Sometimes Bell wondered if a more peaceful life would be more suited for him. He could feel the stomach ache from all the events and twists and dramas pile up in him, as he grimaced. Not to mention he felt a weird sense of deja vu, as they witnessed the girl, Nana, now cleaned up, fidget around as she was interrogated by them. Well, less them, as he himself, Haruhime and Kojiro didn't exactly have experience in this sort of thing and more by the Astraea Familia, sans Lyra and Arash, as they have been assigned to different areas in Orario and also slept there. It almost felt like he was looking at Nyx as Nana seemed at the verge of hyperventilating. He felt a bit of respect for her that she still tried to keep her back straight as Astraea calmly asked her questions, to make sure that this was indeed an innocent little sister and not some sort of trick.
"So the rumors of the Gojouno clan being wiped out are false?"
Nana nodded, taking a shaking breath.
"Y-Yes, most of the clan survived. We went into hiding after... well, someone wanted us to hide."
At this point Bell could read between the lines and bit his lip. He could imagine it, a great force basically hunting down a big family for sport, forcing the latter to go to whatever underground cave or hideout they had. However, he, Haruhime and Hestia seemed to be the only ones to feel pity for the girl, as most of the Astraea Familia didn't even twitch as they kept their eyes on Nana and their weapons in reach.
"Alright. Now please explain why you were hiding away from us for such a long time."
"I... " Nana swallowed before lowering her head. "I didn't think I deserved to meet Kaguya-nee... She-She had enough things to deal with... "
Frowning, he tilted his head. Nobody was undeserving of anything, in his opinion. He hated it when girls like her or Nyx were such giant messes due to their environment. But beneath his bleeding heart, he couldn't help but hold suspicions himself. Not that Nana wasn't a good girl, but that there was something more. That she was hiding something. Astraea shared a look with the other girls, seemingly agreeing with what he thought and leaned back a bit with a frown.
"And since when have you-"
"Enough with the questions! She is clearly not okay!"
Bell winced, as did everyone else. Right, then there was the one who was the most shocked by and most invested in this turn of events. Kaguya had slammed her hands down on the table, visibly snarling at her own goddess. He didn't expect the Senbonzakura to react like this, after she managed to restart her own brain after seeing her own sister, believed to be dead like everyone else, to knock on her doorway. It was the first reaction she showed that wasn't just "wide eyed frozen statue with crossed arms". Astraea blinked before clearing her throat as she raised her hands in a placating manner.
"I'm sorry but you have to understand this is weird."
"So what?!" Kaguya stood up and hid her sister behind her back, actually growling at her Familia. "I'm vouching for her, end of story! Not to mention you asked more than enough!"
She looked at everyone, daring for anyone to object with a heated glare. It was unlike her. Not that she would get angry easily or that she picked fights with her own Familia, but that she was so overprotective right now. Astraea sighed, shaking her head before raising her hand and glanced at her other Familia members.
"Very well. She is your responsibility then."
Kaguya nodded back, somewhat calming down. But then her younger sister tugged at her sleeve, smiling awkwardly before looking away.
"It's-it's alright. I... am suspicious."
The older sister softened up considerably and knelt down, her hands touching Nana's shoulders and giving them a soft squeeze.
"That doesn't make it right." She gently brushed her non prosthetic hand against Nana's cheek, smiling a bit."You've been through a lot, haven't you?"
The outsider pressed her lips together and looked away, unwilling to say anything. But that said more than enough. Kaguya sighed and hugged the girl, patting her head a few times.
"You silly girl. Am I that unreliable?"
"...You did leave us…"
Nana's eyes widened as she escaped from the hug, covering her mouth. The way her eyes momentarily darkened, it must have been nothing more than an impulsive thought. But the words were already out, as Kaguya winced, biting her lip. Nana was about to lower her head to apologize, but Kaguya raised her hand, shaking her head with a wry smile.
"No, you're right. You deserve to be mad." She took a deep breath and crossed her arms, a small frown on her face. "How are the others?"
"I... I haven't seen them for a long time."
Bell and the others looked at their goddesses, who subtly shook their heads. No lie there then. He still felt something was off, but it wasn't Nana's fault as far as he could tell. Said girl yawned and blushed at her own actions, earning a giggle from her older sister, who promptly decided to tug her into a guest room bed, despite weak objections raised against her. Walking back out with a satisfied smile, she raised an eyebrow at everyone who gave her a weird look, causing her smile to disappear as she put her hands on her hips.
"What?"
"Didn't expect to see you act so... sisterly," Ryuu said slowly, pressing her lips together after saying her words. Kaguya huffed in response.
"What, am I not allowed to have a soft spot, captain?" She smiled a bit, her eyes glazing over as she got lost in memories. "Nana was always the most frail of my siblings. But she was also the nicest of them all. Untainted, you could say."
Bell tried to imagine a younger version of Kaguya and blushed a bit. He immediately looked away when Ryuu's head snapped towards him. Alise cleared her throat and smacked her lips, eyes narrowed.
"What do you think about your family surviving?" She asked in her serious captain voice. Kaguya sighed as she leaned against the wall.
"Clan. I don't consider them my family." A scoff escaped her. "And yet… I feel a certain sense of relief."
That wasn't something most could relate too. Maybe Ryuu and Haruhime, due to their issues with their own family. But Bell himself never had to imagine a what if where he hated Grandpa, but was torn by his death, only to potentially find out he was back. That was just not something he ever had to think about.
"It's definitely the Night Queen," Kaguya growled suddenly, her hands clenched into fists. "Tch, as if it wasn't personal enough."
It made sense, they all thought with a deep frown. If anyone had their fingers literally everywhere, it was the damn Slave trader. She was certainly powerful enough to push a big clan like the Gojouno into hiding. The fact that they didn't do anything so far, just felt like the peace before a storm.
"What are you planning with Nana?" Astraea asked. Kaguya mulled over the question before nodding to herself.
"Make her join a non combative Familia. Definitely not ours.
Hestia raised her thumb in response, chuckling a bit.
"Well, I go way back with Miach, so I could hook your sister up with him! Even if she doesn't get a Falna, she could always be two more supporting hands for him!"
"That'd be great. She was always the herb girl, haha."
That would explain her hands. Weirdly colored, blisters, even scars. One could mistake them for a warrior's hand. Bell then looked at the clock before leading Kojiro and Haruhime away. It was time for the dungeon and they needed to meet their daily quota. Had to work even harder since Solaris volunteered to support Lyra and Arash in their patrols across the city. Thus, the trio left their home and walked down the streets. It felt a bit awkward, as they all still felt suspicions about Nana, but not anything substantial to call her out on. Not to mention it would be rude. Still, the silence was killing him, so he turned to Kojiro with a hesitant look.
"How is... Aiz doing?"
He blushed, remembering the words of Ryuu. Kojiro didn't show that he noticed, instead rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"She has gotten better at fighting human opponents." He smiled a bit. "I'd say the time away from monsters does her good."
"Really?" Bell asked, relief filling his voice. The Sword Saint nodded, a teasing tone entering his voice.
"Yes. So it should be safe for you to approach her."
Bell gulped before frowning at him.
"You make her sound like an animal."
"Sometimes she is."
He recalled her mannerisms and coughed awkwardly. Okay, yes, sometimes she was. Still, it was good to hear she was getting better, mentally. Maybe he should follow up on their advice and pay her a vi-
It happened suddenly. Despite his status as a level four, he was still hit by surprise, tackled. Kaguya would shame him for not paying attention and getting knocked down by someone very small. Out of reflex, he hugged the entity back, who wrapped their own arms around him and started to... snuggle their head against his chest? Down on the ground, Bell could only blink in surprise.
"It's you! I found you, Mister!"
He tensed up. That voice. He heard that one before. Slowly, he looked down. His eyes widened. Kojiro raised an eyebrow. And Haruhime let out a gasp, covering her mouth. Despite the hood, with as close as they were, they could clearly see her face. And it was a face Bell knew. Quickly, he pulled her hood down even more, causing the girl to let out a squeak, before giggling and hugging him even more.
"B-Bell, is that a-?!"
A monster. Not only that, it was the same monster he met in the lower levels. When he, Filvis and Lefiya fought against a Monster Rex to rescue her. What were the odds of that happening?! As if that weren't enough, he felt three shadows on him. Looking up, he felt a weird sense of satisfaction.
Liliruca. Shirou. Hans. They all stared at him with unreadable expressions, before looking down at the small girl cuddling up against him.
"Err."
"Whoopsie!"
"Damn it, Wiene..."
Aha, so they were involved in whatever this was! Bell knew it!...whatever this was...
Hans let out a sigh, before cracking his neck.
"Welp, guess we're paying them a visit sooner than expected."
"Pay who a visit?" Kojiro asked loudly. In response, Hans merely smirked.
It was a very scary sight, as Bell and Haruhime shuddered.
