While Yuto and the two girls worked in the kitchen, the atmosphere in the front hall also became slightly livelier after Gilgamesh's group arrived.
Not long after the three of them came in, Saitama brought Genos to the restaurant as well.
Saitama's arrival left Ainz feeling a little complicated.
It was not that Ainz was holding a grudge over Saitama destroying part of the Great Tomb of Nazarick last night.
It was just that whenever he remembered how badly he had misjudged Saitama before, he felt a faint sense of defeat!
Saitama, however, greeted him as casually as always.
His attitude gradually calmed Ainz down.
Although Ainz had indeed misjudged him, it did not seem to change anything.
He and Saitama were still good friends!
As for the third member of their little trio—Rimuru—it was currently deeply immersed in the VR game.
Once the headset was on, it had absolutely no idea what was happening in the outside world.
Seeing that, Saitama did not disturb it.
He sat down beside Ainz, and Genos followed suit.
Tonight's cyborg hero was still as silent and cold as ever.
"Kamisaka, udon!"
"Got it. Wait a moment!"
Saitama was one of Yuto's earliest customers, so he was comparatively casual in the restaurant.
Naturally, Yuto was the same with him.
When facing Saitama, Ainz, and the others, he did not really need to act like a formal host.
"Saitama."
Ainz looked toward Saitama beside him, rubbing his jawbone as his tone carried a strange mix of disbelief and complaint.
"Yeah? What is it?" Saitama answered blankly.
"You're actually that strong? Why didn't you ever mention it before?"
Ainz's words carried the kind of complaint only friends would make.
Saitama scratched his head.
Then he gave a blank, slightly goofy smile.
"There was no need."
For a moment, Ainz truly did not know what to say.
However, by the time Yuto walked out with the udon, Ainz and Saitama had already begun talking as usual.
"Here, udon."
Yuto smiled as he placed the udon in front of Saitama.
A faint look of joy appeared on Saitama's face. After thanking Yuto, he immediately began eating.
Looking at Saitama's shiny bald head, Yuto could not help feeling emotional.
He truly had never expected that Saitama, who looked the most ordinary and plain, would turn out to be the hidden final boss!
One really could not judge by appearances.
At that moment, a certain King could no longer hold himself back.
"Why is his noodle dish already done, while my grilled meat is still nowhere to be seen?!"
Gilgamesh was truly hungry now.
Siduri, who sat beside him, had already started eating her clear-broth noodles, which had been prepared before Saitama's udon.
Watching his own subject receive her dish before him was something he had barely managed to accept.
As a king, he naturally had magnanimity.
But when he saw Saitama, who had arrived later, also eating his udon, he could no longer accept it.
Where was his grilled meat?
Why had it not been served yet?!
"Grilled meat takes time. Please wait a little longer."
Yuto's words made Gilgamesh take a deep breath.
"In that case, this king shall wait a little longer."
Gilgamesh suppressed the hunger in his belly and exhaled as though nothing was wrong.
Yuto looked at him with some curiosity.
He wondered what Gilgamesh had done today.
The previous times Gilgamesh had come to the restaurant, he had occasionally caused a few amusing little incidents, but he had never lost his composure this much because of hunger.
Siduri had already finished her clear-broth noodles.
She was a very intelligent woman, and when she saw Yuto's expression, she guessed what he was thinking.
"The Demonic Beasts have been attacking without pause since last night. The king has gone an entire day and night without closing his eyes, and he has not eaten anything either."
Siduri's words made Gilgamesh visibly displeased.
His nature was proud, and he did not want to use this kind of thing to win anyone's attention.
As the king of Uruk, it was only natural for him to bear such exhaustion.
More than that, he was the only one who could bear it.
No one else was worthy.
Only he could shoulder the fate of Uruk!
"Siduri, I do not recall asking you to explain unnecessary things."
Gilgamesh questioned Siduri calmly.
A thin layer of dignity surrounded him, and his expression became rather serious.
"My deepest apologies, my king. I overstepped."
Siduri did not defend herself as she respectfully lowered her head.
When facing the king in his serious state, even she could not act lightly.
"Come on, that's enough. Siduri didn't do it on purpose, so let it go."
Unlike the silent Siduri, Enkidu's expression remained as calm as ever, and there was even an unconcerned smile on his face.
He directly waved his hand and interrupted the Hero King.
The only person who could interrupt Gilgamesh when he was being this serious was Enkidu.
Naturally, Gilgamesh was very angry at Enkidu's action.
But he could do nothing to him.
So in the end, he could only snort.
"Hmph! You are still the same as before. All you know is how to protect Siduri. Looking at it now, perhaps it would have been better if you had not returned!"
The dignity that had just risen around Gilgamesh vanished completely.
His face carried a bit of irritation as he looked at Enkidu.
But Enkidu only smiled, completely unconcerned with Gilgamesh's expression.
Scenes like this had happened countless times in the distant past.
It had always been Enkidu protecting Siduri and preventing the furious king from taking his anger out on her.
Back then, Gilgamesh had still been a tyrant.
The only one who could remain calm and smiling in front of him had been Enkidu.
Siduri quietly raised her head and glanced at her king.
When she saw that he was no longer looking at her, she could not help letting out a breath of relief.
'Good.'
'Thank goodness Lord Enkidu was here.'
Siduri secretly rejoiced in her heart.
Yuto also sighed softly with some emotion.
The doubt in his heart had been answered.
Now that he knew the inside story, he could not help feeling some admiration for the Gilgamesh in front of him.
Although the arrogance Gilgamesh occasionally showed could make people uncomfortable, there was one thing that had to be admitted.
He was worthy of the word "king."
Otherwise, the King of Conquerors would not have acknowledged him either.
Yuto asked a little about the Demonic Beasts' attack.
Gilgamesh did not show any worry.
According to him, those Demonic Beasts would launch such waves of attacks from time to time, and Uruk had long since gotten used to it.
Compared with previous attacks, this Demonic Beast charge had actually caused much less damage.
The biggest reason was Enkidu joining the battlefield.
With Gilgamesh supplying magical energy from behind and Enkidu... was very strong.
"Speaking of which, I had a strange feeling on the battlefield today."
Enkidu's words made Gilgamesh look toward him.
"What feeling?" He asked with a slight frown.
A strange feeling?
He had not heard Enkidu report anything about this today.
"It felt as if another me was watching me."
Enkidu curled his hand into a fist and rested it lightly against his chin, his expression carrying a bit of confusion and puzzlement.
Gilgamesh's eyes lifted slightly, and he also fell silent for a moment.
"But that's rather interesting. If there really is another me watching me, then I'm already a little impatient to meet them."
Enkidu's green eyes carried a touch of novelty and excitement.
"If there's anything you need help with, you can always come to the restaurant and talk about it." Yuto said.
"Do not worry! Everything is within this king's control. There is no need for your concern!"
Gilgamesh spoke with great pride.
The smile at the corner of his mouth carried absolute confidence.
Although Yuto did not know whether he was simply putting on a brave front or whether he truly had everything under control, that expression of his did indeed make people want to believe him.
"Kamisaka-kun, thank you for the meal tonight."
Yukari, who had already finished eating the flower cake, was now preparing to leave.
Beside her, Eirin also wore a faint smile.
Only Princess Kaguya remained fully immersed in the game with the headset still on.
"Mm."
Yuto smiled lightly and nodded to them.
Yakumo Yukari stood up, and Eirin rather forcefully and roughly removed the headset from her princess's head.
The princess, who had been enjoying the game, had just been about to curse when she saw Eirin's calm, indifferent gaze.
In an instant, Kaguya lost all her nerve.
Yuto watched the scene and laughed inwardly.
"Kamisaka, come visit Gensokyo often when you have time. Don't be shy about it."
Yakumo Yukari wore her usual smile.
"As long as I get the chance, I'll go again."
Yuto did not refuse and accepted the invitation.
"If you do, Yuuka will definitely be very happy."
Yakumo Yukari spoke with clear meaning in her words, and those amethyst-like eyes carried a certain teasing smile.
Yuto could only respond with a rather helpless smile.
"Wait!"
Just before they left, Princess Kaguya suddenly shouted.
Both Yukari and Eirin looked at her strangely, but Her Highness was staring straight at Yuto.
"Kamisaka! You absolutely have to get me one of those headsets!"
Kaguya's expression was extremely serious.
For a moment, Yuto could not help but laugh.
Eirin's expression darkened, and she directly reached out to grab her princess by the ear.
"Ah, ah, ah! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts! Eirin! Let go!"
The Moon Sage ignored her.
And so, amid Kaguya's cries of pain, the three from Gensokyo left the restaurant.
Yuto silently shook his head.
Today, he had truly seen a princess who was fresh, unconventional, and completely different from the image one would normally imagine.
Although...
The contrast was a little too extreme!
"Kamisaka, did you go to Gensokyo today?"
Ainz looked at Yuto with some confusion.
"Yeah."
Yuto nodded.
"Right, Ainz. There's something I need to tell you."
Ainz looked puzzled.
"What is it?"
"This matter also concerns Rimuru."
After saying that, Yuto woke Rimuru from the game.
The slime, which had just been pulled out of the game, was still a little dazed.
But the moment he came to his senses and saw Saitama, he jumped up in excitement.
"Saitama!"
Saitama looked confused by Rimuru's reaction.
"Hold on. Let me finish first."
Yuto interrupted Rimuru's surprise and excitement.
Rimuru turned his puzzled gaze toward Yuto, his round body rotating until it was facing him.
"First, the first thing..."
Yuto spoke calmly, while Ainz and Rimuru listened seriously.
They continued like that until another customer entered the restaurant.
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