Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, Vol. 2 (11 page)

While she was relieved to hear this, just thinking about how they were holding hands like that gave her some doubts…But most of all, her heart was uneasy when she updated his status. His growth was just as fast as ever. That meant his thoughts were still focused on Aiz Wallenstein, that blond-haired, golden-eyed girl. He was deeply mistaken about the reciprocity of his feelings.

But for now, she put aside all of her feeling about the kenki—the sword princess—and focused on getting to the bottom of this supporter situation. She wanted to know everything about what Bell thought of her.

Even though she had yet to meet this supporter girl, Hestia was starting to get seriously jealous.

“It’s so great, isn’t it? It must have been really fun to eat delicious food, just you and your supporter. I wish I could have been there…”

Sprinkling her words with irony, Hestia turned away from Bell, shuddering her shoulders and clearing her throat. But that performance didn’t match Bell’s reaction.

He sat there for a moment, body shivering slightly. He finally made up his mind and opened his mouth to speak.

“Well then, um, shall we go? The two of us, and, you know, eat at a high-class restaurant…”

“…Eh?”

“How about an…extravagant dinner?”

Hestia was in a pinch, watching Bell doing his best not to blush next to her.

She couldn’t believe her ears.

“T-the truth is…I got a lot of money from the Dungeon yesterday…! And I, um, wanted to say thank you, so I…!”

Hestia didn’t hear another word.

She was too busy replaying Bell’s invitation over and over in her head.

Is this possibly…a d-d-d-d-d-date???

And from Bell directly? Dinner?! Hestia’s thoughts were going a mile a minute.

She was ecstatic.

“Once you’re feeling better, Goddess, let’s go sometime soon.”

“Let’s go today!”

“Uh?”

“Today!”

Hestia threw off her bedclothes and sprang to her feet.

Bell sat there in shock.

“G-Goddess…your body needs to rest…”

“I’m better!”

She wasn’t lying. The excitement and nervousness that come with a date, with Bell no less, had filled her body with energy. Bell sat, stunned, in his chair next to the bed as Hestia flew around the room getting ready for the evening.

—Wait a second.

Hestia stopped in her tracks and lifted her collar from her chest up to her nose, drawing in a big whiff.

It smelled horrible, like alcohol. It wasn’t the way any self-respecting goddess wanted to smell, and she was covered in it.

Her eyes shot open.

“Bell, six o’clock!”

“Y-yes?”

“Southwest Main at six! I’ll meet you at Amour Square!”

Bell broke out in a cold sweat as he watched Hestia go out the door, carrying only a small bag with her.

In a word, this was paradise.

“Wonder if mine’ll get any bigger?”

“Well, it’s not like us gods and goddesses are growing up any more—Hey, no groping!”

If any of the children of the mortal world had set foot in this spot, they would have fainted from blood loss owing to the nosebleeds it would inspire.

Here goddesses, under the cover of cloudy steam, revealed every inch of their beautiful bodies without a second thought, naked as the day they were born. Light glistened off their clear skin; toned arms and legs shined through the mist.

This place was the very definition of heaven that all men dream about at least once.

“Haah…This feels amazing!”

A relaxed smile grew on Hestia’s face as she sank shoulder deep into the hot water, causing small waves to caress her body.

The Divine Bathhouse. It was a pure bathing facility where only gods might enter—just as the name would suggest.

There was one main, wide “pool” surrounded by smaller tubs of many sizes. Large trees and natural rocks were interspersed around and among the tubs, making the whole place feel like an isolated oasis. Constructed completely out of stone, intricate designs carved into the walls and pillars made the bathhouse even more majestic.

The Divine Bathhouse was built and maintained for the gods and goddesses living in Orario by the Guild. Money was collected from each of the
Familias
, a tribute to the gods, to make this place a reality.

Of course the male and female gods had their own baths, but due to the lack of male gods using the facility, the “Divine Bathhouse” usually referred to the goddesses’ side. Ever since one perverted old god had gained entrance to the goddesses’ bath at some point (he had since become legendary), the Guild upped security to the point that a single mouse couldn’t find a way in.

Hestia had joined the other goddesses, completely vulnerable without a thread of coverage, in the hot water. Her glistening skin
turning pink from the heat, she let out a deep, relaxed breath as the water flowed over her.

“Can it be? Hestia? This is quite a surprise, seeing you here.”

“Ahh…Oh, Demeter, it’s been a long time!”

Hestia greeted the goddess she knew with the first thing that came to mind, her face as slack as it could be.

The goddess named Demeter hid her lusciously curvy body with one thin towel as she took a seat next to Hestia.

“Ooo-h? Your bosom is as big as ever, I see.”

“Look who’s talking!”

Hestia slapped the wrist of the hand reaching toward her chest.

The shock from the hit shook Demeter’s impressive breasts, sending large ripples out through the surface of the water.

“So what’s the occasion? Today is your first time here, I presume?”

“Umm…”

Hestia pulled her face together as she turned toward the other goddess, who happened to be adjusting her fluffy, honey-colored hair.

It costs money to enter the Divine Bathhouse, so Hestia had avoided coming here at all. However, now that she had plans for a romantic night with Bell, she decided to use what little savings she had to bathe here.

It was that important to her not only to get rid of the smell of alcohol, but to refresh her body and mind as well.

Everything had to be perfect tonight.

“I have plans to meet someone for dinner after this. Thought I’d go all out.”

“…Could you possibly mean with a gentleman?”

“What would you say if it was?”

Hestia shot an irritated glance at the look of shock on her friend’s face.

As a small waterfall on the other side of the pool made a merry little sound, Demeter’s eyes lit up like a child’s.

“Well, I’ll be! Who would have guessed, Hestia with a gentleman! Goodness! Hey, everyone—!”

“Wh-what are you doing?”

Hestia lost her calm at seeing Demeter get a little too excited.

The goddess’s voice echoed around the chamber, and other bathers started to gather to find out what was going on. After Demeter told them the news, they too joined her in hysterical frenzy.

“Hestia and a man?!”

“What’s happened?!”

“Hestia, the girl who had no interest in men whatsoever back in the heavens, she’s—!”

“The Hestia who spent all year cooped up in her room,
that
Hestia?”

“Baby-face Loli-girl Hestia!”

“What is going on?!”

“Spill everything, now!”

In a blink of an eye, all the bathing goddesses swarmed around Hestia.

Completely ignoring the rules and manners of the Divine Bathhouse, some of the goddesses jumped into the pool, others pushed and shoved their way past the others’ peach-colored skin to get a closer look at the girl.

“What’s the big deal? Is it that strange that I have a date?”

“It’s not that, Hestia, my dear. You’ve rejected all invitations from men up until now, yes?”

“You’re one of the top three virgin goddesses, alongside Athena and Artemis!”

“To be frank, we want to know what kind of man brought down your impenetrable fortress.”

Hestia shrank away from Demeter and all the other goddesses piling on questions with a cynical look in her eyes.

She tried to tell them that there were no worthwhile gods trying to woo her, but she soon realized that none of the goddesses would settle for a run-of-the-mill answer.

In situations like this, the entertainment-seeking nature of deities completely took over.

“…He’s a member of my
Familia
, a human.”

A chorus of “Ooohh!” and “Whaaa?” rose from the ring of deities. Even before the echoes of their voices died out, the goddesses started giving opinions like “I knew it!” and asking questions like “Is he taking advantage of your urge to protect him?”

“Are you sure he’s not playing you? It would be horrible if you fell for a bad man…”

“What do you take me for? I’m a goddess! I know how to read people.”

“The children can hide nothing from us goddesses; we see everything.”

“Okay, so what made you fall for that child?”

“His personality, I guess.”

Now that she thought about it, there was no one thing that drew her to him. She answered the question quietly to herself under her breath, that if there
was
one thing, it was his pure honesty.

The goddesses kept up their relentless chatter after that, and Hestia was getting tired of it. So she decided it was time to get out. Besides, it was good timing for her to finish getting ready.

Escaping from the ring of goddesses, she stood up. Water droplets remained on her slender limbs and body, reflecting light that shone down from a skylight over the bath. Her normally tied jet-black hair hung wet and loose behind her, shining gorgeously in the light.

Hestia closed her eyes and stood there for a moment.

It was a scene an artist would have painted: a glistening young goddess standing in a pool, bathed in sunlight and surrounded by others looking on in delight.

“Hey, Hestia. What’s your favorite part about him?”

One of the goddesses raised her hand to get in one last question.

Hestia looked back over her shoulder and gently smiled.

“His…everything.”

Amour Square was located one block from Southwest Main. It was a straight shot down a side street.

The area itself was paved with stones of many colors and was surrounded by a green border of various plants and flowers. All this came together to produce a gorgeous atmosphere. As the sun sank in the west, magic-stone lamps came to life around the square, illuminating it under the darkening sky.

It was just before six o’clock. Surrounded by couples walking hand in hand, Bell tried to make himself as small as possible as he waited in front of a statue of a goddess in the middle of Amour Square.

“Bell!”

“Ah…!”

Hestia spotted Bell and walked up to him.

At first, Bell was relieved to hear a familiar voice. But when he looked up at the owner of the voice, he did a double take.

Hestia had changed her hairstyle. Her usual twin ponytails were let down, and her glossy black hair flowed freely down her back. The young fairy had grown up, and she took Bell’s breath away.

The ribbons with bells that she normally used to tie her hair up were wrapped around her wrists like bracelets. She wore the best clothing she owned. Hestia had pulled out all the stops.

Hestia held her breath for a moment, standing in front of Bell. Her cheeks turning a bright shade of pink, she worked up the courage to ask him a question.

“W-well, what do you think? I’m trying out a new look, so…”

“…Ah, yes, you look great! Very, very great! How should I put this? You look much more refined than usual, Goddess! You’re…um…p-pretty!”

Bell’s face turned red as he stumbled over his words, trying to praise the goddess.

He was doing his best to show respect to the head of his
Familia
, but there was a great deal of shyness in his voice. At this moment, Bell was captivated by Hestia.

Hestia may have looked calm on the outside, but inside she was pumping her fist with a big “Yessss!”

“I meant to get here earlier—sorry, Bell. Did you wait?”

“N-no, I just got here a moment ago.”

They looked away from each other, fiddling with their own clothes.

This was beginning to feel so much like a real date that Hestia’s cheeks were starting to go numb.