He quickly turned to look behind him, in the direction the spear had flown from.
At the other end of the tunnel, a mysterious purple figure flashed and was gone in an instant.
"Who was that?" Tsukasa's eyes narrowed in confusion. It was too late to pursue, so he gave up.
"Was that guy a Gurongi too?" Tsukasa muttered to himself.
Officer Yashiro, who had just arrived, looked at Decade in the distance.
"What is going on? Unidentified Life Form No. 10?" She was surprised by the sudden appearance of yet another Kaijin fighting the Gurongi.
"You! Why did you attack your own kind?" Yusuke shouted.
Decade, however, walked impassively toward his motorcycle. Without looking back, he replied, "I am not a Gurongi." His objective was already met; he had obtained crucial clues from the Gurongi's mouth.
"That's not the answer I wanted!" Saying this, Yusuke Onodera prepared to transform and fight Tsukasa Kadoya. Desperate to prove himself to Officer Yashiro, he felt threatened by the sudden appearance of someone else fighting the Gurongi.
But Tsukasa had already mounted his motorcycle, turned it around, and rode straight forward. Yusuke, in a panic, dodged but lost his balance and fell unceremoniously onto the ground.
"Damn it, he got away..." he said, deflated.
Officer Yashiro, however, looked meaningfully at Decade's retreating figure. Unlike the hostile Yusuke, she felt the newcomer might be an ally. After all, the police alone couldn't handle the Gurongi, and Yusuke's power was limited. The appearance of a new helper could only be a good thing.
Raven, observing secretly nearby, revealed a playful smile. He had transformed into his Amazon Rider form just now, throwing a weapon to remotely steal the kill from Tsukasa. After securing the kill, Raven mounted his own motorcycle. With a spatial distortion, he instantly appeared on the road near his café. After all, riding back normally would take too long.
Stopping his bike, Raven returned to the café. Natsumi Hikari was waiting for him there.
"I'm back." As soon as he entered, he saw her straight, slender legs in black stockings. They were quite eye-catching.
"Then... I'll go back to my shop now," Natsumi said, her face turning pink as she glanced at Raven. It was clear she felt nervous around him, her mind wandering uncontrollably.
Raven was naturally used to this. Since becoming a god, he possessed an innate trait that attracted beautiful women. No matter how icy a beauty was, she would melt in his presence. This greatly facilitated his efficiency in traveling the Rider worlds and wooing women, bypassing many preliminary steps.
Not long after, two guests arrived at the photo studio next door.
"Excuse me, this isn't a café. The café is next door," Natsumi explained to them inside the studio.
The guests were Officer Yashiro and Yusuke Onodera.
"Is that so..." Yusuke scratched his head.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, Eijiro Hikari, busy in the kitchen, revealed himself and spoke up: "Actually, I can make coffee, too."
And so, Yusuke Onodera and Officer Yashiro sat down, treating the photo studio as a café by mistake. Soon, two cups of pour-over coffee were ready.
"What do you think of him?" Officer Yashiro asked Yusuke, slowly discussing Decade.
"He must be Unidentified Life Form No. 10. I'll definitely defeat him next time he shows up," Yusuke said aggressively.
"But I don't think he's a Gurongi. He seems similar to you," Officer Yashiro mused.
"Similar to me?"
"If he fights the Gurongi again, there are some things I want to ask him," Yashiro continued.
Hearing this, Yusuke immediately panicked. "You want him to fight in my place?"
His purpose in fighting, besides protecting humanity, was largely to gain Officer Yashiro's attention and support. He was very much like a child seeking validation from a trusted older sister. Saying this, he angrily slapped the table, startling Natsumi Hikari, who was bringing over coffee.
"Yusuke! I think he could help you fight," Officer Yashiro explained.
"Ah... is that so?" Yusuke awkwardly rubbed his head. He had thought she intended to replace him with Decade.
At that moment, Tsukasa suddenly appeared nearby, snapping a picture of the scene with his pink camera.
"Tsukasa, you're back?" Natsumi said to him.
"Hello, Officer Yashiro," Tsukasa greeted the officer sitting at the table calmly.
He had pretty much figured out the Gurongi's motives by now.
"Who is this?"
"Ah, this is Yusuke Onodera. He's here to assist me with the investigation," Officer Yashiro quickly replied.
"I have a lead on the Unidentified Life Form murders," Tsukasa stepped forward and announced.
"What could an amateur like you possibly know? Just stand aside," Yusuke said resentfully.
Tsukasa dismissed him, saying, "I just saw how hard Yashiro-san was working to help that monster called No. 4. It looked exhausting."
"What did you say?" Yusuke was instantly provoked. He stood up, looking up and glaring at Tsukasa, who was a head taller than him.
"Let him speak, Yusuke," Officer Yashiro, however, was clearly curious about what Tsukasa knew.
At this, Yusuke, filled with jealousy, huffed and rushed out the door, intending to leave.
Raven happened to be standing by the doorway, watching as Yusuke mounted his Kuuga-standard motorcycle, only to have it sputter multiple times without starting. Raven couldn't help but wonder, Since when did Kuuga's bike become so unreliable?
"Hey, you're out of gas," Raven told him.
"Mind your own business," Yusuke snapped, still steaming with anger.