Tohru finished washing and came out humming a tune.
Curious, Hayashi asked what song she was singing—it didn't sound familiar.
Tohru said it was a ballad by a bard from her world. She heard it while wandering during her travels.
"It's pretty catchy," Hayashi admitted.
But that sparked another thought.
If Tohru could travel from another world… how many other worlds were out there?
"Tohru," he called, "besides Earth, have you come across any other worlds while traveling?"
"Yup!" Tohru nodded.
"!?" Hayashi's eyes narrowed. Multiverse confirmed?
But then Tohru added, "But Earth is the only world I've seen like… this. The rest were all similar to my original one—kinda… old-fashioned."
"Old-fashioned?"
Tohru tilted her head, unsure how to describe it, before settling on the word "old."
So in other words, aside from Earth, most worlds felt like fantasy or ancient civilizations.
"Got it." Hayashi nodded in understanding.
That was good news.
No urgent need to level up his power or anything.
Still, strength was a necessity—whether he used it or not.
If Hayashi wanted to live a peaceful, pastoral life in these kinds of worlds...
Then strength was optional—but not disposable.
Ding-a-ling~
The door to the diner opened.
Hayashi looked up—and was surprised to see Kasumigaoka Utaha walk in.
What time was it now?
He checked the clock—already 11PM. Pretty late.
Utaha stepped through the door and immediately noticed Tohru in a maid outfit.
That made her visibly pout for a second.
But when she saw the flicker of concern on Hayashi's face, her pout disappeared, and she smiled.
Looking around to confirm no other guests were present, she teased:
"Hayashi-kun, looks like I'm the only loyal customer again. I am your core patron, after all."
Hayashi handed her a glass of lemon tea as she sat down.
"It's late. It's dangerous out."
"Fufu~" Utaha smirked. "So Hayashi-kun does worry about me."
"...So, are you eating or not?"
"Of course!"
Her mouth said one thing, but her body responded instantly.
They chatted briefly, and when Hayashi asked what she wanted to eat, Utaha admitted:
"Actually, both the school and my editor have been telling us not to go out lately."
Hayashi nodded. "Yeah. Things have been getting messy."
"But that's exactly why I'm having a burst of inspiration!" she declared proudly. "Suddenly, I have a ton of ideas—some of them inspired by this place, too. I rushed over immediately!"
"...This place inspired you?"
"Yes! And the recent chaos!"
"Why?"
"What do you mean why? That's what inspiration is! It just comes!"
Hayashi gave a helpless smile.
"Fine, I'll make you something. What do you want?"
"Trying to watch my weight lately… One sushi set, please."
"Coming right up."
Sushi was straightforward.
It mostly depended on the quality of the ingredients—like the rice texture and the freshness of the fish.
Cooking technique was just icing on the cake.
Hayashi turned and went into the kitchen.
Tohru watched as Utaha started furiously typing on her laptop, clearly in the zone. Then she followed Hayashi in, curiosity shining in her eyes.
"Hayashi-san," she whispered, "she seems like the only normal human among your regulars."
"Yeah," Hayashi nodded.
"So… you were worried about her safety just now?"
"Yeah."
"Hayashi-san… you're so kind~" Tohru said with admiration in her voice.
"..."
Hayashi was stunned.
Did she just drop the yasashii card on him?
How dare she curse him like that!?
Of course, he was just being reasonable.
The danger levels these days weren't exactly humane.
Utaha had also been a loyal customer.
Even if it wasn't emotional attachment, it was at least... monetary.
Still, since Hayashi didn't respond, Tohru added sincerely:
"I've noticed that Hayashi-san has a truly honest heart. No matter who the guest is, or what kind of person they are, you treat everyone equally based on their actions. I can see that clearly."
"That's why, after Utaha-chan finishes eating, I'll secretly escort her home. Don't worry, Hayashi-san."
Her words were so genuine that Hayashi was momentarily speechless.
He was seriously glad he hired Tohru.
She was basically a hexagonal MVP employee—cooking, cleaning, fighting, security, PR, and delivery!
"Mm." Hayashi gave her a thumbs up. "Thanks, Tohru."
"Not at all!" she beamed.
Compared to her past…
This life was the first time she'd felt hope.
She genuinely wanted to escort Utaha Kasumigaoka home—this time, it came from the heart.
Completely different from her previous aimless actions!
This was true freedom—living with hope, knowing what you're doing, and understanding what you want to do!
Very soon, Hayashi finished making two portions of sushi.
One was a bonus just to reward Tohru for her hard work.
He made a variety of sushi: baby squid sushi, tuna sushi, fish roe sushi, grilled meat sushi, and more.
Each one looked absolutely mouthwatering!
"Thanks for waiting." Tohru brought the sushi to Utaha's table.
Utaha snapped out of her writing trance.
The moment she saw the sushi in front of her—
Gulp~
Kasumigaoka Utaha swallowed hard.
Just thinking about how delicious it must be, about how each of these perfect sushi pieces had been carefully crafted by Hayashi's elegant and dexterous hands—
"Ugh, this is unbearable~"
In the next moment—
She dove in with her chopsticks, popping one into her mouth.
"Mmm~~~"
Even her legs in black stockings rubbed together.
As she chewed, Utaha's feet squirmed and her body twisted uncontrollably from how delicious it was!
Tohru, eating her own plate back in the kitchen, reacted the same way.
But after a few bites, she suddenly had a flash of inspiration and looked at Hayashi with a suggestion.
"Hayashi-san, next time, try cooking with my tail!"
"I refuse!"
---
Advanced 30+ Chapters in pat/reon.com/KyokaSuigetsu