"No way…"
So Yaguruma saw that everyone had been completely conquered by the plate of Mapo Tofu Raven made. He rushed forward to take a bite himself.
He instantly understood why this had happened.
An expression Yaguruma couldn't control spread across his face.
"It's… it's too delicious."
He accidentally blurted out his true feelings. His gaze towards Raven was now completely different, devoid of the earlier contempt.
Could this remarkable man be the Kabuto that Headquarters ordered me to deal with?
Yes, it must be him.
In that moment, Yaguruma successfully shifted his suspicion from Tendo. However, he made no immediate moves, intending to reveal his hand later during a battle with the Worms.
"Raven-san," the proprietress asked, completely baffled, "with this level of cooking skill, why on earth did you choose to open a café?"
She had learned from Hiyori that Raven actually owned a café. Wasn't that a severe case of misplaced priorities? But she couldn't help but feel fortunate that Raven opened a café and not a restaurant. Otherwise, the business of every restaurant on the street would suffer.
"Cooking is just a hobby of mine." Raven smiled faintly.
"I didn't expect there to be a man as interesting as you in this world." Tendo, too, became curious about Raven. This man seemed extraordinary. He would definitely be a formidable rival.
Raven never imagined that simply by showcasing his skill and making a dish of Mapo Tofu, he would be treated as a sworn enemy by both Tendou and Yaguruma.
Could it be that in this world, cooking skill has some kind of hidden buff for combat ability?
Of course, that was just a random thought. After all, Kamen Rider Kabuto is often jokingly called a "gourmet anime," and it's certainly due to the excessive number of scenes involving food. Moreover, several key characters, including the protagonist Tendo, are both culinary experts and highly skilled fighters.
…
Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Kagami and the others, in an attempt to lure out the Worm that had been attacking weddings, disguised themselves as a newly married couple, with their senior teammate, Yuzuki Misaki, to hold a fake ceremony in a church.
They had mistakenly judged the pattern of the Worm's attacks. The creature simply liked to attack people wearing white.
Out on the street.
Tendo, having been humbled in the culinary arena, quickly turned his focus to the Worms. Through his earlier conversation with Kagami, he had extracted some useful information. Based on his analysis, he roughly figured out the Worm's attack pattern. It shouldn't be attacking the bride and groom at weddings, but only people wearing white.
Tendo then changed into a dazzling white suit and casually strolled through the area where this specific Worm frequently appeared.
As expected, he was quickly targeted by a Worm.
"Just as I thought. It only attacks people wearing white. You have strange tastes."
Tendo dodged the sneak attack from behind, countered with a kick, and sent the creature reeling. He then looked behind him. It was a de-Morphed Scorpio Worm, its body a mix of purple and orange-yellow.
Having confirmed the enemy's appearance, the Kabuto Zecter quickly appeared from the sky and flew into Tendo's hand. He inserted it into the belt he always wore.
"Henshin."
The King, Kabuto, made his entrance and plunged into a fierce battle with the purple Worm.
Simultaneously, near a church.
The Shadow Squad, led by Yaguruma, was engaged in battle with a group of larval Worms and an adult Scorpio Worm of the same species.
Yaguruma immediately summoned the TheBee Zecter and transformed into Kamen Rider TheBee using his Rider Bracelet.
On the rooftop of a building not far away, Raven watched the battle from afar.
He then saw Kabuto and another Scorpio Worm arrive at this battlefield in a Clock Up flash of speed.
Yaguruma saw Kabuto appear and decided to join forces with him to take care of the enemies first.
"Kabuto, let's take out the Worms in one go with Clock Up!" Yaguruma said to him.
Tendo had no objection to this.
He immediately activated the acceleration switch.
CLOCK UP!
In an instant, TheBee and Kabuto struck simultaneously, taking care of all the troublesome larval Worms. This gave the ZECT Troopers a huge breather.
Only one adult Worm, the Scorpio Worm, remained on the field. The other Scorpio Worm, sensing danger, had already slipped away early.
Facing the single remaining Worm, Yaguruma unleashed his Finishing Move, the Rider Sting. He successfully annihilated the creature in one blow.
He thought the battle was over, unaware that one had escaped. He then turned his attention to the Kabuto problem.
"We fight the Worms to protect humanity's peace. I hope you will cooperate with us." Yaguruma extended his hand to Tendo.
Tendo, however, had no interest in humoring him. He simply ignored the outstretched hand, walked to the side, and declared, "Is this what you call perfect harmony?"
"I told you, I walk the path of Heaven."
After speaking, he once again struck his signature pose, pointing to the sky in challenge.
"Though there was a small surprise, it confirms what I suspected from the start. You are indeed Tendo." Yaguruma quickly connected the dots upon hearing the iconic catchphrase. He was the one Yaguruma had first suspected.
"Don't worry about that now. One of them got away. Let's take down that guy first." Tendo reminded his counterpart.
Yaguruma, however, believed Tendo was merely changing the subject, attempting to make his escape.
"Do you think that excuse will work?"
Seeing that Tendo was uncooperative, Yaguruma dropped the pretense and stated with a slight threat, "If you defy the organization, then there is only one course of action we will take."
At the same time, nearby ZECTroopers imperceptibly surrounded the area.
"What are you trying to do?" Tendo asked.
"My mission is to defeat Kabuto."
As he spoke, both men began to fight fiercely without any further warning. They engaged in an intense battle.
Just as Raven, who was watching the scene unfold, was considering whether to intervene, the System's voice suddenly appeared.
Ding!
[System Mission Issued!]
[Defeat Kabuto and TheBee simultaneously!]
[Reward: A Dark Kabuto Zecter!]
"The reward is useless to me, but it will certainly satisfy my collector's obsession." Raven thought to himself. After all, the mission wasn't difficult. In fact, it was quite simple.
"In that case, let's do it."
Raven intended to properly enjoy the exhilaration of the fight this time. He once again equipped a limiter: the Faiz Driver.