In the days following his return from Helheim, Kouta remained visibly preoccupied. He simply couldn't shake what Raven had told him.
Is the future of Earth really to be consumed by the Helheim forest, just like that ruined civilization?
On the other side, his friend, Mitsuzane, was taken to Helheim by his older brother and told a great deal of information. He ultimately decided to join Yggdrasill.
However, before formally joining, Takatora assigned him a mission to prove himself: recover the Driver from Kouta using any means necessary.
Thus, Mitsuzane temporarily infiltrated Kouta's circle, constantly waiting for his moment to strike.
Ryoma was also paying close attention to this, as he wanted to know exactly how Kouta had escaped Yggdrasill's confinement and, crucially, how he had taken the Genesis Core from his lab.
One day, on a holiday, Raven's café was closed for the day. He and Akira went out for a date.
Along the way, Akira was drawn in by a free raffle event. The event was being held by Oren's sweets shop—their main competitor. The prize was a free invitation to the shop, allowing the winner to enjoy any dessert they wished.
The people running the event were enthusiastically inviting her to participate.
Raven, however, saw through the trick instantly. These people were clearly waiting for Akira.
"Wow! I won!"
Akira was delighted that her casual attempt actually resulted in a win, and she immediately threw her arms around Raven in excitement.
"…"
Feeling the pressure against his chest, Raven couldn't help but enjoy the embrace.
Akira then took his hand, intending to go gorge themselves at Oren's shop.
"We have these at our shop, you know," Raven quickly pointed out.
"But this is free! Is that the same? Come on in!" Akira said happily.
This showed just how careful she was with money in her daily life.
Raven sighed and reluctantly followed her inside.
....
Meanwhile, on the other side, Kouta received a phone call. The person on the other end, using a disguised voice, threatened him: "Your sister, Akira, is in our hands right now."
"Hey! Who is this? Stop joking around!"
"If you don't want her to get hurt, exchange her for the Sengoku Driver."
"Are you with Yggdrasill?"
"Just hand it over obediently, and we won't harm her. One hour from now, bring your Sengoku Driver to the rooftop of the Ryuzawa 3-Chome building in Zawame New Town to get your sister back."
With that, the person hung up.
Kouta was frantic. He knew the shop was closed today and his sister was definitely out.
"Wait a minute. Isn't Raven-aniki with oneechan?" Kouta stopped mid-run, realizing something.
Logically, with Raven by her side, no danger should be possible.
He quickly called his sister's phone. However, since Akira's phone was in her bag and had accidentally been set to silent, it went unanswered.
This made him too nervous to risk calling their bluff. After all, he only had one sister. What if Raven and his sister had temporarily separated on the street and the enemy had found a chance to strike?
He raced to the designated rooftop.
There, Kouta saw his sister with her mouth gagged, held by a tall, burly figure. This person was Oren.
"Let go of my sister right now!" Kouta didn't hesitate or doubt, shouting directly at Oren in the distance.
"Just like we agreed, hand over the Driver!" Oren told Kouta.
"Release my sister first." Kouta took out the belt but didn't hand it over yet.
Oren smiled confidently and immediately released the person he was holding.
"Oneechan!" Kouta rushed forward to help untie the ropes.
But the moment he untied them, the figure reached out and grabbed for the Driver in his hand.
"Oneechan! What are you doing!" Kouta reacted quickly and prevented the grab.
The figure then tore off the disguise, revealing their true identity: Peach Sister, Yoko Minato.
"You dare to trick me!" Kouta realized it was a trap.
"So naive, kid," Yoko said to him.
"Don't underestimate an adult's methods," Oren chuckled beside her.
But just then, Kouta's phone rang again.
When he answered, the same disguised voice from before returned.
"That was just a warning, but your sister really is with us."
Meanwhile, inside the sweets shop, Raven was sitting in front of Akira, watching her enjoy the desserts without wasting a bite.
Nearby, Jonouchi had put on a Driver and was smirking. He and Oren had been hired by Yggdrasill to take back the Driver from Kouta under the secret orders of Mitsuzane. If Kouta didn't comply, they were supposed to harm Akira.
Jonouchi completely failed to recognize Raven as the person who had previously defeated Oren, seeing him only as an ordinary person, and was therefore completely relaxed.
Raven naturally noticed the boy's schemes. Although he knew Jonouchi's Lockseed had been swapped out by Oren, he didn't plan on letting him go easily. A little lesson was in order.
Back on the rooftop, Kouta took the binoculars Yoko tossed him and looked at the scene inside the distant sweets shop.
His sister was actually there!
This made him anxious.
But the next second, the appearance of one figure completely erased his worry.
In the frame, Raven was seen carefully reaching out and wiping cream from his sister's lips.
"It's Raven-aniki! They're together!"
"Your plan failed! Raven-aniki is really strong. With him around, my sister is absolutely safe!"
Quickly, Kouta defiantly refused the demands of the person on the other end of the phone. At the same time, he clipped the Driver onto his waist, preparing to transform.
Mitsuzane, on the other end of the line, was furious. He hadn't expected Raven to be accompanying Akira. He realized, too late, that the relationship between the two had changed.
This was a critical mistake on his part—to act without investigating thoroughly.
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