"Hiss, unfamiliar ceiling."
The next morning, Shaka woke up clutching the back of his head.
He immediately pulled back the covers, then quickly pulled them back up.
His first thought:
"Did that toad ambush me and then... you know...?"
That can't be right. I just got to Orario, only had run-ins with Shakti. I'm not famous at all hardly met anyone. Who'd want to hurt me? And besides! I didn't even go inside just lingered at the door. How could anything have happened?
Oh no, am I no longer... clean...?
Just then, a girl with short white hair entered, dressed in green clothes and a white apron. She was neatly dressed with a calm demeanor, carrying a basin of water.
She smiled at Shaka and asked, "Which toad?"
She looks like the girl next door… Shaka paused, staring at her outfit something felt familiar.
Holy crap Freya?!
Shaka stammered. While this was way better than being targeted by some "toad," this woman was no small threat either.
He quickly explained: "Nothing just hallucinating from yesterday's knock to the head."
He immediately straightened his resolve! I will never betray Lady leah. I will always be loyal to Lady leah! I wouldn't trade the whole forest for one rotten cabbage forget about it.
Syr put her hands behind her back, smiling as she said: "I'll go tell Ryu you called her a toad!"
Shaka froze: "Ryu?"
In an instant, everything clicked into place.
Only… ouch, this girl's going to get me in trouble.
he also remembered Hermes seemed intent on getting back at him. Still, he'd had no plans to actively seek out this powerful figure.
In the DanMachi world, the most troublesome deity was undoubtedly Freya and now he'd been seen by her alter ego, Syr.
Which brought up the age-old question: What color is my soul?
Shaka didn't dare ask or even think about the answer, so he just played dumb.
Syr covered her mouth and giggled: "Hurry up and get up. This is Ryu's room get too comfortable here and you'll face the consequences."
"Okay, okay."
Shaka turned his head away, feeling a bit awkward, then quickly checked his clothes they were folded neatly to the side. He asked:
"What's all this?"
"Don't look at me I didn't change you," Syr crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks.
"Then why are you still here?"
"Go ahead and change I don't mind," Syr smiled to herself. I've already seen everything I needed to anyway…
Shaka wasn't shy about it. He still had his underwear on she could look all she wanted. If his soul was already exposed, what did his body matter?
He put on his clothes, pulled up his pants, and strapped on his armor and combat suit. With the 3D Maneuver Grip hanging at his waist, he headed downstairs looking every bit the adventurer.
Syr left halfway to help out in the busy store.
Shaka looked around but didn't see Ryu, so he asked Mama Mia, who was stirring a wok: "Where's the elf who brought me back yesterday?"
"Not here," Mama Mia replied without looking up.
"Where did she go?"
"How should I know?" She finally turned, looking annoyed. "Why,
are you two close?"
"I guess so."
"Perfect!" Mama Mia grinned slyly. "She skipped work, so you're covering for her. See those plates in the kitchen? Go wash them."
"…No." Shaka was about to protest when Mama Mia pulled out her trump card.
"That idiot owes me 1 billion Faris! Since you're such good friends, why don't you help pay it off?!"
Shaka's face drained of color. He knew full well the 1 billion was just the "price" of a bowl of porridge, with store damages added on top. It was nowhere near that amount just something Mama Mia said on a whim.
Every employee here owed her a mountain of debt enough to keep them washing dishes for a hundred years and still not pay off. Though she never actually expected them to settle up, it was better to avoid owing her if possible.
Shaka paled: "I'll go right now!"
He was terrified she'd tell him a night's stay cost 80 million Faris or something equally absurd.
While being doted on by Mama Mia is nice, I'm still young I can't handle that kind of pressure.
But Shaka waited and waited. The sun climbed high in the sky, past noon, and still Ryu didn't show up.
Is she avoiding me? Or is she up to something again? What if Leon can't find me? Where's Shadow? He was right next to me yesterday,where did he go? What color is my soul? What about Shadow's? Do the younger adventurers see spirits or just balls of light?
Shaka's mind was a mess as he mechanically scrubbed plate after plate.
"Hey newbie, hurry up with a clean plate! I'm swamped, meow!"
"Got it, they're all here."
"Hey you help wash these too, stat!"
"Okay, I'm on it."
"New guy you're done! Come eat!"
"Almost finished be right there!"
A moment later, Shaka sat down to eat with a black cat, an orange cat, and a silver-haired girl from next door. Stiffly, he took a bite of bread and slurped some ramen.
Then it hit him.
"Holy crap! I've infiltrated the enemy ranks?!"
Anya patted his back: "Quit daydreaming, meow! Redhead finish eating fast! We've got shopping to do this afternoon, meow!"
Chloe smiled: "Young man if you let the kitties rub your butt, we'll do your shopping for you, how about it, meow?"
"Thanks, but no thanks."
Afternoon
Shaka walked along Southwest Street toward the free market.
Why do I keep feeling like someone's watching me?
He turned and looked at the Tower of Babel piercing the sky, his gaze unfocused:
Not from a high place…
Did she not see me? Or does she not care? Maybe she's giving me a pass out of respect for Astraea?
He shook his head. Bell was special, transparent souls like his were extremely rare. There were plenty of souls with heroic potential; he might catch her interest, but not enough to make a big deal out of it.
Shaka didn't dislike Freya as a goddess. Dating her was out of the question, but he didn't mind being friends. If things went well, he wouldn't mind introducing Bell to her.
But if she insisted on causing trouble…
Then her Familia might be disbanded ahead of schedule.
Even though Freya Familia members are all individually strong,
Shaka still had an inexplicable confidence in Blank.
He looked up at the top of the Tower of Babel and muttered to himself:
"Syr, you'd better watch yourself! Whether you treat me well and wait for me to bring 'love' to your door, or end up disbanding your Familia early, all depends on the choice you make now!"