When Tohru saw Yuto and the others return to the restaurant, she greeted them as usual.
Then she almost immediately became confused.
Something was strange.
Yuto wore an awkward, thoroughly helpless expression, while nearly everyone behind him looked as though they were struggling not to laugh.
The contrast left Tohru completely baffled.
Then Iskandar finally lost the battle.
"Ahahahahaha! I never knew Yuto was this charming! A goddess confessed to you on the spot! Ahahahahaha! It would've been pretty interesting if you'd accepted!"
The instant those words left his mouth, Yuuka turned and shot the King of Conquerors a cold glance.
Iskandar's laughter faltered.
Even someone as fearless as him suddenly looked a little awkward.
"Hmph. These goddesses possess an astonishingly consistent talent for being irritating."
Gilgamesh was still annoyed by Gerlul's earlier insult, so Yuto's recent experience had actually inspired a strange amount of sympathy from him.
Though judging from the faint amusement in his eyes...
He was enjoying this too.
"She seemed quite serious, though." Yukari smiled behind one hand. "I doubt she'll give up easily."
Her eyes slid teasingly toward Yuuka.
Yuuka looked like she wanted to punch her.
Yuto sighed.
How was he supposed to know something like that would happen?
When Freya entered the Hostess of Fertility earlier, he had assumed she wanted to speak with Hestia or Loki.
He never imagined that her actual target...
Would be him.
And then, completely out of nowhere, the Goddess of Beauty confessed.
Calling it a confession almost felt inadequate.
Freya had been passionate, obsessive, and terrifyingly direct.
There had been an unreasonable sense of possession behind every word, as though she had already decided Yuto belonged to her and merely needed him to acknowledge it.
The way she stared at him had made it seem as though she wanted to swallow him whole.
Everyone present had initially been stunned.
Then, almost immediately...
They switched to watching the spectacle with tremendous interest.
Not a single person stepped forward to rescue him.
Yuuka had come dangerously close to firing a magical blast directly at Freya, but fortunately, Yukari secretly stopped her before the situation could escalate into something considerably worse.
In the end, Yuto only managed to escape that unbearably awkward scene with help from Hestia and Loki.
Unfortunately...
The incident had also given everyone a wonderful new topic to tease him about.
"What a strange goddess."
Yuto shook his head helplessly.
"She might even visit the restaurant tonight."
Yukari smiled faintly.
Yuto's expression stiffened.
"Hopefully not."
The sheer resignation in his voice made everyone laugh again.
Moments like this—where Yuto was the one left flustered and helpless—were simply too rare for them not to enjoy.
...
Meanwhile...
"I'm going to that restaurant tonight too."
Freya had already managed to coax quite a bit of information about Yuto and the restaurant out of Hestia.
They might both be goddesses, but when it came to social maneuvering, Freya was operating several levels above her.
By the time Hestia finally realized how much she had accidentally revealed...
Freya already knew practically everything.
The Goddess of Beauty smiled faintly.
Hestia looked ready to explode.
How had she let all of that slip?!
"No!"
She shouted urgently.
Freya did not seem particularly concerned.
She simply turned around and walked away, leaving Hestia behind to grind her teeth in frustration.
Loki stood nearby, spreading her hands with a helplessly amused expression.
She had known this would happen!
...
One by one, everyone eventually left the restaurant.
The building became peaceful again.
One matter had been resolved.
Now...
Yuto needed to deal with the other one.
After explaining where he was going to Tohru, he left the restaurant alone.
It was already noon.
Every business along Ichinose Street had its doors tightly shut, while bright sunlight poured across the pavement and painted everything in warm golden reflections.
Yuto walked through the quiet street and headed toward the hotel Kaguya had sent him the address for.
Today...
He was finally going to meet that strange old man.
Kaguya's people had arranged for Morishita Ihito to stay at a nearby hotel.
When Yuto arrived, a man in a black suit was already waiting for him at the entrance.
One of Kaguya's men.
The man treated Yuto with extreme courtesy and immediately led him through the hotel, taking him all the way to the room where Morishita was staying.
He knocked firmly.
"Morishita Ihito. Open the door. The person who wants to see you is here."
His voice was flat.
Hurried movement sounded from inside.
A few seconds later, the door opened.
The same strange, rough-looking old man Yuto remembered stood on the other side.
Compared with the ragged state he had been in before, however, Morishita now wore a simple, clean white shirt.
He had washed and tidied himself up, and although nothing could hide how thin and worn he looked, his overall appearance was considerably better.
He stood timidly in the doorway.
The way he looked at the man in black was filled with fear and deference.
Even now, Morishita still seemed dazed by everything that had happened over the past day.
When the men in black first found him, he had assumed they were debt collectors sent by the gambling den.
They were not.
He had repeatedly asked why they had brought him to a hotel and treated him this way.
The only answer he received was simple.
"A very important person wants to see you."
Morishita could not imagine what kind of important person would possibly want anything to do with him.
The most "important" person he could remember knowing was probably the owner of the gambling den.
Mostly because that man had chopped off several of his fingers.
"Are... are you the person who wanted to see me?"
Morishita looked toward Yuto, his voice trembling faintly.
Yuto took a small breath.
"You don't remember me?"
Morishita froze.
Confusion appeared in his eyes as he carefully studied Yuto's face.
Several seconds passed before recognition finally dawned.
"It's you!"
He looked genuinely surprised.
Yuto smiled faintly and nodded.
"Then..." Morishita hesitated. "Why did you want to see me?"
"Let's talk inside." Yuto spoke calmly.
Morishita hurriedly stepped aside.
The man in black started to follow them into the room, but Yuto stopped him with a small gesture.
He wanted to speak with Morishita alone.
The man immediately obeyed.
Once the door closed, he simply stood outside with his back against the wall.
The occasional hotel guest who passed through the corridor barely dared to look at him.
Inside, the room was reasonably clean.
Yuto took a seat.
Morishita immediately tried to pour him some water, but Yuto waved him off.
He still was not accustomed to being waited on like that.
"Um..." Morishita sat stiffly opposite him. "Did something happen?"
There was something painfully small about the old man's posture.
Like a rat that had spent its entire life hiding in the sewers, surviving through fear and instinct.
Wretched.
Insignificant.
Always expecting the next blow.
"I came here because there are a few things I want to ask you."
Yuto leaned forward slightly.
A faint, reassuring smile remained on his lips.
Morishita somehow became even more nervous.
His thoughts seemed completely directionless, lost in thick fog.
"Please ask."
Yuto looked at him for a moment.
"Could you tell me about your daughters?"
Morishita's heart seemed to jump.
His eyes widened.
"You..." His voice caught. "Does that mean you know my daughter?"
For a moment, something changed in his expression.
He did not dare believe the possibility that had suddenly appeared in his mind.
And yet he desperately wanted it to be true.
"Maybe."
Yuto slowly nodded.
A spark immediately appeared in Morishita's eyes.
He looked like a drowning man who had suddenly caught sight of something within reach and was willing to cling to it with everything he had.
"Could you—"
"Answer my question first."
Yuto interrupted before he could continue.
Morishita froze.
Then he quickly forced an awkward, ingratiating smile.
He did not dare offend Yuto.
So... he began to speak.