Once Oko Shinomiya left, the oppressive tension hanging over the banquet hall gradually began to fade.
The lively chatter from earlier slowly returned, though for a while it remained noticeably quieter than before.
Small groups gathered here and there, speaking in hushed voices as they discussed the confrontation they had just witnessed between the two Shinomiya siblings.
Yuto, however, had no interest in staying around any longer.
He said goodbye to Kaguya once again, and after agreeing that they would meet later at the restaurant, he finally headed for the exit.
This time, leaving proved considerably more eventful than arriving.
Quite a few people tried to approach him along the way, each wearing polite smiles and looking for some excuse to start a conversation.
After seeing how naturally he interacted with Kaguya and Asuna, everyone had clearly become intensely curious about his identity.
Yuto brushed every attempt aside as politely and quickly as possible.
Only after finally escaping the Yuuki residence and stepping onto the street did he roll his neck and stretch his shoulders.
For some reason, remaining inside that banquet hall had made him feel almost suffocated.
Now that he was outside, he could finally breathe normally again.
Night had already fallen over Tokyo.
Countless lights glittered across the enormous city, illuminating streets, towers, windows, signs, and roads until the darkness itself seemed unable to settle properly.
A nightscape like this could easily leave an ordinary person mesmerized.
And only after staring long enough would they eventually realize that within such an immense urban ocean...
They were nothing more than one tiny fish swimming among millions of others.
"Time to head back."
Yuto muttered to himself before starting toward the restaurant.
...
Elsewhere, inside a black luxury car, Oko Shinomiya sat heavily in the center of the back seat with his eyes closed.
His heart was nowhere near as calm as his appearance suggested.
The exchange with Kaguya replayed again and again inside his mind, each word and expression passing before him like an endless slideshow.
For a long while, he remained silent.
Then Oko gave a cold snort and slowly opened his eyes.
The aura surrounding him changed completely.
The cheerful, genial man who had laughed and joked at the banquet disappeared without a trace.
In his place sat a lion that had spent years gathering its strength.
The corners of Oko's mouth lowered slightly, and a stern, authoritative pressure naturally radiated from him.
"Kaguya... do you truly believe victory is already in your hands?"
His voice was quiet.
To outsiders, the internal struggle of the Shinomiya family already appeared to be approaching its conclusion.
Nearly everyone believed Kaguya would emerge as the final victor.
Oko did not see things that way.
The word retreat had never existed in his life.
"My dear little sister..." A chilling smile slowly appeared on his face. "I wonder what expression you'll make when the person closest to you betrays you."
A low laugh escaped him.
Then his expression immediately turned cold again.
"Drive. We're leaving."
"Yes, sir!"
At his command, the black luxury car accelerated away and gradually disappeared into Tokyo's night.
...
By the time Yuto returned to the restaurant, it was almost eight o'clock.
He had originally intended to leave the Yuuki residence much earlier, but Oko's sudden appearance delayed him.
Traffic on the way back had not helped either.
By the time he finally arrived...
He was pretty late.
Inside the restaurant, the atmosphere was completely different from the stiff banquet he had just escaped.
The Gensokyo group, Saitama, Ainz, Rimuru, Fafnir, Lucoa, and several others had already arrived, and nearly every seat around the counter was occupied.
The instant Yuto slid open the door, every head turned toward him almost perfectly in unison.
Then, just as quickly, expressions of delighted relief appeared across most of their faces.
He was finally back.
"Sorry, sorry. I got back late. I kept everyone waiting."
Yuto hurriedly apologized with a helpless smile.
Fortunately, nobody seemed particularly interested in blaming him.
"You're finally back! Yuto, Yuto, I'm starving! Hurry up and make me something!!!"
Yuyuko immediately began wailing.
Yukari sat beside her with an indulgent smile, while Youmu wore the exhausted expression of someone who had already accepted that this was simply her life now.
"I'm hungry too! I want mushroom soup! Mushroom soup, mushroom soup!"
Marisa immediately joined in for fun, swaying back and forth while chanting.
Reimu sat beside her with a disgusted expression and repeatedly tried to shove her away.
Nearby, Suika and Lucoa were already drinking together, and both of their faces had developed a faint flush.
Ainz and Rimuru, meanwhile, were discussing their plans for crossing worlds again.
This time, Fafnir intended to accompany them.
After all, he had already agreed to help.
Yuto could only respond to everyone's requests one after another before stepping behind the counter.
He was just about to enter the kitchen when something suddenly appeared directly in front of him.
A sunflower.
Yuto followed the flower upward and found Yuuka quietly watching him.
Not the slightest ripple disturbed those emerald-green eyes.
They were beautiful and clear, like gemstones resting among grass beneath moonlight.
Yuuka rarely said much.
Fortunately, after spending so much time around her, Yuto had gotten fairly good at understanding what she wanted without needing an explanation.
"Just wait a little."
He smiled as he accepted the sunflower.
Then he entered the kitchen.
He washed his hands.
Tied on his apron.
And finally settled back into the familiar rhythm he preferred.
All right.
Time to officially start work!
...
"Here we go—fried tofu, mushroom soup, and udon are ready!"
Tohru emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray loaded with dishes.
She quickly delivered the food to Ran and the others before stepping aside to make room.
Yuto followed behind her carrying something considerably larger.
This dish had been prepared specifically for Yuyuko.
Super-Sized Beef Bowl.
Calling it a bowl was somewhat generous.
Yuto had actually served it in one of the buckets normally used for carrying water.
Measured according to an ordinary person's appetite, the thing contained enough food for at least twelve people.
He had emptied two entire rice cookers into it.
Then, fully aware of just how terrifying Yuyuko's appetite could be, he had piled on an absurd amount of beef.
Yuto knew perfectly well that even this probably would not be enough to truly satisfy her.
But at the very least...
It might keep her occupied for a while.
"OHHHHHHHH!!! That's huge!!!"
Yuyuko cheered with genuine delight and immediately accepted the enormous "bowl."
The moment she set it on the counter in front of her...
She disappeared completely from view.
The bucket blocked her entire body.
Fortunately, Ainz, Rimuru, and Fafnir had already left to continue their world-conquest business.
Otherwise, placing something this enormous on the counter really would have made things crowded.
"That's one hell of an appetite."
Saitama could not help commenting.
Watching a beautiful, elegantly built woman like Yuyuko hug an enormous bucket of food and immediately start eating from it created a truly impressive visual contrast.
"Yuyuko's appetite really hasn't changed at all."
Yuto smiled helplessly.
Most of the Gensokyo group chuckled.
Youmu, however...
Could barely bring herself to raise her head.
Her princess was just...so exhausting!
Today, as always, Youmu continued suffering because of Yuyuko.
Slurp, slurp—gulp, gulp—
Elsewhere, Marisa had originally been drinking her mushroom soup politely, taking small sips from the bowl.
That lasted only a short while.
Once she decided sipping was too slow and nowhere near satisfying enough, she grabbed the entire bowl with both hands and began drinking in enormous gulps.
The sheer boldness of the gesture made her look less like someone enjoying soup and more like some legendary warrior downing a bowl of wine after battle.
"Come to think of it, where did Yuto-kun go earlier?"
Yukari delicately lifted her black tea and took a small sip, her bright eyes glittering beneath the restaurant lights as though faintly glowing.
Her question immediately drew everyone's attention toward Yuto.
Yuto blinked in confusion.
Then he turned toward Tohru.
"Tohru, didn't you tell everyone where I went?"
"Eh..." Tohru scratched her head with an awkward smile. "I only told them Boss had something to take care of..."
Yuto stared at her for a moment before sighing helplessly.
"It really wasn't anything special. I just went to Asuna's birthday banquet."
That immediately caught everyone's interest.
With several curious faces already turning toward him, Yuto had little choice but to begin explaining what had happened at the Yuuki family's banquet.