"Chew, chew, chew..."
"This is so good!"
Inside a barbecue restaurant in town, Elyun and the others were eating like there was no tomorrow. Elyun's cheeks were puffed out like a hamster's, chopsticks darting back and forth across the grill.
She spotted a perfectly cooked piece of meat and went for it.
"Smack!"
Kaval's chopsticks came out of nowhere, knocked hers aside, and swiped it clean off the grill.
"Hey! I saw that piece first!"
Kaval, his own mouth stuffed, said thickly:
"Too slow. I've been watching that piece for a while now."
While the two bickered, Shizue, sitting quietly nearby with her mask on, reached out her chopsticks, plucked a piece of meat off the grill without a word, and slipped it under her mask.
Rimuru watched the whole scene with growing horror.
"Kai-chan! Are these people reincarnated hungry ghosts? At this rate, they're going to eat us into poverty!"
Kaito leaned back in his seat, thoroughly amused. He remembered this exact scene from an anime in his previous life. Seeing it play out in real life, right in front of him, was something else.
"Haha! Relax. This place is run by Shinobu. Worst case, we'll just dine and dash!"
Rimuru turned to look at him slowly.
"Kai-chan... aren't you scared she'll chase you all the way home over the bill?"
"Not a problem. I'll hide out at Kanae's place. What's she going to do then?"
Rimuru's expression darkened. She puffed her cheeks out.
"Hmph! I know exactly what you're really going there for. The debt is just the excuse."
"What? That's completely uncalled for. You know better than anyone what an honest person I am."
Kaito glanced at her and felt a familiar pang of amusement. He thought back to the day Rimuru had first asked him about his relationship with Kanae. He had explained everything clearly. But then Rimuru had met Kanae alone once, and something had shifted.
She still got jealous, but she never actually objected to them spending time together. When Kaito had asked Kanae what the two of them had talked about, Kanae had just smiled that infuriating smile of hers and said, "It's a secret! ✧(＾＿－✿"
He still had no idea.
"If you're an honest person, then there are no dishonest people left in the world. Hmph!"
Rimuru wasn't backing down.
"I think Rimuru-sama has a point! You are a treacherous big bad guy!"
"Honestly, who brags about dining and dashing like it's something to be proud of?"
Kaito noticed Shinobu heading over with a plate and quickly put on his most innocent smile.
"Shinobu! Come on, I was obviously joking. No need to take it so seriously!"
Shinobu gave him a long, flat look.
"It better have been a joke."
Then she turned to the table, her expression flipping instantly into a warm smile, and set the plate down in front of Shizu and the others.
"Guests, this is the special seasoned beef you ordered. Please enjoy!"
Everyone at the table watched her two-faced performance and burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Kai-chan, she really has you figured out!"
"To think Kaito-sama could be this helpless in front of someone!"
Kaito took the teasing with complete dignity.
"Laughing at me, are you? Fine. In that case, none of you are getting any more of this grilled meat. Sakuya, take it all."
"Yes, Kaito-sama."
Without missing a beat, Sakuya reached into her maid uniform pocket and drew out her silver pocket watch, opening its cover with a soft click.
"[Time Stop]."
The entire restaurant froze. Every person, every sound, every curl of smoke rising from the grill, all of it held perfectly still. Only Sakuya moved, calm and unhurried, transferring piece after piece of grilled meat from the grill onto Kaito's plate.
"[Time Resume]."
The world snapped back into motion.
"Huh? Where did all the meat go?"
"It was right there a second ago!"
Rimuru, the only one who knew exactly what had just happened, turned to Sakuya with a look of exasperation.
"Sakuya! You're way too indulgent with him. Don't waste your ability on something like this!"
The others all turned to stare at Sakuya, who sat beside Kaito in her maid uniform, completely composed.
"It was my master's command."
"..."
"I'm so jealous of Kaito-sama right now. I want a maid like that too!"
The rest of the table sat in varying degrees of stunned silence while Elyun looked like she might actually cry from envy.
"Alright, enough of that! Keep eating, everyone. Shinobu, bring them two more plates of beef!"
This time Shinobu didn't argue. She simply turned and walked back toward the kitchen.
"So what are your plans after dinner?"
Kaito looked around the table.
"We're going to visit Mrs. Kamado! We promised to stop by her place."
Elyun looked up from the grill, cheeks still full, and answered between chews.
"You know Mrs. Kamado?"
"We met her on the very first day we arrived. She's so sweet, she even gave me dango for free!"
Elyun beamed at the memory.
"Is that so? You'll get along well then."
"Definitely!"
As the two chatted, Shizu, who had been quietly eating beside them, suddenly pressed her hand to her mouth beneath her mask and began coughing hard.
"Cough, cough, cough...!"
"Cough, cough, cough...!"
Rimuru turned to her at once, face creased with concern.
"Shizu, are you alright?"
Elyun and the others leaned in too.
"Shizu-nee, what's wrong?"
"Shizu?"
Shizu lowered her mask and gave everyone a gentle smile.
"I'm fine, really. It's just an old condition. Please don't worry about me."
Is it getting harder for her to hold Ifrit back?
Kaito watched her quietly for a moment, then spoke.
"Shizu, is the spirit inside you getting harder to suppress?"
Shizu looked at him, visibly surprised.
"You can tell there's a spirit living inside me, Kaito-sama?"
"Eh!!!"
Rimuru jolted and immediately turned her focus inward.
'[Great Sage]! Does Shizu really have a spirit inside her?'
'[Notification. Based on detection and analysis, the individual Shizue Izawa does harbor a spirit within her body. This spirit is classified as a Greater Flame Spirit.]'
'[Notification. Among the high-tier races of this world, spirits, demons, and angels exist in a triangular relationship of mutual restraint. Spirits restrain demons, demons restrain angels, and angels restrain spirits. A Greater Flame Spirit ranks among the highest within the spirit classification.]'
'Got it. Thanks, [Great Sage]. You can rest now.'