By the time Tohru returned, Rias had been asleep for nearly an hour.
Outside, the night sky was beginning to fade into a dim blue.
The sun had not yet risen, but the clouds along the distant horizon were already edged with gold.
"Boss, I'm back!"
Tohru called out excitedly the moment she stepped into the restaurant.
Yuto quickly raised a finger to his lips.
She froze and stared at him in confusion before noticing Rias asleep over the counter.
Understanding flashed across her face, and her movements immediately became gentler. She carefully controlled every step, crossing the floor without making a sound.
Once she reached Yuto, she pulled several slim glass vials from her clothes. Each one contained a potion that glowed faintly sky blue.
These were the potions she had mentioned—the ones that could restore mental energy.
"Here, Boss."
Tohru carefully handed them over.
She normally treated potions like these without much concern, but since they were for Yuto, she handled them with far greater care.
Breaking one in front of him would have been unbearably embarrassing.
"So this is it..."
Yuto held one vial up and gently shook it.
The liquid inside was as blue as the open sky, and tiny points of light shimmered within it like distant stars.
As it rippled against the glass, it looked almost dreamlike.
"Mm. These are the best ones we had at home," Tohru whispered. "If you're planning to give them to Erina and Hisako, you should dilute them with water first."
Her expression became unusually serious as she explained.
The humans in her world were physically different from the people here.
Based on what she had seen, humans in this world were generally weaker, so giving them the full dose might be dangerous.
What if the potion was so strong that it damaged their minds?
"All right. I understand."
Yuto nodded and put the vials away. He would dilute them before giving them to Erina and Hisako that evening.
Once he finished, Tohru glanced meaningfully toward Rias. Curiosity filled her eyes.
"Boss, what happened here~~~?"
She kept her voice low.
Yuto briefly explained Rias's situation, though he deliberately left out the confrontation with Grayfia.
There was no telling what the impulsive dragon girl might do if she heard about that.
"Oh... I see. That's really unfortunate."
Tohru sighed after listening.
She and Rias held somewhat similar positions. Tohru was the daughter of the dragons' leader, while Rias was the younger sister of a Satan.
Yet Tohru had never faced anything like an arranged marriage.
Dragons usually settled their problems through strength, and her father was the Emperor of Demise.
His fist was the strongest!
Come to think of it...
No male dragon had ever told her he liked her or wanted to be with her.
Tohru searched through her memories seriously.
She truly could not remember a single male dragon ever showing romantic interest in her.
Was she not beautiful?
Was she unpopular?
She had never particularly wanted romance, but she also did not like the idea that no one had ever found her attractive.
The contradiction was surprisingly similar to the worries of an ordinary human woman.
Before long, Tohru sank into a strange depression.
Yuto watched her in confusion.
Had Rias's story reminded her of something similar?
"Boss, do you think I'm beautiful?"
Tohru suddenly raised her head and stared at him with complete seriousness.
The question caught Yuto off guard.
"Of course you are."
Even so, he answered honestly.
Tohru often behaved recklessly or foolishly, but there was no denying her beauty.
When Yuto had attended the convention with her, she had drawn attention everywhere they went.
"Hmm... Then is there something wrong with my personality?"
A trace of doubt appeared on her face.
"I think your personality is very lovable."
Yuto hesitated slightly, still having no idea what strange concern had seized her this time.
"Eh?! Really?!"
Tohru's eyes lit up. She stared at him eagerly, clearly desperate for confirmation.
"Of course."
Yuto answered firmly.
Joy spread across her face, though it was soon followed by fresh confusion.
"Tohru, why are you suddenly asking me this?"
She scratched her head, looking both embarrassed and awkward.
"Well... I suddenly realized that ever since I was little, no male dragon has ever..."
She stumbled through the explanation.
Dragons might not care about many things, but certain subjects could still leave them feeling shy.
Fortunately, she was talking to Yuto, which made it easier to force the words out.
Once he understood what was troubling her, Yuto froze briefly.
Had an ordinary teenage girl asked him something like this, he would not have found it strange.
Hearing it from Tohru, however, felt oddly out of place.
Still, he gave the matter serious thought.
Then the image of the Emperor of Demise appeared in his mind.
Perhaps that was the answer.
With a father like that, everything suddenly made sense.
"Maybe you're simply so exceptional that no male dragon ever dared to approach you."
After some thought, Yuto decided not to mention her terrifying father.
Tohru was easy to reassure.
The moment she heard his explanation, her face lit up.
She believed him without the slightest doubt.
At that moment, the three gamers at the far end of the restaurant removed their headsets and walked over.
Yuto instinctively glanced at the clock.
It was already six in the morning.
At least they still had some sense of time despite playing every day.
"Fafnir, are you seriously planning to spend every day completely absorbed in games?"
Tohru looked at his calm expression with obvious disappointment.
He had once spoken constantly about wiping out humanity.
How had he become someone who spent every day lost inside a game?
Tohru had tried Sword Art Online herself, but she had only found it moderately entertaining. Certainly not enough to become addicted.
That was why Fafnir's obsession made no sense to her.
"Hmph. Who said I am addicted to games?" Fafnir adjusted his glasses. "Do not misunderstand, Tohru. I am merely evaluating the current limits of human technology. Everything I do is preparation for the future."
His expression was so composed that the explanation almost sounded believable.
Even Tohru hesitated.
For a moment, she wondered whether she had judged him unfairly.
Yuto could not help but laugh.
He accepted the headsets Rimuru and Ainz handed him and sighed helplessly.
He had not expected Tohru to actually believe that excuse.
Evaluating human technology?
That's nonsense!
Fafnir was simply addicted to the game!
"Speaking of irresponsibility, you are a remarkably careless waitress," Ainz said. "You left the restaurant in the middle of your shift."
There had already been friction between Ainz and Tohru, and after the confrontation with Grayfia, he was especially unhappy that she had been absent.
He believed her absence had put Yuto in danger.
Had they not sensed the disturbance in the magical energy and left the game, there was no telling what might have happened.
If Tohru had been present, she could at least have protected him.
After handing over his headset, Ainz began criticizing her in a stern, dissatisfied tone.
Tohru's temper flared instantly.
"You damned, lowly undead! How dare you speak to a dragon that way? Boss gave me permission to leave. Did your brain rot away with the rest of your flesh? Can't you understand something that simple?"
One of her hands had already begun transforming into a dragon's claw, as though she might smash it into Ainz's face at any moment.
"Do you have any idea what happened while you were gone?" Ainz demanded. "If we had not been here, Kamisaka's safety might have been threatened!"
He refused to back down!
His aura rose around him like a towering mountain, heavy and imposing.
Tohru's expression changed instantly.
She turned toward Yuto in panic.
The worry and shock in her eyes left him feeling helpless.
He had managed to hide everything perfectly.
Then Ainz had exposed it in a single sentence.
"Boss... what happened? Why didn't you tell me?"
Tohru stared at him anxiously. Her hands trembled as panic began to spread through her.
"It really wasn't anything serious."
Now that the matter was already out in the open, there was no point continuing to hide it.
Yuto briefly explained the confrontation with Grayfia.
By the time he finished, Tohru was furious.
Both of her hands transformed into green dragon claws and clenched violently. Her golden eyes seemed to burn with fire.
"That damn devil threatened you?! Damn it, damn it, damn it! Why didn't I come back sooner?!"
She was beside herself with anger.
Yuto glanced helplessly at Ainz.
"Ahem. I genuinely would have been fine. Even if none of you had been here, nothing would have happened to me."
He was not lying.
Inside the restaurant, he possessed absolute authority as its owner.
That was why he could remain calm no matter who entered.
Tohru clearly did not believe him.
She continued blaming herself while cursing Grayfia under her breath.
"Kamisaka, I'm concerned about the Satan she mentioned," Ainz said. "Perhaps I should remain here today."
Yuto felt both touched and amused.
Just how helpless did Ainz think he was?
"A Satan? What Satan?!"
Tohru immediately interrupted again.
Her expression turned grave, and she stared at Yuto so intently that he could not look away.
"That woman said she came under a Satan's orders," Rimuru explained. "She also warned the Boss to prepare for that Satan's anger."
Tohru clenched her fist.
The air trapped between her fingers burst with a sharp crack.
Her expression became fiercely hostile, as though she were already facing a mortal enemy.
"Boss, I'm going to find Father!"
She had decided to return home and bring the Emperor of Demise.
Tohru usually carried all the arrogance of a dragon, but she could still tell the difference between a minor problem and a genuine threat.
She could not guarantee that she would defeat someone bearing the title of Satan.
But she could call her father.
The Emperor of Demise had slaughtered countless beings who called themselves Demon Kings and God Kings.
Seeing the situation quickly spiral out of control, Yuto raised both hands.
"That's enough. All of you can relax. I will be perfectly fine."
His voice became firmer.
"I'm not someone who pretends to be confident just to protect my pride. If I genuinely thought I was in danger, I would ask for your help."
"But this time, it isn't necessary."
"So calm down."
After repeated reassurance, the atmosphere gradually settled.
Even so, Ainz and the others reminded him several more times before finally leaving.
Tohru remained behind in silence.
Her emotions were tangled together so tightly that her heart felt unbearably heavy, as though a stone had settled inside her chest.
At that moment, Yuto noticed that Rias was already awake.
He looked at her in surprise.
"Did our arguing wake you?"
Her eyes were still slightly sleepy, but their usual light had returned.
"No. I woke up on my own."
Rias gave him a faintly forced smile.
In truth, she had awakened while Ainz and Tohru were arguing.
The moment she realized the quarrel had started because of her, guilt flooded her heart.
She had been too ashamed to open her eyes, so she remained there and listened in silence.
"If you haven't rested enough, you can sleep properly upstairs," Yuto said gently. "No one will disturb you there."
Rias hesitated, then shook her head.
"No. Thank you for letting me rest here tonight. It's time for me to go back."
She rose from the counter.
Her clothes were wrinkled from sleeping there, and she still looked exhausted.
After bowing to Yuto, she turned toward the door.
Watching her, he felt a mixture of helplessness and concern.
Without thinking too much, he spoke.
"Do you really want to go back? Things have already gone this far, so you may as well stay here for now."
He could already guess what she intended to do.
Rias planned to return home and plead with her brother—the Satan—on Yuto's behalf.
It did not require any great insight.
Her expression made it obvious.
She was going to sacrifice herself again to protect him.
It was an exhausting development, but a painfully believable one.
Yuto had no intention of allowing her to beg for his sake.
He had already made his position clear.
He was the restaurant's owner, and he would not allow a customer to be dragged away against their will without good reason.
If that decision caused trouble, then he would deal with it himself.
Rias turned back.
A watery light shimmered in her eyes. Her cheeks flushed faintly, and hope struggled against hesitation across her face.
She opened her mouth several times, but no words came out.
Only after a long silence did she finally whisper,
"Can I... really stay?"