The next morning.
"Mmm Bell"
Still half-asleep, Hestia murmured Bell's name. It had already been half a month since she'd last seen him, so naturally, the person she dreamed of day and night was him.
Sunlight spilled through the window, slowly brightening the dim room.
Eventually, the warm rays reached Hestia's sleeping face.
The glare made her frown in discomfort. She instinctively tried to open her eyes, but the brightness was too strong, forcing her to keep them shut for a while longer.
"Mmm…"
After struggling for a bit, her consciousness began to clear. She rolled over to a spot free of sunlight, and it took her a few moments before her eyes finally opened.
"Mmm… Bell still hasn't come back…"
Her voice carried a faint note of dejection—it had been two long weeks, after all.
If Bell hadn't been focusing solely on training his base stats this time, she might've watched the projection.
But since his current goal was pure stat growth, the process was dull to the point of tedium. That alone had saved her the trouble of staring at the projection day after day.
So these past days, Hestia had simply been… bored.
Even though Hephaestus, Loki, and Freya were all living under the same roof, there were plenty of times when she found herself with absolutely nothing to do.
After all, the other three still had their own work to attend to—while she alone was left idle.
And that just made the boredom worse.
"Hmph~ When Bell gets back this time, I'm definitely making him wear the visual capture device every day. Even if he's just doing basic training, I want to watch. It's way too boring otherwise."
Hestia made her decision right then and there.
She rolled around on the bed a few more times, but this time, she couldn't fall back asleep. Maybe it was because she'd slept so soundly and deeply the night before, but drifting off again this early was impossible.
With a sigh, she flipped over and sat up.
"Grrr~~~"
Her stomach growled loudly. Hestia froze, glancing around nervously. When she confirmed no one had seen her in such a pitiful state, she let out a small sigh of relief.
"Bell really spoils me too much… I wake up hungry every time."
"Ugh, seriously, how hopeless can you get, my stomach?"
Patting her flat belly, Hestia decided she'd better wash up first, then head to the kitchen to make breakfast.
Her bare feet touched the floor.
Perhaps due to her divine "Eternal Flame" authority, no dust or dirt ever clung to her feet, even when walking barefoot.
The kitchen was on the first floor, while her room was upstairs, so she'd have to go down to cook.
But before that, she stopped by the bathroom attached to her room to wash up, then went to the shared bath on the same floor for a proper soak.
"Ahh~ Soaking in the hot spring first thing in the morning feels amazing."
With her shoulders submerged, every muscle in her body relaxed completely. The warmth melted away any lingering tension, leaving her feeling weightless and blissful.
The steam made her delicate face glow with a soft, rosy hue.
Leaning against the edge of the bath, she gazed blankly up at the ceiling.
"Mmm~ If only Bell were here…"
"He could hold me, and I could lean against him while we soaked together…"
Hestia couldn't help recalling the last time she and Bell had shared a bath. Back then… they hadn't exactly been focused on bathing.
"Heh Hehehehe"
Of course, it wasn't "bathing." One person bathing alone is called bathing. A group of same-sex people bathing together is still bathing.
But when it's a man and a woman? That's not bathing.
That's something else entirely.
Lost in her thoughts, Hestia couldn't help but grin like a lovestruck fool.
"Ah! No, no! I'm a goddess—I need to stay composed!"
Hestia quickly patted her cheeks to snap herself out of it. She wanted to look dependable in front of Bell.
After all, Hephaestus, Loki, and Freya were all competent and respected among the goddesses, while she alone was a shut-in who rarely left home.
On top of that, she was always the one being taken care of. So, at the very least, she wanted to show a bit of divine dignity—not look like a lovestruck fool.
After a long, relaxing soak, Hestia changed into fresh clothes and headed downstairs.
As she descended, she noticed someone sitting on the sofa in the main hall.
The color of that hair left no doubt—it was Freya.
'Strange… isn't she supposed to be with her Familia today? It's already this late, and she's still here?'
Hestia frowned in confusion.
Over the past two weeks, Freya had practically blended into this household, staying over almost every night.
But every morning, she always returned to her Familia. As a goddess, she couldn't be absent from her own Familia for long, or it could cause serious problems.
'So what's going on today?'
Curious, Hestia quickened her pace down the stairs.
When she reached the first floor, she walked toward Freya while calling out,
"Freya, what are you doing—!?"
Her words froze halfway through.
Because the moment she got closer, the answer to her question became painfully obvious.
...
Bell, the very person she'd been longing to see, was fast asleep—resting on Freya's lap.
'Wh-why is Bell sleeping on Freya's lap!?'
The sight hit Hestia like a thunderbolt.
Freya's attire—a nightgown—was unmistakably what she wore to bed.
Which meant Bell… had come home last night.
A rush of jealousy bubbled up in Hestia's chest. Her eyes dulled into lifeless "dead fish eyes" as she marched toward the two.
"!?"
Bell shivered in his sleep, instincts warning him of danger. He opened his eyes—
—and found himself staring into a pair of eyes filled with jealousy and hurt.
'...I'm doomed!'
He instantly recognized whose eyes those were. His facial muscles twitched uncontrollably.
"Hestia, listen, this was an accident—do you believe me?"
"Do you think I'd believe that?"
Her tone was sharp, her face practically dripping with jealousy.
"Bell, you came back yesterday, didn't you? You didn't call for me, and instead you spent the whole night sleeping on Freya's lap!?"
At that point, there was no way Hestia could keep up her "dignified goddess" act.
She could feel it—if she didn't do something now, her share of Bell's affection might just get stolen away.
"Bell, I'm really angry right now!"
"Hurry up and give me back what's mine!"
...
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