DXD: The Awakening Of Phenex

YAKINIKU Q RESTAURANT

As soon as he entered the restaurant beside Ino, Riser immediately noticed the contrast between the place and the rest of Konoha’s night. The atmosphere was warm, lively, and full of conversations spreading between the tables while the strong smell of grilling meat dominated the air.

A waitress quickly approached, guiding the two to a more secluded table before handing them menus with a polite smile.

Riser watched the woman walk away for a moment.

’There really are no ugly women in anime.’

"Pretty amazing, right?" Ino spoke almost immediately, clearly proud of her choice while resting her arm on the table. "I told you this place was good."

Riser shifted his gaze away from the surroundings and back to her.

"You seem pretty confident."

"Because I am." Ino answered without hiding her smile. "And tonight, I’m paying."

Riser almost laughed at that.

She obviously had no idea food had stopped being a real necessity for him a long time ago. His current body could function perfectly without normal meals, although he could still eat normally if he wanted to.

In the end, continuing to act like a normal person was simply more convenient.

"Then choose for me too." Riser pushed the menu back toward her without even opening it. "I’ll eat whatever you order."

Ino blinked once, clearly surprised by the answer.

"Seriously?"

"You looked so proud of this place." He answered calmly. "So I trust your taste."

That caught her off guard for a second.

The kind of simple response that sounded casual but completely dismantled the rhythm she had prepared in her head.

"Hm." Ino quickly looked away before opening the menu again. "Then don’t complain afterward."

She started ordering immediately afterward, choosing meats, drinks, and side dishes quickly enough to make it obvious she already knew the restaurant very well.

Riser silently watched the scene for a few seconds.

When she finished ordering, Ino rested her arm on the table and smiled at him with almost provocative confidence, clearly satisfied with herself for having guided the entire situation up to that point.

Riser was genuinely grateful she had shown up and given him some distraction for the night, but there was still one curiosity he had not let go of since she crossed the barrier.

"So..." He slightly tilted his head. "Can I know the real reason for the invitation?"

Ino held his gaze without looking away.

"Can’t I just be nice to the village’s new resident?"

"So it was just kindness?" A small smile appeared on Riser’s face. "What a shame. I thought my blue eyes had captivated you."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"Or maybe the red ones."

Ino did not answer immediately.

Her eyes ended up returning to his face almost by reflex. The blue eyes were already striking on their own, but it wasn’t just that. There was that cold air around him, the absurd calm even after the chaos in the village, and especially the weight of the Uchiha name combined with everything Sakura had told her.

The man who defeated Danzō.

The man of the barriers.

The man who simply appeared and turned all of Konoha upside down in less than a day.

Ino looked away first.

"I think..." She started slower than before. "That I want to be your friend."

Her smile returned right afterward.

"Well... the first one in the village."

"Friend?" Riser repeated.

Then he ended up laughing.

"HAHAHAHA."

Ino widened her eyes for a moment.

"What was so funny?!"

"Nothing." Riser was still holding back part of the laughter. "I just didn’t expect to hear that."

She immediately crossed her arms.

"You’re annoying sometimes."

"Well..." He relaxed slightly in the chair. "We can be friends."

Her expression changed again instantly.

"Great."

The conversation was interrupted when the waitress returned carrying trays of meat, arranging the dishes across the table while the strong smell of yakiniku immediately spread through the air.

Ino practically took control of the grill at the same instant.

"Leave it to me."

"Go ahead." Riser answered without caring.

She started placing the meat on the grill carefully, clearly used to it, while Riser simply watched the scene from the other side of the table.

"You seem pretty experienced." Riser rested his arm against the chair while following her movements. "Do you come here often?"

Ino nodded without stopping the preparation.

"This place was always a meeting spot." She answered naturally. "My team, other teams... we came here to celebrate missions, relax, or just forget problems for a few hours."

Her tone changed slightly at the end of the sentence.

It was subtle.

But Riser noticed.

"What changed?" He asked directly.

Ino tried to keep acting casual, clearly avoiding diving into the heavy atmosphere Konoha had carried over the last few years, but Riser already knew practically everything through anime memories and what he had heard inside the village.

"Naruto and Sasuke?" He asked without hesitation.

Her movements stopped for a moment.

The meat almost burned on the grill while Ino stayed silent for a few seconds after hearing Sasuke’s name.

Then she quietly sighed.

"Two years ago was chaos." She answered more seriously now. "The two of them abandoned the village because of Orochimaru... and nothing stayed the same after that."

Riser silently observed her.

Even trying to hide it, it was easy to notice there were still feelings connected to Sasuke.

’Sasuke really did emotionally destroy half this village just like in the anime.’

But insisting on that topic would only kill the mood of the conversation.

So he naturally shifted away from it.

"And this Naruto?" Riser asked while picking up the glass from the table. "Why did he run away?"

Inside, Ino practically thanked him for changing the subject.

She reorganized her expression before answering.

"Because he learned the truth." Her eyes briefly dropped toward the meat before returning to him. "He found out he was the Fourth Hokage’s son... heir to an important clan... and even so he grew up treated like trash by the entire village."

She slowly exhaled.

"When he realized that... he got angry at Konoha."

"And left with Orochimaru." Riser finished.

Ino slowly nodded.

"Yes."

Riser stayed silent for a few seconds absorbing that.

’Honestly... this makes way more sense than the original plot.’

Because in that version, Naruto had a real reason to break away from the village. It wasn’t just emotional frustration or simple manipulation.

It was legitimate resentment.

While he organized his thoughts, Ino finished preparing one of the meats and looked up again.

"Can I serve you?"

Riser gave a slight nod.

Ino carefully picked up the freshly grilled pieces and started placing the meat directly onto his plate, handling it naturally while the strong smell of yakiniku continued spreading across the table.

Even though he did not truly need to eat, Riser admitted the smell was pleasant. The heat of the grill, the fat crackling against the metal, and the busy atmosphere of the restaurant created a strangely comfortable feeling after an entire day surrounded by destruction and political tension.

Ino rested her face against her hand while watching him.

Clearly waiting for the reaction.

Riser calmly picked up one of the pieces of meat and brought it to his mouth. The texture was perfect, soft, hot, and well seasoned, while the strong flavor immediately spread across his senses.

He ended up giving a slight smile.

"This is really good."

Ino’s reaction came almost instantly.

"I told you." She opened a satisfied smile, clearly proud of her own choice. "The meat here is amazing."

"The cook is pleasant to look at too." Riser answered naturally while picking up another piece.

Ino froze for a second before blushing almost immediately.

"Stop that."

The tone came out faster than she intended, mixed with embarrassment and irritation at the same time.

Riser merely smiled after seeing her reaction.

And honestly?

Teasing Ino was starting to become way too fun.

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Thank you so much for reading - see you in the next Chapter!