At around two in the morning, Rias arrived at the restaurant with Akeno.
After Yuto welcomed them, the two girls quietly took seats at the counter.
A sweet smile rested on Rias's face, soft enough to seem almost dreamlike.
Akeno sat beside her with her usual graceful, respectful demeanor, though whenever she looked toward Yuto, there was unmistakable gratitude and reverence in her eyes.
Rias's situation had been resolved perfectly and Yuto had played an enormous part in making that happen.
Whether as Rias's closest friend or as a member of her peerage, Akeno had every reason to be grateful to him.
"Would you like something to eat?" Yuto asked with a faint smile.
Rias ordered mashed potatoes.
Akeno shook her head.
She was not hungry.
In fact, the main reason she had accompanied Rias tonight was simply because she wanted to thank Yuto in person.
"All right. Give me a moment."
Yuto nodded and headed into the kitchen.
He selected a relatively small potato, peeled it carefully, and rinsed it several times beneath running water before placing it inside a small steamer.
Some time passed.
The water inside gradually began to boil, and wisps of steam curled continuously upward.
With nothing else to do until the potato finished steaming, Yuto stepped back out of the kitchen.
There was no reason to stand inside watching a potato cook.
When he returned to the counter, Rias and Akeno were smiling and quietly chatting about something.
The moment he appeared, both girls turned toward him.
Akeno's expression became noticeably more serious.
Then, to Yuto's mild surprise, she suddenly stood and bowed deeply.
"Thank you very much for everything you did for Rias!"
Her voice carried complete sincerity.
Yuto smiled helplessly.
So that was what this was about.
He spent a little while reassuring Akeno that she did not need to make such a big deal out of it before she finally sat back down.
Even then, however, a faint trace of respect remained in her eyes whenever she looked toward him.
Yuto had already told her several times that it really was unnecessary.
Akeno clearly had no intention of changing.
"Have things been going well lately?"
Yuto poured water for both girls and looked toward Rias with a gentle smile.
"Thanks to you, everything has been going very well."
Rias smiled back.
"That's good."
Yuto nodded.
The three chatted casually for a while.
After mentally estimating how much time had passed, Yuto figured the potato should be ready by now.
He briefly excused himself and returned to the kitchen.
The boiling water inside the steamer sounded almost like heavy rain.
Yuto lifted the lid.
A thick wave of white steam immediately surged toward his face, hot and damp enough to resemble stepping outside on a suffocating summer afternoon.
Once the steam dispersed, the inside of the steamer became visible again.
A single potato sat quietly on the rack, its surface now steamed to a soft pale yellow-white.
Yuto stared at it.
Then, for some completely inexplicable reason...
He thought of Saitama.
The smooth potato and that shiny bald head of his really did look strangely similar.
Sometimes Saitama genuinely resembled a peeled potato.
Of course...
That was something Yuto could only think privately.
He absolutely could not say it out loud.
Otherwise, Saitama might actually get angry.
Yuto took the potato out and placed it inside a sturdy bowl.
Then, using a wooden spoon, he gradually broke it apart and mashed it until the texture became smooth and fine.
Under the warm kitchen lights, the mashed potato looked almost like damp golden sand, carrying a soft, pleasant sheen.
A gentle earthy aroma slowly spread through the air.
Yuto added a small amount of olive oil and mixed it thoroughly.
Then came a little white pepper.
Another thorough mix.
And with that, the mashed potatoes were finished!
...
While Yuto worked inside the kitchen, Rias and Akeno remained seated at the counter, watching his back.
There was no proper kitchen door.
Only a thin curtain hung from the top of the entrance, barely thirty centimeters long, so anyone sitting at the counter could see most of what was happening inside despite the slightly limited angle.
Rias quietly watched Yuto work.
Gradually, her gaze became distant.
Her crystalline crimson eyes seemed almost unfocused, yet every reflection inside them still held the same figure moving around the kitchen.
Late nights and quiet surroundings had a strange way of drawing memories to the surface.
Rias found herself thinking back over everything that had happened recently.
And throughout those memories...
Yuto was always there.
Her thoughts drifted slowly, almost like a gentle night breeze wandering through an open window.
Akeno noticed it and the corner of her lips gradually curled upward.
Like a clever fox who had just discovered something amusing.
"Rias?"
She called softly.
Rias visibly startled.
Akeno's smile deepened.
"What is it? Why did you suddenly call me...?"
Once Rias recovered, a faint trace of irritation slipped into her voice without her even realizing it.
"Nothing." Akeno covered her lips with a graceful smile. "I was simply curious because you were staring at Boss so intently."
Her elegant features suddenly gained a mischievous edge.
Rias's face flashed red.
Only for a moment.
She quickly regained control.
"You saw wrong. I was simply spacing out."
Her voice was calm.
Her expression was even calmer.
There was no sign whatsoever of the panic from a second earlier.
Akeno laughed softly behind one hand.
"Is that so? Then... perhaps I really did see wrong—"
She deliberately dragged out the final words.
Rias's composure immediately began slipping again.
A trace of embarrassed irritation appeared in her eyes, and she was just about to properly teach Akeno a lesson when Yuto emerged from the kitchen carrying the mashed potatoes.
He looked between the two girls with mild curiosity.
"What happened?"
He had noticed the strange look on Rias's face but had absolutely no idea what caused it.
Rias hurriedly shook her head.
"Nothing."
Yuto paused.
Then he wisely decided not to pursue it.
He slid the bowl toward her.
"Eat it while it's hot. Don't let it cool down."
"Mm..."
Rias answered quietly before lowering her head and beginning to eat.
Her crimson hair spilled forward like flowing flame mixed with crystallized blood, looking especially beautiful beneath the restaurant lights.
Akeno glanced toward her and smiled knowingly.
"Boss, do you always keep the restaurant open this late at night?"
She turned toward Yuto with a gentle, refined smile.
"Mm."
Yuto nodded.
"That must be exhausting."
"Well, reversing my sleep schedule like this was pretty painful at first, but I'm used to it now."
"Then what do you usually do during the daytime?"
"Grocery shopping, wandering around town. If something comes up, I go take care of it. Otherwise, I mostly stay around the restaurant."
Akeno's smile softened.
"That kind of life sounds really appealing. Ordinary and peaceful."
"Not necessarily. A lot of people would probably find my lifestyle pretty boring."
"But I actually admire that kind of life."
"Really? Hahaha..."
Yuto laughed.
Across the counter, Rias quietly ate her mashed potatoes while giving Akeno a distinctly displeased look.
Akeno glanced sideways at her.
The corner of her lips curved upward again.
That expression only irritated Rias further.
"Come to think of it," Akeno continued, "so many customers from different worlds come here to eat. Does that mean Boss can visit other worlds too?"
"Mm. I can."
Akeno nodded thoughtfully and lightly touched one finger to her forehead.
Then her eyes suddenly brightened.
"In that case... would Boss like to visit our world sometime?"
She looked at Yuto expectantly.
The moment she asked—
Rias froze.
She almost choked on her food!
"Sure. As long as it wouldn't be troublesome for you."
Yuto smiled and agreed without much hesitation.
"Of course not." Akeno's smile immediately became brighter. "Rias has actually been looking forward to having Boss visit for quite some time."
She smoothly redirected the entire matter toward Rias.
Rias stared blankly for a second.
Yuto turned toward her.
"I'll be troubling you when the time comes."
He smiled faintly.
"Eh... Oh... Um..." Rias visibly struggled for a moment before quickly recovering. "Of course! Please don't worry. When the time comes, I'll make sure to give Boss a proper welcome!"
Her composure had mostly returned.
Even so...
The tips of her ears remained faintly red.
After chatting with Yuto for a while longer, Rias and Akeno eventually said goodbye and left.
The restaurant became quiet again.
Yuto began clearing away their dishes.
...
"Akeno! Why did you suddenly say something like that?!"
The moment they returned to the school building, Rias turned toward Akeno with obvious indignation.
Akeno remained perfectly calm.
There was still a gentle smile on her lips.
"Does Rias not want Boss to visit?" she asked innocently. "If that's the case, I can go back and explain everything to him and apologize."
Rias immediately became awkward.
She half turned away and puffed her cheeks slightly, her posture becoming unusually fidgety.
"Ahem. I'm not saying Boss isn't welcome. I'm saying what you did just now was very questionable!"
"But if Rias welcomes Boss, then isn't everything fine?"
Akeno's perfectly reasonable answer left Rias completely speechless.
She gave an irritated huff, turned around, and strode away without looking back.
Behind her...
The smile on Akeno's face only grew wider.