"Sigh, you've gone and gotten yourself into trouble."
After hearing Kamisaka Yuto recount last night's events, Utaha facepalmed, her heart filled with worry and anxiety.
"It shouldn't be a big problem." Yuto didn't seem too concerned.
The trace of Kazami Yuuka's youki essence had made him extraordinary in every way.
It had even given him dynamic vision, as long as he focused, he could clearly see any ordinary person's movements in slow motion.
In the end, those bald guys were just ordinary people.
If they really came looking for him, Yuto was confident he could take them down with one punch each.
"What do you mean it's not a big deal? You have no idea how crazy those delinquents are. They're like rabid dogs—they'll never let go of anyone who crosses them. You beat up those bald-headed Hosen guys yesterday, they definitely won't let it slide." Utaha's face showed a hint of genuine anger, but her gaze toward him was filled with helplessness and anxiety.
"My place is so remote, how would they ever find me? Don't worry, even if they do, it'll be fine." Yuto understood why she was angry.
He smiled, trying to comfort the girl, but the frustration on her face showed no signs of fading.
"Honestly, you really worry me to death. Let's just call the police. I'm afraid something might happen..." Utaha's expression shifted several times, her anger subsided somewhat, but her worry remained entirely undiminished.
Yuto let out a soft, gentle sigh.
With a warm yet helpless smile, he walked up to Utaha and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry, I'll be absolutely fine," he said, looking at her solemnly, his eyes filled with sincerity.
A faint blush rose to the girl's cheeks.
"Honestly... fine, I won't worry about you anymore." The words she spoke next lost their sharp, reprimanding tone.
Instead, they came out as a mumbled whisper, as if she were talking to herself.
"Thank you for your concern, Utaha-san." Yuto removed his hand from her shoulder, smiling as he expressed his gratitude.
Saitama, sitting nearby, silently took a sip of his tea.
"Kamisaka, do you need my help?" he offered.
Saitama was always eager to help his friends.
Moreover, he had always been grateful for Yuto's special discounted udon.
If Yuto needed his help, he would never refuse!
"No need, thank you, Saitama." Yuto smiled and politely declined the offer.
He hadn't given those bald-headed guys a second thought, and there was no need to drag Saitama into it.
Besides, from the looks of it, Saitama didn't seem to have any fighting ability at all.
Involving him would only make Yuto feel guilty and worried.
"Alright, but if you need anything, make sure to ask!" Saitama nodded, reiterating his stance once more.
"Of course," Yuto agreed.
"Sigh, I should get going." Utaha stood up, indicating she was leaving.
Yuto glanced at the clock on the wall.
It was 8:23 PM.
It was still a bit earlier than when she usually left, normally, she would stay until nine o'clock.
Of course, last night's special circumstance when she got drunk was an exception.
"Leaving so early today?" he asked with a hint of confusion.
"It's all because someone's behavior made me angry! I'm going home!" Utaha shot him a slight glare, making it perfectly clear who she was referring to.
"Uh..." Yuto was momentarily speechless, finally shaking his head with a helpless smile.
Utaha let out a delicate huff and then asked, "How much?"
The girl slightly raised her chin, her demeanor carrying a hint of nonchalance.
When paying the bill, one must maintain an air of composure, even if one's finances weren't exactly abundant!
"One sample of the braised dish, free. One rose flower cake, 800 yen."
The girl began rummaging through her wallet.
Luckily, she still had exactly 800 yen.
"Wait, I'm not finished," Yuto stopped her movement.
The girl looked at him with confusion and surprise.
"Is there something else?"
Yuto shook his head. "To celebrate Utaha-san finally getting her own editor after going through so much hardship, today's special discount: the flower cake, originally 800 yen, is now just 1 yen. Thank you."
Utaha's nose twitched slightly, and her eyes grew a little misty, but she quickly suppressed it.
"Honestly, you always know how to scare people!"
"From the sound of it, Utaha-san doesn't want this discount?"
"Don't you dare take it back!"
"Alright, thank you for your patronage."
...
Saitama had already left the small restaurant.
Only Yuto remained when the new girl entered.
She was a very pretty girl in her teens, definitely a high school student.
Those eyes of hers made Yuto completely overlook the dust and dirt smudged on her clothes.
Her eyes were like still, deep pools of water: clear and beautiful.
Yuto inexplicably felt a sense of gentleness from her, along with a faint trace of sorrow.
"Welcome, what would you like to order?" Yuto didn't ask about the state of her uniform.
He simply asked the most common, welcoming question.
The girl smiled. "Could you get me two bottles of beer?"
"Would you like to order anything else? Just drinking beer might make you feel uncomfortable." Yuto placed the two bottles in front of her.
The girl shook her head. "No, thank you."
Yuto didn't press further.
For the next ten minutes, the girl drank her beer in silence.
With every sip, she would pause for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.
What surprised Yuto was her alcohol tolerance.
She was nothing like Utaha, who was a complete lightweight.
Even after finishing one bottle, the girl's expression remained perfectly calm, there were no signs of drunkenness at all.
Yuto took out a small plate and picked up a few pieces of braised food with his chopsticks—duck meat, kelp, and lotus root slices.
It was just a very small portion, perhaps not even as big as a fist.
He placed it quietly in front of her.
"Drinking on an empty stomach is bad for your health. Have something to eat."
The girl looked up at Yuto, and then down at the braised food.
Her throat moved slightly, she clearly wanted to eat it.
"No need, I'm not hungry."
"It's free."
The girl fell silent.
After about two or three seconds, she looked up at him again and smiled. "Thank you."
Then, with great delight, she picked up a piece of kelp with her chopsticks.
As she put it in her mouth, it tasted like pure happiness.
The girl's eyes couldn't help but redden slightly, and her breathing grew a bit more ragged.
Late at night was always a time when emotions easily stirred.
Yuto sighed inwardly but didn't ask anything.
He quietly sat back on the small stool by the doorframe.
Among his customers, there were occasionally one or two lonely, sorrowful souls like her.
"Boss, staying open this late at night might attract monsters, you know."
After finishing her two bottles of beer, the girl became a bit more cheerful.
Yuto smiled.
Monsters? He had already met one.
"Compared to me, you should worry more about yourself." He let out a long sigh and looked at the girl.
Her uniform was covered in dust, clearly, she had been bullied.
"Me? I'm fine. I'm used to monsters." The girl smiled, her gentle eyes tinged with a faint melancholy like moonlight.
"Did you have a disagreement with your friends today?" Yuto asked calmly.
The girl's eyes curved into a smile. "They didn't believe I could see monsters. They tried to drag me aside and beat me up, but I defeated them all."
Her tone was somewhat proud, even a little happy.
"Is that so? Didn't you go to a teacher or friends?"
"No. The teachers don't like me either, and as for friends... none of them are human."
No matter what she said, the girl kept a faint smile on her lips.
Yuto sighed softly. "Then, doesn't that make you lonely?"
"It's okay. It's okay to be alone," she smiled gently. "Monsters and humans alike—they all feel lonely, they all feel alone."
"But no one wants to be friends with me..."
The smile finally faded from her lips, and her gentle eyes revealed a lingering, deep sadness.
Only Yuto was there to notice it in that moment.
"Will you come again tomorrow?"
"Yes."
"Then why not come a bit earlier? How about 7:30 in the evening?"
"Sure."
...
The girl left.
She had spent 400 yen here, drinking two bottles of beer and eating a small plate of braised food.
Tomorrow, she would come again.
Yuto hoped that when she returned, her clothes wouldn't be dirty.
Before leaving, the girl had told him her name.
Natsume Reiko.