*I do not own DanMachi or You-Zitsu

5 days have passed since my arrival in this world. From killing a goblin in the dungeon to making deals with gods, to working at an all-female pub. While this life wasn't uneventful, it was dangerous. I needed to accommodate myself to these new troubles. But to do that, I'll have to involve myself in some problematic situations.

Such as stealing from the god of thieves.

1 day prior

My second day at work had concluded for the day. Once I got back to the shed at the back entrance of the graveyard, I would indulge myself in that book I acquired 2 days ago.

I'd improved the conditions of the rotting wood to a reasonable extent so that it wouldn't fall on me at any moment. The dust and insects that circulated were discarded but I was unable to remove the odor of dead bodies. This wasn't really a problem but it could get irritating the longer you endure it.

Setting my belongings down, I went to the highest shelf in the shed and took out a brown, rust-colored book. I took it with me to the spot I'd had grown accustomed to sitting in.

Once I settled down, I held the book in my left hand and flipped over the cover.

Because I was working full time, I hadn't had the chance to actually read it so this would be the first time I'd looked inside.

If it follows the process as other things in this world have, the words should be translated to Japanese in my mind. If not, then this was a waste of time.

As I skipped over the first couple of pages, I found my way to chapter 1. At the very top was a sentence written in a deep red.

This may not be used by the weak-willed.

That was that. Just a few words. But I had a feeling that if anyone other than me was reading this book, they would have dropped it then and there.

One must have a will that will not allow them to be at the will of others but must still take on that challenge.

I can't really say that I understand what it's saying, but the sentences continued.

Despicable, vile, but willing. Only the one at the top of society may display those traits. And only they can follow through.

The entire first page consisted of these lines. They sound like the ramblings of a child if I'm being honest. I turned over the page, fully expecting it to contain similar lines.

Ruthven. A stone tablet from the ancient fairies. A tablet constructed to guide the future leaders of the monster roaming world.

The faires imbued their power to grant the user power of their own.

Faires? So they exist in this world as well.

No had what it took. Monsters were killing people. No one could have sacrificed their own in order to use that power. Thus, the stone tablet was left to deteriorate in the wild.

But, the faires wait till this day. The day when someone the world has never seen steps foot onto the soil of Genkai.

Ruthven has been passed from one god to another. Only the god who meets all shall have the tablet. Only that god may deliver the tablet.

And that was all. Chapter 1 concluded in just 2 pages.

At least I can confirm that this book is nothing but nonsense.

But...it wouldn't be harmful to look into this Ruthven tablet.

It's stated that the god who has in it their possession is someone who meets all. And they would deliver that tablet.

Who would that be?

There's a god named Ganesha. He would be the god of the masses. So he could be a possible option.

...

I'll think about this later. It's already dark outside and I've got to prepare for the morning rush.

Next day (2 hours before present)

After leaving the Hostess during my lunch break, I traveled, well, just walked, across the city. I wanted to see everything there is in the city. From the casinos to the stores, to the festivals.

But, walking around in the city is a great place to hear about the current topics of the world. And that's what I was doing right now. Why? Because, why not?

"Is Hermes still in the city? I need him to deliver something to Altia for me."

"No. He went and left the moment Denatus left. A slippery guy he is."

Hermes? Hermes would be a god. A greek god of merchants, travelers, and thieves. Does he run a transportation business of sorts? There are several gods who do so it wouldn't be out of the ordinary.

But what struck me was the word 'deliver'.

'Only that god may deliver the tablet.' was what the book said.

Plus, as a god of travelers, you would meet plenty of people from all over the world. Thus where the words 'meeting all' may come from.

Hermes could very well be a god that has the tablet. But I could just be getting ahead of myself. It would be better to ask around first.

I walked up to the two men and asked them a question.

"Excuse me, but would Hermes by any chance run a delivery system." The man I asked this to looked surprised as he turned around to look at me.

"Umm, yeah." Good, that was all I needed to know. I walked away from the two of them and went my own way.

"He asked one question then left right away. Who the fuck does that," the man said. Does he not realize that I'm not far from them?

Anyways, I can at least safely assume that if what the book was saying was correct, Ganesha and Hermes are two options. I have seen Ganesha around the city before, but since Hermes is out right now, I haven't found a chance.

If by any chance, it's with Hermes, then that would mean I would have to travel outside.

I'm not entirely opposed to that. I've been wanting to see the outside of this city. The only issue with that is Mia. Would she allow me to leave? She did say that she would accommodate me if anything comes up, though I'm not sure I can trust her words. Would taking the risk be worth it?

Yeah, why not? I'll meet her after the night rush.

I turned back around and picked up a few things here and there. Then I returned to the Hostess.

Since it was currently lunchtime, I was in the kitchen. I found it much harder to do than I initially thought simply because several ingredients for food I made weren't stocked. So, I mostly made the menu food. When I did manage to get what I needed, the end result turned out better than I expected.

Currently, business was slow. So, I was trying out something new to add to the menu. Well, I guess it wouldn't be new to me. What I was making was a Bánh xèo, a Vietnamese crepe. The food itself was rice stuffed pancake. The main ingredients were rice flour, water, and turmeric powder. These were 3 things that were common in the kitchen, making each step flow smoother.

Who would have thought that those free cooking shows would've been this useful? I guess being penurious worked out in its own way.

"What's that?" A short cat girl came up behind me, a mixing bowl in her hand as she tried to look over my shoulder but failed. I moved out of the way to show her.

"A dish from where I come from. A crepe of sorts." I guess Earth is 'where I come from so that included Vietnam.

"Sure doesn't look like it. But keep up the good work," she said as she trodded away.

I added the finishing toches not long after and I must say, I didn't do a bad job. Can I get this added to the menu?

I placed the Bánh xèo on a plate and took it upfront to the dining area. Customers were scarce right now. As for why, I do not know. But it works in my favor. Mia was leaning on the bar counter and the waiters were cleaning up, waiting for new people to pop in. I walked over to the bar counter, with the plate in 1 hand. She noticed me almost instantaneously and looked over. As I placed it on the solid wooden counter, she spoke up.

"What's that thing."

"Something I made. I need someone to try it out."

"Not this again. We don't need another Syr." As she said that, Syr perked up. She came over.

"What's happening. Oh, what's that?"

"Something, eat it, Syr," Mia said, looking as disinterested as ever. She then pulled out a knife and fork from below the counter.

As Syr took them, the other waitresses came over.

I only need Mia to eat it, why does everyone want to get in the way?

Actually, wait! Could I use Horikita's 'Food Trap' strategy on Mia? To increase my chances of her letting me outside the city for a while. That might work.

"Never seen that before," the human waitress, Lunoire, commented.

"Looks weird nya ~. Did Syr nya~ make this?"

"If that's that case meow~, I ain't eating it meow~. I don't want to get sick again."

The two cat waitresses, Chloe, and Anya added.

Did they doubt my cooking skills that much? Honestly, I think my feelings have been hurt.

"Well, if I must, I can try it. But, to make sure. It was Mr. Ayanokoji who made this right? Not Syr." Just how bad of cook was Syr.

"That's not fair Ryu," Syr protested.

"Enough already. Test the damn thing," Mia yelled, annoyed by the bickering going on.

Ryu took the knife and cut out a piece. Then, using the fork, she placed it in her mouth and chewed. After about 5 seconds, which seemed like minutes, she opened her mouth and started her analysis.

"Let's start with the negatives since there are not much. For one, there's an abundant amount of spice. It might turn off a few people who have delicate tounges-" But she was cut off before she could continue.

"That's just you nya. Don't generalize you sly elf nya," Anya cried out her complaints about Ryu's analysis. And I must agree, I actually added a small portion of turmeric than what was needed. On the other hand, I added a pinch of salt and cumin as a substitute.

"I- th-that's wrong. I did no such thing," Ryu replied. Slightly, no, greatly, flustered.

"Just give it," Mia said as she grabbed the Bánh xèo from the plate and stuffed it into her mouth. I guess she was tired of all this stalling.

After some chewing, she spoke.

"This is good. How'd you make it?" She asked, looking at me with a curious look.

"Out of food."

"..."

"Hehehe obviously," Syr said with a giggle.

"I'll keep it on the side. Write up the recipe. This can be a 1-week special. I can already see all the customers," Mia said to me while thinking of her financial fantasies.

Mia then took what was left of the Bánh xèo and went to the back kitchen. The other waitress went back to work.

"I apologize, Mr. Ayanokoji, for my rude comment," she said as she bowed her head. She has great discipline, I'll give her that.

"Don't worry about it."

After another bow, she turned around and went back to her duties. I did the same for the rest of the workday.

7 Hours Later

It was getting pretty late. The Hostess closed for the day so the staff and I were tidying up the place for tomorrow.

After finishing up the last of the dishes, I did my best to clean up the floor. Calling it a mess won't do it justice. It was beyond horrendous. Does no one clean this place?

It took more than 36 minutes to finish up, and when I thought I was done, I turned around and saw that.

Piles upon piles of dishes.

I just finished those!

lunch hour was slow today but the midnight rush was the complete opposite. It was night and day.

So, I dragged myself back to the sink. Once I refilled the soap and started digging away at the dishes, a silver, ash hair colored girl came up to me. She pulled up her sleeves and washed the plates in her sink.

"Sorry about that. You always end up doing my portion of the work," she said with an apologetic smile.

It was a look of pure evil. She reminded me of a certain black-haired devil.

Good thing she wasn't here to hear that. Things could have gotten ugly if she did.

I decided not to express my true feelings.

"It's fine. I'm new here, I should be doing the brunt of the work."

"Glad you understand. See ya," she said as she ran away.

Sly little...

Anyways, after finishing up those plates. I dried my soaking hands with the rag. The rag itself was getting wet from sucking all the moisture in my hands.

I think that's enough lingering. Time to inform Mia of what I plan to do. I can only pray that she doesn't get mad. That would be unfortunate.

Walking to the back of the establishment, I knocked on the wide door in front of me.

"Yeah, what now!"

"It's me, Ayanokoji."

"Come in!"

I opened the door and looked inside. It was the same room I was in when I first started here. Working out the details of my employment.

I decided to cut right to the chase.

"I need a leave."

"The hell you saying."

"I'm new here. Turns out settling into a new house and new city was more difficult than I initially thought."

"And so now you want to leave. What were you doing the past few days?"

"Settling in."

"And now you want MORE time?!" She was getting pretty angry. Not a good sign but I'll have to pull through.

"Turns out I need more time than I thought."

"And what makes you think I'll let you leave."

The moment of truth has come upon me.

"You ate it didn't you. My food."

"...aight how much time you need?"

"A week, give or take."

"I see. When you come back I'm wringing your sorry ass now get the hell out!"

I quickly turned toward the exit and left with the door creating a loud bang behind me.

That worked. Much easier than I thought. To think the food trap would be this effective. Was this a rare case of brilliance from Horikita?

It was the dawn of night. There weren't many people outside as they were inside. On the other hand, the guard and patrol were secure as can be.

During my time in the city, I realized that leaving wasn't simple. For adventurers that is. For the everyday citizen, exiting the city took a little paperwork, and you were set. I set out for the guild.

The guild was diagonal from the Hostess but still in the same city section. Once I arrived, I pushed through the doors and entered.

The guild was open 24/7. Different employees operated throughout the day so I doubt Misha would be here at the moment.

The magic stone lamps excluded a bright light, brighter than the ones in the street. I was forced to adjust my eyesight to my new environment. When I got to the receptionist area, Misha wasn't there. It wasn't unexpected.

This section of the guide was only for adventurers so I wasn't allowed here. No one cared the last time I was here though.

I turned left to go to the check-in area of the guild. This time I came face to face with a red-furred werewolf. Similar to the one who visited the Hostess the other night. I went up to her and spoke clearly.

"I would like to leave the city."

When I said that to her, she looked up from what she was doing and faced me.

"Name and affiliation," she said in a disgruntled manner.

"Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, civillian."

"That'll make things quicker than," she whispered under her breath as she pulled out 3 separate sheets of paper.

"Can you write?"

"Yes."

"Then sign these," she pushed the papers over to me. I looked down. There were a few lines that had to be filled out on each paper. A waste of a sheet but there's nothing I can do about it.

First was my name. Then my age, my occupation if I had one, and then my home address. Since I live in the shed near the graveyard, I had to put that street's name.

Once I was done, she took each paper and eyed me suspiciously after reading my address.

"Wait here. It should take about 3 hours to complete the process," she told me before leaving off to the other floors in the building.

I figured that I'd have to wait. This should speed up the process. I need to gather information on Hermes Familia. The best way to do that would be to confront Freya.

I left Guild Headquarters and headed to Babel. Central Park was much closer to the guild than it was to the Hostess.

The only difficult part would be how to contact her. I assume Syr has left for the night as well so Freya should be home. Knocking on her door would most likely result in my expulsion from the tower so the only plausible option would be to get her attention.

And with that, there's still not much I can do but stand around Babel. It's times like these that make me long for modern technology.

I roamed Central Park, waiting for a signal to enter the tower. I had 3 hours, it would be best if this took only a few minutes.

Fortunately, I got lucky. It only took her 17 minutes to lay her gaze on me. That gaze of hers was like no others. At first, it was a dark, hatred glare. Now its become a curious-eyed gaze.

But of course, just because she noticed me doesn't mean I'm going to be teleported to the top of Babel.

After a while, one man came out of Babel. This man was Ottar, the level 7 adventurer of Orario. Once he came out of Babel, I went toward him, and eventually passed him as I entered Babel. He followed behind until he caught up.

Taking the elevator this time, the Boaz and I went up to the very top of the white, dungeon lid.

"You seem to have to speak with Lady Freya one too many times," he said, as we moved up each floor.

"Is that a problem?"

"No. As long as the goddess gives the word, you are welcome here anytime," he said to me while looking forward. Not once did he spare a glance in my direction.

Once we reached the top, like last time, we entered Freya's chambers. The Boaz took his position next to Freya.

"Why have you come? Do you need something child?"

"Actually I do."

"Do you think I would just grant your wish? I'm not exactly a charity." She said with a grin plastered all over her face.

"Well, you might not. But I came here to ask Syr for a favor, not you."

Once I dropped that name, the air in the room became suffocating. The grin on her face disappeared while her eyes narrowed. The Boaz man donned a more serious expression as his eyebrows rustled.

This was a risky move, but a move that must be played.

END

A/N- To be honest, I didn't want to write this chapter. I thought it was pretty cringe with the whole spellbook thing and I had a raging headache. Hell, I thought of dropping this fic.

Fortunately, I'm excited to write the interactions between Ayanokoji and some DanMachi characters in the future (cough Hestia Familia cough). The show must go on as they say. I think this arc should last 2 more chapters, though the next one might be pretty short.

I've realized I haven't really portrayed Ayanokoji's genius, so this next arc might show that. Though I'm not a good writer so don't expect out of this world things. I can only do so much.