"Whoa—so you've also been transported to another world!"
After hearing Ainz recount his experiences, Yuto expressed great amazement.
Rimuru was transported to another world, and now Suzuki Satoru was also transported to another world.
Was getting isekai'ed really that popular?
"Also? Who else has been transported to another world?"
Only two red dots remained in Ainz's hollow eye sockets.
When he was serious or experiencing strong emotional fluctuations, those two red dots would glow brighter.
It was strangely unsettling, but fortunately, Yuto remained completely unfazed.
Having seen so many anomalies, he had grown accustomed to them.
"It was the guest right before you. Like you, he was also transported to another world." Yuto suddenly felt a bit regretful.
What would happen if Rimuru and Suzuki Satoru met now?
"Did I come too late? I'd really like to chat with someone who shares my experience," Ainz sighed.
"Suzuki-san, you don't need to—"
"Call me Ainz, Kamisaka-san."
Yuto had intended to address him as Suzuki, but the man seemed to have already made up his mind about his new identity.
"Alright, Ainz, no need to sigh. If you want to meet him, just come again tomorrow. As for Rimuru... he'll probably come almost every day." Yuto thought for a moment.
Given Rimuru's personality, he would surely suffer if he couldn't eat delicious food, and only at Yuto's place could he experience his sense of taste.
So, Rimuru would likely be a daily regular.
"Good. I was late today for certain reasons, but I'll come earlier tomorrow. Rimuru... what kind of person is he?" Ainz asked.
"He's not exactly a person either," Yuto said with a smile.
Hearing this, the red dots in Ainz's eyes instantly brightened.
Upon learning that he, too, was not human, Ainz seemed somewhat pleased.
"Oh? Then what is Rimuru?" he asked with curiosity.
"A Slime! Rimuru is a Slime!"
Ainz was stunned by the words, completely taken aback.
Slimes—in his impression, they were the absolute epitome of weakness. But he quickly calmed down. He had become a skeleton, so it wasn't exactly strange for the other guy to be a Slime.
Still, he couldn't help but feel some sympathy for Rimuru.
To be transported as a Slime... life must have been incredibly tough!
Ainz sighed inwardly. "Let's wait until tomorrow. I'll chat with Rimuru then."
He quickly composed himself, now looking forward to tomorrow's meeting.
"Mm. By the way, Saitama asked about you today..." Yuto told Ainz about the day's events.
As he listened, the red dots in Ainz's eyes flickered incessantly. Now that Ainz had no flesh on his face, it was impossible to analyze his expressions, Yuto could only guess his mood based on the glowing red dots.
After chatting for a while, Ainz told Yuto about the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
Yuto expressed amazement and Ainz felt a small sense of pride at his reaction.
That was the 'home' he and his dear friends had created. Anyone who praised the Great Tomb of Nazarick was a friend to Ainz!
"But... Ainz, can you still eat now?" Yuto expressed great doubt about this.
Ainz fell silent and Yuto understood immediately.
How tragic.... Ainz would be forever cut off from delicious food in this life!
"I want to try!" After a moment of silence, Ainz looked at Yuto with utmost seriousness.
Somehow, Yuto sensed an incredibly resolute determination in his hollow gaze!
Was his obsession with eating really this strong? Yuto didn't even know where to begin criticizing him.
"Alright, the usual?" Yuto didn't mind helping Ainz conduct an experiment.
Perhaps this small act of eating today would pioneer an entirely new field of study... skeletal physiology.
"Yes, please!"
What Yuto mean the usual is ....
The exclusive food for the Poverty Alliance: Special Discount Udon!
A steaming bowl of udon was placed before Ainz.
He lowered his head and gazed quietly at the noodles and Yuto was also eagerly anticipating what would happen next.
Finally, Ainz picked up the soup spoon. He decided to try a sip of the broth first.
He scooped up a spoonful, brought it to his mouth and poured it in.
'Ah~~ this warm sensation seemed to warm every single bone in my body.'
Ainz was somewhat entranced.
He tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and savored the moment...
Yuto silently sighed. "Ainz.... the broth is leaking."
Only then did Ainz lower his head to look at his body.
Oh, so the broth had simply flowed straight down through his bones and onto the floor.
No wonder he felt his bones warming up!
...
"Kamisaka, if you have the chance, would you like to come visit my side?"
As he was leaving, Ainz extended an invitation to Yuto.
This brought back a thought that had once crossed Yuto's mind. If these customers could cross worlds to come to him, could he also go to the worlds of other customers?
Ainz wasn't the only one who had invited him, similar invitations had been made before.
However, the situation at the time had left Yuto somewhat bewildered.
'Kid, interested in becoming my son and sailing the seas with me?'
When that extremely tall man with a white beard reached out to him, Yuto had refused on the spot.
Why did it have to be as a son?!
Yuto had briefly wondered if the man's thought process was abnormal.
But later, new ideas began to form in his mind.
Could he go to other worlds? The thought had only flashed through his mind at the time before fading away.
Now, Ainz's invitation brought the idea back to the surface.
Maybe he could try it someday?
"Well, if I have the chance, I'll go." Yuto didn't refuse Ainz.
If he really could go to other worlds, he would go.
He should try an experiment another day; perhaps the little restaurant would give him a surprise.
But even if he could go to other worlds, he'd have to return by 7 PM to open the shop.
Going to other worlds was a minor matter, running the shop was the real priority!
By the time Ainz left, it was already past 3 AM.
He had stayed for nearly two hours, talking with Yuto the whole time.
Worries about being in another world, uncertainty about the future, regrets about the past...
Yuto couldn't help but sigh.
Being transported to another world didn't seem like a universally good thing.
In comparison, he felt Rimuru's life in his new world was far better than Ainz's. While listening to Ainz, he always sensed hidden dangers, as if the undead ruler was constantly in a dangerous situation.
But when listening to Rimuru talk about his world—perhaps because Rimuru's personality was more cheerful—Yuto felt quite at ease and even felt a little anticipation for the Slime's world.
"Sigh, I made too much of this braised food." Yuto was a bit frustrated.
He had originally thought he hadn't made enough, never expecting he'd made too much!
He had cooked about thirty pounds, and now at least ten pounds remained.
If Rimuru hadn't come tonight, he probably would have had a massive amount left over.
"I'll give it to everyone in Ichinosuke later," he decided.
Although braised food keeps for a while, that doesn't mean it can be stored indefinitely. He had originally prepared it for customers waiting during the evening.
Now that it wasn't finished, he couldn't just save it for the next day's opening; it would definitely spoil by then.
Rather than throwing it away, it was better to share it with everyone on the street once the sun came up.
After all, he had received a lot of care from everyone in the past.
...
Time slowly passed until dawn.
Yuto checked his watch: 6:55 AM.
Only five minutes left until closing time, and no more customers would come.
He tidied up the shop, then divided the braised food into several bags, each containing roughly the same amount.
He would distribute these to everyone on the street later.
Dong—Dong—Dong—
The clock struck seven times, officially marking 7 AM.
Yuto picked up the bags and walked out. The lights inside the small shop were turned off, and the chairs were put away.
Then, with a click, he locked the door.
Pulling down the shutter, the shop was officially closed for the day!
...
Carrying the bags, Yuto walked out of the alley.
The timing coincided with the closing hours of the various establishments in the red-light district.
The arrival of 7 AM was like a signal for Ichinosuke Street to collectively rest.
Shops, including the Kamisaka Shop, were about to close.
But then again, in broad daylight, who would come to the red-light district anyway?
Yuto first walked to an adult cinema at the edge of the alley.
The older sisters were sitting in the lobby, rubbing their backs—they were exhausted too!
When they saw Yuto arrive, their eyes lit up.
"Oh? Yuto-chan, what's up?"
"What is it, Yuto-chan? Need help from your onee-san?"
"Ah, Yuto-chan is still so adorable."
Although the women were quite flirtatious with their words, they rarely touched him.
This wasn't because they disliked contact with him, but because they felt somewhat unworthy of sullying his pure image!
"I made some food and wanted to share it with you, onee-sans." Yuto lifted the bags of braised food and shook them slightly, smiling warmly.
...
The braised food was all distributed, and Yuto returned to his small shop.
He still needed to visit the market.
There was no Totsuki ingredient supply today, so he had to buy groceries himself.
He pushed his bicycle up the steps and rode straight toward the market.
As he passed by Hanako's karaoke bar, he couldn't help but recall what he had heard while delivering the braised food earlier.
'So she found love, no wonder she was so happy yesterday.' Yuto knew Hanako had a difficult past, so he felt genuinely happy for her now that she had found someone.
He hoped Aunt Hanako would be well.
His figure on the bicycle gradually moved away from Ichinosuke Street, and the remaining shops closed one after another.