"Yo. Everyone is here. Good evening! Kamisaka, the usual—udon."
Saitama greeted everyone in the restaurant before taking a seat beside Ainz.
Yuto acknowledged him and headed into the kitchen.
He did have something he wanted to tell Saitama, but there was no need to hurry. He could finish preparing the noodles first.
Saitama remained at the counter and glanced curiously between Ainz and Rimuru.
"What is it, Saitama?" Ainz asked in confusion, while Rimuru also turned toward him with a curious look.
Saitama scratched his cheek and gave them a slightly goofy smile.
"It just feels strange seeing the two of you sitting here without playing games."
He sounded genuinely impressed, almost as though he had just witnessed some exceptionally rare natural phenomenon.
"You make it sound as though all we ever do is play games!"
Ainz sounded rather dissatisfied.
Saitama looked slightly embarrassed.
Although he very much wanted to answer, 'Isn't that exactly what you do?' he wisely decided to keep his mouth shut.
"Today is different. We have something else to deal with!"
"Eh? Is there some kind of special event?"
Saitama looked toward Rimuru in confusion.
Ainz waved one hand and briefly explained what had happened the previous night.
After hearing the whole story, Saitama's expression became somewhat more serious.
He rested one finger against his chin and thought for a moment.
"A Satan, huh? That does sound like it could become troublesome..." He scratched his bald head and gave his usual blank smile.
"Then I will stay here too and see what he intends to do."
He still looked almost like some clueless man who had wandered in from the street, but Ainz and Rimuru immediately brightened.
Other people might not understand just how extraordinary Saitama's strength truly was.
They certainly did.
That kind of power could only be fully understood after witnessing it with one's own eyes.
With Saitama staying in the restaurant as well, both of them immediately felt much more confident.
They even seemed to straighten their backs slightly.
Although Rimuru did not technically have a back.
"I knew Ainz would say too much. It really is not that serious."
Yuto returned from the kitchen carrying a bowl of udon and gave Ainz and Rimuru a helpless smile.
"It is still better to be careful. Thanks, Kamisaka." Saitama accepted the bowl with a casual smile before taking a deep breath of the aroma rising from it.
"Ahh... This smell never stops being tempting."
Very few things could still stir Saitama's emotions in his dull and monotonous everyday life.
Eating a bowl of noodles at the restaurant was one of them.
"Genos did not come with you?"
"He went to replace some parts again. Being a cyborg seems rather troublesome if you constantly need to replace components."
Saitama lifted a mouthful of noodles with his chopsticks and slurped them down.
A satisfied, cheerful expression immediately appeared on his face.
"Hmm... Do cyborg parts rust inside the body?" Rimuru asked curiously.
"Ah, probably not. I asked Genos about that before, and he said the modifications he received would not rust. I do not know about other cyborgs, though."
"Then why does he keep replacing his parts? I remember he went to change them the last time too."
"I think he wanted more firepower. At least, that was what he told me the first time he replaced them. I am not sure about this time."
"Wow... Genos really wants to become stronger."
"Yeah. Although being too strong is not necessarily a good thing either. It comes with its own problems."
Saitama said that before calmly slurping another mouthful of noodles.
Everyone nearby looked at him strangely.
They strongly suspected he was talking about himself.
"Oh, right, Saitama. I have a surprise for you."
Yuto folded his arms and smiled at him.
Saitama raised his head in confusion, though he had yet to swallow the udon in his mouth.
Gulp.
"What is it?"
Only after swallowing did he ask.
"Goku came by last night."
Those few words were enough to make Saitama immediately perk up.
"You told him, right, Kamisaka?! What did he say?!"
It was extremely rare to see Saitama this excited.
He planted both hands against the counter, and veins visibly stood out across his smooth bald head.
Under the restaurant lights, the reflection from his scalp was almost blinding.
"He was just as excited about having a second fight with you. It is just..."
"Just what?"
"He did not give me a time, and I forgot to ask. Sorry."
Yuto gave Saitama an apologetic smile.
Although some of Saitama's excitement cooled, it certainly did not disappear.
"It is fine. You do not need to apologize, Kamisaka. I should be thanking you instead." Saitama clenched one fist with determination.
"No matter what, if Goku agreed, then that means the fight will definitely happen eventually."
"How about you give me a time? The next time I see him, I can pass it along."
"A time for me to choose...?"
Saitama thought for barely a second before answering decisively.
"Any time is fine with me. I am here every night until eleven anyway, so I will be ready whenever he appears. Just tell him that the next time you see him."
For the sake of experiencing one truly satisfying battle, Saitama was willing to wait for as long as necessary.
All the extra training he had been putting himself through lately was for that very fight.
He believed that once Son Goku heard those words, he would definitely come looking for him.
It was the kind of understanding that warriors developed after exchanging blows.
After all, a true warrior would always long to meet another genuine warrior.
"All right."
Yuto agreed with a smile.
Ainz and Rimuru exchanged a glance.
Both of them immediately thought of exactly the same thing.
'Please do not choose my world as the battlefield...'
Ainz quietly rubbed his skeletal hands together, feeling slightly nervous.
Rimuru's surface began sweating profusely.
He was nervous as well!
"Oh, right, Ainz. Thanks again for letting Goku and me use your territory for our last fight."
Saitama smiled toward Ainz.
Ainz instinctively tried to wipe away cold sweat that did not exist.
He waved one hand dismissively while desperately maintaining his composure.
"Ahem. It was nothing. There is no need to worry about it."
"Then could I ask you again this time—?"
"Ah... Ahhh—Nazarick has recently been expanding its territory and developing the surrounding region. I am sorry, but I cannot provide a battlefield this time."
"I see. That is unfortunate."
Saitama sounded slightly disappointed.
Ainz, meanwhile, relaxed considerably.
Then Saitama turned toward Rimuru.
The slime immediately began bubbling violently, almost as though someone had thrown him into boiling water.
"I-I have been busy developing my territory as well, so I do not have anywhere suitable either... Ahaha... haha... Sorry, Saitama."
"Mm. All right."
Rimuru immediately relaxed.
Thank goodness.
Thank goodness!
Yuto could not help but laugh at their reactions.
At least those two knew when they needed to save themselves.
"We can figure out the details later. For now, I am eating!"
Saitama decided to focus his attention on the udon in front of him.
Even so, his excitement remained obvious.
The clearest sign was that he had begun eating almost twice as quickly as before.
"Kamisaka-kun, I heard from Erina that she invited you to visit the Moon Banquet Festival. Is that true?"
Senzaemon, who had been sitting nearby, put down his chopsticks and looked toward Yuto.
He had spent most of the previous conversation concentrating on his meal, and by now he had finished everything he ordered.
"Yes. Why? Is there something I should know beforehand?" Yuto asked jokingly.
"Of course not! The fact that you are willing to attend the Moon Banquet Festival is already a wonderful surprise for me." Senzaemon stroked his beard and laughed heartily.
"I invited you to teach at Tōtsuki again and again without success, yet somehow my granddaughter managed to convince you with a single invitation. Hahaha! I suppose a beautiful young girl really is much harder to refuse~~"
The moment Erina heard him, she rushed over with her face bright red and slapped both hands against the counter.
She glared at her grandfather with a mixture of embarrassment and fury, the threat in her eyes almost tangible.
"You are teasing me, Mr. Nakiri. I only became curious after Nakiri told me about the Moon Banquet Festival. If it really is a celebration where cuisine from all over the world can be tasted, then naturally I would want to see it for myself."
Yuto answered with a calm smile.
Senzaemon's teasing had no visible effect on him whatsoever.
Seeing such an ordinary reaction allowed Erina to feel slightly relieved.
Unfortunately, the disappointment that followed was even greater.
"Well said! A chef must first learn how to appreciate excellent food. I will not exaggerate the Moon Banquet Festival too much, but I can promise you that more than half the world's cuisines can be found there. I am certain you will not be disappointed."
"Then I will have to take my time exploring everything."
"Hahahaha! On that day, I can even arrange for the Elite Ten to prepare dishes for you. Perhaps you could offer them a few pointers afterward."
"I will pass on that. I am hardly qualified to give them advice."
"Hahahaha! There is no need to worry about that. It would be good for those little brats to learn that there is always someone better than themselves. Otherwise, they are all far too proud."
Senzaemon was clearly looking forward to the Moon Banquet Festival.
His instincts told him that Yuto's arrival would stir up a storm throughout Tōtsuki.
A storm powerful enough to affect everyone there.
"Speaking of which, Kamisaka-kun..." Senzaemon narrowed his eyes slightly. "Why are you still addressing Erina and Hisako so formally?"
Something flickered deep within his gaze, though he concealed it well.
Yuto froze slightly.
"That will not do. You have all been working together in the kitchen for this long. Surely the way you address your companions should become a little more familiar as well."
There was an obvious meaning behind Senzaemon's words.
"That may be true, but suddenly calling them by their first names..."
Yuto hesitated.
His gaze instinctively shifted toward Erina.
She was staring very intently in another direction with a red face, clearly pretending not to notice that he was looking at her.
"Hahahaha! There is no need to worry. I am certain Erina thinks the same way." Senzaemon turned toward his granddaughter.
"Do you not, Erina?"
Erina's face was as red and tempting as a ripe autumn apple.
After hesitating for a moment, she gave a slightly awkward nod and quietly murmured,
"Mm..."
Having received confirmation, Senzaemon immediately gave Yuto a look that clearly said, 'See? What did I tell you?'
"Anyone who works beside you in the kitchen is already your companion. It only makes sense to address one another more familiarly. Since neither of you objects, then from now on, simply use each other's given names. That sounds much more natural between friends."
Senzaemon immediately made the decision for them.
Yuto smiled helplessly at how serious the old man looked.
Still, he had no real objection to the suggestion.
For a chef, the kitchen was a place with special meaning.
Cooking beside another person there represented a kind of mutual recognition.
In that sense, it was almost like being comrades-in-arms—people fighting together on the same battlefield.
If they could not trust one another, they would never be able to share a kitchen in the first place.
When Erina and Hisako had first begun helping him, Yuto had regarded them more as students.
As time passed, however, that gradually changed.
He now viewed them as genuine companions in the kitchen, and the trust between them was completely different from what it had been at the beginning.
"Then... Erina?"
Yuto smiled at her.
"Would it be all right if I called you that?"
He remained perfectly calm.
Erina did not.
"S-Since Grandfather said so, then... then I suppose that is fine." She desperately tried to steady her voice.
"And from now on, I will... I will call you Yu... Yu... Yuto-kun..."
Erina tried to sound calm.
She failed completely.
Her stammering immediately brought smiles to everyone nearby.
Yuto smiled knowingly before turning toward Hisako.
"Hisako?"
"Mm." Hisako smiled brightly and cheerfully. "As for me... I think I will continue calling you Boss. I have become so used to it that suddenly calling you by your name would feel a little strange."
Compared with Erina, who was now too embarrassed to even raise her head, Hisako looked like a carefree little bird fluttering happily through the air.
Completely relaxed!