Chapter 946: Quiet Night in Tokyo

Stella was sitting at a table in a small restaurant at the Oni Gate when Raphaeline announced that she and Ada needed to return to the Underworld. The three had spent much of the day talking, trying local dishes and waiting for news from Vergil, but his training with Susanoo was taking much longer than any of them had imagined. Stella, however, did not seem particularly bothered. She remained comfortably seated in the chair, finishing a dessert while watching the movement of the street through the window.

“Are you sure you’re going to keep waiting for Vergil?” Ada asked while standing up and adjusting her clothes. “We don’t know how much longer he’ll take. Susanoo might very well decide to keep him training for days.”

“I don’t have much to do.” Stella replied calmly, taking the last spoonful of dessert before placing the utensil on the plate. “I’d rather stay sitting here waiting for him to come back. After that, I can return to my usual boring life, with absolutely nothing to do.”

Ada sighed.

“You could be a little more sociable, you know?” Ada commented while Raphaeline finished organizing a few things on the table. “We’re always going out, walking around and doing something together, but you never take the initiative to come with us. Even when the others organize something, you almost always prefer staying home.”

Stella looked at her without showing any irritation. She knew Ada was not trying to criticize her, she simply did not really understand how someone could spend so much time without looking for some activity. For Stella, however, silence and tranquility had become much more pleasant than gatherings, parties or constant trips.

“You don’t need to worry about me.” Stella replied with a small smile, resting her face on one hand. “I’m just a little tired of everything. That’s why I’ve been avoiding socializing. It doesn’t mean I don’t like you.”

“Tired of what?” Ada asked, genuinely curious, because Stella rarely talked about her own feelings.

“A lot of things.” Stella shrugged, apparently unwilling to turn that answer into a long conversation. “I’ve lived quite a while, Ada. Sometimes, lying down without anyone bothering me is exactly what I want to do.”

Raphaeline observed Stella for a few seconds before smiling faintly. She understood that disposition better than Ada, mainly because she knew not everyone needed to be constantly occupied to feel satisfied.

“Then spend some time with Vergil.” Raphaeline approached and gently touched her shoulder. “You two almost never go out alone, and you came here precisely because you wanted to take advantage of an opportunity like this. We’re going back to the Underworld.”

“That’s what I intend to do.” Stella nodded, seeming a little more animated when the subject returned to Vergil. “He promised me a date after finishing his business. I’m not going to let him forget.”

Ada let out a small laugh.

“Then enjoy yourselves. Just don’t let him turn the date into another supernatural mess.” Ada approached to hug her, receiving a lazy but affectionate hug in return.

“I’ll try.” Stella replied while Raphaeline said goodbye with a kiss on her cheek.

Shortly afterward, the two crossed a portal toward the Underworld, leaving Stella alone in the restaurant. She remained seated for a few more minutes, ordered another drink and, when she finished, decided to wait outside, where there was a small bench near some cherry trees.

She was in no hurry.

She leaned back comfortably, closed her eyes and began enjoying the pleasant breeze that crossed that part of the Oni Gate.

She was almost falling asleep when she felt a familiar spatial distortion.

A portal opened a few meters away from her.

Vergil came out first, with Yamato secured at his waist and looking considerably different from how he had when he left. His hair was messy, his face covered by a thin layer of sweat and his clothes practically reduced to rags in some places. There were cuts in the fabric of his shirt, part of his coat was destroyed and one of the sleeves simply no longer existed.

He stopped, took a deep breath and ran a hand over his face.

“Fuck… that was difficult.” Vergil murmured while looking at his own clothes, remembering the countless corrections Susanoo had forced him to repeat during the final part of the training.

“Vergil!”

He raised his eyes.

Stella was already walking toward him, with a smile she had not shown during most of the day. As soon as she got close, she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her face against his chest, apparently not caring about the sweat or the miserable state of his clothes.

“I was waiting for you.” Stella said while tightening the hug slightly, satisfied that she could finally spend some time with him.

Vergil smiled and placed one hand on her back. With the other, he gently moved a strand of hair away from her face before tilting his head and kissing her. Stella calmly returned it, keeping her arms around him until they separated.

“I know. Sorry for taking so long.” Vergil replied while caressing her face with his thumb. “But now I’m free. Let’s go to Tokyo. I booked a five-star hotel for us.”

Stella’s eyes lit up faintly.

“A hotel?”

“Yes. I thought it would be better if we stayed there tonight.” Vergil looked around and noticed two people were missing. “By the way, where are Ada and Raphaeline?”

“They already left.” Stella replied while letting go of his waist, although she continued holding one of his hands. “They went back to the Underworld a little while ago. So it’s just the two of us.”

“Even better.” Vergil replied naturally, receiving a satisfied smile from Stella before looking at his own clothes again. “But first I need to fix this. I’m not walking into a hotel looking like I got run over by a dragon.”

“You look like you got run over by several.” Stella commented while observing the tears in his coat. “Did Susanoo really do all that?”

“Part of it was her. The rest was the consequence of me discovering I’m terrible at some things.” Vergil opened a small passage to his dimensional storage and pulled out clean clothes, using a simple spell to remove the sweat before changing the damaged pieces. “But I learned a lot.”

Stella watched the change without showing any surprise. Living with Vergil meant accepting that things that seemed complicated, such as changing clothes in the middle of a street, could be solved in a few seconds with spatial magic.

“Done.” Vergil adjusted the new coat and extended his hand toward her. “Shall we?”

Stella intertwined her fingers with his.

“Let’s go.”

The next portal took them directly to Tokyo, on a relatively quiet street in Ginza, where the lighting from stores and restaurants contrasted with the dark sky. Vergil had chosen that neighborhood because the hotel was nearby and Stella had mentioned a famous confectionery she wanted to visit. There was no supernatural commitment waiting for them, no enemy to face and no important meeting.

For the first time that day, Vergil intended to simply enjoy someone’s company.

Stella walked beside him, observing the storefronts while keeping her hand firmly intertwined with his. Despite liking to spend long periods at home, she did not seem bothered by the movement of the city. On the contrary, she watched the people, the establishments and especially the restaurants with calm curiosity.

“I’m hungry.” Stella commented after a few minutes, looking toward a small side street where several establishments displayed illuminated menus.

Vergil turned his face toward her.

“Didn’t you spend the entire afternoon eating?”

“I did.” Stella replied without showing any embarrassment. “But that was a few hours ago.”

“Impressive.” Vergil let out a small laugh while looking at the available restaurants. “Any preference?”

“Something Japanese.” Stella pointed toward a smaller establishment, where several people were eating in front of a counter. “That one looks good.”

It was a relatively discreet ramen restaurant, with a narrow entrance and a few tables in the back. It did not have the luxurious appearance of the nearby establishments, but the smell of broth escaping through the door was enough to convince Stella she had made a good choice.

The two entered and managed to get a table near the window.

Vergil ordered a ramen with a richer broth, accompanied by pork and marinated eggs. Stella chose a version with chicken broth, along with an order of gyoza that she insisted on sharing with him.

When the dishes arrived, Stella brought her hands together for a moment before picking up the chopsticks.

“Enjoy your meal.” Stella said with a faint smile, immediately beginning to taste the broth.

Vergil observed her reaction.

“Good?”

“Very.” Stella replied after swallowing, slightly pushing the bowl toward him. “Try it.”

Vergil tasted a small amount.

“It really is good.” Vergil agreed while returning to his own meal, satisfied that they had chosen a simple place instead of looking for some excessively sophisticated restaurant.

During the following minutes, they talked about things that did not involve gods, wars or the future of the Demon Realm. Stella asked a few things about the training, and Vergil told her how Susanoo had managed to find mistakes in practically all of his movements. When he mentioned that Tsukuyomi had needed to raise a barrier to avoid being hit by the swords, Stella let out a small laugh.

“You went to learn how to use a sword and almost destroyed your teacher’s dimension?” Stella asked while picking up another gyoza.

“I wasn’t alone.” Vergil replied, pointing the chopsticks at her. “Susanoo was cutting space too.”

“Then there were two irresponsible people.”

“Three, if we count Yamato.”

The katana vibrated faintly at his waist.

Stella looked at the weapon.

“She heard that.”

“She always hears.” Vergil replied with a sigh, although the small smile on his face made it clear he was not actually bothered.

After finishing the meal, they paid the bill and returned to walking through the streets of Ginza. Stella seemed satisfied, but Vergil noticed she continued watching the windows of establishments specializing in sweets.

“You’re still thinking about the confectionery, aren’t you?” Vergil asked while she slowed down in front of a display filled with small Japanese desserts.

“Naturally.” Stella replied, looking at him as if the question were unnecessary. “I came to Japan because of that.”

“I thought you came to go out with me.”

“That too.”

Vergil started laughing.

Stella squeezed his hand.

“You come first.” Stella added after a few seconds, keeping her expression perfectly serious. “But the sweets are right behind you.”

“What an honor.”

The confectionery she wanted to visit was a few streets away. It was an elegant establishment, with traditional Japanese decor, light wooden display cases and several desserts carefully arranged behind glass. Stella recognized the place immediately and entered with an excitement Vergil rarely saw when she was at home.

There were daifuku filled with strawberries, dorayaki, small matcha cakes, wagashi decorated with flowers and chilled desserts served in glasses.

Stella spent several minutes just choosing.

Vergil remained beside her, observing the concentration with which she analyzed each option.

“You’re taking this more seriously than I took my training.” Vergil commented when she asked for information about the different fillings available.

“Because this is important.” Stella replied while pointing toward a strawberry daifuku. “I want two of those. And that dorayaki. And also a matcha parfait.”

The attendant wrote down the orders.

Vergil looked at Stella.

“Anything else?”

She thought for a few seconds.

“A chocolate cake.”

“Of course.”

They chose a small table near the window, from where they could watch the nighttime movement of the street. Stella started with the daifuku, carefully cutting it before tasting a piece.

Her expression changed immediately.

Her eyes closed.

A satisfied smile appeared on her face.

Vergil rested his chin on one hand.

“Worth the trip?”

“Definitely.” Stella replied while cutting another piece and offering it to him. “Try it. The filling isn’t too sweet, and the strawberry matches perfectly.”

Vergil accepted.

It really was good.

Stella continued trying the desserts, offering small portions to Vergil whenever she found something she particularly liked. He, in turn, seemed much more interested in watching her satisfaction than in the sweets themselves.

After some time, Stella noticed.

“You’re looking at me too much.” Stella commented while finishing the matcha parfait.

“I’m on my date.” Vergil replied naturally, leaning slightly over the table. “I thought looking at my companion was allowed.”

Stella smiled.

“It’s allowed.”

“Great.”

She spent a few seconds observing him before placing the spoon on the plate.

“Thank you for bringing me.” Stella said in a slightly lower tone, keeping her eyes on him. “I know you have a lot of things to deal with.”

Vergil extended his hand across the table.

Stella immediately took it.

“I promised we’d go out together.” Vergil replied while caressing her fingers. “And I don’t want you to have to wait for some special occasion to spend time with me.”

Stella remained silent for a few seconds.

“I like being alone, Vergil.” Stella explained while observing their intertwined hands. “But that doesn’t mean I want to stay away from you. I just don’t have much energy to keep up with all that commotion from the others.”

“I know.” Vergil replied without trying to convince her that she needed to change. “You don’t need to keep up with anyone. We can simply do something like this whenever you want.”

Stella raised her eyes.

“Even if it’s just to eat sweets?”

“Especially if it’s to eat sweets.”

She started laughing.

“Then I’m going to hold you to that.”

“I figured.”

When they finally left the confectionery, Stella carried a small bag with some sweets she had decided to take to the hotel. Vergil tried to carry it for her, but Stella immediately refused, claiming that she did not trust anyone to take care of her desserts.

The hotel was a short walk from there.

It was a modern and elegant building, with a brightly lit entrance, large glass doors and a lobby decorated with light marble and floral arrangements. Vergil approached the reception desk with Stella beside him, confirmed the reservation and received access to the suite he had chosen.

Stella observed the decor while they waited for the elevator.

“You really booked a five-star hotel.” Stella commented while looking at the chandelier above the lobby.

“I said I would.”

“I thought you were exaggerating a little.”

“I almost always exaggerate.”

“That’s true.”

The elevator took them to one of the upper floors. When they entered the suite, Stella found a spacious living room, comfortable furniture, an enormous bed in the bedroom and panoramic windows that offered an impressive view of Tokyo illuminated at night.

She left the bag of sweets on the table and walked directly to the window.

Vergil placed his coat over a chair and approached from behind her.

“Do you like it?” Vergil asked while wrapping his arms around her waist.

“Very much.” Stella replied, leaning comfortably against his chest while watching the city lights. “It’s beautiful from here.”

Vergil gently kissed the top of her head.

“Want to do anything else?”

Stella thought for a few seconds.

Then turned her face toward him.

“I want to take a bath, put on something comfortable and lie down with you.” Stella replied while placing her hands over the arms wrapped around her. “Maybe watch something. And eat the rest of the sweets.”

Vergil let out a laugh.

“You just described a night we could’ve spent at home.”

“Yes.” Stella turned completely within the embrace and wrapped her arms around his neck. “But we’re in Tokyo, with a beautiful view, an enormous bed and no one to bother us.”

Vergil smiled.

“Convincing argument.”

Stella leaned closer and kissed his lips slowly before resting her forehead against his.

“And you’re here.” Stella added with a calm smile. “That’s the best part.”

Vergil gently tightened his hold on her waist and returned the next kiss.

For the first time in several days, he had no intention of looking for another problem to solve.