After Grayfia left, the restaurant quickly settled back into its usual calm.
Ainz, Rimuru, and Fafnir took seats along one side of the counter, though none of them immediately returned to their game.
Rias sat between them and Yuto.
She still looked shaken.
The fear had not completely left her face, and she kept glancing toward Ainz and the others, unable to hide her astonishment.
"How did you know something was happening?"
Yuto was referring to the fact that they had noticed the confrontation despite being immersed in their game.
Once the VR headsets were on, the players were almost completely cut off from the outside world.
Normally, they would not notice anything unless someone physically shook them.
"It was her demonic power," Rimuru explained. "The sudden disturbance made me realize something was wrong. Even while I'm playing, my body still reacts to unusual magical energy."
Ainz and Fafnir nodded.
Their reasons were much the same.
Grayfia's surge of demonic power had triggered their instincts and pulled them out of the game.
Ordinary conversation or noise would never have disturbed them.
"It's fortunate we noticed," Ainz said, clearly displeased. "That woman might actually have caused trouble otherwise. If something like this happens again, Kamisaka, wake us immediately."
He spoke because he genuinely considered Yuto a friend.
If Yuto had not stopped him earlier, Ainz truly would have killed Grayfia.
"All right. I'll do that next time."
Yuto gave him an apologetic smile.
He could not deny that Ainz's concern had touched him.
"Now that everything is settled, let's get back to the game." Fafnir turned a cold gaze toward Ainz and Rimuru.
"What levels are you two? How far have you progressed through the quests?"
Both of them stiffened.
"No more talking. I'm going to level up right now," Rimuru declared.
"No more talking. I'm finishing those quests," Ainz added.
The two hurried back to their seats, put on their headsets, and immediately reentered the game.
Fafnir snorted and muttered that neither of them had improved at all before returning to his own game.
That left only Yuto and Rias at the counter.
"Would you like some tea?"
Rias paused briefly before nodding.
"Thank you, Kamisaka-kun."
"There's no need to thank me."
Yuto entered the kitchen, placed a small pinch of tea leaves into a cup, and poured hot water over them.
The leaves spun through the water, rising and falling like delicate dancers.
He carried the tea back and placed it before Rias.
She quietly thanked him again, lifted the cup, and let only a little touch her lips before setting it down.
The tea was still far too hot for more than a cautious sip.
Even that small taste seemed to ease her expression.
"So, what would you like to eat?"
Yuto met her gaze with a warm smile.
Rias was still emotionally overwhelmed.
She had expected him to ask what had happened the moment Grayfia left.
Yet he had said nothing.
"Then... something simple would be fine."
Her answer was weak and uncertain.
She could not name a particular dish. Her thoughts were still too tangled for her to know what she wanted.
Yuto considered it briefly, then nodded.
"I understand. Give me a moment."
He entered the kitchen and took out several sausages. After cutting each one in half, he made several small slits into one end.
He heated oil in a pan and added the sausages, turning them gently with his chopsticks.
As they cooked, the cut ends spread and curled outward, giving each sausage the shape of a tiny octopus.
Their color slowly deepened into a rich red, and a warm, savory aroma with a hint of char drifted from the kitchen.
Rias sat quietly at the counter and watched Yuto cook.
From where she was sitting, she could see most of his back. Whenever he shifted slightly to one side, he disappeared from view.
The soft crackle of oil and the faint smell of food filled the room.
Her gaze gradually lost focus.
The sadness inside her returned like a cold stream flowing beneath the moonlight—quiet, lonely, and seemingly without end.
The drunken haze she thought had already faded crept back into her mind.
Her vision blurred.
The restaurant's warm lights dissolved into hazy circles, and even Yuto's figure became indistinct.
Then the blurred shape began moving toward her.
Gradually, it came back into focus.
He was carrying a plate.
"Try these. They're pretty good."
Yuto smiled and slid the dish across the counter.
Several octopus-shaped sausages were neatly arranged on the plate.
They looked both cute and appetizing, and a tempting aroma rose from their freshly cooked surfaces.
Rias stared at them for a moment.
"Thank you."
Her voice was slightly hoarse.
She picked up one of the sausages with her chopsticks and placed it in her mouth.
The warmth of the first bite felt like sunlight breaking through the middle of winter.
For a brief moment, it brought comfort to her heart.
Then the bitterness followed.
A sour ache rose inside her, like the unpleasant taste left behind after biting into an unripe fruit.
Confusion and grief welled up together.
Images flashed through her mind.
Her argument with her brother.
The countless nights she had spent lying awake alone.
Memory after memory surfaced, twisted together, and slowly faded into the same dull gray, as though someone had covered them all with a heavy cloth.
When Rias blinked, a tear landed on the back of her hand.
The brief warmth of it, followed by the cool trail it left behind, pulled her back to the present.
She touched her cheek.
Without realizing it, she had already begun crying again.
"Here. Wipe your face."
A gentle voice reached her ears, and a tissue appeared in front of her.
Rias looked up.
Yuto's smile and calm gaze carried an almost extraordinary sense of reassurance.
She accepted the tissue without thinking and gently wiped her eyes.
The tears disappeared, though her eyes remained slightly red.
Yuto sighed quietly to himself.
The moment Rias began crying, he saw just how vulnerable she truly was.
This was not the time for empty words of comfort.
He did not know how the situation had begun or understand all the circumstances surrounding it. He was only an outsider.
How could someone standing outside the problem truly understand the pain of the person trapped within it?
So he remained silent and watched as Rias finished the sausages.
Afterward, she sat without moving for a long time.
Her gaze rested on the empty plate, her eyes so hollow that no one could tell what she was thinking.
"Kamisaka-kun..."
After a long silence, she finally spoke.
Even then, the words came slowly.
"Thank you."
She was thanking him for what he had done earlier.
His intervention had allowed her to escape, at least for tonight.
"There's no need to thank me. I was only doing my job as the owner of this restaurant. You said you wanted to eat, so it was my responsibility to make sure you could. Isn't that only natural?"
Yuto's voice remained easy and warm.
At last, the corners of Rias's lips lifted.
Her smile was breathtaking, like moonlight emerging after being hidden behind clouds.
"Kamisaka-kun... about the Satan—my brother... I'm sorry I dragged you into all this trouble."
Rias bit her lip, guilt and unease showing on her face.
Earlier, she had rushed into the restaurant without thinking.
Now that she had calmed down, she finally understood how much trouble her actions might bring Yuto.
Her brother was a Satan.
He was usually gentle with her, but the title still carried terrifying power. His anger was not something an ordinary person could withstand.
"You don't need to apologize. If a customer who wanted to eat were dragged out of my restaurant by force, I would have failed in my duty. I won't allow that."
Yuto spoke calmly.
"Whatever happens because of my decision is my responsibility. It isn't something the customer should have to worry about."
Every restaurant owner had their own rules.
Yuto's was simple.
Inside his restaurant, unless the customers themselves decided otherwise, he had the final say.
Rias fell silent.
Her lips pressed together, and complicated emotions churned inside her.
Eventually, she released a quiet breath.
"Would you be willing to listen to a story, Kamisaka-kun?"
She looked at him with exhaustion filling her brilliant red eyes. Their usual beauty had dimmed, like precious jewels covered in dust.
Yuto nodded gently.
Rias sighed and began speaking.
Her voice remained soft and pleasant, but deep weariness lay beneath it.
She told him a story about a girl.
The girl had been born into a noble family and lived a privileged life from the moment she entered the world.
Even so, she had never stopped working hard.
As she grew older, a crisis began to threaten her family. A shortage of heirs left the noble house vulnerable to attacks from its enemies.
Eventually, the girl's parents came up with a solution.
Marriage.
By marrying her into another powerful family, they could secure an alliance and protect their house from danger.
The girl did not want it, but she forced herself to smile and agreed.
She understood that it was the easiest way to save her family.
No matter what she wanted for herself, she had to consider everyone else.
She had to protect them.
Even if the man she was expected to marry was terrible, she would endure it.
But one night, after she drank too much, everything she had suppressed finally broke free.
She argued bitterly with her family and ran away.
When they sent someone to bring her home, she refused to return.
As Rias continued, tears began falling again.
Yuto understood immediately.
The girl in the story was Rias herself.
He reached out and gently patted her shoulder, then placed another stack of tissues in front of her.
He did not want to make a simple judgment about who was right or wrong.
In some ways, no one involved seemed entirely at fault.
In others, all of them were.
The needs of the individual and the needs of the family.
Freedom and responsibility.
Such things could never be divided neatly into right and wrong. They tangled around one another and created problems with no easy answer.
Eventually, Rias's sobs grew quiet.
At some point, she had slumped forward over the counter, her head resting on her folded arms.
Her eyes were closed, and her breathing had become slow and even.
After enduring so much fear and pain, her mind had finally reached its limit.
Once she had confessed everything and cried until no emotion remained, her heart had finally relaxed.
She fell asleep almost immediately.
Yuto let out a quiet sigh and smiled helplessly.
There was clearly no way to send her home tonight.
In that case, she could stay here and sleep without fear.