The muffled sounds of an argument bled through the heavy wooden door of the restaurant just as Yuto reached for the handle.
"So, this is the grand weight of a dragon's promise?" Ainz's deep voice rumbled.
"Shut up, you overgrown skeleton! I just... I had special circumstances!"
Clack, clack.
Ainz clicked his jaw in a mocking condescending rhythm.
"Damn undead! I'll show you what happens when you insult a dragon!"
Realizing his newly renovated dining room was about to become a warzone, Yuto pushed the door open and stepped inside.
"Ainz? Tohru? What is going on?"
The murderous tension in the room snapped like a cut wire.
The ominous red glow in Ainz's eye sockets vanished, and the massive, scale-covered green claw at the end of Tohru's arm morphed seamlessly back into a pale human hand.
Yuto let out a tired sigh.
If he had been ten seconds later, he would have been sweeping up rubble!
"Kamisaka, my apologies," Ainz backpedaled, bowing his skull.
Yuto shook his head, signaling it was fine, and turned his attention to the dragon girl.
Tohru looked much better than she had the previous night.
Instead of being wrapped in a tattered piece of burlap, she was wearing a proper, albeit slightly wrinkled, skirt and top.
But as Yuto looked at her, a deep embarrassed flush crept up her neck and covered her cheeks.
She refused to meet his eyes.
"Did you forget to bring your money again?" Yuto asked gently.
"Mm..." Tohru mumbled, her gaze fixed firmly on her shoes.
Last night, she had sworn on her name that she would return to settle her tab.
To a dragon, a vow made on their name was a sacred, binding contract.
Failing to uphold it was a crushing blow to her fierce pride.
"It's really fine—" Yuto started, planning to just waive the 20,000 yen debt.
"No!" Tohru interrupted, her voice tight with wounded dignity.
Yuto rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
He didn't care about the money, but if he just let it go, Tohru's pride would be shattered.
She would feel humiliated by his pity.
"You can ask me to do anything," Tohru declared, looking up at him with intense sincerity.
"As long as it doesn't violate my core principles, I will do whatever it takes to make up for my broken word."
Yuto looked at the fierce dragon girl, then glanced around his massive, newly expanded dining room.
An idea clicked into place.
"Tohru, do you like the food I make?" he asked with a warm smile.
She blinked, caught off guard by the question, but gave a firm nod.
"And what time is it in your world right now?"
"It is nighttime."
Yuto nodded to himself.
The time zones aligned perfectly. "So, what do you usually do at night?"
Tohru tilted her head, thinking it over.
As a dragon of the Chaos Faction, her days were usually spent fighting or pillaging.
But the nights?
"I sleep. Or I just stare at the cave walls."
"Do dragons actually need to sleep every night?" Yuto asked.
If she needed rest, his plan wouldn't work.
"Of course not!" Tohru puffed out her chest with pride. "I just sleep because the nights are so boring. I don't actually need to rest my body at all."
"In that case... how would you like to work here as my employee?" Yuto offered.
With the massive new dining room, he was going to need help running food to the tables.
A powerful dragon girl with endless stamina and free time at night was the perfect candidate for a late-night waitress!
"Huh?! Me? An employee?" Tohru pointed at herself, her fierce expression melting into stunned nervousness.
"Yes. The shift would be from 7 PM to 7 AM. Your main job would just be serving dishes to the customers, I will handle all the cooking. In exchange, I will clear your debt, and you can eat four free meals here every single shift," Yuto laid out the terms with a calm encouraging smile.
Tohru's face lit up like a lantern.
The crushing weight of her debt vanished, replaced by sheer delight at the prospect of free delicious food!
"So, what do you think? Do we have a deal?" Yuto asked.
"Yes! Thank you so much, Boss!" Tohru cheered, her invisible tail wagging frantically behind her.
"You're nothing like those filthy, lowly humans in my world!"
Yuto offered a strained smile.
'It feels a bit weird being praised by someone insulting my entire species...'
"Tsk."
Ainz let out a dry, rattling scoff from the counter.
He found the dragon's rapid mood swings highly amusing.
Hearing the sound, Tohru's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.
Her murderous aura spiked again. "What was that, you damn undead?!"
Yuto sighed and reached out, resting a firm, calming hand on Tohru's shoulder.
The dragon girl flinched, a sudden shiver running through her body at his touch.
"Tohru. From now on, you are an employee working under me," Yuto said, his voice taking on a strict, authoritative tone.
"Since you are my person now, you have to follow my rules. Rule number one: Never unleash killing intent toward the customers."
Tohru didn't hear a single word of the rule.
Her brain had completely short-circuited the moment he said 'you are my person now'.
'The Boss's person... I am his person...'
A massive blush erupted across her face.
Her fierce golden eyes went wide and hazy.
'Boss... isn't this moving a bit too fast?!'
Sometimes, the thought process of a dragon was something mere humans simply couldn't comprehend.
"Tohru? Tohru?"
Yuto called the dragon girl's name several times before he finally managed to break through her daze.
"Ah! Boss! Sorry, sorry!" Tohru gasped, violently snapping out of her intense, blushing delusions. She bowed her head frantically.
Yuto looked at her and let out a soft sigh.
For a fleeting moment, he seriously doubted whether hiring a chaotic dragon to run food was a smart business decision.
"You absolutely cannot space out like this while you are working," Yuto reminded her gently but firmly.
Gazing into Yuto's serious eyes, Tohru nodded quietly.
She mentally scolded herself for getting so carried away.
'Focus, Tohru! You are his person now! You must be a perfect employee!'
"Good," Yuto smiled, turning around to walk back behind the cooking counter.
Tohru watched his retreating back with sparkling eyes.
Then, she shifted her gaze toward Ainz and Rimuru sitting nearby.
She didn't say a word, but the look she gave the skeleton was one of pure hostility.
Ainz wasn't intimidated in the slightest, he glared right back.
Even though he had no physical eyeballs, the two glowing red orbs in his empty sockets flared as brightly as laser pointers.
"Oh, by the way, Tohru. Have you eaten anything today?" Yuto asked, tying his white apron around his waist.
Hearing this, Tohru's golden eyes lit up!
She had been far too embarrassed to order anything because she knew she was broke.
But now that she was an official employee... that meant she didn't have to hold back!
"Consider tonight your first official shift. You get four free dishes. Think carefully about what you want," Yuto offered with a welcoming smile.
Tohru didn't even need to think.
"Meat Bun Rice! Four servings!" she declared instantly.