"Hello, is this Nishimiya-san?" Yuto stood in front of the shuttered flower shop next door, holding his phone to his ear.
"Yes, it is. May I ask who's calling?" The woman's voice on the other end sounded deeply exhausted, yet it still carried a faint, rigid sense of authority and pride.
"I'm Kamisaka Yuto, the owner of the restaurant right next door. I'm calling to ask about the transfer price for your flower shop."
"Hello? Are you serious?!"
Upon hearing Yuto's words, Yaeko's attitude changed in an instant.
Her tone was no longer just exhausted, it was filled with a frantic mix of surprise, doubt, and overwhelming delight.
"Yes, I am. When would be a convenient time for you to sit down and discuss it?" Yuto asked politely.
"Whenever you are free! When do you have time?" Yaeko's voice immediately became gentle and accommodating.
She was naturally a very strong-willed person.
In the past, she would have never acted so desperate or eager.
But the brutal grinding hardships of her life had long since taught her when to lower her head.
Her flower shop had been bleeding money for months, and she had finally been forced to close it nearly eight weeks ago.
The continuous financial losses had severely worsened her already struggling family situation, threatening their ability to pay for her daughter's medical needs.
She had put up the transfer notice weeks ago, praying for a buyer.
Yet, not a single person had called her about it until this very moment.
Now that Yuto had finally reached out, she had to seize the opportunity with both hands.
"I'm free here at the restaurant until 6:30 PM. The location is right next to your old shop," Yuto replied.
He didn't have much to do today, so he could wait for her.
"In that case, may I come to see you at 6:00 PM?" Yaeko asked.
She couldn't leave her grueling day job until 5:30.
From 5:30 to 7:00, she had a brief, hour-and-a-half window to eat dinner and check on her children.
After that, she would immediately head out to work her night shift, which ran from 7:00 PM to 1:30 AM.
She had to carve out a few minutes of her only free time to meet him.
"Sure, that works perfectly. Please just come next door when you arrive."
After exchanging a few final pleasantries, Yuto hung up the phone.
It was now just a little past 10:00 AM.
He slipped the phone back into his pocket, suddenly unsure of what to do with himself.
Normally, because he worked entirely through the night, he would spend the daytime sleeping.
But after absorbing two concentrated doses of Yuuka's youki essence, his human body had fundamentally changed, he now only needed to sleep once every few days.
If certain scientists ever found out about this, Yuto would undoubtedly be kidnapped and dissected in a lab.
"If only I could actually travel to another world like they do. Ainz has invited me twice now. I'd really like to visit him," Yuto muttered to himself out of sheer boredom, leaning lazily against the wooden doorframe of his restaurant.
He sighed and crossed his arms, quietly basking in the morning sun.
Traveling to another world was just a passing whimsical thought for him.
...
The morning sun was incredibly warm and gentle.
Yesterday had brought the first heavy rain of early summer, washing the city clean.
The temperature had risen slightly today, but it wasn't uncomfortably hot yet.
It was the perfect time to enjoy the weather.
In the narrow, secluded alleyway, the golden sunlight slanted down.
It was partially blocked by the tall, surrounding concrete buildings, leaving just a single, perfect beam of light to shine directly onto Yuto.
He closed his eyes, tilting his head back to savor the rare, quiet moment of tranquility.
After a while, as the sun naturally shifted its path across the sky, the warm beam of light moved away from him, leaving him in the cool shade.
With the sunlight gone, he decided not to stand around any longer.
He pushed himself off the doorframe, intending to pull down the metal rolling shutter and officially close the restaurant for the day.
He took a step out into the alley.
The rolling shutter could only be pulled down and locked from the outside.
As he took his first step out, Yuto's brow furrowed slightly.
A strange, inexplicable sense of dissonance washed over him.
He felt a sudden massive shift in the air pressure, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly what had changed.
When he took his second step forward... he vanished.
The empty alley, with the wooden door of the Kamisaka restaurant still wide open, was now completely deserted.
A gentle summer breeze swept through the narrow space, slightly stirring the small puddles left over in the bluestone path.
The water rippled gently, scattering the perfect reflection of the blue sky and white clouds that had just adorned its surface.
...
Yuto didn't feel a single hint of panic.
After all, he had experienced just about every impossible, supernatural phenomenon imaginable by this point.
A little sudden teleportation was nothing to lose his head over.
He calmly opened his eyes and surveyed his new surroundings.
Massive, luxurious crystal chandeliers hung from a vaulted ceiling.
The furniture lining the halls looked incredibly ancient and absurdly expensive.
The solemn, imposing stone walls were draped in rich, velvet tapestries.
Yuto felt as though he had just stepped inside some kind of grand, gothic castle.
Everything around him exuded an overwhelming, suffocating air of absolute opulence and terrifying power.
It made Yuto—who had never been wealthy in his two life—feel a profound sense of awe.
The owner of this castle had to be unbelievably rich!
"I ask you... who are you?"
As Yuto was taking in the grand architecture, a dignified, incredibly steady voice rang out through the hall.
It sounded like the voice of an elderly man who had weathered countless hardships.
Yuto looked around, blinking in confusion.
He couldn't find the speaker anywhere.
"My name is Kamisaka Yuto. Where are you?" Yuto asked, curiously scanning the massive area, looking up at the balconies and down the long, shadowed corridors.
But there was absolutely no sign of anyone.
"Kamisaka Yuto... how did you manage to intrude upon the sacred domain of our Supreme Beings, the Great Tomb of Nazarick?" The voice continued to echo ominously through the air, seeming to come from every direction at once.
Upon hearing those words, Yuto's eyes widened in sudden surprise.
The Great Tomb of Nazarick!
He knew that name!
That was Ainz's guild base!
"Excuse me, did you say this is the Great Tomb of Nazarick?" Yuto asked, his voice echoing lightly in the massive hall.
"Indeed. This is the Great Tomb of Nazarick, forged by the glorious forty-one Supreme Beings. Human... do you realize the sheer magnitude of the taboo you have just violated by stepping foot in this holy place?" The weathered male voice grew heavy, carrying a terrifying, crushing tone of threat and warning in its final words.
But instead of cowering in fear, Yuto's face simply lit up with joy.
He now completely understood what was happening.
The dimensional magic of his restaurant must have finally acted on Ainz's repeated invitations!
"Excuse me, do you know Ainz? Ainz Ooal Gown?" Yuto asked cheerfully, dropping the Overlord's name without a second thought.
Just as he had guessed, the terrifying, oppressive voice fell dead silent.
Then, a tall figure slowly materialized in the empty void before him, as illusory and dreamlike as flowers reflected in a mirror or the moon resting on water.
It was a weathered incredibly sharp-looking older man dressed in an immaculate, extremely formal butler's uniform.
The moment Yuto laid eyes on the old man, the word 'gentleman' immediately came to mind.
"Human... from where did you learn the sacred name of our Supreme Being, Ainz-sama?!" The old gentleman's gaze was extremely sharp, piercing right through Yuto like a physical blade.
He stood there, his posture completely flawless, as motionless and unreadable as a stone statue.
"I am Ainz's friend. Ainz often comes to my restaurant to eat," Yuto explained with a warm, easy smile.
The old gentleman narrowed his eyes dangerously.
His formal attire suddenly began to billow violently, even though there was absolutely no wind in the sealed hall.
His entire presence exploded outward, exuding a truly imposing murderous aura without him even needing to display a single ounce of visible anger.
"Human... you are lying!"
As the Head Butler of Nazarick, Sebas Tian's attention and unwavering loyalty were always focused entirely on his master.
In all of his careful observations, Ainz had never once left the Great Tomb of Nazarick to visit a human establishment!
Therefore, he instantly concluded that the fragile human standing before him, was a bold liar!
"Sebas! Step back!"
At that exact moment, a familiar booming voice rang out from the end of the grand corridor.
Yuto beamed with delight.
He looked over Sebas's broad shoulder.
A massive, terrifying skeleton draped in a dark, majestic magic robe was slowly, urgently walking toward them.
He was accompanied by a stunning maid with an exceptional figure and a perfectly calm striking face.
"Ainz! I'm here!" Yuto called out happily, raising his hand to wave at the undead Overlord.
Sebas... was completely stunned.