A white chiffon skirt fell to the goddess's ankles, fluttering in the breeze.
Moonlight adorned her beautiful face, tracing a faint blush across it.
Artemis leaned forward slightly, the curve of her chest rising and falling with each breath like waves washing over sand, laying the goddess's shyness bare.
"Orion must be thinking that I'm so beautiful, he got lost staring for a moment."
Artemis smiled as she guessed the boy's thoughts.
This was her battle against embarrassment.
As long as she said it first, Artemis would not be quite so flustered when Bell praised her.
"That's right. But there's one more thing I'm a little concerned about. From this angle, I can see Artemis's chest."
Bell answered softly.
"Huh? Huh?!"
Artemis took a shy step back.
Only then did she realize that the boy's words had been mixed with a lie.
"How dare you trick me, Orion."
Before the goddess could finish scolding him, Bell leaned forward and took her left hand.
Under the moonlight, their shadows joined together.
"Artemis looked just like this before, shyly offering me an invitation. That's why I wanted to tease you a little."
Bell held her hand and slowly took a step.
It had only been a single lie, yet it was enough to throw this goddess into complete confusion.
Even so, for the sake of all Gekai, Artemis had overcome her shyness and spoken of a love she had never known before.
After they became lovers, the way they interacted, sometimes like an old married couple, sometimes painfully innocent, kept their relationship full of surprises.
"Mm... Orion really is too sly."
Matching the boy's rhythm, Artemis began a dance beneath the moon.
She had clearly been the one to invite him, yet because of that lie, she had suddenly become unbearably shy.
Artemis did not want to let the boy have his way and see her embarrassed expression, but the more she cared about it, the harder it became for the heat in her cheeks to fade.
"You can't blame me for that. No one else has ever seen this side of Artemis. As the only person who knows this sight, of course I want to see an even cuter side of you."
Bell answered as he guided her steps.
Emerald eyes and crimson pupils conveyed their affection. The cool moonlight seemed to melt beneath their warmth, turning into a soft layer of white gauze.
Their steps crossed, and every time their bodies touched, the blush on Artemis's face deepened.
Yet she never let go of the boy's hands.
"The scent of musk is gradually fading. There must be a girl crying over there."
Artemis spoke gently.
She danced lightly beside the boy, often stumbling into his arms.
It was not the wind that had scattered the musk, but Artemis herself, damp with fragrant sweat, soaking that scent into her own.
"Yeah. But I still can't save her yet."
Bell frankly stated the reality before him.
He could not act like a hypocrite, charging headfirst into the incident and causing trouble for everyone.
Bell knew very well that salvation always came with risks. Even so, he would do everything in his power to reduce those risks.
"If it's Orion, I'm sure it will be all right. If you ever reach a point where there's nowhere left to turn, remember to confide in me. The other girls and I will all help you."
Artemis spun once in front of the boy, blooming softly like a beautiful white flower.
She was not good at dancing. Every movement was led by Bell.
Immersed in that gentleness, Artemis did not ask who had taught the boy his steps.
No matter how skilled he was, right now, she was the only one being swept up in that warmth.
Artemis shed her sweat freely. Though she felt a little embarrassed by such close, sweat-damp contact, she still enjoyed that sweetness to the fullest, letting the boy's body take on her scent.
"Goddess-sama actually hasn't noticed us."
Bell pointed out the blind spot.
The two of them were dancing hand in hand in the mansion's courtyard, yet Hestia had not appeared to complain or stop them.
"Hehe. Actually, Hestia is updating those children's Status right now. Since she's taking such earnest care of 'my' children, it's only natural that I take care of Orion for her."
Artemis wore a smile like a little girl's, seeming quite pleased with the current situation.
Thanks to the efforts of the twenty elite soldiers, Hestia had no time to stop this dance beneath the moon.
"I heard from Goddess-sama that Artemis used to shout, 'Where are the ones bullying Hestia?!' while chasing away troublesome male gods and taking care of Goddess-sama, right?"
Comparing the story he had heard with the current situation, Bell's lips curved faintly.
Hestia was extremely sensitive about this kind of thing. Without a doubt, what Artemis was doing now could already be called "bullying."
"T-that's different. I really do care about Hestia."
Artemis kept dancing, though her voice was slightly flustered.
The chaste goddess who had always restrained herself surely knew that this behavior was unfair to her friend. Even so, that unfamiliar love had overtaken her thoughts and led the situation to where it was now.
"Artemis, I really like Goddess-sama."
Bell spoke softly.
"Saying something like that in front of your lover... Still, even though our feelings of liking her aren't the same, I like Hestia too, just like Orion does."
There was no resentment in Artemis's voice at all.
Hearing those words from the boy was, to her, a kind of salvation.
She had not stolen the boy away from her dearest friend. She was simply sharing this pure passion together with her.
"Back in Tenkai, a goddess named Aphrodite often came to pick a fight with me. Hestia would always puff out her cheeks and speak up for me."
As Artemis recalled the past, her steps grew a little softer.
"So the one she was picking on wasn't Goddess-sama, but Artemis?"
Bell was quite interested in the topic.
Gods did not change.
What exactly had this breathtakingly beautiful goddess dancing with him now experienced in the past? It made him endlessly curious.
"That's right. Aphrodite thought that among the three virgin goddesses, Hestia was rather cute, while Athena and I were like iron walls. We were practically failures as goddesses."
Artemis smiled as she spoke of the past.
"That goddess had terrible taste. Artemis's beauty doesn't lose to anyone."
Bell answered honestly.
"A-anyway, Aphrodite was just that kind of annoying person. She was always talking about love and romance, and I never understood what she meant."
"Back then, I even thought she must have been picking on me because my breasts were much larger than hers, even though she was a Goddess of Beauty. Mm... Orion, don't take the chance to look down..."
Artemis moved through the dance, the blush on her face blending with the moonlight, forming a picture of breathtaking beauty.
"I always thought love was a poison that corroded the body... but now, I feel like I understand it a little..."