Chapter 7 - Double Danger

A heavy wooden door creaked open and two sets of ears stood up in fear.

One set ran up the stairs towards the door, while the other sat behind and waited.

"Bell!" A cheerful voice greeted him as he saw who opened the door.

"Kami-sama." He responded, before holding his hands out to stop her from going any further.

"Bell, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing, it's just I have something very important to tell you."

"?"

"But you must promise me this. Don't shout and don't freak out. Give me a chance to explain and then you can ask me anything. Okay?"

"Huh?"

"Kami-sama, please promise. No shouting and no freaking out. Let me explain and then you ask me anything. Got it?"

"Bell-kun…"

"Kami-sama!" He warned and she instantly stopped. With a nervous breath, his goddess nodded.

They slowly walked down the steps and saw another figure there, a half elf who waited for them.

"H-Hi, Hestia-sama." She waved with a stutter.

"Bell! This is…!"

"Kami-sama!" He warned again, a bit more forcefully this time.

Hestia looked to Bell, confused and frightened, then back to the half elf again.

"This is Eina Tulle, you two have met before."

"Hi, it's a pleasure to meet you again Hestia-sama." She bowed.

"H-Hi Eina, it's strange to see you too."

Hestia was very nervous, but her eyes bore straight into Eina with suspicion.

"Please sit, the both of you."

"?"

"!"

"Sit." And they both sat on the sofa Bell normally slept in, but on opposites, scared for very different reasons.

"Hestia-sama… today. No, yesterday, I confessed my love to Eina."

"Heh! B-but…" Bell held up a finger to stop her and continued to speak.

"I told her that I wanted to be with her, forever." He hadn't told her that, but the sentiment was still the same. Eina picked up on that too, but because this was the first time she was hearing those words from him… she was squirming like someone was trying to tickle her from all sides.

It was an adorable sight, but Bell had to tear his eyes off her and focus on what he had to say to his goddess.

"And I want to have a long and happy future with her."

"!"

"But I don't want to keep any secrets from you. So I wanted to tell you today that me and Eina are together and we really hope that you'll support us. That doesn't mean I'll leave this familia, but I just want you to accept us and support us. Will you, kami-sama?"

Hestia looked like she was about to cry and then she flipped.

"No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no. No!"

While both Bell and Eina had prepared themselves for his goddess's reaction, none of them had expected her to react this dramatically.

"Not my Bell! She's trying to seduce you! Seduce you away from me like a little devilish vixen! I won't have it! I won't allow it! Never. Never. Never! Bell is mine! All mine and no one is allowed to steal my Bell away from me! No one! Never. Ever. Ever. Ever. No one!" The little loli goddess screamed, shouted, cried and kicked, before running past them both in a river of tears and disappeared up the stairs.

A long silence ensured.

"…I should go after her." Bell finally said.

"Bell, you shouldn't."

"But sh-"

"No, Bell. If there's one thing I ask you to trust me on, then it's this. Don't chase after her, let her calm down and think for herself. Trust me, it's a woman's intuition."

Bell wasn't sure if he wanted to trust this intuition, but he decided to trust his woman.

That didn't mean he liked it though. A heavy sigh was his only response to Eina.

"Bell, this is a delicate situation and you can't just expect to solve it all in one go, but you tried." She said before pulling him into a hug to whisper a few more words of comfort.

They stayed like that, in a warm embrace, but it wasn't enough for Bell.

"No, I will resolve this, but not tonight. I agree that we should give her some time think and it must be hard for her, seeing how I'm the only child in her familia. She must be scared of me leaving her, but I'm going to convince her that I'm not."

"Bell…"

"No Eina, I'm going to resolve this and I'm not going to let it slide. I want us to try again tomorrow…. When you finish work can you come over again and be there with me?"

When Bell showed this kind of conviction, she couldn't say no.

Afterwards, they walked back to Eina's home, slipped into a dark alleyway right before they arrived and shared a hug with a few quick kisses. Then wished each other a good night.

Once Bell returned to his home beneath the abandoned church, he couldn't see his goddess anywhere. So instantly fell asleep on the sofa.

.

Morning came and when Bell woke up, he still couldn't see his goddess.

He knew that she'd taken it hard, considering how friendly she'd been with him ever since he joined her familia, but he didn't expect her to react like this.

Knowing that he couldn't do anything until she returned, he let out a heavy sigh, before heading to his rendezvous with Ais for their daily training.

.

It was a long and exhausting day for Bell.

After his training with Ais, he went straight to the dungeon when he saw Lili again. It had been a tearful reunion and they continued their partnership again.

Since Bell didn't want to sit around at home and wait for his goddess to arrive, he decided to stay in the Dungeon a little longer than normal. So when Eina finished work, they could both go back to his home and try to speak with his goddess again.

When they arrived, they found the goddess sitting there on the sofa with her knees up to her chin. She looked like she had just come back from work and was excited to see him again, until her eyes landed on Eina.

"What is she doing here?" A frosty glare aimed at the half elf, but Bell stepped in between them.

"Hey, cut that out kami-sama, I told you yesterday. Eina is my girl and I want to have a future with her."

"B-but!"

"No buts! My decision is final and there is nothing you can say to change that. I am hers and she is mine. We came here today to speak to you again, hoping that you'll hear us out. Because if you really can't accept us, then I can't accept staying with you any longer."

The goddess looked like she was on the verge of tears again, but Bell wasn't finished.

"I don't want that to happen. You were the one to accept me, when no one else would and I'll never forget that. But I also want us to be happy, like a family and I hope you'll listen to what we have to say. Then, you can ask us whatever you want."

"…"

"Now, will you listen to what we have to say?"

His goddess struggled to hold back her tears, but she weakly nodded and made space by sitting on one side of the sofa.

Bell sat down, then gestured for Eina to sit beside him. That's when he noticed how awkward it was. He didn't want Eina to sit behind him, blocked from view, while he explained their relationship and he didn't think it was a smart idea to have Eina sit in his lap either. Considering how tense his goddess was right now.

So he suggested they all move to the bed with their shoes off instead.

Hestia sat on one side with her legs slanted sideways, while Bell and Eina sat cross legged, knees touching. The boy then pulled one of Eina's hands into his lap, which made both girls in the room gasp.

Bell had told Eina earlier that whenever they were together, when permitted, he wanted her to touch him. Nothing too risqué, but something affectionate, because he craved it and it helped him to relax a lot. Plus, it made him feel loved. So with a red-hot blush, Eina gave his thigh a quick squeeze to show her support.

For the next hour, Bell and Eina would take turns telling the goddess Hestia about their relationship. At times, they would also take a break and ask the goddess if she had any questions, which she did.

Hestia wasn't as outwardly volatile as before, but she still had her objections. Like what if Eina didn't actually care about him and was only using him to get more information, which was quickly shot down when he challenged her to ask Eina herself. A mortal couldn't lie to a god or goddess after all.

So she asked Eina several very forward and personal questions, none of which were out of line. Bell was surprised by how respectable his goddess had become. Granted, she still was very unhappy about all this, but eventually… she began to believe in them.

Bell had forgotten about it, but Hestia was the virgin goddess of hearth, home and family.

She heard how both her only child and the half elf talk wanted to support each other.

How Bell wanted to send Eina's family enough money to retire her father, so he could spend more time beside his wife and raise her little sister.

How Eina wanted to make sure that Bell would always return home from the dungeon, safe and sound.

How Bell wanted to buy a home and move in with Eina.

Hestia listened to it all and she could tell that they were very serious, well… mostly Bell while Eina just blushed red with embarrassment.

It was obvious that this wasn't some heat of the moment, they both loved each other very much. So, she finally relented.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah… my Bell's all grown up! I'll never be able to hold him the same way again. Waaaaaaaah!" Bell scratched the back of his head in embarrassment as Eina made an apologetic face.

"Okay, but no sex between you two until I say so!"

"What?!"

"W-what?!"

"Kami-sama, we haven't even d-done something like that yet!"

"Yet… Bell-kun! I want to be able to hug and cuddle you every night too!"

"Wow-wow-wow-wow-wow-wow-wow-wow-wow-wow, Kami-sama! I have Eina now and only she gets to hug me like that!"

"Oh, then do tell. What else haven't you told me about your relationship with this half-elf then?

"?!"

"!?"

They had neglected to mention Bell's elf fetish and his desire to create his own harem.

"What about Ais Wallenswhatsnot! Have you given up on her already and gone after some elf girl instead?! Tell me Bell, tell me the truth!"

"K-kami-sama. It's not like that…"

"I. SMELL. A LIE!"

"Kami-sama! W-what happens between me and Eina, stays between me and Eina. And that's all I'll say." Bell almost broke down at this point, because he knew that if he revealed his desire to have a harem right now, then his goddess would surely try to break him and Eina up. Or kick him out of their home. And he wasn't willing to test which would happen first.

Hestia on the other hand, just shot him a frosty glare, before turning on the half-elf with a slightly less intense stare.

"You, advisor-kun. Listen up!"

"Eh!"

"You better make sure that nothing happens to my Bell-kun, and that he doesn't do anything stupid… like chase after any other girls!"

"…"

Eina didn't say a word and not because she didn't know what to say, but because the goddess would be able to sense a lie right away. Even a half-truth would be very telling and may cost her the relationship she had with Bell right now and she had no intention of ever letting him go.

"Well, advisor-kun? Will you make sure he won't do anything too stupid and chase after other girls?"

"Kami-sama! Please call her by her name, Eina, and I'd like you to address her like that from now on.

"Bell…" Eina began to protest, but he cut her off.

"No, I won't tolerate any disrespect to my Eina. Not from anyone."

His grandfather taught him a while ago that if you wanted to build a harem, then you had to defend them from any and every threat. No matter how great or small and if she's too much trouble to defend, then she's only going to cause him more trouble than it's worth. So he should make sure that he only falls in love with a woman who's worth his all.

Of course, this wasn't the only thing he said about it, but Bell had just remembered this very clearly and felt the need to act now.

Hestia was shocked; she had never seen this side of him before. Not even Eina, who gasped. He really had changed and the goddess was jealous that it wasn't because of her.

But she nodded in agreement.

"So, Eina-kun… you try to keep your private life separate from your work huh?"

"E-eh… Well, Bell is an exception… ha-ha."

"Hmmmmmmm…." Hestia gave Eina one last scrutinising look.

"Bell-kun!"

"!"

"You better not take advantage of this poor, innocent half-elf and gobble her up like that slutty goddess, Freya! And you better surpass Miss Ais-Wallenwhatsitsface and show their flat-chest goddess who has the better familia, Bell!"

"Heh!"

Hestia had lost the race for Bell's heart, but she hadn't lost his trust.

She would continue to support him all the way and show every other god and goddess who's the best.

.

The next day Bell woke up refreshed and raring to go. He was positively overcharged and couldn't help but hop with every step he took on the way to Ais' training session.

Last night had been a complete success!

He had finally convinced his goddess to accept his relationship with Eina

Reunited with Lily.

And made more on that day than ever before.

Forty-five thousand valis.

Both goddess and half elf almost him death when they shrieked out in surprise.

He had gone crazy in the dungeon earlier that day, so much that Lily had been crying about not being able to keep up and even lost sight of him a few times in the tunnels.

His progress was absolutely outrageous and even he couldn't believe it.

So Bell declared that this was a cause for celebration and promptly decided to take them both out for a nice meal. Eina protested about not having time to change, but Bell reminded her that she still looked stunning, no matter what she wore.

The half elf could only fidget aimlessly in response, while his goddess just pouted.

Once dinner was over, Bell took Eina home with his goddess following them to make sure that nothing funny happened. Then he and Hestia returned to their home.

Hestia updated Bell's status and saw that all his stats were nearly maxed out, except magic which was ranked B and almost hit A! She knew Bell's falna hadn't been updated in a few days, but for him to suddenly gain over 1000 points was just too much for her to take. The loli goddess fainted, causing Bell to make a scene.

The memory of last night still made him blush.

Then he pushed it aside and left the church to go train with Ais.

As ran to their private training ground, his thoughts turned to her.

She was definitely the reason why he had grown so much, so quickly and he was very happy because of it. But he was still nowhere near her level.

He still had a lot of catching up to do.

.

Six days passed by and Bell spent every moment he could to train with Ais, so he could improve his skills and catch up to her.

However, he had to be even more careful now when trying to sneak out in the mornings.

Lily had moved in with him and Hestia, because she had nowhere to go and had agreed to join their familia as soon as she was able to.

The little prum also tried to flirt with Bell, but he quickly turned her down and told her that he was already taken. Much to the supporter's dismay and to the delight of Hestia.

However, Hestia's good mood didn't last long, because a few days later she saw Ais and Bell together.

The sword princess had just ordered two sweet bean flavoured jyaga maru kun and the loli goddess went berserk.

A few minutes later, the dust was settled when Ais told her that she was only training Bell, but not before Hestia shouted that Bell was already taken.

Confusion overtook the Kenki, while Bell clamped a hand around his goddesses' mouth.

He warned her not to tell anyone, because their relationship was a secret.

All three of them then headed into a narrow backstreet where the loli goddess questioned them.

Once satisfied, she tried to stop Bell from ever seeing the sword princess again. To which he outright rejected and told her that she was only training him.

So with a heavy sigh, Hestia let them continue, but on the condition that Ais never try to flirt or seduce Bell.

Which was fine by him, because he planned to be the one to seduce her someday.

.

Bell and Ais would spend the rest of the day training, with Hestia on the side-lines as she watched closely.

When they finished, it was already evening.

Then as they walked through the streets, they were attacked.

The would-be assassins seemed to test them more than anything else, but they were soon routed.

It was then, after they had left, that Hestia realised that they were after him. Her Bell.

Afterwards, the boy headed over to the guild to spend some time with his Eina and then walked her back home, before he returned to his.

.

The next day Bell shivered as he took in a fresh piece of news.

Ais Wallenstein had reached level six.

He had just returned from the dungeon and it made him want to go back to gain more experience, but Eina stopped him.

He had done enough for today.

Then she pulled him into a consultation box and comforted him for a little while, like usual.

Bell was grateful for that.

It had been a difficult day.

.

Not long later, as he headed home, Bell found himself within kitchen of the Hostess of Fertility. Washing dishes.

An endless pile of them.

Apparently, Syr had ignored a lot of chores earlier in the morning and now dragged him into her punishment from Mama Mia, who had given her even more to do.

Bell was not amused, but he helped her anyway.

Not because he was a white knight.

"Are you okay, Cranel-san?"

But because of her.

Sure, he could have just gone and eaten at the Hostess of Fertility, but then she would have only taken his order.

Not stuck around for a conversation.

A conversation that he was going to have now. Lucky me. He thought.

"This amount is daunting. I shall assist."

Her arms seemed thin when she pulled them back to prevent her sleeves from being soaked, but they were a little muscular and toned. Although, they still managed to look entirely feminine.

She also had long, thin ears that were more pronounced than Eina's, and he found himself drawn to them.

An elf with light blue eyes, deep as the sky itself, looked up at him. It was Ryū.

"Wait, are you filling in for Syr too?"

"Yes. The blame lies with us, the employees who couldn't cover for her. We owe you an apology. On behalf of all of us, allow me to convey our apologies."

"No-no-no-no, you don't have to go that far!"

Bell stopped washing for a moment to face the always-serious Ryū, who's almost too serious right now. He knew that she was very conscious of manners and protocol, but this was another level about that.

Whatever it was, Ryū looked to be a great example of elfish integrity.

"Has something happened?"

"Eh-"

"I don't mean to be forward, but you appear to be depressed."

He stood next to her in shocked silence as her hands flew around the sink, while she washed the dishes with perfect precision.

Elves were also known for their good looks. Ryū was no exception. She was a radiant beauty who could easily challenge Eina, but she had a bit of a cold aura. It was enough to make him nervous standing this close to her.

"If you consider me worthy, I'll listen."

"…"

"I owe you for your assistance at this station. If you have no reservations, please allow me to help."

As he stood there, admiring this beautiful woman, Bell realised that a part of him wanted to tell her everything about anything. Like he did with Eina.

She always seemed to be there for him, when he needed her the most. Even if she seemed to just cast it off aside as some kind of favour.

But he couldn't tell her everything. It just wasn't the right time now.

"Ryū, were you an adventurer?"

He wanted to ask, ever since he saw her stare down an adventurer who was even stronger than him.

"…Yes. There was a time I was known as one. What are you getting at?" Bell quickly reassured her that he wasn't trying to dig into her past. Then switched to his real question.

"It's about getting stronger… How does an adventurer level up?"

He always thought that to level up, one needed to just fight and gain excelia, but that didn't seem to be the case.

The difference between level one and level two… it felt like there was a wall between them. A very steep wall, one that he would have to climb over if he was to ever level up.

Ryū's eyes gave him a very intense stare, before she answered his question.

"You must do something great."

"…Huh?"

"You must complete a great task, something that even the gods cannot ignore."

Great…?

"Defeat an enemy more powerful than yourself… Acquire an incredible amount of excelia in one shot. That is the requirement."

He couldn't rely on his daily training sessions with Ais or sprint through dungeon floors to achieve his goal killing lower-level monsters. All he'd be doing is improving his basic stats.

If he didn't defeat something far more powerful than him, he'd never become a hero like in the stories his grandfather used to tell him at night… he'd never catch up to her. Ais.

Ryū then went on to tell him about all sorts of other things, but the most important thing he would remember was about gathering a party.

To beat a monster more powerful than him, he had to focus on the right technique and strategy. The most common way to do this would be to form a battle party.

The only objection Bell had in his mind was that the excelia would then be split between all party members, but that was better than dying.

"Cranel-san, if you truly wish to become stronger, a battle party is required. Please keep this in mind."

"Okay."

But then he remembered that Ais had killed a floor boss on her own… that meant she was an exception… right?

"… I have advice to offer you. Is this acceptable?" That peaked his curiosity, because he thought that was all to levelling up.

"Ah, yes. Go ahead."

Ryū's voice brought him out of his reverie.

"Cranel-san. Every adventure has a meaning."

"…"

"No one knows what awaits them on an adventure. However, do not lose sight of the meaning of setting out, the purpose."

Then she paused as if to give Bell time to absorb her words.

"You are an adventurer."

Her words plunged into his ears and made their way to the bottom of his soul.

"What you seek, most likely, cannot be obtained without venturing forward."

"U-um…"

"But no, please don't worry about it. My intuition is often wrong."

For a second there, Bell thought she smiled at him. He quickly blinked to clear his eyes, only to see her usual cold expression.

"Ryū, I really appreciate the advice you just gave me." Bell thanked with a small bow.

"Think nothing of it, this was just me repaying you for our mistakes."

"No-no-no. Don't say that. Don't just cast away my gratitude like that. You're better than that. You helped me, because I asked and not because of some favour. You might not admit it, but I'm very grateful to you."

Ryū seemed to take him seriously, but she never stopped washing the dishes.

"This isn't the first time that you've helped me out and you had no reason to do so before. Like when you rescued me in a dark alleyway and then again when you found my knife. I can never thank you enough."

Her hands still washed the plates, but Bell could tell that his words had moved her. It was likely that she had never heard anyone go out of their way to thank her like he did.

Then his grandfather appeared in his mind again, as if he predicted what he was about to say next.

"You want to know the best way to make a woman smile, boy?"

Bell smiled.

"You compliment her looks, her character and anything unique about her. The more heartfelt and unique it is, the better. But don't overdo it, this is not a love confession. It's a compliment where you tell them something they can be proud of. Don't compliment her just to get something from her. Women can smell it. It's like a sixth sense to them. So compliment them and mean it without ever expecting anything in return."

Bell nodded as his grandfather faded away.

"Ryū, you are amazing, because you care. You don't do it for money, for fame or for any other reason. You do it, because it's right and if there were more people like you out there… then Orario and the rest of the rest of the world would be a much safer place. So thank you." Bell bowed forward slightly, while his eyes stayed in contact with hers the entire time.

The elf in front of him however, looked shocked. Her mouth was slightly agape and her hands seemed to be moving slower as she still washed the plates.

"Also, has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are when you smile?"

A plate cracked and Bell noticed Ryū had stopped washing completely. Her face went from white to red as she turned away, trying to hide behind her broken plate. He could have sworn that he saw her shivering too.

"C-Cranel-san…"

"Bell. Call me Bell, we are about to do battle with all these plates after all, aren't we?" He smirked.

A few weeks ago, he might never have been this bold before, but after spending the last few days cuddled up to Eina and also having confessed his desire to be with her as a man and woman had changed him.

He was now much more confident than before, but this moment still pushed his nerves to their limit.

"B-bell. I do not deserve this praise and Syr…"

"Ryū. I may have not told you this before, but please... don't look down on yourself. You are an amazing woman and I'll stand what I just said. Every word. You are amazing and you need to hear it more often."

Ryū had now turned even more red now as she found it impossible to look into his eyes. It was then Bell realised that she had some deep-seated issues when it came to compliments and beliefs in her own worth. He didn't know what troubled her so much, but he promised that he would help her overcome them. If she would let him.

He promised to himself.

Seeing as how he might have come on a bit too thick towards her, he quickly shifted the mood. As his grandfather once said.

"Once you give a woman a compliment, no matter how big or small. Don't wait for her answer. Don't rely on her reaction. Otherwise, you'll look like you're after something and women can smell it. Then they'll doubt you, which you don't want. So do something different right after, as if your compliment never existed. Change the topic. Change the scenery. Change the focus. Show that you just gave her a compliment, because you wanted to. Nothing else. That's what women respect. A man does what he wants and isn't obsessed with her. I know this might confuse you now, but I promise you that it'll make sense when you're older. Trust me, your grandfather knows."

Bell nodded, he said what he wanted to say and he saw how Ryū blushed. She really was beautiful like this, but now was not the time to tell her. The elf in front of him was already red enough.

So he just washed the dishes beside her and eventually she followed his lead.

When they finished, Bell noticed that Ryū was still bright red. She hadn't calmed down at all.

He just wanted to walk up and cuddle her like he did with Eina, but Bell knew Ryū wouldn't be comfortable with that. Yet. So he just let her be. There would be plenty of opportunities to see her again.

"Bell, remember this. Women love to chase after men, but don't let any of them ever hear you say that. They'll always deny it, even if it's true, because it makes them look easy. Which sometimes they are, but my point is… give her space to miss you. Don't just suddenly start giving her all of your attention. You have your mission in life to pursue, so go after that instead. But talk with her every now and again. Make sure that each moment you spend with her is something that she'll remember. That's how you'll get her to fall in love with you and chase you. That's how you begin a harem."

His grandfather's lessons about women were the lifeline of his conversations with women. Without them, he would be lost and he thanked him every time his sage advice popped up in his head.

Before Bell left the Hostess of Fertility, he thanked Ryū again for her help with the dishes.

Then he skipped home.

.

A.N.

You might have noticed that I used quite a bit of the descriptions and dialogue from Bell and Ryū's interaction when they washed the plates. This was essential to build up to the unique moment I wrote towards the end of this chapter. I hope you liked it! Because I hadn't planned it at all.

In fact, I just had an idea that something was going to happen. Perhaps Bell would even ask Ryū for a date, but then old trusty Zeus came in and made it even better! Lol.

In this fanfic of Danmachi, I've decided that the words "boyfriend" and "girlfriend don't exist, because it just doesn't seem to fit into this universe. The gods brought with them strange inventions and a mix of cultures, but words are a different matter.

Also, I heavily dislike how the author describes Ryu.

She doesn't have arms so thin that they could break from just washing dishes.

Ryu should have toned arms with some muscle, but still remain entirely feminine.

She was a hard-core adventurer after all.

Even if she gave up on it like 4-5 years ago, her constant washing of dishes etc wouldn't diminish the tone of her arms etc. Plus, she trained often to keep up her skills. That's how I imagine it. So that's how it shall be in this story.

This chapter is also called 'Double danger.' Because there are two unique dangers in this chapter.

There was danger from Hestia trying to break up Bell's relationship with Eina.

Danger from Bell trying to protect Hestia against Freya's goons with Ais.

Also, I had a joke with my editor about how I've decided NOT to write any lemons for this fanfic.

I wrote this story, because I wanted to see fluff and that's all you'll get.

HOWEVER, I will write in a few teases and have already written a full on erect, hard and fluffy tease that you won't see for a few weeks at least. If all goes according to plan.

Meanwhile, I came up with a few jokes of what this Bell MIGHT say if he did get it on.

.

"Now, which of you girls are gonna ring. my. bell."

.

Bell decided to fuck his girls so hard that the next thing they heard when they woke up were wedding bells.

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Chapter 7: 5120 words. (Including a few dots that act as transitions and dividers)