Chapter 6 - Building Trust

Eina was in heaven.

She has just experienced her first kiss and it was everything she had fantasised about and more.

It lit every nerve in her body on fire and made her feel as light as a feather.

And it was all because of a cute white-haired adventurer with ruby red eyes.

Bell Cranel.

"Eina, what happened to you? You're practically floating on air."

"Nothing." She told Misha, her pink haired fellow guild receptionist.

"That's not a nothing smile if I've ever seen one. You kissed a man didn't you?"

And Eina remembered every detail of it. The last kiss she and Bell shared before they left the sound-proof consultation box.

The soft wet lips that seemed to glide all over her and the warmth from his chest and arms that made her never want to leave him.

It left her feeling hot and cold at the same time.

A shiver ran through her spine as she reimagined it all over again.

"Tell me, who is it? Who's the lucky guy?"

Normally, Eina would be absolutely flustered at such a question, but she was just too happy to care right now.

"Nope. Not saying." She said, shuffling her papers, before she left the room. A skip in each step.

Then Eina returned to the same sound proof consultation booth that she and Bell had shared their first kiss not long ago.

And she let out an excited squeal, before throwing her papers up into the air.

"Eina, I want to take you out on a date tomorrow afternoon. What do you say?"

She happily said yes and since then she had barely been able to concentrate on her own work.

Her mind too busy about what might happen on her date tomorrow.

.

The next day, Eina was walking towards a curved stone park. The very same one that she used to meet up with Bell when she took him shopping a few weeks ago.

She had also made up an excuse to not into work today, citing that she needed a day off for personal reasons.

And her date with Bell was a very personal thing indeed.

.

"Bell-kuuuuuun!" And the boy snapped his head around to see a stunning half elf smiling as she made her way towards him.

"!" His heart was stuck in his throat as recalled his request to her yesterday.

"Eina-san."

"Bell-kun, are you still going to use san after kissing me like that? And you had no problem saying it before."

"E-eina…y-you need to do the same too."

"Yes, Bell." And her voice turned sultry.

"I want to see you in the same dress as last time."

"Oh, you liked that did you? Well… if my Bell asks for itthen yes I'll do it."

Bell had nearly lost all control then and the same was about to happen right now as the same woman approached him.

A cute, lacy white blouse with an adorable little dark brown knot just tied above her cleavage. A short red skirt that stopped mid-thigh giving him a peek at her beautifully toned thighs and a set of pitch-black thigh highs and dark brown ankle boots completed the look.

It was a look that made his mind belt and his lips tingle as he imagined himself all over her.

She had agreed to go on a date with him and he still couldn't believe it.

In fact, it had kept him up for most of the night as he tried to figure out how it all happened.

But those thoughts were cut short as Eina spoke to him again.

"Bell." She smiled, before walking up to him and giving him a quick kiss.

The bunny boy pushed back as he wrapped his arms around her and wrestled with her lips for just a bit longer.

He wore the same clothes as he had before on their previous "date".

A hip length brown coat with a small black patch on the right side above his chest along with a long-sleeved black shirt underneath. He also wore black pants, a beige belt with a silver buckle, and brown shin-high boots.

Except that these didn't have any tears or rips from the close encounters he normally had with the monsters down in the dungeon.

He was still a new adventurer and tried to save up as many valis as possible to support himself and his goddess. Not an easy task by any means, so he couldn't afford to spend much on luxury items.

But that didn't mean he was going to turn up to this date with worn out clothes. Eina deserved to see him at his best and that's what he turned up in.

Thankfully, she didn't seem to mind his plain clothes and moaned into him like he was made from ambrosia.

Her kisses, her moans and her chest pressed against him almost sent him to heaven, but they had to stop now. Otherwise, he was afraid they might do something rash and regret it later. Especially in public.

"E-Eina… L-let's go somewhere else." Bell managed to say, to which Eina reluctantly agreed to.

Until she realised the crowd they had attracted and she pressed herself into him more for protection.

.

Their first stop was a small café called Café Wishe in the south west of the city, near Amor square.

It was a little dark, but well-lit inside with magic lamps. Stone walls with large wooden beams gave it a cosy and intimate atmosphere and a few flowers dotted around the area on tables and on top of barrels helped to liven up the room.

Bell chose one of the corner spots in the room and pulled out a wooden chair for Eina, who accepted it gracefully.

"Bell, such a gentleman."

"Of course, I want you after all." Eina blushed hard, unable to look him in the eyes.

He had spent the night trying to recall every lesson his grandfather had taught him about women.

It was a lot, but one piece of advice stuck out right now.

"When you're with a woman, flirt with her. Tell her directly that you want her without begging and pay her a compliment. The more specific and unique to her, the better.

"You're the reason why I'm as strong as I am today."

"Bell…" Eina blushed even harder than before, to the point where it looked like steam bellowed out from her elvish ears.

"When did you get so bold?!" She cooed.

Bell just smiled, because she was the reason why.

All the times she had touched him and cared for him, had given him the confidence to go out and kiss her.

Plus, his grandfather's advice. Otherwise, he'd never known how to make his move without scaring her off.

"And what about Miss Ais Wallenstein, aren't you still chasing after her?" She teased.

Bell froze at the name.

"Oh, you are…" Eina replied somewhat neutrally and just a little bit disappointed, but Bell wasn't sure about the last part. Either way, he started to panic.

"Eina…"

.

Eina knew about his infatuation with Ais Wallenstein and she was a little worried and jealous about it.

But she trusted Bell and wanted to hear what he had to say next.

.

Earlier, Bell had begun his third day of training with the woman in question.

Things hadn't gotten any easier, but she noticed something different within him.

His strikes were different, calm and collected compared to his usual movements and Ais pointed that out, while asking what changed.

Bell almost had a heart attack trying to explain himself, but then told her that it was nothing that she needed to worry about.

He didn't want to tell his first crush that he was dating another woman, because he had wanted her too.

Luckily, Ais decided not to press the issue and they trained without mentioning it any further.

However, Hestia was a different matter.

She knew that there was something different about Bell and she constantly pestered him throughout the night about it.

He refused to elaborate and eventually she just left. Something about going out to drink with her friends again.

And now he had to answer Eina's question.

Was he still chasing after Ais? Yes.

Did he want to tell Eina? Yes.

But did he want Eina to leave him because of that? No.

So he had to make it clear.

Harem lesson 101 from his grandfather said.

"If you're going to date multiple girls and have a harem, you need to be honest with all of them from the start. That you will see other girls and you won't forget her. More importantly, you need to establish a very clear set of rules for how your relationship goes. If they don't want it, don't force it. There are many other girls out there and they'll accept you if they respect you. And the fastest way to earn their respect is to have a goal in life first. Like a hero. Pick a goal and follow through on it, shout it out for everyone to hear, because that's the one who becomes a glorious hero. And girls love heroes. But remember, make sure your women respect you, because if they don't then it goes downhill very fast. All it takes is just one woman to ruin the whole harem, so cut them loose as soon as possible when they disrespect you and refuse to change instantly."

Which was easier said than done.

Bell genuinely liked Eina… loved her even.

But he was deathly afraid of losing her and not because she was also his dungeon hunting advisor.

But because he could see himself easily settling down with her. Just her if need be.

And he wasn't sure if he wanted to risk that.

So he decided to talk about his dream first.

"Eina… I need to get stronger... A lot stronger."

She knew that much.

But she didn't know that it was Ais who was helping him get stronger every morning.

He wanted to tell Eina, since she wasn't affiliated with any familia, but then that would break his promise to Ais to keep it a secret.

And he loathed breaking promises.

.

Eina noticed the inner turmoil he was in.

It was clear as day that he has some kind of feelings towards the beautiful sword princess.

Hell, even her heart skipped a beat whenever she caught a glimpse of the kenki's beauty.

And she knew that Ais had saved her Bell on two different occasions.

It would be hard for him not to feel something after getting involved with her like that.

But she didn't want to lose him to her.

Bell was the first boy she liked after all and he seemed to be doing very well as an adventurer.

Aside from the constant danger to his life every day; she was confident that he would survive longer than six months under her supervision and more if she had anything to say about it.

Granted if he didn't run into another minotaur or anything like that, then he'd be fine.

She also understood that he could disappear at any moment and the thought filled her with dread.

Lose him to the dungeon or lose him to the sword princess.

Those were both very real possibilities that could happen any day from now.

And while she wanted to have a loving relationship like her mamma and pappa, she didn't know how to go about it.

She wasn't even sure if she could please him enough.

Plus, she was only an advisor, not an adventurer.

If he and Ais got together, then they could surely protect each other and increase their chances of survival.

But there was also the fact that they were from different familias, so that wasn't going to happen.

Not unless Bell got stronger, a lot stronger.

While she didn't know how strong Bell wanted to be, she had a feeling that he wanted to be as strong as Ais, if not stronger.

If so, then she still wanted to help him.

She was his advisor after all and she was his responsibility.

She wouldn't lose another adventurer again.

So whatever his decision was, she'd bite her lip and accept it.

.

Bell never took his eyes off Eina, but he had to tell her something soon, otherwise he'd lose her.

And then he decided.

"I don't want to lose you. That's why I need to get stronger… a lot stronger."

.

Eina's eyes popped out, she had completely misread the situation and Bell.

She never expected that he wanted to become stronger for her.

And quite frankly, that touched her to her core.

.

Bell was going to say more, but then noticed Eina's eyes glistening.

She had not expected him to say that and he hadn't realised it either.

But what he said was true.

He did want to get stronger for her and he wanted to do it for himself too.

He wanted to be a hero that everyone looked up to.

Just like in the stories his grandfather told him.

And he'd never give up that goal.

"And I'd never give up on you either. Not you. Not Ais. Not anyone else."

Memories of yesterday when he saved Lili flashed through his mind.

She had been abandoned and left to die surrounded by all those killer ants, tossed aside like trash.

Just like he had been when he was rejected by almost every familia on his first and second day in Orario.

No one wanted him. They just slammed the door in his face.

No one gave him a chance. They just laughed at him instead.

No one seemed to care about him. They just told him he was useless.

Until he met Ais, Hestia and Eina.

They all gave him a chance and he wanted to give them something in return.

"I want to protect you and be the hero who saves us all."

Like the heroes of legend.

"And I don't want to have to choose between you all."

Because that would mean saying no to one of them and he didn't want to do that.

"…But even I have limits."

And now was the moment of truth.

"So three girls... Three girls is all I want."

"Three?!" She shouted out, but luckily seemed to hear them. They were in a relatively empty café on the second floor after all.

Eina's heart threatened to beat outside of her chest as she thought about who the three girls could be.

First, there was herself. Bell admitted as much.

Second, was the sword princess, who even Eina had to admit was quite attractive. Aside from making her blush whenever she saw her, even a few of her female colleagues did too.

So who was the third?

Lili, the supporter? Eina didn't like her; she sounded like too much trouble and would only get Bell hurt.

"W-who's the third?" She stuttered.

He seemed to be a bit embarrassed, almost guilty like.

Now she was even more curious.

"D-do you remember the girls at the Hostess of Fertility?"

Wait, a minute. It couldn't be.

"The human girl who greeted us at the entrance? What was her name?"

"Syr, but no… it isn't her."

Who then, if not her? Eina tried to recall if he had any other funny reactions around any of the other girls, but no one came to mind.

"Do you remember the elf girl with blond hair? Ryū?"

She had remembered her if only briefly. She hadn't paid much attention to her, but one thing was for sure. All the girls at that bar were very pretty and cute.

But now she had also found something extra to tease Bell about.

"Oh, so you have a thing for elves do you?" Bell blushed red and looked away. Of course he did, how could she forget? He did ask for an elf advisor after all when he submitted his adventurer registration form to the guild.

Bell tried to say something, but only comical sounds came out of his mouth.

"Am I not enough elf for you?" She teased.

Bell's jaw dropped, before he tried to save himself and his relationship with Eina.

"No-no-no-no, you're just perfect the way you are!"

Eina giggled; she was having so much fun right now.

"So you have an elf fetish then." She asked, as if she just found his most embarrassing secret.

While Bell looked like he was silently screaming.

"Bell-kuuuuun." She cooed.

She laughed aloud. He looked like he was about to die from embarrassment right now.

.

But Bell wasn't laughing.

He was terrified she still hadn't given him an answer yet.

Would she accept being a part of his harem?

Did she accept the other two girls he mentioned?

.

Once Eina calmed down, she breathed in and let out a long breath with a smile on her face.

"Bell, just what am I going to do with you?"

The rabbit in question just adorably bit his lip, which made Eina bite hers too.

She had never considered dating another girl before, but Ais did peak her interest.

And Bell seemed to have some kind of special connection with her that she didn't seem to know about.

But this Ryū was a complete mystery. She was beautiful from what she could remember, but she'd have to meet up with this elf sometime and figure out who she was.

Now to calm Bell down, before he caved in from waiting for her answer for too long.

"Bell…"

His gaze was now fully focused on her and she could feel the air in the atmosphere change.

Everything was tense as time seemed to stand still.

"I wish I could have you all to myself, but I realise that's not going to happen."

His eyes began to pop out.

"Now I don't know what is going on behind the scenes between you and her, but I know you're seeing Ais somehow." Call it a woman's intuition and based on the way Bell flinched, she knew she was right about this.

"But I'm going to support you all the way."

Now that caught Bell's attention as his eyebrows jumped out of his head.

"As for Ryū, I don't know anything about her…"

That was now the time for him to tell her about Ryū.

.

Bell was on the verge of hyperventilating.

Eina had accepted his request for a harem and she said that she would support him all the way.

His wildest fantasy was about to become true.

But first, he had to answer her suggestive question first.

"Well… you see, I don't know anything about her either."

"Really?"

"Y-yes, I've only met her a few times after all…"

"And?" Bell blushed again, which meant something definitely happened between them.

"I-I grabbed her hand when she rescued my knife."

"Say what?"

"I grabbed her hand and she didn't push me away."

"Bell, you are aware of what that means, right?"

"Yes." He gulped.

"She likes you."

"Yes. I mean…"

"Come on Bell, I know how elves think. I am half elf after all."

Bell could only laugh weakly in agreement.

"And you like her."

"Yes."

"And you like me." She grinned.

"Absolutely yes." Which earned him a giggle from his favourite half-elf advisor who then leaned in over the table for a kiss.

It was short and sweet and it made Bell unbelievably happy.

The kiss had completely filled him up with the warmth of a thousand sons and the sweet nectar of the gods.

"Okay Bell, but remember… don't forget about me… and don't forget to come see me at the guild every day after the dungeon. Got it?" And she was super serious about the last part.

She didn't know if her heart could take it if he suddenly disappeared inside the dungeon or never came back to see her again.

"I promise Rina, to never forget about you and to come see you every day at the guild after coming back from the dungeon, but..."

"?"

"I want to come see you every day at the guild, before I go to the dungeon as well." He smiled.

"!"

"Will that be a problem?"

"N-no, but we'll have to be careful. The guild doesn't look kindly to favouritism towards any familia, we're meant to keep things neutral."

"I know."

"So we'll have to use the consultation box."

Bell smiled knowingly.

"Wait a minute... You planned this already?!"

A smirk confirmed her suspicions.

"Bell... I didn't take you for a hopeless romantic."

"Well, I'm dating you aren't I?"

.

Afterwards, they left the cafe and walked around town trying out all kinds of snacks on display.

And when they weren't nibbling on a treat, Bell took Eina's hand and slipped his fingers between hers.

Like lovers.

Eina yelped in surprise, because it was a bit embarrassing, but also a little thrilling.

They continued to walk and they talked about many things.

How Bell had "randomly" met Ais earlier that morning and she had given him back the emerald-green vambrace that he thought he'd lost.

What it was like growing up and when Eina learnt that Bell had never met his parents, she pulled him into an alleyway and gave him a big hug.

She learnt that the only relative he had grown up with was his grandfather and when he was gone, that's when he decided to travel to Orario. To fulfill his dream of becoming a hero.

Eina would then share about why she chose to work at the guild. To send money back to her parents to support them, because her mother was always sick.

Bell offered to pool in some of his own earnings as well, but Eina said no. She didn't want to take advantage of him and what she sent back was more than enough, she reasoned.

But when Bell swore one day to make enough so that Eina's parents would never have to worry about money again, Eina yelped in surprise.

She vehemently tried to reject his idea at first, but Bell told her that it was a matter of pride as a man. Plus he wanted to take care of her and her family.

He wanted to meet them sometime in the future after all, which caused Eina to freak out completely as she waved her arms about and turned so red that she could have been mistaken for the evening sun.

Eventually, they had to stop and sit down on a nearby bench, because Eina's feet were hurting. She wasn't used to walking around this much and she didn't have falna to strengthen her feet or her endurance like Bell had.

And when they sat down on another bench, Eina remembered a question that she wanted to ask.

"Bell, what will your goddess think of us?

"!"

"When we met at the monsterphilia event, she spoke to me privately and wanted to know if I was trying to seduce you." Belled laughed. "What's so funny? Explain!"

"Look at us now and the way you're dressed. How the hell am I meant to resist when you look like that." And he bit his bottom lip for emphasis, which earned him a blushing half elf who was stuttering like crazy. "She had every right to be concerned with a woman as beautiful as you!"

"…Bell..." She called weakly and turned away in embarrassment.

"Hey, come here." He softly called, before he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in for a warm embrace. Then lovingly kissed the top of her head and buried his nose into her hair to inhale her scent. It was heavenly and would never get tired of it.

Eina squirmed at first, because she wasn't used to such public displays of affection, but she eventually accepted it and surrendered herself into his warm embrace.

"Hey." He whispered.

"Hmmm…?"

"When we finally get a home of our own. I want us to do this… every day."

Eina chuckled at the picture in her mind.

"I want to hold you close, like I am right now… and I want to lift your legs up so they cross over mine… and then wrap my other hand around your waist like I'm doing right now." His words were soft and muffled, but Eina heard every word and held onto him tighter as she breathed harder onto his chest. Her breaths became heavier with each second that passed as she imagined how that would feel.

"Whatever my goddess says, I will not abandon you." She pulled at his cloak as if afraid of being pulled away from him.

"And if she forces me to leave you… then I'll leave her and stay with you." Then he kissed the back of her head as if to sign his promise to her.

"Bell…" Eina whispered, but Bell couldn't tell what she meant by that and he just pulled her in even deeper.

They stayed like that for a while, like two long lost lovers. Completely oblivious to the world and the people around them.

A while later the sun had reached its highest peak. It was now lunch hour and the number of people on the streets had increased. As Eina continued to nuzzle into his chest, Bell watched the passers-by with a careful eye, as if ready to shield her from any threats that might do her harm.

"Bell, you do know how to make a girl feel special." She whispered, before giving his cheek a quick peck.

A happy noise was his response, before he decided to speak up.

"Well, it's easier when it's with someone as beautiful as you."

And she let out the happiest of noises. A sound that Bell would do his best to ingrain into his mind forever.

Eventually, Eina popped the question.

"Bell, where do you live?"

The boy in question froze.

"Bell? Are you okay?" Her eyes now full of concern as she broke their cuddle.

"…..." Bell opened his mouth, but only a few strange strangling noises appeared.

"What's wrong? Tell me…" Now she was really worried.

Bell scratched the back of his head with one hand.

"…it's complicated…"

"Complicated, how?"

Then Eina noticed that he started to drum his fingers nervously, on his lap and on her back, as he looked conflicted.

"Bell, are you in trouble?"

"No, but…"

"Bell, whatever you have to say, I promise… I won't hold it against you."

"…"

"And I'll do whatever I can to support you."

"N-not with this you can't."

"Try me." Bell looked into her eyes and realised that she was serious. She really wanted to help him out with this. So he took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh. This was going to come up eventually, so he might as well tell her now.

"Okay… but you promise not to freak?"

A strange request, that had Eina squinting at him and then conflicted.

"Bell…" She seemed to struggle at first, but then relented. "…Okay… I promise to do my best, not to freak out. That's all I can promise you."

That was the best he was going to get.

"Okay, close enough. Let's go."

.

"Heh?!" Eina exclaimed when they finally stood in front of an old abandoned church that looked like it had seen better days. Moss was growing all over it, the windows were shattered and the wooden door that was the entrance was hanging ajar with cracks all over it. In fact, it looked as if it had been kicked in and was barely holding on by its hinges. Tiny pieces of rubble littered the ground around it.

"Bell, please don't tell me you live here!" Eina asked him, mortified.

"…No." But that answer didn't seem to calm Eina down as he lead her through the doors and into the church.

Once inside, Eina couldn't help but gasp. The stone tiled floor was cracked and chipped everywhere and some pieces were even missing!

Benches and even the table at the back of the prayer hall were broken. Some were even smashed to pieces, while the altar at the back looked like it had been cut in half.

But Bell told her again, that this was not where he lived.

They approached the only door at the back of the hall and opened it to reveal a set of steps.

Bell went down first, followed slowly by a shivering half elf.

When they reached the bottom, Eina let out a small sigh of relief.

The floor here was much clearer, devoid of any debri and cobweb that she saw upstairs before.

There was a wooden desk, a scratched-out sofa with a blanket covering it and a half-made bed sitting in the room. A vase with flowers sat in a hole in the wall over the bed, which had two pillows. One pink and the other green.

On one side of the bed, there was a wooden broom and a few other items she couldn't quite make out. While the other side sat two metal buckets.

She looked around at the walls and saw that some had been white and other parts were laid bare with the brickwork showing beneath them. There were also a few lamps attached to the walls and she guessed that they had magic stones in them that would provide light during the night. One of the walls was lined with double doors, but she didn't think much of it.

But what caught her attention the most was when she looked up.

"Bell, are you telling me that this is where you've been living all this time?"

The boy scratched his head with one hand as he struggled to say anything.

"Bell, your roof has holes in it and the rain could leak in at any time and completely wet this entire apartment!"

"…"

"Bell…" Eina didn't know what else to say as she brought a hand to face and massaged it.

So this was why Bell was so hesitant to tell her where he lived. Even she could have never imagined this in her wildest dreams. To live in such a dangerous place. To her, it was barely even habitable!

"Wait… do you and your goddess live here?"

"Yes."

Eina let out another defeated sigh. She couldn't accept this.

Now she really was worried for her Bell.

"But I've already been living here for just over a month and Hestia's been here for almost four."

"Four months!" Maybe he should have kept his mouth shut, Bell realised, but it was too late.

"Bell, I don't know what to say. I mean… I'd bring you over to my place right now, but there's no way that'll ever work."

"Eina, you don't need to, I'm fine."

"No you're not Bell! You're living in a room under an abandoned church with a leaking roof and…and…rats! How do you deal with… this?!"

"Eina, it's not that bad. Once you get used to it, and we haven't had to deal with any of those yet."

"Yet!"

"…"

"Bell, I can't in good conscience just let you live here... I can't!"

"Eina." He said and then pulled her in for a hug.

"I'll be fine and I won't tell you to stop worrying about me, because you're my girl and you have every right to worry about me and about this. But that's just one of the reasons why I work so hard, every day, to make enough vals."

Then Bell released his hug on Eina and held her at an arms-length and fixed her with an intense stare.

"I want to make so much money one day that we'll never have to worry about things like this again. I want us all to live in a nice, big and warm house, where we all sit together and have a laugh. And eat as many jyaga-maru-kuns as we'd like." Which made both of them laugh and smile.

"I want this so much that I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen. And I want to do it with you by my side. I'll make the money and then find a better place to live. I promise you this. So please… please believe in me."

Eina didn't speak but seemed to think about it in her head for a while.

"I'm not happy about this, Bell. You don't deserve to live in a place like this and I wish I could do something about it now to help you right now, but I can't. And even though you told me to believe in you… I…"

She seemed lost for words, because she really wasn't happy about this, but Bell had faith that she would give him a chance to prove himself.

"… I'll trust you."

And that was all he needed to hear.

"Thank you."

"But! If you ever need my help, please don't hesitate! I'll do whatever I can! Just promise me that you won't do this alone!"

"I will, don't worry, I'll be out of this place soon enough."

Then Eina launched into him for another hug and kissed him as passionately as she could.

.

After a few minutes of their lips dancing over each other, they slowed down and then separated to catch their breath. While Bell's eyes drifted over to the sofa beside them.

He then led her to the sofa and sat down first, before he shot her a smile and held his arms out in front of him.

Eina instantly understood and blushed heavily, before she took off her boots, crawled into his lap and made herself at home. Without her feet ever touching the ground, it was still dirty after all.

She then pressed her left ear into his chest, to listen to his heartbeat. While her feet slipped under his left thigh to warm up her toes and her hands rested in front of her breasts, as if to pray that this moment would never end.

The sight of his half-elf, snuggled up to him so tightly, warmed Bell's soul and his arms wrapped around her to keep her in place.

Not that she was ever going to run away from him anyway.

His left hand dug into the space behind one of her knees to bring them closer to him and ensure that she'd never fall off.

While his right arm circled her back and protected her chest, where she held onto his hand with both of hers to make sure that he never left her heart.

Then they both drifted off slowly into a peaceful sleep.

.

Later, when they woke up, they realised that the room had begun to darken and the afternoon was about to end.

So they quickly fixed their misshapen appearance from their sleepy cuddle and then left to go to a nearby restaurant to eat.

As they ate dinner, they discussed how to break the news of their newfound relationship to Bell's goddess, Hestia.

Bell suggested that they go back to his home and wait for his goddess to arrive. Better to let everyone have a chance to know the truth at the start, rather than to hide it and let something bad happen. Plus, Bell didn't want to keep this a secret from his goddess, it would make his life hell.

Eina was embarrassed at first when stuttered like there was no end in sight, but eventually she calmed down. She really didn't want to cause any problems between him and his goddess, but Bell promised that he would protect her. Plus, he'd make sure to reassure his goddess that she would leak any information to the guild.

Eina wasn't completely satisfied with the answer, but she decided to trust in Bell's judgement. She had decided to support him, no matter what after all. It's his goddess that terrified her the most.

And she had every right to be afraid.

.

A.N.

I have considered ordering a fan art commission for the final scene at the end of this chapter when Eina is sleeping on top of Bell on the sofa. It'll cost somewhere between $70-100 I think.

If you like this idea, details are here. I don't know if I'm going to ask an artist to draw it, but if you want to make it happen by yourself, then that would be awesome! :P

I didn't plan for this chapter to be so long, but I don't think you'll mind.

In the end I decided to focus on going through as many of the biggest issues that they'd have.

They were always going to have a long date, but I didn't know how long. so I just kinda yolo'd it, while trying to make it as believable as possible.

Now they pretty much know the backstories to each other and that'll form a very strong foundational bond for them moving forward.

Freya will have noticed this, but I don't know if she would have done something about it.

I doubt Eina's soul would have shone very bright like Ais's and Bells.

I don't know if Freya can tell if a soul has falna or not.

Freya won't know the name of the soul Bell is dating or recognise what she looks like on the outside.

Freya will get jealous of how Eina is shaping Bell's soul and she might send someone to "test" Bell, but not kill Eina.

I'm not sure how to handle this yet, but it shouldn't be too hard.

Also, I had two versions of the name joke when Eina joked about Bell's elf fetish.

"Am I not enough elf for you?" - Implies he needs more than 1 elf.

"Am I not elf enough for you?" - Implies that she isn't as pure as an elf since she's a half blood.

Since I wanted Eina to tease him about needing more than 1 elf in his harem, I chose the first one.

But I thought I'd include the explanation here and the other version, just for lols,

And finally, I wonder if anyone picked up on the two memes I inserted, which quite frankly don't seem to be too out of character. XD

Chapter 6: 6009 words. (Including a few dots that act as transitions and dividers)