Inside the Loki Familia's hall, Ais sat upright on the sofa, but her eyes were distant.
She was thinking back to that encounter from a month ago.
Was Hajime really not an ordinary person back then?
Did she truly misremember?
Beside her, Lefiya watched Ais's expression and instantly guessed that she was still thinking about Hajime.
Though a little jealous, Lefiya also admired Ais's determination to grow stronger.
No wonder she had reached her current level. With that kind of willpower, success was inevitable.
Just then, loud shouting echoed from the entrance of their base.
"Which bastard flirted with my Ais-chan and then had the nerve to dump her in the street?! Unforgivable! That guy's going too far!"
It was their Familia's goddess—red-haired, tomboyish Loki—storming in with tears in her eyes.
She was furious that the little cabbage she'd raised had been stolen by a pig—
and then discarded!
Seeing Ais on the sofa, Loki's eyes lit up.
"Ais-chan, don't be sad over that random guy. Come, fall into my embrace!"
With her short red hair and tomboyish energy, Loki threw herself at Ais.
And then—
BAM!
Ais punched her straight to the floor.
"Loki-sama, keep your hands to yourself."
She warned her eccentric goddess with a cold stare.
"Ugh…"
Lefiya watched this all-too-familiar scene unfold.
Though she secretly cheered for Ais, the one getting hit was technically her superior.
So she hurried over and helped Loki up.
"Ow, ow, ow… Ais-chan, you're hitting harder every day."
Loki rubbed her back, muttering.
"Back when you were little, you used to let me hug you. Why are you so cold now? Is this Rivi—Riviria's fault?"
"No," came a calm voice from the door. "That just proves my education was successful."
Riviria, one of the Familia's three top executives and a level 6 adventurer, entered the room. She looked at Loki with a mixture of disapproval and amusement.
Their goddess was fine in most ways…
Except for her highly inappropriate affection toward other girls.
"Keeping perverts at arm's length and retaliating without hesitation—I'd say Ais has developed great self-protection instincts," Riviria said confidently.
"But Ais-chan should be avoiding the real perverts out there!" Loki protested. "Why is she so wary of me?! That's not fair!"
"…You figure that out yourself," Riviria replied, exasperated.
Lefiya gave a nervous smile.
—Because, Loki-sama… you are the real pervert.
Of course, someone like her would never dare say that aloud.
Still, there was something else Lefiya wanted to ask.
"Loki-sama, about that guy you mentioned earlier… and Ais-sama being heartbroken over a man—what exactly is going on?"
As Ais's #1 fan, Lefiya couldn't ignore something like that.
"Hm?"
Loki, now standing again, bounced up and down like nothing happened.
"Aren't you the one who was with Ais-chan this afternoon? How do you not know? This story's already blown up out there!"
"When I heard, I rushed back immediately! I figured it was the perfect moment to comfort Ais while she was emotionally vulnerable—I mean, I just wanted to show I care. I was going to console her and… you know, get closer while the timing was right—I mean, build a better relationship!"
Clearly tipsy, Loki accidentally revealed her true intentions—twice—
though she thought she'd covered it up just fine.
At the mention of the incident, Loki got excited again.
"By the way, Lefiya—you saw that mysterious man, right? Who the hell is he?!"
Loki slammed the table with frustration.
"Eliminate him! Anyone who dares set their sights on Ais-chan must be eliminated!"
…Then maybe you should eliminate yourself first.
Lefiya silently retorted in her heart. She quickly realized what rumor Loki was talking about and gave an awkward explanation.
"You've got it wrong, Loki-sama. Ais-sama hasn't fallen for anyone. The truth is actually…"
She clearly explained everything that had happened earlier.
"As expected, just a rumor," Riveria nodded, unsurprised.
"So that's all it was. I thought someone was trying to steal Ais-chan away from me!" Loki patted her flat chest and let out a breath of relief. But now her curiosity shifted to the boy Ais had mentioned—Hajime.
"For someone to catch Ais-chan's attention like that… Could he really be growing stronger at a pace even Ais finds surprising?"
She was genuinely shocked. Ais had once reached Level 2 within a year—record-breaking speed for an adventurer. It was hard to imagine anyone surpassing that.
"Possibly," Lefiya added, "but there's also a chance Ais-sama simply remembered it wrong. She wasn't too sure of his strength the last time they met."
"That sounds much more reasonable," Loki relaxed. It was easier to believe that Ais was mistaken than that some monster was improving faster than her.
Honestly, Ais could be pretty airheaded at times. She didn't exactly seem like someone with a strong memory.
After understanding the situation, Riveria turned to Ais with a disapproving look.
"Ais, I remember Loki mentioning before that asking others about how they got stronger is very impolite, right?"
"…Yes," Ais replied quietly, lowering her head like a child scolded by her mother.
Seeing that, Riveria let out a soft sigh. "Since you were the one being rude, even if he doesn't tell you his method, be sure to apologize properly tomorrow."
Riveria wasn't one to coddle her juniors. Proper manners had to be observed.
"Okay," Ais nodded obediently. She also knew that her earlier behavior was out of line and that she owed Hajime an apology.
As for his rapid growth… maybe she really did misremember. With that thought, Ais made her decision.
Tomorrow, she would apologize.