After breakfast, Leon was the first to finish washing up.
He plopped down at the stone table out of habit and started flipping through the newspaper, completely absorbed.
In a hurry?
Hurry for what? When ladies were going out, the moment they said "almost ready," Leon automatically converted that into half an hour in his head.
And that was being generous...
Compared to the elaborate prep the ladies put themselves through before heading out, Leon's routine was a hell of a lot simpler.
Today he'd gone with a simple all-black look: a plain shirt up top with the first button casually undone and the cuffs rolled up twice, paired with casual slacks and leather shoes below. The whole effect was crisp and clean.
It was a far cry from his usual mysterious, cloak-shrouded adventuring getup. He'd transformed into a sharp-looking young gentleman.
"Huh... so the Orario rankings got an update?"
He flipped through the newspapers that had been delivered to the mailbox, skimming the contents while muttering to himself.
"Let's see... Orario's Most Popular Male Adventurers Among Women? Damn... this trash is the front-page headline?!"
"The familia behind that publisher must be desperate for clicks!"
The very first thing that hit his eye on the ranking page was a portrait of Finn smiling.
"Finn Deimne, the Braver, ranked No. 1 on the Most Popular Among Women list? What is this, even some weird trash list like this exists?!"
"Didn't peg you as the gossipy type."
A warm breath suddenly tickled Leon's ear, making him jolt.
He looked up to find Rose and the others already out of the house, dressed in casual everyday shirts and dresses.
From their expressions, Leon could tell everyone was in a good mood.
Officially, they were attending a Demeter Familia event, but really they were just using it as an excuse to enjoy a proper shopping trip.
As for Evilus?
If he could take on their executives, he could certainly handle a few foot soldiers.
Besides... Leon had already made it to Lv. 3.
Compared to the days when he was Lv. 1 and had to walk the streets with extreme caution, he no longer felt that constant unease. That shadow of insecurity that used to follow him everywhere had mostly dissipated.
"Well, this week's paper just got delivered, so I was just leafing through it. But this ranking... I hear it's massively popular among female adventurers, and with certain goddesses too."
"Yeah... pretty much every guy on the list has a huge cheering section and fanbase."
"Don't underestimate this stuff. From goddesses down to ordinary citizens, even people outside the city all over the world, there's plenty of folks who follow this."
He waved the newspaper in his hand, exasperated.
The others, who'd been chatting, all snorted at that.
"A boring guy like you who's only got eyes for the Dungeon obviously doesn't fit in with the crowd that follows these rankings."
"But don't go saying things like that out loud. If some extremist goddess catches wind of it, you're going to be in for it!"
Even Jeanne couldn't help smiling at that.
As a woman herself, she'd seen plenty of those obsessed cheering squads who claimed to be fans of so-and-so.
Honestly, the state they got into was barely distinguishable from Evilus cultists.
"Alright, let's head out!"
Leon rolled up the newspaper, tucked it under his arm, and called out to everyone. The group cheerfully made their way out the door.
...
...
Of all four seasons, Leon firmly believed autumn was the most comfortable.
It didn't have spring's restlessness, nor summer's stifling heat, and certainly not winter's bitter cold.
Autumn offered nothing but a refreshing coolness and golden, breathtaking scenery.
Pitter-patter...
Raindrops drummed steadily against the umbrella. Listening to the captivating sound of the rain, Leon's eyes gradually narrowed.
Sharing the umbrella with him, Jeanne watched this big man who was sometimes steady and commanding, sometimes ruthlessly decisive, and other times childishly playful. She didn't know what to make of him.
Watching him nearly walk the both of them straight into a puddle, Jeanne tightened her grip on his arm and gave him a nudge.
"Watch where you're going!"
Beside them, Rose and Kureha caught the moment and exchanged a glance, both barely able to hold back their laughter.
Then, as if something had occurred to her, Rose turned and gave Kureha a thorough once-over with a smile.
Looking at her outfit, it was clear Kureha had put real thought into it today.
Unlike Rose, who'd gone with a high-waisted dress over a shirt with stockings and heeled ankle boots, or Jeanne in her academy uniform with knee-high socks and small leather shoes...
Kureha had gone for something cleaner and sharper, an outfit that highlighted her figure.
A court-style white lace blouse with a ribbon bow at the collar, paired below with form-fitting riding breeches and high-heeled leather boots. The whole ensemble showed off the perfect figure and bearing Kureha had built up from years of swordsmanship.
Add in her waist-length silver hair coiled up at the back of her head, paired with that face of hers, both gallant and rendered captivating by the tear mole beneath her eye...
Rose was beginning to understand why Leon couldn't help himself.
Forget Leon, if she put herself in his shoes, even Rose herself would probably have her heart skip a beat!
"Kureha, how's your body holding up? Still uncomfortable?"
Rose let her warm breath drift gently against Kureha's ear, a teasing glint flickering in her smiling eyes.
"...!"
Things had actually been settling down. After her deep, intimate session with Leon, her body had been gradually adapting and growing slightly less sensitive.
But getting hit out of nowhere with Rose's blunt teasing, Kureha turned bright red all over again!
Cheeks burning, eyes drifting, she stared down at the tips of her own boots, not daring to lift her head.
She was terrified of meeting anyone else's eyes.
"It's, it's, it's nothing..."
Listening to Kureha's voice, barely louder than a mosquito, Rose's smile only grew brighter.
Behind them, Laurier and Aura shared their own umbrella.
Both of them were dressed in traditional elven attire today. Well...
In Leon's words, no matter the style or pattern, no matter whether it was combat gear or everyday wear, their fashion sense always landed on the exact same look.
The kind of clothing where, no matter how the cut or the pattern changed, anyone could tell at a single glance that it was elven style.
In the end, the outfits the two of them took such pride in had been mocked by Leon as their school uniforms, which had absolutely infuriated them!
Right now, watching big sister Rose teasing big sister Kureha up ahead, their attention wasn't really on the people themselves, but on their clothes.
"Hey... Aura, do you think we should try human-style clothes too?"
Laurier tilted her head, eyes sparkling.
Aura just kept walking forward with her usual blank expression, holding the umbrella, saying nothing.
But inside, even she felt her heart stir a little.
Whether it's big sister Jeanne, big sister Rose, or big sister Kureha, they all have such great taste in clothes. Maybe I should change things up too.
Glancing down at her own red-and-black, formal-dress-styled casual wear, Aura sank into deep contemplation.
But she wasn't given long to ponder. A wave of cheerful noise from up ahead soon cut off her train of thought.
"Leon? What took you so long?!"
"Hurry up! The event's already started!"
Not far ahead, the goddess Demeter stood beneath the umbrella Persephone was holding for her, smiling and waving them over.
...
...
[Read 60+ chapters ahead on Patreon: patreon.com/NiaXD]