At the moment, Yuto was in the kitchen filling a bowl with braised snacks.
He had originally prepared them for waiting customers, and since Lucoa's grilled meat would still take some time, he didn't want to leave her empty-handed.
Having already finished her plate of braised eggplant, he planned to serve her the snacks to tide her over.
Swish, swish...
Yuto stirred the pot of braising stock with a ladle. Knowing Lucoa preferred meat, he made sure to scoop out larger portions for her.
The dark broth gave off a rich aroma, rolling and billowing as the ingredients hidden deeper inside tumbled to the surface.
Picking and choosing, he soon filled a bowl with bean curd skin, lotus root slices, duck intestines, chicken necks, and duck feet—mostly meat, paired with a small amount of vegetables.
Carrying the full bowl, he walked out of the kitchen and over to Lucoa.
The former goddess, who usually kept her eyes half-closed, was chatting with Tohru about amusing stories.
Having lived for an absurdly long time, she had no shortage of tales to tell.
When Yuto reached her, a trace of puzzlement appeared on her face.
"Boss, this is...?"
"The grilled meat will still take a while. Have some of the braised snacks I made this afternoon first," Yuto replied with a smile.
Her attention immediately focused on the bowl in his hands.
When the distinctive braised aroma drifted up, Lucoa's usually narrowed eyes opened a fraction wider, faintly revealing her beautiful heterochromatic pupils.
"Mmm~ It smells wonderful. Are these the braised snacks?" she asked in delight.
Yuto nodded.
"Thank you, Boss!" she cheered with obvious excitement, causing her impossible-to-ignore chest to sway noticeably.
Beside her, Fafnir had been immersed in his game, but the cry of delight interrupted him.
Frowning, he stood up with the handheld console in his arms.
When Yuto gave him a puzzled look, the dragon muttered, "It's too noisy here. I'm going to find a quieter place to continue my research."
Fafnir had apparently learned to explain himself.
With that, he carried the console over to a quiet corner.
Watching him leave, Yuto felt a ripple of realization.
'He's addicted to games now, isn't he? He has to be!'
The thought that he had personally created yet another game-addicted dragon sparked a tiny bit of guilt.
'Ah well, forget it.' Yuto sighed inwardly, choosing to let it go.
None of them were human anyway, if Fafnir wanted to play, let him play.
"I really don't get it. What's there to study about that?" Tohru watched her friend walk away, completely unable to appreciate the charm of handheld games.
"Well, just let Fafnir do as he pleases," Lucoa said with her usual smile.
She popped a piece of chicken neck into her mouth and swallowed it whole, bone and all, looking incredibly pleased with the taste.
"Mm... Lucoa, is it good?" Tohru shifted her gaze back to her friend. Her hesitation made Lucoa's smile grow even more pronounced.
Yuto sighed in amusement. "Tohru, during working hours..."
"I know already..." the dragon maid grumbled in an aggrieved tone.
With her head lowered, she swayed in disappointment, her two dragon horns seeming to droop in dejection.
Yuto couldn't help but smile.
Laughing at an upset employee was improper, but the dragon maid was simply too adorable, bringing a sense of joy to his heart.
"After closing time, Tohru can eat as much as she wants," Yuto promised.
Her eyes lit up instantly.
Returning to her lively, energetic state, she cheered, "Long live the Boss!" a few times for good measure.
'An employee like her is really easy to appease,' Yuto thought with a smile.
Leaving the dragons to their snacks, he turned toward Kaguya's side of the room.
He just so happened to have a favor to ask of her.
What Yuto wanted to discuss was the consignment sale of his gold and jewels.
He figured that for Kaguya, the request would be a simple matter.
"All right, leave it to me," Kaguya agreed the moment he finished speaking.
Her expression remained unchanged, as if she had merely accepted a trivial task.
"Thank you," Yuto smiled.
With her agreement, all the gold and gemstones piled up in the restaurant could finally be sold.
Once he secured the funds, Yuto could begin planning the next stage of renovations.
"It's only a small matter. The Shinomiya family already owns jewelry stores. In practice, this just means you're selling these things to us," Kaguya explained.
As one of the nation's top conglomerate families, the Shinomiyas had their hands in virtually every industry, including the country's leading jewelry stores and auction houses.
Agreeing so readily allowed Kaguya to contribute to her family's business while fulfilling Yuto's request, creating a win-win situation.
"I see," Yuto nodded in understanding.
"By the way, what kind of gemstones do you want to look at?" Yuto asked, thinking of the jewel box the wealthy King of Heroes had given him the night before.
Every gem inside was rare and beautiful, astonishing even someone like Yuto who knew little about jewelry.
He wanted to give Kaguya some idea of what to expect.
Hearing his question, Kaguya hesitated.
To be honest, she did not care much about the jewels. Having lived at the pinnacle of luxury since birth, she had long grown accustomed to seeing such things.
However, she did not want to reject Yuto.
If it had been the Kaguya of the past, she would have simply said there was no need.
Yet in front of Yuto, she nodded.
"Then wait a moment," he said.
Yuto retrieved the game backpack from beneath the counter, where he stored several items, including the electronic scale he had received earlier.
Under Kaguya's dazed gaze, he reached into the bag and pulled out the jewel box Gilgamesh had given him.
It was the most valuable thing Yuto had received so far.
When the box landed on the counter, it made a heavy, solid thud.
The moment Kaguya saw the golden box, her gaze changed.
The solid gold casing was one thing, but the large, pure, translucent ruby set into the lid captured her full attention.
Based on her judgment, the ruby was natural.
Displaying a perfect shape alongside transparent brilliance and luster, the gem alone was worth over a billion yen.
Having studied a wide range of subjects, Kaguya possessed a professional ability to appraise gemstones.
It was not just Kaguya.
Beside her, Hayasaka, the three from the Nakiri family, and even Reiko found their gazes drawn to the box.
Yuto opened it, leaving everyone shocked.
The multicolored gems reflected a dazzling brilliance under the lights, resembling a cluster of stars.
Every single gem was exquisite!
"Well?" Yuto's voice brought Kaguya out of her daze.
"The Shinomiya family can handle them," she replied.
Though stunned upon seeing so many jewels, she quickly returned to her calm demeanor. In a short amount of time, she had roughly estimated the price of the batch while analyzing the profits they would bring her family, giving Yuto a definite answer.
Yuto nodded and put the jewel box away.
When he placed the box back into the game backpack, Kaguya spoke up.
"That backpack..." Her tone carried hesitation and disbelief, her voice trailing off as she struggled to phrase her thoughts.
Looking at her expression, Yuto smiled, understanding what had astonished her.
"Have you ever heard of spatial equipment?"
The question left Kaguya bewildered.
As a young lady who spent most of her time on formal studies, she had no familiarity with a gaming term like spatial equipment.
Fortunately, Hayasaka leaned in and quietly explained the concept.
Understanding dawned in Kaguya's eyes.
Seeing her reaction, Yuto gave the backpack a little shake.
"This is spatial equipment."
Everyone's expressions shifted from shock to acceptance.
"This bag is convenient for storing things," Yuto said, placing it back under the counter.
"Where did you get it?" Kaguya asked.
"Ainz gave it to me," Yuto answered.
Kaguya nodded.
A moment earlier, countless thoughts had flashed through her mind regarding the backpack's origins, but upon hearing that it came from a person from another world, she dismissed them.
"Oh, right, Kaguya-san," Yuto said, the mention of Ainz reminding him of something.
Kaguya looked at him with a slight frown, her eyes full of inquiry.
"Is your older brother doing all right?"
Remembering that Ainz had cast a curse on Unyo the night before, Yuto wanted to ask about the aftermath.
Kaguya's expression shifted, the corners of her mouth lifting in a subtle display of hidden delight.
"He's doing all right," she nodded calmly.
"There's no problem with him?" Yuto pressed.
"That's right," she replied.
Yuto didn't believe for a second that the man was actually fine, but since that was the answer he received, he let it go.
He didn't care whether Unyo was well or not, his question was born of idle curiosity, and whatever became of the man meant very little to him.
The three from the Nakiri family showed subtle changes in expression.
They had already heard the rumor that the third son of the Shinomiya family had fallen ill and become a vegetable now.
Senzaemon looked conflicted, his inner turmoil obvious enough for Yuto to notice.
"Nakiri-san, what's the matter?" Yuto asked.
The question drew Kaguya's gaze to Senzaemon, making his conflict grow even more apparent.
"There is something I would like to presumptuously ask Shinomiya-sama about," Senzaemon finally said.
His words made Erina and Hisako pause for a moment before calming down, as if realizing what he meant.
Kaguya swept her gaze over the two girls before looking back at Senzaemon.