Disclaimer: I do not own Danmachi.
Should have done this in the first chapter but I forgot. There will be other ships (Only Aiz is going to end up with Bell), but this story is mainly Aiz and Bell related so I'm going to be switching from their POVs. Feel free to comment at the end.
—-
The morning before the encounter in the tavern Bell was training outside of Hearth mansion. It was six in the morning and the sun was beginning to rise above the city walls. Since it was so early it was only Bell who was awake at the time. To avoid waking up anyone with the noise he walked to the edge of their lawn before he started practicing.
Bell was excited to start training since he was able to get his cast off last night. He was wearing his usual armor to get a feel for it again. He flexed his left arm before he took out his two daggers and got in his stance. As he got in his stance it was all quiet, and after a moment he took off.
His twin dagger carved arcs of purple and white light through the air as he moved. He was constantly moving, jumping, and spinning in the air before delivering a kick and landing swinging his blade some more. To someone watching from the outside, all they would have seen was a white blur with purple and white slices. After a few minutes of this Bell stopped and wiped off the sweat.
'Looks like my left arm is back to normal. Looks like we can go back to the dungeon soon. Man, Miss Amid is amazing.' Bell thought to himself as he held his left hand in front of him. 'Still, we shouldn't go too deep at first. Maybe go check in on Rivira to see how they are doing. That should be good enough for a test.'
He started chuckling to himself as he thought that. In just six months he had changed so much from when he arrived in Orario. He was still the same height at 5"5', but even though he was still lean he was more muscular than before. He also thought was a little more confident and brave than he used to be. While he was standing there reminiscing about all the people and things he experienced since he arrived in the city, someone was walking on the other side of the fence.
It was Lord Takemikazuchi who was waiting till Bell finished his exercise to announce himself. He was wearing his usual robes and when Bell saw him he smiled and walked to the edge of the fence.
"Hello Lord Takemikazuchi, sorry I didn't notice you till now." He greeted him while bowing.
"No need to apologize. I didn't want to disturb your training either." Takemikazuchi replied before he lightly hopped over the fence. "By the way I see you are fully recovered. Congratulations Bell, I know you've been getting anxious."
Bell blushed lightly with an awkward smile on his face as he asked what he was doing here so early.
"Mikoto asked me to come by to help her train this morning before I go to work." He replied before asking his question. "I couldn't help but notice as I was watching you train. But do you have any experience with barehanded martial arts?"
Bell had a shy embarrassed look on his face as he answered. "Not really the only training I've gotten is with Aiz, but that is with a weapon. Before arriving in Orario I'd never done any fighting. Why is it that noticeable?"
"No not at all, actually for someone who only started fighting within the last six months you are remarkably good with your fighting style." Takemikazuchi paused for a second before continuing. "It's just that the Sword Princess' fighting style that you use seems to be focused on monsters and is less equipped to deal with other humans."
"Wait wait! You can tell I use Aiz's fighting style?" Bell asked with a blush.
Takemikazuchi looked at him for a second before smiling and laughing. "Of course, I'm sure that anyone who has seen the both of you fight can figure it out."
When Bell heard that he got even redder as he thought about it. 'Now that I think of it Phryne did notice it right away.' As he was getting lost in his mind, Takemikazuchi smiled before gently moving the conversation along.
"So I was wondering as a thank you for looking after my daughter, would you like me to teach you a martial arts style?"
When Bell heard that he immediately looked up at Takemikazuchi. When he saw that Takemikazuchi was serious he grinned with joy. "Yes, I would love to. Are you sure it's okay?"
Takemikazuchi just nodded and continued. "Of course, it would be fine. I may not look it but I am the god of martial arts. I got the perfect style that would work with your fighting style."
As Bell was about to ask what style it was, Takemikazuchi continued. "Well with your strength it may be a bit difficult to show you properly. Hmm, what to do?" As he was questioning how to best teach Bell, someone was running towards them from the house.
It was Mikoto who used her skill to find where Takemikazuchi was when he didn't arrive at the front gate on time. She was wearing her usual light purple fighting kimono. She stopped right before then and bowed while greeting them. When she got there Takemikazuchi smiled at her.
"Perfect timing Mikoto. Would you mind if Bell watched us for a while before we started your training?" Takemikazuchi asked, knowing his daughter could be a little shy.
Mikoto looked a little confused but still nodded her head. "I don't mind but may I ask what you are watching for?" She asked Bell.
"Well Lord Takemikazuchi said he would teach me a martial arts style!" Bell replied excitedly.
Takemikazuchi finished Bell's sentence. "Exactly so I was hoping to have him watch me while we spar at first."
Once she heard that she smiled and asked if they were ready. As they both nodded Bell went to the side to watch them from a good view. Mikoto and Takemikazuchi then stood a few feet apart and got in their stances.
Mikoto took a typical stance with her body slightly tilted with her left foot in front and her left arm extended with her right arm near her body. Takemikazuchi took a different stance than he normally would. He was slightly crouched forward lowering his height and had both of his arms bent in front of him. Both of them didn't move at all just staring at each other for a second then as if waiting for the same thing they both dashed in.
As soon as Mikoto got into range she immediately threw a jab with her left hand toward Takemikazuchi's head but he instantly brought his right hand up to parry it with his elbow before moving closer to her side while he threw a quick jab with his right hand. Mikoto saw it coming and brought up her left hand to block the attack. But that attack was a diversion and Takemikazuchi once he was on her right side brought his left hand up grabbed her face and pushed her backwards while he simultaneously swiped her legs from underneath her with his left leg. As she was falling, Takemikazuchi bent down with her and threw a fist toward her face but stopped before it hit her.
As Bell stood there stunned to see how easily the god overpowered an adventurer, Takemikazuchi calmly looked at Mikoto and said again. Once she heard that Mikoto rolled away from him before charging towards him again. Takemikazuchi just watched as she rolled away and returned to his stance.
Mikoto realized that she needed to try something new and threw a flurry of low kicks toward his front leg. Takemikazuchi moved back to dodge them and when Mikoto put her leg down in front of her he darted forward. Mikoto's eyes widened in shock and she tried to back step but he wouldn't let her. With a rush of elbows and jabs, she ducked and weaved as she tried to get some distance. After a few seconds of this, Takemikazuchi threw a left low kick toward her thigh. As her attention was focused on his arms this attack landed with a loud slapping noise. Mikoto winced in slight pain and Takemikazuchi took advantage of that. He pushed forward and deflected Mikoto's desperate attacks with his elbows before he grabbed her left thigh with his hand. As he did that he also hooked his right foot behind her left one and brought it up. Finally, he put his right forearm on her neck and pushed her down so she fell again.
'Not again! I won't go down so easily twice!' As Mikoto thought this she brought her right arm around his neck and squeezed before she hit the ground. Bell looked at them to see who had the upper hand. Takemikazuchi made the landing soft to not hurt his daughter more than necessary but doing so cost him. Takemikazuchi was straddling Mikoto who had her legs wrapped around his waist to make sure he couldn't escape. Mikoto was using her left hand to push away the arm on her throat while her right arm had him in a chokehold. Bell saw this and thought it was over. Takemikazuchi, who was seconds away from passing out, used his free left hand to grab her right wrist. When he grabbed it he used his thumb to jab into her wrist. Mikoto winced in pain and Takemikazuchi used that brief weakening in her grip to break out. Once he was free he brought his left hand up getting ready to hammer his fist down.
Mikoto untangled her legs from his waist and got on her knees before she punched with her right fist. Unfortunately, Takemikazuchi dodged it while hooking his right arm with her's before moving behind her and putting her in an armor lock. While her arm was locked behind her back he stomped his foot on the back of her leg so she couldn't move away. Then he threw his left arm around her neck in a chokehold. This all happened in a few seconds giving her no time to react to it until it was too late. When Mikoto realized this she used her left hand to tap out of the fight.
When he felt her tap out, Takemikazuchi let go of her to stand up and offered her a hand. Mikoto took it with a smile as she stood up. Bell who was watching from the sideline moved closer so he could talk to them.
"That was amazing!" Bell praised the both of them after the spar was over. He was eager to start learning so he could get stronger. "I don't think I could have won against you guys if it was barehanded."
Takemikazuchi just smiled at Bell's enthusiasm. "No martial arts can only close the gap of fighters so much. With someone of your level, you could have easily overpowered us. But I hope I was able to teach how useful it can be in a fight against another person."
"Yeah, I didn't know a god could be so strong in the lower world." Bell was in awe of how strong Lord Takemikazuchi was without his godly powers. It was Mikoto who answered him.
"Of course he is. Don't forget Lord Takemikazuchi is the god of martial arts. Just like Lady Hephaestus is still an amazing smith with her powers Lord Takemikazuchi is still a martial arts prodigy." Mikoto proudly bragged about her former god.
Takemikazuchi just laughed at her praise while saying, "Yes, I'm confident I could win against most level twos and maybe a few level threes." Then he looked at Mikoto and smiled gently at her before continuing. "But very soon I doubt I will be able to keep up with you, Mikoto. Ah, to think my daughter is going to surpass me. It makes me very proud as your mentor."
Mikoto looked at him with her mouth agape before she started brightly blushing and stuttering. "No! Lord Takemikazuchi I-I still have a long way to go before I r-reach you." She finished muttering getting quieter after every word. Takemikazuchi continued to smile as she talked and just patted her head when she was done talking. This caused her to blush even more, but she stayed still so he could keep rubbing her head. Bell who was watching this awkwardly wondered if he should even be here anymore.
Before Bell could quietly sneak off Takemikazuchi turned back to him. "So about learning a martial arts, what do you think about that style? I chose one that would mix well with your style of close-distance fighting."
"Yes, I would love to learn it. What is the style called?" Bell asked once he was sure he wanted to learn this style.
"It is called Silat. It is an Eastern martial arts style that involves soft movements such as deflecting or blocking attacks with your elbows and getting in close to your opponent. It involves not only strikes but also grappling and joint manipulation. It also works with weapons, daggers in particular. There is more but for now, let us start slow." Takemikazuchi ended his explanation with a smile. Once Bell nodded to show he understood Takemikazuchi continued.
"The first part I'm going to teach you is the form for deflecting attacks and striking. That seems like it will be the easiest for you to learn since you are used to parrying attacks. After that, I'm going to show you a bit of grappling and joint locks but that is something that you can't practice without a partner. It would be preferred if they were around the same level as you to make practice better. If anyone comes to mind please ask for their assistance."
Bell nodded and paused to see if he could think of anyone. Aiz was the first one who came to mind but he didn't want to bother her even more. He also thought of Lyu and Aisha who were level 4 and had more experience with fighting than him.
While Bell was thinking, Takemikazuchi asked Mikoto if she was willing to help Bell for a while before they started her training. Mikoto nodded her head in agreement. With everyone on board, they started the training until it was time for breakfast.
—-
After training for a few hours they went inside for a quick rinse before Bell had to start getting breakfast ready for his familia. Since he didn't have much time he quickly made a simple breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and some bacon. He was just finishing up as people started coming down.
It was Haruhime who arrived first. Since it was the morning she was just wearing a red yukata and not her usual maid outfit. When she walked through the doors and saw Bell she offered him a greeting.
"Good morning Master Bell." She said before letting out a yawn. "Would you like some help preparing breakfast?"
"No, I'm almost done and it looks like you're still sleepy. Thank you though." Bell smiled at her before he started bringing the food over. As he was doing that the rest of the familia slowly started to arrive. First, it was Lilly then after her Welf came down together with Hestia, and finally, once everyone sat down Mikoto came in after soaking in the bath. When everyone sat down Bell finished putting the last of the food on the table. With that, everyone sat down and started grabbing food to eat. It was quiet at first as most of them were just waking up but as everyone started to wake up after eating they began talking.
"So Bell, how does it feel to have your arm out of that cast?" Welf asked after grabbing a second serving of bacon.
Bell finished chewing his eggs and took a sip of his orange juice before he answered. "It feels nice. I'm still trying to get used to moving like before."
"You seemed fine when we were training, Sir Bell." Mikoto jumped in.
"You were training with Mikoto?" Haruhime asked, confused as Bell didn't normally train with her. Bell looked at her and answered.
"Yes, just for a few hours today. Since Lord Takemikazuchi said he would train me in some martial arts." That got everyone's attention. It was a huge help to be able to get help from a god.
"Oh Take is helping you? How nice of him." Hestia said. "So how is the training going?"
"Well it was the first day so we only did a little to get started. It was mostly just learning forms and the Lord Takemikazuchi showed me what it felt like to be grappled."
"You should be more proud Sir Bell, you did remarkably well today considering it was your first day." Mikoto praised him. They kept talking about the training for a while before having some small talk. As everyone was finishing up breakfast Lilly asked what everyone was doing today.
Hestia answered first while helping everyone clean up. "I have to go to work today." She said as she pouted annoyedly that she couldn't spend time with Bell.
"I will be at the forge all day repairing all the equipment our captain broke." He said while slyly grinning at Bell who just awkwardly laughed.
Mikoto and Haruhime both had nothing to do since the Takemikazuchi familia was coming over to use their bath.
When Lilly heard that nodded her head. "Well Haruhime, do you mind helping me grab supplies? We are a little low after the expedition and that whole Knossos situation."
Haruhime agreed, happy that she could help out. She finished grabbing the plates to bring to Bell who was washing them.
"What about you Master Bell would you mind helping?" She shyly asked as her tail swished behind her.
"Sure if you and Lilly don't mind," Bell replied but then thought of something. "But is it okay if we stop off somewhere first?" Lilly, who happily agreed, asked Bell where he wanted to go.
"I want to stop by the Benevolent Mistress to let Lyu know I've finished healing."
Hestia, who was more annoyed knowing that both of them were about to spend time with Bell let out a groan when she heard where he wanted to go. She turned to Lilly and grabbed her shoulders.
"Supporter! As your goddess, I'm counting on you to make sure that elf doesn't do anything to my Bell!" She frantically told her. When Bell heard that he laughed.
"You have nothing to worry about Goddess. Lyu would never hurt me." Bell said with a bright smile.
When Hestia saw that she just sighed as Lilly nodded determinedly.
—-
By the time the three of them were ready, it was around 10 a.m. They were gonna stop by the tavern real quick before they started getting supplies for their next dungeon trip. As they were walking they noticed that people were looking at and talking about them.
"I wonder why people are staring at us," Bell said oblivious as normal. Haruhime giggled to herself as Lilly sighed at his lack of awareness.
"Mr. Bell you might not realize it but we have been getting more well-known as a familia. You in particular always have some rumor flying around whether it's good or bad." She explained.
"Sorry." Bell blushed. "But I've gotten better so there shouldn't be any new rumors."
"You mean you got better at hiding what you do," Lilly muttered. When Haruhime heard that she laughed some more. When Bell heard that he smiled and went on.
"Well, it's not gonna be about just me." When Bell said that they looked at him curiously, he just smiled at them and continued. "Soon people are going to be talking about our familia as a whole. With everyone getting stronger it won't be long before people know about how amazing you guys are as well." When they heard that they blushed as they stammered a response. Fortunately for them, they arrived at their destination.
The Benevolent Mistress was a two-story stone building that was in the western part of Orario. They walked up to the door and Bell held the door open for the two of them. The interior was bigger than expected and brought a comfortable feeling to those who entered it. When they walked through the door they saw it was slightly busy. Since it was still in the morning they were serving regular citizens and not adventurers. The bar part of the tavern was closed until nighttime so all of the customers were sitting at the tables. After they walked in they saw Anya and Runoa delivering orders to customers. They went to sit down until they were noticed by Chloe who saw them when they came in.
"I would recognize that butt anywhere. It's a bit early for adventures to be here but I can make an exception for you." Chloe joked with Bell when she got to the table.
"Hey, Chloe sorry to bother you guys when you're all working. I just wanted to talk to Lyu real quick before we go." Bell asked her.
"Sure she's coming this way right now anyway," Chloe replied as she looked over her shoulder to see Lyu coming.
"Good morning Bell," Lyu said when she arrived before greeting the other two familia members with him. "Good morning to you both as well. What brings you all here this early?"
"I came to see you Lyu," Bell said. When she heard that she let out a gasp and started blushing then Bell continued talking. "I came to tell you that I've finally healed up from my injuries and thought you wanted to know."
When Lyu heard that she began to calm down and looked fully at him. She saw that he wasn't wearing his cast anymore over his usual brown jacket. As she was inspecting him Anya and Runoa walked up to see what was distracting their coworkers.
"What's all the commotion over here?" Runoa asked Chloe who was making grabbing motions at Bell.
"Bell came to tell Lyu that he was done healing."
"That's not the only reason I came over." Bell interrupted her. With all the people here he got up and bowed down to them. "As the Captain of the Hestia Familia and as a friend thank you all for helping me and Lyu when we needed it." He finished by looking up and smiling at them. They looked shocked at first before they smiled back and started joking around.
"Well, Chloe since he's thanking us so nicely we should get a reward right?" Anya asked Chloe who was smiling next to her.
"Yeah, you're right Anya. Good thing I know the perfect gift." She grinned at Bell who took a nervous step back. Runoa sighed and was about to step in before Mama Mia appeared behind them.
"And what are you lazy slackers doing in the middle of rush hour?" She asked menacingly behind her workers who jumped when they heard her. The waitress immediately dashed away to work before they could get hit. When they all left Mia saw Bell sighed and glared at him. "Should've figured it was you distracting all my girls."
"Sorry I didn't mean to distract them while you guys were busy I just wanted to say thanks for them helping me before." Bell stammered nervously.
When Mia heard that she looked at Bell a bit before humming. "Hmph. If you want to say your thanks you should repay us. That's just good manners right?"
"Huh? I mean sure what do you want?" Bell was confused as to what she wanted. When she heard that Mia grinned at him.
"You're going to work here for today." A second after saying that there was a second of silence before he said "What!?" Haruhime and Lilly looked shocked behind Bell and didn't know what to say.
"Let me explain," Mia started. "Syr didn't show up for work and we are busy today so I need the extra help. And since you owe us a favor it all works out."
Lilly objected immediately when Mia was finished talking. "Wait, you can't just take Mr. Bell like that. He has things to do today."
"So the Hestia familia can't pay back their debts huh?" Once Bell heard that he immediately made his mind up.
"I will help!" He told her before saying. "But I've never done this type of work before."
"It's fine you won't be doing much besides writing people's orders and taking them their food." Mia was grinning knowing she won.
"But Master Bell…" Haruhime trailed off when she realized he wouldn't change his mind.
Bell just smiled sadly at her and apologized.
"Sorry Haruhime, you and Lilly will have to get the supplies yourself."
"Understand you can count on me Mr. Bell, we will be quick and come save you," Lilly said before she grabbed Haruhime and left the tavern.
'It's not like I'm in danger.' Bell thought before Mia dragged him behind near the stairs to get changed.
"There's a room upstairs to change. Once you get changed I'll tell you what to do. Sorry, we only have one male outfit but it will have to do."
While Bell was getting changed Mia was telling the rest of the staff about him helping out. He came down in his new uniform. It was a white button-up with black dress pants and a green sleeveless vest that fit him well. When Mama Mia saw him she nodded approvingly and got to explaining.
"Since it's your first time doing this, let's keep it simple. You just need to wash the dishes for now. And when we need help when new people come in I'll let you know. It's not too hard, just ask for their order and bring them their food. Never forget two things while working. One, always have a smiling face for the customers. Lyu is still working on that one but you should be fine. Second, you call me Mama Mia while working here."
When Bell nodded to show he understood she kicked him to the back of the kitchen to start washing dishes. The chef back there didn't seem shocked at the sight of him so Bell figured Mama Mia told the other workers. Once Bell was back there he immediately went to the pile of dishes and got started. Luckily for him, he was used to doing this so he had no problem.
—-
After an hour of cleaning the dishes the first rush of the day was coming to an end. Once he finished all the dishes Mama Mia called him over.
"Good job boy. Since it's slow the girls are gonna take their breaks and clean up so you're going to wait on the customers."
"Are you sure? I have no problems just washing dishes."
"It's better to learn while it's slow before the second rush. And I'll be watching you so don't worry. Don't be afraid to ask any questions either."
With that Bell walked out of the kitchen and took a look at the tables. 2 couples were finishing their meals, an older man who was just drinking coffee, and a small family. He also saw Chloe, Anya, and Runoa going upstairs for a break while Lyu was sweeping outside.
As he was about to ask what he should be doing he saw a few teenage girls walk through the door and sit down. He looked at Mama Mia who nodded her head in their direction telling him to get a move on. So with a deep breath, he walked up to them.
As he got closer he took a better look at them. It was two teenage human girls who looked around 18 years old. One of them was a long-haired brunette wearing a simple green sundress while the other was a shorter blond-haired girl wearing a black skirt with a red blouse.
'Doesn't look like they belong to a familia.' Bell thought as he got to the table. When he got there he put on his best smile and greeted them.
"Welcome to the Benevolent Mistress, how may I help you today?" Bell asked them. After a few seconds of silence, Bell's grin started to slip as he looked at them. They were both staring at him with their mouths open in shock.
"Is there something wrong?" He asked with a small frown, confused as to what the problem was. When they heard him they hurriedly replied.
"Nothing, it's just…. Are you the Rabbit Foot?" The brunette asked while the blonde continued to stare at him.
Bell's eyes lit up with understanding when he heard her. "Yes, that's me." He replied sheepishly while scratching his head. "I'm helping out a friend by working here today. If that's a problem I could get another waitress to look over you guys."
"No, it's fine! It was just a shock to see a famous adventurer all of a sudden." The blonde said as she rejected his offer.
"Okay if you're sure. Then what can I get for you today?" Bell asked them with a smile on his face. After hearing their orders he nodded and went and told Mama Mia. As she started getting their food together he went to the other tables to help grab their left orders and the money for the food. After offering the small family a goodbye as they left he went to the counter to grab the girl's drinks.
When he put their drinks down he turned around to leave but the blonde called out to him.
"I'm excuse me Mr. Rabbit foot?" When Bell heard that he looked at her questioningly waiting for her to continue.
"I just wanted to apologize for acting all shocked earlier. Most adventurers tend to be… aggressive so when we saw you we just kinda assumed." She winced as she finished.
But Bell just laughed it off before replying. "It's fine. It must be pretty strange to see an adventurer working as a waiter. If anything I should apologize for scaring you."
"No you did nothing wrong Mr. Rab-" she started before Bell gently interrupted her.
"Just Bell is fine." When they heard that they blushed slightly. Then they started chatting with him as there was nothing for him to do. After a few minutes, he had to go grab their food and went to the counter to grab it.
When he got there Mama Mia glared at him. "No flirting with the customers."
When Bell heard that he looked confused. "What do you mean? I wasn't flirting with them." Mama Mia stared at him for a moment and she figured he wasn't lying. She just let out a sigh and gestured for him to grab the food. When Bell handed them their food he had to go help some new customers who came in.
After a while Bell, was getting into the rhythm of it and was heading over to the girl's table to grab their check.
"Thank you for coming. I hope you enjoyed the food." Bell said to them as they got up. But before they left the blonde turned to Bell.
"My name is Sara. It was nice to meet you, Bell. I hope I get to see you again. She said with a wink before she left. Bell's face was beet red as he went to give the money to Mama Mia.
—-
Bell worked there for a few hours and was doing extremely well for his first time. It was rough the first rush he had to do but with Lyu and the others there, he managed. They were closed at the moment getting ready for the change in customers since it was already 6 p.m.
Bell was sweeping with Anya while they were waiting for the adventurers to start arriving.
"So meow was your first day," Anya asked out of the blue with a grin.
"It was a bit hard at first but thanks to you guys it wasn't too bad."
"I bet it wasn't with all those tips you got." Anya slyly teased him. Bell went red when he heard her. Throughout the day there had been a lot of females who had come in when they heard Rabbit Foot was working there. He also had old people who also liked him when he was serving them. Saying he was a polite young boy and they hoped their grandchildren would be like him.
He was opening his mouth to reply when the door opened. On the other side was Syr who looked like she ran there. When she saw Bell she immediately took off towards him.
"Bell! How could you work here the one day I didn't?!" She pouted as she got to him.
"Huh? I wasn't supposed to work here, I just had to since you weren't here." Bell tried to explain but Syr was having too much fun to stop.
"I get it. Bell doesn't like me does he?" She dramatically put her head in her hands and started crying.
"No! I would never think that Syr!"
"Then you wouldn't mind working with me?"
"Not at all!"
"And you'll make it up to me, right?"
Right as Bell was about to agree Lyu appeared behind Syr and lightly hit her head.
"Syr don't tease Bell," Lyu said as Syr turned around.
"Ah come on Lyu I was so close." She pouted while rubbing her head. "As your punishment…" She left off menacingly before grabbing Lyu in a hug and rubbing her cheek against Lyu's.
Lyu went beet red immediately, "Syr not in public!" Even though she said that she did not attempt to break out. When Syr heard that she let out a laugh and teasingly said, "So it's okay in private?"
Before Lyu combusted she was saved as a huge shadow appeared behind Syr.
"So I see you decided to come in today." Mama Mia said as she grinned evilly at Syr who was trying to hide behind Lyu in fear.
As everyone was watching Syr get yelled at the door opened again. When they turned around to see who it was it was Hermes, Asfi, and Aisha.
When Bell saw it was them he walked up to say hi as everyone else was focused on Syr and Mama Mia.
"Hello Lord Hermes. What brings you here? We are still closed for another hour." Bell told him when he got in front of him.
Hermes just looked at Bell in his uniform before he started teasing him. "Oh, I was just out with these lovely ladies when I heard an interesting rumor about a little rabbit and wanted to check in on him."
When he was done Aisha stepped in next. "Yeah, and I'm glad he did. You cut a nice figure in that outfit. Of course, I would rather see you with it off." She said provocatively as Bell blushed. Asfi sighed when they were finished and looked apologetically towards the young boy.
Once they were done laughing Hermes started talking again. "In all seriousness, what are you doing working here?"
"Well, I owed them a favor so when Mama Mia asked I couldn't refuse," Bell explained.
When Hermes heard that he nodded in understanding, "Yeah Mia is scary." He said that while looking at Mia who was still yelling at Syr. Bell was also watching before he remembered what Lord Takemikazuchi asked him and turned to Aisha.
"Oh, Aisha would you mind if I asked you a favor?" Bell asked. When Aisha heard that she grinned at him.
"Are you finally taking me up on my offer? Don't worry I'll make it a night you'll never forget."
"No!" Bell denied before asking before she could say anything else. "I'm learning some martial arts and Lord Takemikazuchi was asking me to look for sparring partners around the same level. So I figured you would be the best bet."
"Oh is that it? Well, I guess it's fine since I can fix that little fox," She said somewhat disappointedly. While they were talking about the details Mia came out and kicked them out.
"Can't you read we're closed at the moment come back later," Mia said as she dragged them out the door. "What are you gaping at?" She said as if she didn't just throw a god out of the building.
"Listen everyone. It's gonna be busy tonight and we got a newbie so no screwing around or else. Everyone got it? That includes you Syr." She told everyone who said, "Yes Mama." Once they heard her and got to work getting ready.
—
As Mia said it was incredibly busy right from the start. All the tables were filled to the brim. So much so that people were just standing around and waiting outside. All besides one table near the back that Mama told him was reserved for tonight. Bell was doing everything from cleaning dishes to taking orders and bringing them to the customers. All the other more experienced waitresses were used to this and were doing well which helped Bell out tremendously. But they did notice something weird. There were a lot more female customers than normal and they all seemed to have their eye on the Rabbit Foot. They didn't figure out why until a few hours in When the Hestia familia walked in. When Bell saw them sit down he immediately went over to get their order.
"What are you guys doing here?" Bell asked once he saw who all came. It was the whole familia minus Hestia.
"Sorry Bell, but when Lord Hermes told us about this I couldn't stay in the forge," Welf replied as he was trying not to laugh at his captain. "You look really good in tha- pft! Hahahaha." He laughed which caused Lilly to hit him in the back of his head.
"Don't laugh at Mr. Bell! He looks more charming than you ever would," She snapped at him which he ignored and kept laughing.
"Wait, Lord Hermes?" Bell interrupted confused but having a bad feeling about it.
"Yes," Mikoto began to explain. "Lord Hermes has been going around telling everyone about you working here."
"Yes, that's probably why it is so busy," Lilly jumped in once Mikoto was finished. "Sorry I couldn't come sooner, Mr. Bell. Getting supplies took longer than I thought and by the time we finished taking it back to the mansion Lord Hermes already told everyone."
"Rabbit Foot no slacking off!" Mama Mia yelled at him to get back to work. Bell flinched and got ready to go but not before telling them something.
"It's fine today has been a fun day so I don't mind." He said with a smile before he got back to work. With that, he got back to work taking plates away and bringing food to the guest. It was when he was finished putting down some ale for some female adventurers that he felt eyes on him. That wasn't unusual he had eyes on him all day but something was different about all these eyes on him. Right when he was about to turn around to see who it was he heard a familiar voice.
"What are you doing here!?" He heard her yell at him as he turned around. And standing there was exactly who he thought it was, Lefiya the Thousand Elf. And standing behind her was the rest of her familia. It was Finn, Gareth, Riviera, the twins, Bete, Raul, Anakity, Narfi, and at the end was Aiz.
When he saw her in her white sleeveless and backless dress his heart skipped a beat as he started blushing and let out a blank, "Eh?" As he stood there only one thing ran through his mind besides how beautiful she was, 'Why now?' It seemed no matter how long it had been since he saw her the second he looked at her he would fall deeper in love with her.
They hadn't met since the graveyard a few days ago and they hadn't talked in a while. As he was wondering what to do Mama Mia yelled at him again, and he was glad for it as it was an excuse to not look at Aiz. While he was walking away he was only thinking, 'How do I get out of this?'