During their conversation, Yuto brought up the pirate banquet from earlier that evening.
Gilgamesh, Iskandar, and the others immediately regretted missing it.
A lively celebration like that would already have appealed to the two kings, but knowing it had taken place in another world made it even more tempting.
Even El-Melloi II and Enkidu looked disappointed.
They eagerly pressed Yuto for details, so he told them everything that had happened.
Their faces lit up as he described the singing, drinking, and wild atmosphere aboard the Moby Dick, only to twist with disgust when the subject turned to the Celestial Dragons.
As kings, Gilgamesh and Iskandar understood better than most what it meant to wield enormous authority.
Neither of them, however, was the kind of ruler who used that power solely to satisfy his own desires and torment the helpless.
Both were deeply proud men with their own ideals and firm beliefs about how a ruler should use his power.
People like the Celestial Dragons, who abused their authority without restraint, were exactly the kind they despised most.
"Had this king been there, I would have taught those so-called Celestial Dragons what a true ruler looks like."
Gilgamesh crossed his arms, his voice overflowing with pride and contempt.
Hearing that, Yuto imagined what might happen if Gilgamesh ever came face-to-face with a Celestial Dragon.
On one side stood the arrogant and supremely self-centered King of Heroes.
On the other were the reckless, overbearing Celestial Dragons, who believed the entire world existed to serve them.
The moment those two sides met, an explosion would be inevitable.
The thought alone made Yuto laugh.
"Come to think of it, Gil was rather tyrannical for a while too," Enkidu added with a soft chuckle. "He was never as vile as those Celestial Dragons, but he was still quite awful!"
Gilgamesh's expression immediately darkened.
Once again, his closest friend had casually exposed one of the most embarrassing periods of his past.
Worse, there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.
Even if he shouted at Enkidu, the other man would simply keep smiling.
"Hmph!"
In the end, Gilgamesh could only snort resentfully.
Slide—
Fortunately for his pride, the restaurant door opened at that moment, drawing everyone's attention toward the entrance.
Yuto looked over, and the instant he saw who had arrived, his gaze paused.
He could hardly be blamed.
The man had left an extremely strong impression on him.
Erina and Hisako became tense as well, their expressions already showing signs of dread.
"Goku."
Yuto greeted Son Goku with a smile.
His first impression of Goku had been simple: the man could eat an absurd amount of food.
After watching his battle with Saitama, however, Yuto had revised that opinion.
He could fight.
And he could eat!
That was how Yuto defined him now—simple, but accurate.
"Hey, Boss! I'm back!"
Goku raised one hand in a cheerful greeting, his entire body giving off a relaxed and friendly air.
Despite being an unbelievably powerful fighter, he still felt like a slightly foolish older brother from the neighborhood—approachable, dependable, and easy to trust.
"Good to see you. Take a seat."
Yuto smiled and gestured toward an empty spot at the counter.
Goku nodded and sat near the end.
Since Gilgamesh and the others occupied the seats along the front, his arrival naturally caught their attention.
They studied him for a moment before reaching the same conclusion.
He looked completely ordinary.
"Oh, they're here too." Goku glanced around the restaurant, brightening when he saw Ainz and Rimuru.
"That's strange. Is Saitama not around?"
Yuto could not help but smile.
In a way, Goku and Saitama were surprisingly similar. Each always seemed to be wondering what the other was doing.
"Saitama already went home. He's been asking about you quite often lately."
Goku's eyes immediately lit up.
"Really? Does he want another match?"
His instincts had gone straight to the correct answer.
When Yuto nodded, Goku became even more excited.
"Whew... Now that's something to look forward to! Just thinking about fighting him again is making my hands shake."
Anticipation covered his face as he clenched one fist and breathed out slowly.
Fighting powerful opponents was one of the greatest joys in Goku's life, and right now, Saitama was the only person capable of completely satisfying that desire.
"Then what should I tell him?" Yuto asked with a relaxed smile.
Goku's expression became slightly more serious, though the excited grin never left his face.
"Tell him I accept! I've been training really hard lately. He's definitely going to be surprised!"
After their previous fight ended without a clear winner, Goku had returned home and thrown himself into brutal training, all for the chance to face Saitama again.
Now that the opportunity had finally arrived, there was no way he could remain calm.
Yuto smiled and nodded, though another problem soon occurred to him.
Where were Goku and Saitama supposed to fight this time?
Their previous battle had taken place inside the Great Tomb of Nazarick, and they had nearly destroyed the entire place.
If they went back to Ainz's world again, Yuto was certain the poor Overlord would have a complete breakdown.
"Boss, could you serve the food first?" Goku scratched his head and gave him a foolish grin.
"Fighting is exciting, but filling my stomach is more important right now!"
Yuto laughed and headed toward the kitchen.
"The same as last time?"
Goku froze for a moment, needing a second to understand what he meant.
Then realization struck.
"Yeah! The same as last time! And please bring it out quickly, Boss!"
Yuto did not answer aloud. He merely raised one hand to show that he had heard.
Then he turned toward Erina and Hisako, who were doing their best to make themselves invisible.
The instant his gaze landed on them, both girls trembled.
"Why are you still standing there? Come on!"
Yuto waved them toward the kitchen.
They exchanged a glance, each finding the same helplessness in the other's eyes.
Cooking for Goku last time had become a nightmare they still remembered clearly.
They had only been feeding one person, yet the workload had felt like three straight days of high-intensity competition cooking without a break.
By the end, both of them had barely been able to stand.
And now they had to do it again!
Wearing defeated expressions, Erina and Hisako followed Yuto into the kitchen.
Their faces made him laugh.
"What's wrong? Has cooking suddenly become a burden?"
Erina raised her head and glared at him indignantly.
She desperately wanted to say, 'You weren't the one doing all the work!'
But admitting that would have been far too humiliating for Nakiri Erina, eldest daughter of the Nakiri family and one of Tōtsuki's Elite Ten.
How could she possibly complain that cooking for one customer was too difficult?
Even if cooking for Son Goku really was torture.
"I'll be helping this time, so stop looking at me like that."
Yuto saw through her immediately.
Erina's expression improved considerably, only to turn awkward a moment later.
"It's not as if I wanted your help. Don't misunderstand."
She crossed her arms and spoke quietly.
Her time at the restaurant had softened her formerly extreme tsundere personality a great deal, but traces of it still surfaced now and then.
At least now it was more endearing than unreasonable.
"Then I won't help."
Yuto casually took her words at face value.
Erina froze.
Hisako immediately became anxious.
She genuinely wanted Yuto's help!
She never wanted to repeat the experience of cooking until she nearly collapsed.
"Ahem. Lady Erina was only joking, Boss. Please don't take her seriously."
Hisako gave Yuto an awkward smile while secretly nudging Erina with her elbow.
From Yuto's angle, the gesture was painfully obvious.
Erina looked conflicted, but before she could decide whether to admit defeat, Yuto ended the discussion.
"All right, enough talking. Let's start cooking."
If they continued arguing, Goku would be left waiting far too long, and that was not how the restaurant should treat its customers.
Erina visibly relaxed.
The three of them divided the work, though Yuto handled most of it himself.
Erina and Hisako worked earnestly, but neither could match his speed.
Any resentment Erina had felt soon disappeared.
Whatever else she thought of him, she genuinely respected his skill as a chef.
Tohru carried the dishes out of the kitchen, rushing back and forth without pause.
Empty plates quickly formed a small mountain in front of Goku, and she gathered them whenever she returned.
Unfortunately, Goku ate far faster than she could clear them.
╮(╯▽╰)╭
Gilgamesh and the others watched with astonished expressions.
After exchanging glances, they silently reached another unanimous conclusion.
The man really could eat.
While feeding Goku, Yuto also served Gilgamesh and Enkidu the red-braised pork belly.
After simmering for an hour, it was finally ready.
The moment Yuto lifted the lid, the aroma was so rich that even he felt tempted to steal a piece.
Glossy cubes of pork belly shifted gently in the bubbling reddish-brown sauce, each piece tender and beautifully glazed.
Who could possibly resist?
Gilgamesh praised it highly after the first bite.
His face showed complete satisfaction, and he even stole several pieces from Enkidu's serving.
Enkidu said nothing.
He merely smiled helplessly, watching Gilgamesh with obvious fondness.
Goku wanted to try the dish too, but when he learned that preparing another batch would take more than an hour, he reluctantly gave up.
He could not stay in the restaurant that long.
Someone was waiting for him at home.
...
After chatting for a while longer, El-Melloi II rose and prepared to leave.
The Clock Tower would soon be holding an examination for novice magi, and as one of its Twelve Lords, he was responsible for preparing part of the test.
That meant he could no longer spend the evening relaxing.
Iskandar left with him.
El-Melloi II constantly complained about all the trouble the king caused, but when the time came to leave, he still chose to take Iskandar along.
In the end, he simply could not bear to be separated from his king again.
Gilgamesh and Enkidu remained seated where they were.
Although the King of Heroes still looked calm, his fingers had begun tapping against the counter.
Something was clearly preventing him from settling down.
This continued until Goku finally ate his fill and left.
When Yuto emerged from the kitchen with the two exhausted girls, Gilgamesh finally spoke.
However, his tone sounded strangely conflicted...