DanMachi Universe, Lower World, Orario.
After leaving James questioning his life, Tatsuo returned to his room in the Dragon's Nest to get ready for his shopping trip. After taking a shower and getting dressed, he went downstairs to wait for Momo. Unfortunately, he ended up waiting much longer than he expected, as Momo took forever to pick out an outfit.
"I should have known this would happen," Tatsuo said to himself while waiting in the main hall of the Dragon's Nest.
"Whose fault do you think it is?" Aislynn asked as she looked up from teaching Zelretch the language of the gods. "You should know better than to ask a girl out on a date on such short notice."
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Tatsuo replied while waving off Aislynn's reprimand.
"Perhaps you should take this opportunity to learn with me," Zelretch said with a smile. "I'm sure the Mystery Development Ability would come in handy for your future crafting endeavors, as well."
"Oh, that?" Tatsuo asked while glancing at the papers in front of Zelretch and Aislynn. "I already learned it. [The End] makes learning stuff like that pretty easy."
After hearing that, Zelretch stopped looking over the learning material Aislynn gave him and looked up at Tatsuo with the same "What have I been doing with my life" expression James had earlier. However, thanks to his much greater amount of experience, he did not have a breakdown like James, opting to simply shake his head and get back to studying as if he never heard anything.
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After that brief interlude, time passed peacefully. After about twenty minutes, Momo finally came down the stairs, wearing a long, pink tunic dress, ready to go on her date with Tatsuo.
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"Sorry to keep you waiting." Momo said while brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "I hope you didn't have to wait too long."
"Nah, I just got here." Tatsuo said with a smile and a hint of mischief flashing in his eyes.
"You've read too much manga," Aislynn said while rolling her eyes. "How long have you been waiting to say something like that?"
"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," Tatsuo said as he stood up from the couch. Then, as he approached Momo, who was also approaching, he continued. "By the way, you look great, Momo-Chan. But we're running out of time. Let's get going. Hopefully all the things I need haven't been sold out."
Nodding in reply, Momo hooked her arm through Tatsuo's as he extended an elbow for her to grab. All the while, thanks to Tatsuo's compliment, she was blushing a bright red, making her innocence and shyness evident to anyone who saw her.
"You two crazy kids have fun." Zelretch said with a smile without looking up from his study materials.
"You sound even older than me," Aislynn said with a giggle. "You're giving off some real boomer vibes with that statement."
"Lady Aislynn, you should know…" Zelretch said, still without looking up from the study materials. "I'm not an old man, I'm a gentleman."
"If you say so," Aislynn replied with a shrug.
Tatsuo and Momo, after chuckling at the back and forth between Aislynn and Zelretch, finally left the villa and the Dragon's Nest to start their shopping trip/date.
"So, what are you shopping for?" Momo asked as the couple walked through the streets of Orario. "I don't believe I ever asked."
"Hmm… Nothing too extravagant," Tatsuo replied as he raised his free hand and started raising fingers with every material he named. "Let's see… I'll need some high tensile metals, wood with fine resonance, some dense wood, some cast iron, some ivory… You know, stuff like that."
"I see…" Momo replied as she lowered her head in thought.
Tatsuo did not interrupt Momo's contemplation. Instead, he led her through the streets while the two drew attention from everyone they passed by. Their attractive appearances standing out even in a city filled with handsome men and beautiful women.
While Momo thought about what Tatsuo could possibly need those materials for, the two eventually passed through the plaza surrounding Babel Tower. As they did, Tatsuo noticed a smaller than average Chienthrope girl wearing a tattered cloak and carrying an oversized backpack, usually worn by Supporters, scurry past them.
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However, that was not enough to draw Tatsuo's attention. Instead, it was the fact that despite seeing a Chienthrope girl running past, he could also see an overlapping vision of a Pallum girl with chestnut brown hair and eyes.
"The hell?" Tatsuo exclaimed quietly while watching the Chienthrope/Pallum girl run away.
Tatsuo's quiet exclamation was enough to finally pull Momo out of her contemplation. She turned to look at Tatsuo with confusion. However, when she saw him looking off towards the distance with what she imagined was even more confusion than what she was showing, she also turned to look at what caught Tatsuo's attention.
'A Chienthrope?' Momo asked herself. 'Why would that affect Tatsuo-Kun so much?'
"Tatsuo-Kun, is something wrong with that girl?" Momo asked after not being able to answer her own question.
Hearing Momo's voice, Tatsuo snapped out of his daze. Then, while shaking his head, he closed his eyes and rubbed his eyelids.
"Honestly, I don't know," Tatsuo replied in an uncertain tone. "But I'll worry about it later. I'll tell Aislynn about it when we get back."
"What did you see, exactly?" Momo asked curiously.
"I'm pretty sure that was Liliruca Arde of the Soma Familia." Tatsuo said while lowering his hand.
Hearing the name, Liliruca Arde, Momo immediately understood. As one of the main characters of the first season of the DanMachi anime, Tatsuo had mentioned her when they were discussing the [Mission] at his house in the Hub World.
"Anyway, let's go," Tatsuo said with a smile. "I should be able to give everyone a surprise after we get back."
Hearing Tatsuo, Momo decided she could think about Liliruca later. Instead, she went back to trying to figure out what Tatsuo intended to build with the materials he intended to buy while they were out together.
'Out... together...' Momo thought to herself, breaking her train of thought. 'That's right, we're on a date. Why am I wasting time thinking about that right now? Tatsuo-Kun said it was a surprise. So, I'll just let myself be surprised.'
With Momo lost in her thoughts, Tatsuo continued leading her forward, eventually moving towards the southwest section of the city. Then, when they finally arrived in the commercial district, Momo finally came back to her senses.
"There are more stores here than I thought," Momo said while looking around.
"Didn't you come here last week with Lici and Aislynn?" Tatsuo asked curiously.
"I did," Momo replied with a nod. "Even so, it still amazes me. Last time we only went to clothing stores and fabric stores. This time, I'll get to see more of what this amazing city has to offer."
"That's all well and good…" Tatsuo said while smiling wryly.
*Smack!*
Reaching that point, Tatsuo's free hand shot out as fast as lightning, catching the hand of a child, no older than twelve, reaching for the valis pouch on his hip.
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"Just don't let your guard down completely," Tatsuo said while turning to look at Momo.
"Hey, let me go!" the boy who was just caught trying to steal from Tatsuo shouted in an agitated tone.
"Sorry, I can't do that." Tatsuo said, narrowing his eyes as his pupils began to elongate into slits. "But I don't like it when people try to steal from me."
"A pickpocket…" Momo said with her eyes wide open in surprise. "And he's so young."
"Unfortunately, that's just how things are sometimes."
That unfamiliar voice caused both Tatsuo and Momo to turn in its direction. Meanwhile, the boy in Tatsuo's grasp began to shiver, an expression of fear forming on his face.
Walking towards the trio was a tall, beautiful woman leading a squad of Adventurers. And based on the insignias on their clothes and armor, an insignia Tatsuo saw about a week ago in the Dungeon, they were from the Ganesha Familia. And when you add that to the short azure blue hair and the black gauntlets the leading woman wore, Tatsuo knew exactly who she was.
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"Ankusha, Captain of the Ganesha Familia, Shakti Varma,"" Tatsuo said calmly. "wasn't expecting to see you today. I thought at most, it would be a regular patrol team who came to see what happened."
"I just happened to be patrolling this area today," the woman, Shakti, said in a strict tone. "I'm actually just as surprised to see you, Soramoto Tatsuo of the Aislynn Familia."
"Just running an errand to buy a few things while on a date," Tatsuo said while glancing at Momo.
Immediately, Momo blushed furiously while avoiding eye contact with Tatsuo.
"I see," Shakti replied with no change in her expression. "Ilta mentioned that you have more than one girlfriend. So, that's not particularly surprising.'"
"Can you two please stop talking about that?" Momo said, her tone making it clear she was reaching the limits of her embarrassment tolerance.
"Sure," Tatsuo replied with a shrug. Then, he looked down at the boy who had been struggling to free himself from his grasp the whole time. "Then, I'll hand this kid to you, Ankusha."
"Much appreciated," Shakti said as she gestured for two of her subordinates to arrest the pickpocket.
Not long afterward, the two members of the Ganesha Familia took the boy from Tatsuo and restrained him. However, instead of using the manacles hanging from their belts, they used a length of rope to tie up the boy's wrists. More than likely, taking into account the fact that he was a child.
"Well then, we'll be on our way," Shakti said once the pickpocket was in custody. "Please stay vigilant. And should you come across another situation like this one, please let us know."
"Will do," Tatsuo replied casually.
With that, Shakti turned around to continue her patrol while one of her subordinates had the child pickpocket brought back to be questioned. Though no one believed there would be any serious consequences for the child. Rather, knowing what he did about Shakti, Tatsuo believed the child would be given the opportunity to be hired as an informant.
However, just before she left, Shakti looked back over her shoulder to say one last thing to Tatsuo.
"Oh, and please inform your goddess that Lord Ganesha would like to visit in the near future," Shakti said while continuing to walk away.
"Understood," Tatsuo replied with a nod. "Then, you should also let Lord Ganesha know, every seven days after today is the best time to visit. That way, the Aislynn Familia will be able to show him our best hospitality."
"I'll relay the message," Shakti replied as she turned her head to the front, a slight smile curling her lips.
And with that, Shakti and the members of the Ganesha Familia left the area, leaving Tatsuo and Momo to continue their shopping trip/date.
About an hour and a half later, Tatsuo and Momo finished visiting all the stores necessary to find the materials Tatsuo needed. Then, after arranging to have the materials delivered to the Dragon's Nest, Tatsuo and Momo left the commercial district. However, instead of heading back home, they decided to stop at a restaurant to grab a bite to eat.
And as it just so happened, the best restaurant in the city, the Hostess of Fertility, was on the way back to Babel Plaza.
"Welcome, Nya!" Anya said cheerfully as Tatsuo pushed the door open and held it for Momo to enter. Then, upon recognizing Tatsuo and Momo, Anya's eyes lit up. "Ooh! It's Tatsuo, Nya! Are you here to cook for us, again?"
Anya's call was not quiet in the least. As a result, every ear in the pub heard her. Then, every eye in the pub turned to see who she was addressing. And when they saw Tatsuo's otherworldly good looks, many of the men in the pub clicked their tongues in frustration while, like Anya, the women in the pub had their eyes light up. Though, it was obviously for a different reason than Anya.
However, what really surprised everyone was the way that the other waitresses of the Hostess of Fertility, provided they were not currently serving a table, made their way over to Tatsuo to greet him, as well.
"No, I won't be cooking anything today," Tatsuo replied with a helpless smile. Then, he gestured to Momo and continued. "Momo-Chan and I are here to have a bite to eat."
"Oh, are the two of you on a date?" Syr asked with the desire for gossip swirling in her eyes.
"We are," Tatsuo replied with a nod.
At the same time, Momo blushed bright red again. However, she also tightened her grip on Tatsuo's arm. Especially because, like every other member of the Aislynn Familia, she knew Syr's true identity.
"All the good ones are always taken, Nya…" Chloe said in faux-disappointment.
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However, before the conversation could go on for much longer, Anya and Chloe, sensing danger, quickly lowered their heads. Syr, on the other hand, only lowered her head after seeing her coworkers do the same.
*Swoosh!* x 3
*Bang!* x 3
A moment later, three wooden mugs soared past the three's ducked heads before smashing into the wall.
"Quit slacking off, you three!" Mia shouted from behind the bar. "This is your first and last warning for today. Otherwise, I'll start docking pay! Oh, and the price for those mugs is coming out of your pay!"
"Yes, Mama Mia!" x 3
With that, Chloe and Syr scattered to get back to work. Meanwhile, Anya led Tatsuo and Momo to an open table, passing by the bar along the way.
"Hey, Brat," Mia said as the trio walked past her.
"What's up, Mama Mia?" Tatsuo asked casually.
"When are you and the other brat coming back to teach us again?" Mia asked with her arms crossed. "Ever since we started implementing your lessons, sales have gone up. So, we're looking forward to learning more."
Reaching that point, Mia paused for a moment. Then, she looked back towards the kitchen. Then, she looked at Tatsuo with the intention to cause trouble visible in her eyes before continuing.
"Plus, May misses you." Mia said in a mischievous tone.
"Nya~~~~~~~~~!"
The muffled cat cry from the kitchen made it obvious that May heard Mia, which made the proprietress, Tatsuo, and Momo giggle.