To Kageyama and the others outside the accelerated field, everything that transpired took place in an instant. Only Kagami remained on the scene.
Kageyama, confused, approached and questioned him, "Captain Kagami, why did you let Kabuto escape?"
"I really can't do it…"
Kagami stood there, pondering for a long time, and finally made a decision. He removed the Rider Bracelet and dropped it to the ground. Through the battle, he realized he could not bring himself to obey headquarters' order and attack Tendo. He voluntarily gave up his qualification to be TheBee.
"You're giving up TheBee?" Kageyama was astonished.
"I realized there is something far more important." Kagami looked forward with a resolute gaze.
Kageyama immediately wore an expression of boredom, and any respect he previously held for Kagami vanished. Kagami, no longer TheBee, was not worth supporting.
"Squad, retreat." With that, he led the ZECTroopers away from the scene.
…
Meanwhile, having arbitrarily beaten up both Tendo and Kagami for no reason, Raven felt a twinge of guilt. He decided to personally cook some dishes in the restaurant kitchen to make amends.
In his opinion, there was no problem a delicious meal couldn't solve.
The food was ready; he just needed to wait for Kagami and Tendo to return.
"Is there something good happening today?" Hiyori didn't understand the purpose of this gesture, assuming he was simply in a good mood and wanted to cook personally.
"Good news? Not exactly…" Raven naturally couldn't reveal the real reason.
Though, beating people up was certainly a good stress reliever. Kagami and Tendo, however, probably didn't feel the same, as they were the ones who got beaten.
After a short wait, a slow-walking Kagami entered and immediately spotted Raven.
"It's you, Raven!" His eyes immediately showed a strange mix of emotions, and he looked nervous, terrified of being inexplicably beaten again.
"Kagami, I cooked personally today. Come and have a taste." Raven flashed him a smile that was very "cordial."
This unusual sight made Kagami hesitant to step forward. This guy just unreasonably beat me up; if Kabuto hadn't taken that last hit for me, I might have been killed. He still couldn't figure out if Raven was a friend or foe.
"You can't have a meal like this without inviting me." Tendo followed close behind.
He smelled the delicious aroma from a distance and guessed it had to be Raven's cooking. Since he was familiar with almost all of Hiyori's dishes, only Raven remained as the possible chef.
"Tendo, how can you just…" Kagami was speechless, watching Tendo sit down as if nothing had happened and pick up his chopsticks. Am I the only one who took that fight seriously?
"You two are really strange." Kagami sighed helplessly. He put aside his reservations and sat down.
"I humbly accept this meal." Facing the table full of sumptuous food, Kagami completely forgot his unpleasantness. He put his hands together in a gesture of gratitude and prepared to dig in.
"Mmm~"
"This is too delicious!" Kagami praised profusely.
Hiyori quietly sat next to Raven. As someone who was usually quiet and had few friends, she felt a long-lost sense of comfort and warmth.
"As expected, tofu dishes are the best." Tendo didn't hesitate to praise Raven's authentic Mapo Tofu.
There weren't many people in the culinary world he would defer to. Raven was one, and his sister Hiyori was the other.
"Let's have a 'Tofu Feast' next time," Kagami suggested, clearly hoping for more delicious food.
"Hmm, I'll cook that one. Everyone should come together. I also want to try out the essence of tofu-making I learned from Raven." Tendo stated with utmost confidence.
Just by eating a few bites, he had already analyzed many aspects of the technique.
Raven felt relieved seeing that the "King of Pride" was still acting like his old self, even after being humiliated. He had worried that his actions, eclipsing Tendo's self-proclaimed "sunlight", might shake the Rider's conviction.
Now, it seemed his worries were unfounded. Tendo's baffling confidence stemmed entirely from his profound narcissism. It was just that his unique aura made people easily believe anything he said, giving him a powerful, aloof presence.
Raven was curious about what exactly shaped the current Tendo. He mused that perhaps it was his rarely-seen grandmother who had consistently instilled these philosophies in him.
After the meal, everyone departed.
Hiyori's eyes revealed a hint of loneliness. Since her parents' deaths seven years ago, she had been completely alone and friendless. But now things were different. With Raven and Tendo around, she felt that everything was slowly getting better.
As for her previous suspicions about Kagami and Tendo possessing those belts, she temporarily ignored them. No matter how she looked at it, they didn't seem like the kind of people who would commit such acts. There had to be some misunderstanding.
…
In an office at ZECT headquarters. The ambiance remained dim.
Masato Mishima was reporting the latest situation to Riku Kagami, who was sitting in his executive chair.
"...We have lost the suitable candidate for TheBee again," Masato Mishima informed him.
Riku flicked his lighter and stared at the small flame. He said meaningfully, "Remember the Gospel of John, Chapter 12, Verse 24…"
"Huh?" Masato was growing tired of this "old riddler," who constantly spoke in strange phrases that forced him to guess the meaning. It was no wonder Masato was secretly betraying Riku Kagami and collaborating with the Native Worms to transform himself into the strongest Native Worm.
"'Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.'"
Masato understood and responded proactively, "Then, are you suggesting that although your son gave up the qualification for TheBee, he will bear greater fruit?"
Riku did not answer directly, instead offering a cryptic statement: "It seems a new wind is about to blow."
In reality, he had already selected a more suitable Rider System for his son: the most data-powerful Kamen Rider, Gatack.