Some time later, Yuto was busy in the kitchen cutting and preparing the ingredients needed for the evening.
Out in the dining area, Tohru sat beside Kanna and supervised her math exercises.
The little dragon gritted her teeth as she struggled through the formulas in her workbook.
In her admittedly short life, she had never encountered anything more terrifying than mathematics.
Rias, meanwhile, had returned to quietly reading her book.
Knock, knock.
Two soft knocks suddenly sounded from the door.
Through the glass, the silhouette of a girl could be seen standing outside.
"Kamisaka-kun, I'm coming in."
A clear female voice sounded from outside.
The door opened, and Utaha stepped into the restaurant with a curious expression.
Yuto had already recognized her from the silhouette alone.
After all, she was the only person who would politely knock before opening time, announce that she was coming in... and then enter anyway.
"Eh? Who is this...?"
Utaha had originally been about to greet Yuto, but the moment she stepped inside, her attention was drawn toward Rias.
She had never seen her before.
Rias usually visited the restaurant fairly late, while Utaha tended to leave much earlier, so the two had simply never crossed paths.
Even sitting quietly with a book in her hands, Rias possessed a presence that was impossible for an ordinary person to overlook.
"Hello. My name is Rias."
Rias rose first and introduced herself with a polite smile.
Confusion appeared in Utaha's eyes.
Rias?
She had never heard that name before.
"Hello. I'm Kasumigaoka Utaha. You can call me Utaha."
Even so, she introduced herself politely, though her curiosity remained obvious.
"Rias is from another world," Yuto explained as he walked over. "For various reasons, she needs to stay here for a while. So there's nothing strange going on."
Understanding immediately appeared in Utaha's eyes.
That explained everything.
The restaurant had so many customers from different worlds that there was no way she could know every single one of them. It was only natural for unfamiliar faces to appear from time to time.
"Miss Rias must be the daughter of some major noble family—or perhaps even a princess, right?" Utaha said with genuine admiration. "Even someone meeting you for the first time can tell how elegant and beautiful you are."
Rias smiled faintly.
Her response was polite without being excessive, every gesture carrying the refinement expected of someone raised among nobility.
Then Utaha turned toward Yuto with an amused smile.
"Kamisaka-kun, Miss Rias is extremely beautiful. You'd better not start getting any improper ideas about her."
Their relationship had long since become comfortable enough for harmless teasing like this.
"Could you stop judging me through that unhealthy imagination of yours, Kasumigaoka-san?"
Yuto immediately shot back.
Utaha was not offended in the slightest.
She merely raised her chin with a faintly smug smile, her long black hair sliding over her pale neck and shoulders.
The playful amusement in her eyes made it obvious that she was enjoying herself.
Neither of them noticed the brief blush that appeared on Rias's face.
The moment Utaha had made that joke, the devil girl's cheeks had turned red.
Her heart had begun beating far too quickly!
...
"By the way, what's going on with that tree outside? How can it glow?"
Utaha was now sitting at the counter with a cup of milk tea in her hands, looking curiously at Yuto.
He had made the drink using ingredients he had bought earlier.
There were nowhere near as many options as a proper milk-tea shop would offer, but at least he never skimped on the ingredients.
"That tree? Totoro gave me a seed. I had no idea it would grow into something like that after we planted it."
Yuto briefly explained what had happened.
Utaha's eyes immediately lit up.
Her interest in the tree vanished on the spot.
"Totoro?! You mean the Totoro from that fairy tale?!"
Yuto calmly nodded.
Utaha became even more excited.
"Totoro is a customer here too?"
"Mm. Yes."
"Eh?! I really want to see what Totoro looks like in person..."
"It's very cute. Kanna even asked me yesterday if we could keep one, but I refused."
The moment Yuto said that with a smile, Kanna, who was working on her math nearby, immediately shot him a resentful look.
Even after an entire day, the little dragon had clearly not given up on her dream of keeping a Totoro.
And now that today's math punishment had been added on top of everything else, her resentment toward Yuto had only grown stronger.
"Keep one...?" Utaha shook her head. "Ah, I won't even dream that big. I'd be happy just seeing one with my own eyes."
"You'll get the chance someday."
Seeing the anticipation on her face, Yuto smiled reassuringly.
A little more hope entered Utaha's eyes.
After all, when Yuto said something might happen, there was usually a genuine chance that it would.
After telling her about the banquet from the previous night, the time quickly reached opening hour.
Yuto ended their conversation and walked toward the entrance.
He switched on the small yellow lamp beneath the eaves, then flipped the sign from Closed to Open.
The restaurant was officially open for the evening.
In the past, that little yellow lamp had been the only light illuminating the narrow alley at opening time.
Now there was also the glowing tree.
Compared with the tree, the old lamp suddenly seemed rather unimpressive.
Yuto returned behind the counter, tied on his apron, and smoothed the sides against his trousers.
Then he looked at Utaha with a smile.
"We're officially open. What would you like?"
A playful, gentle smile appeared on her lips.
"Then... I'll have stir-fried soba. Remember to add some curry powder."
"Of course. Give me a moment."
Utaha watched him disappear into the kitchen.
She casually rested her chin on one hand, finding the position more comfortable for watching him.
A soft breath escaped her nose.
Her eyes gradually became unfocused.
Her attention was entirely on the person cooking in front of her.
Yuto took a sealed package of soba noodles from the refrigerator.
The noodles had already been prepared beforehand, so there was no need to boil them.
They only needed to be soaked briefly in hot water and loosened before cooking.
With the country's culture of long working hours and constant overtime, convenience food had been refined to an astonishing degree.
In that particular area, it was far ahead of Yuto's homeland.
Though when he thought about the reason why, being ahead was hardly anything to celebrate.
He placed the soba in a bowl of hot water and gently separated the tangled noodles with his chopsticks.
The noodles were grayish-black and did not look particularly appetizing at first glance, but their pleasantly firm texture and refreshing bite made them surprisingly addictive.
Soba had always been deeply loved in this country. It appeared at all sorts of special occasions, almost as though it carried a symbolic meaning of its own.
Yuto sliced several pieces of meat, heated oil in a pan, and added them once thin wisps of smoke began to rise.
The bright red meat gradually changed color as its fragrance spread through the kitchen.
Even the simple scent of seared meat was enough to stir the appetite.
He then added the noodles.
The freshly drained soba hit the hot oil infused with the flavor of the meat.
A fierce sizzling sound filled the kitchen.
The noodles twisted slightly under the heat as a thin layer of golden oil coated their surface, leaving them glossy and smooth.
The distinct aroma of soba blended with the fragrance of the meat while steam drifted upward in pale curls.
Through that white haze, the warm restaurant lights illuminated Yuto's figure.
For some reason, the sight was deeply relaxing.
Utaha watched him in silence.
A quiet sense of peace gradually spread through her chest.
Peaceful enough that she almost felt like taking a nap.
Slide—
The restaurant door opened.
Without stopping what he was doing, Yuto called from the kitchen,
"Welcome."
Tohru had initially started to get up and greet the guests, but the moment she saw who had arrived, she simply sat back down and continued supervising Kanna's math.
"Ah~~~ That smell! It's been far too long! I haven't been here in several days. Finally, I can satisfy myself properly tonight!"
The rough, booming voice was immediately followed by a familiar female one.
"Grandfather, stop acting like you have no dignity whatsoever! At least try to care about appearances!"
It was Erina.
She stared at her grandfather, Senzaemon, with a mixture of embarrassment and exasperation.
A faint blush covered her pale cheeks.
Whether it came from anger or embarrassment was difficult to tell, but it only made her already beautiful face stand out even more.
Hisako stood on the other side, wearing a helpless smile.
"Erina, that isn't quite right," Senzaemon replied with complete seriousness. "When faced with truly exceptional food, forcing yourself to remain calm is an insult to the dish."
"To me, Kamisaka's cooking is exactly the kind of food that makes losing one's composure perfectly natural."
"If you cannot face cuisine with an honest heart, how could you possibly taste its true flavor?"
Despite his grand speech, his eyes remained fixed on Yuto as he emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate.
The old man looked as though he had not eaten in days.
It was almost frightening.
"Stir-fried soba. Enjoy."
Yuto placed the plate in front of Utaha before turning toward Senzaemon.
"Long time no see. Have you been busy lately?"
Senzaemon was one of the restaurant's oldest regulars.
In fact, during its earliest days, he had been one of Yuto's main sources of income.
Back then, the restaurant had so few customers that seven or eight people over an entire night would have counted as a good turnout.
Saitama and the others had been regulars too, but none of them had any money.
Under those circumstances, every visit from Senzaemon had practically been a jackpot.
Without those occasional windfalls, Yuto might not even have been able to afford ingredients during the restaurant's early days.
Over time, their relationship had gradually developed into something resembling a friendship between generations.
"Busy is putting it mildly," Senzaemon said with a sigh. "I recently reached an agreement with Miss Shinomiya. Tōtsuki's food-service operations are gradually being integrated with the hotels under the Shinomiya Group."
"There are meetings every day. It's exhausting!"
Then a meaningful smile appeared on his lips as he glanced toward Yuto.
"If Erina were still beside me, things would certainly be easier. Unfortunately, her mind seems entirely focused on coming here to help these days. She hasn't spared a single thought for assisting her poor grandfather."
He deliberately lowered the corners of his mouth and shook his head in disappointment.
Beside him, Erina immediately turned bright red.
The implication behind her grandfather's words threw her heart into chaos.
She could not calm down at all.
"I'm sorry about that," Yuto replied. "But Nakiri has honestly been a huge help here lately. She's far more capable than I expected."
He looked toward Erina with open praise.
"As expected of one of Tōtsuki's Elite Ten."
Erina kept her head lowered and avoided his gaze.
"Hahaha! Of course!" Senzaemon boomed. "She is my granddaughter. How could she possibly be compared to an ordinary girl?"
Then he looked directly at Yuto.
"So, Kamisaka—have you fallen for her yet?"
Yuto froze.
Before he could answer, Erina finally exploded.
"Grandfather!!! What are you even saying?! Stop saying things that could create misunderstandings!"
Senzaemon did not argue.
He merely laughed.
That only made Erina feel as though she had punched empty air.
She puffed out her cheeks, turned her head away, and refused to look at him.
"Ahem. The usual today?"
Yuto quickly changed the subject.
Senzaemon stroked his beard thoughtfully.
After several seconds, determination entered his eyes.
"It has been far too long since my last visit. I cannot simply order the usual!"
"Kamisaka, besides the tempura, give me fried salmon, a bowl of miso soup, and rice as well."
"All right. Take a seat and wait a little."
Senzaemon immediately sat at the counter, tucked both hands into the wide sleeves of his green kimono, and watched as Yuto returned to the kitchen with Erina and Hisako following behind him.
A quiet sigh escaped him.
He genuinely hoped Yuto and Erina would end up together.
That wish came from the deepest and most sincere part of his heart.
It had nothing to do with profit, alliances, or political calculations.
He simply cared about Erina's happiness.
His granddaughter might never be honest with herself, but Senzaemon had watched her grow up.
He could see straight through the feelings she refused to admit.
Whenever Erina mentioned Yuto at home, the look in her eyes was unmistakable.
Admiration.
Affection.
Perhaps even infatuation.
She simply refused to acknowledge it openly!
...
Inside the kitchen, Erina and Hisako followed Yuto to their usual stations.
Both girls looked awkward and apologetic.
Strictly speaking, they had arrived late for work.
"What's wrong? Why do both of you look like that?"
Yuto could not help smiling.
"We were delayed because we had to wait for Erina-sama," Hisako admitted immediately. "We're really sorry, Kamisaka-kun!"
Erina stood beside her looking equally embarrassed.
"It's fine. The restaurant only just opened. You haven't delayed anything important."
Yuto smiled.
"But if you really feel guilty, then give me one hundred percent tonight and work hard."
Hisako nodded seriously.
Erina remained silent for a moment before speaking in a quieter voice.
"Um... about what Grandfather said earlier... Don't take it seriously. He was just saying nonsense."
She kept her head lowered.
Embarrassment and shyness filled her voice, and she did not dare look directly at Yuto.
Her heart was a complete mess.
Thought after thought crashed into one another, as chaotic as waves on a stormy sea.
And buried somewhere beneath all that confusion was the faintest trace of expectation.
What exactly was she hoping for? Erina did not know.
She only knew that some part of her was waiting for something.
"Mm. Don't worry. I won't read too much into it."
Yuto smiled calmly.
The moment those words reached her ears, something inside Erina's chest tightened.
It felt unpleasant.
Almost suffocating.
"Mm. That's good."
She forced herself to smile as though nothing were wrong.
The expression was beautiful and radiant.
Yet it did nothing to ease the heaviness inside her.
"Let's cook," Yuto continued. "You can handle the fried salmon later. It'll be a good opportunity to show your grandfather whether you've improved recently."
He grinned.
"Don't disappoint him, or I'll end up getting blamed for corrupting one of Tōtsuki's Elite Ten."
"Mm. Leave it to me."
Erina answered as usual and turned toward another stove.
Then she drew several deep breaths.
But they did not help.
The strange heaviness in her chest refused to disappear.
---------
Read 30 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator