The bell on top of the door shook, sending its soft chime into the interior of the restaurant. A man with yellow hair walked into the restaurant, his green flak jacket and trained to absorb the light.
Eyes landed on them, and the restaurant stilled in an instant. A squad of Shadow Hand that was still in the restaurant quietly arranged into a formation, probably already heard about what happened yesterday or they were the same team as yesterday.
In the meantime, a few orcs from Tempest shifted their body, shielding the smaller goblins and goblinas that were dining with them.
It was all a natural reaction as the ones that were walking into the restaurant were people from the same place that attacked the restaurant yesterday.
But before the atmosphere spiralled into a taut waiting before something happened, Ludwig decided to dispel it.
"Sir Reinbach, Sir Reinhart, I will have to excuse myself for a moment."
Ludwig stood up from his stance and blinked away, bending his own rules. The occasion demanded for it, walking would not cut it.
He appeared in front of Minato, close enough for doing anything necessary.
But rather than attacking, Ludwig just smiled. "It seems like Konoha finally gathered enough people to fix what it destroyed."
Minato blinked once, blue eyes flicking to Ludwig's face, then past him into the dining room. He took in the formations of the Shadow Hand team, the shift in the patron's posture, and the way the air itself had gone rigid.
"Chef." He said. His voice carried easily without being loud. "I'm not here to fight."
Ludwig kept smiling, but didn't step aside yet. He let Minato feel the friction of the moment. Not too intimidate, just to make sure the message was delivered.
"Yesterday." Ludwig said lightly, "Someone from your village forgot what 'restaurant' means."
Minato's mouth tightened.
"I heard." He said. "And I'm sorry for failing to prevent that."
Behind Minato, the doorway remained open long enough for the outside light to spill in. And with that light came the rest of the group.
Not ANBU. Not ROOT.
They were just what Shinobi World called civilians. People with modicum of Chakra dressed in plain work clothes with tool belts that had seen real use.
One carried rolled canvas and measuring strings. Another had a wooden case that clinked faintly with metal fittings. A third hauled a bundle of lumber on his shoulder with the practiced ease of someone whose muscles belonged to honest work and not jutsu.
They stopped just inside the threshold, hesitating as the restaurant's collective attention pressed down on them.
Minato lifted a hand, palm open, and spoke without turning his head.
"Stay behind me." He said quietly. "No sudden movements. If anyone speaks to you, answer politely. If you don't understand, don't guess."
The builders nodded quickly.
One of them—an older man with a carpenter's callus line across his thumb—swallowed and murmured, "Yes, sir."
Ludwig watched that, and something in his chest eased by a fraction.
Minato wasn't pretending they were safe. He was behaving like someone who understood the room.
Minato's gaze returned to Ludwig. "Hokage-sama ordered restitution. Not compensation in words. Repairs. Full restoration. We brought craftsmen from the village and materials that won't… contaminate your environment."
Ludwig raised an eyebrow. "Contaminate?"
Minato's eyes flicked toward the Shadow Hand formation, then toward the orcs shielding goblins.
"Seals. Tags. Anything like that was forbidden. I made sure the tool packs were checked." Minato clarified.
One of the hooded Shadow Hand shifted slightly, like a predator acknowledging a prey animal had the sense to keep its throat covered.
Ludwig hummed. Knowing Minato, what he just said should be true. He was just that kind of man. Honest to a fault. Moreover, he didn't believe there were any seals or tags that could spy on what happened inside the restaurant.
Those kinds of devices were in the realm of Marvel world and D.C world. Though he doubted it would work here.
"Good." Ludwig said. Then, louder—just loud enough for the room to hear without feeling like a declaration—he added, "Konoha has brought builders to repair what they broke. No one from their side is to move freely past the dining hall without my permission."
The tension in the room didn't vanish just because he said that. But it still eased quite a bit.
A few patrons resumed breathing. The orcs didn't relax, but they stopped shifting their bodies like they were about to stand up.
Minato turned slightly and addressed the room with a small bow that carried more humility than politics.
"I'm Minato Namikaze." He said. "I'm here under Hokage-sama's directive to restore damages caused by Konoha forces. These craftsmen are civilians. They follow my orders. If they misbehave, you may remove them."
Ludwig caught the subtle genius in that phrasing.
You may remove them.
Not I will remove them.
Minato was conceding authority to the restaurant without naming it. He was giving the room permission to treat Konoha's people like guests, not occupiers.
Ludwig's smile finally had a hint of his usual mischief and honesty. "It seemed like a certain red-haired girl had shouted at you quite a lot."
Minato's mouth twitched. "I've been yelled at by a lot of people. But yes, Kushina is the harshest."
"Well I must applaud you for surviving that one." Ludwig chuckled.
Minato's gaze softened by a hair, then went professional again. "Where is the damage assessment?"
Ludwig looked at Minato and the builders behind him. "Well, we are not exactly builders here. So, you guys do your own thing."
Minato shifted his body and looked at the men he brought. The older carpenter cleared his throat under his gaze. When he did, his voice was careful, respectful.
"Sir… Chef." He said to Ludwig, uncertain which title mattered here, "if we could see the structure, we can tell you what needs to be done.."
Ludwig studied the man's hands. Rough. Scarred in the right places. Not the delicate calluses of a kunai user.
He exhaled once and let the smile fade into something more genuine. The man was an honest worker. And he could respect that.
"You can go around the hall and do your things." Ludwig nodded. "But do not disturb any customers with anything related to Konoha. Anyone who did that will be treated as gathering information and I will kick you out, understood?"
"Yes, sir." The old carpenter answered firmly.
"You heard him," Minato reminded them. "We don't explore. We don't ask about the door. We don't ask about what's beyond the door. We repair, we document materials used, and we leave."
After some talked amongst themselves, the builders dispersed into the dining hall. Cracks were measured, broken floors were counted, while chairs and tables were checked for its strength.
Ludwig looked at the working force with calm eyes. Then, he heard Minato's voice. "If there are specific standards, tell me now. Wood type, steel type, joinery. We don't want to repair it wrong."
Ludwig paused. He didn't actually know what kind of things needed. Yes, he helped Greito build some of it. But most that he did was just placing a wood on top, between, or under another wood.
"Well," Ludwig chuckled. "I will leave it to your capable builder. I don't know much about architecture. Maybe your builder could look at any intact structure and mimic it?"
Minato paused for a little, brows creasing, a clear indication that he was contemplating. Then, he nodded slightly, more to himself than to others. "I'll talk with the builders. If they can't mimic what you have, then we'll have to use our method."
Ludwig answered with nothing. He just pivoted and went back to the kitchen. There, he instructed both Finka and Bilo to make some food for the builders as well as Minato. But as expected,
"You sure about that, Chef?" Bilo asked.
With a chuckle, he answered. "I am sure. They are not our enemy. A leader's fault is not the citizens' fault. At least not inside this restaurant. By the way, we can't let anyone go hungry or work without proper pay, don't you think??"
"Yes, Chef." Both Bilo and Finka answered before going to their respective work.
Once he was done, he looked at Vilera and instructed her to prepare water and tea for them. Which, Vilera did without questioning him. That's what he liked about the manager of the restaurant. Even though it's not official yet, she already acts like one.
When everyone moved like he wanted, Ludwig returned to the bar counter where Ryouma and the Jamils were still sitting.
"You looked busy." Reinbach mused as soon as Ludwig put his hands on the counter and leaned his weight into it.
Ludwig's lips thinned at Reinbach's teasing. "As you can see, the restaurant is not in a pristine condition. They are here to fix it."
Reinbach hummed, eyes drifting toward the dining hall where the builders were already kneeling, chalking lines and murmuring to one another. "I can see that. Though one doesn't usually let the problem walk back in on its own feet."
"We have a cherished customer from their world, or well, their village." Ludwig said. "We can go crazy on them, demanding heads of anyone involved. But no, that would only make our friend feel guilty."
Reinbach nodded his head. "Restrain for the sake of others. You are a good person."
Ludwig chuckled at his verdict. A dark hollow one, not his usual bright chuckle. "I never see myself as such. I just keep trying to be one."
"Let me tell you young man." Reinbach said seriously. "That kind of thought is what truly separates a good person from a bad one."
"Is that so?" Ludwig looked at the old man. He looked genuinely telling him from experience. No bluffing, no teaching, no noble trying to looked right kind of thing. He was just like an elder telling a youngun.
What he told Reinbach was really what he thought about himself. He never painted himself as a good person, as a good person would never kill. But he never thought himself as a bad person either. A bad person would not help those in need.
However, he had come to a conclusion long ago. Sometimes, standing in a grey line wasn't bad at all. He could just switch sides whenever the situation allowed for it. Whenever his heart told him to do either side.
At that moment, the food for the builders were hauled to the dining area by the three who were in charge of the hall.
One put the food briskly before returning to the corner. One stayed there with his usual detached attitude. But one particular demoness was different.
As if she had forgotten what Konoha did to them yesterday, she was already talking to the builders. She was smiling and chattering brightly. And at some point, her 'abstract furniture' was back in the dining hall.
Through his senses, Ludwig could hear that she was trying to get it fixed. No matter what the builder said, she was adamant about fixing it. As if the chair was some kind of family heirloom.
Ludwig's body relaxed as he looked at Ryouma and the Jamils in front of him, the patron from both Tempest and Ravenhall in his dining area, as well as the builders from Konoha.
This was the ideal picture he wanted. People from many different worlds shared what they knew and asked what they didn't know over an ale and fried chicken.
Why was it so hard to achieve?
Ludwig stood behind the bar for a long moment, looking at the chalk marks, the canvas coverings, the places where damage had been, and where it soon wouldn't be.
Finally, everything was going to be fixed. Ludwig felt like it's almost time to put Konoha matter to bed
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