"Understood." Natsumi took a deep breath.
She had always thought her previous style was fashionable, so she was taken aback when Raven called it "tacky." She immediately made a decision: she would ditch those brightly colored stockings forever.
"Then, Raven-san, please wait for me."
With that thought, Natsumi decided to go home, take a shower, and change. Her closet held many clothing styles, but due to her poor eye for fashion, she often struggled to pick the right outfit. She also had many pairs of stockings, including the extremely alluring black, white, and sheer nude ones, but she rarely wore them; most were still new.
After much deliberation, just as she was about to shower, she discovered that the hot water heater in her bathroom was broken.
"Oh no, what do I do? I'm so dirty."
After thinking for a moment, she gritted her teeth and went next door to Raven's café, asking nervously, "My bathroom heater is broken. Would it be possible to borrow your bathroom?"
"Of course, no problem at all." Raven's eyes lit up.
He hadn't expected her to be so proactive, to so easily agree to shower at a stranger's house on their first meeting. She was surprisingly trusting of him. She had let down her guard so easily. She truly was a simple-minded girl. No wonder she was often relegated to the role of the "flower vase" heroine.
But Raven was happy to encourage it. He looked forward to the sight of the beauty emerging from the bath later.
Inside the bathroom, after the hot water was ready, Natsumi took off her clothes, raised a leg, and stepped in. The water temperature was perfect. She happily started washing. For her, she had recently escaped a world-destroying crisis and been chased by all sorts of monsters, leaving her covered in grime. Being able to finally enjoy a comfortable hot bath was pure bliss.
"Raven-san is so handsome, and he's so gentle, too. Oh, I haven't even asked him if he's single yet..." Natsumi started to get distracted as she washed.
"Oh dear, what's wrong with me? Why am I suddenly thinking these things?" Natsumi patted her flushed cheeks. Her entire body felt warm.
Time slowly passed. Raven waited downstairs for a long time before the completely refreshed Natsumi came down, her hair newly blow-dried, wearing a changed short skirt and black stockings.
Honestly, the visual impact was quite strong. Even Raven, who was surrounded by beautiful women, was momentarily stunned. To be a "flower vase" heroine, Natsumi Hikari's looks were naturally exceptional. Not to mention her excellent figure and perfect leg shape.
Raven's reaction was highly gratifying to Natsumi. She secretly delighted in his admiration. She never expected the result of taking his advice to be so immediate and good. Clothes truly make the person. Although the high heels were a bit uncomfortable, she was willing to make the effort to show her best side to Raven.
"Thank you, your bathroom was very nice." Natsumi, in a rush of heat, blurted out this slightly awkward comment.
"Haha... If you like it, you can use it anytime." Raven replied cheerfully.
Their two shops were very close, with a small connecting door in the backyard, making travel very convenient. He wondered if they would still be together when he traveled to the next world.
"Do I look good like this..." Natsumi spun around a few times in front of Raven, proudly displaying her black-stockinged legs.
"Of course. This is far more pleasing to the eye than your previous yellow stockings." Raven spoke frankly.
"Was it really that bad..." Hearing this, Natsumi felt instantly embarrassed. To think she had worn those "deadly" stockings for so long.
Just as Raven was openly appreciating the sight of the beautiful black-stockinged legs before him, his gaze suddenly focused on a distant location. He seemed to sense the presence of a Kaijin.
"Um... I have to step out for a bit. Could you please look after the shop for me?" Raven said to Natsumi.
His mission was to kill three Gurongi and the Gurongi King of this world. Now that a target had appeared, he wouldn't miss the chance.
"Oh, yes, I can," Natsumi was momentarily surprised but quickly agreed.
Raven walked out the door, mounted the Junglaider, and sped away into the distance.
"So cool..." Watching Raven's dashing departure, the "stocking enthusiast" Natsumi Hikari, standing at the doorway, clenched her hands, her expression one of utter infatuation.
Every woman who is infatuated sees her IQ drop to zero. And Natsumi Hikari was already quite naive.
On the other side, Tsukasa Kadoya, after investigating some matters at the police station, learned about an incident where a Gurongi had attacked a female officer. He quickly rushed to the location.
Inside a highway tunnel, he found the Gurongi!
Having already transformed on the way, the Gurongi, seeing the figure in front of it, mistook him for Kuuga.
"Are you Kuuga?" The Gurongi looked at the Rider on the motorcycle, Decade, with confusion.
"Kuuga? That's right, but you've got the wrong guy." Decade dismounted, answering calmly.
"Do the humans have a new warrior?" The Gurongi spoke in the Gurongi language.
"Your screeching is annoying." At this point, Tsukasa was surprised to find that he not only understood the language but could speak it as well. "I just have a question I want to ask you."
However, the Gurongi was not cooperative. Without warning, it attacked Decade with its fork-like weapon.
After easily dodging the attack, Decade quickly counter-attacked. After asking a few questions in the Gurongi language, he managed to extract some useful clues, learning that they were playing a game. He then easily crushed the monster, driving it out of the tunnel.
He pulled out the Attack Ride Card, intending to use his finishing move, the Dimensional Kick, to utterly terminate its life.
"FINAL ATTACK RIDE!"
Just as he was about to kick, a long spear, covered in black blood, flew from a distance and instantly pierced the Gurongi's body. It was pinned lifelessly to the distant ground after a triple trajectory.
"BOOM!" Its body exploded.
The scene was witnessed by Officer Yashiro and Yusuke Onodera, who had arrived in a police car and on a motorcycle, respectively.
Tsukasa Kadoya, who was poised to execute his kick, was momentarily stunned.