"Do you know each other, Hiyori?"
As the ultimate doting brother, Soji keenly noticed the look his sister gave Raven.
Hiyori shook her head and continued searching for ingredients. After a moment, she turned to Soji and said, "We're out of mackerel."
"Ah… you're kidding."
Hearing this, Arata immediately let out a sound of disappointment. He had really wanted to taste it.
Soji felt the same. However, he hadn't come just for the mackerel; he intended to extract some intelligence regarding ZECT from Arata.
"I have some things I want to discuss with you," Soji said to Arata.
Hearing this, Arata's expression immediately turned serious. He hurriedly dragged Soji outside. After all, matters regarding ZECT and the Worms could not be discussed in front of ordinary people.
Seeing that there was no one else in the room, Raven unhurriedly spoke to Hiyori, who was tidying up the kitchen. "The mackerel was quite good, but if you could control the heat a bit more at the… and use a little more… it would be perfect."
He analyzed the dish using the top-tier culinary skills he had acquired through his innate talents. He pointed out the deficiencies with precision. It was the kind of advice that only an insider would understand immediately.
Sure enough, Raven's words instantly caught Hiyori's attention.
She asked in a hushed voice, "Are you a chef?"
Raven shook his head. He continued, "I'm just a café owner who knows a thing or two about cooking."
"Is that so?"
Hiyori didn't ask any further questions. However, she took Raven's words to heart, planning to try his suggestions the next time she cooked. At the same time, she couldn't help but feel even more curious about Raven.
…
Outside the shop.
"What exactly did you want to talk to me about?" Arata asked Soji, confused.
"I have decided to help you."
"Really?"
Hearing this, Arata couldn't help but reveal a look of joy. He fell right into Soji's trap, completely forgetting how badly he had been victimized by him previously.
Soji continued, "On the condition that you answer some of my questions."
"What do you want to know?"
"Everything." Soji replied calmly.
Eventually, Arata took Soji to the streets of Shibuya, which had been destroyed by a meteorite seven years ago.
"Seven years ago, everything here was destroyed by a meteorite from outer space."
"But that was only the beginning of humanity's crisis."
Listening to Arata, Soji felt as if he had returned to seven years ago. His expression became somewhat melancholic.
"Was the meteorite not the only thing that fell to Earth?"
"Yeah. There were also the Worms."
Arata continued, "They kill humans and then mimic them. We still don't know what their objective is."
"Nor do we know the criteria they use to select their targets. They have already infiltrated human society and are living among us."
Soji, looking at Arata, suddenly said, "In other words, you standing in front of me right now could also be a Worm."
"What nonsense are you talking about!"
Arata was very angry at this suggestion. He continued, "One day, I will wipe out all the Worms. Every last one of them."
Next, Soji tried to fish for more information, but Arata didn't know much more. Finally, Soji decided to leave. Clearly, the offer to help earlier had just been a ruse to trick him.
"Didn't you say you were going to help us?!"
The naive Arata still hadn't realized he had been used again.
Just then, he received a call from Shuichi Tadokoro. A Worm had appeared, and it was mimicking a woman.
After regrouping with the team, Arata began his new mission: to investigate and track the woman suspected of being a Worm.
…
On the other side, Raven returned early to his own shop after eating at the restaurant.
Beroba, wearing a maid outfit with a short skirt, was bent over, cleaning the floor in front of him as part of her daily routine. Every time he saw this, he couldn't resist reaching out to smack her, testing the texture.
'When will days like this ever end…' The 350-year-old black-tights loli complained internally.
"That depends on your performance."
Raven saw through what Beroba was thinking at a glance. Unlike the other women, he treated Beroba without a shred of pity when he disciplined her. In fact, he derived a certain pleasure from it.
Who asked her to love causing trouble so much? Now that she was the one being messed with, he felt this punishment was just right. It made Beroba feel more humiliated than any physical torture could.
"Aiya…"
While cleaning, the heel of Beroba's high heel shoe got stuck in a crack in the floor and snapped. She fell over.
She lay on the ground refusing to get up, crying like a child, though not a single tear fell after half a day of wailing.
Raven, long accustomed to her sympathy-seeking tricks, remained unmoved, lying on the rocking chair reading a photobook magazine.
"Hmph!"
Seeing her pity play was ineffective, Beroba had to get up. She took off the broken stiletto, letting her stocking-clad foot step onto the floor. The oppression of the last few days had become unbearable.
She suddenly threw the high heel in her hand at Raven.
"Who wants to wear this junk every day!"
But Raven simply gave it a calm glance. The high heel turned into powder and vanished.
Subsequently, a new pair appeared on Beroba's feet.
"It seems your punishment will be extended for a while," Raven said lightly.
He deliberately made Beroba wear high heels to clean as a small punishment. After all, the higher and thinner the heel, the harder it is to walk. Wearing them for a long time is uncomfortable, let alone while cleaning. For an ordinary person, it would be like torture. Even Beroba couldn't stand it.
But there was no helping it; Raven liked watching it.
"I was joking just now! I beg you, I was wrong."
Beroba quickly began to beg for mercy, walking over to Raven and acting coquettishly to butter him up. Seeing that these methods were ineffective, she lowered her defenses entirely.
Raven naturally did not refuse. He wrapped his arms around Beroba from behind, pulling her onto his lap.
For a long time, Raven savored the sweet taste of lip balm lingering in his mouth.