Albedo, who had been waiting outside, respectfully pushed open the door and entered.
"Lord Ainz, you've worked hard all night."
Albedo spoke to Ainz with reverence.
To prevent the Guardians from panicking if they ever discovered his absence, Ainz had concocted a cover story.
He framed his visits to the small restaurant as "gathering intelligence on other worlds."
Although he had merely been shooting the breeze with Rimuru and Saitama, it was technically a form of gathering intelligence.
The previous day, he had informed Albedo and Demiurge of his evening plans.
He claimed he would be gathering intelligence on Demon Beasts from other worlds to assess their potential usefulness to the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
At the time, Albedo had been worried about his safety.
In response, Ainz had grandly waved his hand and declared that no sacrifice was too great for the sake of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
Ainz went to great lengths to cultivate the image of a wise and brilliant ruler.
And yet, this whole night... he'd done nothing but read novels, manga, and play games!
"Ahem. The night went smoothly. It wasn't what I'd call 'hard work'," Ainz said in a deep, solemn voice.
"Yes, but I must still praise your tireless efforts for the sake of the Great Tomb of Nazarick." Albedo gazed at Ainz with eyes filled with adoration and reverence.
Ainz felt a flicker of panic.
"Lord Ainz, did you make any discoveries?"
'Discoveries, huh... The novels were great, the manga was good, and the games were fun...'
"Ahem! This night, I encountered very few Demon Beasts and made no significant discoveries."
"Ah! It must be because those Demon Beasts feared Lord Ainz's majestic presence!"
"Ahem. When I go again tonight, I will be sure to bring back intelligence on Demon Beasts."
"Yes! As expected of Lord Ainz!"
Ainz breathed a silent sigh of relief.
'Phew—thank goodness I'm used to putting on this act...'
....
"Lord Rimuru, you've worked hard tonight."
As Rigurd stood before him, deeply moved and reverent, the slime felt a pang of panic.
"Ahem! Not at all, not at all," Rimuru said calmly.
It really hadn't been hard work!
The only thing that had given him any trouble all night was getting stuck on a game level!
"No, exploring ruins must be exhausting. Lord Rimuru, did you make any discoveries?"
Just as Ainz's excuse was to gather intelligence on a new world, Rimuru had claimed he would spend the night exploring ruins.
'The Great Tomb of Nazarick... in a way, that counts as ruins...'
When Rigurd asked about discoveries, Rimuru let out a soft sigh.
"The ruins are too vast. I only managed to explore the uppermost floor tonight. I'll need to continue my exploration tonight."
"Oh! You're working so hard for us, Lord Rimuru!!!"
Looking at the Goblin Chieftain's face, filled with emotion and trust, Rimuru felt a twinge of guilt.
...
"Hey, Yuto dear, are you busy today?"
Yuto looked at the Granny, who was being unusually enthusiastic today, and felt suspicious.
He glanced at the girl standing beside her.
Her eyes seemed to hold a hint of... resignation?
The expression was so faint and fleeting that if Yuto hadn't possessed his enhanced senses, he might not have noticed it at all.
"I'm free today," Yuto replied.
For some reason, the Granny's face lit up even more. "In that case... Yuto dear... could Granny ask you for a little favor?"
Yuto noticed the shift in the girl's expression.
As soon as the Granny finished speaking, her look of resignation deepened.
...
Yuto stood awkwardly facing the girl before him.
He was currently in front of a massive department store in Shinjuku.
This store was Shinjuku's most famous destination for women's fashion, with numerous major celebrities having endorsed it.
It was a magnet for young women looking to shop. The clientele typically consisted of groups of female friends or couples.
Yuto had never imagined that the favor Granny asked of him would be to go clothes shopping with this girl.
Back then, Granny had beamed at him and said, "Yuto dear, could you please go clothes shopping with Megumi?"
Yuto had been about to politely decline when Granny added, "Megumi always goes shopping alone. It really breaks my heart."
Seeing the pained and sorrowful expression on Granny's face, Yuto had agreed.
After arranging a meeting spot with Kato Megumi, he had rushed back home to put away his bicycle, then hurried here.
Gazing at the girl's placid, water-still face, he felt at a loss for words.
Their only interaction had been when he'd retrieved her hat.
Even after they'd added each other as friends, they had never actually chatted.
"Kato-san?" Yuto called out to her with a smile.
The girl blinked slowly, her eyes fixed on him. "Just Kato is fine."
Her voice brought to mind a silent classroom or some other tranquil place. Perhaps because of this quietness, she seemed easy to overlook.
Yuto smiled and nodded gently. He glanced around and noticed more and more gazes turning their way.
All of them were directed at him.
His naturally handsome face were eye-catching, but Yuuka's gift had imbued him with an aura of natural grace.
On top of that, Hestia had bestowed her blessing upon him just last night.
Though he hadn't yet grasped the specific effects of Hestia's blessing, it had undeniably made him stand out even more.
Gods were beings with an overwhelming presence.
Hestia's blessing was precious, especially coming from a God.
Because of her, Yuto now exuded an indescribable nobility and dignified air. These various qualities blended together, making him stand out even more.
If they stayed here any longer, Yuto felt he might get approached by someone soon.
"Let's go inside," Yuto said softly to Kato.
The girl nodded in agreement as the two of them then entered the shopping mall.
Perhaps because it was a holiday, the mall was crowded today.
In a place like this—a mall catering primarily to women—Yuto had no idea where to even begin.
"Kato, why don't we split up here?" he suggested with a helpless sigh.
The girl tilted her head, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
"You must feel exasperated by Granny's request too, right? Being forced to shop with a stranger... anyone would be unhappy about that."
Yuto remembered the look of resignation he'd seen in Kato's eyes earlier.
He guessed she wasn't thrilled about it either but couldn't express it in front of Granny.
"Hmm... It's fine. Let's go."
Kato hummed thoughtfully.
Yuto had expected her to agree with him, but her words caught him by surprise.
"You don't mind?"
"No. We're just browsing the mall, after all."
Yuto gazed into the girl's brown eyes.
They were as bright and tranquil as still water, as if nothing in the world could disturb their serenity.
He was a little surprised but quickly gave a slight nod.
'Right. We're just browsing the mall.'
Still, her calm acceptance had caught him off guard.
'Is she surprisingly easy to get along with? Or does she simply not care?'
Yuto couldn't be sure.
He fell in step behind her and began to wander leisurely through the shopping center.
She was dressed brightly today.
Her red jacket was worn over a pinkish-white blouse, paired with a white pleated skirt and small black leather loafers.
As always, she wore a hat. It was another beret, this time in a pale pink so light it almost looked white. The ensemble was stunning.
'Even in a mall crowded with girls, she should have been the center of attention.'
That was Yuto's private assessment.
But it was strange. It seemed like not many people noticed the girl.
No, it would be more accurate to say no one noticed her.
Every time they stopped in front of a shop, the sales assistants wouldn't even see her unless she spoke up first.
Yuto was inwardly astonished.
'This... it's almost like she's invisible.'
"Kamisaka-kun, does this hat look good?" The girl, after trying on the new hat in front of the mirror, turned her head to ask him.
"Yeah, it looks good."
The saying "clothes make the man" certainly had some truth to it.
But there was an even more crucial point: truly beautiful people couldn't hide their charm even in the plainest of outfits.
While the girl might not possess the breathtaking beauty of someone like Yakumo Yukari or Yuuka, she had her own unique, radiant bloom.
Compared to that heart-stopping kind of beauty, Yuto found himself drawn more to this simple, everyday loveliness.
"I think it looks nice too. I'll buy it, then." Kato made her decision after a final glance in the mirror.
Such decisiveness was unusual for a girl buying clothes.
"Hello, how much is this?"
"Ah, this is our store's featured style for the season... The original price is 8,000 yen, but if you'd like it, I can take off 200 yen for you..."
"I feel like you could go a little lower."
"The most I can do is another 100 yen off."
"Is that really the best you can do?"
Watching her haggle, Yuto nodded slightly to himself.
'Ah, haggling like this... now she really looks like a girl shopping.'
Perhaps haggling was a survival skill only women could learn.
In his past life, Yuto's own clothes shopping was much simpler.
'How much? Okay, wrap it up.'
A very straightforward process.
"Kamisaka-kun, let's go."
The girl had already bought the hat.
She stood before him, looking at him calmly. Yuto nodded, and they continued their stroll through the mall.
Throughout their entire walk, the only one who drew any attention was Yuto himself.
The girl remained completely overlooked by everyone.