But his impression of her wasn't very deep. Aside from not being his preferred type, it was also because her character was not very likable early on.
So, to play a trick on her, Raven intentionally drew a mustache on her face. He even pulled out her bra.
No one noticed any of this.
After completing his mischief, Raven simply left. He then casually found a trash can and threw the bra he had openly taken into it.
When the time stop ended, Misaki didn't immediately feel anything unusual. Then, she saw Arata standing in front of her suddenly burst into laughter.
"Do you still have the nerve to laugh?" Misaki snapped, bewildered. Even if you are a privileged son, she thought, you should at least show some remorse after causing such a big mess.
The next second, the rest of the group also started laughing. This puzzled Misaki greatly. Is there something strange on my face?
She pulled out her compact mirror, took a look, and her face immediately turned ashen.
"What in the world is going on?!" Misaki was furious.
It was only then that she noticed a chill on her chest. Something seemed to be missing underneath her clothing. This made her even more enraged, but she didn't mention it in front of everyone.
"It must have been done by someone in Clock Up," Shuichi Tadokoro, the team leader, commented.
"Who would be so utterly pointless!?" Misaki frantically wiped the marks off her face with a wet wipe. She was about to explode with anger.
"Could it be Kabuto? After all, besides the Worms, he's the only one who can use Clock Up," someone suggested.
"Yes, it must be him!" Misaki's eyes narrowed with hostility. Her chest heaved with rage. She couldn't believe the person who transformed into Kabuto was so trivial and perverted. But since she was currently braless, she felt extremely uncomfortable and dared not linger in front of the crowd, retreating alone to the car.
Alas.
Soji Tendo, who was currently in his own home preparing dinner for his cute sister, Jyuka Tendo, was naturally unaware that he had inexplicably taken the blame for Raven and incurred a woman's hatred.
As the ultimate Imouto-con (younger sister complex), Soji was intensely protective of both his biological sister, Hiyori, and his non-blood-related foster sister, Jyuka. Although he couldn't reunite with Hiyori yet, he always watched over and protected her in secret.
…
The next morning.
After preparing his sister's daily breakfast, the perpetually free-spirited Soji went to the Western-style restaurant where Hiyori worked part-time.
Arata was also there, cleaning. However, he hadn't quite recovered from the slap Misaki had given him yesterday and was starting to question whether he was truly qualified for a job at ZECT.
Seeing that Arata seemed preoccupied and unhappy, Hiyori made him a plate of Miso Mackerel.
"This is…?" Arata's eyes widened, wearing an expression of disbelief. He had always wanted to try this dish, but she had never cooked it for him before.
"You always wanted to eat this, right?" The socially awkward Hiyori said nervously.
Arata forced a bewildered smile and replied, "Why so sudden…?"
"Never mind. Don't eat it if you don't want to." Seeing his hesitation, Hiyori was about to withdraw the dish.
"I'll eat it! I'll eat it!" Arata quickly insisted.
Instead of eating immediately, he turned to Hiyori and said thank you profusely: "Hiyori, I want to send you the best mackerel as a token of my gratitude."
"Then you should buy the super-sized Matsukawa Mackerel," Soji's voice cut in from behind Arata.
"Eh? Soji." Arata turned to look at him.
"That is the ultimate quality. It is known as the 'Golden Mackerel,'" Soji said, walking up to the kitchen counter and looking at Hiyori as she worked. "How about he sends me one too?"
"Why should I send you anything? You've caused me so much trouble." Arata looked at him unhappily.
First, he stole his Zecter, then his motorcycle, and now he wants him to send him a gift? Where in the world does he get off? Does he think I'm an easy mark?
"Are you sure you want to discuss ZECT business here?" Soji intended to sit down and eat Arata's Miso Mackerel.
But when he turned around, he found that someone had already beaten him to the seat.
The person was Raven.
His café was not far from this restaurant; they were on the same street. He had just seen Soji's figure outside and followed him in.
"It's you?" Arata also looked at Raven, surprised. Oh, this is the kind person who gave me a ride on his motorcycle yesterday. Raven's motorcycle had left a deep impression on him, its performance feeling in no way inferior to the Kabuto-exclusive bike developed by ZECT.
"Arata, I didn't know you worked here." Raven beat Soji to the seat, becoming a food thief, and started eating the Mackerel as he spoke.
"This… that's my Mackerel…" Arata looked distraught.
Soji's expression also twitched. Someone is even more brazen than me. He desperately wanted to eat the Miso Mackerel his sister personally made.
"In that case, consider this Mackerel a thank-you gift for helping me out yesterday." At this, Arata quickly reconciled with the situation.
Hearing this, Soji paid closer attention to Raven. He quickly recalled that Raven was the one who had driven Arata in pursuit on the overpass yesterday.
"Hiyori, another Miso Mackerel, please." Without dwelling on it further, Soji sat down at another table and called out to the kitchen.
"Why should I?" Hiyori reluctantly replied.
"Because I want to eat the most delicious Miso Mackerel in the world." Soji, displaying his thick skin, said confidently.
Hearing her cooking praised so highly, even the naturally reserved and quiet Hiyori couldn't refuse. Although she still wore a cold expression, she felt a slight warmth in her heart. She began to prepare the ingredients.
It was then that she suddenly noticed Raven, who was eating the Mackerel. Isn't that the strange man who was with me in the apartment building when the monster attacked?
Because he had vanished so suddenly the day before, she had almost convinced herself it was a hallucination.