Chapter 21 - What Happens Next
When Eina returned home she was worried sick.
The entertainment district was burning, a war had broken out, a goddess had been sent back to heaven and Bell was most likely in the middle of it all.
"Bell!" She shouted into the meeting room where Hestia familia would gather for most of their meetings, but no one was there.
"Ryū?!" Her elven counterpart was dressed in battle garbs, while making a sandwich. "Where's Bell?"
"Eina-san, it's okay. He's okay, Bell's just resting in his room right now."
"Ryū… there's no need to be formal with me. You can just call me Eina, you know?"
"But you're his first, sh-" The half elf walked up to her fellow elf and placed a finger to their lips.
"Shhh… Eina. My name's Eina, and whether you're first or second. He loves us both." Eina slowly removed her finger as the other woman digested her words. The word "love" seemed to have stunned her a bit.
"B-Bell loves me?" Ah, he hasn't told her yet.
They hadn't been dating each other as long as she and Bell had, before they confessed their love to one another. Plus, Bell's confession had been very fast, but it felt so right.
"Yeah, he loves you a lot and… I'm sure he'll tell you that soon."
The girl still in her adventurer's attire looked down towards the floor, with a white apron over her battle garb, nervously fidgeted with her hands and wrists. It was cute and brought Eina back to a talk she had with Bell a few days ago, while they lay cuddled up to each other in bed, before moving into the mansion they lived in now.
"Eina?"
"Yes?"
"Can I trust you to look after Ryū?" Eina tilted her head at Bell. "She has a lot of deep self-doubt issues. Some of which are very deep and painful. I feel like I only know a bit of it, but when it's just the two of you. Can I make sure that she feels safe and loved? Ryū doesn't have a family either. Only us and her friends at the Hostess of Fertility, but even they don't know her very well, because she keeps her secrets very close to her chest. Plus, I get the feeling that all the girls there do too."
Bell trusted her with an important part of their relationship and promised to provide whatever help she needed. Eina obviously accepted, she liked Ryū and wanted to get to know her better. Maybe another shopping trip soon? She seemed to enjoy that, despite not feeling worthy about it the entire time. Ryū didn't know how to embrace her girl side, but Eina trusted herself with that.
For now, something else seemed to be bothering the elf in front of her and Bell felt like the cause of all this.
"I… really like him."
He likes you too.
They hadn't talked about their special nights with Bell, but that would change very soon.
"I don't want to mess things up and drive him away." Ryū's fidgeting increased until Eina held both of her hands gently, but firmly.
"Don't worry Ryū, you have me… and we'll keep him happy together." Eina giggled when she saw Ryū's cheeks bloom a bright shade of pink. "We won't do that until you're ready. In the meantime, if you ever feel unsure about how to be with Bell. Please come speak to me and I'll help you out, okay? You can do the same for me too."
"But I don't know how…"
"Yes you do, remember what he told us earlier?" Lots of kisses and cuddles, whenever possible. Ryū nodded. "And the third thing?"
"If we ever need anything, just ask?" It sounded more like a question than a statement.
"You got it right Ryū!" Eina smiled, but the other elf still looked unconvinced. "He won't judge you if that's what you're worried about. In fact, he's probably more worried about not making you happy enough."
"Impossible! I love-" She froze halfway, but it was already too late.
"You don't have to tell him that yet, but ask… you'll never know what he might say." Ryū seemed to think about this for a moment. "Has he ever made you doubt him about wanting to help you?" She shook her head.
"Then ask him, start small if you're not ready to be that direct yet." The elf seemed amazed for a moment, before breaking out into a smile.
"You know Eina, you seem a bit more like Bell every day." Now it was the advisor's turn to be a bit self conscious about herself.
"W-what do you mean by that?"
"I mean, your confidence. The way you can just speak and make me feel at ease. Bell is very good at it. You are too. Did you learn that from him?"
Eina sheepishly chuckled while fiddling the side glasses with her left hand. "Y-yeah, maybe, I-I don't know… he's just so strong willed and handsome and kind and… a really great guy to be with. I feel lucky just to be in love and have a chance to… love him in return. I really want to make this work with him, like you. So what do you say? Shall we work together to make Bell happy?"
It felt like a silly question, considering how they had done that a bit already. But this was kind of the first real conversation they'd had between each other since they first met and then their short shopping trip to get Ryū ready for her special night with Bell.
Time had flown by so fast that they hadn't had time to talk about anything more, yet.
"Yes, I would like to do that together with you for Bell." That sounded a bit too formal for Eina, but she let it pass.
"Alright! So tell me, what were you making just now?"
Apparently, Bell was a bit hungry, so she came down to make a quick snack, before returning to him.
"Can I join you?" Eina was hungry too. Ryū nodded and they made enough chicken sandwiches for five people. Plus, a few jygara maru kun were thrown in too.
"What's this?" The dungeon advisor asked, it looked like they were about to feed a whole family!
"Oh, erm, Bell didn't want to alarm you last time, but he eats a lot. He hasn't eaten since being kidnapped by Ishtar familia this morning and he fought a lot since then too."
Still, wasn't this a bit too much?
The half elf was also shocked by learning Bell had been kidnapped, but decided that he should be the one to explain it himself.
.
"Eina! Ryū!" Bell excitedly called when they finally arrived in their bedroom.
"Bell!" The advisor responded by rushing over to him. "Are you okay? I heard you were kidnapped!" She worried, whole checking over him for wounds after putting down her tray of food onto the nearby coffee table.
"I'm fine, I'm fine, my love." He chuckled. "And how are you?"
"Crazy! The guild was super busy after learning how Freya attacked and wiped out Ishtar familia. What were you thinking Bell!" She knew it wasn't his fault, but still felt the need to admonish him. Just a little.
"Hey, it wasn't my fault, but then I realised I had to save her!"
"Haruhime?"
"Yes."
He then went to explain the entire story to them both, since Ryū hadn't been told it yet. No one in his familia had, but they knew enough.
At times, Eina felt both sad and angry to her core.
The killing stone.
"How dare someone make something so evil!" She almost shouted at one point.
Bell had destroyed it, which she was glad for. Ryū had also been shaking with rage beside her while munching on a sandwich.
Something like that would completely change the balance of power in Orario forever. Plus, it explained the strange reports about the power levels within Ishtar familia.
Speaking of which, she was surprised when Bell told them about how the goddess of beauty, Ishtar, disrobed before trying to "charm him completely", but failed. The elves couldn't believe it.
"How?" They asked.
"I don't know, but all I could think about at the time was you two." Both girls turned the same colour as tomato soup when they realised he said they both were more beautiful than a literal goddess of beauty and naked as well!
"Come here." He chuckled, then gestured to each of them with a smile and a hand.
Kiss.
Kiss.
"You're both my beautiful fairy goddesses beyond compare. No one else comes close."
Now they were both redder than the evening sun as Bell looked very pleased with himself.
"Bell…" They whined, then Eina pushed him down on the sofa with her lips and arms, before remembering Ryū was there looking even more embarrassed than before. After reluctantly getting off Bell and straightening her clothes, Eina asked him to continue.
The elves winced when he mentioned how Mikoto almost sacrificed herself with an Ignis Ferrum to give him a chance to destroy the killing stone. Then fought most of the Amazons, before being thrown off the tower, which made Eina scream out his name. He reassured her it was fine, but she made him promise to never let that happen again.
His story finished when he met and defeated Aisha to save Haruhime. Ryū had arrived to help, but luckily things never got that bad. Afterwards, the fox girl from the Far East stayed with Takemikazuchi's familia at their home as they had much to catch up on. Mikoto was there too, but only for a few nights. While the rest of Hestia familia were in their own rooms right now. Trying to get some sleep.
Eina let a heavy sigh at the end, while looking down at the wooden floor.
"So that's what really happened. Freya familia is going to be harshly punished for this, but I'm glad that evil goddess is gone." Her eyes turned back on him.
"And you saved another girl." She smiled as Bell looked a little sheepish as he grabbed another sandwich. "Tell me, do you plan to go after her too?" It was a rhetorical question on her part.
.
He opened his mouth, before closing it again. Did he? Haruhime seemed like the ideal girl, but something was still missing. What was he looking for from her?
Haruhime had a breath-taking beauty that was very different and unique from Eina, Ryū, Ais, Syr or Mikoto. She also felt the most pure out of them all. However, that wasn't enough to persuade him to break his rule of three. The renart had to show him something special that made her stand out too. Beauty aside.
For Eina, it was her unwavering dedication to her profession as a guild advisor, helping him out, and taking care of her family too. Not only had she given him extra classes to make sure his dungeon crawls were a success, but she even bought an expensive piece of armour for him when he was still new to all this. Without asking for anything in return.
With Ryū, it was her genuine desire to help others, how she rose above elven supremacy and still cared about her old familia. That and how she had given up so much to make the world a better place. It made him very proud of her. Plus, how many times she had helped him out without asking for anything in return.
Ais was not only beautiful, but also kind to him. She was the first in fact, aside from the city guards, to give him a genuine smile. Eaten with him and then fought to give him a chance at his first familia. He never forgot about that and since then, she had taken every opportunity available to help him again. Without ever asking for anything in return.
A pattern was beginning to appear.
Each girl had gone out of her way to help him without asking for anything in return.
Maybe that's what he was looking for?
No, it wasn't something as simple as that, but he couldn't deny it…
They helped him a lot and it made him fall in love with them a hell of a lot faster than if they hadn't done those things.
"Bell, women don't like wishy washy behaviour from their man. That doesn't mean you need to know everything, but having a plan helps. Even if it's just two steps. Or reassure them that you'll figure it out. Doubt is always inevitable, but it's how you deal with it that makes your girls fall in love with you even more.
He thanked his grandfather, before deciding what to do next.
"Maybe, we'll see. I want Haruhime to adjust to her newfound freedom, find out who she wants to be, what she wants to do and where she wants to be. Until then, it's just you and me, girls. My beautiful fairy goddess elves."
The rest of their night was filled with sandwiches, a quick bath and a night of passion between the bed sheets as Bell made love to both of his goddesses. Giving them all the love and attention Ishtar wished he had given her.
.
On the second morning after Freya familia had laid waste to the entertainment district, a large group stood outside and within the lawn of the newly remodelled Hearth mansion.
"Bell Cranel, don't go lettin' me down. You went that far to show me what you can do, what you're capable of, so just let me say this: I'll have your head if anything happens to the li'l' tyke." Warned a dignified amazon. A clean, pure aura emanated from her now that she was no longer under the effects of Ishtar's charm, since said goddess was back in Tenkai. Forever.
"Don't worry, she'll be safe with me." Aisha nodded.
"Well, truth be told… With you here, I was considering joinin this familia myself."
"A-anyone but you! Bell doesn't need more girls to join his harem!" Hestia cried, raising both arms to physically shield him from Aisha's touch.
"A harem? Bell? Really? Wait, who is it?" The scantily clad amazon asked with a toothy grin. "Was that elf one of them?" She was referring to Ryū.
Both of his girls weren't here right now, too busy working, and no one had expected Haruhime to come here so soon. Not until Chigusa, one of Mikoto's friends from the Takemikazuchi familia, came to tell them a moment ago.
"You'll meet them soon enough." Bell smiled, deciding it was best not to share their names.
"You're no fun." Haruhime then came walking towards them from the front gates. "All done?" Aisha asked.
"Ah, Haruhime-san." Bell smiled.
The renart tried to thank Aisha for all her help, but was quickly shot down. She wasn't into the sentimental stuff. Then turning serious, Aisha promised that no one would reveal Haruhime's secret powers since only the Berbera knew and none of them would blabber. Not when it was her leading them all now.
However, before she could Bell had something to say.
"Wait, there's something Haruhime-san… needs to know, but not from me." Two sets of eyebrows were raised at him, but Aisha quickly caught on. A brief sigh escaped her lips.
"Haruhime, you're a virgin."
"?!"
"You never slept with any of your customers. You'd always pass out right before they could do anything. So I had to pick up the slack."
"B-B-B-But…"
"She speaks the truth. I'm a goddess and no one can lie to me." Hestia had now joined in on their conversation.
The fox woman's legs began to shake and she looked about ready to topple over until Bell caught her. "V-V-Virgin… I'm a virgin?"
"Yes lil' fox, everything else was just a part of wild imagination or fantasies you horny lil' fox." Unable to stand being teased like that and out in the open, the fox hid behind Bell's arm.
"You're pure Haruhime-san, and even if you weren't, I'd still save you again."
"Bell! That's enough flirting from you! You've already got Eina and Ryū!"
"Oh, so that's their names."
Hestia-sama! He screamed to himself.
The damage was done.
"...Anyway, if something's up, come find me. I don't mind shellin' out some advice if you need it."
"Thank you, Aisha-san! Thank you for everything!" Haruhime was now practically floating with excitement.
Then she officially asked to join Hestia familia.
Everyone accepted her, but their goddess had one exception.
No getting too frisky with Bell as she eyed the foxes all too friendly attitude with her white rabbit. A brief drama erupted between Lili and Hestia, as Welf introduced himself. Mikoto would then suddenly exit the front door, still recovering from the symptoms of Mind Down, and the two childhood friends reconnected with a warm hug.
Their reunion began again as they both smiled warmly at each other.
Mikoto had gotten her wish.
Haruhime thanked the rest of the familia for saving her, before turning towards Bell.
"I am delighted to call you my family, Bell-dono… May our relationship be everlasting."
She bowed deeply towards him and her face was like cherry blossoms in bloom when she finally stood up. This initiated another drama filled comedy between Lili and Hestia who found the fox's wording a little weird.
When they got back inside, everyone began to plan for a celebratory part for their new recruit. And for that, Bell knew just the place.
The Hostess of Fertility.
.
For the next month a lot of little things happened.
Haruhime became the familia's maid, which solved the house keeping problem Lili brought up earlier. The rules were as such. She would do the general cleaning of all common areas such as bedrooms, meeting rooms, the dining room etc. This included changing the bed linen to which Eina and Ryū were both very reluctant to accept. The golden fox would know exactly whenever they had sex with Bell as the sheets needed to be changed almost every time that happened.
It took a while, but Bell managed to eventually convince them to let Haruhime do her job. As for the food, each member of the familia would take turns to cook their own dishes one day a week. The meals they all looked forward to the most were when Bell and Mikoto cooked as both had extensive experience crafting meals for others.
On their days off work or when they had time, while technically not being a part of the familia, Eina and Ryū would also cook their own dishes for everyone to eat. These would be mostly elven dishes of pork, bread and many vegetables which introduced a rustic and gamey flavour everyone seemed to like. Mikoto would also help them as they kicked Bell out of the kitchen each time it was their turn. He was confused at first, but eventually let them be. Plus, it evoked a rather charming family vibe between them. Knowing his girls were excitedly working hard to make a warm that would fill his stomach and warm his heart.
.
Two days after Freya's punishment by the guild, Ryū would come back from work with the other waitresses from the Hostess of Fertility to beg Bell to keep visiting them each day to take Syr's lunches. Something about 'think of the guinness pigs', so he did. Except she was almost never there and never had a lunch prepared for him.
Which was probably for the best, Ryū thought, but she regretted telling her best friend about the kind of woman Bell had been looking for. During one of their pillow talks, he had mentioned his grandfather telling him that if a woman was "beautiful and can cook at the same time, then you should do everything in your power to make her yours before anyone else."
This was before she and Eina decided to start cooking for Bell's familia once a week. Since then, Syr had been using the waitresses as her taste testers. The food always tasted horrible, but Ryū never had the heart to tell her that. None of her co-workers did either. They all just made tiny suggestions to improve it and did their best not to throw up.
.
Bell would make up for that, without ever knowing, by taking his girls out on a mini date once a week too. Usually to try out a new food stand or bar he found during his days off and went exploring the city. Each time that happened, Haruhime would look a little dejected and Bell wished he could bring her, but this was strictly a date with him and his girls. The fox would wish them a happy time while trying to hide her sadness within.
That wouldn't last long, as each time they returned, Bell would bring something back with him. To share with Haruhime and the rest of his familia.
Her fluffy golden tail would swish excitedly from side to side behind her maid uniform each time this happened. Especially, when it'd always start with him saying he had been thinking about her and his familia after/during his date with Ryū and Eina. Going as far to gently hold her hands briefly, before handing Haruhime her gift to share with everyone else.
This came in the form of sweets normally as they were the easiest to carry back home. Bell felt fortunate that his girls never said anything, but it also helped that he was tactical about it all. Never flirting with Haruhime in front of them, so they never felt left out or that his attention was split between them and her.
It was a technique his grandfather had instilled with him. One that he was very grateful for.
.
Eleven days after Haruhime joined Hestia familia, Bell learnt something interesting.
Mikoto was pining after her god. Takemikazuchi.
It only became obvious when she threw her carefully baked cake for him at his face.
From that point onwards, Bell secretly wished her all the luck possible.
She was an incredibly beautiful and attractive woman.
But he needed a way to whittle down the woman on his list to be the fourth girl special woman in his harem.
This was as good a reason as any to exclude Mikoto from his list.
So only Syr and Haruhime were left, with the renart being a clear favourite so far.
She still had to provide herself though.
Be that special something he was looking for.
.
Maybe another healer is needed.
Eina thought when she saw Ryū accidentally knock Bell out for the fifth time during an early morning training session. The elven warrior didn't know how to control herself and received a harsh reprimand from the dungeon advisor.
.
Lili had also almost married off to the captain of Loki familia, Finn Deimne, but had decided not to at the last minute. It was a very strange episode, but he respected her decision.
.
A mini expedition between Hestia and Takemikazuch familia to the dungeon went off without a hitch.
However, the same could not be said for Eina's safety as she walked home from work each day. Several stalkers had begun tailing her until it was revealed to be her admirers, fellow adventurers, who had been tricked by their respective gods. Bell had almost killed them, but then shut down any of their future advances by declaring Eina to be his woman and kissed her in front of them.
She turned bright red afterwards while nervously admitting it to be true.
Bell was the man she loved.
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Twenty six days after Freya familia's penalty was handed out by the guild, Bell was tasked with finding out where Syr had been after skipping out from work for ten days. No one knew anything about her outside of work and they all wanted to know. For gossip and to know that she was safe.
It felt like pure luck, but he quickly found her and what she had been doing all this time.
Syr had been visiting an orphanage in a church hidden within Orario's "second dungeon". A residential area with absolutely no sense of order or direction. It was a place where the poor usually lived. She had arrived to help them in her own way.
Then by some miracle of the gods, Syr had managed to convince him to lay his head on her lap. Bell felt like a cornered rabbit with no way of escape, so he just accepted it. Plus, it felt nice.
Hours later when the kids were tired and put to bed, Syr revealed that she had grown up in the slums as an orphan. Just like the kids she saw today. Bell was moved and discovered a newfound respect for her. She felt like a good person. Someone he could relate and feel a little closer to as well.
Once the kids woke up, they begged him to investigate a "mysterious voice" near the orphanage. That's how Bell met a monster who almost bested him and killed Syr. Only to be saved by a cat man, Vana Freya, from Freya familia. A top-tier adventurer.
.
Two days later, Hestia was kidnapped after running away from home. Bell was confused at first, but then chased after her with Ais who he met at the city gates. They managed to rescue his goddess, but not without her catching a fever. With a little luck they stumbled across a nearby small secluded village, called Edas, deep in the Beor Mountain range.
The villagers there were very friendly, offering food and shelter at no charge. Their leader, Kam, was kind and had taken it upon himself to personally look after them. In return, Bell and Ais helped them prepare for an upcoming festival to celebrate fertility. Everyone danced, even Hestia who had gotten well enough to stand on her two feet, but it wasn't all smiles. Kam was about to greet death's door due to his old age and he asked for Hestia's presence. His last breaths were spent asking Hestia if he would ever see the women he loved in heaven. A goddess who sacrificed herself to save him.
Hestia recognised the goddess as a good friend and responded as her instead. The man gasped as tears ran down his cheeks. His last words were, "I love you." Before he closed his eyes and slept forever with a smile on his face.
The entire village cried and mourned the passing of a leader and man they all loved like a second father.
I'm sorry grandfather.
It was all too much for Bell, as he was reminded of how he was never there for his grandfather's passing. They never found his body and he had never thought about it until now, but…
What were my grandfather's last words?
He had no idea.
A monster had taken the only relative he had left.
No mother. No father. No grandfather.
Suddenly, he felt all lonely again.
Bell squeezed his hands.
I wish I could have been there for you.
But nothing could change that.
He looked around the room and saw Ais covering her face with a sleeve, struggling to hold back her own tears.
Who could she be thinking of right now?
She was standing right next to him.
Then snapped her head at him in surprise.
Her hand was very cold, he noticed with his own, but she didn't pull away.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
The sword princess tried to open her mouth, but nothing came out. Bell flicked his head towards the door and she glanced over there, before accepting his offer with a small nod.
Soon, they reached a small clearing inside a forest just north of the village. The moonlight shone down from above and illuminated leaf littered ground below them. It was eerily silent. Deciding this place was as good as any, Bell stopped and turned towards her.
"Let's sit down over there." He offered with a quick gesture of his hand towards a nearby tree. Ais looked at him, before offering a small smile and nodded. They sat down side by side with their backs leaning against the tree, before Bell brought their joined hands towards his lap. The golden haired girl stared at him in surprise.
"Your hand is cold." He stated, while rubbing it with both of his hands.
Her rosy red cheeks told him she liked it, before turning her head away.
They sat in silence for a little longer.
"You don't have to say anything, but… just know that I'm here for you."
Ais looked at him in surprise.
"... Thank you." She whispered, before leaning her head against his shoulder. Bell then removed one of his hands holding hers and wrapped it around her shoulder too. Ais tensed briefly, before sinking further into him. They both sighed deeply.
This feels so nice.
After what felt like a long time, Bell spoke up.
"I lost my grandfather about a year ago to a monster attack. He was the only family I had left and he was always there for me. I miss him… a lot." He didn't know where he was going with this, but felt it was important to share.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's okay, I have friends now… and a familia I'm grateful for. I'm not alone." Then a smile broke out. "Not when there's a beautiful girl like you in my arms." Bell couldn't stop himself from chuckling when Ais ducked her head down and tried to make herself as small as possible. Still, she didn't try to pull away.
"Hey, I mean it. You're always there for me. No matter what. You even saved my life a few times and I never got the chance to thank you properly. Like the War Game with Apollo, I couldn't have won that without you or Tiona's help. I would have loved to invite both you girls to my familia's celebration afterwards, but you know our goddesses wouldn't allow that." Ais nodded as he pulled her in even closer to him.
.
She didn't know what this was, but it felt nice and she wanted more of it. So Ais grabbed the hand holding onto hers and cupped it with both hands, making him gasp.
"Am I doing it wrong?" Bell looked frightened, but quickly calmed down.
"No, you're doing it perfectly." That was good to know, she smiled.
Silence lingered on for a little longer, before Ais spoke again.
"You don't need to pay me back or anything… I enjoyed training you and being around you." Her heart began beating faster as she confessed.
"Still, I want to give you something in return…" Bell tried to think of what that could be. Did he dare take Ais on a proper date? No, the gulf between their familias was still too great. So what then?
"How about this, when we get back, I'll buy you your favourite jyaga maru kun." Her eyes lit up. "I'll buy you two of your favourite jyaga maru kun!"
"Haha. Okay." She laughed.
"So, what else do you like to eat?" He asked and Ais shared. The more they talked about their favourite foods, Bell noticed something different about the girl in his arms. She smiled a lot. The Ais he saw now was very different from the one people normally saw in Orario. This made him feel happy, to know she trusted him with this side of her.
Unfortunately, they couldn't stay like this for long as the night grew darker and the temperature dropped. His goddess must have been worried sick about them after they left her alone. Ais agreed on that.
Bell realised later he had completely forgotten to ask Ais about what she was thinking back when Kam passed away, but figured the girl wasn't ready to share that yet. No worries, he told himself. Seeing her smile so carefree was more than enough for tonight.
When they got back, an angry Hestia was about to berate them when she noticed their joined hands and then saw their faces. Bell expected her to explode, but she simply sighed and said, "What am I going to do with you, Bell?"
Once Ais was in her bedroom, his goddess finally berated him, quietly and none too harshly in his room. Then they talked about heaven, souls, and reincarnation. No matter how many times Bell was reborn, Hestia said she would always offer him a place in her familia. He was grateful for that and hugged her, before going to sleep in their respective rooms.
.
They stayed an extra day to help out with Kam's funeral, doing whatever they could, and then left the next morning to return to Orario. While their trip ended on a sad note, Bell felt happy. Ais had agreed to visit the village again with him in the future. Hestia wasn't happy with this and told the sword princess to visit with her own familia instead.
Then as they were walking together with his goddess in front of them, she spun around suddenly to see two hands joined together. Dark clouds began to form overhead. Ais panicked and tried to pull away, but flung Bell across the plains when he refused to let go.
Horrified, she ran up to him shouting, "Sorry!" His goddess tried to push her away until Bell stopped her.
"Kami-sama. Please, don't blame her. She's just afraid of what you might think."
"Oh course, she's afraid! That flat chested goddess would wipe us off the map if she saw this and so would I if I were in her position!"
"I know, but I like Ais." The girl being mentioned turned a vivid shade of pink. His goddess opened her mouth to speak again, but Bell interrupted her. "I'll be careful, I promise."
A few heavy sighs later and Hestia agreed. Then Bell asked her to give them a moment.
"I'm sorry about that, she gets a bit overprotective with me. Especially when it comes to beautiful women." Ais seemed to shrink away in embarrassment, before being halted by his hand holding hers. "But I like you." The girl looked at him in surprise, her cheeks turning from pink to red.
"I… like you too." She couldn't properly look him in the eyes, but her confession was enough.
"Kami-sama is right, we do need to be more careful about this. I don't want to have to fight you or your familia, I like them. Especially you..." The golden girl's cheeks burned again as she took a few peeks at his face, but was unable to say anything. So he stood up and offered his hand, which she took. Then they walked quietly all the way back to Orario, hand in hand.
Well, almost.
Hestia insisted that she hold onto his other hand too.
It seemed like the only way to calm her down, so he accepted.
Then an idea came to mind.
"Ais."
"Hmm?"
"Do you think… Loki-sama would let me take you out on a date if… I bought her some jyaga maru kun?" It wasn't a serious question, but Ais didn't seem to know that.
"Hmmm… I don't know, she seems to prefer Soma wine instead." Bell broke out in a fit of laughter as his goddess palmed her face beside him.
When he finally managed to recollect himself, Bell joked again, "How about both?"
"Maybe?"
This girl was just too much.
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A.N.
So, I try to make sure Bell is always in the room and he's leading the POV during the story, but for some reason I felt the need to start with Eina and Ryū. Normally, I'd tell it through flashbacks instead, but I don't think I'll do it often or again. Still, it gives a way to freshen up the story with something unique.
Plus, this was a super hard chapter to write, but eventually I manage to add enough of my own spin without changing the canon story too much. The main reason why Ais didn't share anything about her parents is because her personality is still mostly a blank slate in canon and I don't want to explore too much until we get her arc properly fleshed out in canon. Which is still a few years away from happening.
Chapter 21: 5948 words. (Including a few dots that act as transitions and dividers)
