After Yuto returned to the restaurant, Hatsune and the others announced that they were leaving.
Although the banquet had ended earlier than expected, it had still lasted for quite a while.
While they were aboard Whitebeard's ship, the lively atmosphere had kept them from noticing how tired they were, but the moment they returned to the quiet restaurant, all that exhaustion caught up with them at once.
The girls were ordinary people and could not compare with Yuto and the others.
Their fatigue was obvious, so they decided to head home.
Yuto said goodbye, and before leaving, each of them promised to visit the restaurant often.
He smiled and nodded.
Although Hatsune's group left, the visitors from Gensokyo remained because they wanted to eat Yuto's cooking again.
They had already eaten aboard Whitebeard's ship, but that food could not compare with his.
Yuuka, in particular, had not eaten anything during the banquet.
Only after returning to the restaurant did she ask Yuto for a serving of flower cakes.
That made him quietly happy.
It was the special kind of happiness only a chef could understand. In a way, her request was another acknowledgment of his cooking.
And beneath that happiness was a faint excitement that belonged entirely to Yuto himself.
Whenever he was around Yuuka, his emotions always seemed to shift in ways he could not fully explain.
After asking everyone from Gensokyo what they wanted, Yuto stepped behind the counter.
Fafnir, who had been sitting there earlier, had already moved to a nearby table and started playing SAO.
When Yuto first returned, Fafnir had asked where Ainz and Rimuru were. After hearing what had happened, he said nothing else.
He had no intention of waiting for them before entering the game and simply started playing by himself.
Before going into the kitchen, Yuto also asked Kanna whether she wanted anything.
Kanna answered immediately.
She wanted meat!
A determined expression appeared on her adorable face, somehow making her look even more blank than usual.
Yuto smiled, nodded, and entered the kitchen.
Erina and Hisako followed him inside.
While the three quietly prepared the food, no one else entered the restaurant.
That had become surprisingly rare lately.
Customers usually came and went constantly, and the first half of the night was often extremely lively.
Tonight's peace felt almost strange.
Yuto worked at the stove with fast but perfectly organized movements.
His hands moved like faint shadows. Whether he was adding seasoning or controlling the heat, every action was precise.
His technique flowed naturally and effortlessly, carrying a calm beauty that made it pleasant simply to watch.
The regular visitors from Gensokyo ordered much the same dishes as usual.
Keine, Mokou, and Akyuu, who were visiting for the first time, ordered ramen, grilled meat, and ochazuke.
Simple food suited everyday life.
Yuto prepared each dish and asked Tohru to carry them outside.
By the time he personally brought Kanna's grilled meat to her, almost everyone's meal was ready.
Only Yuuka's flower cakes still needed a little more time.
'Slurp~'
Keine carefully tasted the ramen.
The smooth noodles made their own soft sound as she drew them into her mouth.
A faint blush appeared on her face.
She felt a little embarrassed, but a moment later, that embarrassment turned into delight as the flavor spread across her tongue.
Yuto had repeatedly worked and folded the dough with his own technique, giving the noodles far more spring and smoothness than ordinary ramen.
Very few people could remain unmoved by such a satisfying texture, not even youkai or members of other races.
However, the ramen still had one weakness.
The soup did not meet Yuto's personal standards.
The concentrated broth packets from the supermarket were very good, but they were still mass-produced by machines.
That did not mean factory-made food was bad. Those soup bases already tasted as good as stock prepared by many professional chefs.
They simply fell a little short of the flavor Yuto wanted.
To Keine, however, it was still the most fragrant and delicious ramen she had ever eaten.
She happily gave him a thumbs-up!
"It's wonderful!"
"Thank you."
Yuto smiled calmly.
Beside Keine, Mokou gave her a strange look before biting into her own grilled meat.
The moment it entered her mouth, she understood why Keine had reacted that way.
It really was delicious.
Mokou immediately stopped caring about appearances and began tearing into the meat in huge bites.
She ate as boldly as any man, without the slightest hint of delicacy.
Keine gave an awkward smile and lightly patted her shoulder.
Mokou paused and turned toward her in confusion.
"What is it, Keine?"
"Chew your food properly, Mokou."
Keine tried to make the reminder sound as gentle as possible.
She was too embarrassed to directly say that Mokou's table manners were incredibly rough.
Unfortunately, the hint went completely over Mokou's head.
She casually thumped herself on the chest.
Despite being a woman, she was almost as flat there as a man.
"It's fine. You know nothing can happen to me. Even if I choke to death, it wouldn't matter."
Mokou waved carelessly and resumed eating just as roughly as before.
The corner of Keine's mouth twitched.
She looked completely helpless.
"Your cooking is truly astonishing, Boss."
Akyuu was just as impressed by Yuto's skill, but every movement and word still carried the refinement of a properly raised young lady.
Mokou could not compare with her at all.
"It's only the result of practice."
Yuto smiled softly.
He glanced toward Mokou with curiosity.
What she had said earlier genuinely interested him.
What did she mean when she claimed that even choking to death would not matter?
Still, he decided not to ask.
It was better not to pry into things he did not understand. If he accidentally touched on something she did not want to discuss, it would be terribly rude.
"Phew~ That was delicious! Absolutely unbeatable!"
After finishing her meal, Mokou rubbed her stomach.
Her normally flat abdomen now bulged slightly.
She reached into her trouser pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.
Under Yuto's surprised gaze, she smoothly flicked one out and caught it between her lips.
The whole movement looked surprisingly stylish.
Then, wearing the expression of a hardened delinquent, she looked at him.
"Can I smoke in here?"
"Sorry, but no."
Mokou's expression immediately fell.
Smoking after a meal had long been part of her routine.
She had just enjoyed such delicious grilled meat, yet she could not have a cigarette afterward.
For her, that was genuinely painful.
"Sigh. This sucks."
Mokou sadly returned the cigarette to the pack.
At that moment, she looked exactly like an exhausted middle-aged man.
Yuto watched the whole thing with curiosity.
Only one thought entered his mind.
'What a delinquent.'
He carefully reassessed Mokou.
Her striking white hair, rebellious eyes, casual clothes, and completely uninhibited attitude all fit the image perfectly.
Yuto remembered the bald students from Housen he had once encountered.
She really resembled them.
Wasn't she the perfect example of a delinquent girl?
When he had met Mokou in Gensokyo before, he had never noticed this side of her.
He had certainly learned something new today.
Keine gave Yuto an extremely awkward smile. The corners of her mouth were already starting to strain.
"Mokou is only a little... energetic. Ha... ha... ha..."
"Mm. I believe you."
Yuto nodded with complete seriousness.
Keine's smile became even stiffer.
Across the restaurant, Yukari and the others began laughing.
Yukari and Ran only smiled, but Reimu, Marisa, and Suika laughed without holding back.
They slapped the table and roared with laughter, making Keine's face turn red.
Mokou immediately became furious.
She slammed a hand against the table and glared at them.
"Hey! What the hell are you laughing at?!"
Yuto found himself impressed by her all over again.
Most men could not match that kind of presence.
"Hmph! A mere roasted turkey should keep quiet."
Reimu crossed her arms and looked at Mokou with open disdain.
"What?! You useless shrine maiden! How dare you say that?!"
Mokou exploded immediately.
Just as it looked like the two might start fighting, Yukari and Keine pulled them apart.
Although they prevented an actual brawl, Reimu and Mokou continued glaring at each other.
Yuto looked between them and wondered whether they had some deeper grudge.
Marisa eventually explained.
"Don't worry about it. Reimu and Mokou argue almost every time they meet."
"Mokou is basically the captain of the Human Village's security force, while Reimu is the shrine maiden responsible for protecting it. They disagree about how certain things in the village should be handled, so they're always fighting."
"This is nothing, though. You haven't seen the really bad arguments yet, Boss."
"If Kaguya were here right now, then... hehehe... they'd probably already be trying to kill each other."
A wicked grin appeared on Marisa's face.
She clearly wished Kaguya were there to make things even more chaotic.
Yuto looked confused.
Kaguya...
That elegant-looking princess who was secretly a shut-in NEET, and Mokou, who looked like a hardened delinquent...
Were those two really mortal enemies?
Yuto did not understand.
As the conversation continued, Reimu and Mokou kept throwing sarcastic remarks at each other.
At least neither of them actually tried to attack.
They seemed satisfied with trading insults.
Watching them felt like seeing a comedy routine, and Yuto found the whole thing thoroughly entertaining.
During a quieter moment, however, his thoughts returned to Saitama.
'How are things going over there?'
...
Mary Geoise
Saitama, Ainz, Rimuru, Genos, Whitebeard, Shanks, and a large force of pirates now stood opposite Sengoku, Garp, Aokiji, Kizaru, and the gathered Marines.
The atmosphere was unbearably tense.
An enormous field of ruins surrounded both sides.
The magnificent palaces that had once stood there had all collapsed.
Mary Geoise, the Holy Land that had once glittered with gold and splendor, had been reduced to a wasteland.
"Gurararara! Sengoku, you arrived too late. It's already over."
Whitebeard struck the ground with the shaft of his naginata.
A wave of force spread outward, sending dust rising from the ruined buildings.
Sengoku's face had turned completely dark.
His teeth were clenched, and immense fury burned inside his eyes.
Saitama remained calm and serious as he adjusted his gloves.
There was no hesitation in his gaze.
He did not believe he had done anything wrong.
He had seen what those people were like.
They were no different from Saint Charlos.
He had also seen the slaves imprisoned throughout the Holy Land, along with many other things.
Cruelty and darkness far beyond anything he had imagined.
Saitama had encountered plenty of monsters before.
Yet nothing had ever filled him with this much disgust.
Compared with the crimes committed by the so-called Celestial Dragons, even many monsters seemed almost harmless.
There was no doubt about it.
The Celestial Dragons were the monsters of this world!
So Saitama acted.
Many people tried to stop him.
But.... no one could.
...
The Restaurant
While Yuto was chatting with everyone, Saitama and the others suddenly appeared.
"Is everything finished?" Yuto asked with a smile.
"Mm."
Saitama nodded.
There was no smile on his face, only a faintly suppressed calmness.
Yuto frowned slightly.
He immediately noticed that something was wrong with Saitama.
However, Saitama gave him no chance to ask.
After leaving behind a simple "See you," he departed with Genos followed him.
Ainz and Rimuru both released helpless sighs.
Yuto turned toward them.
"What happened?"
...
After returning home, Saitama washed himself and lay down on his bed.
With both hands behind his head, he stared at the ceiling.
His eyes remained calm as he closed them.
Before long, they opened again.
Tonight, he could not sleep.
He could not forget what he had seen in Mary Geoise.
The small bodies that had been cut apart.
The women impaled on wooden stakes and left hanging.
The little boy tied up and fed alive to dogs.
And so many others.
The more Saitama remembered, the more impossible sleep became.
He needed to release what he was feeling.
Saitama climbed out of bed.
"Sensei, are you going out?"
"Yeah. You don't need to follow me."
Genos stared silently as Saitama's back disappeared into the distance.
That night, something resembling a magnitude-ten earthquake was detected on the outskirts of Z-City.