Some time passed.
Eventually, the group from Gensokyo began preparing to leave as well.
Yuyuko clearly could have continued eating for much longer, but Yukari finally stopped her.
With Yuyuko's constitution and appetite, there was every chance she might have continued eating until sunrise if nobody intervened.
Of everyone preparing to leave, the two most reluctant were undoubtedly Yuyuko and Kaguya.
Kaguya had been perfectly happy playing her game and clearly had no intention of stopping anytime soon.
Unfortunately for her, Eirin immediately—and rather forcefully—woke her up.
The interruption left the princess visibly furious all the way until it was time to leave.
Of course, she did not dare direct that anger toward Eirin herself.
That would be far too dangerous.
What if Eirin became annoyed and refused to let her return to the restaurant to play games next time?
That would be an enormous loss.
Before leaving, Yukari deliberately turned toward Yuuka and gave her a meaningful look.
She even smiled at her on purpose.
Yuuka very nearly wanted to punch her.
However, since they were still inside the restaurant and Yuto was standing nearby, she ultimately chose to remain calm.
Reimu and Marisa, meanwhile, had once again been reduced to drunken wrecks.
Obviously, Suika had gotten them drinking.
Neither of them could even walk in a straight line anymore.
In the end, Ran had no choice but to wrap one tail around each of them and carry them away.
Even while dangling there, Reimu continued babbling drunken nonsense.
Most of it seemed to consist of complaints about how Yukari was lazy, loved eating, and always dumped every exhausting job onto her.
She also somehow managed to throw in several remarks about "old hag Yukari."
The expression on Yukari's face at the time was quite something.
Once the entire Gensokyo group finally left, the restaurant became quiet almost immediately.
Whenever a place suddenly changed from overwhelming noise to near-total silence, the contrast always stirred a peculiar feeling.
Yuto could not help releasing a soft sigh.
Rias, who had been sitting quietly by herself at the counter, looked toward him with curiosity.
She had remained in the restaurant ever since her brother left.
For most of that time, she had sat quietly in one corner, occasionally exchanging a few words with Yuto but otherwise simply staring into space.
Who knew what the girl had been thinking about?
Perhaps the joy of finally having her engagement canceled had still not completely settled in her heart.
Or perhaps there were other things occupying her thoughts.
Her brilliant crimson eyes turned toward Yuto, beautiful and mysterious like polished gemstones.
"What's wrong, Boss? Why are you sighing?"
Yuto turned toward her with a smile.
"It just suddenly feels a little empty."
"Does Boss not like it when there aren't many people in the restaurant?"
There was a trace of genuine curiosity in Rias's voice.
"No, it's not that. I'm fine whether the restaurant is crowded or quiet." Yuto smiled faintly. "It just feels strange going from all that noise to complete silence so suddenly. Give me a little while and I'll get used to it."
Rias nodded thoughtfully.
Her calm presence resembled a steady flame burning warmly in the night.
Her long crimson hair flowed all the way down to her waist.
Red as blood and bright as fire, the vivid color framed her pale face and made her complexion appear even more striking.
"Now that the engagement has been canceled, you must feel much lighter, right?" Yuto asked with a gentle smile.
Caught slightly off guard by the question, Rias needed a moment to react.
Then joy immediately appeared across her face.
"Mm! I do!"
Even her voice sounded considerably brighter and more confident than it had earlier that day.
"I thought so. You already look much better than before."
Rias's eyes brightened slightly.
She seemed genuinely surprised.
"Boss has been paying attention to me?"
She pointed one finger at herself as she looked at Yuto.
There was clear surprise in her voice, along with a trace of excitement and happiness she was trying very hard to suppress.
"Of course. Paying attention to every customer's expression is one of the basic qualities an excellent restaurant owner should have."
Yuto answered jokingly.
Rias's expression stiffened ever so slightly.
For a moment, she almost looked disappointed.
But the change vanished quickly, and she smiled again.
"That sounds a little like one of those professions whose entire job is making people happy."
"Well, both are service industries, so I suppose there are bound to be some similarities." Yuto smiled. "But I could never be as attentive as professionals who make their living doing that."
People whose livelihood depended upon pleasing others had their speech, gestures, and mannerisms specifically trained.
Yuto certainly could not make a troubled customer burst into laughter with only a few carefully chosen sentences.
At most, if someone looked visibly upset, he could place a satisfying meal in front of them.
It might not sound as comforting as the perfect words at the perfect moment.
But at least they would leave with a full stomach.
And sometimes, once a person was full, many of their troubles no longer seemed quite as overwhelming.
Rias laughed softly.
Resting her head lazily against one hand, she looked around the restaurant.
Her gaze gradually became unfocused as the warm lights hanging throughout the room reflected one after another in her crimson eyes.
"Staying here like this really does make you feel as though you never want to leave..."
The words escaped her softly.
They sounded almost like something she had murmured without realizing it while lost in thought.
There was something faintly adorable about the way she said it, yet also something quietly melancholic.
Her head tilted slightly to one side as her elbow rested against the counter, while her blood-red hair spilled across the yellow-brown wooden surface like a stream of fire.
"I'm glad you feel that way, but the restaurant is only open until seven in the morning." Yuto chuckled. "Technically speaking, customers can't stay here forever."
Rias wrinkled her nose and pouted slightly.
"Boss really does enjoy teasing people!"
Her voice carried a faintly spoiled tone mixed with mild irritation.
Yuto did not continue teasing her.
He merely pressed his lips together, clearly amused.
"But I suppose that's true." Rias sighed softly. "Even if staying here didn't bother me at first, eventually I would probably start feeling uneasy. After all, I still have family and friends waiting for me in my own world."
A trace of helplessness flickered through her eyes, and her expression gradually became more distant.
Hearing those words, Yuto instinctively looked toward a certain dragon girl nearby.
Tohru and Kanna were both fighting desperately to keep their eyes open.
Their heads kept slowly dropping toward the table before jerking back up again.
Kanna in particular looked as though she had reached her absolute limit.
Her eyes were practically spinning in circles.
Yuto smiled helplessly.
When he thought about it, Tohru had already been living here for quite a while.
And she certainly did not seem uneasy.
If anything, the dragon girl appeared ridiculously happy every single day.
Perhaps...
That was simply another way she differed from ordinary people.
Yuto's thoughts wandered briefly before Rias spoke again.
"I should probably leave too. If I stay here any longer, Mom and Dad will only worry more." She smiled somewhat helplessly. "Even if Onii-sama tells them everything is fine, knowing their personalities, they'll still be concerned."
Rias stood from her seat.
"All right. You're always welcome to come back."
Yuto nodded with a smile.
The devil girl placed both hands against her knees and gave him a polite bow.
"I'll probably be coming here quite often from now on. Please forgive me if I end up bothering you too frequently." A warm smile appeared on her face. "I hope you won't mind if I visit too much."
"You're being far too polite. As long as the restaurant is open, you're welcome anytime."
Yuto confidently patted his chest.
"Come as often as you like."
The gesture seemed to amuse Rias.
She covered her mouth, her crimson eyes curving happily.
After Rias finally left, Yuto turned his attention back toward Tohru and Kanna.
The two troublesome dragons had entered a strange state somewhere between consciousness and complete collapse.
He rubbed his brow and sighed helplessly.
"Tohru. Kanna."
He called their names.
Both dragon girls slowly looked toward him at the same time.
Their eyes were still hazy with exhaustion.
"That's enough for today."
The moment those words left Yuto's mouth, both pairs of eyes instantly lit up.
"Really?!"
Tohru immediately came back to life.
Kanna beside her also nodded repeatedly while staring at Yuto with sudden hope.
He sighed and shook his head.
"Really."
"Oooooh!!! YES!!! Boss is the best!!!"
"Kamisaka is the best! The best! The best!!!"
Tohru and Kanna both threw their hands into the air and cheered.
Yuto rubbed his forehead.
The two dragons looked exactly like elementary-school students who had just been told there would be no homework after class.
"Tohru, help me with the restaurant in a little while. Kanna, you can go to sleep for tonight."
Kanna's face immediately brightened even further.
Then Yuto pointed toward the mathematics workbook on the table.
"But you're continuing tomorrow. That workbook still has to be finished by tomorrow."
The cheering little girl froze.
The excitement vanished from her face in an instant, replaced by deep gloom.
Even the way she looked at Yuto immediately changed from delighted admiration to furious resentment.
The speed of the transformation was almost theatrical.
"Kamisaka, I hate you!"
Leaving those words behind, Kanna puffed out her cheeks and stormed upstairs.
Yuto exchanged a glance with Tohru.
He helplessly raised an eyebrow while the corners of his mouth curved into a wry smile.
"Boss, maybe you could forgive Kanna?" Tohru asked carefully. "She really did work hard on those problems..."
But Yuto had already made up his mind.
"No. This punishment is necessary."
His voice became firmer.
"I feel sorry for Kanna too, but if I always let her do whatever she wants, that would actually be worse for her in the long run. If she does something wrong, then she has to accept the consequences."
Yuto paused briefly.
"That is a matter of principle."
Tohru scratched her head.
She knew he was right.
Even so, she could not completely let go of her sympathy for Kanna.
"Once this is over, I'll make it up to her properly, so don't worry."
Yuto breathed out softly.
He understood at least a little about dealing with children.
You had to know when to be strict and when to ease up.
Too much of either one would create problems.
A balance between the two was usually best.
"All right. If Boss already has a plan, then that's fine."
Tohru nodded.
"Good. Clean those two tables for me." Yuto lightly clapped his hands together. "And you worked hard sitting beside Kanna tonight too."
"I'm fine. I did something wrong as well, so of course I had to accept my punishment~"
Tohru grinned foolishly.
Whenever Yuto saw that silly smile, he always felt strangely healed.
It was difficult to explain.
There was simply something about Tohru's uncomplicated happiness that made him feel peaceful.
Perhaps this was how people who owned pets felt whenever their pets somehow managed to cheer them up after a tiring day.
Yuto had once considered the question out of boredom.
He was not entirely certain whether comparing Tohru to a pet made any sense, though.
In some ways...
Tohru was certainly far more useful than any pet.
Even if she did resemble one sometimes.
Slide~
While Tohru was busy cleaning the tables, the restaurant door opened once again.
"Welcome."
As usual, Yuto looked toward the newcomer with a smile.
However, the moment he saw who had entered, his expression became slightly more serious.
His brows drew together.
Confusion also appeared in his eyes.
'Reiko... what happened?'
The girl who normally seemed as bright and cheerful as a little sun looked completely different tonight.
Her hair was slightly disheveled, and even her clothing was somewhat untidy.
Her expression was unmistakably gloomy, bitter, and troubled.
She looked...
Like a little dog that had been heartlessly abandoned.