Here I present myself with a new chapter!

Interesting things will surely be seen from now on, since at this moment some very fun ideas begin. Certain interventions and new characters will probably come in the future.

Since there are no reviews, let's go directly to the chapter.

Enjoy!

The darkness began to dissipate as Aether slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the distinctive brown color of the wood on the ceiling. It didn't take long for the traveler to become a little confused at this as he sat up in bed. That confusion dissipated when he looked to the side and saw a certain Goddess sleeping peacefully next to him.

"I fell asleep." Aether commented as he let his head fall back onto the pillow once more. "Yae asked me yesterday to help her with the new publishing house." The traveler remembered his first job on this day when he looked exhausted.

It wasn't because of fatigue. He was simply too lazy to have to act as some kind of leader or/and hero for these people, since, as mentioned before, he preferred to be a simple benefactor from the shadows.

Those worries fell into the background as he focused his gaze on Ei once more, and it was impossible for him to hide that small smile.

"She is very cute when she sleeps." Aether thought involuntarily when he saw how Ei had her face leaned to one side while her beautiful messy hair was spread all over the pillow and blankets, but the point that made her most attractive was that expression of complete relaxation while her lips were posed slightly open.

Finding himself caught admiring the Goddess, Aether shook his head and then placed a hand on the woman's cheek with the intention of waking her up.

"Hey, Ei wake up." Aether whispered to her in a sweet tone while moving her face gently so as not to wake her abruptly.

"Ruumgu…" Ei's babbling was incomprehensible as his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Come on, wake up." Aether found all of this very funny suddenly, seeing a somewhat funny side of the Goddess that he didn't know before.

"Aether…" Ei's babbling was more understandable as his frown changed to a slight smile.

"Do you know who I am?" Then you better get up or there will be no breakfast." Aether thought that disturbing her a little would make her wake up immediately, but how great his surprise was when something else happened.

In fact, the surprise was more than gigantic.

Ei's bandaged hand twitched for a short second, then began to move before the traveler's shocked gaze.

"Hey!" Once Aether was able to react, happiness shot across his face and the intentions to wake her up became more abrupt. "Wake up, this is amazing!" He exclaimed with great emotion, no longer noticing how the Goddess's hand continued to approach him.

"Your hand, you can move…!" His outburst was immediately silenced when he felt Ei's hand placed on his cheek caressing him lovingly.

"Aether…" She called him again in her dreams as she moved her other hand to hug him on his back, thus bringing him much closer to her.

Feeling its warmth, Ei's smile grew a little wider. The case of Aether was exactly the same, who could not help but smile at her with a certain love as he felt how the Goddess caressed his cheek unconsciously.

Aether placed a hand on Ei's and watched her silently. His attempts to wake her had ceased for the moment.

At that moment, an idea crossed his mind.

"Maybe I should let her sleep for a few more minutes."

_ CHAPTER 7: NO-FRIENDSHIP _

"It is good to see that you are improving, great Shogun-sama." Sara commented as she lowered her head as a sign of respect.

"Thank you for walking me out, I know you are both still very busy." The Archon nodded her head politely at the presence of Yae and Sara, who were escorting her out of the main exit of the mansion.

There was a rather novel sight about her, as she was not carried in Aether's arms for now. Now that had been replaced by a wheelchair that had the help of its new inseparable friend.

"It's not like sharing a couple of minutes with you is synonymous with sinking under tons of paperwork. Besides, I really wanted to see this new improvement in your health." Yae responded, and this time there was no trace of her typical mockery in her words.

She was really happy to see her friend much better.

"Kokomi said that with the breakthrough demonstrated she could restore full control of her body in about four weeks at most." Aether added, remembering how Kokomi was very impressed by what she saw.

"Four weeks for everything you've faced doesn't seem like a long time, does it?" Yae asked as she covered her mouth with her hand to cover that small smile on her lips.

"Of course. This is far from something that can affect the Great and Almighty Narukami-sama." Sara nodded her head, demonstrating her absolute devotion and trust in her Archon and teacher, as was usual for her.

"Thank you for caring." Ei responded to them with a smile before focusing her gaze on Aether. "Let's go?" Aether responded with a slight nod as they turned around.

Yae and Sara watched in silence as the couple left the place, until the large double doors closed.

"Right now we have much less work than at the beginning. Do you think it is appropriate to leave her alone with him?" Sara asked with a frown. "It's not that I don't trust him. Only…"

"You care about people, I understand." Yae answered as she looked at her out of the corner of her eye. "But you must keep one thing in mind…" the Yokai focused her gaze on the empty main exit once again.

"There is no one who can keep her safer than him, and vice versa."

"Vice versa?"

Aether and Ei observed the panorama for a few short seconds. There were long stairs leading down to where the civilians were, but the extreme proximity of the mansion made many passersby begin to stop to look at the new faces. Some even pointed at them with an expression covered in astonishment.

In a matter of seconds the murmurs and the crowd soon surrounded the peculiar descent of the mansion, and that only made Aether more nervous.

"Are you not used to this?" Ei caused him to be slightly distracted when she placed his bandaged hand on top of his.

"Recognition is normal, it's just that they never saw me as anything close to a God. This is new and very, very rare." Aether commented with great embarrassment.

"Don't worry, remember that I'm with you." Ei commented with a smile as she squeezed his hand a little to comfort him, something that undoubtedly calmed him down a bit.

"Somehow I feel like our roles are reversed right now. You should be nervous, not me." Aether declared with a somewhat embarrassed smile.

"I'm already used to these types of looks, both bad and good, and I owe a lot of it to Sara and many other humans I've met in the past. I don't know what kind of reaction they would have towards me right now, but there are very few things that can surprise me in this life." The Goddess concluded, receiving an awkward nod from Aether.

"If you say so…" Aether began to go down the stairs, something that was not exactly comfortable due to Ei's condition.

Once they reached the lower steps, the response from the civilians was immediate as they began to applaud them. This demonstration of respect, approval and admiration was directed at both of them equally, something that was made very clear as those closest to them shook their hand or shared a friendly greeting with them.

Aether could not help but respond to all this with great clumsiness, while Ei demonstrated her great professionalism as a revered figure since she did not appear uncomfortable in any gesture towards him.

The line was really long, much longer than Aether would have liked, but in the end they were able to make their way through the crowd. That didn't mean it was over though, as a large number of questions overwhelmed them, although Ei was able to answer almost all of them immediately.

Aether had already forgotten all the times they had thanked him. Luckily for him the tumult and commotion of the moment was just that- a moment. A long moment, but it was finally over.

Now people looked at them and murmured among themselves, giving them enough space as they browsed through different shops and the infrastructure of the place. It was normal to notice Aether was interested in Inazuma's infrastructure since he had not known the city much for obvious reasons, but it was really impressive to see that Ei seemed equally or even more excited than him, although her always relaxed face hid it perfectly. Although that moment of entertainment and curiosity took an interesting turn when they stopped in front of a half-built business. There was a man who looked somewhat desperate while talking to the always calm Kaeya who listened to him with his arms crossed.

"Please, I just need some more blackberries!" The man begged him almost on his knees but Kaeya just closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not in charge of these things. Still, I can send the message to the people in charge and they will see what to do." Kaeya commented as he stoically watched the man who looked like he was about to cry.

"Why do you need more blackberries?" Ei jumped into the conversation when he arrived next to Aether.

"It is very pleasant to see you in person, Shogun-sama." Kaeya bowed his body glamorously as a sign of respect, while the other man practically got down on his knees to greet her. "As for this small situation, my friend could better explain it to you." He concluded, focusing his gaze on the salesman.

"It-it's an honor to be able to meet you! And-and you too!" The man exclaimed as he put his hands together as if he were praying, making Aether roll his eyes while Ei responded with a simple nod. "My name is Tomoki, I am a street vendor from Inazuma who came to the city to settle down with a shop…!"

"Just relax. Breathe easy, we will listen to you better that way." Aether commented with a nervous sweatdrop since Tomoki was talking as fast as Eminem.

"You're right! You're right I'm sorry. It's just that your presence and my financial condition…" The salesman took a deep breath and gave a big sigh to relax. "I'll try to get straight to the point." Tomoki stood up. "You will see, as you already know, the rehabilitation of the market has once again opened the doors to trading with arrears. The problem is that, being a street vendor and not an ordinary resident, I have not been assigned a single area to support my business. I understand your policies and respect them, but…"

"You can't work if your store isn't built yet." Ei closed the idea when he saw the half-built structure. "What type of merchandise do you sell?"

"I'm still evaluating it, but I thought it would be best to start with something that no big business has." Tomoki went into the store to look through some things until he took out some small black plastic bottles with white circles that had a white fabric under a light blue ribbon. "This is dango milk. It is a dessert that is made by adding an exact amount of glutinous dango to milk."

"That sounds interesting." Aether's culinary skills were awakened after hearing such a rare invention.

"I am of the same thought. It is most interesting." Ei responded in the same way, although her intentions were further diverted by the possibility of trying such a strange dessert.

"Do you want to try it?" Tomoki asked with a smile.

"Did you bring blackberries?" Ei looked at Aether, who nodded.

"Hey? But they don't need to pay!" The salesman exclaimed, his nerves evident.

"Nothing is free in this life, boy. Take advantage of the opportunities they give you." Kaeya commented as he placed a hand on Tomoki's shoulder. "Make it three." He concluded, receiving an awkward nod from Tomoki.

The man rummaged through his half-finished shop to pull out two more new jars.

"There are 4,500 blackberries in total." The man commented with some nervousness when he handed them the dessert.

That nervousness took a backseat as surprise invaded him when he saw how Aether raised his hand and a large amount of blackberries were summoned right above it. Tomoki accepted the money without problems and the three of them tried the drink at the same time.

Aether and Kaeya were the first to put the package aside, who looked at each other without expression, something that made the man very nervous.

Luckily for him, someone came to his rescue.

"It's good!" Ei exclaimed with a sweet smile on her face. "I'll be sure to talk to Yae, but we won't give you blackberries. What we will do is set up a small stand for you so you can sell your products so you can finish building your store." Ei declared with her typical neutral, but peaceful tone, receiving a very cheerful nod from the man.

"That sounds perfect! Thank you very much, Almighty Narukami-sama!" Tomoki shouted with a deep bow, making the people around look at the man carefully.

"Kaeya, if you encounter more similar situations from now on, I want you to support these people in the same way. No matter how many there are, we have a lot of free space between these islands, and I'm sure Yae and Sara will have no problems with this. If you find other types of problems, come talk to me so we can solve it." Ei declared, receiving a bow in response.

"Don't worry, Shogun-sama. I will take care of everything." He concluded, receiving a slight nod from Ei.

"Then we're leaving. We still need to do one thing." Aether commented.

"Enjoy your stay." Kaeya said goodbye with a normal greeting, while Tomoki got down on one knee to see them off, something that made Aether nervous again.

"Did Yae entrust you with something?" Once they were away from the crowd, Ei asked him with extreme curiosity.

"Just today she reinstalled her famous publishing house. "She wants to know if everything is in order."

"Are you talking about the book publisher? I have never understood his fascination with novels…"

"You should read some now that you are going to have a lot of free time due to your condition."

"I guess I have nothing to lose by trying."

"By the way, I didn't know you could fix social problems with such skill. You impressed me."

"That was just a little problem. If something like that impressed you, then my sister would have left you speechless."

Their pleasant chat was nipped in the bud from one second to the next. Aether didn't need to be a genius to know the reason, just by seeing Ei's somewhat downcast face it was more than evident.

"My sister was always very good and trustworthy towards humans, mainly because no one was able to understand them as well as she did." Ei commented with great nostalgia when remembering the old days.

"Hmm, I think you're putting yourself down. I am sure that you can become someone very trustworthy if you put your mind to it." Aether commented in an attempt to distract the Archon's troubled memories.

"If I were you, I wouldn't bet on that." Despite her words, apparently said attempt worked, as Ei looked happier.

"If it were me, then I would bet my arms." Aether bowed her shoulders, earning a light chuckle from the Goddess.

"You're very good at making me laugh, I'll give you that." Commented Ei, who could not deny how comforting and fun it was to chat with the traveler.

"I guess I should take those words as a huge compliment. I mean, it can't be easy to make someone so cold and unfriendly who wanted to kill me a few weeks ago, laugh."

"Understood!"

"Apparently, I'm also good at teasing you."

_LINE BREAK_

Relax teapot

A few minutes later…

"How are you feeling, Shigeru?" Ei asked once they arrived at the establishment, and the receptionist couldn't help but be a little surprised to notice that Archon herself had come to see him.

"It is a great pleasure to see you again, Shogun-sama! Miss Yae had told me that you were in rehab and other details. I am very happy to see that you are feeling better, and I am sure that those sentiments are shared among all the inhabitants of your kingdom." He concluded with a hand on his chest to indicate that he meant it from the heart.

"Thank you very much, I'm glad to see you too." Ei commented with her classic peaceful expression. "Yae said that maybe you needed help with some things, so she sent the traveler and I decided to accompany him." The Goddess resumed the important conversation, receiving a somewhat conflicted look from the man.

"Things haven't gone bad, but it's a lot of work for one man, you know…" Shigeru let the words sink in, and neither of them needed to be very smart to understand what he meant. "But, other than that, everything else has gone well." The man added, returning to his smile. "It is true that there are still a large number of books and varieties missing because a lot of material was destroyed, but it is not something we should worry about for now since people are more focused on settling in their homes."

"Okay, then we will have Yae take a small group to the other regions so they can claim some copies." Aether commented.

"That's a good idea." Shigeru nodded. "I think that would be the only thing I have to ask of you."

"Very good." Aether took out a small notebook to write down the order. "Then we're leaving?"

"Wait!"

Aether didn't even have time to turn Ei, as Shigeru almost jumped from his position to grab her shoulder.

"What's going on?" Aether asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Can I talk to you in private?" The question made Ei and Aether look at each other.

Once inside the store, the traveler could notice that the shelves were somewhat disorganized. Just seeing the stacks of books that were scattered in different directions already gave you a clue as to the reason for the disorder.

"Do you want help rearranging the novels? You didn't need to secretly drag me away to ask me that." Aether commented with a roll of his eyes.

"It's not that. In reality, it is a much more delicate assignment." Shigeru whispered the last words, as if he was afraid that a certain Goddess would hear him.

"I'm all ears." Aether didn't hesitate to respond as he crossed his arms.

"As you already know, we all greatly admire our Archon, she is a great figure for us. That's why I want to do something special." The traveler just nodded with some confusion, since he did not understand where he wanted to go. "The thing is, we know very little about her, so I've always wanted to do a book about her, but I never dared ask her…"

"You want me to do that book for you?" Aether asked him, his deductions proving accurate as a nervous smile emerged on Shigeru.

"I don't need you to write the book. Just giving me the information and details is more than enough." The man clarified instantly.

"Okay then-"

"Wait! I need pictures too!" Shigeru interrupted him with a shout, something that deeply missed the traveler, something that the man noticed too as he cleared his throat. "Photos are the key to ensuring a quality product. Visual stimulation is much more important than a simple title." He clarified with a much more relaxed tone.

"I see…" Aether nodded carefully, observing the editor's somewhat strange reactions. "In any case, I will need certain points of focus."

"I understand what you mean." Shigeru commented as he began to rummage through some books. "I can give you certain notes for reference. I'm sure that will be enough." The man commented as he began to scribble with great energy, until he finally handed him the paper. "Do you have any questions?" Shigeru asked him, seeing that Aether had been staring at the paper without moving.

"Why me?" Aether looked up from the paper, watching as Shigeru became a little serious.

"Shogun-sama is a great figure for us, and for that very reason she seems so far away. I think the only person who has a real relationship with her is Miss Yae, but she is almost as unattainable as her." Suddenly, Shigeru raised his gaze and observed Aether with great respect. "But, somehow, a human like us became someone very close to her during these weeks, I know this thanks to Miss Yae. That's why I think you're the only one I can trust with this." He concluded, his excitement overflowing a little as he joined his hands with Aether's.

"It was just a question, you didn't need to take it so seriously…" The traveler commented with his eyes rolling as he saw the passion and conviction that was planted in Shigeru's eyes.

"I'm counting on your help!" The editor exclaimed with a big smile as the grip on Aether's hand turned into a handshake.

"Clear." Was Aether's simple response.

A simplicity that would lead to a lot of problems and misunderstandings in the future.

_LINE BREAK_

Relax teapot

Several hours later…

Once Aether left the premises, Ei asked him with her typical bouts of curiosity, and her surprise was immediate when she found out that her new and precious friend would be in charge of writing a draft to later transform it into a book, a book that would speak only about her preferences as a person, a woman, and, above all, an Archon.

After that small talk, Aether let Ei and Yae catch up on certain things and left to do his morning training.

Thus night came, and they met one last time.

"I still find it incredible that you can control a Gnosis at your will." Ei commented while eating, and, in fact, she seemed quite satisfied for having resumed the movement of her hands. "Speaking of which, did you tell your training partners?" The Goddess placed the cutlery on the tray and watched Aether with interest, who was sitting in a chair at the edge of the bed with his own tray of food.

"Not yet, I don't think it's necessary either." The traveler commented naturally without stopping to look at her, it was obvious that he was very focused on his food. "Speaking of them, do you think you can talk to Yae or Sara to accept their participation in the heavy work? Itto says that it is something not to believe that they keep him excluded from something so important with the desire they have to help."

"I don't know…" Ei commented, observing the juicy meat carefully. "If Yae and Sara made the decision to prohibit them from that type of work, it must be for a reason."

"I don't understand why they would refuse to accept help from such a famous and important band in Inazuma." Those words made Ei look at him with a mix of interest and uncertainty.

"Sorry?" The Goddess's question made Aether take his gaze off her plate, it was quite a funny sight to see how a noodle stayed hanging from her lips, even if it was momentary.

"The great Arataki Gang, you know…" Seeing that Ei looked at him with even more uncertainty as the traveler also began to get confused. "Their boss is Arataki Itto, a very famous character in Inazuma."

Upon hearing that name, Ei blinked and his face lit up a little as he continued to eat his dinner, as if he had finally found the answer to this mystery.

Or at least, that's what Aether thought.

"Who?"

The blonde almost fell out of his seat after listening to her.

"Oh really…?" It was the only thing he could say, and he only had to watch as Ei blinked a couple of times again in extreme confusion to know that she wasn't lying. "Did you know? Forget it." Aether returned to focusing on his pasta bolognese, and Ei followed suit with her respective dish of sautéed shrimp.

They both continued eating in silence until the moment of truth arrived.

"Very good." Aether placed the trays on the nearest nightstand, then focused his gaze on Ei. "Let's start with that book." Aether commented with a smile as he summoned a daguerreotype.

"Will the photos come first?" Ei asked, watching as Aether carefully installed the product on a high shelf.

Ei had to hold back his laughter a little when he saw the extremely bizarre posture when Aether hung from the closet, since he looked like an ape struggling with his banana.

"Let's do the most annoying thing first, although we don't need to take all the photos today." Aether left his work for a short second to look at Ei. "I don't know why, but that guy wants a lot of pictures of you in that book." He concluded, and then continued with his work.

"And how should I pose?" Ei asked, feeling slightly uneasy.

It was normal, since she had never done anything related to modeling.

"Well…" Aether jumped a little to fall to the ground. "Not that I mean to offend you, but you can only move your upper body, so you'll need my help with this." The traveler declared as he approached her and extended his hands to her.

"It's not like it bothers me." She commented with a slight smile when she joined her hands with Aether's, who soon used his strength to drag her towards him and carry her like a princess.

It was something they had been doing for weeks, so it wasn't unusual for Aether. That's why it was difficult for him to notice that small detail of how Ei hugged him with great affection while placing her face on his chest.

But it was difficult, not impossible.

Once Aether finished arranging the bed, his shrewd gaze settled on an Ei who was really enjoying the hug, probably much more than she should have.

"Do you like giving hugs that much?" Ei opened her eyes and a faint blush shot across her face when she was discovered.

"When did you realize?" She asked somewhat shyly.

"Your arms are squeezing me so tightly, it's very hard not to notice." The traveler commented gracefully, making Ei look away.

"Does that mean you don't know I've been doing it every chance I get?" She whispered to herself.

"What?"

"Nothing!"

After that small awkward moment for the Archon, Aether prepared the whole scene to take many photos. In each of them Ei lay on the bed in different poses with different hairstyles and gestures.

At first the Goddess looked a little unsure, but she became more confident as time went by, and that made Aether smile.

Once the session ended, Aether decided to continue with the last part of today's work.

"Now let's move on to the questions." The blonde declared while examining a sheet of paper.

"I'm ready." Ei responded with his usual patience.

"All Archons are the rulers of their respective regions. They are not only rulers, but they are also Gods." Aether raised his gaze to observe Ei's reaction. "With this in mind, how much emotional difference can there be between an Archon and its inhabitants? Or if you want a simpler question to understand, is there that much difference between the feelings of a God and a human? How do you perceive those emotions?"

"Hmm, I think it's a bit of a tricky question…" Ei commented as he clasped his hands, thinking about the answer carefully. "It is true that the Archons, or rather, Gods, have a different lifestyle from humans, you just need to look at the life expectancy between one race and another. But…" Ei paused briefly, as her gaze fixed on Aether. "But my quality of life is still very similar to yours. Perhaps you do not fully understand the feelings and emotions that humans transmit and go through, both good and bad. Anyway, that doesn't take away from the fact that we share more closeness than everyone thinks. Not only me, but all the Gods in general." Aether stared at her silently after the response, making Ei a little nervous. "Maybe I wasn't very concise? Should i rephrase that?" She asked, and Aether was quick to shake his head.

"No, quite the opposite. It's a perfect answer." Aether commented with a toothy smile, and then began to scribble on a piece of paper. "Why do you think humans see more difference than there really is?" Aether asked another question as he continued typing.

"I think it's mainly because they see us on two different extremes. There are many humans who see us as something glorious, as something very far away, as a guardian angel, as a wish. Meanwhile, there are others who see us with discredit, as something very repugnant, as a monster, as a nightmare." Ei raised her gaze after remembering the different and numerous experiences in her life. "What I want to say is that there is no middle ground for them, either you are a prestigious and ultra-revered figure or you are the representation of destruction and lament. And it's all for one simple fact: power." The Goddess clarified with a peaceful look. "There have been so many despicable humans and so many humans who are considered heroes. But none of them are revered as Gods because of something as simple as the difference in power." Ei looked at Aether to finish his verdict. "This power attracts a great deal of admiration or hatred. Admiration and hatred attract fear, and fear attracts an inordinate amount of respect. "This excessive respect makes them believe that we are very different, when in reality we are not." The Goddess concluded her speech, receiving a nod from Aether.

"I see you are taking this very seriously." The blonde answered with a smile as he scribbled at full speed.

"Well, I have to admit, it's interesting to be able to talk about this with a human." Ei responded with a smile.

"Uh, yeah, sure…" Aether paused for a second, as he found it curious that she still thinks he's a human after everything he showed her.

The traveler shook his head and left those unimportant topics for another time.

"Anyway, let's move on to the next question…"

The back and forth lasted much longer than they had imagined, and, of course, that damn book was going to be much thicker than Shigeru thought, much to his satisfaction.

But what was really important was the last question of the night.

"From my point of view, happiness and fear are natural feelings that all living beings share, perhaps omitting certain vegetation." Ei finished answering as he stopped to watch as Aether continued writing at high speed.

"In that case, what can you say about love?" The question took Ei a little by surprise, who stopped to think of an answer.

"Love is too abstract, since it has many meanings. Personally, I love my people, I love my city, I love the concept of Eternity…" Ei paused briefly and their hands joined together one last time. "But, I'm not sure I can understand the concept of romantic love." Those words caught Aether's interest, and it showed when he stopped his scribbling to look at the woman.

"What do you mean by that?" Aether asked with great curiosity, a curiosity that masked a silent discomfort.

"To begin with, I have never fallen in love, and I don't think I will in the future either." After Ei's response, Aether couldn't help but lower his head a little, as if those words had made him think deeply. "Personally, I have never seen or heard stories of Gods in love, so perhaps that is one of the few differences we have with humans. "It is probably because we are not obliged to reproduce so that the number of our species continues to grow, and that independence means that our species has rejected those types of feelings." Ei concluded with a smile, a smile that changed almost immediately when he saw the somewhat incredulous expression on Aether's face, who was not moving a muscle.

"You can't love…" Static Aether whispered as he looked at the paper.

Although it was a whisper, the absolute silence in the place made Ei able to hear it.

"Something happened?" The Goddess wondered with some concern when she saw the strange state in which her precious friend was.

Noticing that he was worrying Ei, Aether looked at her for a short second and then shook his head.

"It's nothing, you just surprised me." Aether commented with a smile.

The blonde didn't take long to lower his gaze to continue writing, and at that moment Ei knew that something strange was happening.

After all, it's the first time he's seen Aether's smile fade as quickly as it appeared.

"Well that's it." Aether stood up, and the smile returned to him as he looked at Ei. "By the way, do you remember the novel I was going to buy you?"

"Oh, we forgot." Ei commented, her blinking indicating that she felt somewhat strange about Aether's sudden changes in appearance.

But, this time it wasn't a strange feeling that was pleasant or very warm.

Now it was a rarity covered in uncertainty.

"Not at all." Aether threw the book at her that Ei was barely able to catch in her surprise. "Maybe I should have done this kind of interview first, so I could have made a better choice." He commented with some discomfort while rubbing his hair.

"Because you said so?" Ei asked as he opened the book.

"Its genre is romantic. I thought you would like it, but…"

"That's perfect!" The Goddess exclaimed with a smile, surprising Aether a little. "This way maybe I can understand these kinds of emotions." She finished at the same time she began reading the first page.

"Well, I…huh…" Ei looked at him with some uncertainty as she noticed his indecision.

Finally, Aether turned around, giving him one last look before leaving.

"See you tomorrow, I guess…" He concluded with some hesitation as he closed the door, leaving Ei with the words in her mouth.

"But you didn't even clothe me…" The Goddess whispered to herself when she observed that she still had her clothes on.

_LINE BREAK_

Relax teapot

Aether's bedroom…

The traveler lay his body very heavily on the bed. His gaze rested on the wooden ceiling while he remained completely silent.

"She can't fall in love, she can't…" Aether repeated the phrase twice without taking his gaze off the ceiling.

In these moments he was remembering her friendliness, her affection, her eyes, her warmth...

But more than that he was remembering the infinite beauty that this warrior and ironically peaceful Goddess possessed.

She was worthy of being called Goddess.

She was a beauty that would dazzle anyone.

"Great…" Aether rolled over on his pillow as he brought a hand to his sore chest.

When he thought about her before, he felt very good.

Every time he went to sleep he always thought about her since they met. Because he was happy, he had ignored them.

But now…

Now he didn't feel well.

It was quite the opposite.

That's why he couldn't ignore it anymore.

Or rather, he was forced to understand that insignificant feeling.

"I never thought I could receive such a strong blow of reality after everything I experienced." Aether revealed half of his face, denoting a neutral expression.

His gaze returned to the ceiling and his hand rested on his neck before that slight sensation of drowning.

It was in those moments that he remembered Ei's words.

"She is right, love is very abstract. There were many occasions when I thought I was in love, but in reality it was a pleasure as ephemeral as the life of a bee without its sting…" Aether thought with an ironic smile as he rubbed his neck in a poor attempt to alleviate the suffocation caused by the pressure exerted by the sadness of that happy "blow of reality."

As a last act, his hand was guided to his face to cover his eyes, as if he were disappointed in himself.

And so, the last words of that cold night echoed in that bedroom:

"And when I thought I was only going to help her, when I just wanted to build a simple friendship, after all that…in the end…"

"In the end, I ended up falling in love with an Archon."

_ END OF THE CHAPTER! _

(not really)

I hope you enjoyed!

As you can see, this will be the little injection of drama before the two of them become a couple.

Remember that you can follow me on Patre-on to be aware of all the story updates and different news. You can also become a member if you wish, it only costs one dollar and with that you can ask me for a double chapter of your favorite story that is still in development. Remember that you can find me on Patre-on as "Jyanzein".

With nothing more to add, it's time to leave you with this final scene.

Until next time!

"Oh, does that mean our mutual friend has gotten into a lot of trouble?" A somewhat childish voice echoed over the not-quite-bustling tavern.

"I'm surprised you're not that surprised after hearing the whole story." Ayato carefully placed the drink on the table, then crossed his arms. "Should I assume that he gets into trouble quite often?"

"Heh, you guess right!" The little man exclaimed as he placed his empty drink right next to his harp. "But from what you told me, things were just beginning." The subject hummed to himself under Ayato's attentive gaze. "Maybe I should pay him a little visit to let him know he has my support." He concluded with a smile, something Ayato responded in kind.

"A bard's songs would go down quite well in a time of such commotion…" Ayato commented as he played with the liquid in the wooden glass. "I can arrange a visit, what is your name?"

The stranger widened his smile after hearing that question.

"I have many names, but almost everyone knows me as Venti."