Daiki Kaito was laying it on thick. If Raven didn't already know the plot, he might have actually bought into the act.
In reality, Kaito was more of a stalker than a friend. It was no wonder Tsukasa, and even his actor in real life, found the guy so grating. He had a knack for popping up out of nowhere at the most inconvenient times.
"To make up for the trouble Tsukasa usually causes everyone, I've prepared a lavish breakfast," Kaito announced smoothly. "Please, help yourselves."
"Whoa!" Onodera immediately headed for the dining table, his eyes sparkling at the spread.
"Hey, wait a minute!" Seeing Kaito untie his apron as if to leave, Tsukasa chased after him. "You know about my past, don't you?"
He was desperate to understand who he had been before his amnesia. However, Kaito remained a cryptic "riddle-man," leaving him with a cryptic warning, "You're still better off not eating sea cucumbers", before making his exit.
"What are you even talking about?"
Confused, Tsukasa followed him out, but his clothes suddenly began to shimmer and shift. This time, he was dressed in a high school student's uniform. By the time the transformation was complete, Daiki Kaito had vanished.
Raven and the others followed close behind, only to find Tsukasa in his new attire. Onodera couldn't hold back a laugh.
"Your identity this time is... a high schooler?"
Clap, clap, clap...
"Watch your mouth," Tsukasa said, confidently swinging his school bag. "A man like me looks good in anything I wear."
"But seriously, is that Kaito person really your friend?" Natsumi Hikari asked.
"I don't know, but there's definitely a sense of familiarity," Tsukasa replied. "Maybe he really does know who I am."
Raven watched the exchange with an imperceptible smile. He wondered how Tsukasa would react if he knew his true identity right now.
Technically, Tsukasa Kadoya fit the "Young, Rich, and Handsome" archetype perfectly. He was a winner at life: both parents gone, owning a house, and having a younger sister. On top of that, he was the Great Leader of Dai-Shocker, a massive organization spanning multiple worlds.
Yet, despite being a "King" with a delicate, beautiful sister at home, the pre-amnesia Tsukasa was no "Best Big Brother." Unlike the sister-complex-driven Soji Tendo, Tsukasa had barely spent any time with her, preferring to wander and play. It was that neglect that eventually led his sister, Sayo Kadoya, to betray him.
Thinking of this, Raven's gaze toward Tsukasa shifted slightly.
'I guess I'll have to go a bit easier on my future brother-in-law later...'
He admitted it to himself, he was already "eating from the bowl while eyeing the pot."
Tsukasa reached into his pocket and pulled out an ID card. It was a student ID for a local high school. "Maybe I can find some answers there," he mused before heading off on his own.
"Are you actually going to school?!" Onodera shouted after him.
"Let him go check it out. Let's eat," Raven said nonchalantly.
Back at the Hikari Studio, the group dug into the meal Kaito had prepared. Natsumi used her phone to look up rumors regarding the Kaijin of this world.
"Monsters that appear when a deceased human reawakens... these are the characteristics of Orphnochs," she explained. "In this world, Orphnochs disguise themselves as humans, lurking in society to attack from the shadows."
Onodera, sipping his miso soup, asked, "Orphnochs? What's their motive for attacking people?"
In the world of Kuuga where he came from, the Gurongi attacked humans as part of a "Gegel" game or a ritual.
"To increase their numbers," Raven said flatly.
He was no stranger to Orphnochs. The first world he traveled to after being transformed into an Amazon Origin was the world of Faiz. There, he had even devoured the power of two Orphnoch Kings. To him, this parallel world held little allure; he already possessed the power of Kaijin and the Belts of this era.
"What do you mean by that?" Natsumi put down her chopsticks, her beautiful eyes fixed on Raven with curiosity. Onodera looked up as well.
"When an Orphnoch attacks a human, they inject energy into them to force an awakening," Raven explained casually. "But most humans can't handle that energy. Their bodies break down into sand. Only a small fraction successfully awaken as Orphnochs."
"So that's how it works..." Onodera nodded, visibly shaken. Then, he paused. "Wait, how do you know all that?"
"Alright, I'm full." Raven didn't answer. He stood up, preparing to leave.
Seeing this, Natsumi followed him, intimately taking his arm. She didn't bother hiding their closeness in front of the others.
"Grandpa, aren't you even a little curious about Raven's identity? I mean, Natsumi is already..." Onodera turned to the elderly Eijiro Hikari once the couple had left.
To be honest, while Raven and Natsumi's relationship was an open secret, the "Single Dog" Onodera was still stunned by the pace. By his count, they hadn't even known each other for a month.
"Let the young people decide their own path," Eijiro said lightheartedly. He actually looked relieved, like a grandfather who had finally seen his granddaughter find a good match.
…
After leaving the studio, Raven and Natsumi walked for a while, eventually finding themselves near the high school Tsukasa was attending.
"There are many Orphnochs lurking in this school," Raven said, watching the students and pedestrians pass by.
This high school had been funded and established by Smart Brain. It was essentially an "upgraded" version of the Ryusei School. Almost every student enrolled had survived a major life-or-death crisis in childhood and lost their parents. The goal was to filter through them and find the Orphnoch King.
Naturally, the concentration of Orphnochs here was higher than anywhere else.
"Really? But we don't have student IDs. I don't think we can get in," Natsumi said, surprised.
"Who says we don't?" Raven gave her a mysterious smile.