If you notice any errors, please feel free to give me constructive feedback. English is not my first language, so if you notice any mistakes, please mention them in the comment section at the end of the chapter. I do not own Overlord. All property rights belong to their respective creators. Let's begin the story!
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Chapter-26
High Hill Cafe,
Tokyo, Neo-Japan;
Earth – Year 2138,
Overlord Verse;
5 Months Before the End of Yggdrasil;
The soft chime of the doorbell rang as Shouko entered the café—an upscale establishment that had recently gained popularity on social media for its scenic rooftop and flower-infused desserts. The air was warm with the faint scent of roasted beans and bergamot, blending into an oddly comforting haze. Located in the luxurious part of the district of the bustling city of Tokyo.
She made her way past the polished wooden counters and elegant interiors, taking the narrow spiral staircase to the top-floor balcony. It was a private space, closed off from the rest of the cafe – reserved for VIP patrons.
And there she was – Sayuri, or Wandering Soul as most people in Yggdrasil knew her, waving with a bright smile as she rose from her seat.
Shouko offered a small nod, walking over with her usual quiet grace before sitting down across from her. The two women had known each other for over a decade now, their friendship shaped by Yggdrasil.
"You're late," Sayuri teased, motioning toward the chilled jasmine tea she'd ordered for both of them.
Shouko picked up the glass, and nodded, "Jasmine tea, hmm!".
"It suits you. Cold, elegant, and makes people question whether you're judging them with every blink."
Shouko rolled her eyes. "That sounds like projection."
They both chuckled, the tension easing like the steam rising from the pot between them.
The conversation drifted from light topics – recent work stress, weird food combinations her husband, Shining Knight or Shiroi Suzutsuki wanted her to try, and her daily life.
"Married life's... comfortable," Sayuri murmured, her finger lazily circling the rim of her cup. "Though he still hasn't learned how to treat me in public, without embarrassing us both in the process."
Shouko allowed herself a rare, soft smile.
"But tell me, Shouko... what about you? Anyone on your radar?" Sayuri muttered, eyeing her friend, hoping to connect her with a friend of hers, if she still wasn't stuck in the past.
The question was casual – delivered with the usual warmth – but the shift in Shouko's body didn't go unnoticed. Her lips tightened slightly. She looked out toward the railing of the balcony, her fingers tightening around the cold glass.
Sayuri blinked.
'Wait was she... blushing?' Sayuri mused.
Shouko didn't answer immediately, but that pink flush across her cheeks was more telling than any words. Sayuri tilted her head, openly staring. In twelve years, she had never seen her friend respond like this. Not even once.
"Don't tell me..." Sayuri whispered, her voice trailing with disbelief. Her curiosity sharpened. After so many hours of gaming, so many hours of chatting, she had only ever suspected. She had even probed subtly – especially toward him – but the man always brushed it off or looked deliberately confused, as if pretending not to notice.
And she could finally get hold of Shouko, and make her speak.
Now the blush on Shouko's cheeks was the final confirmation.
She had suspected something for years. The way Shouko stood slightly closer to him during meetings. The moments she watched him in silence, the way her tone shifted when talking about him. Most players didn't pick up on it – He certainly didn't or played the fool – but Sayuri had spent too much time around her not to notice the small things.
He, of course, never encouraged it. That much was clear. He never flirted, never even gave hope or wished to have any romantic relations. She even suspected he knew and simply chose not to acknowledge it, as if willing ignorance was better than the burden of response.
Given what Sayuri knew of his condition – his terminal diagnosis, the countdown over his head – it made sense to her. He had built walls around himself, for him such emotions were inconvenient to entertain. And yet... Shouko stayed loving him.
Sayuri couldn't help but wonder why.
She glanced sideways at her friend. 'Why him?' she thought, chewing the inside of her cheek.
Kai Kurenai. A man who was brilliant, handsome, obscenely rich – and equally narcissistic. Not in a malicious way. No, Kai didn't look down on people because he despised them. He just pitied them, in a distant, impersonal way. Yet, the reason for such an action remained elusive to her.
But from his tales that she heard and his achievements, she could sort of understand his perspective but yet she remained oblivious to the way he saw the world.
"It's been over a decade," Sayuri muttered, unable to keep the thought to herself. "And you never once said a word."
Shouko finally looked up, her expression wavering between surprise and discomfort. Her blush deepened.
Sayuri smiled slyly.
"I understand that you like him," she said, watching the reaction closely, "but I wonder – how did it happen? When did you fall in love with him?"
The directness of the question shattered Shouko's composure. Her eyes widened, her mouth parted, and she actually looked flustered. She was not calm and had been genuinely caught off guard.
A twinge of jealousy crept into Sayuri's chest – not because she loved Kai, but because Shouko, in all her cold beauty and gracefulness she emitted, could look this adorable. It wasn't fair. They were both grown women of similar age, with she being in her early thirties and Shouko, as she was in her late twenties. And yet here Shouko was, blushing like a teenager. It made Sayuri want to flick her forehead out of jealousy. To her Shouko looked adorable, and beautiful.
And pinch her – She did to bring Shouko from her dreamland.
Shouko winced, rubbing her hand where Sayuri had pinched it.
"You were drifting off into daydreams," Sayuri said, feigning innocence. "You looked like a romantic heroine waiting for her hero."
"That's... not funny," Shouko muttered, eyes averted.
"Then answer me." Sayuri leaned in. "When was it? The moment you fell for him?" After all, he was indeed a desirable choice for women without his narcissism, but for a woman of Shouko's stature, there was no end to men she could chose from.
And Shouko tried to bluff. "What are you even talking about?"
Sayuri smirked, unconvinced. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe the young genius."
"I have no idea what you're implying."
Sayuri tilted her head, and muttered. "Who else, if not the Ruler of Narcissism himself, Kai Kurenai."
Shouko's face went red like a cherry blossom in bloom. And Sayuri just stared, envious and a little in awe. She sighed, sipping her tea again.
'She really did fall for him.' Sayuri didn't say the rest aloud. But the thoughts lingered, heavy in her heart. 'What a reckless kind of love... to love a man fated to die. And yet it was just like Shouko to be reckless.'
******
Shouko sipped her jasmine tea, now lukewarm. She didn't flinch at the temperature as she remained oblivious. Her hands stayed wrapped around the glass like an anchor, eyes distant.
Sayuri stayed quiet, watching her.
Shouko exhaled, long and slow — more like a silent surrender than a breath.
She slumped in her seat slightly, her poise slipping as her fingers lightly drummed the glass rim. Her gaze didn't meet Sayuri's. Instead, it stared out over the balcony railing, as if the answer were waiting for her just beyond it.
"I've never told anyone," She said, her voice soft — almost reluctant. "But if you really want to know when it started… it wasn't in Yggdrasil. It was long before that."
Sayuri blinked, caught off guard by the gravity in her tone. She sat upright.
"It was when I was eight," Shouko began, "and I had just lost my parents… four months prior. To a car crash. It had been sudden and violent. I don't remember much of it. I had lost my safety net… my support system."
Her fingers gripped the glass tighter.
"My grandfather — from my mother's side — took me in. He was a stranger to me. I'd never met him before. My mother married against his wishes and was disowned. I was the child of his defiant daughter, and yet… he didn't turn me away."
Sayuri's lips parted, but she didn't speak.
"Later I was taken to a party he was invited to. Some high-society event hosted by a politician. I didn't know anyone. I didn't belong there, I was uncomfortable. I was just… there. Out of place. And alone." Her voice wavered faintly, the memory clawing its way out. "I didn't even want to be there. He showered me with love, but I missed my parents. I missed my home."
Her eyes dimmed as they glazed over with something heavy. "And then… he appeared."
Sayuri tilted her head, listening carefully.
"A boy. Maybe thirteen or fourteen. He came up to me, holding a VR headset. I didn't know him, and I was skeptical. But I was curious. The toy caught my attention. He invited me to play it with him. I followed, being struck in an unknown place without knowing anyone. As everyone stayed with their friends. I wished for a place to belong…."
Shouko paused, her expression distant, reciting her past.
"He helped me wear it. Adjusted the straps. Turned it on. The game was… amazing. For a few minutes, I forgot everything. Until—"
Her breath caught.
"Until I felt someone place their hand on me. From behind and hold me tight."
Sayuri straightened in her seat, shocked at the revelation.
"I froze," Shouko whispered. "My heart stopped. And then I heard a scream. A sharp cry of pain."
She finally looked at Sayuri, eyes distant.
"I took off the headset and saw him. The older boy. Holding his hand in pain. And behind him… him."
Sayuri already knew who 'him' was by the story now. Shouko's voice grew quiet.
"He was standing still, black hair and black eyes, his hands locked behind his back, eyes indifferent, cold and detached. Looking at the older boy with disgust. He looked at that older boy like one would look at a cockroach." Her voice lowered.
"Then he attacked him calmness. He kicked him down and stomped on his face. I didn't know what to feel. I was terrified. But also…" She hesitated. "Relieved."
Sayuri's brows furrowed slightly.
"Because someone had seen me," Shouko admitted. "And done something to protect me without hesitation."
Sayuri reached across the table, squeezing her hand gently.
"He didn't stop even when adults rushed over. It was chaos. But he kept going, as he kicked him in the stomach, unfazed by the stern and horrified faces of the adults surrounding us. It was until… she came."
Shouko's gaze softened — nostalgic, and reminiscing.
"She was… stunning. A woman who stood out with her beauty. Just like my mother. Beautiful, poised, and intimidating. She held him up by the collar and picked him up. And he didn't resist. Just let her drag him and inspect him for any injury, despite him being the one beating another and not the other way around."
The memory hung in the air.
"The injured boy's parents arrived. They were angry and protective, looking for a way to punish the offender. My grandfather too arrived with the host and another man… the father of the boy who saved me. Who my grandfather addressed as Kurenai."
"They argued. The parents of the older boy demanded apologies, compensation, accusations flying." And then the host intervened, asking Mister Kurenai to let him question his son, requesting. As the older boy's parents paraded, seeking my grandfather's assistance. I was angry and wished to tell my grandfather the truth, but I was equally terrified. With my body refusing to move."
A slight smile adorned across her lips, hollow and sad.
"When questioned about the incident, he spoke with a disinterested look." Shouko still remembered the conversation and the night of the party.
******
"Father. Mother. I was approached by that boy, as he showed me his VR toy and spoke about a new game, he had gotten his hand on, that hadn't even been released in the market. He then took me here and helped me wear it and turned ON, an old game." Kai muttered. As, he looked over at the older kid with indifferent look.
As Shouko watched the older boy protest, claiming that the boy was lying. She watched with fear, as her body refused to move. But when Kai looked over at him, with stern gaze, followed by Kai's mother's intervention, the discussion stopped. As, the older boy's parents were implicating Kai's unruly behaviour for beating up a kid for such a nonsensical issue. But with his mother's support Kai continued.
"After the game started, I was disappointed with the game and was planning to remove it when he hugged me from behind and started touching me and even put his hands on my pants. I had enough of this kid after it." He muttered.
Followed by gasps from the surrounding adults and unimpressed look from her grandfather.
******
Shouko still remembered, every word he spoke that day.
"The older boy protested, lied, cried. But Kai's mother held Kai up close and started consoling him of the bad experience he had to go through." But with everyone still staring shocked at the incident, their gaze was drawn to her. Standing there, scared with the VR gear in hand.
She could still remember, hearing her grandfather call out to her, questioning her of her presence at the location, when Kai had turned to her and spoke to her. "Why did you even come here? And why call everyone? I can handle myself and do not need unnecessary meddling form a kid like you." He spoke with a click of his tongue in annoyance.
When his mother chided him and approached her. Her grandfather a bit surprised by Kai's answer, but moved on to handle the situation with the host, leaving Mister Kurenai to handle the situation here.
She could remember the warmth of his mother, as she hugged her and consoled for the bad experience she went through, despite not knowing the truth. She had been fighting tears all this time, after losing her parents, living with unknown people, who were supposedly her relatives and the horrible event she had to deal with it. But the hug, comforted her, as she patted her back. And Shouko couldn't control herself anymore and let it all out, while his mother comforted her.
She cried out, while Kai stood beside his father. Yet, she could hear bits of their conversation, in-between her crying. "I am telling you, this is why I hate coming to parties like this, Father. This was quite a traumatic experience for me, so I beg you to consider against bringing me along to such parties in the future."
Their comical conversation, did wonders to calm her down. While, she spoke a bit with his mother and the party had to be called off. While, they left her with a maid that her grandfather had assigned to look after, she looked once more at the peculiar kid who had recued her and was quite thankful to him. Despite not asking her for it and had protected her, as she heard his mother talk to his father, while leaving. "Isn't she cute. I wish if, we had daughter, I wish for her to be just like her." As a rare smile, adorned the woman. That sent a rare feeling of warmth through Shouko.
With Kai's father nodding and his mother pulling Kai along and she muttered a sentence that changed her life from that point. "Dear, don't you think that our Kai would look good together with her. Won't they just look cute together." With Kai adding, "I am not interested in love and marriage." Remark. But the single sentence had changed Shouko, as she gave it some thought and pondered over it for days and months on end. Remembering the warmth of his mother's hug, she thought back to that exchange, contemplating on it for a long time, thinking about Kai and how he had saved her. And once again meeting him, later she saw him ace in everything he tried with his good looks.
She heard the girls in her class speak about him in the middle school and before she could realise it, she had fallen for him, a long time ago, just realising the feeling. Having planned their whole future together. Only for it to come crashing down, after he was diagnosed with terminal illness.
******
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**The End**
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