Despite feeling like I'd fall asleep as soon as I hit the bed tonight, I lay there, listless and tired, but unable to fall asleep.
My mind kept trying to figure out how to handle Bell's changed circumstances and how I could get him to join the Hestia Familia.
Yes, I knew what that would result in. If canon followed at all, Bell would rise to the upper echelons within 6 or so months and gain a lot of attention and notoriety in the process.
But that was canon, and this is a different reality where I existed.
Though I wasn't sure how my existence would change the fate of Bell Cranel and Hestia Familia, what I did know was that Bell must join the Familia, or I'd have absolutely zero control or knowledge of how things might turn out. Besides, for his own good and well-being, Bell should join the Hestia Familia, even if…
I frowned at the following thought.
… even if that meant Hestia might end up doting on him more than she dotes on me. And if things go the canon route, he'll likely gain affection and adoration of a whole bunch of girls in Orario… one of them being Hestia.
That thought left a bitter taste in my mouth.
I had no delusions of grandeur, but I liked to think Hestia and I were close. But was there any possibility for… something more? I knew of my feelings for her, as obvious as they were by now, but Hestia acted so naturally affectionate and caring that sometimes it felt like it was romantic, and other times, it felt like simply her nature as a Goddess of Hearth who was simply doting on her first and only Child.
If Bell joins the Familia and subsequently, if or when others join the Familia, I won't be her only Child and the sole recipient of Hestia's attention, and…
… it bothered me. I felt my heart ache at the thought and my mood sour unusually.
Again, I didn't have any right to demand all of Hestia attention and affection, considering I wasn't even 100% sure if I wanted to pursue a relationship (or rather, if I even could pursue a relation) with said Goddess, but… but the heart was not always rational and straightforward and I was unable to bring it out and talk it out with Hestia for obvious reasons, since that would involve me discussing future events that haven't happened yet and may not happen at all, if things go differently.
Sighing, I decided to get up when the time I stayed restlessly lying down became too long to bear. I looked to the side to see Hestia sleeping peacefully. She had had a few more drinks after the first one and ended up a little intoxicated.
If the Goddess was a bit more touchy-feely after that… well, I for one was not going to complain about having a literal Goddess being overly affectionate and physical.
Not that that led anywhere in the end. I carried her on my back after she fell down twice while walking, despite holding on to me, feeling Hestia's… hestias smooshed against my back. And as soon as I deposited her on the bed, she was out like a light.
And so, here I was, dead tired, but my mind was unable to rest at all. Sleeping alongside a drunk and unconscious Goddess on my bed, in an anime world turned real.
What a life I was living.
There would be those who would be jealous of what I had, doing the 'It should've been me, not him!' meme if they knew, but it wasn't like I was living my best life filled with luxury, fun adventures, OP powers, and a harem of beauties fawning over me in an anime world. No, this was a bit too real and gritty for an anime world.
Eventually, I couldn't stay like that and got up, feeling weary and in need of some distraction, maybe some fresh air.
I took a small detour to the kitchenette to get myself a glass of water, and then I headed outside, wanting to spend some time in the open.
The night was a quiet one with a clear sky, with but a rare few clouds visible. Instead, the sky was dotted with stars of myriad colors and sizes, forming a glittering and rather beautiful backdrop to a crescent moon.
If I needed any further indication of the fact that this was not Earth—well, aside from several blatantly obvious clues all around me—I only had to look up and see a beautiful yet completely unfamiliar sky that had more stars visible than I'd ever seen, yet they seemed not to match what I knew of from back on Earth. Not that I was particularly knowledgeable about constellations and other cosmic entities visible in clear night skies on Earth, but what I did know was the fact that there was a very obvious Milky Way Galaxy that formed a line up in the sky, which was very much absent here, despite the lack of any pollutants stopping people from watching the stars.
No Milky Way. Because this wasn't the same Earth I lived on. This was an entirely different world in a different reality where Magic and Monsters and Gods existed. A world that was supposed to be just a fictional story, but had become my new reality.
'What a bizarre life I am living…'
I chuckled morosely.
'... being so far away from my home and family, unable to go back or even figure out how I got here and what the purpose of it was. Is this bloody world a fiction? Am I real? Haa… I hate that I can't say for sure that this is 100% real, even if it feels real. What if it's just one big dream? Maybe I am in a coma somehow? Haha… that'd be worse. I would rather not be a character of some creepy pasta. Fuck, we even have the lamp on the bedside. Alright, brain. You're making it weird now. Time to shut up.'
Before I realized it, I had somehow left the empty abandoned area where the church was located and ended up on the main road.
Looking around at the still active streets, even if it wasn't as crowded as in the day or even just a few hours ago when we were out for dinner, I roamed the street carrying nothing but the clothes and shoes on me.
Not like I was out here to buy something anyway. Not after the unexpectedly expensive dinner we ended up having. Damn that greedy Mia Grand for making drinks cost 100s of Valis. There's no way it should be that costly. That said, her noodles were delicious, and I really enjoyed the roasted meat, so I can find it in me to forgive the blatantly high prices for drinks and food.
'... Or maybe I'm just poor. After all, the pub seems to mainly cater to the Adventurers, and those folks earn rather well if my humble experience is anything to go by.'
I did happen to pass by said Inn. It had closed down, and I could see the waitresses cleaning the tables and floor.
'At this late hour? What time is it anyway?'
There was no clock visible to know that, so I shrugged and kept walking, somewhat aimlessly as my mind idly wandered here and there, occasionally monologing or commenting on the things I saw. Nothing that was overtly eye-catching, but this was still a new place filled with curious things and people.
Somehow, I ended up walking all the way to the center, the Tower of Babel standing tall and well-lit. I looked up, as far as I could see anyway, and wondered what Freya was up to. Probably doing something mildly disturbing, or just straight up disturbing. Or plotting something. Or amusing herself with her children. Or maybe she was looking down on the city from her vantage point.
'… Yep, and that's my cue to stop trying to tempt fate and leave this area. Why the hell was I even thinking of Freya? Damn… I'm already tired, and this was a pointless and tiring long walk. Let's head back…'
I turned to head back, but my attention was briefly caught by the somewhat large crowd of people heading towards a different main road.
I blinked, confused as to why a bunch of random individuals and folks, mainly men, but also some women, were going there? Was there some event happening? At this hour?
I should have headed back home and tried to sleep, but idle curiosity and restlessness carried my tired feet to follow the crowd loosely and check out what was happening.
Maybe it was a bad idea to go to an unknown place following a random crowd, but I was not quite in the right state of mind at the time. Too tired to think straight, and the idle curiosity winning any arguments I may have had.
So, I followed the crowd and, after a few short minutes of walking, realized why there were men and women (mostly the former) headed in this direction at such a late hour.
'I should have realized. It's obvious now that I'm looking at it.'
I had found myself in what was likely the Entertainment District of Orario, a place where men and women came to… relax and have fun. A place controlled by another scary Goddess, Ishar, and her Familia that consisted solely of Amazonesses.
A place that I had absolutely zero business being in.
'Welp, time to head back before I end up getting ganked by some drunkard asking for money I don't have or get assaulted.'
My dirty mind thought the latter wasn't too bad if I got assaulted by some hot amazoness, but the rational side reminded him that there was no guarantee it'd just end with casual sex with a stranger. For all I knew, these Amazonesses had special tastes, and I'd be utterly powerless against them since they were also almost always Adventurers with stats much higher than mine.
I turned back to leave before I ended up in a troublesome situation, but I ended up bumping into a wall of muscle and meat.
"Whoa! Sorry…"
I spoke reflexively, opening my eyes and then having to look up to see a large man looking down at me with clear irritation on his face. Around him were 3 more men, but he was by far the bulkiest of them.
"You blind? Fucking bumping into me like an idiot."
"... Sorry. I didn't see you there."
I took a step back, feeling nervous about confronting this hulking mass of muscle, much less with the knowledge that he had a group of fairly tough-looking men with him. I decided to try to de-escalate and leave before it got worse.
I turned to walk to the side to give them full birth, but much to my dismay and rising heartbeat, I found a meaty hand grabbing my shoulder and shoving me back to face the large man.
'Fuck.'
I gritted my teeth, feeling my heart beat rapidly as adrenaline flooded my tired and somewhat drowsy body.
"What?"
I spoke, trying to keep my voice levelled, but it came out uneven, betraying my growing nervousness and worry.
"You calling me small? You didn't see this? Huh?!"
He spoke, pointing towards his large form with a thumb.
"Look, man. I'm sorry. I really wasn't paying attention. And I apologize for that. Just… let's go our separate ways, and you guys enjoy your night, yeah?"
For some reason, that caused them to chuckle in amusement.
"Eh, Jaive, let the guy go, man. I wanna get myself a cute babe."
"Ay. Grow up, dude. Get yourself a real woman instead of those 'cute' ass bitches. Bet your dick is tiny."
"Fuck you. I am not into bimbo sluts."
"Fucker, you think those 'cute' bitches aren't sucking the same amount of dick as everyone else? They just act cute."
By this point, I noticed some people looking at us. Most of them ignored us, but some stayed to check out what was up.
"What? I'm just teaching this guy manners. He's the one who bumped into me."
'Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Damn it!'
"Look, man, I said I'm sorry. Can you let this go? I don't want any trouble."
"Shouldn't have bumped into me, then."
My grimace deepened, and I considered whether it was possible to make a run for it. But these guys looked like Adventurers, so if they followed, I had no delusions that I could outrun even lower tier Level 1 Adventurers. Not as I was right now, dead tired and barely standing.
'I shouldn't have come here. This will teach me not to follow random people to unknown, shady places in the middle of the night. Fuck my shitty luck and stupid decisions.'
"Oy, what's the commotion? You men causing trouble here?"
A feminine voice broke the tension forming between the group, and I was immediately grateful for that timely intervention. I really wasn't looking forward to a possible fight tonight.
"Wh—Of course not! We're just headed to have some fun, yeah? Jaive here got bumped by this guy, and we're just sorting things out."
I turned to look at the two dark-skinned girls carrying spears and wearing a skimpy bikini and a mini shirt and shorts, respectively, that still barely covered anything. Their outfits and skin color made me think they were possibly Amazonesses and likely part of the Ishtar Familia, who were in charge of this area.
Possibly Adventurers or Guards. Or both. Probably both.
"Alright, then. Move along. Don't block the entrance for others."
"Tsk. Yeah, yeah. We're going. Come, boys."
The large man, who had been trying to pick a fight with me and possibly looking to give me a black eye for a petty reason, changed his tune rather quickly and walked forward, giving me an uncaring shove. I frowned at the action, glaring at his back for a moment, but stayed quiet, not wanting to escalate the situation anymore after it was finally de-escalated.
'Asshole.'
Cursing at him, I turned to glance at the two women who had saved me.
"Thank you."
I was about to turn back and leave, but one of them seemed to have other plans as she came closer, entering my private space without care, and hugged my left arm.
"No problem, cutie. So, you new here? Never seen you around these parts."
'... Cutie?'
"Uh, I didn't mean to come here. I have to go a different way."
Already feeling done with this, I tried to get my hands out of her grasp, but to my surprise, I couldn't even budge them.
'She is strong.'
This normal-looking, dark-skinned girl, likely an Amazoness, was much stronger than I was and was holding onto me for some reason. I didn't like where this was going.
A part of me, however, located down below, liked where this was going.
"Can you let me go, please? It's getting late and I—"
"Aww~ But what's the hurry? The night is just getting started, and I am so lonely~ You see~… It's tough being a guard here. Seeing everyone but me get some action. I wouldn't mind some company tonight~."
She spoke huskily, pushing her breasts against me.
"… Ah, sorry, I… I am not interested. Also, I don't have any money to pay for it."
I added the second half as an afterthought, thinking that might make her leave me alone.
"Ehh? That's fine, I can give you one for free. I am feeling generous tonight."
She winked seductively.
"More like horny."
The other Amazoness commented dryly from the side.
"Heh, that too~ So, what do you say, handsome? Want to make this night amazing? I promise you'll enjoy it."
'Ah, Fuck me.'
"Ah, um, I'm… really sorry, miss. But I really must go. It's getting late, and I am really tired today. Maybe some other time…"
"Aww~ Are you going to leave poor old me~ After I gave you such a sweet offer too~?"
Her words were cute, but her grasp on my arm told a different story. She certainly didn't look like she had any intention to let me go, and I couldn't find a way to escape this situation with my innocence intact.
'Nope. Shut up, horny brain. I don't want your recommendations.'
I really wasn't feeling it for sex with a stranger. Not when I'd never had it before and wanted to do it with someone I had feelings for, like some chump. And while the woman in front of me was fairly attractive, I was not in the right state of mind—and felt too damn tired—to indulge in such erotic solicitations.
"Please, can you–"
"Come, walk with me. I promise I'll let you go once you accompany me for some time. Not to a room, just around."
She added quickly as I went to refuse, making me shut my mouth.
She motioned vaguely, and I didn't like the idea of going along with this woman. But I had no other choice. All my pleas had been ignored so far, and I couldn't force my way out either.
Stuck in this situation, I could only grimace and curse my shitty luck tonight as I was dragged by the deceptively strong Amazoness women to the den of debauchery, against my will.
I must insist that it happened purely against my wish and that I had absolutely zero horny thoughts on the matter. If I checked out the women and their exotic beauties, then that was just my tired and distracted mind trying to find a way out and nothing more. I was just judging their strengths, yes. I was innocent and helpless as I was dragged into the red light district of Orario.
I had to wonder when my wholesome slice of life story and occasionally action-filled and slightly gritty story turned into an R-rated one.
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