Having finally finished preparing meals for all the current customers, Yuto returned to Utaha's table.
It was time to continue their earlier conversation.
Utaha had been waiting for quite a while.
Leaving a conversation half-finished was always frustrating. So, before Yuto could speak, Utaha spoke first.
"Kamisaka-kun, can you tell me now?"
Hearing the mix of impatience and curiosity in her voice, Yuto couldn't help but smile. "Yes, I can now."
"So, what is it?"
"Last night, Ainz and Rimuru both asked if they could come to the anime convention with us. I didn't agree right away, I thought it would be better to ask you first."
After all, it was Utaha who had invited him to the convention.
If he brought others along without asking, she might get upset.
Even among close friends, maintaining principles was important. Without them, friendships rarely lasted long.
Yuto kept his voice low.
Whispering like this naturally required them to lean closer. Their faces were barely ten centimeters apart—an intimate distance.
As the girl listened to Yuto's hushed words near her ear, a faint blush crept onto her pretty face.
Though her heart fluttered like a startled fawn, she managed to maintain her composure.
Hearing his words, she felt a small surge of happiness.
After all, the fact that he had asked for her opinion meant he cared about her feelings. Girls' minds are often complex, they tend to read deeply into things.
After a brief moment of joy, she shifted her focus back to what he had said.
Her slender eyebrows twitched, and her bright eyes met his. "Of course, that's no problem at all!"
To Yuto's surprise, he hadn't expected her to agree so readily.
"Really?" he asked again, just to make sure he hadn't misheard.
Utaha shot him a pouty glance. "What? Is my agreement really that unbelievable to you, Kamisaka-kun? Do you really see me as some petty, difficult person?"
The girl crossed her arms, feigning anger as she looked at Yuto.
Yuto gave a resigned smile.
'Petty and difficult?' He recalled the time he had accompanied Utaha to her contract signing.
It seemed the girl did fit that description... just a little.
Of course, he couldn't say that to her face now.
So, Yuto smiled and said softly to Utaha, "No, Kasumigaoka-san. In my eyes, you've always been very mature."
The girl's face flushed as suddenly as a summer storm.
"Good!" Utaha replied in a low voice with a hint of pride in her tone.
She looked adorable!
Seeing her like this, Yuto couldn't help but remember their first meeting.
She was a cute and beautiful girl, but her personality was difficult. She often spouted venomous remarks that left him stunned.
Though they weren't directed at him, they had still made him want to keep a safe distance from her back then.
After all, she was a sharp-tongued girl, and interacting with her often meant getting caught in the crossfire.
But now... As time passed without them noticing, the girl had started to frequently show this soft and adorable side of hers.
Moreover, Yuto's relationship with her had gradually improved. From a simple customer-and-owner dynamic, they had progressed to having conversations, and then to understanding each other's personalities.
This journey... It hadn't been long, but it wasn't exactly short either.
"But... if Ainz-san and Rimuru-san go to the anime convention, won't they scare people?" Utaha raised another question.
This was something Yuto had been pondering last night as well.
He wasn't just worried about them scaring people, he even imagined Ainz going on a killing spree if someone provoked him!
"I'll talk to Ainz and Rimuru about this. It should be fine," Yuto said.
"Okay, then the rest doesn't matter."
Utaha was only concerned about this one issue.
As for everything else, that wasn't her concern.
A few minutes after his conversation with Utaha, the restaurant door opened.
It was Asuna.
The girl standing in the doorway wore a smile of relief and joy.
Today, she was dressed in a white, above-the-knee skirt, paired with a brightly colored top. The outfit made Asuna seem to sparkle.
Yuto glanced at the clock.
7:45.
Recalling what Asuna had said yesterday, this meant she could only stay for fifteen minutes at most.
"Thank goodness, I made it just in time."
Asuna's voice was filled with relief and gentleness.
She walked up to the counter, glanced at the remaining seats, and, just like yesterday, sat down next to Utaha.
Reimu and the others were still fooling around, while Yuuka exuded an unapproachable aura.
Only Utaha felt somewhat familiar to Asuna, which was why she chose to sit beside her.
"Did you run here?" Yuto handed Asuna a tissue. He'd asked because he'd noticed the fine beads of sweat on her forehead.
"Yes. Class ran a little late today, so I ended up arriving late," Asuna said with a smile, accepting the tissue from him.
Her gentle eyes, like fields of wheat rippling in an autumn breeze, gazed at Yuto with a warm smile.
The scene made a certain light novel author sitting nearby feel a pang of annoyance.
"Asuna, do you have to leave soon?"
"Yes."
"Honestly, you shouldn't have rushed over if your schedule was so tight."
"Ah~ But I was really craving Kamisaka-kun's cooking."
"It's nice to know a girl is thinking about me like that."
"Tempura, please!"
"You got it." As Yuto turned to leave, he caught Kasumigaoka's gaze. So calm...
Yuto walked into the back kitchen to make tempura for Asuna.
The last time he'd made tempura was several days ago. Back then, Senzaemon always used to order it.
Hisako had mentioned to Yuto recently that the Nakiri Family was currently collaborating with the Shinomiya Family.
Senzaemon must be incredibly busy.
As Yuto thought of the Shinomiya Family, memories of his visit to the Shinomiya Estate earlier that day surfaced in his mind.
Kaguya of the Shinomiya Family had a somewhat difficult personality, but she was also quite cute.
Hayasaka, despite her cold expression, was actually a very kind person.
But as for Shinomiya Un'yo... Although both Kaguya and Hayasaka had warned Yuto about him, he hadn't encountered the man yet.
Yuto wasn't concerned about that.
He was more interested in something else—something he hadn't dared to mention in front of Kaguya and Hayasaka at the Shinomiya Estate.
After all, it was a rather awkward topic.
Kaguya looked to be only in her early teens, yet Shinomiya Un'yo, her third older brother, looked nearly thirty.
'That age gap...' Yuto couldn't help but marvel at the current head of the Shinomiya Family.
'The old man's got some serious stamina!'
If he dared to mention this in front of Kaguya, Yuto suspected he might be "dealt with" in secret.
Though his mind wandered with such wild thoughts, his hands moved with efficiency.
Mincing the filling, coating the ingredients... He executed each step with clean, precise movements.
...
Meanwhile..
After Yuto left, Utaha took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Asuna.
"Yuuki-san, I didn't expect to see you again today," Utaha said with a gentle smile.
Asuna returned the smile.
She wasn't bothered by Utaha's approach, in fact, she felt a faint sense of relief.
Sitting here in silence while waiting for the food would have been a little awkward, especially with the lively atmosphere in the small restaurant.
"Yes, Kasumigaoka-san. Please, just call me Asuna. There's no need for 'Yuuki-san.'"
Asuna's gentle smile caught Utaha slightly off guard, but she quickly recovered and smiled back.
"Then let's both drop the formalities and call each other by our names."
"Yes, of course."
"It's quite late, Asuna. Is it alright for you to be here? I heard from Kamisaka-kun that your family is very strict."
"I still have a little time. It'll be fine if I head back after I finish eating."
"I never realized you liked Kamisaka-kun's cooking this much!"
As Utaha said this, Asuna hesitated. 'Did I rush here today, despite my tight schedule, just because I like Yuto's cooking?'
Utaha's words echoed in Asuna's mind, and she found herself lost in memories of yesterday.
"Kamisaka-kun, can I come here again in the future?"
"Of course. I'll always be here to serve you."
She had asked him that question as she was leaving last night, and his gentle laugh still lingered in her memory.
When her lessons ended today, she had felt an inexplicable urge to come here.
Even with so little time, she wanted to sit in this restaurant and eat something. The impulse was strange and unfamiliar.
She couldn't quite describe it, she just felt a sense of anticipation about sitting in the restaurant.
Was it because there was no strict father or stern-faced mother here?
Or perhaps because of the restaurant's inexplicably relaxed and cheerful atmosphere?
Or maybe... because of Yuto's subtly hidden kindness from yesterday?
She thought about it, but her mind remained a muddle.
Sometimes, human impulses are simply impossible to understand!