Yuto arrived back at the restaurant.
Because it sat inside a narrow alley where sunlight rarely reached, the restaurant already looked slightly darker than the shops along the main street.
The glowing tree beside the entrance had begun to light up as well.
Tiny points of radiance shimmered among its branches like stars scattered across the night sky.
They were nowhere near as bright as sunlight, but they were beautiful.
Once darkness fully settled over the city, those scattered lights would grow even brighter.
Only then would the tree reveal its true beauty.
Yuto opened the door and stepped inside.
Rias was sitting off to one side reading a book, while Tohru and Kanna sat together with worried expressions.
The moment Yuto entered, both dragons visibly tensed.
"I'm back."
"Welcome back, Boss."
"Welcome back, Kamisaka."
"Welcome back, Kamisaka-kun."
All three greeted him.
Under Tohru and Kanna's nervous gazes, Yuto walked directly over and sat down in front of them.
"All right. Explain yourselves. Why did you secretly follow me today?"
He smiled.
"And more importantly... whose idea was it?"
Tohru and Kanna both trembled slightly.
The two dragons exchanged a glance.
Tohru's eyes practically screamed, 'See? I told you we couldn't hide it from Boss.'
Kanna's expression became increasingly conflicted.
Eventually, she deflated like a balloon.
She scratched the back of her head with one tiny hand and looked awkwardly at Yuto.
In the end, Kanna confessed that the idea had been hers.
Once she admitted it, she immediately lowered her head and refused to meet his eyes.
Yuto let out a quiet breath and smiled helplessly.
"So you followed me because you were bored?"
"I wanted to go out and play with Kamisaka... but Kamisaka couldn't come, so it got boring. Then I thought... maybe we could follow Kamisaka instead..."
Now that Kanna had admitted she was the mastermind, she became much more honest and explained her reasoning without trying to hide anything.
Yuto rubbed his forehead.
He wanted to scold her properly, but looking at the tiny dragon made it difficult to be too harsh.
In the end, he merely tapped her lightly on the head.
"No matter why you did it, secretly following someone is still wrong. Even Kanna has to accept punishment for that."
His tone became serious.
Kanna immediately looked nervous.
"However, since you admitted your mistake on your own, I'll reduce the punishment a little."
Yuto smiled.
Kanna's eyes instantly lit up.
She knew Kamisaka would never be that cruel!
"Here. This thinner math workbook is yours. Finish it before school starts on Monday."
Yuto placed a thin mathematics workbook in front of her.
The joy on Kanna's face instantly vanished.
Her entire expression turned gray.
"Didn't you say... reduced...?"
"I said reduced, not canceled."
Still smiling, Yuto produced another workbook.
This one was much thicker.
"If you hadn't admitted it yourself, you would've been doing this one instead."
He had bought both on his way back specifically for this possibility.
Kanna stared at the two books in despair.
With trembling hands, she accepted the thinner one and looked pitifully at Yuto, her eyes practically begging him to reconsider.
His only response was a gentle smile.
"Finish it before school on Monday. If it's Kanna, I'm sure you can do it."
Yuto patted her shoulder with complete confidence.
Kanna sniffled and glared at him resentfully.
"Kamisaka is the worst!!!"
Clutching the workbook to her chest, she turned around and marched away.
She gave him nothing but the merciless back of her head.
Yuto could not help laughing.
He casually placed the thicker workbook on the counter.
Then his gaze shifted toward Tohru, who had been quietly enjoying Kanna's suffering from the side.
The instant Tohru realized he was looking at her, her back straightened.
"Tohru, you didn't think you were getting away with this, did you?"
Tohru froze.
"...Eh?"
Panic immediately filled her face.
"Kanna is a child. It's understandable that she doesn't always know better. But you're different. When Kanna was about to do something wrong, you should've stopped her."
Yuto paused.
"Instead, you joined her."
Tohru's face grew paler with every word.
"So, as punishment, your four dishes tonight are canceled."
Her soul nearly left her body.
"And tomorrow, you'll sit beside Kanna while she does her exercises. You're not free until she finishes the workbook."
By the time Yuto finished speaking, Tohru had gone completely blank.
"Boss, nooooo!!!"
She immediately began wailing and pleading with him.
Yuto waved one hand with perfect composure.
"It's decided."
Tohru collapsed into despair.
Once the two dragons had been properly dealt with, Yuto walked over to Rias.
He sighed with slight embarrassment.
"Sorry you had to see all that."
"Not at all. You're being too polite, Kamisaka-kun."
Rias smiled softly.
"I actually think the way you interact with Tohru and Kanna is wonderful."
Every word and gesture remained perfectly refined.
Even so, a lingering uneasiness remained hidden in her eyes.
Something was still weighing on her heart.
She was simply very good at hiding it.
"So, what did you think of this world after going out today?"
Yuto sat down across from her with a relaxed smile.
Rias hooked a strand of crimson hair away from the corner of her eye with her little finger and tucked it behind her ear.
"It's an extraordinarily peaceful world," she said softly. "It makes you feel safe very easily."
Compared with her own world, this place—where supernatural power was almost nonexistent—felt incredibly calm.
If she had the choice, she would gladly remain here for a long time.
"For someone who already has power, this world probably does seem peaceful."
Yuto understood why she felt that way.
After everything happening with her family, it was only natural for Rias to long for an ordinary life.
"But for ordinary people living here, the world might not feel nearly as kind."
Rias fell silent.
She thought carefully about his words.
Once she understood what he meant, she sighed.
"I suppose I was looking at things too narrowly."
"I wouldn't call it narrow-minded."
Yuto shook his head.
"It's simply another kind of helplessness. You long for an ordinary life, while ordinary people often dream of having power. People tend to want what they don't have."
He smiled faintly.
"It's like living inside a walled city. The people inside want to escape, while the people outside want to get in."
Rias gave a faint smile.
She understood exactly what he meant.
She was the one trapped inside the walls, desperately wishing she could escape.
"Still, there's no point dwelling on it too much," Yuto continued. "Every problem has some kind of solution. Just because you can't see the light right now doesn't mean morning will never come."
Rias stared at him.
His peaceful smile felt like a gentle evening breeze passing through her heart.
The anxiety inside her slowly began to settle.
"So when the time comes, just face it honestly."
Rias remained silent for a moment.
Then a sincere smile gradually appeared on her lips, and the light returned to her crimson eyes.
"Mm."
She answered softly.
"It's getting late. I need to start preparing ingredients, so I'll stop bothering you and get back to work."
Yuto checked the time, gave her a slight nod, and headed toward the kitchen.
Rias remained seated.
For a while, she simply stared at his back.
Her deep crimson eyes reflected nothing but Yuto's figure.
Only after he disappeared into the kitchen did she finally come back to herself.
A trace of embarrassment and surprise crossed her face.
She quickly placed a hand over her chest.
Her heart was pounding violently!