They picked a budget-friendly place for the celebration dinner, but with so many adventurers coming back from the Dungeon there wasn't a single empty seat.
They didn't order anything fancy—mostly staples and grilled chops. Hestia also had two dozen bottles of sparkling fruit wine packed to go. Once everything was boxed up, the two of them left the restaurant side by side.
Night had fully swallowed Orario. A heavy bank of clouds covered the bright moon; only a few dim stars peeked through. It wasn't anything new to Keyaru—he'd been getting home near midnight the past two days after training—but tonight felt different.
He tilted his head and caught Hestia's perfect profile and the genuine joy in her eyes. A stray breeze lifted the hairs at her temple.
"This kind of life… suddenly feels pretty good."
No high-pressure modern grind—just a slower isekai pace, and a baby-faced, generously endowed goddess at his side.
Shakespeare once said: Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake. Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take!
Keyaru had never expected much out of romance, but when he reached out, that long-lost thrum of a quickened heartbeat returned. He gently took Hestia's hand.
She didn't pull away, though the light tremor in her shoulders betrayed her nerves.
And her steps… slowed.
"Um… South Main gets hard to see at night, so… holding hands is normal, right?" Hestia turned her head to hide the color in her cheeks—she even provided the excuse so he didn't have to.
"As expected of Lady Hestia—always so thoughtful."
Keyaru didn't skimp on praise. And she wasn't wrong: with the shopfronts closed and only faint starlight, visibility on South Main really was poor.
He didn't force small talk. He just enjoyed the warmth of Hestia's palm and the rare quiet together. Hestia was the one who broke the silence.
"Keyaru, what's your goal as an adventurer?"
"Curiosity. To me, 'adventurer' isn't a title so much as a way of life—delve the Dungeon, earn your pay, cover your daily expenses."
"And afterward?" She tipped up her pale throat, eyes full of curiosity.
"My plans have changed a little," Keyaru admitted. "If I hadn't met you, Lady Hestia… I probably would've just joined some Familia and scraped by in Orario as an adventurer."
Hestia stayed quiet, listening.
"But I got lucky and met you. I want to use my own effort to improve how we live—and help build a Familia that's ours."
He kept it light. "And when I stand beside you in the future, I hope it's not just as another member of the Familia."
He stopped there. He could tell she'd heard him, though—the hand he was holding tightened around his.
Her face was as red as a kettle of boiling tea. Head lowered, her heart hammered like a startled fawn's. As a goddess, she could tell if someone was sincere.
And because it was sincere, she was that nervous. Plenty of gods had pursued her back in Heaven; their bluntness only repelled her. Keyaru's restraint, by contrast, left her flustered.
What to do with feelings like these?
She wanted to say "let's see where it goes," but what came out was:
"I… I'm really looking forward to that day!"
—
Back at the abandoned church, neither of them brought up the promise that was just between them. After a high-intensity Dungeon run, fried potato balls alone wouldn't cut it; he was starving and didn't bother with appearances—he dug in right in front of Hestia.
It was the same menu as last night, but tonight everything tasted different.
"The pork cutlet's really good."
Whenever she found something tasty, Hestia would pick up a bite with her chopsticks and share it with him. Officially they were still goddess and child—but in reality, they'd taken a big step. He even tried the sparkling fruit wine she'd bought; the alcohol note surprised him a little.
That's DanMachi for you—little anachronisms everywhere. In a city full of gods, it was easy to accept.
They ate to their hearts' content. Worried dinner might go cold, Hestia hadn't even changed out of her shop uniform. After nearly two dozen bottles of bubbly, a blush spread across her cheeks. Her brown round-toed ankle boots had long since been kicked off. Like a tame little cat, she curled up on the old sofa, tipsy and rosy.
The fitted uniform traced every line of her figure. Her pale, clean feet had just the right softness; to Keyaru, this was the kind of delicacy you didn't share with anyone. If their relationship were a step further along, he'd be tempted to tease them with his hands.
Savoring the carb-heavy fullness, he took a short rest—but didn't forget business. One perk of a fledgling Familia: your goddess is right here when you need a status update.
After a day of hard fighting, he was itching to see the numbers. He glanced at the pleasantly tipsy girl.
"Lady Hestia, do you have a minute?"
"What's up?"
"I was hoping you could update my status. Then I can push deeper tomorrow," he said honestly.
"Leave it to me!"
Bracing a hand on the sofa, Hestia slipped back into her house slippers and fetched the tools from the cabinet. Once they finished the update, a short break and it'd be time to turn in.
Prepared, she looked over at the brown-haired boy—shirt off, upper body bare. Since becoming an adventurer and training these past few days, the most direct change was that he no longer looked scrawny—there was definition now.
She'd always treated this normally… maybe the wine was to blame, but she had the sudden urge to reach out. Good sense told her not to.
She swung a leg over and sat astride his back. A quick prick of the silver needle to her fingertip—the slight sting cleared the haze. As the drop of divine blood touched his smooth back, soft light rose. While the divine script rearranged itself—
Hestia's heart filled with anticipation.
"Let's see how much you grew from today's run, Keyaru."