[Outside on a Rooftop]
"I'm sorry about that. Is this yours?" Yamato inquired, holding up the purloined sword.
"Yeah, thanks. I guess he's your cat," Cory acknowledged.
"Yep, he is," Yamato confirmed as they both climbed onto a nearby roof.
"Again, I'm sorry about that," Yamato apologized once more.
"Nah, it's okay. By the way, I'm Cory," Cory introduced himself.
"I'm Yamato, and this is Max," Yamato gestured towards the mischievous cat.
"Nice to meet you," Cory extended a friendly greeting.
As they settled on the rooftop, Cory's belly rumbled. "Damn, I'm hungry."
Yamato pulled out a burger. "Oh, I have a burger. Do you want half?" he offered.
"Really, you mean it?" Cory's eyes lit up.
"Yeah, it's fine. Here," Yamato handed him a portion.
"Thanks," Cory expressed gratitude before taking a satisfying bite. "Nom, nom!"
"It's good, right?" Yamato inquired.
"Yeah," Cory replied with a contented smile.
[Back at the Restaurant]
"Your grandson?" Ava questioned.
"That's what I said. He's the owner of that cat earlier," Aoi clarified.
"I see," Naima acknowledged.
"How old is he?" Kiyomizu inquired.
"17, and he's pretty good at building things," Aoi informed.
"Alright then," Naima said, considering the newfound connection.
"Follow me; then I will show you to the shop," Aoi directed.
"Okay," they all agreed.
"Wait, aren't we forgetting something?" Kiyomizu pointed out.
"Oh, yeah, Cory's food. We should take it with us," Ava suggested, ensuring they didn't leave behind the remnants of their interrupted meal.
[On The Roof]
"You don't look like you're from around here," Yamato observed.
"What makes you say that?" Cory inquired.
"Because you're a slayer and because of this on my phone," Yamato explained.
"Have what?" Cory questioned.
Yamato showed Cory his net worth on his phone. "Wait, that's me, and my net worth went up," Cory exclaimed.
"Yeah, it's 6,381,500 million," Yamato confirmed. "And look, Kiyomizu has a net worth, and so does Ava, and Naima's net worth went up by 1 million, and our crew names are on it too," Cory observed.
"I guess you guys are pretty cool, huh?" Yamato remarked.
"Yeah, we are," Cory affirmed.
"So why are you here, anyway?" Yamato inquired.
"To get a ship built by the Mintos so me and my crew can go through the Tethys Web," Cory explained.
"Oh, I can take you to the Minto's shop," Yamato offered.
"Oh, really," Cory responded.
"Yeah, but first, why do you want to cross the Tethys Web?" Yamato asked.
"Because if I don't, I won't be able to become the strongest slayer or fulfill my dream," Cory shared.
"Oh," Yamato responded.
"And what about you?" Cory questioned.
"Huh?"
"What's your dream or goal in life?" Cory pressed.
"Oh, I want to become the world's greatest engineer, that the world will know the name Yamato. I want a name for myself. Not just that, I want to help rebuild this world—a world where robots help us humans, and we and they can live together. But first, I will have to travel the world and learn how to build robots, but my grandpa won't let me. So I guess my dream is just a fantasy," Yamato admitted.
"Hahah, you hear that, Max? How about this? If you take me to the Mintos, I will take you with me," Cory proposed.
"Really, you got yourself a deal," Yamato agreed.
[Minto's Shop]
"You see, my grandson's dream is to travel the world and build robots so they can help us humans in the world, but" Aoi started.
"You're worried," Naima finished his sentence.
"Yes, and no. I want him to go, but a few months ago, a gang called the AoiHi brothers arrived in the city," Aoi explained.
"Wait, did you just say AoiHi?" Naima questioned.
"Yes," Aoi confirmed.
"Aren't they?" Kiyomizu began.
"Yes, a part of the Magus clan, and its fourth in command is here. His name is Elliott AoiHi," Aoi revealed, introducing a note of tension to the conversation.