Click... click...
"I, Dio——have returned... once again."
The dim room was filled with the faint ticking of the clock hands. Diego moved his hand away from his forehead and opened his eyes once more.
He climbed out of bed, turned on his phone to check the time. The weak glow illuminated Diego's sharply defined face.
It was now... midnight.
He wasn't very hungry. It was about time to sleep.
Diego closed his eyes. In his mind, it seemed like he could hear Sui's nagging voice again.
[Beastman face, time to sleep. Night owls won't get any coffee tomorrow morning!]
[Ah, no no. It's not like I want to sleep with you!]
[Well... well, I'm only bringing my pillow to your room to sleep so I can stand guard. Who told you to be a notorious wanted criminal? Without me covering for you, room checks would be a hassle.]
If he didn't sleep, that guy Sui would nag him.
He couldn't understand her. Such a contradictory person.
Didn't she say——
[As a mature adventurer, fighting for three days straight without sleep or rest is perfectly normal.]
Diego let out a long breath and fell backward onto the bed. "Haa———— Alright. I, Dio, will listen to you just this once."
With that thought, the flickering thoughts in Diego's mind gradually faded. For the first time in a long while, he drifted off to sleep.
...
A night passed. Diego seemed a bit tired and slept straight through until three in the afternoon the next day.
He groggily opened his eyes, yawned, and climbed out of bed.
Everything was the same as usual.
Changing clothes, brushing his teeth, splashing cold water from the faucet onto his face haphazardly, preparing breakfast (?) for himself...
The events with Mahart of the Golden Land felt as if they had never happened. The end of the spirit summoning technique also seemed not to have affected Diego's mood.
Diego only felt an unprecedented sense of calm.
He ate his sandwich with a steaming cup of coffee on the table, flipping through unread messages on his phone.
First, he opened Ijichi Nijika's chat window. The content was simple, just one picture.
Ijichi Nijika: [Kita Ikuyo hugging Goto Hitori and sleeping soundly, Ijichi Nijika peeking her head out making a peace sign.JPG]
Diego: ? What are those two doing?
Ijichi Nijika: Hehe, little Kita was learning guitar from Bocchi-chan. The two of them practiced for a long time, then they seemed to get too tired. This is how I found them when I came in. Pretty unbelievable, right!
Diego: So they were playing guitar. I thought they were playing...
(A message has been withdrawn)
Ijichi Nijika: ? What did you withdraw, Dio? I saw it! Answer me!
Diego: This great me knows nothing.
Ijichi Nijika: Sneaky! Sneaky! Sneaky! (σ｀・д･)σ
"Hmph..."
The corners of Diego's mouth lifted by a single pixel.
Subsequently, he opened the second chat window.
Hori: We're going out for sushi tonight. Want to come?
Diego: Sure.
Hori: Great! Kyosuke and Sota will definitely be super happy. So happy it'll be annoying. I can hear them even while Mom and I are cooking!
(Diego stared at Hori's reply. He genuinely thought this was happiness and could even imagine how happily Hori was smiling right now. He wanted to reply that he was really envious, but hesitated when sending it. He deleted and rewrote his reply several times before finally sending it.)
Diego: I'll be there at 7 PM.
Hori: Make sure you're on time! ୧꒰•̀ᴗ•́꒱୨
At this point, Diego put away his phone. Since there wasn't much time, he decided not to cook himself and instead planned to buy some gifts from a nearby dessert shop.
Because Sota really liked eating cake.
Just as he stepped out, his phone chimed with another message notification.
Ding!
Fujiwara Chika: Hey hey, Diego-kun. I heard that Three Kingdoms-style card game released new cards. Something called Fire Dragon Fruit. Let's play together!
"Why does she like Three Kingdoms-style card games so much?" Diego had already forgotten that Fujiwara Chika was a member of the board game club.
However, Diego was quite wary of gods, so after replying "sure," he set Fujiwara Chika's messages to Do Not Disturb and hurried downstairs.
On the other end of the network connection, Fujiwara Chika's heart was already in turmoil.
She had originally messaged Diego with the thought that getting scolded would be pretty interesting, but she never expected him to actually agree.
What's more, just a second ago she had been enduring the weight on her chest while lying on the sofa, bored out of her mind waiting for a reply.
After receiving the reply, she first rubbed her eyes in disbelief, then pinched her own delicate cheek. Once she confirmed she wasn't dreaming...
She started spamming messages like crazy!
Fujiwara Chika: Who are you??? Why did you steal Diego-kun's phone?!
Fujiwara Chika: If you just happened to pick up Diego-kun's phone, you can contact me to return it. If you keep it for yourself, you'll be sentenced to less than a year in prison! You're still young. Don't go down the path of crime!!
Fujiwara Chika: Why aren't you replying? Don't tell me it's the real person? Diego-kun, are you in a bad mood? Want me to tell you some jokes? In the past at times like this, shouldn't you say to me: This great me has zero interest (casually). Then say: I refuse (super seriously)! After that I'd keep bothering you and you'd start getting annoyed and scolding me?!
Fujiwara Chika: (Rambling on...)
In a sense, Diego had also learned predictive magic and avoided a disaster.
Back to Diego's side. He had already arrived at his usual bakery.
As soon as he entered, the part-time clerk girl greeted Diego enthusiastically.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Brando. You're here again today."
"It's your shift today.." Diego glanced over. His voice sounded listless as he lowered his eyes and searched the glass display case for something he liked.
A certain blue-haired person who had been drooling in front of the premium desserts perked up his ears.
"Mm! I'm happy to see you again today, Mr. Brando. Are you getting the small bread again today? There are freshly baked loaves coming out soon. They smell great."
"No need.."
Hearing this, the clerk girl asked with concern: "Are you in a bad mood? You seem really tired."
"Eh?" Diego was somewhat surprised.
"Eh?" The clerk girl tilted her head, not understanding Diego's question.
Diego's gaze swept over the bread and sandwiches. He didn't think he was wearing a gloomy expression, so he continued asking: "Why do you say that?"
"Don't you come here every day to buy small bread?" The clerk girl explained with a smile. "Suddenly changing your preference makes it feel like your state of mind is different from before, right?"
Diego was silent for a moment. "...As a clerk, you really know how to read people's expressions."
"Wah! I'm sorry! I overstepped a bit!" The clerk girl said in a panic.
This great me had no intention of getting angry. Looks like a clerk's judgment isn't always accurate...
In fact, Diego was fairly familiar with this clerk girl, so it wasn't really offensive. He was only teasing.
Diego glanced at her and turned to pick out gifts at other displays without continuing the conversation with the flustered girl.
In front of the premium dessert display, Diego suddenly spoke toward a hidden corner beside the case: "Ryo, what are you doing here?"
Caught eavesdropping, Yamada Ryo stood up with an awkward expression and cleared her throat. "Well... Dio, have you ever heard the story of 'quenching thirst by looking at plums'? I've been eating nothing but grass lately and I've hit my limit. Plus, the cakes from this shop are famously pretty and delicious around here..."
"Roar, so you came to the dessert shop to 'quench hunger by looking at cake'?" Diego mocked with a laugh and countered Yamada Ryo: "So, did it quench your hunger?"
"Gurgle~~~~"
Yamada Ryo's stomach answered for her.
She touched her stomach and suddenly grabbed Diego's hand pitifully, pleading: "Not at all! This story is a lie! I'm even hungrier now! Meeting you here, Dio, is perfect. Onee-gae~~ Please treat me!"
"Does this great me look that kind-hearted? Haven't you paid back the money you owe me yet?" Diego stared at Ryo with the eyes one would use to look at scum.
"Uh... Well, I..."
Yamada Ryo felt a chill run down her scalp. Her back felt cold.
But Diego changed the subject. He closed his eyes and said: "However, if you can recommend some gifts for me, as thanks, I can reluctantly treat you to a slice of cake as a reward."
"..."
The expected cheering from Ryo didn't happen. Diego opened one eye slightly and found Ryo staring at him with a strange expression.
"Who are you?" Yamada Ryo asked.
"This great me is Diego Brando!" Diego felt very displeased and pointed at the abbreviation on his hat, questioning: "Are you a salted shrimp or something?!"
"Indeed. From both appearance and catchphrase, it's definitely Dio..." Yamada Ryo pondered while pinching her chin.
"But!" Ryo suddenly raised her voice. "My soul denies it!! Dio would never treat anyone. Quick, tell me. Who are you really?!"
Pinch...
Diego reached out and grabbed Ryo's face, applying a bit of force.
"Do you recognize me now?"
"Ow!!! It hurts it hurts it hurts!!! Let go!!! Let go right now!!! I wash wrong——!!!" Yamada Ryo cried out in pain. This familiar level of force was definitely Diego.
Smack...
Diego let go. The cheek he had grabbed turned red immediately.
"But it's really weird. Dio, you actually agreed to treat me to something." Yamada Ryo said while covering the side of her face. "Are you in a bad mood?"
"No. What a strange question. Kono Dio's mood is pretty good, so I'm being merciful and treating you. Got it?" Diego denied it. "Haven't I treated you to meals before? Don't make me out to be some miser."
Yamada Ryo muttered quietly: "But that was before I owed you money..."
"...Do you want to eat or not?"
"...Yes."
Under Yamada Ryo's recommendation, Diego bought a strawberry mousse cake that was supposedly very popular with kids lately, while Ryo chose a tiramisu.
The two went to the counter to pay.
"Welcome again——"
Perhaps feeling she had offended a regular customer, the clerk girl's expression grew a bit tense when she saw Diego approaching. Her smile made her muscles twitch unnaturally.
Seeing this, Diego didn't say much and silently took the packaged cake from the clerk.
It was only before leaving the shop door that he left one sentence: "Because the cakes from this shop are delicious, I'll come again."
Then he left without looking back.
"Ah—— Yes! That… thank you! Next time you come, I'll treat you to a cake!"
Only after the shop door closed did the clerk girl snap out of it and shout toward the direction Diego had left.
...
Time passed quickly. Soon it was the appointed time.
18:30. Diego arrived as scheduled at the Hori residence and rang the doorbell.
"Ding—— dong dong dong dong!"
Still pressing the bell non-stop without opening the door!
The people in the Hori household knew exactly who it was the moment they heard this familiar ringtone.
Two pairs of hurried footsteps on the wooden floor, along with voices like "He's finally here" "Big brother's here, I'll open the door" "No way, let Dad open it" "After Brando-kun / big brother opens the door, the first person he sees has to be me" — all of it was captured by Diego's sharp hearing.
But for some reason, it felt like there was a little less surprise than usual...
Diego felt irritated by his own proud sense of hearing.
Click...
"Brando-kun!"
"Big brother!"
"Welcome!!!" ×2
Hori Kyosuke and Sota leaned out at the same time, greeting Diego with excited faces.
Diego suppressed that slight feeling of disappointment and forced a smile. He raised the gift and shook it, greeting them: "Uncle, Sota. Good evening."
"Come in, come in!"
As soon as the words fell, Diego was pulled into the living room by the two and they sat around the kotatsu.
Hori Kyoko and Hori Yuriko were busy in the kitchen. After briefly greeting Diego, they continued preparing the sushi.
"...Oh right. I brought cake. Want to have some dessert before dinner?"
While chatting, Diego suddenly suggested eating some cake first.
"Mm hm!" Sota's eyes lit up.
Seeing how much Sota was looking forward to it, Diego immediately unwrapped the package and evenly divided the strawberry mousse cake into five portions. The size, shape, and distribution of fruit were all perfectly even — terrifyingly precise.
"Thank you, big brother!" Sota took the cake Diego handed him and eagerly dug in.
"Eating cake before dinner... Kyoko's going to get mad, isn't she?" Unlike his young son, Hori Kyosuke hesitated for a moment before joining the fray. "Whatever. Who cares!"
Subsequently, Diego carried the other two plates of cake to the kitchen, saying he wanted to reward the two hardworking chefs, and left first.
Not long after Diego left, Sota finished his cake, savored it for a moment, and muttered: "Mmm, I thought it would be made by big brother..."
"What's wrong, Sota? Isn't it delicious?" Hori Kyosuke was a bit confused and seriously gave his opinion. "The cream isn't too rich, the strawberries are sweet, and the nuts sprinkled on top are tasty too."
"Dad hasn't eaten big brother's cooking, so he doesn't understand."
"Eh? What? So only Dad hasn't eaten the food Brando-kun made?"
Hori Kyosuke looked to Hori Yuriko for confirmation and received an affirmative nod.
"Don't do this to me——"
At this moment, Hori Kyoko came out of the kitchen carrying sushi with a bit of cream still on the corner of her mouth. Beside her was Diego, who had helped carry the plates.
"Really now. You should eat the main meal before dessert!" Hori scolded Sota and Hori Kyosuke without much heat.
"Brando-kun did it too!" Hori Kyosuke, bolstered by Diego's presence, got a bit bolder.
The sharp-eyed Sota noticed something unusual and shouted: "Ah, Sis, you have cream on your mouth too, don't you?!"
"S-Shut up. It's different when Dio feeds you, okay?!" Hori's voice grew quieter.
"Not fair, I want some too!" ×2
Amid the noise, everyone began enjoying the sushi.
However, as time passed, the atmosphere gradually shifted.
Diego kept feeling like the Hori family was watching him with worried eyes. It made him very uncomfortable.
In the end, it was Hori Yuriko who broke the strange atmosphere first.
"Dio-san, has anything happened recently?" Hori's mom stopped squinting and said with full concern. "Mom is really worried about you."
Diego swallowed the sushi in his mouth and shook his head. "Nothing, Auntie. Everything's fine with me right now. Why do you ask?"
"Because you haven't been smiling, Dio." Hori explained.
"Aren't I smiling happily right now?" Diego stretched his mouth into a wider grin.
"That's a fake smile, big brother. Our teacher taught us that smiles without curves at the corners of the eyes aren't genuine." Sota tugged at Diego's hand.
"Brando-kun, if there's anything bothering you, you can talk to us about it. After all, we're family." Hori Kyosuke also spoke up.
"..."
Diego didn't say anything. Instead, he pressed down on his hat brim. Using the momentary blind spot in his vision, he used Scary Monsters to adjust his facial muscles.
When he lifted his head again, his expression had become extremely natural — including the smile. He explained:
"It's nothing big. I just tied with someone in a match and felt a bit unwilling to accept it."
Seeing this, Hori Kyosuke felt slightly relieved. "So that's it. Don't take it to heart. Our Brando-kun is already excellent enough. No need to compete for first place in everything."
"Go big brother!"
But Hori Kyoko continued to watch Diego with concern.
...