Her words sent a ripple of excitement through the restaurant!
The trio of Ainz, Rimuru, and Saitama exchanged excited glances, while Yakumo Yukari's eyes gleamed with amusement.
Utaha, however, was a stark contrast to the others.
The girl was now bouncing her leg and drumming her fingers on the table.
The tense atmosphere radiating from her made even Shoko hesitant to approach her!
"Hmm? Alright," Yuto replied, surprised but agreeing.
He followed Asuna out of the restaurant, closing the door behind him.
'Aiyo?,' Ainz thought.
'Tsk tsk tsk,' Rimuru thought.
'Ah,' Saitama thought.
The trio exchanged knowing glances, each understanding the unspoken implications.
"What's wrong?" Yuto asked, looking at Asuna.
"Kamisaka-kun, thank you." Asuna reached behind her head and untied the ribbon holding her hair up.
The moment her hair cascaded down, it revealed a breathtaking beauty.
"Thank me? You were the one who helped me tonight. I should be thanking you," Yuto said with a faint smile.
Asuna's lips curled into a playful smile as she gazed at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"I know."
"Know what?"
"Kamisaka-kun, you didn't need my help, did you? Rimuru's performance just now... you told him what to say, didn't you?" Asuna's eyes sparkled with cunning, like a little girl who had just solved a riddle.
Yuto hesitated for a moment before letting out a resigned sigh.
"You're wrong."
"Hmph, i'm not!"
"Do you feel happy when customers enjoy your cooking?"
"Mm, very happy."
"Then that's all that matters."
"Kamisaka-kun, I'll come again."
"Alright, I'll be sure to welcome you."
"Hehe, next time, can you teach me how to cook too?" Asuna asked, looking embarrassed.
Yuto chuckled softly. "Of course."
...
Clatter—
The moment Kamisaka Yuto opened the restaurant door, he was met with several pairs of eyes staring at him.
"What are you looking at me for?" Yuto walked behind the bar.
Of the trio standing nearby, everyone except Saitama was snickering.
If Ainz and Rimuru weren't non-human, you'd surely see their lewd expressions.
"What are you two laughing at?" Yuto shot a sharp glance at them.
"I just remembered something amusing," Ainz said.
"Me too," Rimuru added.
Yuto sighed after looking at the two non-humans. "I'm throwing out that backpack of stuff later."
The moment he finished speaking, Ainz and Rimuru fell silent.
"Kamisaka-sama! Please forgive my earlier impertinence!" Ainz cried out.
"Oh, great Boss! Please, take pity on this weak little slime and overlook what just happened!"
Their attitudes did a 1080-degree flip!
This sudden change left Saitama bewildered.
He grew curious about the "backpack" Yuto had mentioned.
'What on earth could make my friends act like this?' Saitama was confused.
"Hmph!" Yuto scoffed and walked over to Reiko. "Sorry for taking so long Reiko. I'll make you a sandwich right now."
He apologized to her, then patted Shoko's head.
He didn't dare to look at Utaha who was standing nearby.
Even from across the bar, he could feel the icy chill radiating from the girl.
"Pfft—" Yakumo Yukari chuckled.
She propped her head on her hand against the bar, watching Yuto with amusement.
Her eyes sparkled with mirth and curiosity.
"Yakumo-san, please don't look at me like that."
"Boss, just call me Yukari. 'Yakumo-san' sounds so formal." Yukari smiled at him.
Her amethyst pupils held an inscrutable gaze as she watched him, strands of golden hair cascading down her smooth arm.
It was a beauty both captivating and unattainable.
Like clouds in the distant sky—elusive and untouchable.
Sitting quietly nearby, Kazami Yuuka frowned as she listened to Yukari.
She was displeased!
"Alright, fine. Then please, Yukari, stop looking at me like that," Yuto said to the blonde yokai.
Yukari gave a faint smile and averted her gaze.
"Uwahahaha—" Suika, who hadn't stopped drinking since she entered the restaurant, let out a strange, drunken laugh.
Yuto glanced at her and noticed the drunken flush on her face.
He sighed inwardly, dismissing Suika's laughter as the odd reaction of a drunkard.
"Ugh... I... I... water... I want water..."
Reimu, who had been slumped over the bar, finally showed signs of waking up.
The red-and-white miko waved her hands weakly in the air, her head swaying as she tried to lift it.
Her face was flushed from the alcohol, and her eyes were hazy as if she hadn't slept in days.
Her entire posture was kinda pathetic.
Yuto was about to pour Reimu a glass of water, but Suika let out a hearty laugh and shoved her sake gourd right at Reimu's mouth.
"Here, drink up!"
With a cheer from the drunken little oni, Reimu instinctively grabbed the gourd and started chugging.
"Suika! Stop it!" Yuto shouted, worried Reimu might drink herself to death in his little restaurant.
Suika obeyed his command and pulled the gourd away.
"It's fine, it's fine," the horned girl giggled. Beside her, Reimu, who had just started to sober up, instantly collapsed again.
With a faint breath, Reimu mumbled, "Good... good sake..."
Hearing this, Yuto was at a loss for words.
Suika, on the other hand, laughed gleefully.
"See, Kamisaka? Reimu loves to drink too!" Drunk as she was, Suika had dropped the formalities.
Yuto sighed, covering his face with his hand in exasperation.
"Kazami-san, Yukari, maybe we should take Reimu and Marisa home now," he said, looking at Yuuka and Yukari with a helpless expression.
Marisa was sprawled across the bar counter, looking like a corpse.
Reimu had just shown signs of life, but in an instant, she had passed out again.
Yuto figured the two of them wouldn't be waking up anytime soon.
Still, he worried something might happen to them from drinking so much, so he suggested taking them home first.
"Mmm, this sort of thing is actually quite common, Boss. You don't need to worry too much," Yukari said.
"Though it is a bit improper for them to be sleeping slumped over here like this."
Yuto's expression shifted as he listened to her.
'Getting this drunk is a common occurrence? What kind of lives do you people even lead?!'
"Well, maybe they can sleep upstairs then," Yuto sighed.
There was plenty of space upstairs, enough for the two girls to rest comfortably.
"No need, leave it to me, Boss!" Yukari waved a hand dismissively with a light smile.
She pointed a finger toward a corner of the restaurant. It was a vacant spot near the edge of the flower shop section that had just been expanded yesterday.
Yuto hadn't yet decided how to use the space.
"Boss, may I use that space for a moment?"
"Yes, you may."
"Excellent."
With Yuto's approval, Yukari gave a light wave of her hand.
In an instant, a mattress materialized in the corner.
Yuto watched as it emerged from a rift in the void. The next moment, Yukari waved her hand toward Reimu and Marisa.
They vanished from the bar, only to tumble out of the same rift.
Thud! Thud!
Reimu landed on the mattress with a dull thud and Marisa fell on top of her.
Yuto winced just watching it, but the two girls remained fast asleep.
"There, let them sleep there for a while," Yukari said to Yuto with a smile.
Yuto wanted to say something but kept his mouth shut.
'It's fine. Reimu and Marisa will be fine like this,' he repeated silently to himself.
"Boss," Yuyuko said weakly, looking at Yuto with a dazed expression. "I'm still hungry..."
"Alright, I'll get back to cooking right away." Yuto smiled at her.
Before turning away, he glanced at Kazami Yuuka.
Coincidentally, Yuuka was looking at him at that very moment.
In that instant, Yuto thought he saw a flicker of annoyance in her eyes.
He couldn't be sure.
When he blinked, her gaze became indifferent. 'Perhaps it was just my imagination?'
Yuto turned and entered the kitchen.
The usually composed Kazami Yuuka sat quietly in her seat.
Her mind echoed with the words Yuto had just spoken as a hint of displeasure lingering in her heart!
'Kazami-san... Kazami-san... Kazami-san...'
She resented him calling her "Kazami-san" while addressing Yakumo Yukari as "Yukari"!
Clatter—
The restaurant door swung open again.
Yuto peeked out from the kitchen.
Good, his employee had finally arrived! But she was accompanied by three others.
Considering her identity, the newcomers were likely dragons as well.
As Yuto pondered this, the dragon girl burst into a cheerful shout.
"Boss! Boss! I brought my friends!"
Tohru's eyes sparkled, and the plump tail behind her swished back and forth excitedly.
Her friends were a diverse group: a little girl who looked adorable and innocent, a strikingly mature onee-san with big personallity and a young man with a cold and aloof demeanor!