Today was the third day since we had set up our stall in Rivira, and the last customer had just left. Lefiya, who was assigned to do the accountancy, jumped to her feet.
"Finally, we earned ten million valis!" Lefiya screamed at the top of her lungs as she jumped around in circles, dragging Ais into her jubilant dance. 'Miss Ais, Miss Ais, we did it!"
"Yes… We did…" Ais replied as she let herself be dragged around in circles by her, a small smile gracing her lips.
"Woo-hoo!" Alise threw her arms up in celebration, nearly knocking over our makeshift counter in the process. "Three days! We earned ten million valis in just three days! We're geniuses! Economic masters! Merchant queens!"
"We're exhausted, is what we are," Kaguya said, slumping against a tree with a weary sigh. "My feet hurt, and I'm pretty sure I've developed an allergy to customer negotiations."
"Oh, stop being so dramatic," Alise said, plopping down next to her. "You loved every minute of it! Admit it—haggling with those merchants, gathering more rare drops than ever before was fun!"
"Fun is not the word I would use," Kaguya replied dryly. "Tedious. Exhausting. Occasionally infuriating when they tried to lowball us. But..." she paused, a small smile tugging at her lips, "I suppose there was some satisfaction in making them pay fair prices."
"That's the spirit!" Alise grinned, throwing an arm around Kaguya's shoulders. "See? You're secretly a merchant genius too!"
"I'm secretly wanting to sleep for a week," Kaguya corrected, but she didn't shrug off Alise's arm.
I looked over at the account book—we'd made slightly over ten million. "Now, since we made more than intended, why don't we celebrate with the rest of the money?" I suggested.
"Arin's right!" Alise declared, "This calls for a proper celebration! Food! Drinks! Maybe some dancing!"
"Speaking of food," Lefiya said, her stomach choosing that moment to growl audibly. Her face flushed red. "Um... maybe we should stop by a restaurant?"
"Seconded," Kaguya raised her hand. "I'm not sure I have the energy to climb back to the surface on an empty stomach," she said, clearly exhausted after killing monsters non-stop for the past three days as well as making round trips to the guild to sell magic stones, If anything, Alise was the weird one—still energetic despite doing the same amount of work as Kaguya.
"Then why don't we celebrate at home?" Ryuu suggested. "We will be able to buy a lot of things with the rest of the money?"
"Oh! That's a good idea, we will be able to make more food than eating at a tavern," Alise's eyes lit up. "Yes! Let's do that!" she announced.
I couldn't help but laugh at her antics. "Alright, alright. Before we get too carried away with celebrations, we should probably pack up the stall and head back to the surface. We can celebrate properly once we're back at home."
"Okay!" Alise said, already helping to gather the remaining unsold items.
And so we packed up our stall and began making our way toward the surface.
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As we exited the dungeon, I called out to Lefiya. "Then, Lefiya, you will go to the Goibniu Familia and give them the money, while the rest of us will buy the ingredients needed. We'll meet up at Stardust Garden."
"Yes, I understand!" she said, her face lighting up at the prospect of spending time alone with Ais. She immediately grabbed her hand and started pulling her toward the Goibniu Familia workshop, her earlier hunger apparently forgotten in her excitement.
"Lefiya, slow down," Ais said mildly, allowing herself to be dragged along. "...They're not going anywhere."
"But Miss Ais, we should hurry and get this done!" Lefiya insisted, though her grip on Ais's hand suggested she wasn't in any real hurry to return.
I watched them disappear into the crowd with an amused smile, then turned to the others. "We should also get going, everyone. Let's make sure we have a feast ready before Ais and Lefiya get back!"
"Yeah! Let's hurry!" Alise declared, already taking off toward the market district at a pace that was entirely too energetic for someone who'd been working nonstop for three days.
"How does she still have that much energy?" Kaguya muttered, but she was already following, with Ryuu and me bringing up the rear.
The market district was bustling with late-afternoon activity—merchants calling out their wares, customers haggling over prices, and the rich aroma of fresh bread and grilled meats wafting through the air. We split up to cover more ground, each taking responsibility for different ingredients.
"I'll get the vegetables!" Ryuu called out, heading toward a produce stand.
"Meat's mine!" Alise declared, bouncing toward the butcher's stall.
"I'll handle seasonings and rice," Kaguya said, looking considerably less enthusiastic but determined nonetheless.
"Then I'll grab some dessert ingredients," I said, making my way toward a merchant I'd dealt with before.
For the next thirty minutes, we moved through the market, our bags slowly filling with an impressive array of ingredients.
I watched Alise gesticulate wildly at the butcher, probably insisting his 'premium' cuts weren't quite premium enough. The merchant looked like he was regretting his life choices. Meanwhile, Ryuu had somehow reduced a vegetable seller to nervous stammering with nothing but steady eye contact.
I made a mental note never to negotiate against her, with Kaguya being even worse, as she simply stared down a spice merchant until he gave her a reasonable price.
And I secured a decent deal on some imported fruits, which would make for an excellent dessert.
"Is this everything?" Ryuu asked when we regrouped, looking at the considerable haul we'd accumulated.
"I think we might have bought enough food to feed the entire familia," I observed, noting how heavily laden we all were.
"Better too much than too little!" Alise said cheerfully, "This is a celebration, after all!"
"A celebration where you'll probably eat half the food yourself," Kaguya pointed out.
"I resent that accusation!" Alise protested. "I'll only eat a third at most!"
"That's not the defense you think it is," I said, earning a laugh from Ryuu.
As we made our way back toward Stardust Garden, loaded down with supplies, I noticed the sky, which had been bright moments ago, began to darken—not with the natural onset of evening, but with heavy clouds rolling in from the west.
"Is it going to rain?" Ryuu asked, looking up with concern.
"Looks like it," Kaguya confirmed, quickening her pace. "We should hurry."
We picked up speed, but we were still several blocks from Stardust Garden when the first drops began to fall. Within seconds, what had started as a drizzle transformed into a proper downpour, rain coming down in heavy sheets that immediately soaked through our clothes.
"Run!" Alise shouted, though it was somewhat redundant—we were all already sprinting.
The rain was relentless, turning cobblestones slick and treacherous beneath our feet. By the time we burst through the gates of Stardust Garden, we were completely drenched, our bags of ingredients thankfully protected by the waterproof wrappings we'd insisted the merchants use.
"We made it!" Alise declared triumphantly, water dripping from her hair and clothes to form puddles on the floor.
"Barely," Kaguya said, looking down at herself with resignation. "I'm soaked through. These clothes are going to take forever to dry."
"At least the food's safe," Ryuu observed, carefully checking the bags to ensure nothing had gotten wet.
I looked out at the rain, which showed no signs of letting up. The street outside had transformed into a small river, water rushing down the sloped paths in torrents. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and occasional flashes of lightning illuminated the darkening sky.
"Oh my, all of you are completely drenched," a soft, familiar voice called out. We turned to see Astraea walking towards us in the main hall, carrying a bunch of towels. "Here you should dry yourself," she said, handing all of us a towel each.
I took the towel and dried my hair, then channeled magic to dry everyone's clothes. As steam rose from our bodies, Ryuu and others looked in wonder.
"Oh! That's convenient!" Alise cried as I looked out of the window, towards the dark clouds raining down.
"Incredibly useful," Kaguya agreed, examining her now-dry sleeves with approval.
Ryuu smiled slightly. "Yes, it is," she said and looked outside the window. "Looks like the rain is not going to stop anytime soon," said Ryuu.
"Maybe I should contact Ais and Lefiya—" just then, I felt the communication device buzz in my pocket, Ais' voice calling out from the other side. Using the communication devices I have given them was useful.
"Ais? What happened?" I asked.
"Arin, Sorry, but we won't be able to make it," She said.
"What…?" I asked, uneasy at the ominous phrasing.
"Miss Ais, I think we should explain properly!" Lefiya called from the side, "Miss Ais wanted to say that we will be going back to Twilight Manor, as it's near here, so we won't be able to come to celebrate," she explained.
"It's fine, just be careful on your way," Ryuu replied, "we can celebrate tomorrow."
"Thank you, Miss Ryuu. " Thank you, everyone," Lefiya said. "We will be there tomorrow morning then." Bye!"
After the conversation with Lefiya was over, I put the device back in my pocket, and Astraea, as if waiting for that moment, spoke up again. "Well, now, while all of you have dried up with Arin's magic, it is still important that you take a warm bath."
"Oh, that sounds good," Kaguya spoke, and after giving me a look, continued, "Though I am hoping that you are not implying that Arin be bath with us, or are you?" she said, making Astraea and Ryuu blush.
"Kaguya!" Ryuu cried in protest, "What kind of things are you saying to Lady Astraea?!" In return for her protest, Kaguya simply scoffed.
"Oh? So you are saying it's only fine when I say that about you?" Kaguya smirked, clearly enjoying herself. "'Oh my, when did our little fairy become so naughty?"
"Wha!" Ryuu tried to bite back, but knowing she would only fall deeper in the trap, remained silent.
"Kaguya, I am not interested in bathing with you," I interceded, "so you can go ahead and bathe without worry."
"Oh? Not interested?" Kaguya raised an eyebrow, her voice dripping with mock offense. "Should I be insulted by that or relieved?"
"Relieved, obviously," I replied, completely deadpan. "Your personality is terrifying enough with clothes on. I don't need additional trauma."
Alise burst out laughing while Kaguya's mouth dropped open in genuine surprise.
"Did you just—" Kaguya started.
"Yes. Yes, I did," I confirmed, already turning toward the kitchen. "Enjoy your bath!"
"Why you—!" Kaguya sputtered as Ryuu tried unsuccessfully to hide her smile behind her hand.
Astraea simply smiled warmly. "I'm glad to see everyone getting along so well. Why don't you all go freshen up? I'll help prepare the kitchen for your dinner."
"Thank you, Lady Astraea!" Ryuu said, before ushering the still-grinning Kaguya toward the bath.
"Come on, Captain, let's go," Kaguya called to Alise, who was still admiring the dried ingredients.
"Right behind you!" Alise followed.
Their voices faded as they disappeared down the corridor, leaving me alone with Astraea in the entrance hall. The sound of rain continued to drum against the windows, creating an oddly peaceful atmosphere.
"Thank you for the towel, Astraea," I said, handing it back to her.
"Of course, Arin." She accepted it with a gentle smile, "Now, should we prepare the dinner?" she asked. I nodded, and we made our way to the kitchen together.
Behind us, the sound of running water and cheerful voices drifted from the bathhouse, while outside, the rain continued its steady rhythm against the windows. Despite the change in plans, the evening felt warm and comfortable—exactly what a celebration should be.