"What budget?" Natsumi Hikari asked, momentarily stunned.
"In order to safeguard national security, we collect appropriate fees from the state," Hajime Shijyo explained smoothly.
"Does that apply to the Riders as well?" Yusuke asked.
"Have you misunderstood something? The Riders are employees of our company, and the Rider Systems are our company property." Hajime Shijyo rose from his executive chair, his voice dripping with disdain. "If you wish to borrow them, you must pay the corresponding fee."
"What a jerk... all he talks about is money, money, money," Natsumi muttered under her breath.
Yusuke Onodera, however, gave an enlightened nod. "I see how it is." He immediately turned to leave.
"You're just giving up like that?!" Natsumi was shocked by his lack of persistence.
"Well, we really don't have any money," Yusuke said helplessly.
"That might be true, but still..."
As Natsumi agonized over the situation, several people suddenly walked into the office. It was Kazuma Kendate and Sakuya Hishigata, followed by Tsukasa, who had just returned from the studio.
"Tsukasa?" Natsumi looked at him in surprise.
"Due to the current global economic crisis, our company's budget has been drastically cut," Hajime Shijyo said, sitting back down and typing away at his computer. "Under these circumstances, since your unauthorized actions resulted in a loss for the company, you are being demoted from Rank A to Rank 7."
Shijyo spoke flatly as he moved Kazuma Kendate's icon from the peak of the corporate pyramid down to the middle tier.
"But I only did it to save Mutsuki...!" Kazuma was speechless. He couldn't believe he was being demoted for such a ridiculous reason.
Shijyo ignored him entirely and turned his gaze toward Tsukasa. "Your name is Tsukasa, right? You are officially promoted to Rank K. That's a jump of eleven levels. Your salary will increase accordingly."
The moment he heard the word "salary," Tsukasa's bored expression vanished, replaced by a glimmer of genuine interest. "Much appreciated."
"You changed your tune way too fast!" Yusuke complained from the sidelines.
Natsumi's brow furrowed in annoyance. How could Tsukasa become so money-hungry at a time like this? Fuming, she turned on her heel and marched out of the office, her high heels clicking sharply.
"Forget it. When it comes to saving the world, I'm better off talking to Raven."
She stopped after walking a short distance. "But where is he right now?"
Just as she was fretting, a pair of hands suddenly reached out from behind, wrapping around her waist and pulling her close.
"Kya—!"
She was about to scream instinctively, but the familiar scent and touch made her stop. Her worry instantly melted into joy as she turned around. Standing there was the man she had been longing for: Raven.
"Where did you disappear to? Nobody takes that long in the bathroom!" she teased. She didn't mind Raven's playful roaming hands in the slightest; had it been anyone else, she would have exploded in rage.
"I took a walk around the neighborhood and picked up a gift for you," Raven said, acting mysterious.
"A gift? Where is it?" Natsumi's eyes lit up instantly. Raven taking the initiative to buy her a gift was an excellent sign.
"I already dropped it off back home. I'll give it to you when we get back," Raven replied.
"You're the best!" Natsumi couldn't resist giving Raven a quick peck on the cheek. Immersed in the romantic atmosphere, she completely forgot about her mission to save the world.
Meanwhile, Tsukasa Kadoya, the new "King" of the kitchen, was taking his promotion very seriously. He was acting every bit the head chef, being incredibly nitpicky about every detail.
He took special care to "supervise" Kazuma Kendate, who had gone from an A-Rank Rider to a cafeteria kitchen hand.
"Keep moving. No slacking off," Tsukasa said, hovering over Kazuma like a true corporate tyrant.
Kazuma was boiling with indignation, but he knew that to stay in the company, he had to follow orders. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before his former teammates, Hishigata and Mutsuki, showed up just to mock and belittle him. The emotional stress caused Kazuma to mess up his work repeatedly.
In the end, he was summoned by the President again and demoted once more, this time all the way down to Rank 2, the lowest tier. To make matters worse, the company was repossessing his Blay Buckle.
"I sealed so many Undead for this company, and you're stripping me of my status over something so small?" Kazuma couldn't accept it. He snatched the Blay Buckle back from the desk and backed away.
Hajime Shijyo explained coldly, "This company thrives on fierce competition among its employees. And in this competition, you have failed."
Kazuma couldn't take it anymore. He turned and bolted out of the office with the Buckle. Just as Shijyo was about to give chase, a figure entered from a side door.
"Leave it to me," the man said. It was Kamata.
"As long as Riders and Undead join forces, we can become the rulers of this world," Kamata said to Shijyo.
With a burst of wild laughter, Kamata departed. As it turned out, he was actually the Chairman of this company. He was conspiring with the human Shijyo to use the Rider System to create the ultimate Undead, the Joker, and use it to rule the world.
…
Elsewhere, Natsumi followed Raven back to the studio, excited to see the gifts he had mentioned.
In truth, Raven hadn't gone shopping at all, let alone bought gifts. Those words were just a way to distract her. However, there were indeed gifts—he had simply used his divine power to manifest them out of thin air. They were indistinguishable from the real thing.
Raven presented Natsumi with several outfits, specifically, high-end designer pieces she had been eyeing in her fashion magazines.
"These are..." Natsumi was stunned as she held the clothes. She hadn't expected Raven to know exactly what she liked. He was being so incredibly thoughtful.
However, Raven had tucked a few "special" items into the pile. A black silk maid outfit was a must, along with some incredibly provocative lingerie.
"Ahem. Those were... uh, promotional freebies the shop threw in," Raven said, his face remaining perfectly calm and his heart not skipping a beat.