Reiko had been quietly listening to the conversation between Yuto and Utaha.
As the details of Matoba's demise unfolded, her chopsticks slowed to a halt.
The news triggered a specific memory from the previous night.
She recalled Ainz casually mentioning that he had cast a curse on a fleeing thug.
The pieces fell into place.
She finally understood the true nature of that curse.
She picked up a red octopus sausage and popped it into her mouth.
Surprisingly, her heart didn't race in fear.
Dining next to an undead overlord capable of instant untraceable assassination just felt like another ordinary night at the restaurant.
"You know, there is a child sitting right next to you," Reiko pointed out gently, tapping her chopsticks against her ceramic plate.
Utaha jumped.
She dropped her gaze to the little girl beside her.
Shouko stared back with a dazed adorable expression, clearly bewildered by the sudden attention.
"Ah! Shouko-chan, please ignore what big sister just said, okay? Let me tell you a funny joke instead," Utaha stammered, flashing a flustered, apologetic smile.
Shouko gave a blank little nod.
She hadn't been paying attention to the gruesome gossip anyway. She was too engrossed in playing with the beautiful cloth doll Ainz had given her.
Though she didn't understand why the pretty novelist was panicking, Shouko decided it was best just to smile obediently.
Seeing that innocent, unbothered smile, Utaha let out a heavy sigh of relief.
Yuto shook his head.
He reached across the counter and lightly tapped the top of Utaha's head.
"Hey! What was that for?!" Utaha glared at him, rubbing her hair.
"Kasumigaoka-san, I expect you to be far more mindful of what you say around her next time," Yuto said.
He dropped his usual teasing tone, his voice turning firm and earnest.
Chastised by his serious demeanor, Utaha shrank back.
She lowered her head, pouting.
"I know..." she murmured.
Shouko looked back and forth between them, tilting her head.
She couldn't quite grasp the dynamic, but it didn't seem dangerous.
Watching them bicker, Reiko smiled.
It was rare for her to experience such warm, relaxed moments in her daily life.
She reached for another octopus sausage.
Only two left.
As she chewed, a strange prickle on the back of her neck made her pause.
Was someone watching her? She glanced around the dining room.
Kaguya sat with her usual icy posture. Utaha was busy entertaining Shouko. Ainz was still loudly recounting his past victories.
No one seemed to be paying her any mind.
Shrugging off the feeling, Reiko reached for the second-to-last sausage.
But as she picked it up, that intense burning gaze returned!
..
'Octopus sausage.'
The words echoed on a painful loop inside Kaguya's mind.
For the past ten minutes, the wealthy heiress had been watching Reiko eat the savory little treats one by one.
Every time a sausage disappeared, Kaguya felt a quiet, desperate distress.
She wanted to eat an octopus sausage.
She wanted to eat one so badly!~
But her ingrained pride refused to let her ask for a second order.
She had already finished her candied apple.
Asking for more food felt unrefined and gluttonous.
So, she forced her face into a flawless mask of aristocratic indifference, all while secretly agonizing over her neighbor's plate.
When only one tiny adorable red octopus remained, Kaguya's composure nearly cracked.
She watched Reiko's chopsticks hover over it.
'She is going to eat it...' Kaguya's heart sank.
Reiko paused, her chopsticks halfway to her mouth.
She finally realized where the intense gaze was coming from.
"Would you like to try this one?" Reiko asked.
She placed the last sausage on a small dish and pushed it gently toward the girl.
Her smile was as warm and inviting as morning sunlight.
Kaguya's lips parted.
For a moment, she was genuinely speechless.
Reiko didn't tease her or make a spectacle of the craving, she just offered a quiet... selfless kindness.
Kaguya lowered her head.
"Thank you," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Yuto watched the exchange from the kitchen with a soft smile.
He turned his back to give them privacy and began wiping down his cutting board.
Kaguya picked up her chopsticks, lifted the little red octopus and took a delicate bite.
With her pale cheeks slightly puffed out as she chewed, the terrifying untouchable aura of the Shinomiya heir vanished...
She just looked like an adorable, hungry teenager.
Standing behind her, Hayasaka let out a soft, relieved sigh.
A rare, genuine smile touched the maid's lips.
Seeing her mistress experience such simple, unburdened joy brought a deep warmth to her own heart.
"If you wanted to try them, Kaguya-san, you should have just ordered a plate," Yuto chuckled, leaning against the kitchen doorway.
"Staring at other people's food in secret isn't a very good habit."
He had noticed her agonizing over the plate the entire time.
In fact, everyone at that end of the counter had noticed—Utaha, Shouko, and Reiko.
The only ones oblivious were the loud trio of monsters down at the other end.
Hearing Yuto's teasing words, Kaguya froze mid-chew.
Her eyes darted around the counter.
She saw the gentle, amused smiles on Utaha and Reiko's faces.
A mess of hesitation, embarrassment, and shyness crashed into her chest.
They had all seen her staring.
They had all seen her break her rigid posture for a piece of street food.
'Do not disgrace the Shinomiya family!'
Her father's heavy, merciless voice echoed like a thunderclap in her mind.
The warm flush on Kaguya's cheeks vanished, replaced instantly by a defensive wall of ice.
Under the surprised gazes of the others, she stood up so fast her chair scraped loudly against the floor.
"Hayasaka. We are leaving."
Hayasaka let out an almost imperceptible sigh.
She quickly pulled a crisp stack of yen from her uniform, placed it on the counter and followed her panicking mistress out into the night.
The slam of the restaurant door interrupted Ainz's epic storytelling.
"Whats wrong with them, Kamisaka?" the Overlord asked, his glowing eyes tracking the empty doorway.
Rimuru and Saitama turned their heads in unison, blinking in confusion.
The three of them hadn't paid any attention to the quiet drama that had just unfolded.
"I have no idea," Yuto shrugged, genuinely puzzled by the heiress's sudden, dramatic retreat.