Chapter 17 - A Fairy Goddess

For the next four days, Bell and the new members of his familia would complete a few of the quests they had been putting off for a while now.

On the early morning of the fifth day, the reconstruction of Hearth Mansion was complete and Hestia familia moved in. Ryū would arrive in the afternoon with a small backpack, dressed in a very clean waitresses uniform.

A sudden ring from the doorbell told him she had arrived.

"Ryū, I'm glad you made it! Come in. Come in." He excitedly greeted her.

"Thank you, Bell." She smiled, before being led through their refurbished new home. Once they arrived in front of the final door, Bell turned towards Ryū with a wide excited grin.

"Here we are!"

The floor was covered with a natural rustic wooden flooring, giving off a smooth and lacquered look while radiating a warm ambiance. There were large clear windows on two sides of the room with cream coloured curtains on each side. Then there was a king-sized bed with a wooden frame that matched the floor. A white duvet coloured the bed with creamy pillows at the end. It looked so soft and fluffy, like the clouds in the sky.

Bell asked her to leave her shoes in the designated shoe area beside the door.

Next was the closet area, where Ryū deposited her adventurer's clothes and waitress uniforms.

"Is that all you have?" He asked, a little surprised.

"Yes, I didn't have anything else after I stopped being an active adventurer." Bell couldn't see her face, but noticed her shoulders collapse a little.

"Ah, sorry for bringing that up."

"No worries, it's painful, but… now I have you… and Eina." Her eyes glistened as she looked into his. Bell walked into her and they shared a warm soft kiss.

"I'll always be there for you, Bell, and I'll never abandon you."

Her promise sounded like there was a danger still out there that she hadn't conquered, but he pushed that thought aside.

"I know, and I'll always protect you too."

He then led her into their new bathroom where Ryū gasped.

A large wooden cypress bath overlooked the gardens of the mansion down below. While it wasn't as large as the one Mikoto had requested, it could have easily fit five people with plenty of room between them to spread their legs and arms.

Beside them lined parallel with the walls were three wooden bathtubs with a few shower heads opposite the cypress bath. A large mirror also lined the walls facing away from the view of the garden with a wooden desk and three stone basins. Bell had a feeling that this area was made for his girls instead of him. Not that he minded.

With the tour of their new room complete, they walked back towards the king-sized bed.

"Go on." Bell encouraged; he knew Ryū wanted to test how soft it was. In fact, he himself had jumped onto it earlier and just slept there for a while. It was that comfy.

Ryū took a more cautious approach as she neared the edge of the bed, poked it gently, then sat down on the edge. She gave it a few test bounces, before slowly lying down on it with her legs dangling over the edge. A relieved sigh escaped her lips.

"Come on Ryū, you can take up more space than that." Bell laughed, before lifting her up by the ankles, spun her around and then rolled her towards the pillows. Laughing as he did so.

"Bell!" She chuckled as he jumped into bed, causing her to fly just a few inches off the duvet.

After a bit more rolling around, Bell pulled Ryū into his arms. Then kissed the back of her neck.

"Mmmmm…" He purred.

Ryū still hadn't gotten used to how affectionate Bell was, but she loved it. Every moment.

Then she noticed the sudden change in his breathing. Plus, the way he kept softly massaging her with his fingers. Bell wanted a nap and she felt like having one too, because this bed was just far too comfy.

.

A few hours later and Ryū woke up to a warm pair of arms wrapped around her. It was the best nap she'd ever had.

"Bell." She called, but when he didn't listen Ryū carefully turned around as to avoid elbowing him in the face. Last time when they had slept together, she'd never gotten a good look at his face when he was relaxed. It was something she didn't know she wanted to see until now. Bell had the silliest of grins and he looked so relaxed while sleeping. A stark contrast to the face she saw at the bar, where he was happy, or in the dungeons where he was serious and determined.

Ryū watched his face for just a moment longer, before slowly pressing her lips into his.

.

Before Bell even opened his eyes, he easily reciprocated her kiss. Purring all the while.

I could get used to this.

And his hands began to wonder.

.

"Bell!" Ryū squeaked.

This is moving way too fast; I think I might have awoken something.

Eina had warned her that if Bell's hands began to "explore" her, then it usually meant sex.

But not always.

Sometimes he just wanted to run his fingers over his curves, as Bell had once told her.

However, since they hadn't made love to each other yet, better to stop it for now. Ryū wasn't sure if she couldn't handle that kind of touch without melting in his hands.

She had been thinking about tonight for a while now.

Ever since Eina helped her to plan it out.

"Ryū, you are everything Bell wants. I saw the way he held you, while you were asleep. He really didn't want to let you go and not in a lustful way either. It was the same way he held me..." Eina blushed as she recalled that moment when they woke up after their special night. "I've also seen the way he looks at you. He's almost in love with you, but that's all going to change today! When he sees you in these new clothes, there's no way he's not going to fall in love with you! Just like he did with me!" The dungeon advisor's smile and exaggerated eyebrow lifts were enough to make her want to sink into the floor that night. It was a conversation they had just before Bell meeting him and his familia to celebrate their victory in the War Game over Apollo familia, at the Hostess of Fertility.

When Bell's hands began moving again, Ryū stopped them with her own.

"Bell, that's enough!"

The rabbit moaned in disappointment and it made her chuckle.

He was like a child right away who couldn't play with his favourite toy.

"I have to go meet with Eina… before tonight…" She whispered the last part and Bell's eyes flew open. A few days ago, Mama Mia had asked her why she wanted half a day off, plus a little from the following morning too. When she blushed, the dwarven mistress only grinned before saying, "go enjoy your bunny time. Don't do anything you're not comfortable with yet, and don't expect me to babysit! You girls are enough already."

Ryū had tried to refute the last part, but it was hopeless. The other waitresses jumped onto this rumour as few of them purred, while the others teased her relentlessly through the shifts. Even Syr had joined in, but she only just smiled, before giving her a very lengthy lecture about how the bunny and the bees worked. Which Ryū insisted she already knew, but Syr was relentless. Saying that she had to be sure, because she didn't want her friend to be hurt. In exchange, she wanted details of their night. So, when it was her turn, she would know all of his weaknesses and drain him completely dry. Ryū was terrified of the last part, but Syr assured her she was only joking. Somehow, Ryū didn't fully believe her.

Still, Syr told her a few interesting things that no virgin could ever know. Maybe she'd try them with Bell tonight, but one look into his eyes again and Ryū knew she couldn't do it tonight. Not with her mouth. Not like that! Hopefully he wouldn't notice her fiery red cheeks right now.

"Oh, well okay." A kiss from him. "You girls go have fun then and I'll see you tonight." Then withdrew his arms from around her waist, much to her disappointment. She felt colder all of a sudden.

As Bell got up from the heavenly soft bed, he turned around suddenly as if remembering something.

"Do you girls need to use our new home?"

"No, you're fine."

"Okay, I'll see you at seven in Amor Square." Suddenly, Ryū was alone and released a deep breath she hadn't known she was holding.

Eina would have loved to have used the facilities at their new home, however as she said,

"If I go in there, then I'm going to want to move in right away. Ruining your special night to be with him alone. Plus, Bell won't be able to 'accidentally' see you before you're ready."

.

As Ryū walked nervously towards the meeting point with Bell at seven, she couldn't stop thinking about all the effort that was put into her appearance.

Eina had picked out a few different outfits for her, but she didn't feel brave enough to wear almost any of them. When Ryū asked why she couldn't wear the exact same thing again, Eina almost went crazy saying, "No, not on your first night with Bell!"

Eventually, they ended up with Ryu wearing almost everything she had at the party five days ago. A white creamy looking woollen jumper with soft lines running through it. Her legs were wrapped around in black tights and finished with a pair of black ankle boots. The only difference was her skirt. This time it was coloured with several different shades of dark green and many stripes, while the folds were more obvious too. Aside from her top, she didn't feel comfortable with wearing something too bright or vibrant that would attract too much attention. Or make her look too clean.

Choosing the outfit for tonight felt relatively simple compared to bathing ritual Eina had put her through this afternoon. She hadn't put much though into it, aside from keeping herself clean, which was enough for her as an adventurer. Elves were known for their natural beauty, but when the dungeon advisor was finished, Ryū swore that her skin and hair glowed like the aura from the goddesses.

Ryū had never felt or looked more beautiful than today.

She hoped Bell would think so too.

.

Bell chose to wear the same outfit as when he first took Eina's virginity.

It seemed to impress her greatly back then, so why change it?

Plus, he couldn't think of what else to wear that was different from his usual attire.

.

When Ryū spotted him, she thought he looked incredibly handsome. A black jacket with a long sleeve white shirt, black trousers and dark brown boots that looked almost burgundy with a belt of the same colour.

But Bell on the other hand seemed to have lost his bearings as his mouth hung limply from his face.

Was that good or bad?

Ryū was too nervous to notice the obvious as she walked closer towards him.

Then he closed the gap between them and captured her lips in his.

Wow.

She thought, this kiss was completely different to before.

His touch was filled with love, care and admiration.

But also, a little bit of… lust.

This was new to her.

And she shivered ever so slightly, in delight.

.

Bell was convinced he was kissing a goddess right now.

Whatever she did earlier had her practically glowing like a goddess.

Ryū, his fairy goddess, was all his for tonight.

Plus every night after.

.

Instead of booking a seat at the Spoon Aqua, the incredibly luxurious and expensive floating restaurant, Bell decided to take Ryū on a culinary adventurer.

A different setting for each course.

Each dish was tailored to what he thought she liked best.

Since Ryū came from the forest, Ryumilua of which he learnt almost nothing about even with Eina's help, he thought of finding a few dishes she might have missed. Plus a few dishes too.

Deer, boars, rabbits.

Well, maybe she could have that last part later tonight.

Bell laughed to himself after making that inside joke.

Their starters began in a busy and lively bar where he ordered wild boar, poached and grilled, in barbeque sauce served with grain mustard coleslaw. Tender, lean and bursting with flavour. Apparently, it was a good choice as Ryū hummed in satisfaction while her ears bounced up and down. She even confessed to boar being one of her favourite dishes as a child growing up in the forest. He'd remember that.

Next, they went to an equally crowded restaurant to try fajitas. Grilled steak with strips of peppers and onions served with guacamole in a corn tortilla that you could easily hold in a hand. Plus little lime wedges for them to squeeze over the meat. Another winner.

"Where are you finding all these great places, Bell?!" She asked with a smile as they were walking towards their third destination. Ryū had relaxed immensely by this point, while holding onto his arm, not noticing all the people walking past them. The lights and laughter from the surrounding bars added an easy and jovial atmosphere to their night.

Bell chuckled, before looking at her. "All I need to do is look at you and I've got an idea already." Ryū only looked away, as she burned almost as hot as the lamps they walked by, while Bell laughed even louder.

The third restaurant specialised in fried food, where Bell focused on a specific cuisine. Tempura.

"Wow, I didn't know you could fry vegetables!" His fairy goddess exclaimed in surprise.

"Neither did I, but it tastes great."

Ryū agreed as she took another bite, this time from a fried shrimp dipped by the the tail end in soy sauce. Then they went to a noodle shop for a bowl of pork ramen each.

Bell calculated that since Ryū was an adventurer, she could eat a lot more than Eina.

So he didn't hold back with the food this time.

Luckily, Ryū seemed as hungry as him.

After realising how much they were eating tonight, she tried to cut back while looking sheepish, until Bell reminded her that they were adventurers. Possessed with falna they wielded great power and with that came a great appetite. So it was their responsibility to eat their full.

As long as she didn't feel so full that moving around would be difficult tonight, she could eat as much as she wanted. His last advice made her cheeks burn with embarrassment as he held her hand across the table's surface. "Thank you." She whispered, while looking down.

Then they walked around for a while, before ending up in a little high-end bakery where they sold green matcha tiramisu. Plus mochi, tiny glutinous rice cakes with mini ice cream fillings, and green tea. Ryū instantly fell in love with them all, as well as eating most of it, and begged Bell to come back with her to the café another day.

He agreed.

This little dessert shop was the perfect way to end their very fulfilling dinner date.

It was almost ten at night when came out and Bell decided that it was about time they went home. So he hired a horse drawn taxi to take them back.

.

As they approached the iron gates, then the heavy double wooden doors of their new home, Ryū was both incredibly relaxed and terrified at the same time. She was about to show her naked body to a man for the first time before making love to him. True, Bell had already seen her with a shred of clothing, but that was an accident. This time she would disrobe right in front of his ruby red eyes.

Once Bell pushed open the doors to their bedroom, Ryū's eyes automatically locked in on the king-sized bed. The man next to her then pulled out a chair and asked her to sit on it, much to her confusion. Then he gently kneeled down in front of her and pulled the ankle boots off her dainty feet. It was an incredibly intimate act, which almost had the elf hyperventilating. Just his firm, but lightly touches behind her calves were enough to send shivers up her spine. As the other boot came off, all she could think of was.

This is it.

But the charming and ever so handsome rabbit wasn't done yet.

He led her towards the sofa, then sat down.

"Come join me, Ryū."

And she did, right beside him.

For some reason, Bell wasn't rushing to get into bed with her. Which calmed her down immensely.

While also making her more nervous. Eventually, they ended up sitting on the sofa facing each other with her legs lying over his as he massaged her outer thighs softly with his thumbs. Most of the time, he was silent, but would then ask random questions about what she liked most about tonight.

Ryū would then tell him about them all, before comparing it to how she normally ate with her co-workers when they had supper at the end of the night's shift. Bell would smile, before asking more questions and sharing his own mealtimes with his grandfather. He'd never known his parents, so he wasn't sure what a family felt like, but every day he spent with her and his family felt like home.

"I'm very grateful to have met you. When I first saw you, I was incredibly afraid." Ryū tilted her head in confusion.

"Afraid?" He hadn't acted like that whenever he saw around her, not that she could ever recall.

"Yes, afraid because of how beautiful you were." She felt like sinking into the deepest parts of the sofa right then. "But here we are… I'm really happy with you Ryū… I want you to know that. You've done so much for me, and I hope to one day repay you for all of that." She wanted to interrupt, but he hadn't finished. "Ryū, I promise one day to clear your name and reunite you with your goddess. I'll ask her to come to Orario for you… and maybe she'll want to restart her familia. Which, if she does, I'd be more than happy to give her a place to call home. Here. Just like you."

Her vision started to become waterlogged, but Bell stopped her before she could lean in any further.

"And lastly, happy birthday Ryū. I hope this new home is worthy-" But he never finished those words as she pounced into his lips and cried louder than ever before.

This was the best present she could have hoped for.

One she never dared to dream about.

Or believe she deserved.

A chance at love.

"Go on Ryū, make him yours."

She heard from a long lost friend, before Bell took was rightfully his.

Her virginity.

.

When Bell woke up the next morning, he thought about how successful his first night with Ryu had been.

He knew Ryū was a very secretive person, that's why it was so difficult to get any personal information about her.

The other waitresses at the Hostess of Fertility were happy to help him when he asked and he did it without giving up his butt to one of the cat girls.

However, most of them didn't seem to know anything about his stoic elf.

Even Syr struggled to come up with anything.

Until Bell had an idea.

He learnt that Ryū's birthday would be the day she officially moved in with him.

The price of this information would be to take Syr out on a date one day.

Not something grand like the one he was planning for Ryū, but she wouldn't stop him. Bell still remembered Syr's giggles when she said that. He had to be more careful around her, otherwise she might actually succeed in wooing him.

Plus, he was finding it hard to imagine how he'd pleasure four women at the same time.

Let alone sleep with them.

But a promise was a promise.

As he turned back to Ryū, her smooth soft white skin spoke to him.

His mind went back to last night when he undressed her.

Ryū's skin was very pale, even more so than Eina's, but she was insanely beautiful. It glowed the same as it did now, with a shade of warmth.

A toned white stomach with the faintest outlines of her muscles underneath turned him on immensely than he thought possible. Eina had something similar, but nowhere near as defined as Ryū. She also had much smaller breasts than his dungeon advisor. Although they were still more than what his hands could hold without them spilling over. In short, he loved everything about his Ryū. She was perfect from head to toe.

Her scent also seemed to match Eina's, except it felt a lot lighter. It was like a fragrance that lifted him off the ground, while Eina's scent kept his eyes on her. Ryū's scent made him feel like he could fly, while Eina's filled him with love and lust. The feeling was strange, but he welcomed them both.

Another difference he'd noticed while making love to Ryū for the first time was how much shyer and submissive she was compared to her half elf counterpart. It was rather cute to see and he liked it a lot. Where Eina was much more vocal about her needs by telling him to go harder and faster in a very seductive manner, Ryū communicated by repeatedly calling his name in a soft whisper while running her hands all over him at once. Like she was unintendedly playing an instrument that pulled at his heart strings. He almost came too early when she spoke some elvish to him.

Bell felt like he had almost fallen in love with her just as fast as he had with Eina, because of how she had opened up to him last night. Ryū had given up the look of an adventurer and waitress to be that of a woman.

A fairy goddess.

All for him.

Apparently, Ryū had refused to wear anything else until she met him. It irritated Syr a lot, who revealed that the elf always turned down all of her cute suggestions by saying things like "Such nice things should not be spoiled on an elf like me." But after hearing from the other waitresses how Ryū had finally worn something and for him made Syr giggle. Now, she might finally be able to dress up her elf friend in all sorts of cute clothes. Bell had never seen Syr in anything outside of a waitress's uniform, but he felt like she would know exactly what would suit Ryū.

As Bell thought more about things Ryū had never done for anyone else, except him. He remembered how she had given him her virginity. As Eina mentioned a few nights earlier, it wasn't something to be taken lightly.

Elves often mated for life.

And formed very strong family ties.

For Ryū to have just run away from it all was practically unthinkable.

Close to treason. Until not long ago when Riveria, the vice-captain of Loki familia, broke away and started a massive shift in elven culture.

However, some forests still clung tightly to the old ways.

Since elves live for hundreds of years at a time, they are also slow to change their ways.

While she didn't know much about Ryumilua, the forest Ryū came from, Eina was pretty sure the proud elf was homesick. Even if she despised her people for their attitudes towards other races. Ryū ran away when she was still a child. Barely ten years old if Eina recalled correctly from their girl talk.

This shocked Bell and gave him the idea clear to her name.

He had no idea how to do it, just that he would.

Ryū seemed to have loved her goddess and probably considered her family.

In fact, she was probably the closest thing to familia that Ryū had since leaving her home in the forest.

If he could bring her goddess back, then that would be a good start.

To heal her from the guilt and shame, after taking revenge for her almost dead familia, that was silently strangling her sense of self-worth.

That's why he made that promise last night.

"A woman needs to feel like you can protect her against the world. If you can do that, then you're one step closer to her heart. But remember, love is a precious thing, don't play around with it. When you make a promise, make sure you fulfil on it. Even if it costs you your life, that's what a man is expected to do. Not because the woman asked him to, but because that's the kind of conviction he needs to pull it off and for his woman to believe that he'll stick by his words."

His grandfather's words echoed in his mind again.

Bell wasn't sure if he could protect her against everyone who wanted her dead or alive as her bounty had described when Eina told him a bit more about it. But after taking Ryū's virginity last night and seeing her so happy, despite everything she had been through, he swore to never let her down.

She was worth everything he had to give her and much more.

Same with Eina.

Bell hoped that if he ever saw his grandfather again, in heaven or somewhere else, he'd be able to say, "I followed everything you said and lived a good life. Me and my girls. We all did. Thank you for teaching me."

Before he knew it, tears started streaming down his face again, as he thought about how everything he had today was all because of his grandfather's teaching. He wouldn't let him down either.

Unable to stop the droplets from turning into a waterfall out from his eyes, Bell sought comfort by kissing the back of his lover's neck.

.

As Ryū woke up from a deep slumber, she felt a series of wet kisses wash the back of her neck and something else.

"Bell…" She whispered.

A few more kisses, but longer this time and with even more emotion.

"Morning, Ryū."

Immediately, she sensed something was wrong. His voice sounded nasally.

"Bell, are you okay?" Deciding that losing the warm feeling from her back was worth checking to see if he was okay, Ryū turned around to face him and saw sadness. "What's wrong? Did I do something to hurt you last night?"

"No-no-no-no-no… you didn't. You were wonderful and you were perfect." His thumbs and fingers were nervously, but wonderfully massaging her lower back. "But I just can't… I was almost homeless and abandoned when I first came to Orario, did you know that?" She did not. "Then a kind goddess took me in. Gave me a home and I met you. And Eina too…" Bell seemed to struggle with what to say next, so she brought a hand to massage the front and side of his face with the tips of her fingers. "You girls made me feel loved and cared for… That's what I like about you most. I appreciate you a lot." He smiled.

Ryū was happy to hear that.

For all the mistakes she had made in her life so far, Ryū promised to make it all work out with him.

A man who swore to restore her name, her honour and her familia.

She would do anything for him.

For a man like Bell.

.

The rest of their morning was spent cuddling and kissing, before making love to one another. Again.

This time, Ryū asked to be on top to which he happily obliged.

Once they finished and got up, Ryū almost screamed out in horror when she saw the clear red stains on their messy wet bed sheets. Bell tried to reassure her, all was okay and he would clean it up, but the elf snatched them away before demanding to clean it herself. She wanted their room to look clean, before Eina moved in with them later today.

After cleaning the bed linen and duvet, she hung them out to try, then gave him a quick kiss and left for work. As Bell watched her leave, he couldn't help notice how she almost skipped with each step.

"Well done my boy."

His grandfather's words echoed between his ears.

Pride swelled within his chest as he recalled how happy he made her last night.

And this morning.

He hoped Ryū would enjoy being with him for many more days to come.

Maybe even longer.

.

A.N.

If anyone's curious about the layout of Bell's new shared bedroom with his harem, I've linked the layout in my profile.

I tried to find another outfit for Ryu, but eventually said fuck it.

This is the one I eventually wanted to go with anyway. Plus, with her outfit barely changing, it also shows that she's not as far changed or different from her previous self. Kinda like when she ran away from the forest, because she believed herself to be too different from the elves who lived there.

I also thought of putting a green vase with white flowers, like the ones Ryu puts on the graves of her familia on the eighteenth floor, but that felt a bit too much. Like try hard. Plus, it's too closely associated with what could never happen and the deaths of her familia. I don't think Ryu wants to remember the graves of her friends every time she sees it.

So I decided to keep it simple.

I saw that her birthday was in March from the official wiki page, but I thought fuck it.

Since it won't really change the story, I decided to change it.

Because March happened roughly two-three months before this point in my story.

As for anyone wondering who the girl whispering to Ryū right before she lost her virginity. It's Alise, the member of her old familia who she was most fond of, but I didn't feel the need to mention that.

Also, originally I didn't know how to make Ryū's date different and unique from Eina's. But I wouldn't give up. Ryū is my favourite girl in all of Danmachi, with Eina like a microdot behind, but I love them both. Plus, Ryū is voiced by the woman who voiced Shinobu. One of my all-time favourite female anime characters. Plus, she has a heavenly voice, so I felt I had to do this scene justice. Sure, it might read a bit too much like it was written for women, but I did say that this was going to be a "fluffy as fuck" story. So that's what you're going to get! Makes up for a lack of lemons, doesn't it? :P

As for what elvish words Ryū spoke to Bell during their first night? Fuck knows. Maybe she said she loved him? That's what I figured, because Bell's given her so much, but I'll let you make up your own head canon about that.

Plus, I tried a few different things to make Ryū's date and night different to Eina's with different view points a bit more often and recalling past events. I'm still experimenting, but I hope you guys like it! And while Ryū's first night might feel a bit fast compared to Eina's who went on a few more dates first, I figured it was fine considering all there other moments.

I added a few bits of Syr here and there to show how much of a master puppeteer she is. Plus, to show how she's getting involved in all this, rather than just doing nothing and waiting in the background. Which doesn't feel right. As for how Syr is going to continue trying to win Bell's heart. Well... You guys wouldn't be able to stomach it. ;)

Also, trying to improve the flow with less -"that", "had" etc.

And stay tuned for next week! When the Haruhime arc officially starts!

It's going to be fun writing how Bell is going to have to break the news to his girls that his rule of 3 will be no more. Kek.

Chapter 17: 4877 words. (Including a few dots that act as transitions and dividers)