"Don't let your mind wander. I was talking about your Orphnoch powers," Raven guessed what Yuka was thinking with just a glance. The girl had become increasingly open in that regard ever since she started staying with him.
"Oh."
Yuka lowered her head, slightly embarrassed. She then began to feel her Orphnoch power.
She immediately noticed that her strength seemed to have become much greater than before.
"I feel like I can use my Orphnoch power whenever I want now," Yuka observed carefully.
After being blessed with the power of the Orphnoch King by Raven, Yuka's strength had nearly reached the level of the Lucky Clover.
Of course, this was mainly due to Yuka's own extraordinary potential. After all, every Original Orphnoch was someone the Smart Brain corporation desperately tried to recruit.
Raven's actions had not only helped Yuka resolve the fatal flaw of the Orphnoch form but also prematurely unearthed her latent power.
"I have some good news for you: I've solved your lifespan issue. You don't have to worry about it anymore," Raven told her.
"Really?" Yuka was stunned at first, then overcome with ecstasy. She trusted Raven's words and knew he wouldn't lie to her.
"That's wonderful! This means I can be with you forever, Raven-san!" Yuka joyfully threw her arms around Raven in a heartfelt embrace. She was beaming with happiness.
Raven affectionately ruffled Yuka's hair, wearing a look of deep fondness.
A few days later, Tokyo had barely settled down before a new wave of large-scale disappearances began. This time, the number of missing people was even greater than before. Inside one subway car, an entire carriage's worth of people vanished, leaving nothing but piles of sand on the floor.
In the Smart Brain headquarters, Murakami rubbed his temples upon hearing the news. Which newly awakened Orphnoch was responsible for this mess? While they were happy to see attacks on humans to increase their ranks, frequent, large-scale assaults were excessive.
He immediately called Saeko and the others, instructing them to teach this newcomer a lesson. If suitable, they could also recruit him to become a new member of the Lucky Clover.
At the café, Raven learned of the disappearances through the television news.
"Looks like Sawada has surfaced."
Raven took a sip of the coffee he had just brewed.
The man named Sawada was, in the original series, a disgusting character second only to Kusaka. He had a crush on Mari since childhood and was also good friends with Saya. Yet, both of them ended up dying at his hands.
However, Mari, thanks to her protagonist aura, was taken to Smart Brain by Takumi Inui and revived through surgery. Saya wasn't so lucky; after Sawada killed her, her body immediately crumbled into sand.
What was truly infuriating was that Sawada eventually got redeemed. Both the female lead and Takumi Inui chose to forgive him.
Thinking about this, a chilling coldness flashed in Raven's eyes.
This Sawada must die.
"Raven-san, the coffee you made today is delicious."
Saya took a sip of the coffee Raven personally brewed, finding the taste and aroma to be topnotch. She had been doing a lot of studying on coffee-related knowledge recently to better perform her job at the shop, and she could now appreciate the unique quality of Raven's brew.
"I am the café owner, after all, isn't that just normal?" Raven replied with a straight face.
In truth, his coffee skills were quite average before, which was part of why the shop's business was so slow. Things only picked up slightly after Saya joined. This time, however, was different. After opening the Grand Gift Package and gaining the Max-Level Learning Ability, he had only watched a professional barista's demonstration on TV but had completely mastered the technique and even improved upon it.
"Saya, Yuka, I have something to take care of today. I won't be back for lunch or dinner, so don't wait up for me." Raven then said to the two girls.
"Understood."
Saya responded quickly without asking for details. Yuka, though a little reluctant—as this meant she wouldn't be able to get close to Raven in the shop all day—still nodded.
Raven felt completely at ease leaving the café to them. After all, he had left the Delta Driver at the shop, and Yuka could also transform into her Orphnoch form to fight. Their safety was not an issue.
Meanwhile.
Kyosuke Tokumoto, Ken Arai, Yuki Kawachi, and the others from the Ryuusei School had taken a severe beating from Raven and Saya, with two of them injured, but they remained persistent, believing the Delta Gear might be with Sawada.
They kidnapped Mari, who Sawada had a long-time crush on, and released a message for him to come. Takumi Inui, hearing the news of Mari's kidnapping, hastily sped toward the location on his motorcycle. Raven just happened to run into him on the road and followed along.
Inside an abandoned building.
Tokumoto and the others had finally waited for Sawada.
"Sawada, do you or do you not have the Driver!" Ken Arai demanded impatiently. Although one of his arms was in a cast, the residual power of Delta was still in him, making dealing with ordinary people no problem.
"Hand it over quickly!" cried Yuki Kawachi, who was missing half his teeth.
Mari, who had just woken up from unconsciousness, was extremely shocked by the scene. "Sawada!" She hadn't expected him to actually show up.
"Don't misunderstand. I didn't come here to save Mari. I came to kill her myself," Sawada walked over slowly and said to Tokumoto and the others.
Sawada had already made contact with Smart Brain and the Lucky Clover. To join the Lucky Clover, he had to completely abandon his human heart. Therefore, he intended to kill the person he loved most.
"Stop wasting time talking to him! Just grab him first!"
Yuki Kawachi, unable to contain himself any longer, immediately stepped forward to attack. However, Sawada instantly transformed into his Orphnoch form and punched him, sending him flying.