"Grandpa, please don't..." Sakura pleaded, but this only seemed to ignite some twisted interest in Matou Zouken as a cruel grin spreading across his face.
"Hmph hmph hmph..." Clutching his cane, he pressed forward relentlessly, his low, chilling laughter echoing with sinister menace.
Crunch—
Finally, Sakura's foot left the platform.
In that moment, a torrent of emotions flooded the little girl's face, mingling with her tears: fear, disbelief, pain, regret, sorrow, despair, rage...
Her tears vanished into the air as her body plummeted.
Standing on the platform, Matou Zouken watched the scene unfold with undisguised glee.
"Noooooo!"
Sakura's anguished cries echoed through the void.
In that fleeting moment, within the narrow crack of time, an intense heat surged forth!
Matou Zouken's expression twisted in shock, as if witnessing an impossible sight.
Sakura, who's about to fall into the swarm of insects, was enveloped by flames.
The scorching fire, as if protecting her, didn't burn a single thread of her clothing.
In the final moment before losing consciousness, the image of the small restaurant flashed through Sakura's mind.
'Goddess-sama, Yuto-nii, Tohru-nee... Save me...'
As if answering the little loli's final desperate plea, a door materialized out of thin air and swung open!
The flames carrying Sakura plunged through the door!
In the blink of an eye, all traces of the phenomenon vanished.
Matou Zouken stared in stunned silence, speechless.
...
Over two hours had passed in quiet stillness.
Everything in the small restaurant remained as usual.
The King of Conqueror and Waver were still deep in conversation, though Waver's face was flushed with drink.
Ainz and the others continued reading their light novels and manga.
Hestia remained slumped over the table, her posture unchanged for so long that Yuto began to wonder if she had fallen asleep.
Tohru sat down to chat with her friends.
Yuto, behind the bar, listened to the lively chatter of the restaurant.
He found a unique tranquility in the midst of the noise, as if the chaos created a peculiar sense of peace.
Around 11:40 PM, Nishimiya Yaeko arrived.
"Kamisaka-kun, thank you for your help again tonight," she said gratefully.
Though fatigue from her day's work lingered on her face, the gloom and despondency that had haunted her yesterday had vanished.
She now radiated a renewed confidence and passion for life.
"It's no problem at all," Yuto replied, stepping out from behind the bar to stand near the entrance.
As Nishimiya Yaeko entered, Shoko moved to her side, taking her mother's hand and smiling at Yuto.
"Here's the money," Nishimiya Yaeko said, reaching into her bag to retrieve some bills.
But Yuto gently pushed her hand away.
"No need," he insisted. "I told you before, I'm happy to have Shoko-chan here."
Yuto's words brought a slight mist to Nishimiya Yaeko's eyes.
She gazed at him with a grateful and relieved smile, as if he were something precious to her.
"Thank you. Then I'll take Shoko's home now." Nishimiya Yaeko bowed to Yuto and reached for Shoko's hand to leave.
But the little girl stopped her mother.
Nishimiya Yaeko looked at her daughter in surprise, her expression puzzled.
"Wait, Mama. I want to give Yuto-nii-chan a present." Shoko turned to Yuto. "Yuto-nii-chan, this is for you."
Under Yuto's warm smile, Shoko shyly handed him a folded square of paper.
Judging by the creases, it seemed to be a drawing.
"Thank you, Shoko-chan," Yuto said, patting her head warmly.
Sometimes, a simple gift like this was enough to comfort the heart.
"Yuto-nii-chan, squat down." Shoko seemed to have something else in mind.
Thinking the little girl wanted to whisper something, Yuto crouched down.
Shoko took a deep breath, as if steeling herself.
Her face flushed crimson with nervousness, and her pale pink, short hair trembled, betraying her excitement.
What she was about to do was something she had never done before.
Her heart pounded like a drum.
A surge of courage, fueled by shyness and excitement, erupted within her.
Under Yuto's surprised gaze, the little girl lunged toward him.
Smack...
Yuto was momentarily speechless, but the next moment, a smile spread across his lips.
"This gift is very precious, you know," he murmured, stroking Shoko's head as he looked down at her.
The little girl's face flushed crimson.
Her expression was tense and shy, too afraid to meet Yuto's eyes. She couldn't even bring herself to respond to his words!
"Goodbye, Kamisaka-kun," Nishimiya Yaeko said, her lips curving into a faint smile as she observed her daughter's reaction.
After another farewell, Nishimiya Yaeko led Shoko away.
Even as they left, Shoko didn't dare glance back at Yuto.
"Sigh..." Yuto touched the small, damp spot on his cheek.
He exhaled in relief, a hint of joy in his breath.
He reached out and gazed at the folded drawing Shoko had just given him, an involuntary smile spreading across his face once more.
While he was sighing, Ainz was already glaring with eyes like laser beams from the bar!
He had been overjoyed when Shoko gave him a gift earlier.
But now, seeing how Shoko was treating Yuto, he was green with envy!
'Jealous... I'm so jealous,' Ainz thought.
As Yuto walked back to the bar, he caught Tohru's admiring gaze and returned a smile.
It wasn't until he reached the bar that he noticed something was off with Ainz.
"Ainz, what's wrong?" Yuto couldn't shake the feeling that Ainz was staring at him.
"Ahem, nothing." Ainz cleared his throat and returned to reading his light novel.
Yuto raised an eyebrow, but decided to let it go.
If Ainz didn't want to talk about it, he wouldn't press him. He sat down and began unfolding the drawing to see what it was.
He had just unfolded half of it when the restaurant door burst open!
The door was yanked open with such force that it slammed against the wall with a loud crash.
But that wasn't the most remarkable part.
What truly caught everyone's attention was the humanoid figure of flame that surged into the restaurant!
In an instant, the fiery presence stirred up a commotion among everyone in the room.
Even the listless Hestia stared at the flames, her brow furrowing.
'This fire... it contains my power!' she thought.
"Trouble?!" Ainz slammed his fist on the table, ready to unleash a spell, but Yuto stopped him.
Everyone stared at the flames.
Gradually, the fire dissipated, revealing the figure within.
Yuto's eyes widened in shock—it was Sakura!
"SAKURAA!!!"
Before anyone could react, Hestia darted to Sakura's side, her face frantic as she cradled the unconscious girl.
The goddess burst into tears!
Yuto rushed to Hestia's side.
"Waaah... Kamisaka, Kamisaka... Sakura... Sakura... Waaah..."
The tearful goddess gazed at Yuto.
He patted her shoulder before taking Sakura into his arms.
Even after being engulfed in flames, the little girl's body remained cool.
Yuto noticed Sakura's furrowed brow. Even unconscious, she seemed to be frowning, as if terrified of something...