was caused by people from ZECT. I'll take responsibility for handling the cleanup for you," Kagami promised Daisuke, though his tone was slightly hollow. He had almost been tricked by Kageyama into killing him. If the target of their attack hadn't suddenly shifted, Daisuke would have truly been a goner.
"Oh, speaking of which, what exactly happened just now? How did you dodge our attacks?" Kagami couldn't help but ask.
"I'm not sure myself. I thought I was dead, but then everything blurred, and I was standing over there," Daisuke said, not understanding what had happened.
"We were in Clock Up! Logically, no one should be faster than us," Kagami insisted.
Tendo's expression grew strange. To transfer targets without anyone noticing in that situation would require the ability to manipulate time. For example, only by stopping time could someone achieve that.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look suspiciously at Raven. Raven was the most likely suspect among those present.
Raven decided not to comment further. He simply mounted his motorcycle and rode away from the area.
A few days later. Tendo and Kagami were engaged in their daily Worm battle.
Suddenly, a figure extremely similar to Kabuto appeared. It released an energy sphere that effortlessly eliminated a large group of Worms, even affecting Gatack and Kabuto. Because he couldn't get a clear look at the entire figure, Kagami assumed it was a new Rider.
Only Tendo had a guess, but he wasn't entirely certain.
This mysterious figure was, naturally, Hyper Kabuto.
This incident was a small interlude. After handling the Daisuke Kazama affair, Raven temporarily refrained from interfering with external events. He put Beroba in charge of the shop, while he feigned a departure from Tokyo for a few days. In reality, he was staying in the Helheim Forest. Aside from monitoring the growth of the Golden Fruit, he was also spending time with his wives from other worlds.
During the few days Raven was "gone," Tendo and the others encountered an utterly bizarre incident.
A strange man came to the café and issued a challenge.
"I heard this restaurant has decent reviews."
The strange man sat down and ordered a plate of fried rice. Soon, the fried rice was served. He took only a single bite, and his face instantly twisted into a strange expression.
"Who made this?"
"I did," Hiyori replied, leaning against the kitchen curtain.
"This is hogwash!"
"Did you toss the rice when you were cooking it?" the man continued, agitated. "Only a person with high-level technique, capable of exposing the flying rice grains to the flame to remove moisture, is fit to toss the wok!"
"But you only tossed the rice because you thought fried rice required it!"
He grabbed a handful of rice from the plate and let it fall. "The proof is that this fried rice lacks the distinct granular texture that fried rice should possess." The man looked at Hiyori, continuing his lecture. "You shouldn't have tossed the wok. You should have kept the grains pressed against the pan, using the wok's heat to remove the moisture. In other words, you are nothing more than an amateur."
Upon hearing this, Hiyori turned and walked away emotionlessly, acting as if she didn't care. However, she was internally affected.
Although Hiyori appeared indifferent, Tendo, the fierce sister protector, was not having it. The man's arrogant attitude had thoroughly infuriated Tendo.
"Silence! You have no right to judge Hiyori's cooking!"
Just then, a kitchen knife wrapped in black cloth on the table in front of Tendo suddenly reacted to the strange man. The man reached out, and the knife flew automatically into his hand.
"This is..." After clearly seeing the knife in his hand, he looked astonished and asked Tendo, "The legendary Dark Chef's Knife? Why do you have it?"
Tendo was equally stunned by the sight. The knife had been entrusted to him by a mysterious individual last night, but he hadn't been able to draw it from its sheath.
"It was entrusted to me by someone, who told me to give it to the rightful successor," Tendo replied.