Jagamarukun
"Are you okay now?"
Bell slowly withdrew his hands and slumped. Ryuu also released Bell from her impromptu hug. He took in a deep breath and let it all out. "Yeah, I'm good," Bell said quietly. He sent Ryuu a weak but genuine smile. "Thank you, Miss Ryuu."
Ryuu nodded and reached out to pat Bell's head. It was a foreign sensation, reaching out to somebody and touching them. It was only Syr that Ryuu was able to touch like this… Bell must be unusually special to Syr for her to openly watch over him… and for herself to hug him and now ruffle his white hair.
Bell made no move to shove Ryuu's hand away from his white hair. He leaned into her touch and closed his eyes as Ryuu got a bit more handsy.
"Miss Ryuu…"
"I'm back!" the door slammed open as Syr entered with a wide smile on her face. Her smiling eyes opened to show confusion before becoming understanding about the whole situation and smiling a bit smugly. "Bell, here's your lunch," she said, choosing not to say anything about the situation. Ryuu and Bell were silently thankful to the waitress. She gave Bell a neatly wrapped lunchbox.
Bell gave Syr a sincere smile. "Thank you, Miss Syr."
"Of course! Just as long as you come to the Hostess of Fertility often," Syr said with a cheeky grin. She glanced at Ryuu and Bell. "And I see that Ryuu here has comforted you."
Ryuu and Bell's cheeks turned red at Syr's comment. "Yeah… I'm grateful to her," Bell said.
"...I'm leaving," Ryuu dusted herself, flattening the creases on her uniform.
"Wait! You don't have to go!" Syr reached out and grabbed her friend by the arm.
"Syr, Mama Mia might be looking for us. It's nearly opening time."
"Oh, you've got a point. Tell her, I'll be there in a moment!" Syr conceded and let go of Ryuu.
"Roger."
"Bye, Miss Ryuu," Ryuu turned back to see Bell waving at her. She smiled softly and waved back meekly.
"See you around, Cranel," with that, Ryuu softly closed the door behind her with a click. She then leaned against the door and sighed. What was she thinking? She didn't even know… It was all too sudden… She moved way too fast without thinking. And it was too late to draw back when she realized what she was doing.
Ryuu looked down at the hand that cradled Bell's head and stroked his hair. Usually, she would have the immediate urge to wash it, but… She didn't want to, for some reason. Ryuu took a slow step away from the door and towards the kitchen.
Cranel, what a strange fellow you are.
And so, Ryuu Lion decided to keep an eye on Bell Cranel.
Ais frowned. It wasn't supposed to go this way. All she had to do was slink into the Twilight Manor silently with nobody noticing. They should have all been training or going about their day. But here she was, in the second most terrible situation.
"Why do I smell…" a werewolf took a whiff of Ais' scent. Ais was honestly disgusted by the act, but the dogboy couldn't help it, it was in his nature. "...a man's scent on you?" Bete's orange eyes narrowed. The ears atop his head twitched in irritation.
The worst thing that she thought could happen was being found out by Loki of all people. Ais may not have feared the Goddess of Mischief… but that didn't mean Ais wanted her to be upset either. There was a respect that Ais held for Loki, and while she didn't show it often, Loki, for all her faults, was a somewhat precious person to Ais. The girl-turned-woman didn't know the reaction that Loki would have, but she didn't want to find out.
Compared to Loki, Bete was more manageable.
"It was just some wrestling," Ais wanted to slap herself. That was a terrible lie.
Bete's glare did not lessen or increase in intensity. Ais could not determine the man's emotions, hidden behind his glare. Maybe the glare was the sum of all his emotions, but Ais couldn't be sure.
"Wrestling?" a girl interrupted their conversation. She peeked from behind Bete and forcefully joined the conversation. "Ais! You didn't come back last night!" she raised her arm in a half-salute, half-wave motion.
"Shut it, Tiona! I'm interrogating Ais here."
"Let me join!" Tiona punched Bete's shoulder with a grin on her face. "So, what's this with wrestling and a man?" she turned her smiling face to face Ais.
Ais was halfway to giving up on that lie. But telling the truth would lead to much more severe consequences. Ais frowned. All the good feelings she had when waking up were now gone, and she was left with something close to sadness. She bit back the sigh that was on her lips and kept up her stoic face.
"Because when you say 'wrestling with a man' it sounds like you've done the deed," Tiona teased.
Ais said nothing.
"...By the Goddess Loki," Tiona's face warped from teasing to shock to panic. "Bete, Bete, hey, dogboy, what are we going to tell Goddess Loki?"
Ais felt like saying nothing was the worst thing she could have said right now, and regretted that decision.
"Could. You. Shut up! You damn noisy woman!" Bete shouted at Tiona. He huffed when it had the desired effect of Tiona keeping quiet. He growled. "We tell her nothing. It's none of our business, and it's none of hers."
Tiona had a confused expression. "Wouldn't she want to know, though?"
"She may want to, but that doesn't mean we are going to do it."
Tiona's confusion cleared and she bobbed her head several times. "Oh, ooooh, I understand now. Teehee~" she knocked on her head in a "I'm stupid" motion and stuck out her tongue.
Bete rolled his eyes at the girl's actions. It would be easy to picture him groaning.
Ais was pleasantly surprised and relief settled in her chest. The threat level of this encounter had just significantly depleted. Ais would even say it was safe and was thankful that it was Bete that she encountered and not anybody nosier. Tiona on the other hand... Ais turned her eyes to the grinning girl.
"I would like to hear everything about the guy."
Ais wished that the other girl and her infuriating smile would just disappear.
"That is just so sad…" Tiona cried into Ais' pillow. Tears flowed down from Tiona's face.
Well, at least the annoying smile was gone. Ais congratulated herself with a mental headpat as she used the towel to dry her wet hair.
The amazonian had enough shame to blow her nose with a pack of tissues and not Ais' blanket. Ais was prepared to swipe away the blanket the moment Tiona was about to make a blowing motion. However, all Tiona seemed to do was wipe her tears.
"So that explains the bounty posters recently about a Devil."
Ais nodded her head.
"I'd like to help him!" there were still streaks of tears on Tiona's face, but her puffy eyes were filled with determination.
"You are going to sleep with him?"
"Eh? EHHH?" Tiona covered her chest— though there was not much to cover. "While I do feel sympathy for Bell, I don't think I could do what you did, Ais…" she gave her fellow familia member a weak smile.
Ais nodded, accepting Tiona's reasons but not fully understanding it. What was the worth of your first time? Ais doubted she would find anybody to love her and for anybody to love her back… Although, she was really close to admitting that she loved what Bell did to her…
Ais shook her head lightly.
This was not the time to think such thoughts.
Tiona spread herself out on Ais' bed, much to Ais' chagrin. "I can't imagine only being able to live for 14 days. That's like… every two weeks you get close to death," Tiona said solemnly. She rolled over and lay on her belly. She propped up her chin on her palms as she looked at Ais. "I'd like to meet Bell Cranel."
"So you could—"
"I'm not going to sleep with him!" Tiona refuted before Ais could finish. Her tanned face was flushed with a hint of pink. She pouted at Ais. "I just want to meet him. To see what kind of man he is to be able to bed the Sword Princess," ah, the teasing grin was back.
"I think that could be arranged."
"By the way, what Familia was he from again?"
"Hestia Familia."
"Hestia, Hestia, Hestia," Tiona mumbled to herself.
"It's the girl with twin tails at the jagamarukun stand."
Tiona's face remained blank a few seconds longer. "Oh!" her eyes brightened up in recognition. "That girl?"
Ais nodded.
"Oh, I see now. No wonder, she felt kind of godly. What's she doing working at a jagamarukun stand, though?"
"Their Familia just started."
"I find it weird."
"It's delicious."
"Not the jagamarukun," Tiona interjected. "I'm talking about the Goddess Hestia. Why is she even working at a stand when she's a goddess?"
Ais shrugged, and her mind drifted elsewhere while Tiona rambled on. How was Bell today? Maybe she could visit him. Ais hummed to herself. Maybe some jagamarukun for lunch would do before she looked for Bell. That seemed like a good idea.
"I'm going to get some jagamarukun for lunch," Ais said, interrupting Tiona mid-sentence.
"Oh! I'm coming too!" Tiona leapt from the bed and gracefully spun around before landing on her feet. "Although I do not think that jagamarukun is food that you eat for lunch, Ais…"
"Here's your two jagamarukuns!" Hestia smiled as she handed over the potato smoke. "That would be sixty valis!" she collected the payment and gave back the change. Her eyes scanned her surroundings for any more possible customers. Her piercing eyes honed in on a white haired boy. "Bell! You came!" she waved her hand wildly, and the boy waved back. Hestia grinned happily as the boy approached the stand.
Bell smiled in greeting. "I would like a jagamarukun please, Goddess Hestia."
"One jagamarukun coming up!" the Goddess said as she dipped the crushed potato into the oil. The heat cooked it quickly and thoroughly. It didn't take long for it to turn crispy and Hestia, the fried jagamarukun expert extraordinaire, immediately knew when to pull it out. She let the oil drip off for a few seconds before wrapping the potato in a paper. "Hehe!" Hestia handed the snack to Bell with a proud grin. "So, how is it?" she asked when Bell took a bite.
"Tastes good," Bell said in between chewing.
"Glad you like it," Hestia said with self-satisfaction. "It took me a long time for me to master how to cook it properly, you know?"
"You're amazing, Goddess Hestia," Bell praised.
"Of course! It's only natural with hard work and my goddess geniusness!" Hestia puffed her already puffed up chest.
"I concur. Goddess Hestia is the best at cooking jagamarukun," a voice that Bell knew too well nearly startled the duo. They turned their heads to see a pair of slim girls approaching them. Bell's face turned a shade of pink as images of last night reentered his head. "Good morning, Goddess Hestia," Ais greeted. She turned to Bell and the corner of her lips turned up ever so slightly that Bell would have missed it if he wasn't so enraptured by her beauty. "Good morning, Bell."
Shivers ran up from the tips of Bell's fingers to his spine. "Good morning, Miss Ais."
Ais' lips turned into a slight frown. "Call me Ais."
Bell blushed. "...Ais."
The frown disappeared, and a small smile was apparent on her lips.
The two observers had mixed expressions. Goddess Hestia was displeased but said nothing. She knew she should be grateful, but it was proving difficult. The amazoness companion of Ais, on the other hand, was covering her mouth and was hopping from left foot to right in excitement. It took all over her self-control not to jump around and hug Ais, spinning the other girl in a circle.
Ais' attention left Bell and turned to the Goddess Hestia. "I would like to order five."
"...on it," Hestia nodded and dipped five potatoes into the hot oil.
"I would also like one!" the amazoness said.
"Okay," Hestia added another potato.
Since the interaction between Ais and Bell had ended, the darker girl used this opportunity to invade Bell's personal space. "Hi!"
Bell was taken aback and took a step backwards. "Hi?"
"I'm Tiona Hiryute of the Loki Familia!" Tiona took a step forward with a cutesy salute.
"Bell Cranel of Hestia Familia."
"I know!" Tiona grabbed Bell by the arms and excitedly spun him around.
"AHHH!"
"Whoops! I'm so sorry! I just got too excited!" Tiona did her best to put Bell down gently, but was already struggling so much to hold back her infamous strength. "So, I heard what happened to you," Tiona said, tears appearing in her eye ducts. She promptly gave Bell a comforting hug—easily failing, given strength hidden in her slender muscles. "It's terrible what that devil did to you!" she seemed to calm down for a moment. "If you need any help whatsoever, you can talk to me!" she released the hug and patted Bell on the shoulders.
"T-Thank you, Miss Tiona," Bell said weakly as he felt dizzy but grateful.
"Just call me Tiona!" the girl grinned a toothy smile. "Any friend of Ais is a friend of mine," she gave Bell a thumbs up. "Oh, by the way, I heard what you and Ais were up to last night," her emotions went from jolly, to sad, to happy, then to teasing all in the span of a few seconds. Bell was unable to keep up.
Bell's face turned red when he realized what Tiona had been implying. "Ah—!"
"You don't have to say anything!" Tiona put her hand up in a stop gesture. "Ais filled me in," her voice went from teasing to pure sincerity. Bell was really unable to keep up with this girl's intentions! She slung her arm around Bell's shoulder before she whispered. "Don't think that Ais did this just so you could live. I think she actually likes you."
"Eh?"
"Bell, you need to know that Ais rarely smiles. You should treasure the smiles she gives you," Tiona said lowly, so that Ais wouldn't hear.
"Your jagamarukun is ready," Hestia called out. Tiona cheered, then released Bell from her arm and happily skipped up to Hestia to pay for her snack.
Bell felt… happy. Even through the pain and stress that he went through that morning, the thought of Ais actually liking him made his heart soar. His head felt light and the sides of his cheeks felt like they could split from the joy that he felt. Bell felt like laughing and cheering. He wanted to throw his head back as he rolled on the warm grass.
"This honestly isn't enough for lunch. We should go and have lunch! I'm hungry!" Tiona exclaimed.
"This isn't?"
"It isn't, you Jagamarukun-head!" Tiona scolded Ais. "We're going to the Hostess of Fertility. You're invited too, Goddess Hestia! My treat."
"My shift will end in ten minutes."
"We could wait that long, right, Bell?"
"Eh? I'm invited too?"
"Of course! I want to talk some more!" Tiona said, finishing up her potato snack. She wiped her hands against each other to rid any crumbs after she threw the paper wrapper. The jolly girl jumped to another food stall and ordered a corndog as she waited for Hestia's shift to end. "Oh! Right, Monsterphilia is coming soon, right? Next week?"
"Mmhmm," Ais finished her last jagamarukun and nodded. "I was invited by the Ganesha Familia to participate in one of their monster battles."
"Lucky," Tiona said. "I wish I was chosen," she whined. "Well, there's always next year! I hope I get chosen next year," she clapped Ais on the back, much to the other girl's mild annoyance. It nearly caused the blonde to drop one of her precious potato puffs! "Congratulations!"
"Thank you," Ais said before turning to Bell. "Will we train later?"
"Yes!"
"Ooh, can I join?" Tiona asked.
"If it's okay with Ais…"
Tiona gave Ais some pleading eyes. Ais wanted to say no but didn't have the heart to turn down her friend. "Fine."
"Yay!" Tiona pumped her fist before giving Ais a hug.
"I'm done," Hestia said, appearing behind the group. She immediately glomped Bell, nearly sending the two of them toppling over. "This Goddess will grace you with her presence for your lunch," she grinned and jumped off Bell. "Well, then, shall we go?"
Bell gave Syr an awkward smile, and the waitress smiled back cheerfully. "What could I get you?" she asked the group.
"Jaga—"
"We don't serve any jagamarukun here, I'm sorry," Syr interrupted Ais.
"...I'll have some potatoes and sausages then."
"Roast chicken! Make sure to include the vegetables please, and thank you," Tiona said.
"I'll have some noodles, extra large bowl," Hestia ordered.
"Roast chicken too, please," Bell answered.
Syr quickly scribbled them all down, finally showing off her ability as a skilled waitress. "Drinks?"
"Wine!"
" "Pineapple juice," " Ais and Bell said at the same time, making both share a smile and laugh.
"Do you have that new drink that has been circulating recently?" Tiona asked.
"Soda? Yes, we do."
"I'll have that."
"Anything else?"
"Nothing, we're good."
"I will return shortly with your drinks," Syr dismissed herself with a slight bow before disappearing into the kitchen.
Bell was amazed by her professionalism. Well, it may be because the Syr he was used to seeing was a flirt and doted on him with free lunches… But still. He had no words to describe the difference. It was like earth and heaven.
"So," Tiona spoke. "You are Bell's Goddess?"
Hestia turned to the amazonian. "I am," her eyes narrowed. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, I was just wondering if there was a solution for Bell's… condition." Hestia's face soured, and Tiona immediately backtracked. "I'm sorry! It's just," Bell could see the sympathy in Tiona's eyes when she glanced at him. For some reason, the pity that was shown vexed him. He pushed it down, though, knowing it was Ais' pity that gave him more time in the first place. There was hesitation on Tiona's face as she tried to pick her words properly. "...I want to help him."
"You could sleep with him next, next week," Ais said. Bell's and Tiona's faces turned red immediately.
"Ha-ha-ha, I'll think about it," Tiona laughed awkwardly before giving Ais a glare.
"Unless you kill the devil who placed the curse, there's nothing else you can do," Hestia said sadly. "I have already read all the books in the library… and there is nothing we can do… I asked all my friends too," Hestia sniffed and Bell reached out to rub her back. Hestia gave Bell a grateful smile as she tried to compose herself. "I'm sorry, it's…"
"A touchy subject," Tiona finished. "I'm the one supposed to apologize."
"Please don't. You only wanted to help," Hestia wiped the small tears on her face and put up a big smile.
The kitchen doors opened and out came Syr, carrying a tray full of drinks. She quickly laid down the drinks on the table and promptly left.
"So that is the soda I have been hearing about lately," Hestia eyed Tiona's black drink in a glass.
Tiona took a huge gulp of the cold drink and wiped her lips. "Yep! It is! And it is quite good!"
"May I have a taste?" Ais asked.
"Here you go," Tiona handed the glass to Ais.
"I will have to taste that too, one time," Hestia commented.
"You could have a taste," Tiona offered.
"Thank you, but I will save it for next time," Hestia refused politely.
"How about you, Bell?"
Bell eyed the cool drink. "I guess I could…"
"Here you go!" Tiona pushed the soda to Bell.
Bell brought it to his lips. His eyes widened as the sweet, foreign drink flowed into his mouth. It was cold and refreshing to the taste. It felt different though from other drinks, it was like there was a popping in his mouth and on his tongue as the liquid passed over them to get to his throat. Bell swallowed and suddenly felt the urge to burp.
And belch he did.
"Uhm, excuse me," Bell said with a blush on his face as he passed the glass of soda back to Tiona.
Tiona laughed jollily. "It's good right?"
"Very."
"And here is your meal," Syr arrived with another tray balanced on her harnds and forearms. She daintily placed down the plates in front of them with a smoothness Bell found himself awed by. She retracted once she was done and held the tray in front of her waist. "Would you like anything else?"
"Nope. We're good," Tiona said. Syr bowed and left them. "Well then, let's eat!" Tiona remarked excitedly as she took the chicken into her hands.
Lunch had ended and the four separated ways. Bell was going to meet Ais again at the open field where they practiced, but that was before the sun set. For now, Bell accompanied his Goddess back to the broken church that they called home.
"Hey, Bell, take care of yourself, okay?" Hestia said suddenly.
"Huh? Why?"
"I'll be going away for a few days to meet a friend of mine."
"Oh right, tonight is the God's Banquet, right?" Bell said to himself.
"Yes. I'll be staying at a friend's tonight, so I may be gone for a day or two."
"Okay. Please take care, my Goddess."
"I will. You too, Bell."
"Yes."
"Oh, and before I forget," Hestia stopped Bell by standing in front of him. She reached up and ruffled his white hair. "You have made some good friends."
Bell was confused before he remembered Ais and Tiona. He smiled softly. Could he even call them friends? Well, from his Goddess' standpoint, maybe they were indeed his friends.
"You should treat them well, okay?"
"Yes, my Goddess."