Side Bell Cranel
After getting some sharp words and advice from Smith, I left the Hostess of Fertility.
...On the way out, I caught sight of some waitress charging at Smith with her eyes shining, only to get smacked by someone and sent flying, but it was probably nothing. Yeah, it had to be nothing. No, it was absolutely nothing!
As I headed back to the Familia home, turning over Smith's advice in my head... something... felt like I'd forgotten something... Ah.
My goddess must be waiting for me...!? I wasted an entire night—what do I do?! Ah, whatever, no point thinking about it now. Just run!
Even if I'm only Level 1, I made full use of the physical abilities that still surpass a normal person's and sprinted toward the Familia home as fast as I could.
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"Haaah... haaah... whew, I got here as fast as I could, at least..."
Haah... what do I do? She must've been really worried. The moment I go in, I should start by bowing my head and apologizing. Yeah!
"Um... Godde—"
"Bell! You're back, Bell! Are you hurt anywhere? Were you angry because of what I said before I left yesterday, so you came back late? I'm truly sorry, I didn't mean it like that! So... so please don't leave me... You... you're my only child..."
"Calm down, Goddess, calm down! You're too close, you're clinging to me! Please back up a little!"
"No, I won't, I can't! I'm never letting myself be separated from you again, Bell! Do you know how worried I was last night when you didn't come back?! I'll never let go of you again!"
"Goddess..."
"Last night, when you didn't come home, I kept thinking about you over and over. And I made up my mind. As your goddess, I will absolutely never let you go again. Bell, I am your one and only goddess. I alone am your deity, and the master of the hearth that will burn with you for all eternity."
"Yes, of course. You're my goddess and my deity, Lady Hestia!"
"Even if death parts us once... I will definitely come to find you. Even if it takes hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of years, I will come to meet the reincarnated you... the you who is no longer Bell. And then I will ask you. Won't you join my Familia?"
"Then when that time comes, I'll become your child all over again."
"It's a promise, then? A promise?"
"Yes, of course. It's a promise!"
When I opened the door and came in, the fact that there was no light in her eyes sent a chill down my spine, but... well, somehow the light came back, so I guess it's okay now. But then why is my spine still cold...?
"Bell, building a harem is a wonderful dream... but there's one thing you absolutely have to remember."
"What is it, Grandpa?"
"Never, ever get involved with a yandere. Love taken to the extreme is no different from yandere madness. So don't confuse healthy devoted love with extreme devotion gone wrong, and be careful!"
"...? I don't really understand what you mean, but okay!"
"Remember this, Bell. If someone starts saying things like they'll be with you forever, or they'll never let you go, or muttering with no light in their eyes... run first! If you're not careful, you could wind up like [Nice Boat]."
"Okay!"
I still don't know what [Nice Boat] means, but... there's no way my goddess could actually be dangerous, right?
"Putting that aside, how did you end up staying out all night?"
"Ah, well..."
Ah... uh... should I really tell her this...? I feel like it's going to upset her a lot...
"Bell?"
"Y-Yes?"
It's black, pitch black! There's absolutely no light in her eyes! This is scaaaary!
"I'm your goddess, aren't I?"
"Y-Yes, ma'am!"
"Then you should answer everything I ask, right?"
"Th-that's kind of my private li—"
"You. Should. Answer. Right?"
"Y-Yes!"
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While explaining what happened last night and this morning...
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"And this morning, after hearing what Smith said, I realized something."
"What was it?"
"That without strength, it's all just an illusion. If I want to pursue my ideals, then even if I don't need power so overwhelming that no one can look down on me... I still need to aim for enough strength to stand on equal footing with others."
"That child Smith really helped you a great deal this time. Someday I should bring him a fruit basket or something and thank him properly."
"You know him...?"
"Mm... back when I was indebted to Hephaestus Familia, there was a time when we worked together. Well, I'll tell you about my time in Hephaestus Familia later."
"Do you really have to...?"
"There isn't all that much to tell... but if you're curious, I will. For now, though, let's update your Status first."
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It looked like my goddess got really flustered while updating my Status, but I'm sure it's nothing serious, right?
"Goddess, is there some kind of problem?"
"No, no, it's nothing at all. Your Status went up a lot again today. You're making steady progress!"
"Really? All right, all right, go Bell Cranel! Until I reach the place where Miss Ais is!"
"By the way, Bell, your Status is rising at a rate that can't even be compared to other people's."
"Huh?"
"For some reason I can't identify, your proficiency is increasing at a ridiculous speed. And your Endurance went up again too. Can you think of anything that might explain it?"
"Uh... well, like I said yesterday, aside from going down to the fifth floor and running into a Minotaur, nothing really... Ah, well, there was also the part where I tried to run out of a shop without paying and got hit so hard I passed out..."
"Good grief... To get to the point, right now you're growing at an incredible rate, even if we can't say for sure why. I don't know how long it'll continue, but you could think of it as a kind of growth period."
"O-Okay."
"This is only my personal opinion, but I think you may have talent as an adventurer."
Huh... me? Talent? Me, who got turned away by dozens, hundreds of Familias, and who was nothing but a laughingstock at a drinking table last night?
"...You will definitely grow stronger. And you yourself want to become stronger than you are now. It goes beyond simply admiring someone and wanting to get closer to them. Now that you've gained a clear sense of purpose to achieve your goal, that yearning of yours is probably beyond comparison with anyone else's."
"...Yes. There's someone I admire and want to reach. And besides that, I need strength so my ideals won't stay just an illusion. I learned that painfully well yesterday..."
"Promise me one thing, Bell. Promise me that you will never push yourself too far. As long as you walk the path of an adventurer, I know there will inevitably be times when you have to press forward while risking danger. But before you take that risk and stake your life, think of just one thing again. That your goddess is waiting for you here. Promise me, your deity, that you will do everything you can to come back to me."
"Yes, I promise. No matter what happens, I'll come back to your side again. As I move forward, and even if I have to fall back, I'll keep reminding myself of my promise to return to your arms. So please, don't worry! I'm your one and only child, after all."
"Yes, that's right. You're my one and only child. You'll be able to come back!"
"I won't push myself too far. I'll work hard and keep working hard, and I'll keep getting stronger... but I'll absolutely come back to your side."
"Hearing that puts my mind at ease."
Seeing Lady Hestia's clear, radiant smile, I couldn't help smiling too. No matter what, I'll always come back to the side of the goddess who makes my heart race!
Side Hestia
...What can I do for this child?
Come to think of it, I did receive an invitation.
rustle rustle
Ah, here it is. Hmm... a party hosted by Ganesha Familia. Let's see... Hephaestus will be there too, won't she?
"Ah, Goddess! Here!"
"...? What is this?"
"Um... it's the reward money from Loki Familia. Let's use it for operating expenses!"
"Hmm, really? Let me see. Do you know how much it is?"
"Uh... probably fifty thousand valis...?"
"What...?"
"Honestly, it's such a huge amount that it doesn't even feel real to me!"
"Mm... yes, just stay that pure..."
With this money... we'll be able to eat steadily for quite a while. Mm, anyway, Ganesha's party is tomorrow night, is it?
"For now, let's use this money for Familia expenses and food. Oh, and starting tomorrow, I'll be away from home for a few days!"
"Huh? Is it because of your part-time job?"
"No, not that. I hadn't planned on going, but I'm thinking of attending a party hosted by a friend. It's been a while since I've seen my friends' faces, too."
Hmm... this is probably the cleanest outfit I have. This, and this...
"Um, Goddess?"
"Mm? What is it, Bell?"
"If you're going to the party tomorrow, should I buy you some nice clothes?"
"With what money do you think you have...?"
"I have this!"
"Now, now, that money is for you. You can't go spending it carelessly on me."
"When it comes to Familia management, wouldn't raising the dignity of the goddess attending the party count too?"
"Nngh... if you put it that way, I can't really argue..."
"If we keep it to around ten thousand valis, wouldn't that be enough for one dress...?"
Seeing Bell look up at me with both hands clasped to his chest and such earnest eyes—he was sitting on the bed while I was standing, so I was just slightly higher than him—ghk! There's no way I could refuse that!
"Th-then you're only spending ten thousand valis or less, understood? You have to!"
"Yes, I'll pick out the best dress for you, Goddess!"
"I-I'll look forward to it..."
Uh... isn't this that shopping date thing from those summer romance novels? Huh? Am I... on a date right now? Whaaat?
And so, they say that for the rest of that day, there were reports on South Main Street of a busty loli with a bright red face and a white rabbit happily walking around with her~