Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Not long after Yuka Osada returned to school, she was subjected to bullying again, causing her to lose control, release her inner Orphnoch, and slaughter the female students in the school gym.
Afterward, Yuka's emotions spiraled into a breakdown. She was completely at a loss.
Now, she was hiding alone, afraid to return anywhere, and crying incessantly.
She desperately wanted to find Raven. He was the only one who had offered her warmth on a cold night.
But the thought that she was now a monster and might bring harm to Raven made her firmly dismiss the idea.
However, just as Yuka was agonizing over her next step, a man suddenly appeared before her.
"Who are you..." Yuka looked up at him.
"I am your comrade."
The man was Yuji Kiba, one of the tragic figures in the Kamen Rider 555 series. Years ago, a car accident killed his parents and left him in a coma for several years. Although he didn't survive the coma, he evolved into an Orphnoch.
But his awakening this time brought an even greater blow. While he was hospitalized, his uncle seized all his deceased parents' property, and his girlfriend, Chie, betrayed him, being taken advantage of by his cousin.
Finally, upon learning the truth, Kiba went berserk under the shock, killing his cousin and former girlfriend.
He was then recognized for his potential by Smart Brain and recruited, where he was offered a place to stay.
Kiba was here specifically to meet and escort Yuka.
"No, stay away from me! Don't come closer! I've already..." Yuka didn't want to hurt innocent people and kept backing away.
"You don't need to say anything. I understand completely, because I... am just like you."
Yuji Kiba spoke patiently to Yuka.
With no other choice, Yuka followed Yuji Kiba back to the Smart Brain headquarters. She needed to understand what was happening to them.
....
On the other side.
Raven was leisurely holding a freshly brewed cup of coffee, leaning against the counter, savoring the flavor.
Coffee was one of the few things his taste buds could tolerate, apart from high-protein meats, since becoming an Amazon.
Just then, someone pushed the door open.
Raven assumed it was a customer and smiled, saying, "Welcome."
"What's with the sign outside? Isn't this the Oda Café? Why has it become the Amazon Café?"
The person who entered had the long hair currently popular in Japan, a tall, slender build, and the look of a Flower Boy (Hana-otoko).
Raven was stunned the moment he saw the person's face.
Wasn't this Takumi?
Takumi—that is, Takumi Inui, the protagonist of Kamen Rider 555.
"The original owner, Manager Oda, retired, so he transferred the Café to me," Raven explained.
"I see..." Takumi's face immediately fell with disappointment.
He placed a money-stuffed envelope on the counter and said to Raven, "Please give the money inside to Mr. Oda for me."
After saying this, Takumi quickly left.
He sped away on his motorcycle outside the door, looking rather upset.
Raven watched him go and quickly put his thoughts together.
He suddenly had a realization: "So, this Café was the one Takumi used to work at! That means I actually saved the original owner's life."
Since the plot of 555 was so long ago, Raven honestly didn't remember much outside of the main storyline.
So he hadn't initially recognized that Manager Oda was the unlucky person who had interacted with Takumi and was later killed by an Orphnoch.
By taking over the Café, he had essentially shielded the owner from his fate.
Raven picked up the envelope, tore it open, and counted the money inside—about 100,000 yen.
It looked like hard-earned money that Takumi had saved up during his travels.
The reason Takumi came to return the money was that he had been falsely accused of stealing by other employees at the Café. He left in a fit of anger but silently shouldered the blame.
So, once he had saved enough money outside, he specifically returned to pay it back.
"Typical Takumi. His personality is so stubborn."
Raven said this as he neatly tucked the money away. As for whether he would actually give it to Manager Oda, that would depend on his mood.
Afterward, a few more customers trickled into the Café.
However, compared to a Café in a normal business area, the foot traffic here was truly low.
Many of them were former regulars.
The total revenue for the entire day only amounted to just over 20,000 yen.
If this storefront had to pay rent, it would certainly be operating at a devastating loss.
Fortunately, the building now belonged to him, so he didn't have to pay rent. Deducting utilities and cost of goods, the remaining money was pure profit.
It was enough for him to live on.
Furthermore, the Café's menu included meat dishes like steak, meaning he could feast on protein and meat to his heart's content from now on.
His small life was finally looking up.
After all, he preferred this peaceful and leisurely lifestyle to one of constant fighting and killing.
Of course, this was all predicated on the condition that no one threatened his safety.
Because sometimes, even if you don't look for trouble, trouble will always come looking for you.
You can't hide from it.
Especially the day that was coming tomorrow.
If things went as they should, Yuka, Yuji Kiba, and Kaido Naoya would all converge on this Café.
In addition, there would be the Orphnoch instructor (played by the actor who played Shinjo in Tiga) sent by Smart Brain.
In the original plot, that person killed the original Café owner and Kaido, who just happened to be passing by for coffee, injecting them with Orphnoch energy.
Kaido was lucky enough to evolve into an Orphnoch, while Manager Oda died an innocent death.
But things were different now.
The new owner was him, and that ending would naturally not happen again.
The next day arrived quickly.
Raven woke up early and stood by the counter, waiting for customers.
The customers were still sparse today.
After serving a dozen customers intermittently, it was noon.
The first guest to enter was a young man wearing a hat and dressed in a very distinctive, non-traditional style.
It was Kaido Naoya.
He ordered a cup of coffee, then sat down at a table, continuously practicing something written on a piece of paper.
He appeared to be preparing for a job interview soon.