Until evening approached and it was almost time to open the restaurant, Kamisaka Yuto had been reading manga the whole time.
He flipped through various light novels only to find that they all had similar plots.
The more he read, the more he grew tired of them.
In comparison, Utaha's youth romance novel felt all the more precious.
He specifically created an account just to send a gift worth two to three thousand yen for Utaha's novel.
This was both encouragement from a friend and support from a reader.
If this book were to be published, he would buy a copy to keep.
"Ah—"
Having been curled up in bed reading for a long time, he couldn't help but stretch when he finally put the manga down.
He glanced at the time—it was already 6:40.
This surprised him a little.
'How did time pass so quickly?!'
He distinctly remembered having only read for a short while...
In a hurry, he tidied himself up, packed the light novels and manga into his backpack, and carried it downstairs. The time was now 6:52.
He let out a relieved sigh—fortunately, he hadn't delayed opening the restaurant.
He went to the kitchen, tied on an apron, wiped down the counter, and rinsed the cutting board with water.
By the time he finished, it was exactly 6:58.
Today, Utaha hadn't arrived before 7:07 as usual.
He calculated the time in his mind as he stepped outside.
Outside, it was already bustling.
The sky had grown somewhat dim, and in another hour, it would turn dark. Kamisaka Yuto stood in the alley, watching the people coming and going, letting out a soft sigh.
The alley was somewhat dim, with the only light coming from the small restaurant. The only person lingering there was him.
Outside the alley, red and green lights intertwined, with colorful lanterns and a constant flow of people.
In contrast, the alley seemed a bit shabby and pitiful.
He was already accustomed to this feeling.
He flipped the "Closed" sign outside the door, marking the start of the restaurant's business day!
...
No more than two minutes after he entered the restaurant, a customer arrived.
He looked toward the door, where a group led by Kazami Yuuka and Yakumo Yukari stood.
After just one day, the Gensokyo team had grown once again. Yesterday, there were already six people, and today, two more joined.
One was a blonde girl with a pair of long horns on her head.
Her figure seemed childlike, but her presence felt slightly more mature.
What caught his attention was the chain around her waist, connected to a... gourd.
Was it used to hold something? He had a guess in his mind.
The other newcomer was a girl wearing a blue-and-white kimono, with shoulder-length pink hair and pink pupils.
On her head, she wore an ominous crown.
She stood beside Yakumo Yukari, intimately holding onto her arm, seemingly very close to her.
However, the crown left him puzzled.
Who in their right mind would wear a crown meant for the deceased? Still, the crown suited the girl well.
Perhaps it was because the girl herself was beautiful enough to make people overlook such external influences.
Once again, he saw a look of annoyance on Kazami Yuuka's face, though she also seemed somewhat helpless.
"Boss!!! I'm back!!!" Before Kamisaka Yuto could speak, Marisa, wearing her witch's hat, energetically called out.
Her expression was cheerful, her eyes filled with delight and joy.
He could only smile and nod at her.
"Oh ho, it seems coming to find Reimu today was the right choice. This place seems even more interesting." The girl with horns curled her lips into a dazzling smile.
As she moved her hand, the faint sound of chains could be heard. After saying this, she directly picked up her gourd, uncorked it, and brought it to her mouth.
Then, with a hearty "ah," she seemed satisfied and happy with whatever was inside.
His sense of smell was sharp.
He faintly caught a whiff of alcohol.
Was the gourd filled with wine? He pondered this.
"Yukari, is this the boss you said cooks so well? He's so cute!" The girl wearing the heavenly crown, still holding onto Yakumo Yukari's arm, looked at him with an expression of pleasant surprise and affection.
Her gaze was somewhat like that of someone seeing a cute kitten and wanting to take it home.
"Yes, that's right," Yakumo Yukari replied to the girl beside her with deep gentleness.
That was genuine kindness from the heart, unlike any smile he had ever seen on Yakumo Yukari.
"It seems the group grows a little larger every day," he spoke with a smile.
His gaze unconsciously drifted toward his small restaurant.
Why did he now feel that even with four additional tables, the seating still wasn't enough...?
"Hmph!" Kazami Yuuka snorted coldly and walked over to take a seat.
Her snort caused a slight curl to appear at the corner of Yakumo Yukari's lips, and then Yukari followed the others to sit in front of Kamisaka Yuto.
The counter was semi-enclosed, with seating for thirteen guests.
Now, eight of the thirteen seats were occupied, all by various girls—a colorful and delightful sight.
For a moment, he even felt as if he had stepped into a kingdom of women.
Kazami Yuuka was still seated next to Yakumo Yukari, but the one beside Yukari wasn't the fox girl, it was the maiden wearing a heavenly crown.
Looking further to the side, he could see the fox girl and the cat loli, followed by Marisa, Reimu, and the girl with horns.
"Yukari, blah blah... Reimu, Reimu, blah blah... Ah! Marisa, don't pull my tail! Is there wine? Wine? Bring the wine!"
Once these people were seated, aside from Kazami Yuuka maintaining her silence, the rest were chattering incessantly.
The noise was like a park gathering on a certain night.
Kamisaka Yuto, who had just been watching the bustling crowd outside the alley, now felt a sense of emotion stirring in his heart.
He thought the small restaurant was far livelier than the street outside.
With a soft sigh, he turned his smiling gaze toward the group.
"So, what would everyone like to eat?" He casually took out a small notebook—today, he would have to use it to take orders since there were so many customers.
Kazami Yuuka remained the same as always.
Yakumo Yukari ordered a serving of pastries.
Pastries weren't usually kept in stock at the restaurant, as nighttime was more suited for sneaking a taste of something savory.
Fortunately, he had stocked the restaurant with some small pastries earlier. When he bought red bean paste, the pastry section was right next to it.
He picked up a few boxes on a whim. He kept these well-preserved; the salesperson said they could last half a month.
Today, Yakumo Yukari could help him clear them out before they spoiled.
The maiden wearing the heavenly crown was named Saigyouji Yuyuko.
When Yakumo Yukari introduced her, her eyes were filled with gentleness, and her tone was tender.
Then, he understood why the maiden wore a heavenly crown.
It turned out she truly wasn't human—she was a spirit.
Speaking of spirits, he couldn't help but think of Ainz.
No, they were too different in nature!
Although she was a spirit, her personality was pleasant, and she directly told him to call her Yuyuko.
When he asked Yuyuko what she wanted to eat, she simply shook her head gently.
"Ask me again at the end," she said.
Those pink eyes still held the same expression, as if wanting to take him back to raise him.
He remained calm, after all, he had seen all kinds of looks before and wouldn't panic over this.
The fox girl still wanted fried tofu, and the cat loli still wanted cat rice.
Marisa, much to his annoyance, said, "Boss, boss, I want to eat something explosive! Something intense!"
She didn't specify a particular dish or flavor.
If she went to any other restaurant, Marisa would definitely be kicked out.
After thinking for a moment, he helplessly nodded.
When it came to "explosive" and "intense," he could only think of chili peppers.
The pure shrine maiden was, as always, stuck in poverty today!
"How much for sugar-coated rice?"
He couldn't help but sigh.
The rice at his place was indeed free, but sugar-coated rice... no one had ever ordered it before.
For a moment, he was a bit troubled about how to price it.
"Two hundred yen?" he finally offered.
Two hundred yen was really cheap. But as soon as he said it, Reimu's expression fell.
"Didn't you say... the rice was free...?" Reimu had asked about the price of rice last time, which gave her the confidence to order a bowl of sugar-sweetened rice.
But 200 yen... Hakurei Shrine would have to wait a long time for someone to offer that much in donations!
Too expensive... it's just too expensive!
His face stiffened slightly.
'Even she cant afford 200 yen?'
'Just how poor is this girl?!'