Slide—
The restaurant door slowly opened.
Yuto raised his head toward the entrance, and the moment he saw who had come in, one eyebrow lifted in confusion.
Hayasaka?
Why had she come here at this hour?
It was already past three in the morning, and even stranger, she had come alone without Kaguya accompanying her.
Then Yuto noticed the slight unsteadiness in her posture.
Had she been drinking?
"Hayasaka... what happened to you?"
His voice carried obvious surprise and concern.
Ai Hayasaka stood in the doorway and forced a faint smile.
"I just couldn't sleep."
Her voice was low, and when she walked closer, her steps were slightly unstable.
Yuto immediately caught the smell of alcohol on her.
His brows drew together.
For someone as sharp and composed as Hayasaka to end up like this, something serious must have happened.
Several possibilities immediately surfaced in his mind.
Hayasaka sank wearily onto a stool at the counter.
When Yuto asked if she wanted anything to eat, she shook her head.
"I'm not hungry. I just want to sit here for a while."
After saying that, she fell silent.
She sat alone with her head lowered, staring blankly at the empty counter as though there were something fascinating hidden in the polished surface.
Gradually, her gaze became distant and unfocused, and her thoughts seemed to drift farther and farther away.
Yuto watched her for a moment before sighing quietly and heading into the kitchen.
As far as he was concerned, one of the best ways to comfort someone was through food.
And if that person had been drinking, something light was probably best.
Preferably soup.
Something warm, easy on the stomach, and perhaps a little sour to help settle the alcohol.
He took a bighead carp from the freezer.
The fish was frozen solid, practically as hard as stone. An ordinary chef would have needed to leave it out and wait for it to thaw before cutting it.
Fortunately...
Yuto was not an ordinary chef.
He simply gripped the frozen fish and snapped the head away from the body with his bare hands.
That much strength was hardly an issue for him.
The fish head was what he needed, while the rest went into a basin of warm water so it could thaw for later use.
Nothing would be wasted.
Yuto held the fish head briefly over the flame until the frost coating its surface melted away, then rinsed it thoroughly in warm water.
Next came several thick slices of ginger and a bundle of scallions tied neatly into a knot.
He placed a pot of clean water on the stove.
Once it reached a boil, he added the fish head, ginger, and scallions, then left everything to simmer while preparing the remaining ingredients.
Shredded tofu.
Shredded pickled mustard greens.
Shredded winter bamboo shoots.
Shredded shiitake mushrooms.
All four would be added later.
Another eight or nine minutes passed.
By then, the fish head was mostly cooked.
Yuto lifted it from the broth with a strainer and briefly submerged it in cold water, tightening the flesh before carefully removing every large bone and fine pin bone he could find.
That extra effort was entirely for Hayasaka.
Someone who had been drinking and was still somewhat drunk could easily eat carelessly and choke on a fish bone.
Once he was satisfied, Yuto heated another pan and added lard.
When the fat was hot, he placed the fish head inside and fried both sides until they turned golden brown.
Cooking wine followed, then salt and several other seasonings, along with a few ladles of the broth in which the fish had been boiled earlier.
Using the original broth preserved the flavor and made the soup richer.
Yuto let everything simmer for another ten minutes.
By then, the broth had become wonderfully fragrant and full-bodied.
Its aroma gradually drifted out of the kitchen.
Hayasaka, who had been lost in thought, finally came back to herself.
Her gaze instinctively followed the smell toward Yuto in the kitchen.
Then, before she could stop it...
Her stomach gave a quiet growl.
At this hour of the night, almost anyone would become hungry after smelling something like that.
Even Tohru nearby was practically drooling.
Yuto transferred the fish head into a clay bowl, then tossed the four kinds of shredded ingredients into the still-boiling broth.
After seasoning everything properly, he poured the steaming soup over the fish head.
The intense heat immediately drew out the last of the aroma.
And just like that...the hangover soup was ready.
Yuto carried it over and placed it in front of Hayasaka.
She raised her head and looked at him, complicated emotions filling her eyes.
"This is good for you. It'll help with the alcohol."
He smiled gently.
Hayasaka lowered her gaze toward the soup.
The broth had taken on a faint golden tint, and beneath the restaurant lights, its surface shimmered softly.
Warm steam drifted upward and brushed against her face.
Little by little, the tension inside her seemed to loosen.
She picked up the spoon and took a sip.
For a brief moment, the warmth spreading through her body felt like midday sunlight reaching into every dark corner of her heart.
Hayasaka quietly continued drinking.
Yuto sat across the counter and did not disturb her.
He waited until she had eaten enough and her expression had improved before finally asking,
"Does Kaguya know you came here?"
Hayasaka's spoon stopped.
The soup had sobered her up considerably, and there was much more color in her complexion now, but Yuto's question still made her fall silent.
After a moment, she answered quietly.
"I came out by myself."
That alone told him everything.
Kaguya did not know.
It was already close to four in the morning, the hour when most people were deeply asleep.
Hayasaka had clearly slipped out of the Shinomiya residence while Kaguya was sleeping, wandered around by herself for some time, and eventually ended up here.
Yuto slowly drew in a breath.
From the moment she walked through the door, he had already been wondering what could possibly make Hayasaka leave the Shinomiya residence alone in the middle of the night.
It did not take long for him to connect her current state with the strange things he had noticed over the past several days.
One name immediately surfaced in his mind.
Oko Shinomiya.
His instincts told him that whatever had driven Hayasaka here tonight was almost certainly connected to that man.
"Did something happen?" Yuto asked calmly.
Hayasaka lowered her head again.
She did not answer immediately.
Because of the angle, Yuto could not see her expression.
After waiting for a moment, he added gently,
"If it's something you don't want to talk about, you don't have to."
Hayasaka's shoulders shifted faintly.
Then, at last, she raised her head.
"Boss..."
There was a miserable smile on her face.
"If you had to choose between your closest friend and your own family, what would you do?"
Yuto fell silent.
That single question told him more than enough.
At this point...
He could already guess most of what had happened.
Maybe people simply found it easier to lower their guard late at night.
Or perhaps Hayasaka had carried these worries alone for so long that she had finally reached the point where she desperately needed someone—anyone—to listen.
Still affected by the alcohol and exhausted from the weight she had been carrying, Hayasaka finally began telling Yuto everything.
Her family.
Her connection to Oko Shinomiya.
And what Kaguya truly meant to her.
Once she started...
The words would not stop.
Hayasaka had kept everything buried inside for far too long.
Year after year, she had carried the guilt and fear alone until the burden became almost unbearable.
Yet there had never been anyone around her whom she could safely confide in.
Tonight, sitting inside this quiet restaurant with Yuto listening across from her, she finally allowed herself to let everything out.
And perhaps most importantly...
She trusted him.
Hayasaka knew that anything she told Yuto tonight would remain with him.
That was why she could speak so freely.
Ai Hayasaka had originally been placed at Kaguya's side by Oko Shinomiya as a spy.
For years, she had secretly passed information about Kaguya back to him.
Oko controlled her through threats against her mother, leaving Hayasaka with no real ability to refuse his orders.
For a long time, her betrayal had remained limited to information gathering.
She could endure that.
She hated it.
She despised herself for it.
But she could survive it.
However, as Kaguya gradually seized control over more and more of the Shinomiya family, Hayasaka's anxiety had grown stronger.
She knew Oko would eventually demand something more direct.
At some point, simply collecting information would no longer be enough.
And last night...
That moment had finally arrived.
Oko Shinomiya had given Hayasaka an order that nearly broke her.
Secretly poison Kaguya.
From Oko's perspective, Kaguya now held an overwhelming advantage within the Shinomiya family.
If he wanted to reclaim control, the simplest solution left was to remove Kaguya herself.
And Hayasaka would become the knife.
Oko still held Hayasaka's mother's life in his hands.
He believed that when forced to choose, Hayasaka would eventually make the decision he wanted.
On one side stood the girl Hayasaka had grown up beside.
Her closest friend.
The person she had protected, argued with, cared for, and watched over for years.
On the other side...her own mother.
Hayasaka had been driven so far into despair that she had even considered ending her own life.
She simply could not choose.
And that was why she had wandered into the restaurant tonight looking so miserable.
Yuto listened quietly.
The more Hayasaka spoke, the heavier his own mood became.
The truth was not far from what he had suspected.
He let out a slow sigh.
In a family like the Shinomiyas...
Blood and affection really could become worthless the moment power entered the equation.
"Boss..."
Hayasaka clutched her head in both hands.
"What am I supposed to do...?"
Her eyes had long since filled with tears.
Now they began falling one by one into the soup.
Yuto remained silent for a moment before answering.
"Have you ever thought about telling Kaguya everything?"
Hayasaka immediately raised her head.
Shock filled her eyes.
"If I do that..."
Her voice trembled.
"Miss Kaguya hates betrayal more than anything. If she found out that the person she trusted most had been betraying her all this time, she'd despise me."
Her breathing became uneven.
"She might even hate me, and even if—"
"What if she's been waiting for you to tell her?"
Hayasaka stopped completely.
Yuto continued calmly.
"She's been worried about you for a while now."
Hayasaka stared at him.
"She doesn't say it openly, but every time the two of you come here, I've noticed the way she looks at you."
He gave her a small smile.
"She's always watching you with concern."
Hayasaka's lips parted slightly.
"She's... been worried about me all this time?"
"You didn't notice."
Yuto nodded.
"But I did."
Hayasaka fell silent.
A storm of complicated emotions churned behind her eyes.
At that moment, her heart seemed as chaotic as a raging sea.
...
In the end...
Hayasaka made her decision.
She would tell Kaguya everything.
All of it.
Even if Kaguya ultimately hated her for everything she had done, that would still be better than continuing to live under this unbearable torment.
If Kaguya could not forgive her...
Then Hayasaka would simply leave her life forever.
As for her mother...
Hayasaka had already resolved to risk her own life to rescue her.
Whether she succeeded or failed, at least everything would finally come to an end.
Even if she died in the attempt...
She could accept that.
A life where she was never allowed to make her own choices...
She had already lived enough of it.
...
Hayasaka eventually returned to the Shinomiya residence and intended to quietly slip back into her room without waking anyone.
But the moment she stepped through the entrance—
The lights in the main hall suddenly came on.
Hayasaka froze.
Standing there waiting for her was an absolutely furious Kaguya Shinomiya.
"AHHH! HAYASAKA! WHERE DID YOU GO?!"
Kaguya stormed toward her.
"I spent forever looking for you and couldn't find you anywhere! Do you have any idea how worried I was?!"
Her anger was obvious.
But so was the panic beneath it.
Even Kaguya's eyes were red.
Hayasaka stood completely still.
A tidal wave of emotion surged through her heart.
All the things Yuto had told her inside the restaurant suddenly came rushing back.
Kaguya really had been worried.
Deeply worried.
Hayasaka clenched her trembling hands.
"Miss Kaguya..."
Her voice almost failed her.
"There's something I need to tell you."
She forced those words out with every bit of courage she possessed.
Her entire body was trembling.
Kaguya crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks.
"Hmph! If this is your excuse for sneaking out, I'm not listening!"
"It's not..."
...
Back at the restaurant, Yuto had no idea what was happening between them now.
He had managed to convince Hayasaka to take the first step.
Everything after that...
Was something she had to face herself.
Whether she would truly manage to confess everything when the moment came was no longer something Yuto could control.
All he could do now was silently wish her luck.
'You can do it.'
'Hang in there.'
That was all he could offer her now.