No one else came before closing.
Once the night was over, Yuto cleaned up the restaurant, switched off the lamp outside, and flipped the sign from OPEN to CLOSED.
"Tohru, wake Kanna up. She has school today."
It was Monday.
The elementary-school holiday was officially over.
Tohru answered and headed upstairs, returning not long afterward with a still-groggy Kanna in tow.
The little girl rubbed her eyes as she greeted Yuto, looking so adorably dazed from sleep that he could not help smiling.
He prepared breakfast for her, and once all the usual morning routines were finished, Kanna stood outside the restaurant with her schoolbag on her back. Tohru waited beside them.
"Come on. Let's go get Shouko so you can head to school together."
"Mm."
Kanna nodded obediently.
The three left the alley and made their way along the street, greeting familiar people as they passed. Before long, they reached Shouko's apartment building, not far from the elementary-school bus stop.
Several children were already waiting there, but Shouko had not appeared yet.
Yuto did not even need to say anything.
Kanna simply raised her head toward the apartment building and shouted at the top of her little lungs.
"Shouko~~~ Time for school~~~!"
Shouko's apartment was directly above them, close enough that the shout easily carried upward.
Almost immediately, one of the windows slid open and a tiny head popped out.
It was Shouko.
Seen like this, with only her head peeking from the window, she looked almost like a little groundhog cautiously emerging from its burrow.
Ridiculously cute!
"Wait a minute—Kanna-chan! I'm coming down right away!"
After shouting her reply, Shouko quickly disappeared and closed the window again.
Yuto laughed before looking toward Kanna, genuinely curious about where she had learned to do something like that.
The little dragon tilted her head innocently.
"I saw people on TV calling their friends like that when they went to school."
Yuto finally understood.
It did not take long before Shouko came running downstairs, with Yaeko Nishimiya following behind her.
Yaeko gave Yuto a slightly embarrassed smile.
"Sorry for making you wait."
"It's fine. We came early."
Yuto answered calmly.
Meanwhile, at their feet, the two little girls who had not seen each other for two days were already chattering excitedly.
Both were eagerly telling the other everything that had happened over the weekend.
Yuto even overheard Kanna complaining about being forced to finish an entire mathematics workbook.
Shouko looked absolutely horrified.
When she turned toward Yuto with wide eyes, all he could do was smile helplessly.
Then Kanna mentioned the amusement park.
Shouko's expression changed instantly.
She became visibly excited and immediately turned toward Yuto to confirm whether Kanna was telling the truth.
The moment he said yes, her face lit up even more brightly.
Yaeko, however, looked conflicted.
"Kamisaka-kun, are you really planning to take Shouko to the amusement park too? Won't that take up too much of your time?"
"You don't need to worry about that. I'm usually free during the daytime anyway, so taking Shouko along and letting everyone have fun together is no trouble."
Yuto smiled reassuringly.
Yaeko still looked like she wanted to refuse, but when she glanced down and saw the anticipation shining in her daughter's eyes, her resolve immediately weakened.
She was always busy with work and had never taken Shouko to an amusement park herself.
That was something she had always felt guilty about.
Now Yuto had offered to take her along, and while Yaeko hated the thought of imposing on him, refusing when Shouko was obviously so excited somehow felt even worse.
After struggling with herself for a moment, she finally agreed.
As for Yuto's kindness...
She would simply have to find some way to repay him in the future.
Yaeko gave him a small bow.
"Then I'll leave Shouko in your care. Thank you very much."
"It's nothing."
Yuto smiled casually.
Shouko immediately let out a small cheer, her entire face glowing with delight.
Seeing that reaction only made Yaeko's guilt deepen, but at the same time, it strengthened a quiet resolution inside her.
Their family's life was no longer what it had once been.
Perhaps it was finally time for them to enjoy some of the ordinary happiness that other families took for granted.
...
After seeing Kanna and Shouko off to school, Yuto and Tohru went grocery shopping.
When the two eventually returned to the restaurant, Yuto took a moment to look through all the clothes he owned.
Every single outfit was casual and practical.
Perfect for cooking.
Perfect for working.
Not particularly suitable for a formal banquet.
"Maybe I should buy a proper suit."
He murmured to himself.
After all, he was attending the Yuuki family's banquet that evening.
Showing up dressed too casually would be somewhat disrespectful to Asuna, especially when she had personally invited him.
...
When Yuto asked Tohru to come shopping for clothes with him, the dragon girl immediately became delighted.
There was no complicated reason behind it.
Simply being able to spend time with Yuto was enough to make her genuinely happy.
Her thoughts were not nearly as complicated as a human's.
Happy meant happy.
Dragons did not particularly enjoy asking themselves why.
Yuto locked the restaurant door, and the two headed together toward Shinjuku Station.
As one of the most famous commercial districts in Tokyo—and indeed one of the most famous in the entire country—Shinjuku's busiest areas had naturally grown around the enormous station complex.
Convenient transportation brought people from every direction, and whenever anyone had free time to shop, this was one of the most obvious places to go.
It was also the same general area where Yuto had gone shopping with Megumi before.
Along the way, Tohru excitedly pointed at one towering building after another, her expression filled with fascination the entire time.
Seeing her so delighted made Yuto smile as well.
To the south of the station stood one of the most luxurious shopping complexes in Shinjuku.
Takashimaya Times Square.
Many of the world's most famous luxury brands maintained stores inside.
For ordinary people, much of what was sold there was prohibitively expensive.
And one of the major investors behind the complex was the Shinomiya Group.
Yuto and Tohru entered together.
The interior was extravagantly decorated, yet despite the luxury, there were actually far fewer shoppers inside than on the streets outside.
The difference was obvious the moment they stepped through the entrance.
Tohru, still dressed in her usual maid outfit, naturally attracted quite a bit of attention.
The dragon girl did not care in the slightest.
Yuto, however, thought about it for a moment.
Since they were already here...
He might as well buy Tohru a few outfits too.
...
After searching for a while, Yuto eventually bought himself a formal suit from one of the menswear stores.
The brand was internationally famous.
Normally, truly expensive formalwear was supposed to be custom tailored, but Yuto simply did not have that kind of time.
He needed the suit tonight.
A proper made-to-measure order could take a month or more, which made it completely useless for his current situation.
Something simple off the rack would be more than enough.
Besides...
He was not one of those pretentious high-society elites who needed to use clothing as proof of status.
Walking out of the store with the shopping bag in hand, Yuto looked toward Tohru.
"Tohru, take a look around. See if there are any clothes you like."
She blinked in surprise.
"Boss is buying clothes for me? What I'm wearing now is enough..."
"We're already here. Pick a few."
Yuto smiled encouragingly.
Tohru froze for a moment.
Then her entire expression brightened.
"Thank you, Boss!"
She immediately threw herself around him and rubbed against him like an excessively clingy puppy.
Yuto could only laugh helplessly.
And so, the two continued browsing while choosing clothes for Tohru.
While passing one particular store, Yuto happened to spot someone familiar.
Hayasaka Ai.
The moment Hayasaka, currently dressed like a delinquent girl, noticed him, her expression changed slightly.
Yuto gave her a small nod.
He had no idea why she was not at school.
But that was not especially important.
This was already the second time he had happened to run into her like this.
The previous occasion had been fairly similar.
Tohru followed Yuto's gaze and immediately recognized Hayasaka.
She nearly called out.
Yuto quickly stopped her.
Tohru did not know that Hayasaka deliberately hid her identity when she was outside, and after Yuto quietly warned her, relief immediately appeared on the dragon girl's face.
Good thing she had not shouted her name.
Yuto and Tohru continued walking past Hayasaka and the delinquent-looking girls accompanying her.
Hayasaka glanced sideways at them.
Once Yuto and Tohru had gone some distance, she apologized to her companions and claimed that something had suddenly come up.
Then she separated from the group and caught up with them.
At that moment, Yuto was helping Tohru choose a dress.
He had assumed Hayasaka would simply continue on with her friends, so when her voice suddenly sounded beside him, he was mildly surprised.
"Boss, I didn't expect to meet you here."
Hayasaka addressed him with an elegance completely at odds with her current delinquent-girl appearance.
The contrast was so strange that Yuto could not help noticing it.
"Mm. Quite a coincidence. Aren't you going to stay with your friends?"
He asked with a faint smile.
Hayasaka shook her head.
"If Milady found out that I happened to meet you and didn't even stop to greet you, she would definitely be displeased with me."
Naturally, the "Milady" she referred to was Kaguya.
Yuto laughed softly.
"Kaguya probably wouldn't mind. She trusts you a lot, so I'm sure she'd understand."
He spoke casually.
Hayasaka's eyes shifted slightly.
For just an instant, something flickered across her expression.
Then it disappeared.
"Are you shopping as well, Boss?"
She smoothly changed the subject.
Yuto explained that he had come to buy a formal outfit for the banquet he would be attending that evening.
Hayasaka nodded in understanding.
"For something so minor, you could have asked me to take care of it. Milady would also be very happy if she could assist you in any way."
Her tone carried genuine respect.
She was not merely being polite.
If Yuto had actually asked, she would have made the arrangements without hesitation.
"It's fine. Like you said, it's only a small thing. I can choose and buy clothes myself."
Yuto smiled lightly.
"So you're currently buying clothes for Miss Tohru?"
Hayasaka turned toward the dragon girl.
Tohru nodded cheerfully, grinning with such uncomplicated happiness that she looked almost silly.
"Oh, right." Yuto looked back toward Hayasaka. "Why don't you help me choose? My taste by itself feels a little limited."
Hayasaka gave a small nod, though she looked slightly restrained and even somewhat cautious.
After all...
They were choosing clothes for Tohru.
And Hayasaka knew perfectly well what Tohru really was.
A dragon.
So the three of them continued shopping together.
With Hayasaka helping, choosing outfits for Tohru became noticeably easier than when Yuto had been doing it alone.
She had a much better eye for matching clothing styles, and before long, they had found several outfits that suited Tohru surprisingly well.
By the time noon approached, Yuto invited Hayasaka to join them for lunch.
She hesitated briefly before accepting.
The three headed to one of the restaurants inside the shopping complex.
As one of the Shinomiya family's major investments in Shinjuku, the mall was upscale in virtually every respect, and naturally, its restaurants maintained similarly high standards.
Many of the chefs working there were talented graduates of Tōtsuki.
They found a relatively quiet table.
Each table was placed far enough apart to give every group plenty of privacy, while the customers themselves spoke softly and ate with restrained manners.
Elegant piano music drifted through the dining room.
The atmosphere was completely different from Yuto's restaurant.
Judging purely by appearances...
One could even argue that Yuto's place looked inferior.
But his restaurant was warmer.
Livelier.
More cheerful.
And in the end...
Yuto still preferred his own place.