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"Sorry— I didn't mean to." Takumi released his hands and showed a gentleman's apologetic expression.
Face flushed, Ryuu shook her head and said softly, "No, I should be the one to apologize."
She wasn't the willful type; she was the one who had bumped into Takumi just now. What puzzled Ryuu was that she hadn't flung him off the first instant. As an Elf, she was someone who would "allow only those she acknowledges to touch her skin."
She had the trait that at a first handshake with someone else, she would definitely shake free. Yet when she came into contact with Takumi, she hadn't done that. And… she had even felt the want to touch him more intimately.
That shameless notion battered Ryuu's heart. She couldn't make any sense of why she would have such thoughts. Clearly this boy before her—this was the very first time they had met!
Noticing the little interlude, Kaguya wore a bewitching smile, but the walk back remained calm. The group crossed the main street, turned several corners, and came to a quiet residential quarter. They had arrived at a corner of North Orario—Alise and the others' base of operations, the Stardust Garden.
"Welcome home, all of you."
The moment the door opened on the not-overly-large yet still tasteful white Western-style mansion, they were greeted in the entryway by a beautiful goddess. Walnut-brown long hair cascaded down her back; her eyes were a deep ocean-blue that seemed to hold a starry sea within. A womanly body both curvaceous and slender at once was clothed in a pure white, unstained dress.
Everything about her—voice, words, bearing—conveyed chastity and nobility, though the pair of hills cleaving a deep valley in front invited imagination. The air around her was gentle, upright, and lofty. The word "goddess" might as well have been coined to describe her.
She was none other than the Astraea Familia's patron deity, the goddess who presides over Justice—Astraea.
"Goddess Astraea!"
At the sight of Astraea coming out to welcome them, Alise couldn't hide her joy in the least. Her reaction was completely that of a child adoring her mother—an affection of faith different from loyalty or respect.
"We're back, Goddess Astraea~~"
"Like little kids, lining up nicely to come home."
"To have our patron goddess come out personally to greet us—our value is something else, isn't it."
Behind Alise came the voices of Ryuu, Lyra, Kaguya, and the other members in succession. Astraea's gentle smile didn't change; she simply said, still smiling:
"Nothing of the sort, Kaguya. To be glad for those who return safely—whether as a heavenly god or as children—is only natural."
When the laughter faded, Astraea's gaze naturally shifted to Takumi, who had arrived a step later. The instant their eyes met, even as a goddess, her heart moved. A blush blossomed across that exquisite face.
"And this young man is…?"
Takumi inclined himself in a slight bow with gentlemanly decorum and then introduced himself. "Revered Goddess Astraea, I'm a member of the Hestia Familia. I've come to pay a visit today—sorry for intruding."
Upon learning where Takumi belonged, the light in Astraea's eyes carried a trace of disappointment. Even on a first meeting with Takumi, she had felt the desire to take him into her own Familia. A pity another deity had beaten her to it.
"Hestia is quite fortunate, isn't she. I can see it—Takumi, that outstanding potential of yours."
Astraea sighed in admiration, then cordially invited Takumi to sit. As for Lili at his side, she was of course not left out.
Watching the interactions among her Familia, Astraea let her gentle gaze rest on each face. "You must all be tired. Do you want a bath first? Or would you like to eat first?"
Her eyes included every single one of them; even Takumi, a male, was encompassed in that regard. Seeing the hint of playfulness at the corners of the goddess's upright features, the girls present all blushed slightly.
"Ahem. I'll just mooch a meal." Takumi coughed lightly and did not accept Goddess Astraea's delightful proposition. After all, his bond with the girls here wasn't that deep yet; starting a bath-party now was premature—and would likely stir resistance among them. Without another word he pushed Lili forward.
"Eh—!??"
Seeing herself suddenly used as Takumi's shield for no reason at all, Lili couldn't sit still. She just wanted to be a low-profile pawn with no presence!
Lyra reached out and pulled Lili over with one tug. "Come with me. You're all disheveled—time for a proper bath. And I just happen to have a few things to ask you."
As a fellow Pallum, she wanted to understand Lili a bit. Sharp-minded Lyra had already sensed that Lili had her bitter reasons for sinking to this state. Having crawled out of hell once herself, Lyra wanted to extend a hand.
In the girls' laughter and chatter, time slipped by. In their exchanges, Astraea also came to understand Takumi in broad strokes; surprise widened those beautiful eyes.
"A born hero, a child of miracles. Hestia truly is lucky— to have a child like you."
Takumi only gave a calm smile and answered with humility. "You flatter me, Astraea-sama. I'm just a teensy bit stronger than the average person. And we're friends now as well—if there's ever anything you need, I'll lend a hand."
Astraea nodded lightly at that; a wisp of worry floated across her face. "…Indeed. Orario grows more chaotic by the day. If a rising star like you is willing to help, I can be that much more at ease."
As her words fell, Alise and the others, freshly washed, emerged. Each girl wore nothing but a bath towel; swathes and swathes of white-and-rosy skin were laid bare. Twelve girls in all, each with her own allure: snow-pale, delicate collarbones; dripping, glossy hair—everywhere the eye fell was a lovely scene.
Under Takumi's gaze, the bashful Ryuu shrank into the crowd.
"Takumi-sama, who do you like best~~" Kaguya, gentle in air but barbed within, spoke in a sultry lilt as she smiled at Takumi. At her opening gambit, the girls pretended unimportance—but each stole a glance his way in secret.
"Mm~~ Miss Kaguya's question is really putting me on the spot." Takumi clicked his tongue, letting his eyes travel around the room—thirteen females in all, counting Goddess Astraea herself.
"Takumi-sama isn't allowed to wiggle out by saying 'I like them all,' you know~" Kaguya, as if seeing through his tiny scheme, hooked her lips with ill intent as she added the clause.
Facing Kaguya, who seemed deliberately intent on embarrassing him, Takumi arched a brow and said calmly, "If I really have to pick—then I choose Goddess Astraea."
"Eh!!"
The one chosen—Astraea—instantly had rosy cheeks and a shy gleam in her eyes. Kaguya and the other girls all deflated a bit. Once they thought about who had been chosen, they found themselves with nothing to say.
"That's true. After all, our Goddess is the most perfect."
"This choice is your doing, Miss Kaguya. I'd actually rather have said I like all of you—my love is equal."
"Equal love is just pure philanderin!"
"But I don't want to lose anyone. Broad love isn't philandering."
Looking at Takumi, who so candidly admitted he was a scumbag, even a tongue as venomous as Kaguya's ran out of words. When a person has no shame to this degree, it's really hard to pin them down with rhetoric at all.
...
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