After chatting for a while longer, Kaguya and Hayasaka said goodbye and left the restaurant.
Yuto cleared away their dishes before returning to his conversation with the Gensokyo group.
Almost everyone seemed somewhat interested in Kanao, the strange sword-carrying girl who had just left, though unlike Suika, most of them were simply curious about the "demons" she had mentioned.
Suika had considerably more on her mind.
She even told Yuto outright that she wanted to visit Kanao's world.
Unfortunately, that was not a decision Yuto could make for her.
If Suika wanted to travel there, Kanao herself would ultimately have to agree.
Suika did not become upset by his answer.
Instead, she merely clenched one fist with renewed determination.
She had already made up her mind.
The next time Kanao came to the restaurant, she would definitely find some way to persuade her.
Suika had spent centuries hoping to find more of her own kind.
Even if the "demons" Kanao spoke of were only a possibility, that possibility alone was enough for her to take seriously.
If those beings truly turned out to be the same kind of existence as oni...
Then one of Suika's oldest wishes might finally be fulfilled.
Not long afterward, the rest of the Gensokyo group prepared to leave as well.
Before going, they once again invited Yuto to visit Gensokyo more often.
Yuto smiled and agreed.
Once everyone disappeared through the restaurant door, he stood there for a moment and slowly breathed out.
The banquet he had attended in Gensokyo was still deeply engraved in his memory.
Its atmosphere had been completely different from the Yuuki family's banquet tonight.
There had been no constant calculating, no carefully measured smiles, no suffocating concern over hierarchy and status.
Only lively conversation, laughter, drinking, and people genuinely enjoying themselves.
That was what a banquet was supposed to feel like.
The thought of visiting Gensokyo again remained incredibly tempting.
Because Yuto genuinely liked that place.
"Tohru, help me clean up."
He carried several plates toward the kitchen.
"Okay, Boss!"
Tohru immediately hurried over to the area where the Gensokyo group had been sitting and began clearing the table.
Yuto was still washing dishes when Hestia and Sakura finally arrived.
The moment Rin, who had been waiting specifically for Sakura, saw the little girl walk through the door, her entire expression brightened.
"Sakura!"
She called out happily.
"Rin!"
Sakura responded with just as much delight.
Hestia watched the sisters with a faint smile.
"You're here. Want something to eat?"
Yuto had just finished washing the dishes and stepped back out of the kitchen.
Hestia shook her head.
"Not tonight."
Yuto raised an eyebrow.
"We had a gathering at the tavern earlier, so we already ate."
"I see."
Yuto nodded.
Good thing she explained.
Otherwise, for a moment there, he might genuinely have wondered whether his cooking had somehow stopped being appealing to her.
The conversation soon shifted toward tomorrow's War Game.
Tonight was the final period their opponent had granted Hestia for preparation.
Tomorrow...
The fighting would officially begin!
Even with so many people from the restaurant promising to help, it was impossible for Hestia to remain completely calm about something this serious.
The War Game involved her Familia, Sakura's future, and the pride of a goddess who had been openly challenged in front of all Orario.
She had come to the restaurant tonight simply because she wanted somewhere peaceful to sit and collect herself.
Compared with her own world, this place made it much easier for her to relax.
While Yuto and Hestia discussed the War Game, Saitama occasionally joined the conversation.
His concerns were considerably simpler.
"What time does it start tomorrow?"
He was actually looking forward to it.
A battle initiated by gods sounded promising enough that Saitama could not help hoping these supposedly divine beings might finally give him a pleasant surprise.
He wanted an opponent.
A real one.
On the other side of the counter, Lucoa had been chatting casually with Tohru.
Hearing bits and pieces of the conversation, she eventually became curious and asked what everyone was discussing.
She had not heard about Hestia's situation yet.
After Hestia briefly explained the concept of a War Game, fascination appeared on Lucoa's face.
"That's an interesting system."
What interested her was not simply the upcoming battle, but the structure of the War Game itself.
In Lucoa's world, gods were usually busy fighting dragons.
Those who were not directly involved generally stood back and watched the spectacle unfold.
Something as organized as a formal competition between divine factions had never really developed there.
"Then maybe I'll go have a look tomorrow too."
Lucoa propped her chin on one hand, smiling with her usual relaxed, slightly lazy expression.
"You really want to come?"
Yuto looked at her in mild surprise.
Hestia immediately brightened as well.
"Of course." Lucoa smiled. "It'll be a perfect chance to see what another world is like. Just hearing about it already sounds fun~"
Her voice naturally carried that soft, slightly airheaded sweetness that somehow suited her perfectly.
"Then we'll all go together tomorrow."
Yuto smiled.
...
Time passed quietly.
By the time Saitama, Lucoa, Rin, Hestia, Sakura, and the others had all left, the night had already stretched well into the early morning.
At that moment, Yuto's phone suddenly rang.
He took it out.
The message was from Kaguya.
The very first line immediately made his expression serious.
They had found the old man.
Yuto scrolled down.
There was far more information than he expected.
Apparently, Kaguya had not merely located the man.
While searching, she had taken the liberty of investigating his background as well.
His name was Morishita Ihito.
He came from a rural town on the outskirts of Tokyo and was currently unemployed. According to the local family register, he lived alone.
He had once had a family.
But his wife had died years ago.
Of his two daughters, one was dead.
The other was missing.
Yuto's brow gradually furrowed as he continued reading.
Kaguya had even included information from a recent hospital examination.
Late-stage throat cancer.
Essentially terminal.
And that was not the end of it.
Morishita Ihito also owed an enormous amount of money to a gambling den and was currently being hunted by debt collectors.
Yuto stared at the screen in silence.
One thought after another began surfacing.
Before Hanako left Ichinose Street, she had once told him a little about her past.
She had mentioned having a younger sister who died young.
And this man... Morishita Ihito.
Morishita...
The old photograph of the two girls.
His missing daughter, Morishita Nobuko.
Hanako's Nobuko General Store.
The pieces began falling into place with uncomfortable ease.
Yuto slowly let out a breath.
It seemed...
He had already found his answer.
No wonder Hanako had gone silent over the phone when Chiko mentioned the old man.
No wonder she returned to Ichinose Street the very next day.
No wonder her expression changed every time the subject came up.
All those things Yuto had found strange and confusing before...
He finally understood.
"Haa..."
He breathed out again.
Then he continued scrolling until he reached the bottom of Kaguya's message.
There was also a photograph.
Morishita Ihito looked even more miserable in the picture than Yuto remembered.
The old man was thin and hunched, dressed in ragged clothing while several men in black stood around him.
Beneath his battered felt hat, his eyes darted nervously from side to side like those of a frightened rabbit, and his entire body seemed instinctively curled inward.
Fear still lingered across his face.
Beneath him was a makeshift mattress formed from several sheets of newspaper.
A garbage bin stood nearby.
He looked utterly wretched.
Kaguya explained that her people had already taken him to a hotel so he could wash himself and get some proper rest.
At the very end of the message was an address.
The meaning was obvious.
Yuto could go there tomorrow and meet him.
The hotel was not even particularly far from Ichinose Street.
Yuto knew the area.
It was probably only around a ten-minute walk away.
He stared at the address for several seconds before typing a reply.
[Thank you.]
Kaguya answered almost immediately.
[You're welcome.]
Yuto turned off the screen and placed his phone down.
Then he released a heavy breath.
His expression had become complicated.
There was regret in it.. and helplessness.
"Haa..."
His third sigh.
Yuto slowly shook his head.
His mood had suddenly become much heavier.
What was he supposed to say when he met the old man tomorrow?
More importantly...
Should he tell Hanako?
And if he did...
What would happen afterward?
...
Shinomiya Residence — Kaguya's Room
"Hey, Hayasaka... what do you think Boss wants with that old man?"
Kaguya lay on her bed and looked curiously toward Hayasaka, who was tidying the room nearby.
"I recommend asking Boss directly."
Hayasaka's completely flat answer immediately made Kaguya's face redden.
That would be far too embarrassing!
"All right. Good night, Miss Kaguya. I'm going to sleep too. If you want to keep texting, you'll have to manage on your own."
In fact, Hayasaka had been the one who typed out most of that enormous message earlier.
Kaguya had been practicing with her phone and was becoming much more comfortable using it, but when it came to typing quickly, she still could not compare with Hayasaka.
If Kaguya had written all that herself...
It might have taken forever.
"Eh?!"
"Sorry. I need rest too."
Hayasaka gave her a small bow before leaving the bedroom.
Kaguya remained curled up on the bed with her cheeks puffed out in dissatisfaction.
Adorable beyond words.
Hayasaka, meanwhile, returned to her own room.
The instant the door closed behind her, she dropped onto the bed.
For the first time that entire night, immense exhaustion showed openly on her face.
There had been no trace of it while she was standing beside Kaguya.
Bzzzt—
Her phone vibrated.
Hayasaka remained still for a second before pulling it out.
A new message had arrived.
The instant she read it... her expression changed.
She clenched her teeth.
Her fingers tightened around the phone so violently that her knuckles turned white.