Chapter: "The Blade Beneath the Apron"
Made By: Eternal_Jokr
A/N:This fanfic is free for criticisms and opinions, say what you think in the comments section and leave your support.
Thank you
In the sections with the icon: ① I inserted the character's image.
-----
The silence at the table was almost tangible. The adventurers, veteran men who had already seen horrors in the depths of the Dungeon, seemed to have lost their voice.
The leader of the group, a brute with burn scars on his face, cleared his throat, unable to take his eyes off the purplish glow of Dante's eyes.
"We...we'll take the house specialty" the man stammered, without noticing that he had ordered the simplest dish on the menu just out of nervousness.
Dante noted down the order with mechanical efficiency. He didn't smile, didn't make a joke, nor did he adopt the exaggerated politeness of ordinary waiters.
His presence was so absolute that when he walked away, the table let out a collective sigh of relief, as if they had just survived a confrontation against a high-level monster.
Anya, observing everything from the counter, hopped with enthusiasm, her claws lightly scratching the wood of the counter. "He doesn't even try Nya. Those veterans who always complain about everything could barely breathe while he was there! Lunoire, he's making the job look like an S-rank quest."
Lunoire although maintaining a frown, couldn't hide a corner smile. She watched Dante move between the tables with an economy of movement that bordered on choreographed perfection.
He didn't bump into anyone; he flowed through the space as if he were mapping every obstacle before moving.
"It's annoying" she murmured, though her gaze betrayed admiration. "He has a spatial awareness that would take me years to achieve. He's not just serving, Anya... he's dominating the room"
On the other side, Syr Flova watched Dante with an intensity that bordered on daydreaming.
She saw beyond the uniform.
She saw the solitude he carried, that aura of someone who had seen eras pass and civilizations fall. The fact that he was there, tying an apron over scars of forgotten battles, seemed, in her eyes, the greatest of ironies and the most fascinating of plays.
Dante, oblivious to the whispers, went back behind the counter to get the drinks.
He passed by Syr. Her perfume, light and floral, mixed with the dry aroma he exuded.
"How does it feel, waiter?" Syr asked, her voice laden with a teasing sweetness.
Dante paused for a second, his purple eyes fixed on the horizon of bottles behind her. "It's a different kind of pressure from the dungeon" he replied, his voice maintaining unshakeable calm. "Here, the enemy isn't death, but other people's satisfaction. And there's nowhere to hide"
Syr let out a low laugh, like a bell ringing in a cave. "You learn fast. But watch out, Dante... the better you are, the harder it will be to leave here when the night ends. Orario has a terrible habit of keeping shiny things close by"
Dante didn't answer. He picked up the beer mugs, balancing them with his fingertips in such a way that not a single drop wavered, and went back to the front line.
The night was just beginning, and the rumor that there was a 'silver-haired waiter' serving at the tavern began to spread through the tables like wildfire in dry straw.
Outside, the crescent moon rose, illuminating the way back home, a path that, Dante was beginning to notice, would be much more complicated to follow after this night.
The buzz in the main hall, which had been unusual since Dante's arrival, reached a new level of tension when the back door opened again.
Two figures entered the room, marking the end of the preparation and the official start of the night.
A young woman walked ahead, with a deliberate and provocative sway. Her black hair which matched perfectly with the feline ears and tail of the same color, swayed as she moved.
She was Chloe Rollo, a cat person, and she is also one of the waitresses at the Hostess of Fertility pub. ①
She stopped in the middle of the hall, her green eyes sweeping the environment with absolute confidence, finally resting on the silver-haired man who at that moment was skillfully balancing four heavy plates on one arm alone.
"Well, well~" Chloe let out, with a low and seductive laugh, her lips curving into a feline smile.
She adjusted her uniform, emphasizing her curves, and looked at Dante with blatant interest. "Since when did the Hostess start hiring decorative pieces so... appetizing? Meow, I thought tonight's menu was already full, but I think I found the main course"
Right behind her, walking with light steps and an innate elegance that contrasted with Chloe's expansive posture, was Ryuu Lion.①
The elf kept a stoic face, her short green hair framing her sky-blue eyes that analyzed the scene with a serious expression.
She soon noticed the almost imperceptible discomfort of some adventurers and Anya's poorly contained admiration.
Ryuu stopped beside Chloe, her eyes crossing Dante's for a brief instant. She instantly recognized the discipline in his posture, it wasn't the bearing of a civilian, but of someone forged in something much harder than a restaurant.
"What is going on here?" Ryuu's voice sounded firm and clear, cutting through the murmur of the hall.
She looked at the apron over Dante's clothes and then at Syr's victorious expression.
"Syr, you know it's not common for us to have...extra help. Especially without prior notice"
Chloe ignored Ryuu's question and walked toward Dante, stopping at a distance that was almost a challenge.
She observed him from top to bottom with greedy eyes, feeling like the most attractive creature in the room.
"Don't worry about her interrogation, handsome" she teased, letting her voice slide into a honeyed tone. "I'm Chloe. And you are, without a doubt, the most interesting thing to show up around here in months. So, who are you and why are you wearing this apron that, I admit, looks much better on you than on anyone else?"
Dante stopped, maintaining unshakeable calm. He didn't back down from Chloe's provocative proximity, nor was he intimidated by Ryuu's rigorous analysis.
"Dante Ashborn" he answered, his deep voice making Chloe's cat ears twitch slightly and involuntarily. "Of the Hestia Familia. I'm just here to make up for an act of kindness"
Ryuu narrowed her blue eyes upon hearing the Familia's name, her expression softening just a little.
"Hestia Familia... I see." She looked at Syr, seeking confirmation, and then at Dante, her voice losing a bit of its rigidity.
"Goddess Hestia is someone respected. If you are here at Syr's request, I imagine you know what you are doing. Just make sure your... presence... doesn't become a distraction to the house's functioning"
"Distraction?" Chloe laughed, stepping even closer to Dante, practically invading his personal space. "Ryuu, darling, he is the attraction. Meow, I think I'm going to love working with him tonight. You don't mind if I give you a few lessons on how to serve with more... charm, do you Dante?"
Dante kept his gaze fixed, ignoring Chloe's direct provocation and Ryuu's silent judgment. "I have tables to attend to" he said simply, bypassing the feline with a precision that left her momentarily speechless.
Ryuu watched Dante walk away toward the tables again, a faint glint of approval crossing her gaze.
She knew that man was a warrior, the way he ignored Chloe's distractions was the clearest sign of someone who possessed absolute focus.
"He won't be easily tamed, Chloe" Lunoire commented, with a tone of gentle warning.
Chloe let out a chuckle of amusement, her black tail giving a playful slap in the air. "That's exactly what makes the hunt fun"
The night at the Hostess of Fertility entered a frantic rhythm. What was supposed to be just ordinary service turned into a silent spectacle. Dante moved through the hall as if he were on a battlefield, but instead of eliminating enemies, he eliminated needs.
Chloe persistent in her game of seduction, tried to intercept him several times.
She glided between tables, casting suggestive glances and provocative comments, hoping to see a spark of interest in Dante's purple eyes.
At one point, as he collected empty plates, she brushed her fingers against his arm, pretending a purposeful stumble.
"You're very tense, Dante" she whispered, her voice laden with feline sweetness. "You should relax. After all, the night is young and Orario is a place made for pleasure"
Dante didn't even pause his step. He merely adjusted the weight of the plates on his forearm, his expression remaining stoic, like granite. "Pleasure is subjective. Duty is absolute"
Chloe stayed behind, laughing restrainedly, her tail whipping the air in a sign of amusement. "A tough guy, huh? Lunoire was right, you're a lost cause."
On the other side of the hall, Ryuu watched the interaction with an almost imperceptible sigh.
Although Dante's seriousness made her comfortable, since he wasn't like the drunk adventurers she had to throw out every week there was something about him that unsettled her.
He was too efficient, his posture was too upright.
He didn't serve plates, he delivered them with a precision as if every wrist movement were aligned with a fencing technique.
Ryuu approached Dante as he waited for the counter to clear a new round of drinks.
"You trained" she didn't ask, she stated. Her sky-blue eyes seemed to pierce through Dante's layers of clothing. "Not just with weapons. Your feet, your center of gravity... you spent your life in conflict, didn't you?"
Dante looked at the elf. For the first time that night, a gleam of recognition crossed his purple eyes. He saw in her the same kind of weight he carried, the mark of someone who knows the cost of survival.
"A while ago" Dante answered, his voice devoid of any unnecessary emotion. "Today, my battlefield is only my home and the goddess who trusts me."
Ryuu seemed surprised by the direct answer. She, who had always been so reserved, felt a strange connection to the man's discipline.
"The Goddess Hestia is lucky" she murmured, almost to herself. "Be careful that this 'duty' of yours doesn't become a burden that crushes you when the night ends"
"The burden is the only thing keeping me steady" he replied.
Before Ryuu could respond, Anya popped up bouncing, carrying a tray that wobbled dangerously.
"Nya Ryuu! Dante! We have a table of Apollo Familia adventurers looking for trouble at table twelve. They're complaining about the beer and wanting to start trouble"
The mood in the hall changed instantly. Dante's technical efficiency was replaced by something older, something he had hidden under his apron.
He put down what was in his hands with a dry, definitive thud on the wooden counter.
Syr who until then had only been watching stepped forward, her enigmatic smile disappearing for a brief moment replaced by silent expectation.
She wanted to see how her 'special guest' would handle the chaos he was hired to manage.
Dante turned toward table twelve. His purple eyes glowed with a cosmic intensity and, for the first time, the hall felt the air thin out, as if a storm were about to break inside the restaurant.
"Leave them to me" he said, walking toward the conflict with steps that sounded like muffled thunder.
Dante didn't run, he walked. There was a deliberate cadence to his steps, a rhythm that seemed to dictate the room's very time.
As he approached Table Twelve, the Apollo Familia adventurers, four robust men with high-quality leather armor and the expressions of brawlers, stopped laughing.
The group's leader, a blond-haired man with an arrogant look, banged his mug on the table hard, making the beer overflow. "I said this drink is bad, and where is the Gray waitress? I don't want this rookie waiter with a statue face, I want real service"
Dante stopped a meter away from the table. The height of his shoulders, combined with the aura of danger he effortlessly exuded, made the adventurers lean back instinctively.
"The drink is standard for the house" Dante's voice was low, but carried a weight that reverberated through the floorboards. "If it's not to your liking, the door is right over there"
The blond stood up, irritated by a waiter's audacity. "Do you know who you're talking to? We're from the Apollo Familia, you-.." the man shouted before preparing to attack.
Before he could finish the sentence or bring his hand to his weapon's hilt, Dante acted.
It was a movement so fast that human eyes in the hall could barely follow.
In the blink of an eye, Dante was inside the adventurer's guard. He didn't use brute punching force, he used body leverage, a precise and surgical pressure against the man's balance point.
With a single wrist movement and his own body weight, Dante spun the adventurer and held him motionless, his arm extended at an angle that, if Dante applied a millimeter more of pressure, would result in a dislocated bone.
The silence in the restaurant became absolute. Even the background music seemed to have ceased.
"I'm not serving as a waiter right now" Dante whispered, the coldness in his purple eyes making the adventurer tremble. "I'm making sure this place stays at peace"
Chloe, watching a few meters away, brought her hands to her mouth, not in shock, but in a sadistic delight. "Meoow... he's so brutal when he wants to be~"
Ryuu, in turn, stepped forward, ready to intervene if the situation got out of hand, but stopped.
She saw Dante's restraint; he had the strength to break the man's arm right there, but he didn't. He was exercising absolute control, a discipline she rarely saw in adventurers of any level.
Dante released him with a firm push, enough to make the man stagger backward, tripping over his own chair.
The Apollo Familia man got up staggering and lunged, his eyes bloodshot, his hand reaching for the hilt of his blade.
The hall held its breath. It was a classic conflict, an arrogant adventurer against a waiter who, in their eyes, was just a newcomer.
Dante didn't move from his defensive position. The moment the adventurer initiated the attack, the air around Dante seemed to vibrate, distorting the lamp's light as if space itself were being compressed.
Dante didn't need to touch the man. As the adventurer approached, Dante focused his will, the same will he used to break the limits of his body. He released a contained wave of Anti-Magic.
It wasn't a physical blow, it was a violent nullification of the adventurer's Mind.
The result was instantaneous and devastating. The exact instant the attack should have connected, the adventurer felt as if every drop of his vital force had been drained.
His body locked up mid-motion, his legs giving way under the weight of a sudden and unnatural exhaustion.
An invisible snap echoed through the hall, a sound of mana dissipating violently, followed by a 'shock' of static energy that ran through the blond man's body like lightning.
The man fell to his knees with a dull thud, eyes wide, face pale and sweating cold, as if he had just taken a direct hit to his essence.
He trembled violently, unable to draw his sword, while the shock of the magical nullification left his muscles twitching and his mind stunned.
Dante, with his left hand merely raised in a stopping gesture, observed the scene with glacial calm. His mystic tattoos pulsed a single time, emitting a dark purple glow that could only be noticed by the most attentive eyes.
"Your strength is insignificant" Dante said, his voice echoing with an authority that seemed to come from a forgotten age. "And in this place, it carries no weight at all"
The adventurer tried to get up, but every time he tried to concentrate his energy to stand, the residual 'shock' of Dante's anti-magic made him fall again, as if there were an invisible barrier around the waiter.
The silence that followed was absolute. No one there quite understood what had happened.
They saw only a veteran's arrogance drained in a second, reducing him to a state of absolute shock.
Chloe, standing a few steps away, felt a chill run down her spine. She knew that man wasn't just strong; he was dangerous.
She looked at Ryuu, whose sky-blue eyes were dilated, shocked by what she had just witnessed.
The blond from the Apollo Familia, sweating cold and feeling the pressure of Dante's grip, swallowed hard. "Okay... okay! We'll pay! We're leaving"
Dante released him with a firm push, enough to make the man stagger backward, tripping over his own chair.
The other three adventurers didn't say a word, they just threw enough coins on the table and hurried to the exit, without looking back.
Dante stood still for a second, adjusting his apron, as if he had just brushed off some invisible dirt.
He turned and met Syr's gaze, who was still near the counter. She watched him with a serene smile, as if she had predicted exactly that outcome.
"The shift isn't over yet" Dante said returning to his post as if nothing had happened.
Anya ran up to him, bouncing. "Dante! You were amazing. But...you almost broke his arm, that's against house rules Nyaa"
"He didn't break it" Ryuu's voice emerged behind her, with a tone of reluctant respect. The elf approached Dante, looking him in the eyes with a new seriousness. "You have a soldier's training, but a martial arts master's self-control. Who are you really, Dante?"
Dante just picked up a new tray, his expression returning to unshakeable static.
"Just someone who learned that silence is the best reward after a war"
Syr approached, stopping beside Ryuu. She gently touched Dante's shoulder, a gesture of thanks carrying a peculiar electricity. "Thank you, Dante. But I think that, after this, no one here will treat you just like a waiter for the rest of the night."
The restaurant slowly returned to normal noise, but the looks on Dante had changed.
He was no longer just the pretty face with silver hair, he was the man who commanded respect merely by his presence.
And outside, the night continued, still holding many surprises for the Hearth Goddess's protégé.
The crash of the back door, slamming against the wall hard enough to make the glasses on the shelves rattle, announced the presence everyone deep down feared.
Mia Grand walked through the main hall with the imposingness of a one-woman army ①
Her long brown hair tied in a bun waved with determined movement, and her eyes of the same color swept the restaurant, stopping first at the trail of confusion left by the Apollo Familia group and then fixing on the man who was still holding a dish towel as if it were a melee weapon.
Anya, Lunoire, and even the stoic Ryuu instinctively straightened up. The air in the Hostess suddenly grew denser, the weight of Mia's authority crushing any remnant of agitation that remained.
"What was that commotion?" Mia's voice rang out, deep and rhythmic, capable of silencing a full tavern effortlessly. She didn't shout, but her voice carried a gravity that made customers avert their eyes to their own mugs.
She stopped before Dante. Mia's apron, of a distinct color signaling her position as the establishment's owner, looked more imposing than any waitress's.
She evaluated him from top to bottom, her sharp brown eyes noting the remnant of magical energy still lingering in the air and the trace of something that shouldn't exist.
Syr, maintaining her enigmatic smile, approached the proprietor with a slight bow. "Mia, there was a small incident with some guests of the Apollo Familia. Dante just... helped keep order."
Mia let out a short snort, a sound resembling a lion preparing to pounce. She looked at Dante again, this time with scrutiny that penetrated to the soul.
She knew strength; she herself had been a legend in her time and could feel the weight of the power Dante was trying to suppress.
"A waiter who uses force to settle table disputes" Mia muttered, her lips curving into a straight, stern line.
She stepped closer to Dante, stopping inches away, her height and presence were capable of making even the proudest adventurers back down.
"You caused a disturbance and, by a miracle, didn't turn this place into a battlefield. On any other day, I'd throw you out the window for damages to my floor"
She circled around him, observing his impeccable posture and the unblinking purple eyes. Mia stopped beside Syr, crossing her powerful arms over her chest.
"Syr, you found someone interesting, didn't you?" Mia asked, not with a tone of accusation, but with the calculated observation of someone discovering a dangerous piece on their board. "You have an infallible nose for trouble and hidden talents. But know one thing, kid..."
"I like you kid Mamma Mammama!" she spoke while patting the silver-haired youth's back.
"....."
"But know one more thing" she turned her gaze back to Dante, her brown eyes flashing.
"Here, the only law is mine. You may be a warrior, a mage, or whatever destiny has made of you, but while you wear this apron, you are an employee"
"If there is one more 'clash' of disputes within my walls that breaks a single glass or scares a paying customer, I'll personally make sure you never walk through Orario again."
"Understood..." Dante maintained his posture, tilting his head just enough to acknowledge what was said, but still with total indifference as if it didn't affect him at all.
Mia let out a sigh, her stern look softening for just a second, enough to reveal the respect she had for someone who knew how to follow orders. "Anya, Lunoire, Ryuu! Get back to work. The night is still long"
She began to retreat to the kitchen, but stopped for an instant, looking over her shoulder. "Syr, come here. We need to talk about your new... 'hire'"
Syr cast one last amused look at Dante and followed the restaurant owner. Silence returned to the hall, but it was a different silence.
Dante was no longer just the mysterious waiter; he was the man who had received the seal of approval, however brutal, from Mia Grand herself. He was, in a dangerous and official way, under the eyes of everyone at the Hostess.
The calm following Mia's departure didn't last long. The restaurant, now under Dante's silent yet attentive watch, began to boil again.
Anya, sensing that the danger of mass termination had passed, instantly recovered her chaotic energy.
She passed between the tables with a tray balanced in a dubious way over her head, her cat ears spinning like radars.
"The great Dante saved the day and Mama Mia didn't kick us out! Today is party day Nyaa" she hummed, but in her excitement, she didn't see a table leg. Her paws slipped and in a physics-defying maneuver, the tray flew into the air.
Dante, with instinctive quickness, didn't even need to turn his body.
With an outstretched arm, he intercepted the tray in mid-air, catching it by the rim before its contents a dozen beer mugs and three plates of French fries ended on the floor.
"Oops Nya, you're a ninja, Dante!" Anya exclaimed, regaining her balance and trying to fix her apron, which was crooked.
She seized the moment and leaned her head against Dante's arm, purring loudly. "You know, if you keep being this awesome, I'm going to end up wanting to take you home as my personal bodyguard! Nya, you'd make great support for my fish-hunting days off"
Dante just put the tray back in place and gently pushed Anya away, but the space she left was immediately occupied by Chloe.
Chloe glided through the hall with an elegance that made Anya look like an out-of-control hurricane.
She stopped beside Dante, letting her black tail wrap around his arm slowly and suggestively, while her green eyes glowed with mischief.
"Bodyguard? Anya, you have no vision" Chloe whispered, stepping close enough for her sweet perfume, a mix of exotic flowers, to dominate the air around Dante. "A man like Dante wasn't born to protect lost cats, he was born to be the center of attention"
She slid her free hand down Dante's apron, making a point of tracing the contours of his shoulder muscles.
"Tell me, Dante... does the training you do involve some kind of resistance exercise for partners? Because I'm starting to think you're the missing piece in my collection"
She let out a provocative giggle, her tail gently squeezing his arm before letting go. "If you behave for the rest of the shift, maybe I'll teach you the shortest path to pleasure. I promise I won't demand that you be so serious"
Anya, watching the scene from afar while trying to sweep the same spot for the third time, stuck her tongue out at Chloe. "Nya! Chloe is way too forward! She only wants you because you're the only one who doesn't fall for her little games."
"I don't fall for them because I'm not playing" Dante replied, keeping his gaze focused on the hall, though a slight frown betrayed that he was starting to find that mix of chaos and seduction more exhausting than a thousand-squat marathon.
"That's where you're wrong, darling" Chloe retorted, twirling a lock of black hair in her fingers. "In Orario, all of life is a game. And you, my dear, just entered the main match."
Dante sighed, the sound drowned out by the noise of the adventurer's laughter. He picked up another tray, ignoring Chloe's insistent flirting and Anya's antics.
But internally, he began to notice a pattern, at the Hostess, danger didn't just come from outside but from the unpredictable behavior of people who for some strange reason, seemed to have decided he was the most interesting person under that roof.
The night advanced, and the Hostess of Fertility was at its peak. The air was heavy with the smell of hearty food and the sound of dozens of adventurers debating their conquests in the Dungeon.
Amidst that symphony of chaos, Dante moved like a contained force of nature.
He was near the counter, depositing a pile of empty mugs, when Ryuu approached. She seemed to have finally decided to put vigilance aside.
With a precise movement, she wiped down the counter where he stood and spoke in a tone that, although serious, carried a hint of curiosity.
"You handle them well" Ryuu commented, casting a quick glance at Anya, who was now trying to 'balance' three plates on her elbows while mimicking a heroine pose and at Chloe, who was leaning against a pillar, watching Dante with a predator's smile. "Anya has a pure heart, even if she's a walking disaster. Chloe...well, Chloe is Chloe. She enjoys testing other people's limits"
Dante didn't take his eyes off the task of cleaning the counter. "Disorder is just a state. It can be managed, whereas chaos is inevitable"
Ryuu let out a short sigh, almost a laugh. "Managed? Most adventurers who walk through that door lose their minds in less than ten minutes. You're the first I know who seems to treat Orario's loudest environment like a silent library"
At that moment, Anya tripped over a customer sitting with his legs stretched out, sending her tray flying again. This time, however, the plates didn't fall.
Chloe's tail whipped the air, and with impressive feline agility, she caught two of the plates in mid-air while Dante, in an almost imperceptible hand movement, captured the third plate before it touched the floor.
"Nya! Elite squad, folks!" Anya shouted, without a shred of shame, striking a victory pose in the middle of the hall.
Chloe laughed, walking over to where they were and returning the plates with an elegance that made some customers stop to watch.
She stopped beside Dante, their shoulders almost touching. "See that, Dante? We make a great team. You have the strength, I have the agility, and Anya... well, Anya is lucky to have us."
"Luck and enthusiasm, nyaa" she corrected, jumping to Dante's side and trying, unsuccessfully, to climb onto a high stool.
Syr reappeared coming from the back area. She carried a calm expression, watching the interaction among the four.
She walked up to Dante and, in a gesture that surprised everyone, placed a hand over his apron, near his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heart.
"Mia is satisfied" Syr announced, her voice carrying a note of light mystery. "She said that if you keep this efficiency and don't break anything else, the apron might become your official uniform, Dante"
Chloe narrowed her green eyes, dropping her smile for a brief instant. "The official uniform? Does that mean he's sticking around longer? Meow... that changes everything."
Dante looked at the four of them, the exuberant Anya, the sly Chloe, the stoic Ryuu, and the enigmatic Syr. He had never been a man for company, much less for such a vibrant environment.
But looking at the door and thinking of the cold solitude, he realized something. He wasn't just there to 'make up for an absence. He was being pulled into something that, though he couldn't name it, was strangely familiar.
"The shift isn't over yet" Dante repeated the phrase that had become his mantra that night. He picked up a high-quality bottle of wine that Syr handed him with a wink. "And the tables won't serve themselves"
Ryuu watched him walk away and, for the first time that night, a genuine, though small, smile appeared on her lips. "He's a strange man, Syr"
"He's exactly what this city needed, Ryuu" Syr replied, her gaze following Dante's mystic tattoos, which glowed faintly under the hall's lighting "And if I'm right, tonight is just the beginning of his story here."
Dante continued his path through the hall, the warrior-waiter who unknowingly, was about to become a living legend within the walls of the Hostess of Fertility.
The house's rhythm was starting to slow down, the frantic flow of orders giving way to the calm silence preceding closing time.
Ryuu always vigilant, crossed the hall carrying a tray of crystal-clear glasses, her sky-blue eyes sweeping the environment to ensure no drunk adventurer remained causing trouble.
However, destiny or perhaps the momentary distraction caused by constantly observing Dante played a trick on her. The floor, stained by a small amount of spilled drink by a careless customer moments earlier, became a trap.
Ryuu's foot slipped. For a fraction of a second, the elf's impeccable posture wavered.
The tray in her hands tilted dangerously, and she lurched forward in a sudden movement that would normally end with her on the floor or, at the very least, with a collection of broken glass.
But she didn't touch the ground.
Before the first glass could fall, a firm, secure hand appeared around her waist, catching her with surgical precision.
Dante who was a few steps away collecting plates, intercepted her fall with superhuman reflex.
Ryuu felt the solid contact of Dante's arm around her body. The impact of the interruption was immediate, bringing her close to him in a movement that, due to the proximity, felt like an unplanned waltz.
Ryuu's green hair scattered slightly, and her sky-blue eyes widened, meeting the violet and magnetic gaze of Dante.
For a moment, the hall seemed to disappear. The noise of chairs, the murmur of remaining customers, even Anya's heavy breathing in the background, all faded into the background.
Dante didn't let go immediately; he kept her secure, his body serving as a pillar against gravity.
The mystic tattoos on Dante's neck and face emitted a faint glow in the light, creating an aura that seemed to enclose them in a private circle.
Ryuu the stoic and rigorous elf, felt her face warm up, a reaction she hadn't seen in herself.
The proximity was disconcerting; she could feel the firmness of his muscles beneath the uniform, the absolute calm emanating from his presence.
"Are you alright?" Dante's voice resonated, low and deep, laden with genuine concern that made the elf's heart skip an unexpected beat.
Ryuu took a second longer than necessary to reply, her eyes locked on his. "I huh.... yes. Just a lapse. Thank you."
She straightened up, though reluctantly. Dante released her delicately, maintaining his serene posture as if nothing unusual had happened, but the atmosphere between them had changed.
The air still seemed to carry an electricity that hadn't existed seconds before.
Chloe on the other side of the counter, stopped wiping a glass and let out a restrained laugh, her black tail wagging with playful malice. She nudged Anya, whose mouth was open in a perfect "O".
"My, my, Ryuu~" Chloe teased, with a feline smile reaching her green eyes. "Who would've thought our moral defender needed saving by our waiter? Meow, that would make a nice story for the night tales"
Ryuu recovering her usual composure with visible effort, adjusted her uniform and cleared her throat, looking back at Dante, though her eyes couldn't disguise the residual softness the scene had caused. "It was just an incident, Chloe. Don't exaggerate"
Dante paying no mind to the comment, simply picked up the tray Ryuu had almost dropped and placed it back in her hands with a gentle touch.
"The floor is slippery" he said simply.
He walked away to finish his chores, but as he lost himself among the restaurant's shadows and lights, Ryuu could still feel the warmth where his hand had been on her waist.
And, for the first time in her life, the idea of a 'romance' she had always thought futile in poetry books felt, for a fleeting instant, something much more tangible and dangerous. Aside from the fact that she felt no repulsion to his touch.
The incident with Ryuu seemed to have awakened something in the hall.
The atmosphere previously just bustling, now boiled with a different tension, almost electric.
Chloe watched everything from afar, her tail whipping the air at an accelerated pace. The feline smile on her lips turned predatory.
"Very nice, Ryuu, very dramatic~" Chloe muttered to herself, feeling a pang of competitive jealousy. "But it's time to show how a real move is made"
Dante had his back turned, organizing a shelf of empty bottles, his broad silhouette standing out under the lamplight. Chloe didn't walk over to him, she acted.
With a light, graceful leap, she jumped off the counter where she was, tracing a perfect arc in the air, and landed directly toward him.
Dante, whose senses were forged in combat, reacted on pure reflex. He spun his body and, instead of being knocked down, his arms went up instinctively to catch the weight coming at him.
Chloe threw her whole body, wrapping her arms around his neck while her legs locked around his waist in an embrace. She was plastered against Dante's chest, her green eyes glowing intensely, with her black tail wrapped around his arm in an intrusive caress.
"Face it, tiger. You just hit the jackpot~" she whispered, her voice laden with honeyed sweetness that would make any ordinary man lose his footing. She tilted her head back exposing her neck, and stared at Dante with blatant intensity.
"Ryuu got lucky with that stumble, but me? I don't need excuses to get close to you."
The entire hall stopped. Even the adventurers' chatter ceased. Anya, holding a dish towel, dropped a customer's beer without noticing.
Dante stood motionless, sustaining the girl's weight without the slightest effort, his cosmic purple eyes fixed on Chloe's, unperturbed.
The contrast was absolute: Chloe's chaotic, seductive vibe against Dante's icy stoicism.
"Chloe" Dante said, his voice maintaining a cutting calm, though the physical contact was intimate. "If I let go of you now, you'll fall"
"And who said I want to be let go?" she teased, tightening her embrace and rubbing her face against his shoulder, feeling the heat radiating from his skin. "I love the feeling of being carried by someone so strong. You smell like steel, adventure and... a mystery I'd love to decipher tonight."
Syr watching the scene from the counter, let out a low, crystalline laugh, while Ryuu, still recovering from the previous incident, clenched her fists with an unreadable expression.
"You're persistent" Dante noted, his gaze rising to observe the reactions around before returning to her.
"Persistent is an understatement, meow" she whispered near his ear, sending a chill down the spine of anyone nearby. "I'm a challenge. And you've just been drafted."
Dante sustained her weight for a long moment, silence being the only noise in the Hostess.
He could have set her down on the floor with a display of strength but instead, he held her firmly, one hand supporting her back and the other, purely technically, ensuring she didn't slip.
He looked at her face, inches from his. Chloe was confident, expecting the flirt, expecting the game.
Dante, however, merely tilted his head slightly, his expression maintaining that mask of an unreachable warrior.
"The shift isn't over yet" he repeated, though this time his tone carried an almost imperceptible note of restrained amusement. "And apparently, the service is going to be much busier than I anticipated"
Chloe broke into a wide, triumphant smile, feeling she had won a battle, even if the war for the silver-haired waiter's heart or attention had only just begun.
The moment of tensionor was it flirting? was broken by the metallic clink of the front door, opening to reveal the establishment's closing.
The fresh air of Orario's night swept through the restaurant and Mia Grand emerged once again from the kitchen's gloom.
Dante, without hesitation released Chloe with a fluid movement, setting her back on the ground as if she weighed nothing.
The feline landed on her feet but wasn't fazed, she fixed her hair, giving a playful tap to Dante's chest as she passed.
"You're a tough nut to crack, waiter. But I'm patient" she teased, letting out a giggle before going to help Anya collect the chairs.
Anya, still static, jumped over the counter. "Nya Dante, you're the most popular guy at the Hostess today!"
Mia walked to the center of the hall, her brown eyes analyzing the scene.
She saw Chloe humming while sweeping, saw Ryuu putting away the rags with a seriousness a bit stiffer than normal and following the silver-haired youth with her eyes unconsciously.
And she saw Dante, the center of all that strange energy, still with his apron impeccably aligned.
"No more monkey business for today" Mia decreed, her voice echoing with a matriarch's authority. "The workday is over. Dante, your payment"
She handed him a small, heavy leather pouch. Dante accepted it, feeling the weight of Orario's valuable coins.
It was more than he expected for a shift, but honestly, it was little considering the 'combat' he had faced among tables and flirtations.
"You played your part" Mia continued, crossing her arms. "Despite the... unconventional approach to resolving disputes and the distraction you caused, the house made triple the expected profit tonight"
She gave a half-smile, something she rarely showed. "It seems Orario's adventurers like being served by someone who takes no nonsense"
Syr approached Dante, standing slightly behind him. "What are you going to do now, Dante? The night is still young, and Hestia's church is a long way to make alone in the dark"
Dante pocketed his payment, his gaze wandering through the empty restaurant. The stacked chairs, the glow of fading candles, the lingering aroma of food and beer. There was a strange sense of fulfillment there, something he hadn't experienced since the days he served in wars.
"I'm going home" Dante replied, his voice balanced. "I have duties to fulfill before dawn"
"A man of principles" Syr commented, with a speculative gleam in her eyes. "What a pity. We were just beginning to see what you're made of"
Chloe didn't miss the chance for a parting remark, passing him at the door with a subtle flick of her tail that brushed his wrist.
"Don't get used to peace, Dante. Meow. Now that we know you're a high-level waiter, we're going to start making special requests when you come back"
Ryuu, standing near the door, merely tilted her head, a gesture of silent respect that spoke louder than a thousand words. "Be careful on the way, Dante. Orario's alleys aren't very safe"
Dante nodded to each of them. He felt like an outsider in that circle of such vibrant personalities, but at the same time, he felt part of it.
He removed his apron, the Hostess of Fertility emblem felt a bit heavier in his hands now, and hung it on the hook.
He walked out into the night, the sound of his steps echoing on Orario's stones. As he walked away, the glow of his mystic tattoos pulsed one last time under the moonlight.
He wasn't just a Hestia Familia recruit, he had proven his worth on a different terrain, and behind him, at the Hostess, he barely knew that the talk about the 'Cosmic-Eyed Waiter' would continue for many days.
The mission to make up for the absence was complete, but the chess game Syr had placed him in was only just beginning.
---END---
To be continued....